Chapter 51
051 – Behind-the-scenes
[The Amazing Abilities of an Awakener Who ‘Melted’ a Building Made by Humans in Just 3 Minutes]
[Is the Age of the Avengers Begin? How Far Can the Abilities of Awakeners Go?]
[The Construction Robot of the Liberal Clan That Can Build a New Building in Just an Hour Out of Thin Air. What Are the Possibilities for the Construction Industry?]
[The Moment When the World as We Know It Collapsed.]
[Turret or Robot? What’s the True Ability Hidden by the Enigmatic Figure, Cha Myung-jun?]
[Emergency Plenary Session Decision on the ‘Awakening Law’ Pending in the National Assembly. Both Parties’ Representatives Will ‘Vote in the Plenary Session within a Week’]
The next step for the Liberal Clan, which had placed the keyword ‘Awakeners’ at the center of all attention by swallowing up all the issues mentioned in the news, was to recruit new members for its clan activities in earnest before the related regulations were passed. And the condition the Liberal Clan offered for smooth recruitment was ‘providing a safe environment for becoming an Awakener.’
Simultaneously with the clan headquarters construction event, the Liberal Clan’s website was opened, displaying not only the photo of the ‘Power Armor’ that had been revealed in front of a café in Changwon, but also various photos of power armor for civilians, with the caption at the bottom, ‘Get the chance to become an Awakener along with the world’s most powerful Gate Conquest equipment.’
In addition, the website contained content indicating that the Liberal Clan would clear any problematic Gates for any country that requested it, anywhere in the world. However, there was a condition attached, which was that, essentially, only members of the Liberal Clan could participate in Gate conquests, except for survival rescue operations, and that all rights to the materials and decision stones obtained from within belonged to the Liberal Clan.
In other words, they would clear problematic Gates for free, but in return, they would take all the materials obtained inside the Gate. However, many countries were more than willing to accept this condition, as even ordinary monster of any size near the Gate were hard to hunt.
Of course, most countries had a certain number of regular troops, large or small, but ordinary soldiers struggled even to deal with one or two monsters outside the Gate.
As a result, the huge clan lobby, which had turned into a crowd market, was crowded with people who had come to request missions, people who had come just to watch, and people who wanted to be interviewed for employment.
“Wow, it’s crowded! It’s so packed in this spacious area, isn’t it? If someone sees this, they might think it’s an idol concert.”
Ho-chang, who was grumbling while lifting the visor of his power armor, had a cute look. When he complained, female students wearing school uniforms came up to him and spoke.
“Excuse me, could we take a photo together?”
“Of course!”
“Could you, like, hold me on one hand as you did in the picture?”
Ho-chang put the girl on his palm as she requested, and stretched his arm for a pose. Then, the students who took a photo with him bowed and disappeared somewhere.
“Hehe.”
“What is it? You’ve been wearing armor since earlier. Was it because of that?”
“What’s the point of it at your age?”
“It’s noisy. Since we’ve become Awakeners, we should enjoy it to the fullest. And you’re not in a position to say anything different, right? You’ve purposely brought all the vehicles from the garage to create the lobby like an auto show.”
“Well, Leader and Miss Soo-jeong said it’s okay to show it off…”
“I’m not saying showing it off is the problem. What’s strange is you criticizing me while doing similar things. Even though it looks like this, I’m still focused on my main job. I’m currently on ‘guard duty,’ prepared to respond immediately to any situation, no matter when or what happens.”
“Well, I don’t think we have such a bad public safety situation in Korea that you have to do all that.”
“It’s not that nuclear weapons are scary when used well. It’s just that the mere fact of their existence is overwhelming, and people with bad intentions start to feel fear just from my presence. That’s probably why Miss Soo-jeong had all your vehicles brought out to display in the lobby. It’s a kind of nonviolent protest.”
“A nonviolent protest? Against whom?”
“Against who? The Korean government. In fact, legally speaking, even if they put all the members of the Liberal Clan here in jail, they won’t be able to say a word. Violation of the Building Act is a trivial offense, illegal use of military weapons is a violation of the Firearms Possession Act. There are more than one or two elements you can challenge.”
“Well, that’s true. But why don’t they come and arrest us?”
“Why would you want to come into this place with equipment full of firepower, even harsher than a U.S. military base, and say, ‘I’m going to arrest you for violating the Firearms Possession Act’? It’s like putting a bell on a cat’s neck.”
In Cha Myung-jun’s case, his intention to use the ‘Hellblaster,’ one of the most destructive weapons among the many armed forces, to ‘melt’ a building was clearly revealed.
The power we have is not limited to this.
So don’t think about touching us unless you bring at least a corps-level force with you or don’t even think about it.
In line with Myung-jun’s intention, some prosecutors and members of the National Assembly strongly criticized the actions of the Liberal Clan.
“What they are doing is a complete disregard for the laws of the Republic of Korea! They must be called to a parliamentary hearing and questioned.”
When a member of the opposition party strongly argued this in a committee convened to discuss legislation on the rights and use of Awakeners, a member of the ruling party confronted him.
“We can demand attendance, but they probably won’t accept it from their side.”
“So, should we arrest them?”
“Arrest them? Who will do that? These people melted a high-rise building in the middle of Sejong City with lasers. Do you think they’ll even twitch if a few police officers with tasers go looking for them?”
“Then should we mobilize the military?”
“Didn’t you see the video yesterday? A large concrete building was melted down in 3 minutes. If you attack that place, you’ll be destroyed like a cracker on a spoonful of spicy pepper paste!”
Myung-jun, an Awakener, had not yet given up his South Korean citizenship, so the opinions and practical means of abiding by South Korean law were in line with those who argued that they should leave him alone. While some wanted to use Myung-jun’s power and didn’t care about the law, others argued that there was no practical means to deal with Myung-jun.
“First of all, it’s unrealistic to mobilize the military. It’s foolish to turn an opponent who could become an ally just because you provoked them too much into an enemy. But ignoring the reality that is unfolding as if nothing is happening isn’t a good solution either. It may look like the government is being swayed by the power of an individual, after all.”
“What are you trying to say?”
“If you can’t give them punishment, then give them rewards. In fact, you should push for what they’re trying to do.”
“We must now acknowledge it. The moment they melted a high-rise building in just 3 minutes yesterday, it means that the conventional world we knew also melted away. In such a situation, fighting against the oncoming waves is not a good choice at all. The wisest course of action is to make the waves allies and learn how to ride them. Furthermore, there is a bill in the National Assembly that encompasses everything they desire.”
As the Awakening Law, which Myung-jun had demanded from the South Korean government, gained momentum, a full-fledged Gate Clear Rush targeting Awakeners under the jurisdiction of the Department of Defense was underway in the United States, where they had received a large number of Rank 3 Awakener equipment made by Myung-jun.
Although they were low rank Gates, for the first time, they succeeded in clearing the Gates that had never been cleared by deploying Awakener soldiers. Encouraged by the success, the EDF, which had been preserving the Rank 2 Gates by securing them and stabilizing them with the injection of Crystal Stones, challenged the clearing of the Rank 2 Gates, which had previously been deemed impossible, and Awakeners from the U.S. government who wore equipment made from Rank 3 materials from Myung-jun easily cleared the Gates.
Moreover, newly developed equipment modified with Crystal Stones obtained through Gate Clearing, specifically for general U.S. soldiers, was being rapidly distributed. At this point in time, the United States was becoming a nation that was securing the power of Awakeners at the fastest rate.
Armed with “Awakener-exclusive weapons,” soldiers were clearing the low rank Gates, awakening Abilities. These Awakener soldiers were then arming themselves with “Awakener-exclusive equipment” and participating in the clearing of high rank Gates.
This was the true identity of the “Snow Ball” that Myung-jun had handed over. Furthermore, the “Reinforcement Coating Manufacturing Equipment” received from Myung-jun had enormous utility beyond simply creating equipment for Awakeners.
“If I had to explain, this equipment changes the inherent properties of Crystal Stones to allow the user to customize the function as they wish. It’s just that the current setting is configured to produce only Reinforcement Coating.”
Dr. Lee Jeong-hee, who was in charge of the research on Awakeners at DARPA, explained that even if only half of what Myung-jun had given was true, Myung-jun’s value was beyond imagination.
“Is there any way to bring it under the control of the U.S. government somehow?”
When the President asked this question, his staff remained silent. They had collected information by scraping even Myung-jun’s elementary school records he attended as a child for today’s meeting, but there didn’t seem to be any card to play.
Moreover, unlike the U.S. government, which was aggressively clearing Gates, they still hadn’t fully prepared their Awakener forces. Most countries had high hopes for the activities of the Liberal Clan, which Myung-jun had created.
There was no government that would refuse the proposal to sweep away the enigmatic Awakeners, who posed a great threat to the nation and its citizens without asking for a penny.
And that statement meant that it was difficult to tempt him with the Gate clearing authority, which is the only thing Myung-jun is interested in.
“Surely one of the core members of the Liberal Clan, Han Soo-jeong, is Director Lee Jeong-hee’s daughter, right? Maybe it’s possible to persuade him through her daughter?”
“I already tried, but I only received an answer like ‘I won’t go unless Myung-jun wants to.’ Considering the personality of a daughter who bets her life on something once she falls for it, it would be difficult to convince that girl to transfer Myung-jun’s affiliation.”
“At this point, he possesses more formidable power, authority, and capital than the U.S. government can offer. However, that doesn’t mean we can claim exclusive authority over all the gates worldwide. Judging by the current atmosphere, it seems like he doesn’t really need the comprehensive protection from the U.S. government that he demanded.”
“For us, the gates hold immeasurable value, but for countries that lack the ability to conquer them, these gates are nothing but difficult-to-dispose-of items. What’s somewhat fortunate is that he maintains a friendly disposition toward the U.S. government. Although we couldn’t make him an ally, he won’t become an enemy either.”
As the opinions of the White House staff leaned toward ‘Let’s watch the situation a bit longer,’ a staffer raised his hand. This staff member, who demanded the floor with a frightened expression, was not one of the ministers who were the main participants in the meeting but rather an aide brought by a minister.
“Do you have something to say?”
Looking at the President with a soft expression, the staff member gathered the courage to reveal his affiliation. Then, he explained his idea.
“It’s just an idea, but I think the current problem is that most countries, except for a few major powers, view gates as trivial items. I believe that the country that seizes control of gate operations can shape the international political landscape going forward. However, from the perspective of countries that cannot even access such a position, these gates are akin to random bombs randomly generated in various locations, causing massive damage to their citizens.”
“So what’s your point?”
“If it has no value, we can create value for it.”
“What do you mean?”
“Make it possible for governments worldwide to freely buy and sell their own gates. They should invest substantial funds to buy them all. Then these gates, which once seemed like mere trivial items, would suddenly gain value. As soon as they’re discovered, they’d become valuable items that can fetch enormous rewards from the U.S. government.”
With this explanation, the employee added that, according to the information the CIA and the IRS had collaborated to gather, Myung-jun’s balance in Soo-jeong’s account wasn’t as high as one might think. Given this situation, if the U.S. government were to purchase the authority over all gates before Myung-jun, he would have no choice but to accept their offer.
Just as the U.S. had no intention of handing over its own gates to other countries, the South Korean government also wouldn’t grant gate-clearing authority to Myung-jun, a civilian, without some form of compensation. Consequently, the staff member anticipated that once the situation forced Myung-jun to provide a price, it would become a matter of who could offer better terms.
This proposal greatly shook the mind of the President, who was listening.
“All right, that sounds good. Seizing the gates like a marketplace. A very ingenious idea. Let’s allocate the budget immediately and make the announcement. Regardless of where the gates are discovered around the world, we’ll offer substantial rewards in exchange for gate-clearing authority. How much are you thinking?”
“If you’re going to operate it as a marketplace, then we should push the price to a level that no one can afford to refuse. Let’s set it around $1 million per Rank, and we can raise it further if necessary.”
The U.S. government’s strategy to aggressively clear gates, including those in foreign countries, caused a significant ripple among the governments of major countries that had been waiting for the situation. It was a decision that highly provoked the vigilance of these governments.
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