Master Smith Under Ministry of National Defense

Master Smith Under Ministry of National Defense

180 – Mechanics Beat Bionics

 

Although Myung-jun succeeded in capturing a live parasite and Soo-jeong managed to create a device to locate parasites hidden within infected humans, these achievements alone couldn’t resolve the current crisis. The brutal removal method they had to use on the captured female officer was not feasible for treating dozens of infected individuals.

There weren’t enough medical pods to treat that many people simultaneously, and Myung-jun and Seung-ho couldn’t be involved in every treatment session. Having solved the first step but now facing a second hurdle, Myung-jun attended a large-scale meeting at the request of EDA Director Yoon Se-ah to explain the current situation.

At the meeting, Myung-jun confronted the stark, unfiltered mindset of the South Korean Ministry of Defense, which he despised the most.

“Let’s start with long-term isolation and treat them one by one. It might take time, but it seems like the best approach,” suggested General Park Chan-hyung, who had previously been knocked out by Myung-jun. Unfazed, he presented his impractical opinion to the attendees.

Myung-jun raised his hand to voice his opposition. “I’m sorry, but the first person treated is currently in a half-dead state undergoing intensive care. While we can fully recover her, the medical pod will be unusable for the estimated 24-day recovery period.”

“Are you really going to quibble over equipment when lives are at stake?”

“By that logic, every hospital in the world should treat all patients for free. Besides, this isn’t about cost. Medical pods are rare resources even for the Liberal Clan, needed for treating our members and Academy students. Moreover…”

“What other issue is there?”

“If we treat them one by one, and the synaptic entity feels threatened, it might command the remaining infected soldiers to commit suicide. Even if the parasite self-destructs inside the medical pod, survival is unlikely. If it happens outside, all the soldiers will die before we can intervene.”

“If we leave things as they are, all the soldiers will die anyway. Isn’t it better to save at least some of them?”

“Following your method, the first treated will have a higher chance of survival. Now, let me ask you this: who decides who lives and who dies? Who has the authority to make such a decision? None of those soldiers can be deemed more worthy of life than another. They are all someone’s beloved partner, child, sibling, or friend.”

“You’re bringing idealism into a discussion about reality. If you’re so keen on pursuing ideals, why don’t you come up with a solution yourself?” Park Chan-hyung retorted sarcastically.

In his view, no matter how godlike Myung-jun and the Liberal Clan’s abilities were, resolving this crisis without casualties seemed impossible. And indeed, Myung-jun was struggling to think of a viable solution.

‘The biggest issue is that the parasite might attempt suicide even during the detection process. While we can fake the psychic signal to maintain the connection with the synaptic entity, there’s no way to prevent the parasite from self-destructing if it feels threatened.’

Seeing Myung-jun’s silence, General Park Chan-hyung, emboldened, slammed his palm on the table. “See! Even the great Cha Myung-jun can’t think of a way to resolve this without sacrifices. Excessive kindness can sometimes lead to greater sacrifices. A single hero saving all the weak is something that only exists in movies.”

He demanded a decision from the people in the meeting room, urging them to accept the necessity of small sacrifices to prevent larger ones. His mind was fixated on leading the resolution of this crisis himself.

Myung-jun, observing Park Chan-hyung’s expression, spoke with a cold, mocking smile. “Fine. Let’s do it your way. But I have one condition. If you agree to this condition, the Liberal Clan will provide all its medical pods for this operation free of charge.”

“Finally, a decision! That’s the decisiveness befitting the leader of the world’s strongest awakened clan! State your condition. I’ll do whatever it takes.”

“Whatever it takes?”

Myung-jun smiled and placed a small box he had beside his chair onto the table. “My condition is simple. Since you emphasize self-sacrifice so much, you will swallow the live parasite contained in this box. Then, you will enter the infected unit and be the last one to receive treatment.”

“What?!?!”

“Since you emphasize such noble sacrifice, sacrificing your own life for the sake of your precious soldiers should come without hesitation, right? What did you say earlier? You asked for the determination to endure a small sacrifice to prevent a greater one. By sacrificing yourself alone, even if there’s a mass self-destruction midway, you could save at least 30 lives. Wow, a 1:30 ratio. It seems like we’re at a loss, but we’re willing to accept that.”

“Are you out of your mind?!!”

“If you can accept this proposal, do it. Otherwise, shut up. Those who talk about noble sacrifice without risking their own lives are the most repulsive.”

Hearing Myung-jun’s words, the general, unable to contain his anger, stood up abruptly. He then reached for the loaded pistol at his waist in preparation for any eventuality. However, before his fingers could even touch the holster, a chillingly sharp sensation tickled the back of his neck.

“Hey, pot-bellied mister. Stop right there. If your finger moves even a millimeter further, your head will be separated from your neck.”

With his hand frozen mid-motion toward the gun, the general cautiously lowered his gaze. There, a disc larger than the circumference of his waist hovered in the air as if by magic.

Following the general’s lead, the other military personnel present at the meeting stood up and protested against Myung-jun. “Did the Liberal Clan come here to wage war against the Republic of Korea’s military, not to resolve the situation?!”

“Put away your weapon! This is a clear act of provocation!”

Then, Soo-bin, who had unleashed the light wheel, spoke to Myung-jun in an annoyed tone. “Ugh, these guys are so irritating. Captain, can’t we just kill them all? We promised EDA we’d save the infected soldiers. Does that include these people?”

“Well, it depends on how you interpret it. The one who tried to draw a gun first was them. Maybe it could be considered self-defense?”

At that moment, EDA Director Yoon Se-ah sighed and stood up, hearing Myung-jun’s words that seemed to encourage Soo-bin further. She bowed deeply at a 90-degree angle towards Myung-jun. “I sincerely apologize for the armed provocation initiated by our side. Please, calm your anger and withdraw your weapon.”

“Are you bowing to these traitors?! Cha Myung-jun has betrayed the country of his birth…”

“Would you please just shut up!!!

Myung-jun had never seen the usually calm and composed Yoon Se-ah so furious. This was a first not only for him but also for the military officials and EDA members present at the meeting. Yoon Se-ah was known for her quiet demeanor, even when angry.

However, Soo-jeong, who was sitting next to Myung-jun and observing the situation, recognized that Yoon Se-ah’s intense reaction was a calculated move. ‘She’d rather discipline her own than let others do it. She’s more cunning than I thought.’

Indeed, her actions were highly effective. The tense atmosphere, which had been on the verge of erupting into violence, cooled instantly with her outburst. She then ordered all the Ministry of Defense personnel to leave the meeting, leaving none behind.

General Park Chan-hyung, facing the threat of being excluded from the operation, protested to Yoon Se-ah. “The operation area is under the jurisdiction of the 3rd Division of the Republic of Korea Army. Even if you are the EDA Director overseeing the Gate crisis, excluding the Ministry of Defense from the operation is unacceptable.”

“If you don’t leave now, I will immediately send the Liberal Clan members back and submit an official report to the Blue House stating that you forced them to leave,” Yoon Se-ah retorted.

“Nonsense! If you do that, the infection could spread to the entire nearby unit…”

“Do I look like I’m joking?”

“The officers who came with me will testify… I absolutely…”

Sensing Yoon Se-ah’s intent, Myung-jun chimed in with a sly tone. “Ah, you’re right. Now that I think about it, I’m quite upset. We came at EDA’s request to help with all our might, and here’s a general who knows nothing, demanding command and making unreasonable requests. This is really upsetting. Soo-bin, Kei, pack up. We’re heading back to Liberty City.”

General Park Chan-hyung’s face turned beet red, and he glared at Myung-jun, his fists trembling. He then bowed his head in resignation. “I will leave.”

“No need for a send-off. We’re in a quarantine zone, so we’ll see each other again before this is over,” Myung-jun mocked.

As the general and his officers left the tent, Yoon Se-ah, returning to her usual composed tone, apologized to Myung-jun once more.

However, while Yoon Se-ah apologized to Myung-jun for the general’s behavior, she also reminded him that the general had a point. This was a crisis where sticking to idealism could lead to greater sacrifices. Despite her persuasion, Myung-jun remained steadfast in his resolve not to sacrifice a single soldier. If the easy way was impossible, he was determined to find a more difficult method to resolve the crisis without any casualties.

At that moment, something caught Myung-jun’s eye. It was the Inspector Box containing the live parasite he had earlier demanded the general swallow.

“Senior.”

“Yes?”

“With the detector you created, we can pinpoint the exact body part where the parasite is hiding, right?”

“Like an airport X-ray, it can be seen on the monitor.”

“And the principle behind it uses crystal energy, not energy from this Earth?”

“That’s correct.”

Hearing Soo-jeong’s response, Myung-jun turned to Seung-ho.

“Seung-ho.”

“Yes, Leader.”

“When we tried to anesthetize the parasite in the medical pod, you mentioned that its neural system was different from existing organisms, so it couldn’t be anesthetized. That means current anesthetics can’t put the parasite to sleep.”

“I remember.”

In that instant, the clever Seung-ho understood what Myung-jun was getting at and what he was being asked to do. A smile appeared on Seung-ho’s lips as he realized that using his abilities might achieve what Myung-jun desired.

“You understand what I mean?”

“Yes. It might be possible.”

Soo-bin, who didn’t grasp the conversation between the two, spoke up.

“Hey, are you two communicating telepathically? What exactly are you planning?”

“It’s not a complicated idea. In fact, it’s so simple that I’m wondering why we didn’t think of it sooner,” Seung-ho replied, picking up the Inspector Box in front of Myung-jun.

He then looked at Soo-bin and explained, “If existing anesthetics don’t work, we need to create a new anesthetic that will. One that uses materials not from Earth, but from the parasite itself.”

Myung-jun had given a directive to Seung-ho, the alchemist of the Liberal Clan. Just as Soo-jeong had created a device to detect the parasite using the crystal energy from an extraterrestrial source, Myung-jun was instructing Seung-ho to develop a new substance capable of paralyzing the parasite, using materials from the creature itself.