Damn the World, Ride a Submarine - Chapter 147



Only Krnovel

Episode 147 – Iron Soldier

After hearing Dr. Kim Beom-jun’s explanation, I was able to understand a little more why the United States was so obsessed with it.

“Okay, so if we mass-produce it, how much risk is there of the manufacturing process leaking?”

– Even now, the core processes are being carried out within the laboratory. As long as security is maintained for some processes, it should be fine.

– However, this is assuming that it is produced only in Kiribati as it is now.

– Currently, special forces dispatched from OSS and OSSIA are working hard to maintain thorough security.

– There is only one researcher other than me who knows all the information about the baritium manufacturing process.

“Okay, so what if we could use a different material, like titanium, instead of barite, to achieve similar performance?”

– It is possible, but the weight would make it less effective.

– In the past, the Soviet Union made titanium helmets and used them in special forces. They weighed over 3kg.

– It would be difficult to achieve the same performance as a barium helmet with titanium even at 12 kg.

“I understand, Doctor. Manager Lee!”

– Yes, sir.

“What would happen if we refused to sell baritium to the United States?”

– For now, it will be difficult to obtain American missiles or F/A-18 fighter parts. There will be other political pressures, but I don’t think we need to worry too much about that.

“hmm ···.”

– It’s an unmanned submarine. The US is also developing one, so I just passed over it… But it seems that the US desperately wants baritium.

“I understand. It doesn’t make sense to give a license when you haven’t even filed a patent. Let’s just sell the finished product. Dr. Kim Beom-jun!”

– Yes, go ahead.

“Do you know the current production cost of a helmet and body armor set and the unit cost in mass production in the future?”

– Yes. I checked recently. It is currently around 90 million won, and it is said that the price will be reduced by half when mass-produced.

“Mr. Lee, tell the US that you can sell one set for 1.2 billion won. Please limit the supply quota to 50,000.”

– Sir, isn’t it too expensive? It might be interpreted as you not wanting to sell it…

“Sir, the amount spent on purchasing aircraft carriers and missiles this time is 90 trillion won. Even if you buy 10,000 sets worth 1.2 billion won, it’s only 12 trillion won.”

– ah ···.

“And one night vision goggle used by the US military costs 40 million won, and it is a consumable item.”

– …

“Baritium plates are durable products that do not require maintenance costs. I think they will be satisfied with the price.”

– Ah… Okay, I understand.

“Sir, barytinium is an irreplaceable strategic material. And if the US restricts the sale of military supplies such as fighter jet parts, then so be it.”

– …

“Instead, let us confirm that the OSS’s diminished military capabilities require the United States to compensate for them in Ukraine and the South China Sea.”

– all right.

One reason baritium was priced so high was because it was a high value-added revenue source.

The main reason was to prevent it from being circulated around as a strategic material. It was not a profitable business to resell it, whether in the US or anywhere else.

…

There was no major complaint in the United States about the price of baritium.

Its tactical utility had been proven in the Burmese War, and its value as a strategic material was recognized.

The US military ordered 30,000 baritone armor sets, enough to be issued to Navy SEALs, Delta Force, and Green Berets.

The amount was 36 trillion won. With this, OSS went beyond being a PMC and became known as a defense contractor.

And he instructed OSS-ART and the Special Forces to study ways to utilize baritium more actively.

The project name was Iron Soldier.

It was a project to develop suits and weapon systems for high-risk close combat such as CQC.

The goal was to develop an armor system that could completely protect against all rifle rounds without exceeding the weight of existing armor by more than 10%.

If the currently under development cartridgeless rifle becomes a reality, it seems quite possible that it would be possible to reduce the weight of the gun and ammunition.

– CQC (Close Quarters Combat) A comprehensive tactical system for engaging enemies within 30m –

…

China and Russia seemed to be cooperating more closely, but their different orientations seemed to be regulating the pace.

While Russia’s top priority was to restore the federation, including the Far Eastern Republic and Tatarstan, China seemed to be aiming for expansion to the south.

Moreover, China seemed to be helping Russia catch its breath after two wars in Ukraine and the independence of a significant number of federal states.

If China were not satisfied with Taiwan and moved south, it would certainly support Russia and incite them to war at the same time.

However, it seemed that the United States was planning to reclaim Taiwan for its own sake.

…

We were able to receive the first batch of self-propelled howitzers ordered from Korea. The order was for 500 guns, but the maximum number that could be received immediately was 40 guns.

Forty K-9A2 self-propelled howitzers and ten K-10 ammunition resupply armored vehicles were assigned to the OSS Southern Forces.

With this, the Southern Army was equipped with a minimum artillery force of 48 120mm self-propelled mortars.

The political situation in Myanmar appears to be stabilizing and the military’s disarray is being brought under control.

Before we knew it, spring had ended and summer had arrived.

While the world was in turmoil due to conflicts everywhere, Asia was strangely quiet.

I thought maybe my invasion of Myanmar was a condensation of the violent energy just before it exploded.

It’s like opening the floodgates of a dam that is about to overflow and collapse to prevent its collapse.

After asking Lieutenant General Kim Jong-oh, commander of the OSS Southern Forces, to take care of the rest, the main force of the OSS decided to return to the Shinheung Camp.

To that end, the 1st Assault Group was to be moved from Sittwe to Yangon and stationed there. The OSS was to take over that role until the Burmese Air Force was rebuilt.

The OSS’s 1st Carrier Squadron headed to the Tawi Tawi emerging camp.

I was on the flagship, the Guardians, and the OSS Special Task Force and the 1st Northern Army, heroes of the Burmese War, were divided into several ships and moved with the carrier battle group.

The carrier group slowly sailed through the Burmese Sea toward the Strait of Malacca. During the journey, a ceremony was held on board the Gaians to award medals and honor war heroes.

On the flight deck of the Gaians, approximately 2,000 members of the Northern 1st Army and the Special Forces were lined up, and the event was broadcast live to each ship.

They awarded the Burmese War Service Medal to their Special Forces Unit and the 1st Northern Army, and the first recipient was Lieutenant Colonel Cha Min-soo.

“It is an honor, Your Majesty.”

“Thank you for your hard work, Commander.”

It was announced that they would provide a one-month vacation to their home countries, along with a special bonus equivalent to two months’ salary, per regiment.

The soldiers were in an uproar, but they could hardly express their joy.

“You are the heroes who brought back the Republic’s food resources. Aren’t you glad to go home as such?”

They realized later that their hometown was a place of affection, but also a place of painful memories.

“Oh, and we have agreed with Chairman Kim Jong-un to extend the deployment period of our Northern 1st Army indefinitely. Even if you return home, your affiliation will not change.”

Only then did the soldiers begin to express their joy.

– iced coffee···.

– Kirum, you’re saying you’re still serving in the OSS?

– Didn’t you hear what the enemy said? He said he went on vacation and came back.

Among the soldiers of the Northern 1st Army who had been commotion, someone started shouting.

-Wow~

– hurray!

– Long live the enemy! Long live!

The cheers seemed to come from other ships of the carrier group quite far away.

And it was announced that the next base would be Mindanao, Philippines.

– Long live the enemy! Long live~

Their shouts seemed to fill the entire sea.

…

The passage of the OSS carrier group through the Straits of Malacca attracted unusual media attention.

It was a triumphant demonstration of power, but it was also a show of force in another sense.

The overwhelming victory in the Myanmar war and the change of government in Myanmar have reorganized the international order in Asia.

It became an opportunity to solidify the position of OSS and expand its influence in East Asia as well as Southeast Asia.

And China was losing its routes to South Asia one by one through its Belt and Road policy.

Vietnam, which fought a war with China, has traditionally had a hostile relationship with China.

Laos is a landlocked country, and most of its territory is jungle. During the Vietnam War, the United States dropped 270 million bombs on it.

The pretext was to neutralize the Ho Chi Minh Trail. The unexploded bombs still remained, hindering national development.

China pretended to help Laos, but not only was it taking rare earth minerals, it was also creating a conflict over the Mekong River.

China built a dam on the source of the Mekong River, drying up its lifeline.

Laos, with a population of just over 7 million, had an army of 130,000, smaller than the OSS Southern Army. Even its neighbors, Vietnam and Myanmar, often looked down on it as a weak country.

But, unexpectedly, Laos was becoming a pro-OSS country.

…

I contacted the manager for a regular information report.

“Sir, we have requested the stationing of OSS troops in Laos.”

“Really? That’s unexpected?”

“They also seem to be trying to adapt to the changing international situation.”

“Well, it’s a small country with a population of 7 million···.”

“Yes, it would be unstable, especially since it borders Yunnan Province in China and five other countries.”

“Even so… to us?”

“It seems that the resources that OSSIA provided in the process of opening up a Laotian route to support the Myanmar militia have developed a favorable opinion of OSS.”

“Even so···.”

“They saw the Myanmar military destroyed and the regime changed. It seems that in Asia, especially in Southeast Asia, they chose to become friends rather than fall out of favor with our OSS.”

“hmm···.”

Laos, a communist, one-party dictatorship, was also changing.

Laos was ranked 159th in the Democracy Index and 160th in the Press Freedom Index, and was one of the poorest countries with a nominal GDP per capita of only $1,800.

However, the money and aid that OSSIA provided in the process of opening up supply routes to Myanmar had a real impact on their economy.

This has led to visible economic growth, with GSP per capita reaching $2,000.

Also, during this process, the Lao People’s Revolutionary Party accepted the OSS as a very friendly force.

After seeing the results of the war in Myanmar, we realized that we absolutely should not treat them as enemies.

…