Damn the World, Ride a Submarine - Chapter 233



Only Krnovel

Episode 233 – The Black Sea and the Balkan Peninsula

I have always thought that being recognized by others was a bothersome and troublesome thing. I could never understand people who tormented themselves because of their need for recognition.

But somehow, I felt proud that Hyein was proud of me.

“I’m also proud that this beautiful woman is my wife. Haha.”

Hyein smiled, turning her shoulders slightly and posing like a model.

“Really? Haha. I think it was a good idea to bring a dress.”

“That’s right. You even thought about packing an evening dress while boarding a submarine. Haha.”

“I don’t know when or what time I’ll be standing next to you, oppa. Haha.”

“Now! Cheers to your eyes.”

“I think this will be the beginning of our happiness. Hahaha.”

She remembered.

I’m talking about a moment when we were talking about the movie Casablanca in a bar in Casablanca.

I proposed the famous line from Rick Blaine, played by Humphrey Bogart, as a toast, and she responded by changing friendship into happiness in Rick Blaine’s last line.

So I clinked my wine glass with Hyein.

A clear and crisp sound of ‘chaeng~’ rang out as if congratulating us.

Those three happy days passed by so quickly.

After a time of reminiscing about Casablanca, we returned to the ARK by helicopter. The submarine and escort group headed for the Strait of Gibraltar to enter the Mediterranean Sea.

Before entering the strait, the ARK began to submerge again. It was inevitable since my route was exposed.

The escort convoy was also split into two and passed through the Strait of Gibraltar.

Even while Hyein and I were having a dreamy time in Casablanca, the war was still going on.

The Polish-Ukrainian forces restored the border between Belarus and Ukraine, liberating Chernihiv, Slavotiz, Ljubech, and Gorontalo.

Russian troops stationed on the Kiev side of the Dnieper River withdrew voluntarily.

That was understandable, as the restoration of Ukraine’s northern borders meant that hesitation could have led to a situation where they would be surrounded.

The Ukrainian Southern Army also almost recovered its southern border and, together with the Northern Allied Forces, was squeezing out the Russian forces.

The OSS Crimean Army expanded its territories from Sochi, where the Winter Olympics were held in the past, to Stavropol and Volgodonsk, bordering Georgia.

…

The world was becoming a strange world that seemed like it was going to end, but was not. People had become accustomed to the world being in shambles.

In the US, many people seemed to be brainwashed by the crazy words of Trump, and in South America, the power of gangs has grown more powerful than that of governments.

In Europe, it was common for immigrants, the poor, and the wealthy to live in separate sectors, and the mafia filled the gap.

In European cities, security was maintained only in the areas where the wealthy lived, while the other blocks where immigrants and the poor lived were wild.

Africa has long since regressed to an uncivilized era of tribal warfare rather than national warfare.

In an effort to recover from the aftermath of its defeat, China adopted more authoritarian methods to control its people.

Palestine, Israel, Lebanon and Syria were caught between terror and terror, revenge and revenge, and everyone was becoming a refugee and a terrorist at the same time.

While the United States was dithering, Iran was completely annexing Iraq and emerging as a giant nation in the Middle East, and it began to directly pressure Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.

Central Asian countries such as Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan were floundering, unable to find their own alliance path.

Russia, our longtime ally, was losing its power, and so was China. But the geopolitical conditions were not right for us to remain in the shadow of our OSS.

India has begun to show signs of trying to resolve its own problems through conflict with China, but it appears that it is struggling to cope with its overpopulation and various social problems on its own.

Venezuela in South America, whether or not it knew Trump was after it, was having a money feast with the money it had accumulated from the global energy crisis caused by the volcanic winter.

Nicolas Maduro, a former bus driver and now president of Venezuela, is still ruling as a dictator for life even though he is approaching 80 years old.

When the US sanctions were lifted just before the citizens, tired of the dictatorship, overthrew the regime, oil fields began to turn again, and with the money earned from them, they started providing welfare without asking questions, thus maintaining the regime.

The ARK and its escort carrier passed through the Strait of Gibraltar and entered the Mediterranean Sea.

As we were passing through the Balearic Islands, past the Alboran Sea, I received a call from the captain.

“Yes, sir. What happened?”

“Sir, your work has been accomplished.”

“Oh, that’s great. You’ve done a great job. What about the countries that have expressed their intention to participate?”

“As expected, Ukraine, Poland, Moldova, Romania and Bulgaria. However, Turkey is not giving a clear answer.”

“It won’t be easy because Turkey is also aligned with Russia and Palestine. But it’s okay because we are pursuing a pragmatic diplomatic path.”

“But then….”

“Yes, yes. Feel free to speak.”

“Out of the blue, Greece has expressed its intention to join.”

“Greece and Turkey are enemies… so, what is your reason for wanting to join?”

“On the surface, they want to join the changing Eastern European order. In reality, they want to expand their influence while Turkey hesitates.”

“Well, that’s an ambiguous situation.”

“Yes, if Greece joins, Turkey might be able to cross the water.”

“hmm ···.”

“Should I refuse?”

“No. Let’s just approve it. It wouldn’t be bad to have allies in the Mediterranean, and it might even give Turkey a reason to be more proactive.”

“Yes, I understand. Then where would be a good place to hold the union formation meeting?”

“Well, what do you think, sir?”

“Poland and Ukraine are wartime, so I’m a bit hesitant, but I wonder what Romania or Bulgaria might be like.”

“Then what about Constanta, Romania?”

“Constanţa? I’m hearing it for the first time. Isn’t it Bucharest, the capital of Romania?”

“First of all, since it is a port city on the Black Sea coast, I think it will be comfortable for me. Of course, Romanian doctors will be important.”

“Ah, I see. You just have to make up your mind, sir. If we make a decision, most things will follow. But is there another reason why you chose Constanza?”

“Yes. Constanta was once Greek territory, then it was under Roman rule, then it was under Bulgarian rule, then it was Ottoman, that is, Turkish territory, and then it became Romanian territory. It has a historical background.”

“ah ···.”

“So Turkey is called Koestenze, and in Greek it is called Constantia. Anyway, in that context, I think we can connect it with the meaning of the newly launched military alliance.”

“Wow, sir, how do you know all that?”

“Aren’t I originally a fan of history and military affairs? And after the chief proposed a military alliance in the Black Sea, I looked back on the history of the countries along the Black Sea.”

“Okay, then I’ll prepare it that way. And have you thought of a name for the alliance?”

“Well, if Greece comes in, it will expand beyond the Black Sea to the Balkan Peninsula…”

“…”

“Let’s call it the Balkan Black Sea Alliance. If we abbreviate it, it would be something like BBSA.”

* BBSA: Balkan and Black Sea Alliance

“Okay, then I will prepare to launch BBSA in Constanta in two weeks.”

“Will it happen that quickly?”

“If you don’t quickly get rid of them when they’re being dragged in while saying, ‘Uh, uh.’, there’ll be a lot of noise.”

“Okay, then I guess we can make time to meet separately with the Polish President and the Minister of Defense.”

“Oh, yes. Thank you.”

With this, the OSS became involved in three military alliances, gaining international influence comparable to that of the United States.

ESSO will be formed in Far East Asia, PATA will be formed in the South China Sea, and BBSA will be formed in the Balkan Peninsula and the Black Sea.

The influence of OSS has spread to regions other than Africa, the Middle East, and Central and South America.

This news was also quickly covered by the press and spread around the world.

BBSA included Poland, which borders the Baltic Sea, Ukraine, a country on the Black Sea, and the Balkan countries.

If you look at the map, it was a north-south split between Europe and Russia.

That meant it had no choice but to replace NATO.

Moreover, taking over NATO’s role would also mean that it could have significant influence over Western European countries.

Leaving the formation of BBSA to Director Lee and Director Jeong Si-woon, I headed to Ancona, Italy.

It was because I wanted to show Hyein the place where I first met Sonja Torre, who had told me about the sea.

The ARK passed through the Tyrrhenian Sea, circled Sicily, and entered the Ionian Sea.

The media reported that he was visiting the Italian city of Ancona with a large submarine and escort carrier fleet, and speculation was rampant.

The ARK docked at the Italian port of Ancona Marche. Then, accompanied by a security guard, Hyein and I took a walk to see the beautiful yachts.

It was a simple and modest port, but I wanted to walk with Hyein through the place where a major turning point in life began.

After wrapping up this little digression and returning to the ARK, Chief Lee requested a communications connection.

“Sir, I think BBSA’s size will get bigger.”

“Yes? Are you saying Turkey is joining?”

“No. Turkey still seems to be watching the liver.”

“Well, it seems like all the countries that are eligible to join have joined.”

“I guess your visit to the Adriatic Sea sent a signal. Albania, North Macedonia, Montenegro and Kosovo want to join BBSA.”

…