Damn the World, Ride a Submarine - Chapter 245



Only Krnovel

Episode 245 – MIRV

Admiral Son Il’s words were not wrong at all.

Even though they had dozens of submarines, various warships, and aircraft carriers, the danger they could never overcome was nuclear weapons.

“Your Majesty, have you made up your mind?”

“Yes. I am convinced by your words, Admiral.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

“Thank you. It’s all for our good. So what am I supposed to do?”

“Just one photo of you shaking hands with President Choi Ivanovich of the Far Eastern Republic is enough. You create a new nuclear power agreement and sign the transfer agreement.”

“Understood. Tell this to the captain and ask him to schedule an appointment after the Bastion’s launching ceremony.”

“all right.”

If we, the OSS, were to take control of the two Borei-class nuclear submarines of the Far Eastern Republic, it would mean that we would have a nuclear response force equivalent to the 4,000 Little Boys dropped on Hiroshima.

* MIRV (Multiple Independently Targetable Reentry Vehicle): A multiple warhead, individually targeted reentry vehicle. A weapon system in which a rocket carrying multiple warheads is launched and separates outside the atmosphere to strike different targets simultaneously. This weapon system is only used for nuclear weapons.

While I left Admiral Son Il and Vice-Chief Lee in charge of negotiating the acquisition of a nuclear submarine from the Far Eastern Republic, I prepared for the launching ceremony of the Bastion.

President Han Kyu-dong and Director Jeong Si-woon were also scheduled to come to Kiribati for the launching ceremony.

Hye-in, who was the godmother of Jin-soo Sik, was seen happily laughing with her female comrades, including Sergeant Yu-min and Director Lee Shin-young, saying, “Hahahoho” as if something was so good.

I visited the private farm he has been cultivating with Director Kim Wan-jun. I was curious about how he had decorated the 10,000 pyeong next to the OSS farm that I had given him as a gift.

“Hey, Director. This isn’t a farm, is it?”

“Haha. There’s a farm right next door, and there’s also a smart farm, so I wanted to try something a little different.”

“Wow~ What is this? It’s like I’ve fallen into a fairy tale land.”

Director Kim Wan-jun had a small piece of land, but he turned it into an amusement park. It was a kind of theme park. A large Ferris wheel was also built.

“I just made it because I remembered how sad I was when I was young and couldn’t go to the amusement park as much as I wanted.”

“What is that?”

“Oh, you made the garden a maze. Like the Minotaur’s maze.”

“Haha. The kids will like it.”

“Yes, it’s popular. It’s not just a maze, there are hints and various events scattered throughout the maze to help you escape.”

“An event?”

“Well, you can think of it as a giant dice game. If you get a good number or use a free pass card, the walls of the maze will open and so on…”

“Oh! That sounds fun. I want to try it too.”

“Aren’t we part of the board game generation? So I wanted to give that fun to today’s kids.”

“Oh, that. What is it? I’ve done a lot of Blue Marble.”

“Hahahahaha.”

“?”

“I made that too. Come and see.”

“Huh? Hahaha.”

As we followed Director Kim Wan-jun, we came across a huge Blue Marble game board the size of half a school playground.

“The thing you see in the middle is a large dice, and it was made so that you can enjoy the game by running around and becoming a piece on the board.”

“Wow~ This would be great for exercise too. Great idea. But aren’t the Burumas supposed to buy or build buildings in that area?”

“Yes. I made that too. When the owner builds a building, the shape of the building rises from the ground. Like this.”

When Director Kim Wan-jun manipulated a panel, the floor of a certain section of the board opened and a building model rose up.

Director Kim Wan-jun had created a real amusement park on a small piece of land he owned.

“Hey, you were playing SimCity in Kiribati while I was away.”

“That’s what it is. Haha.”

“If it was going to be like this, you should have said something sooner…”

“why?”

“This is exactly my style. I’ll fill the 90,000 pyeong next to it with 100,000 pyeong, so do whatever you want with it.”

As soon as I finished speaking, Director Kim Wan-jun’s eyes turned into a surprised rabbit’s.

“90 thousand pyeong?”

“Yes. Do whatever you want. Haha.”

“Wow! Thank you, sir.”

“And all the finances for this theme park will be supported by OSS. Don’t get me wrong, we will provide financial support, but it is owned by you, Director, and we will not interfere with what you do in it.”

“Ah, sir. Can I be moved?”

“Hahaha. It’s weak compared to all the hard work you’ve put in.”

When it was first decided to create OSS-LAND in Kiribati, it was only intended to be a military base and a refuge.

As the years passed, OSS-LAND became a place where people lived and a new community. This was possible entirely through the efforts and dedication of Director Kim Wan-jun.

To support his hobby and make the place a little more livable, 100,000 pyeong of land was a small gift.

“Oh, but sir. President Jin Min-gyu is ··· ?”

“Yes. You are scheduled to come the day before the inauguration ceremony. Now that I think about it, it’s tomorrow.”

“I miss you, President Jin.”

“I am the same. We used to meet often until the time when the Lee Hoe-young ship was built and the Shinheung camp was built. But I haven’t seen you since you became the ESSO Secretary General.”

“That’s right. It was good when I worked at one company too…”

“Even at the time, I often thought, ‘Wow, the scale is huge.’ But now that I think about it, I think it was simple and cute.”

“Hahaha. Sometimes I also think, ‘How did it end up like this?’”

“Still, I got through the winter safely. The war is over, so I feel relieved.” “Director!”

“Yes, sir.”

“Let’s all gather together.”

“If you just say that···?”

“Haha, everyone who has worked hard, the crew that boarded the Lee Hoe-young, crossed the sea, fought the Russians, and reclaimed the ARK… Anyway, I would like to see all the people whose faces I recognize gather together.”

“Are you thinking about things like company dinners, parties, and festivals?”

“Anything in name is fine. I just want to finish the Far East Republic business and then have a feast on the deck of the Bastion. Everyone should be gathered together.”

“Oh, yes. I will prepare it.”

I thought back to the party we had at the parade grounds after we got the ARK back and returned to the new camp. When else would we be able to gather everyone together if not now that the war was over?

…

Soon, the day of the aircraft carrier Bastion’s launching ceremony arrived, and a magnificent celebration began. The press was strictly prohibited from covering the event, but our records were left intact.

After various events, Hyein, Bastion’s godmother, came forward to pop the champagne bottle, the grand finale of the ceremony.

It had become an OSS tradition for godmothers to throw champagne bottles like baseball players. Although this was Hyein’s second time as godmother, she seemed to have practiced a lot.

She was wearing her favorite neat two-piece suit. But when she held a bottle of champagne in her hand, her gaze and demeanor changed.

It almost reminded me of Ami Inamura, who is famous for her baseball ceremonial first pitch.

*Ami Inamura: A Japanese model who was a baseball player. She is gaining attention through baseball-themed advertisements. She is famous for her ceremonial first pitches. She has thrown the first pitch dozens of times in Japan because her ceremonial first pitches are so cool.

Even in his suit, he took a windup pose with one leg raised above his waist. Then he stretched out his left foot, planted it firmly on the ground, and vigorously shook the shoulder and elbow of the hand holding the champagne forward.

Just like a real baseball player.

The champagne bottle flew straight and exploded upon meeting Bastion’s steel.

– Kwak!

As white champagne bubbles doused the Bastion, celebratory cannons fired and colorful confetti filled the sky.

After the launching ceremony, I boarded the Bastion with President Han Kyu-dong while the dock was being filled with water.

As we entered through the main gate, an elevator appeared, and when the elevator door opened, my group and I could not hide our surprise.

People were asking questions here and there in surprise, and President Han Gyu-dong answered each question with a faint smile.

-Wow~

– Hey, is this an elevator?

– Yes. Haha. You can also get on and off trucks and trams.

– No, it’s not just an elevator that people ride in, it’s an elevator that carries tanks that weigh tens of tons…

– You’ll never actually ride a tank, but we made it so you can handle all situations. Just ride it anyway. Haha.

Even though dozens of people were inside the elevator, there was plenty of space. Soon, I could feel the door closing with a ‘zing’ sound and the elevator rising with a light steel thud.

When the elevator stopped, President Han Gyu-dong guided the group somewhere. After walking along the hallway for a while, he opened the door and the wide, long flight deck of an aircraft carrier came into view.

– Hey~

– I can’t see the end… Does this make sense?

– That’s right. It’s so dark that it almost blocks the horizon.

– If you look to the side, you can see the sea well. The width is 157m.

-Wow~

– Mr. Han, how long is the long side?

– It is 679m long. It is more than three times the height of Namsan Tower and 120m longer than Lotte World Tower.

– Wow~ When you compare it to Lotte World Tower, you can really feel it. So, isn’t it like something bigger than a 123-story building is floating on the ocean?

– Hahaha. I guess so.

– Hey~ I heard that Lotte World Tower cost over 4 trillion won to build, so how much did it cost to build the Bastion?

– Well? It costs so much that it’s hard to calculate… Excluding everything else, it seems like at least 70 trillion won was spent on the ship alone.

– Ugh~

– Haha. Come here, get on here.

In the place that CEO Han Gyu-dong guided us to, there were eight-person electric carts lined up, and the group was asked to ride them separately. It was difficult to walk around such a large ship.

Hyein, I, and President Han Gyu-dong rode the same cart and slowly circled the outer deck of the aircraft carrier. Hyein said something excitedly.

“It feels like riding a Ferris wheel at an amusement park. Hahaha.”

“That’s true, indeed.”

As I took a cart around the outer deck of the Bastion, the ship’s height made it possible to see the shipyard and the islands of Kiribati one after another.

“Mr. Han.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Was this electric cart also developed separately?”

“Yes, it can be used for human use like this.”

“?”

“It was made so that it can move aircraft, move weapons systems such as missiles, and install modules that can be mounted on fighter jets.”

“Hey~ As expected.”

…