Chapter 288
February 24th, 2021, 13:00 (U.S.T February 23rd, 18:00)
The skies 1,500km above Hawaii Island, Hawaii, U.S.A.
Out of 500 rounds of the Minuteman-III ICBM, 131 have been struck down by the Zeus 3 satellite’s high-powered laser beam. The remaining 369 rounds breached the outer atmosphere and started to detach their 1st and 2nd thrusters to raise their speed. The missiles had now reached their maximum altitude.
Meanwhile, the three CFS/A-31SP Three-toed Crow space jets that took shifts of 6 hours 24 hours a day, started to fly towards the area above the Pacific. They started their interception process. The crew of the Three-toed Crow jets usually considered themselves lucky to be able to see the earth from 1,530km above the atmosphere 6 hours a day. But the mission they had to conduct today made them anxious, so they could not appreciate the beauty of the scene.
A moment later, the ICBMs reached their maximum altitude and started to transition into their space flight mode by changing their angle relative to the planet. These approximately 300 rounds of Minuteman-III missiles clearly showed up on the Three-toed Crow’s radar display on the dashboard.
“A total of 369 rounds of ballistic missiles has been detected and set for interception. Distance at 3,428km, plasma output at 100%. We will reach within 1 minute, sir,” Captain Kim Man-ho, the operator of the flight devices reported in from behind the cockpit.
“Okay! Keep a close eye on our plasma outputs, and make sure to strike them all down!” Major Lee Il-hoo, the pilot of the Three-toed Crow space jet 3, raised his right hand to acknowledge the report and gave out the orders.
“Yes, sir.”
The added relative speed between the Minuteman-III ICBMs and the Three-toed Crow jets were Mach 42. The space jet closed the distance between itself and the missile in the blink of an eye.
Captain Kim Man-ho reported in again. “The first target has been set and allotment for targets 1 – 10 is complete!”
Captain Kim Man-ho swiftly manipulated the console and allotted 10 Minuteman-III LGM-30G ICBMs flying at the lead as targets in order.
“Captain Kim! Keep it up until the other Three-toed Crow jet flight wings come in! We need to take out at least 50, all right?”
“Sir? 50 rounds? I will do my best.”
The upper hatch of the Three-toed Crow jet’s cockpit opened and a 50mm laser cannon popped out. The end of the laser cannon started to spark up wildly, and it fired a laser beam.
Pew~
The white laser beam flew off at the speed of light and precisely struck the 3rd thruster of the LGM-30G ICBM. The jet fuel stored in the interior exploded and created a beautiful explosion.
“Target 1 has been successfully intercepted! Setting up target 2.”
With Captain Kim Man-ho’s report, the 50mm laser cannon shot out another round of laser beams, and another LGM-30G ICBM exploded.
“Captain Kim! There’s no need to report in! Just keep focusing on the targeting!”
“Yes, sir. Understood!”
* * *
February 24th, 2021, 13:00 (U.S.T 22:00)
The Peterson air force base, Colorado, U.S.A. (the 100th missile defense brigade)
The Peterson air force base was located at the center of Colorado. At this base, the 100th missile defense brigade under the U.S. Army’s space and missile defense command was located. It was tasked with the GMD (Ground-Based Midcourse Defense). The GMD was a defensive missile net that was in charge of intercepting enemy missiles at the mid-stage. It was originally known as the NMD (National Missile Defense) program.
The 100th missile defense brigade operated the GMD system. It consisted of SBIRS early-warning satellites, naval X-band radars, and other numerous radars on the ground. Using these, the 100th missile brigade would detect and track the enemy ballistic missiles. After the enemy missiles reached the mid-stage, they would be intercepted by GBI missiles before they could reach the surface.
The GBI missiles, which were capable of intercepting missiles from the outer atmosphere, were deployed to six areas in America including Fort Greely. The Peterson air force base’s 100th missile defense brigade also operated 40 launch platform silos of the GBI missiles.
The GBI missiles weighed 21 tons and had a limit of 2000km for its altitude. However, if these were equipped with the Minuteman-III’s warheads, then they could be used as an ICBM with a range of 6000km. These multi-purpose GBI missiles started to rise out from their 40 silos while emitting white smoke to intercept the SD-SLBN Gungnir-II missiles that have reached the terminal phase and the unknown missiles launched by the Zeus 3 satellite.
Right now, the 99th missile defense brigade at Washington’s Yakima army base and the 8th missile defense brigade at the Vandenburg air force base in California had been wiped out. Every missile defense force in charge of the Northwestern anti-air net in America could no longer function properly after being struck by the Corean submarine’s hypersonic cruise missiles.
Only the 100th and 101st missile defense brigade at Brookhaven army base in Eastern Pennsylvania and the 105th missile defense brigade at Scott air force base in southwestern Tennessee remained. These forces launched their GBI missiles against Corea’s that were falling all across America.
Each brigade also had a battalion operating SM-10 anti-air missiles.
* * *
February 24th, 2021, 13:10 (U.S.T 23rd 24:10)
The skies above New York City, New York, America
The Brookhaven army base’s 101st missile defense brigade used its GBI missiles, THADD artillery battalion, and PAC-3 Patriot (MIM-104 Patriot) low altitude interception missiles to attempt to intercept the missiles with everything they had. But it failed to intercept the missiles falling onto New York.
Booom! Boooooooom~
A giant flash of light occurred 1km above the New York skies. A powerful shockwave spread at the speed of sound and engulfed the entire city. The shockwave spread in a 30km radius and caused every electronic device’s circuits to be fried. Some of them actually caught on fire from overheating.
New York City’s infrastructure was taken out by the C-SE Epirus missile (Super-EMP rounds), also known as the plasma pulse rounds. New York, which was known as the world’s financial capital, lost all of its electronics and functionalities after being hit by a single round of the Epirus missile and turned pitch black.
The city was once the central hub for trade, commerce, and finance. It was also an industrial city worthy of the title of the world’s economic capital. The city also had many universities, research facilities, and museums, making it the cultural capital of America. The port city of New York with a population of 16 million had reverted to the stone age in an instant.
Boom! Booooom! Bang!
In an instant, the entire city went black. The ECU circuits of cars, which were considered the brains of automobiles, were burnt by the shockwave. The engines of the cars on the roads all stopped and this led to mass collisions on the road. Dozens and hundreds of cars collided with each other, some of them exploding, resulting in fire.
The medical equipment keeping many patients alive in the hospitals went out. The lives of patients were now at stake. Staff started to use manual respirators to keep the patients relying on oxygen respirators alive.
For large hospitals, they had backup generators, but they were of no use. These were also affected by the EMP waves and they lost their functions after having their circuits blown out.
Corea’s joint chief of staff had argued about whether or not to exclude New York from the Epirus missile attacks.
The opposition claimed that the world’s flow of finance would come to a halt, and that could cause a mass recession in the world economy that could affect Corea’s economy as well.
However, those favoring the attack claimed it was a necessary evil. They claimed that this attack could also move the financial capital of the world from New York to Seoul. Thus, New York City had become a target for the Epirus missile attacks as well.
* * *
February 24th, 2021, 13:15
Seoul, Yongsan-ku, B2 bunker (ROK military joint command center)
“A report from the aerospace command, sir. All ICBMs headed towards Corea have been intercepted successfully.”
“Yeah~”
The entire command center cheered after hearing the operator’s report.
The Three-toed Crow jets 1, 2, and 4 followed the Three-toed Crow jet 3’s lead and took down 180 rounds of the ICBMs. The Zeus 1 and 2 satellites standing by above the Corean atmosphere in geostationary orbit made additional interceptions. Finally, the Hades land satellite launched 50 rounds of S-LSM-600 Bident missiles to take out all of the American ICBMs.
The CAMD system had intercepted over 400 rounds of enemy missiles simultaneously and surpassed the aerospace command’s prediction.
The numerous red lines coming from the American mainland on the screen had all vanished.
“I think we can take a moment to breathe, Mr. President,” Chief Secretary Na Sung-tae put a hand on his chest and spoke to the president.
President Suh Hyun-woo seemed to not have heard the chief secretary’s words and continued to stare at the other screens next to the main one.
Footage of America from the Apollo 1 satellite was on the screen that the president was watching. It showed carnage and scenes of black and red flames burning across the entire area.
* * *
February 24th, 2021, 14:30 (U.S.T. 01:30)
A building in the suburbs of Washington D.C., U.S.A. (USSC villa)
Within the dense forest, a man equipped with VR-M optical equipment that resembled a VR machine continued to stare at the USSC villa. It was Assistant Manager Park Ki-oong from the NIS team A, who had infiltrated the building on the 17th.
“What do you see? Are there any more of them coming in?” Team Leader Lee Ja-sung, who was working on his laptop behind Assistant Manager Park, asked.
“No. No one else had entered the villa since this afternoon, sir!”
“How many are present in the building right now?”
“There is a total of three people. Two men and one woman.”
“A woman... Hmm, according to this intel from Corea, one of the USSC council members is a woman and she is the chairman of the USSC.”
The NIS cybersecurity team was sending in the data they got from hacking into the USSC database to Team Leader Lee Ja-sung as soon as it was decrypted.
“Sir! Isn’t it all over after we take down their leader?”
“Even if we take out the leadership, another one is going to replace her. What’s the use then? HQ wants us to bring in every council member of the USSC!”
“Sir! The weather is so cold. How many more sleepless nights do we have to spend in the outdoors?”
“Aren’t you wearing your protective suit?”
“I am wearing it, sir. I meant my heart and soul are cold.”
“Is that so? Do you want me to put you in the same team as Assistant Manager Shin?”
“What? No! A tomboy like her is not my type, sir.”
“I don’t think you know, but I did see her all dressed up and in makeup. She looked completely different.”
“Well, then why don’t you date her, sir?”
“Hmm, umm, I’m not lonely though.”
“Sir? There’s a vehicle approaching.” Assistant Manager Park continued to watch the USSC’s villa with his optical equipment while he conversed with Team Leader Lee. When he saw the headlights of a vehicle approaching, he zoomed in to get a closer look.
“Who is it?”
“Another luxury sedan and a large van just entered through the front gate.”
“As expected.”
“Sir?”
“Once our military starts striking America’s mainland, these bastards would probably gather for a meeting, or hide at an underground bunker.”
“Ah! That’s definitely a possibility.”
“Yeah, you saw how they were when you made your last infiltration right? Their buildings may look like nothing from the outside, but the interior is state of the art.”
“Yes, you’re right. Sir, that guy who just arrived. It’s not like he is moving, but why did he bring all of that luggage?”
When the man wearing a black mask got off the luxury sedan, dozens of traveling bags started to be unloaded from the van behind him.
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