Chapter 105: Psychic Collection
The United Human Federation classified psychics based on Greek letters.
From alpha to omega, but the latter was a symbol for those who were beyond the standard.
Being an omega-level psychic did not mean being hundreds of times stronger than an alpha-level one.
However, this was only true for physical abilities, and mental abilities might be another story.
The only omega-level psychic, Yu Ji-ha, was immune to the mental attacks of the Plague, the living Battleship.
He could generate a psychokinesis field that matched the size of a Leviathan-class Plague, which was almost a kilometer long.
How formidable he was.
Beyond a certain level… that is, around lambda-level, psychics could sense Yu Ji-ha’s overwhelming presence.
Just like how psychics felt fear when they detected the Plague’s fleet.
On the other hand, lower-level psychics or ordinary people treated him like a normal person.
In this era, all Earthlings were like that.
However, that did not mean that the United Human Federation knew everything about psychics.
They did not even know what Aetheran, the origin of psychics, was.
The Artifact Analysis Agency had various definitions of ether and psychics, and it would take days and nights to discuss them properly.
But it was somewhat settled when the first director set a standard.
—A human who has Aether sensitivity and can cause a transform phenomenon in living metal.
Of course, there could be objections to this criterion.
Psychics had diverse classifications and abilities.
Some had physical enhancement abilities that could block bullets, and some had precognition-like abilities.
But the director set the standard for psychics who were needed by the United Humanity.
—From our perspective, who have to fight against the Plague, most of the abilities are useless. What matters most is how efficiently you can use the ether sent from the ether fusion reactor.
He was right.
Just like a gun for killing people did not need an aesthetic perspective, psychics were the same.
What the United Human Federation needed was psychics who could operate assault armors, penetrate the enemy Plague fleet’s barrage, and deliver reaction bombs.
The ability that corresponded to that was ether sensitivity, which was completely proportional to the ability to transform living metal.
That’s why it became a common standard to classify psychics by ether sensitivity.
The abilities of ordinary psychics varied greatly, but there was one thing in common.
Their physical abilities did not increase that much.
Even if an alpha-level psychic could block bullets, a few levels higher psychic could not block railguns.
The Artifact Analysis Agency analyzed this as the limit of the human species.
—The Plague is like a mammoth. Primitive humans might have had a hard time fighting against a mammoth alone, but they survived by forming groups and using weapons. We have to do the same.
Those weapons were psychics and reaction bombs.
Giant spaceships and such were actually systems to support them.
Anyway, in that respect, Yu Ji-ha’s physical ability was not absurdly high.
Being an omega-level was based on ether sensitivity only.
But no matter what standard he was judged by, he was almost superhuman compared to the alpha and beta-levels that appeared now.
His original body was not, but he had undergone modification surgery, so he could not be compared to ordinary psychics.
Even if makeshift units chased him in groups, it was impossible to deal with him.
Especially if he had an assault armor that received Aether directly from the fusion reactor.
That psychic was flying in Earth’s atmosphere with an assault armor.
It took less than 10 minutes to get from Seoul to St. Petersburg, even though he lowered the output of the ether thruster as much as possible.
The fastest thing in the United Human Federation was a spaceship with a fusion reactor, but the assault armor that Yu Ji-ha boarded was also quite fast.
“Optical camouflage deployed.”
A bird-shaped mobile weapon with wings spread out hid its body among the clouds.
Soon after, an ether reverse field was deployed and sent one person down to the ground.
This kind of gravity crane function was only installed in a few things in the United Human Federation, such as spaceship-class ships and assault armors.
The output of ordinary assault armors was very low, but the machine that Yu Ji-ha boarded was almost comparable to a spaceship class.
He just lowered the output on purpose because the assault armor could not handle it.
That strongest psychic landed on the ground from above St. Petersburg.
It was night time.
There were noisy sounds and gunshots everywhere.
It must have been the work of psychics and special forces chasing them.
“Arma, lure out the special forces.”
Yu Ji-ha was an unwelcome guest, so he had to hide his identity.
Putin would not fall for it, but it was better to solve it quietly.
“I will send an android. 15 minutes until ground landing.”
“Where are they?”
“I found them. I will mark them on your master’s sight.”
The biochip displayed a map of St. Petersburg and two red dots on his retina.
There they are.
Yu Ji-ha moved with the assault armor.
…
A man and a woman ran through a street in St. Petersburg that was as neat as a chessboard pattern.
The man looked around as if to protect the woman, and the woman gasped constantly.
They ran through the alley without thinking, and at some point they realized that there was no movement chasing them.
There was no sound of low radio, no siren, no flash of light.
The moonlight was hidden by the clouds, and the surroundings were very quiet.
And they noticed that a man was standing in the dark street.
They could not see his face, but he was very tall and had a balanced physique.
The man, Mikhail, blocked the woman’s front.
“Natasha, stay back. He looks dangerous.”
“…Is he one of us?”
“I don’t know. But he doesn’t seem friendly to us. People who wear such neat suits have a lot to hide.”
Soon the clouds cleared and the moonlight revealed the man’s face.
He was handsome enough to catch Natalia’s eye for a moment, but he was clearly not Slavic.
An Asian…
Mikhail guarded him while Natalia finally recognized him.
“Yu Ji-ha. The Korean… dictator.”
“Are you kidding me? Why is he here, licking Vladimir’s ass?”
“But his face is similar… no, identical.”
Yu Ji-ha’s face and name were well known to most Russians.
His face filled the TV channels every time he visited Russia.
Many people were fascinated by the amazing technologies he brought, but some hated him and criticized him as nothing but a dictator.
As they were hesitating, Yu Ji-ha stepped forward a few steps.
“Hello. I think you already know my name, so can I hear your names?”
Mikhail turned his head and bared his teeth.
“…I have no name to tell a dog of Vladimir.”
“You don’t like dictators, do you?”
“I bet less than 30% of Russians like him. We are the same.”
“But what do we do now? I’m going to take you with me from now on.”
“Who says so?”
Mikhail frowned and stepped forward.
He’s still young.
They looked like they were in their early twenties, but they lacked experience too much.
If it were Yu Ji-ha, he would have run away as soon as the opponent revealed his identity.
It meant that he had the power to manipulate the situation.
‘Maybe he was intoxicated by his power.’
He had easily defeated the special forces that chased them, so he must have been confident.
Arma showed him the results of analyzing them.
「The man is Mikhail, a typical blaster who has a weakness of getting tired easily due to poor control of ether circuits.」
「The woman’s name is Natalia. She is a blaster, but closer to a telekineticist. She can move up to 10 objects and lift a car if she concentrates.」
Natalia’s genes were much more useful than Mikhail’s.
Blasters were not very helpful in combat against the Plague, but telekineticists could help control reflector bits.
‘Since they are siblings, it would be better for my mental health to secure both of them.’
It would be better to cooperate as much as possible by talking, but now was the time to make them feel the difference in power.
Those who rushed in without knowing the opponent’s strength needed a fist as a medicine.
“Bang!”
A golden light burst out from Mikhail’s body.
It might look intimidating to ordinary people, but to Yu Ji-ha, it was evidence that he could not control ether properly.
In other words, he was spilling it around while pouring water into a cup.
‘He has a lot to learn.’
He would have many psychics to learn from in Megacity.
Yu Ji-ha grabbed his chin as he rushed in with his fist.
Mikhail’s eyes widened at the moment, and a huge amount of ether flowed back through his circuit.
“Ugh!”
The feeling of ether flowing back was something that could not be known unless experienced.
It was a pain that could not be compared to an electric shock, and it attacked Mikhail’s whole body.
He shook his body and collapsed limp.
It was a pathetic end for a psychic who blocked bullets with his bare body and knocked down many special forces members.
When his brother was grabbed by the neck and subdued, his sister Natalia concentrated her mind.
“Let him go, or else…”
“You should say that after you attack.”
“Let him go!”
She clenched her teeth and a nearby car wrapped in golden light floated up.
She was good at concentrating even in an angry situation.
Yu Ji-ha stretched out his free arm and snapped his fingers.
Suddenly, an irresistible ether surrounded her and pulled her toward him.
“Ack!”
Natalia flew through the air and was grabbed by Yu Ji-ha’s neck.
“H-how can you do that to a person…”
It would be difficult for ordinary telekineticists.
But Yu Ji-ha was the only omega-level all-rounder psychic in the United Human Federation.
He could do much better than any psychic could do.
He made ether flow back again, and Natalia fainted with a single scream.
「Gravity crane deployed.」
Their bodies floated up lightly.
“Arma, is there a pod nearby?”
「It will arrive in 3 minutes. Where should I send it?」
“Send it to Megacity Pacific. I need to talk to them.”
「Understood.」
“I’ve done everything I had to do, so let’s withdraw.”
There were many psychics in Russia, but most of them were below the standard.
He had to wait and watch for more cases of awakening in the future.
By then, they would come instead of Yu Ji-ha.
…
Mikhail and Natalia woke up a few hours after they fainted.
The brother woke up first and woke up his sister.
“Natasha, Natasha. Wake up.”
She woke up and checked their bodies right away.
“Calm down. Our bodies are warm and there are no injuries… We’re fine, for now…”
“Damn it, where are we?”
They listened to the outside situation and stuck to the wall when they heard footsteps.
Soon, Yu Ji-ha entered the room with an android.
Natalia scowled.
“It was you. Why did you kidnap us?”
He reached out to Mikhail, who was about to rush in.
“I’ll knock you out again if you try to attack. Let’s talk peacefully for now.”
“How can you say that when you knocked us out?”
“I prefer efficiency. That was the most efficient way at the time.”
“Damn, just like on TV. An efficiency-seeking dictator… You’re the worst.”
Mikhail said that, but he threw his body on the sofa.
Natalia also sat down, and Yu Ji-ha dragged a chair and sat down.
“Let me make one thing clear. I did attack you, but I didn’t intend to harm you. It was self-defense.”
“That…”
Mikhail tried to say something, but he closed his mouth when he remembered that he attacked first.
Natalia asked.
“How did you find us? The security agency agents couldn’t find us either.”
“I have a way, but I can’t tell you here. Anyway, I have a proposal for you two. First of all, let me tell you where we are. Megacity Pacific.”
“Megacity! The one in the North Pacific…”
Natalia pretended to know, and the short-haired man shook his head slightly.
He looked similar to Lieutenant Sonya.
Yu Ji-ha recalled his memories with her and nodded.
“You must have heard a lot about it. There are quite a few people who have obtained Megacity residency rights in Russia.”
“I heard it’s a place where only elites go…”
“You need English, but it’s not only for elites. You two are proof of that.”
She widened her eyes.
“Don’t tell me, you’re going to imprison us here?”
“Let’s call it an invitation for now. Anyway, I want to give you two Megacity residency rights. You’ll also get a salary and various benefits. You can live as citizens of Megacity.”
Megacity residency rights were something that anyone who lived a decent life in Russia wanted.
Of course, if they were urbanites who lived comfortably in Moscow or St. Petersburg, they wouldn’t have such a desire.
But the lives of Russians living in other regions were not much better than those of the poor in the third world.
With a monthly salary of 50,000 rubles (800,000 won), they could barely afford to pay the rent for a shabby apartment built during the Soviet era.
The prices were cheap, but there were so many things they wanted to buy in this world.
The economic situation had improved relatively recently, but most of the wealth was concentrated in the hands of Siloviki and oligarchs, who were Putin’s closest aides.
In other words, most Russians regarded Megacity as a paradise-like place, and these siblings were no exception.
But why did he invite them?
Mikhail checked his Adidas tracksuit for any tears and said.
“How can we trust you? Weren’t you working with the vampire?”
Putin’s critics often called him a vampire, based on his name Vladimir.
It was a sarcastic joke that he would suck Russia’s blood until he died.
There was no such meaning in the name Vladimir itself, but nowadays he accepted a lot of external images.
Yu Ji-ha smiled with his legs crossed.
He looked handsome, Natalia thought to herself.
“We are both murderers and dictators. But I think I’m one step ahead of him who is seriously called Hitler.”
“He’s asking us to stay in Megacity… Why? Why do you need us? You’re much stronger than us with that power.”
“There are many things that I can’t solve by myself. Anyway, I made an offer, and only your choice is left.”
“What if we refuse?”
“I’m sorry, but there is no option to refuse.”
“Damn it, I want to go home, not here!”
“You like Adidas brand? I’ll make it possible for you to buy as much as you want.”
Mikhail’s eyes grew bigger.
He was a hard-to-find authentic Russian country bumpkin who had recently entered.
He coveted Adidas brand, but with the money he earned from working two days a week, he could barely buy fake ones made in China.
To him, the three stripes of Adidas were no different from luxury goods.
His voice became serious.
“…Really? Anything I want?”
“Of course, unless you do something like robbing a store. You’ll be able to buy anything within reasonable limits.”
“Damn, you’re starting to look lovely all of a sudden.”
“You don’t have to do that. Just live here and cooperate with me.”
“…”
On the other hand, Natalia looked at her brother who was giggling over Adidas with contempt.
She grew up in the countryside, but she never forgot her criticism of the dictator.
Russia should be more free and vibrant.
To her, dictators like Putin or Yu Ji-ha were relics of the old era that should disappear with the Soviet Union.
But her thoughts melted away like snow in spring as she went out with Yu Ji-ha.
Many people were walking freely on the streets of Megacity, laughing and chatting.
The atmosphere was different from Moscow or St. Petersburg even though it was a similar scene.
There were no people being beaten or honking cars.
The people looked very relaxed and comfortable because of the weather, and there were quite a few couples who hooked arms with each other.
It was unimaginable in Russia.
They didn’t walk around the streets for long, but Mikhail and Natalia felt a lot of things.
This place was at least more free than Russia.
The androids and drones roaming the streets also made them feel a bit strange.
Natalia decided to stay after not much time had passed.
“There’s nothing much to do in Russia anyway. It’s better to live here than to be stuck in a correctional facility or a countryside.”
Mikhail bought Adidas shoes and shirts from a clothing store and was almost dying of happiness.
It seemed to have worked out well.
Yu Ji-ha handed over their management to Arma.
“Just treat them like Fatima or Seo Jun. They’ll be fine.”
They were not needed for this generation.
The important thing was the children who would be born with enhanced genes in a few years.
They would be lambda-level psychics and loyal weapons of the United Humanity when the Plague came.
He continued to collect psychics for that day, and an urgent report came to him.
Bae Seong-min, the chief secretary, knocked on his office door and quickly spoke.
“Mr. President, a tanker passing through the Strait of Hormuz has been hijacked.”
Yu Ji-ha calmly asked.
“Is it Iran?”
“Yes. The cause is probably…”
The aftermath of becoming a death merchant and selling drones to the Middle East had finally caught up with him.
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