Chapter 110: 3.25 Terror
Yu Ji-ha met with Fatima for the first time in a long time.
The place was a Central Asian restaurant near the headquarters of Shilla Group, and they rented the whole place.
It was more comfortable to have a secret conversation without anyone around.
Fatima had grown much taller than when he first saw her, and her girlish appearance had completely disappeared.
Even though she was not an adult yet, her psychic ability had awakened and her eyes shone with a clear golden color.
People who did not know her would easily compliment her eyes for being beautiful.
“How have you been lately?”
He spoke as if he was meeting a relative after a long time, and Fatima pouted her lips.
“You said that a lot in your letters.”
“Ah… sorry. I’ve been busy lately.”
“That Seo Jun kid, he was nice and decent. Especially his heart.”
“His heart in what way?”
“Um… well, he’s not lewd for one thing. The other kids have weird thoughts.”
She had fully matured as a mentalist, and now she could read the minds of others just by touching them.
It was a skill that was far beyond the mass-produced psychics, but it was not always a good thing.
She could read the memories and feelings of others without wanting to, which was very hard for a girl like Fatima.
Fortunately, Arma was always by her side, giving her support and advice, so she did not lose trust in humanity completely.
And there was also the fact that Seo Jun, the boy she was assigned to, was so innocent and handsome that he fit her taste perfectly.
They were currently attending the same school and making precious memories together.
Yu Ji-ha smiled inwardly as he watched Fatima chatter about Seo Jun.
‘If Lucia had given birth to a daughter, she would have been similar to Fatima.’
He tried not to get attached to the humans of this era.
They were nothing but tools to be used after all.
But when he saw Fatima getting jealous of Seo Jun meeting other girls, he could not help but smile at the corner of his mouth.
She had mastered Korean by now, and except for being picky about food, she was almost like a Korean.
“…Uncle.”
“Huh? Oh, sorry. What did you say?”
“You’re weird. I can read Seo Jun’s mind, but I can’t read yours.”
“There’s one more person like that, right?”
“Oh, Arma unnie too. I can’t read her mind at all.”
That was because he was an omega-class psychic.
Yu Ji-ha was a human who could ignore even the thoughts emitted by a leviathan-class plague.
His mental defense against Fatima’s unintentional attacks was easy.
He had let her read some of his memories when they first met, but that was it.
They continued their conversation for a while until Fatima brought up something cautiously.
“But I’m not sure if you’re okay, uncle. There’s been a lot of dangerous talk lately.”
She must have heard the rumors circulating on the internet.
It had been quite some time since the terrorists openly recruited warriors on SNS and other places.
The government agencies were keeping a close eye on them, but it was widely believed that terror was only a matter of time.
Things that are suppressed will eventually explode.
The hatred that Yu Ji-ha had earned from the Muslims by destroying Iran was no joke.
They might have different interpretations of Shia and Sunni doctrines and growl at each other normally, but they would unite like ghosts when an enemy appeared from outside.
And if that enemy was an infidel like Yu Ji-ha, their unity would be even easier.
They would not see him as a human, so they could use any radical means they wanted.
He wiped his mouth with a napkin.
“Terror? Don’t worry about it.”
“But still…”
“There are many people around this restaurant who are protecting me. You might not notice them.”
Fatima nodded her head.
“I know. You’re the president and there are many bodyguards around you. But you were in danger before.”
She was talking about when he faked his death.
According to Arma, Fatima cried a lot back then.
She had come to Korea without any ties, trusting only Yu Ji-ha, and she must have been heartbroken.
He had exchanged letters with her often and gave her some allowance, so he had built some rapport with her.
To Fatima now, Yu Ji-ha was more than a reliable uncle and a generous sponsor.
He might even be considered as a father figure by her, even if she did not say it out loud.
“It’s okay now. I’ll be careful. And there’s something you have to do for me…”
“What is it?”
Fatima leaned forward with anticipation.
She had always received from him, so she felt burdened, but she was glad that there was something she could do for him.
Yu Ji-ha brought up the topic of the resistance, the Mossad, and the Tajik people.
“Are things tough over there lately?”
“I don’t know much, but I heard it’s hard. Even though you sent me a drone…”
The resistance had captured Kabul, but they couldn’t maintain it properly and were in danger of losing it.
They had destroyed the Taliban’s main force and assassinated their leader before.
But there was a huge gap in foreign support. While the Taliban received assistance from Iran and other places, the resistance only had Tajikistan.
The support dwindled as the situation seemed hopeless.
“What if, and this is just hypothetical, the Korean army entered that land? What do you think?”
“Uh… the Korean army?”
She widened her eyes as if surprised.
She had experienced the war indirectly while in Korea and realized that the Korean army was on a different level from terrorists like the Taliban.
Especially the 7th Division’s prowess was truly amazing!
The reputation of being Asia’s strongest tank unit was not an exaggeration.
Now they had Black Metal and Railgun and were called the world’s strongest, but anyway, to her eyes, they were awesome beyond awesome.
But even such a Korean army would not be guaranteed to win if they set foot in Afghanistan.
It was an inland country with limited transportation and a terrible terrain.
It was not for nothing that Afghanistan was called the graveyard of empires.
Fatima fiddled with the egg on her plate.
“I know that the Korean army is strong and you are amazing. But I don’t know. It’s really hell there…”
“No, I’m not asking about the success rate. I’m asking about whether the Tajiks would accept it. The Korean army replacing the US army in Afghanistan. Think about the sentiment of Panjshir.”
He had scattered micro-drones, but he couldn’t get any reliable information because they were too busy surviving.
“Um…”
It was a very difficult topic for a 16-year-old Fatima to think about.
But she had a lot of interactions with the leaders of Masad and others since she came to Korea.
She had heard more than her peers and was quite mature.
She cautiously opened her mouth.
“Masad always says that things are very different from before. Afghanistan can’t just shout for self-reliance anymore. It needs external help…”
“So they need help badly.”
“Desperately. Independence is important, of course, but survival is more important. Right now, even medical supplies are cut off in Panjshir…”
“What if they guarantee autonomy? The Korean army instead of the US army in Afghanistan. Not the success rate, but think about the mood of Panjshir.”
“…I think it’s okay. Masad’s mind has changed a lot too. He said that Afghanistan’s complete independence can be achieved by future generations. The priority is to survive now.”
He nodded at her affirmative answer.
“Then that’s fine. I’ll have to go to Panjshir later, so get ready. Arma will help you pack your stuff.”
“Really?”
Fatima was worried but also very happy.
Well, she was going back to her hometown after a long time…
She had gotten used to Korea, but nothing could compare to her homeland.
The meal was over and Arma came in.
Women have their own stories to tell.
He made an excuse that he had some documents to get from the headquarters and went outside.
The evening glow slightly reflected on the glass of the headquarters building.
***
They say that there are ten signs before an incident happens.
Korea’s intelligence agencies had been focusing more on the Middle East than on North Korea, China or Japan recently.
It was because of the frequent mentions of terrorism against the president.
On one SNS, someone said to kill Yu Ji-ha and got a lot of support from Muslims, but it was deleted for hate speech.
Iran openly antagonized Korea and even banned Koreans from visiting.
The news showed people protesting against drones and androids every day.
-The government must listen to our voices. Those damn dolls can never replace humans.
-Killing is not only direct. Yu Ji-ha, the Korean Dictator, invented a vile machine that killed tens of thousands of Muslims. He is an enemy of all Muslims.
-Kill Yu Ji-ha! Kill him!
The protests became more radical, burning Yu Ji-ha’s pictures and Korean flags.
The hatred accumulated by drones and androids was triggered by the Iranian situation.
The world opinion was mostly blaming Yu Ji-ha.
-Imitating a merchant of death is not for everyone. It’s natural that he becomes a target when he is a president who should be in hiding.
-What now? Saudi Arabia and UAE may endure for the sake of partnership, but their people are restless. The royal family may reconsider their relationship with Yu Ji-ha for their image.
-He turned 1.5 billion Chinese into enemies, and now he turned 1.5 billion Muslims into enemies. Is he going to make the whole world his enemy next?
Various criticisms continued, but there was no real damage to Yu Ji-ha and Korea.
In March 2030, exports soared compared to previous years and foreign investment was more active than ever.
Many foreign companies drooled over the resource exploration in Dongsimberia.
They also received a large amount of money by winning orders for nuclear fusion plants.
The lunar base that started to operate in full swing attracted a lot of attention, of course.
A Korean reporter had the honor of going to the moon and reporting directly.
“I think I know why this is called the Sea of Tranquility. I’m looking at the Earth right now… It’s very, very beautiful. I think every Earthling should see this sight at least once in their lifetime.”
The few people who had been to the moon also posted their proof shots and received the envy of the world.
The cost was not much, but the reservation was backed up by millions, so they wondered if they could go before they died.
In response, Starfield decided to advance the mass production schedule of suborbital planes.
But what drew the most attention from the world was helium-3 and unoptanium mined from the moon.
Scientists who were interviewed by science journals said they never expected helium-3 mining to become a reality in our generation.
“As you know, helium-3 is essential for ion beam fusion reactors. And currently, only Starfield can mine it economically. That means, from now on, the environment also depends on Yu Ji-ha.”
Nuclear fusion plants are considered as a typical eco-friendly energy source.
Yu Ji-ha was known as a leader of developmental dictatorship and a destroyer of the environment, but the reality was the opposite.
The garbage island in the North Pacific had been almost cleared away by months of cleanup work.
However, environmental activists desperately tried not to mention that topic.
They were uncomfortable with the fact that a dictator like Yu Ji-ha cared about the environment.
“The garbage island is not fixed, it moves. You can’t say it’s completely gone by cleaning it for a few months.”
“But the reports from the US and Japan say they can’t find it anywhere.”
“What do civil servants know? We know best about the environment.”
“I see. Please contact me when you find the garbage island again.”
Needless to say, that activist never contacted him again.
Anyway, as Yu Ji-ha’s influence on the world was enormous, there was an argument that he should be protected seriously.
It was mostly an argument that came out in the media related to him, such as Russia or Germany.
-The threat of terrorists against President Yu Ji-ha is getting more serious as time goes by. If he dies, all the achievements he has made will be gone.
-There is no need for the state to intervene, and sharing data processed by intelligence agencies would be enough. The Korean intelligence agency is focused on East Asia and has little influence in the Middle East.
Fortunately, some agents from Israel’s Mossad visited and handed over a checklist of people to watch out for.
Israel itself denied that there was such a thing, but it was a common thing in the spy world, so agencies like NIS did not take it seriously.
They didn’t know.
That Mossad didn’t really move.
That everything was Arma’s work and two people were missing from the checklist.
And that the two excluded people were former Iranian pilots who were going to Korea as captain and co-pilot of an Iraqi cargo plane.
The NIS agent dispatched to a Korean airline obtained their information but excluded them from surveillance because they were Iraqi nationals and not on the checklist.
He made an excuse to himself that he had too many people to look at.
That’s how an Iraqi cargo plane flew toward Korea.
***
Yu Ji-ha held both positions of president of South Korea and chairman of Silla Group.
Arma was officially the owner of Silla Group, but few people believed that.
So when Yu Ji-ha said he had something to do at headquarters and told his bodyguards to stay down, the security team accepted it obediently.
“I heard he’s moving his headquarters. He must have a lot of documents that we shouldn’t see.”
“There are many drones around the building, so there’s no possibility of terrorism.”
Thanks to that, Yu Ji-ha could concentrate on his work at the headquarters building where most of his employees had left.
Arma reported to him.
「Master, a cargo plane controlled by dummies has entered our airspace.」
It will start ignoring instructions from the control tower soon.
Yu Ji-ha stood by the window to look at the evening glow that had settled down before he knew it.
The plasma shield would protect his body, so he wouldn’t get hurt even if the cargo plane crashed into him.
But for his future schedule, it would be better to get some injuries.
Losing one of his limbs would be too conspicuous, so maybe some burns on his upper body would do.
Arma had already calculated which parts to burn and how much to open up the plasma shield.
“A terrorist attack against the president… This should be enough for a justification.”
For dramatic effect, some dummies disguised as employees were also working hard.
They would be best if they died and Yu Ji-ha got injured.
「The cargo plane is ignoring the instructions from the control tower and heading straight for the headquarters building. A state of emergency has been declared in the air defense units around.」
The purge of generals had paid off, as the reaction was very fast.
It didn’t take long from Incheon to Seoul, so Yu Ji-ha spotted a small dot in a few minutes.
“It’s finally here.”
「I’ll jam it.」
This was also part of the scenario.
If the iron beam was fine, but the plane crashed into the building, wouldn’t it be too strange?
To kill the Korean president, all kinds of operations and absurdities had to be mobilized.
As soon as the power went out, the security guards downstairs received a call and started running.
“Get the president down!”
“The elevator is not working!”
“Did they take out the emergency generator too? Run down the stairs!”
He looked down at them with a bitter smile.
“It’s hard to die, huh?”
Meanwhile, as a jet flew into the center of Seoul, the citizens began to buzz.
“Do planes usually fly that low?”
“Oh no! It’s coming this way!”
“Mommy!”
The buzzing soon turned into screams.
As people ran in all directions, the vehicles stopped and the drivers got out to look at the plane that was getting bigger.
This was a terror attack.
“Where is it going?”
“I don’t know! Run!”
There were not one or two buildings in Gangnam, and it would be a disaster wherever it crashed.
Sirens sounded everywhere and traffic came to a standstill.
The final destination of the plane was confirmed to be the Shilla Group headquarters building.
The generals at the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who received information from the air defense unit under their command, urgently contacted the secretary’s office.
“Where is the president right now? What? In the headquarters building?”
“No way.”
And then the cargo plane collided with the headquarters building.
A massive shockwave and countless fragments swept through the surroundings.
The fragile building could not withstand the impact and collapsed as its waist snapped, and a huge flame erupted as if aviation fuel had exploded.
People watched in shock at the unreal sight.
No one had imagined that something like this would happen again after the September 11th terror attack 29 years ago.
Especially in the middle of Seoul.
On the other hand, the security guards ran up the stairs without caring about the earthquake-like shock.
The whole building collapsed as the upper floors were smashed, but they did not stop their steps.
They had a record of failing to protect the president, and one mistake was enough.
Korea could not afford to lose him now.
In the midst of a fire breaking out and black smoke rising, they found him.
He was out of his mind from shock, his arms and legs were twisted in weird angles, and his upper body was red.
Evidence of severe burns.
The security team leader quickly checked his breathing.
Thankfully, he was still alive.
“That’s it! He’s alive! Call an ambulance… no, never mind! Call an ambulance as fast as possible!”
Gangnam was closer to a hospital than a helicopter.
Emergency treatment began and all the traffic lights in Gangnam turned red at once.
And police buses pushed away the vehicles that filled the road, followed by an ambulance making a loud noise.
People were amazed at this sight they had never seen before.
“Is it okay for police buses to do that?”
“Maybe there’s someone important in the ambulance.”
“Could it be… the president?”
As they said that, the ambulance was being forced to drive recklessly by the security guards who accompanied it.
“Take your foot off the brake!”
“Move! Let me drive!”
“Oh no! That’s not allowed!”
He pretended to be unconscious and quietly fell asleep.
He had a lot of things to do when he woke up.
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