“This is the Penguin Empire model transport aircraft. Requesting to land at the United Antarctic Airport, landing code: 012E41QS……”
“Please wait, we are verifying the code… Recognized. Passage granted, and the weapon defense system is offline. We welcome your arrival.”
As the order was passed on, the many anti-air weapons arranged around the research station on the Antarctic continent retracted.
This was the Antarctic research station - jointly constructed by numerous United Nations countries with five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council as initiators. It covered a vast area and was equipped with advanced instruments, making it the largest research station in Antarctica to date. Additionally, it served as a United Nations military base to guard against any attempts by individuals to steal important research materials.
When the God of the Eastern Sky Taiyi destroyed the meteor heading to Earth with his palm strike, people thought that the fragments that fell down on Earth were ordinary meteorites. As a result, these meteorites were only placed under surveillance. However, when one of the fragments caused Typhon, the king of monsters in Greek Mythology, to be born, the world’s governments finally began paying closer attention to them.
The monster named Typhon was so powerful that even modern weapons could not defeat it. If it was not thanks to the power of the supreme god of Shintoism, Amaterasu Omikami, perhaps the United States would now be buried in flames.
The underdog that was Japan had suddenly risen to power after the emergence of supernatural power. As a result, the United States was quite embarrassed. On the other hand, after knowing that such things existed, the Japanese youth began to become more vocal and boastful online.
In a cultural sense, Japan was gradually separating from the United States. In this era where gods and myths had become real, the United States had become less and less influential. The once-dominant unipolar world order had been disrupted. The current world order could aptly be described as a state of competing warlords vying for power.
However, even though its influence had decreased, no one dared to underestimate the United States of America. Leaving aside supernatural power, it was still one of the world’s strongest in terms of militaristic and economic power. In this world where every country was a neighbor, no country could separate from the United States and exist alone.
Even supernatural power could not solve financial and economic problems. If the United States economy truly collapsed, the world would be plunged into chaos. Even if many countries wished to see its decline, no one truly wanted to see it fall.
The once independently governed nations of the world were gradually showing a willingness to unite. Even countries like China, which had gained more influence through supernatural powers, were eager for collaboration and unity. They recognized the importance of coming together despite their individual advancements.
This simply could not be helped. Even if the world had supernatural beings, the rules of countries were still mortals. Those in power would never want to have most of their authority taken away by the supernatural, thus the best choice was to unite.
The Antarctic research station was a product of this unity. Many countries in the world had joined together to build various important facilities. Because the unity had grown stronger, technological advancements were being shared around, and as a result, technology had progressed a lot. For the first time in the history of mankind, the ideal of common progress was being achieved.
The heavy transport plane decelerated on the tarred runway. As it slowed to a halt, a team of soldiers and transport vehicles approached the plane.
The purpose of the military base in this research institute was not only to prevent people from stealing fragments of the meteor but also to prevent terrorists from coming in. Although the governments of the world tried to censor information about the meteorites, there were too many people who knew about it, so the possibility of information leaking out was very high. In this world, there were crazy people who would wish for the destruction of the world. These military facilities were there to stop them.
Under such close surveillance, there was no chance that a movie-like scenario with the villain infiltrating the base and wreaking havoc would happen.
“Hey Oshima and Gui, we’ve been waiting for you for a long time.”
A white man came out of the transport vehicle and greeted Gui bin and Oshima who were getting down from the plane.
Although this transport plane was Korean, not everyone on it was from Korea. There were also some experts and scholars from Japan, China, and other countries of East Asia.
But the leader of this group was none other than Gui Bin and Oshima, who were in charge of the special agencies in their respective countries.
“If it isn’t Mr. Smith, the director of our ‘S.H.I.E.L.D.’!”
Gui Bin chuckled and gave Smith a big hug.
During this period of time, many changes had happened. And amidst these changing circumstances, Gui Bin, a once struggling young individual, had also experienced personal growth. He had shed his former naivety and was now more mature and seasoned in his field.
In the past, when the governments were fighting with each other, Gui Bin, Smith, and Oshima were like rivals, but as the governments became more and more closely linked, members of the special departments of these countries have worked together many times. Everyone became familiar with each other.
Compared to gods and monsters, humans were still easier to get close to.
Naturally, the main reason why the world’s countries could work together was because the United States of America learned from its defeat. After being set back by supernatural powers, they knew that they could not research the mysteries alone. The government put aside their pride and sought cooperation.
“This is the director of England’s special operations division, M13! You should have met before in the video conference. This should be your first time personally meeting, right?”
Smith introduced a man beside him to Gui Bin and Oshima. The man was a somewhat stereotypical burly man in his forties. He looked gentlemanly and friendly.
“13? That doesn’t sound like a good number.”
Gui Bin shook hands with M13 and joked.
The gentleman sighed helplessly and spread his hand, “I’m not really a fan of my codename, but this was the number I was stuck with. I am also a devout Christian and with the descent of Christ, I’m a bit on tenterhooks every day. I’m afraid that this code name will one day bring me bad luck.”
“Then why don’t you tell me your real name? Isn’t it awkward to always use a code name?”
While walking to the research institute, everyone talked as if they knew each other for years.
“Sigh, I can’t do that Gui! This is our agency’s tradition. I can’t divulge my real name, but if you feel bad about my code name being M13, then you can just call me James Bond!”
M13 winked and joked.
Seeing this seemingly old but very witty gentleman, Gui Bin was also amused and replied, “Mr. Bond, I wonder if there are any Bond girls here?”
“There are no Bond girls, but under this Antarctic ice, there are many unimaginably complex buildings. No trace of human survival was found, but an ancient civilization definitely existed!”
M13’s expression gradually turned solemn.
This chapt𝙚r is updated by fr(e)ew𝒆bnov(e)l.com