Chapter 122: Let’s Go All the Way
Looking back at Yu Ji-ha’s actions so far, one could tell that he was not normal at all.
He banned China from the black metal ecosystem until they changed its name, and he had clashed with Japan and eventually severed ties with them.
He had invaded Afghanistan, the source of the terror, and sent Iran and Pakistan back to the Middle Ages.
It was no wonder that France and others called him the worst mass murderer.
He was cold-blooded, cruel, and decisive, making him a madman like no other.
And he declared this.
Until six companies with a market capitalization of one trillion dollars go bankrupt, the United States will not be able to import diamond semiconductors.
This was enough to shake the huge market called NASDAQ.
But the United States was a large and complex country.
The semiconductor stock prices that had been falling repeatedly stabilized for a while as people regained their composure.
The investors wondered.
—Excluding the largest market in the world? Where are they going to sell their products?
—If you exclude the US, Europe, China, and Japan, there are not many countries with a decent consumer market. They will have to withdraw soon unless they have no intention of making money.
—If they think that the federal government will bow down to their threats, they are mistaken.
The United States was a country with a national power that was different from China and others.
Their economy would not be affected by shaking a few semiconductors, and it would only provoke the resentment of Americans.
However, the experts who realized the essence of diamond semiconductors declared that it would be better to surrender quickly.
—It’s not an exaggeration to say that they will wipe out the entire existing semiconductor market. If that goes into mass production, Intel and AMD will definitely go bankrupt.
—Apple is leading the market with its M3 chip, but it’s impossible to compete with that AP.
—Most importantly, that semiconductor is the fastest shortcut to quantum systems. We need to secure it as soon as possible.
—The Senate should take action instead of the president. If they apologize and promise to prevent recurrence by visiting Korea, they will be able to resolve the situation.
The US Democratic Party wanted President Baldwin to persuade Yu Ji-ha instead of nominating a senator.
“My predecessor said he had a lot to talk to you about, and it was true. Anyway, I regret this incident. I wish we could solve it through dialogue, but I guess it’s difficult.”
If it was McKinley, he would have snapped at what he wanted, but he was gentle as expected.
But this person was also the president of the United States.
He would not hesitate to use any means and methods for the sake of his country’s interests.
“The time for dialogue has passed.”
“I’d like to ask what you need to reverse that.”
“One trillion dollars.”
“…Excuse me?”
“The sum of the market capitalization of the six companies that are scheduled to go bankrupt is one trillion dollars. Give me that money and I’ll withdraw my statement.”
President Baldwin frowned.
He thought it was okay when former White House aides called him Crazyman, but this was not something to laugh off.
He must know how much money one trillion dollars is, and it must be an expression of his will that he will never withdraw his statement.
But it meant that there was one more option, which could also mean two options.
“I wish we had prepared a place for negotiation a little earlier. It’s a pity. But I still think it’s not too late.”
“Six companies or one trillion dollars, choose one.”
“We will lift the embargo completely and issue an apology statement in the name of the White House. We will also significantly lower tariffs on Korean products for the next four years. Isn’t this enough?”
It would have been tempting under normal circumstances.
He had to face President Baldwin for at least four more years, so it wouldn’t be bad to accept it at this point.
He probably wouldn’t be in office for long anyway…
Yu Ji-ha said casually.
“Then let’s reduce one trillion dollars to five hundred billion dollars and make up for it with tariffs. And there must be some senators who led this incident. I want them all to resign.”
“…That’s not something I can decide.”
“Say you want the dragon. Oh, and this offer is only valid until the end of this month. I’ll be waiting for your good news.”
The call ended and President Baldwin rubbed his forehead with his finger.
Five hundred billion dollars in tariff exemptions and the resignation of senators…
It was an absurd demand.
The senators who led the sanctions were key figures in the Democratic Party.
If he accepted this proposal, they would laugh at him and propose even stronger sanctions.
‘No, I can’t do that.’
It was very dangerous to keep pushing Yu into a corner.
He blocked the export of a few semiconductor items and quantum diamonds came out.
What would come out next?
Baldwin, who was walking on thin ice at the beginning of his term, wanted to avoid any more friction.
He had a mountain of issues to deal with right away.
He contacted the party through his secretary’s office.
Four people, including Senator James, visited the Oval Office.
They frowned when they heard the exact terms.
“That guy talks like five hundred billion dollars is some kind of Halloween candy. And our resignation? I hope you don’t take this seriously.”
“President, there is no need to accept such a condition. We should put more pressure on him…”
“He blocked a few semiconductors and quantum diamonds came out. What do you think will come out next? Can you take responsibility for that?”
His voice rose and the senators looked around.
They were not blind or deaf.
The problem was that the experts who advised the Congress said completely different things.
Don’t people say that humans only hear what they want to hear?
The senators adopted a report that said quantum diamonds could be made with artificial diamonds, but they could not completely replace the current semiconductors.
There were many reports that contradicted this claim, but they did not take them seriously.
Senator James smiled leisurely and said.
“It seems that you like the president of East Asia more than the federal members. You’re asking us to bow down from the beginning of your term.”
“We need to be tough at this point. Otherwise, the damage will be greater. Fine. Let’s hear what he has to say.”
“According to a report adopted by Congress a while ago, it is possible to make semiconductors with artificial diamonds, but they cannot replace the current semiconductors.”
Another senator spoke up as if to follow his words.
“Do you know how many wafers Intel and AMD need? It’s hard to cover even 5% of them with the number of autoclaves Quantum Solutions has secured.”
“In other words, there is bluffing in his words. When I heard from quantum computer experts, they said that the product itself seemed possible, but mass production was difficult.”
“However, since the performance is certain, it would be better to try negotiations in the long term.”
President Baldwin looked at them with a troubled expression.
He was sure that smart experts had written reports with different contents, but they didn’t seem to have read them.
Well, it’s human nature not to want to hear uncomfortable things.
But federal members should be able to listen to such things.
He opened his heavy lips after a long silence.
“…So, you’re saying we should go harder?”
“That’s a second option and we need to see how things go.”
“The semiconductor stocks are falling, but if it’s confirmed that mass production is difficult by the end of the year, they will recover quickly.”
“What if, just if… things don’t go as you expect? What if quantum diamonds are real and they have mass production ready?”
“If President Yu wants to keep his word, then we may have to resort to some coercive means.”
“Are you suggesting using military force? Korea was our ally just a few years ago.”
“Not anymore. He denied it first.”
“We don’t need a war. If we mobilize the 7th Fleet, Korea will naturally bow down. They are still no match for us.”
“…”
An uncomfortable silence filled the Oval Office.
President Baldwin realized that these Politicians would never take responsibility.
Nor did they realize how bad the situation was getting.
***
The world was shocked when Yu Ji-ha’s conditions were revealed.
Even countries that had little to do with this incident were busy criticizing him.
—He should have stopped at lifting the sanctions and getting an apology. How can he push them until six companies go bankrupt? Isn’t that too much?
—The six companies are at the center of the global semiconductor industry. Their impact is tens of times more than one trillion dollars.
—If President Yu does not ease his conditions, a serious economic depression may come. We urge him to reconsider.
The semiconductor industry, including the six companies, announced that they would respond flexibly and monitor the situation.
In fact, they wanted to lift the sanctions immediately and meet with President Yu.
But since the US Congress was leading the situation, they could not act rashly.
All they could do was send their intentions to the executives by email, and Yu ignored them.
“Don’t change the plan until I get an answer that they accept everything.”
“Yes, we will start mass production in June.”
Contrary to the predictions of semiconductor experts that mass production was impossible due to the quantity and price of artificial diamonds, Hansung Group had already revived its foundation and prepared for mass production.
Using an old process of 130nm, other companies also offered letters of intent, including Russian companies.
It was the price Yu Ji-ha had to pay for using Russia as an excuse.
President Putin called and laughed.
“I feel like you use us as a shield whenever something happens, don’t you?”
“I regret that.”
“Ha ha, I’m kidding. You can use us as a shield. Aren’t we allies?”
As long as Yu Ji-ha needed him.
Putin was old and unhealthy, and he was looking for a successor.
Whoever came, he would be betrayed by Yu Ji-ha.
Anyway, this time’s Eshil processor was also planned to be produced by Angstrem, a Russian semiconductor company.
They were not allocated a large amount of wafers, but they planned to introduce them to their weapon systems by adding a separate process.
Russian semiconductor experts were worried about the ultra-low temperature error, but there was none.
It was originally designed for military and space use.
That’s how Korea and Russia’s exchanges deepened, and experts from Germany and India also visited and inspected the process.
The academic and semiconductor circles began to say that this could not go on.
—How long will they only confront each other? It’s time to have a serious dialogue. I hope the politicians will open up a dialogue.
—It’s not easy. The gap in emotions is too deep. In France’s case, even if the regime changes, they will maintain their stance until the end. Because the French hate Yu Ji-ha.
—Humanity has reached a singularity. It’s undeniable. The sad thing is that not everyone can enjoy its benefits…
On the other hand, there were also arguments that the world should stop Yu Ji-ha’s aggressive tendencies.
—There are only a few countries that have exchanges with Korea, such as Russia, Germany, and India. It has become uncomfortable with Europe, China, Japan, and the Middle East, and now with the United States. They can’t afford this risk for long.
—Semiconductors can be done with artificial intelligence, but they can’t solve the food problem. Korea is a country that has difficulty producing even rice, and imports a large amount of food every year. But as it becomes difficult, prices are soaring.
—A typical example is European pork. Germany’s exports are not enough to meet Korea’s demand. If even the United States reduces its exports, Korea’s food shortage will worsen.
The reason why each country endured this was because it was still livable.
Nuclear fusion plants were certainly amazing technology, but it wasn’t like existing nuclear power plants couldn’t produce electricity, right?
It was the same for other fields, and they could endure it with a little inconvenience.
However, most of them predicted that there wasn’t much time left for that.
—They blocked semiconductors and quantum diamonds came out in a few months. How do we know what else is hidden?
—Maybe in 10 years, Korea would have the capability to fight in space. They had to do something before it was too late.
Although weapons were not allowed to be launched into Earth’s orbit, the United Human Federation was not affiliated with the UN and faced no sanctions.
So what could they do?
Countries like France, Britain, China, and Japan argued that they had to resort to military options since the political solution was not working.
But everyone knew that without the US’s serious involvement, other countries would not be much help.
And the US was in a mess, with conflicts between the president and the congress since the beginning of the term.
There was no leadership.
In such a situation, Quantum Solutions boldly announced the release date of the Eshil processor on their homepage.
Whether the politicians fought or not, IT enthusiasts around the world were waiting for the release date with money in their hands.
—They said they would release the motherboard as well, so all you have to do is buy it and plug it in.
—The graphics card was so expensive, but now you only need one Eshil. It’s awesome.
—Did you see the PC that Silla Electronics released? It’s pretty good, right? The size is small and the design is nice.
—I’m more excited about the Orion smartphone. They said it can last for more than two weeks with one charge.
—It’s no joke when it’s combined with the Black Metal battery.
Normally, when such a product was released, resellers would try to make a profit.
But this time, not a single one could be found, because their CP would be drastically reduced if they did such a thing.
The supply was surprisingly plentiful and the price quickly stabilized at around 500,000 won.
That was only in Korea, though.
The release date for other countries had not been set yet, and some impatient foreigners even went on expeditions to buy the processor.
Of course, they could not buy it with the passport of a country that declared war on Yu Ji-ha, and there was a limit of one per person.
Countless benchmarks were conducted and the Eshil processor finally received recognition for its performance.
The experts who had claimed that mass production was impossible all fell silent.
—They shouted that the performance was impossible, but it came out. They said mass production was difficult, but more than 100,000 units were released in Korea on the same day. What will they say is impossible next time?
—Because the process is old-fashioned, they can quickly mass-produce it by recycling the equipment. There is a rumor that they will ship more than a million units by the end of the year.
—The scary thing is that this is a 130nm process. It’s truly terrifying how high the performance will soar when it’s combined with the latest process.
—What will the semiconductor companies do now?
They were also shocked and terrified by the performance of the Eshil processor.
They tried to contact Yu Ji-ha under the water without regard for the friction, but he did not accept them.
He was looking at Mars with Arma.
***
Mars was the place where the most relics of the Prophet fell and also the source of mithril.
There was no way that metals like mithril existed in the solar system, and they must have been affected by the relics like black metal.
Yu Ji-ha decided to build a base and analyze it before the first relic arrived on Mars.
“We need to monitor it with a gravity radar, so send the Settler. And also mobilize a mining ship to build the base.”
“Understood. But Master, there are several US satellites in orbit around Mars.”
“Do they monitor Mariner Valley?”
“The resolution is low, but I don’t think there will be any problem in detecting the existence of the base.”
“We can’t run the optical camouflage net 24 hours a day… It won’t work. Shoot them down.”
“Yes.”
Arma reported as he operated the hologram panel.
“We plan to launch a total of 200 satellites by the end of this year. They are disguised as weather, research, and GPS satellites.”
The current radio communication has clear limitations.
It becomes useless as soon as Plague’s psychokinesis field expands, so it can’t be used at all.
Therefore, quantum communication is needed, which is based on diamond semiconductors.
Until that day comes, they had to lay communication satellites all over the solar system to find out when and where Plague would appear.
It was difficult to complete the surveillance network by this year, so for the time being, Settler had to stay away from Earth.
In July, the relic of the Prophet arrived.
But it didn’t arrive at Mariner Valley on Mars as originally predicted, but on Earth.
Unfortunately, Settler was on Mars at that time, and even Arma couldn’t predict this situation.
At best, he could only relay that dozens of ether cores were entering the atmosphere.
“Aether cores are falling everywhere. There are not one but 33 in total. I’ll mark their landing points.”
Yu Ji-ha’s face was stiff as he looked at the screen.
“Why are there 33 instead of one? The time is right.”
“The Prophet is definitely watching us. Maybe there has been some change in Plague in this timeline.”
“It must be bad for us.”
It meant that more psychers were needed.
With this, their original plan to extract psychers from Russia was gone.
Now that ether cores had fallen all over Earth, psychers began to appear like mushrooms after rain.
Research on black metal and ether in various countries also became active, and not only proper black metal batteries but also ion thrusters and maybe even hafnium2 would be developed quickly.
Arma asked.
“Should we collect those that fell on land at the risk of friction?”
About half of them fell on land and the governments of each country started investigating them.
It was already leaked to the media and there was a lot of noise about alien relics appearing.
Yu Ji-ha shook his head.
“Just leave them alone. They won’t interfere with our plan anyway.”
As long as Settler existed, United Human Federation was no match for them.
It just meant that their strength increased and their threat toward them became more blatant.
It was natural to want to use their power if they had it.
As long as they didn’t fight Yu Ji-ha, they were fine, but especially in places where the relationship was worst, they were more so.
He turned and ordered.
“Run the psycher scanner and check the location. If you find any alpha-level or higher, report to me.”
Yu Ji-ha had been mainly using persuasion to secure psychers.
But now that the situation had changed like this, he could not stick to soft methods.
Arma asked for confirmation.
“Can I use some harsh methods?”
“Yes.”
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