Chapter 123: When It Rains, It Pours
On July 5th, 2031, a massive meteor shower was observed in the skies of various places around the world.
The first ones to detect this meteor shower were the United States and Russia, but they did not think much of it.
It was a common occurrence for meteors to explode in the upper atmosphere and drop fragments on the ground.
However, things started to get weird when NASA claimed that there were no explosions at all.
Also, a farmer in Michigan reported finding an unusual meteorite to the police.
The police officers who arrived at the scene were baffled by what they saw.
The sphere that was lying in the middle of the crater did not look like a meteorite at all, but rather like a metal object.
“Is this really a meteorite? The surface is so smooth, it looks like someone made it…”
“Let’s report this to the higher-ups first. And deal with those cameras over there.”
The media smelled something fishy and the radio was noisy.
The onlookers crowded around and took out their smartphones.
The government confirmed that the meteorite was a metal sphere and tried to control the press, but it was too late.
The news had already spread.
One of them even fell in the middle of New York, causing some minor injuries.
People flocked to the sphere and took pictures with their smartphones and uploaded them to MyTube.
—Have you ever seen a meteorite so smooth? That’s an alien artifact.
—Run for your lives! It’s the alien invasion!
—Today is the day of the Earth’s doom.
As this happened all over the world, it was impossible to hide it.
The media sent broadcast vehicles and aired live coverage.
The government had to set up barricades to stop the people from getting closer.
In the midst of this, the French government decided to reveal the sphere to the public.
They could not withstand the pressure from the restless Parisians.
—This is not a meteorite, no matter how you look at it. And it’s not made on Earth either.
—Today we have confirmed that there are other beings in this universe besides us. What is this thing for? And why did it come here?
Of course, no one could answer that question.
Some people waited for Yu Ji-ha to make an announcement, but even they seemed shocked by this event and kept silent.
—Maybe they have something to do with that sphere.
—Let’s keep an eye on them. Don’t let them steal it.
Yu Ji-ha did not pay much attention to the Aether core at first.
It did not matter that it arrived on Earth instead of Mars or that there were more of them.
They had plenty of Aether cores on Settler as well.
But they felt a much stronger Aether from the core than expected and ordered to retrieve one of them.
Coincidentally, one of them fell near Dama Island and the nearby base went into emergency mode.
Also, that day was when Japan held an international fleet review near Sasebo.
Several countries’ warships participated in this event to commemorate the establishment of the Japanese Navy.
Of course, Korea and United Human Federation did not participate at all, and neither did Russia.
The only thing that saved Japan’s face was that a Zumwalt-class ship from the Pacific Fleet participated.
It was a rare occasion for a fleet review to be held, so nearly 60 warships lined up in front of Sasebo, creating a magnificent scene.
But they had to stop the fleet review and evacuate to Sasebo Harbor.
The sky lit up brightly and then a meteorite fell nearby.
A weak tidal wave occurred, but thanks to Sasebo Harbor’s unique terrain, there was no major damage.
At most, a French warship that was evacuating late to the port wobbled for a moment due to the wave.
But thanks to that warship, they learned an important fact.
That dark ships were approaching them.
On Earth’s seas, dark ships meant United Human Federation’s ships.
Matsuda Prime Minister and Japan’s naval leaders who evacuated to Sasebo Harbor were embarrassed.
“Should we respond? It’s not our territorial waters, but it’s our EEZ so we have the right to tell them to leave.”
“Wait a minute. Let’s find out why they came here first.”
Matsuda Prime Minister’s remark was cautious.
He had a different sense of responsibility than when he was just a party leader.
He could have been more assertive since dozens of countries’ warships were gathered here, but he shrank back because Earth Fleet’s power in the Indian Ocean was too shocking.
A ship that was unscathed by a nuclear explosion? How could anyone believe that?
Of course, the hull was intact, but some of the equipment had melted down, rendering it unable to sail. But it was clear that it was a threat that needed to be guarded.
To put it bluntly, the current Japanese navy was powerless to stop their actions.
As they watched nervously, two brave warships stepped forward.
They were destroyers from Britain and France.
They broke away from the Sasebo naval base without any control and sent a shocking message.
—A ship belonging to the Earth Fleet is diving. It seems to be trying to salvage something from the seabed.
—That’s an alien artifact that fell in various places. This is Japan’s sea. Are we just going to watch?
Normally, when a foreign warship appeared in the EEZ, they would respond immediately. But Prime Minister Matsuda hesitated.
It would be troublesome if he provoked a conflict with the Earth Fleet here.
If a battle broke out, he would be responsible for everything, and he didn’t think any other country would help him.
At least France and Britain showed their enthusiasm, but they didn’t seem to be much help with only two warships.
Prime Minister Matsuda bit his lip slightly as he watched the video of the Earth Fleet salvaging something while anchored.
“I will never forget this humiliation…”
The navy’s top brass was also furious.
The EEZ was not territorial waters, but it could be said that it was a sea managed by Japan.
But those warships of the United Earth Federation came in without any notice and worked leisurely.
It would have been different if it was only the Japanese navy, but they had to be angry when everyone else was watching.
The bridge of the flagship was quiet, but there were many complaints in the officers’ mess and elsewhere.
“What the hell is Matsuda doing? Did he come here to watch?”
“He came to see the fleet review, I guess. But those bastards are good. They can even salvage with their warships.”
“I feel sick whenever I see those black ships. They seem to deny humanity with their power.”
“They are somewhat inhuman. I heard that the Korean army is also changing like that these days.”
As the officers grumbled, the Earth Fleet finished salvaging and dived right away.
All that was left were the Japanese fleet that had fallen into spectators, the warships of various countries, and a few fighters.
The Japanese navy imposed a press embargo on this incident, but they couldn’t stop the rumors since so many countries were involved.
The news that the Earth Fleet had taken an alien artifact from the Sasebo coast reached Japan and caused a fierce backlash.
—They came into Japan’s sea and took away an artifact at ease? Is the navy just for decoration?
—Strictly speaking, the EEZ is not Japan’s sea. It’s just a sea with the right and responsibility to manage.
—What is Matsuda doing? He said he would change a lot when he became a normal country, but nothing has changed. This is the old Japan that only sees losses.
—The good thing is that there is more than one meteorite that fell in Japan. They can’t come inland and take them away, can they?
—By the way, what is that alien artifact? The government won’t tell us after they took it.
—Well, as always, they are busy with cover-ups.
—Ah, there’s more detail on Korean news. That’s what they took from Sasebo.
—Damn Koreans.
The Japanese who cursed like that couldn’t resist their curiosity and watched Korean broadcasts.
Somewhere in a port, an Earth Fleet anchored and placed a black sphere on the pier.
The alien artifact was clearly captured by the station camera.
***
People went crazy over dozens of alien artifacts that had fallen, saying that humanity’s extinction was imminent.
There were protests in capitals around the world demanding information disclosure, and religions claiming apocalypticism sprang up like mushrooms.
TV broadcasted reactions to artifacts and people every day, and it was not wrong to call it the day of doom.
Influenced by that, stock markets in various countries began to fall endlessly.
The difference from before was that there was no sign of rebounding at all.
Everyone was fed up with fear and withdrew cash and invested in gold, making gold prices hit record highs.
Among them, six companies designated by Yu Ji-ha were especially hit hard.
Their stock prices plummeted almost like a cliff, and some wondered if they would go bankrupt at this rate.
Of course, those companies were too big to go bankrupt easily, and the government would pour out financial support to save them.
But the existence of the Esil processor cast doubt on their value.
—Isn’t it natural to go extinct if you lose competitiveness in a free market? Why do we have to save those companies with our taxes?
—Those companies are not insignificant in the US economy. If we leave them alone, we might face a second recession.
—Will consumers buy their products after they are saved? They are clearly inferior in performance.
That was the biggest problem.
Most experts had bet that diamond semiconductors were impossible to mass-produce, and the six companies had analyzed the same.
Time passed, and the Esil processor turned everything else into industrial waste.
What was the meaning of the six companies that produced conventional semiconductors?
They were hopelessly behind in absolute performance, power consumption, cost, and temperature management.
The only advantage was that they were not released in countries other than Korea.
The fact that the release price dropped due to excess inventory was also an advantage for consumers.
But it was a disaster for retailers and manufacturers.
The US government urgently called the heads of the companies for a meeting, but no effective measures came out.
One bureaucrat claimed that even if Yu Ji-ha’s sanctions were lifted, at least Intel, AMD, and NVIDIA would not be able to avoid bankruptcy.
“There is little chance for these companies to survive. The loss of competitiveness is the cause of the stock price collapse.”
“Then what should we do?”
The bureaucrat sighed at President Baldwin’s question.
“Nothing. Except asking President Yu Ji-ha not to release the Esil processor.”
Everyone in the meeting room knew that it was unreasonable.
At this point, some pointed out that pressuring semiconductors was a mistake.
They shouldn’t have messed with Yu Ji-ha.
—Hadn’t the US been getting along well with him? Why are they doing this all of a sudden?
—I guess those Democratic bastards thought they could control Korea like before.
—The US had been getting some privileges. They could introduce most of the technologies by paying money. But not anymore.
—Yu Ji-ha said that only Quantum Solution would be sanctioned, but his stance itself would surely become more hostile.
The US had been getting some privileges.
They could introduce any of Yu Ji-ha’s technologies by paying money.
Some technologies were exceptions, but they were treated differently from other countries.
They introduced railguns first, and iron beams came in without any conditions.
The US gave weapons to Taiwan as they wanted and blocked China, but they willingly accepted the friction with Japan.
Everyone was skeptical about whether Yu Ji-ha’s stance would remain the same after this incident.
He wouldn’t openly antagonize them, but it was hard to expect new technologies to be introduced.
—I thought black metal was a one-trick pony, but it turned out not to be. No one knows what kind of technology will pop up next.
—We can’t hope for a friendly treatment anymore. He won’t cut ties like France or Japan, but he will be much colder than before.
In a way, that was a more dangerous future than the bankruptcy of semiconductor companies.
The former was just the past, but Yu Ji-ha symbolized the future.
It was no wonder that he was regarded as the main actor of the fourth industrial revolution.
As such, when some skeptical arguments emerged in the US political arena about the current policy, four senators were upset.
They didn’t get any good news at the Senate meeting either.
“It would be good for you four to go to Korea and talk to President Yu Ji-ha.”
“Talk with all possibilities open. It’s doubtful if he will accept you though.”
Usually, when a senator visited Korea, they arranged all schedules in advance.
But they didn’t get any answer from Korea and their visit was postponed indefinitely.
The situation had changed a lot from before when they treated a senator like a state guest.
The four leaders who were embarrassed by this coldness contacted naval officials, but they didn’t get any good response either.
The commander of the Seventh Fleet was typical.
“Of course, we are soldiers and we follow orders. But I wish the politicians would solve the problems they caused. Korea is a traditional ally of the US Navy.”
The navy was in a ridiculous situation. Until last year, they had participated in various exercises, including RIMPAC, but suddenly they were pressured by the politicians.
The 7th Fleet was armed with railguns and iron beams provided by Korea.
It was also equipped with fighter jets and hypersonic anti-ship missiles, but it was undeniable that it was a fleet that symbolized the friendship between the two countries.
The Baldwin administration could not stand it anymore.
—We understand your anxiety, but it is an abuse of power to go to the naval command and demand pressure. Please restrain yourself.
The Senate was surprised and announced that it was not their intention.
They backed down for now because of the fierce criticism from the media and experts.
Anyway, President Baldwin made it clear that he had no intention of exercising military options against Korea.
He did not want to risk anything by pressuring Korea, which was already noisy with the stock market crash and the alien artifact.
On Reddit and other sites, conspiracy theories continued to emerge about the relationship between the artifact and Yu Ji-ha.
—He is definitely an alien who lost his memory. The artifact that came to Earth is a kind of greeting from his colleagues. They are telling him to return quickly.
—What if something happens when we collect all the artifacts and give them to Yu Ji-ha?
—What if he suddenly regains his memory and leaves Earth?
While the imaginative conspiracy theories were rampant, Yu Ji-ha remained silent.
He was meeting with a special envoy from the White House who visited Korea.
***
President Baldwin decided that he could not ignore the situation any longer while stopping the Senate’s reckless actions.
He had reached a conclusion after consulting with his staff.
He wanted to avoid the worst-case scenario.
Before sending the special envoy team, he gathered them and said this:
“Some people’s actions have caused great damage to the United States, and they will continue to do so. We can’t eliminate the damage itself. So we have to focus on minimizing it.”
There was no way to avoid damage when there was a fire.
He just wanted to prevent a complete breakdown with Korea, or more precisely, with Yu Ji-ha.
He could not choose the worst option of using military force.
He said this to the senators who secretly hoped for the 7th Fleet’s pressure.
“The navy is not there to take responsibility for you. The 7th Fleet will not move.”
This created a rather hostile atmosphere.
“Do we need to be so weak against Korea? They won’t be able to survive if we just restrict the food exports to North Korea.”
President Baldwin frowned, but the senators did not budge.
“It wouldn’t be bad to break Korea’s nose this time. They even entered Japan’s EEZ and stole the artifact, or rather, the meteorite. They didn’t care about international etiquette either.”
Thanks to that, Japan, France, Britain and other countries were angry and criticized Korea.
They could understand entering the EEZ for work, but they should have at least notified them.
Of course, Japan would never agree and they couldn’t stop them anyway, so they just came in openly.
President Baldwin rolled his tongue at the absurd perception of four senators, including James.
“Do you want war in the end? You criticized President Yu’s belligerence so much, but do you want war?”
“…We don’t want war. We just want pressure.”
The senators did not change their position until the end, and President Baldwin’s patience was running out.
He left the Capitol and ordered the entire 7th Fleet to stand by.
He did not want them to run into the United Federation’s fleet and cause a real disaster.
The navy obeyed obediently, but Congress was very dissatisfied with this measure.
—Baldwin is too weak and only suffers in this minor conflict situation.
—Bryant should have been president.
As the conflict between the US administration and Congress continued, the special envoy team arrived in Korea.
They met with Yu Ji-ha, but they did not expect a fruitful negotiation.
The outcome was obvious.
Grover, the chief of staff, explained earnestly about the administration’s position and the situation of the companies, but his indifferent attitude did not change.
“What does the US want? Do they want to import the Eshil processors or save their companies?”
“President Baldwin said he wants both if possible.”
“What if he has to choose one?”
“…Saving the companies.”
“Then he has to give up on shipping the Eshil processors.”
Everyone knows that is impossible.
It would be a huge cash cow in the future, but it was an impossible demand even for Grover, the chief of staff.
He had no choice but to back down a step here.
“Please help the companies produce the Eshil processors. We will pay you well.”
“Do you mean the 500 billion dollars of tariff reduction and the resignation of the senators?”
“I don’t know about the latter, but the former was promised. However, the period needs to be adjusted…”
“I clearly told you that condition was only valid until June.”
Grover broke out in a cold sweat.
There were hardly any people in world history who could pressure the US like this.
It might be because President Baldwin’s policy was to never go to war, but his maneuvering space was narrow.
Yu Ji-ha thought for a while and then said.
“I’ll accept 500 billion dollars with one condition.”
“What is it?”
“Stay out of East Asia. If you stop meddling with Japan, I’ll consider it positively.”
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