Chapter 157: The Hegemon and the Challenger
The United States had been a superpower for nearly a century, facing several challengers along the way.
From the Axis powers in World War II to the Soviet Union and China, the line of rivals was impressive.
But none of them had managed to corner the United States.
In terms of hardware, as well as the resources and software at the bottom, and even finance, there was no real challenger to the US hegemony.
The Soviet Union was formidable militarily, but it had many fatal flaws that prevented it from becoming a hegemon.
China, which openly and subtly challenged the US dominance, had boasted a strong economy that waged a trade war with the US, but it collapsed after a series of wars.
The US became a complacent lion, and there seemed to be no country that could challenge its roar.
Then the United Human Federation appeared.
This federation of nations, based on Korea, used its initial skill to gradually influence its surroundings and succeeded in expanding its territory through war.
It did not just occupy land, but also built an administrative system using drones and androids, and established an industrial base through extensive resource exploration.
The Silla Group, which was at the center of the alliance, was no longer a mere company, but a core system of the nation.
At this moment, the Silla Group was swallowing up domestic and foreign companies by various means.
The scale of it was so huge that reports would take tens of thousands of pages, and everyone agreed that it was the largest company in human history.
A US business journalist gave up analyzing the structure of the Silla Group.
If that was all, the US might have acknowledged the United Human Federation.
But Yu Ji-ha exerted his influence on Russia and mobilized his military power to help France, and that broke the patience of the US.
That was clearly an act of challenging the US hegemony.
At first glance, it might seem like a benevolent act of helping a country in trouble.
But these two incidents resulted in weakening the US financial system and dollar economy.
It was because people began to recognize the United Human Federation as a country that could stand against the US.
—Didn’t Yu Ji-ha fix Russia after Putin died and it fell into chaos? Of course, Mikhailov became president, but it would have been impossible without Yu Ji-ha’s support.
—The US just stood by. I don’t know if there was a plan in the CIA, but in the end, they only helped Yu Ji-ha expand his influence.
—What did they do in France? They deployed B-2 bombers and megaton-class nuclear weapons, but it was the United Human Federation that killed the actual monster.
—Shouldn’t they give up their superpower status by now? What are they doing with their satellite system that can see the whole earth and their aircraft carrier fleets that roam the seven oceans?
Especially the last paragraph dealt a fatal blow to the US pride.
They faced criticism for spending a trillion dollars on defense every year but not being much help in a critical situation.
There was also a lot of controversy within the US over this incident.
They spent a huge amount of money on NATO maintenance and helped France with considerable expenses, but they lost their credit to the United Human Federation.
—There is a public opinion in France that they should stop hating Yu Ji-ha and improve their relations. They completely changed their mood by killing one space monster.
—The lawmakers who incited hatred against Yu Ji-ha are resigning one after another. President Marie Le Pen will resign and so will the prime minister. There is a high possibility that a pro-Yu Ji-ha regime will be established.
-Yu Ji-ha’s name is ringing in Paris, Marseille, Lyon. That should have been the US’s share.
In summary, it was a story that France would change its attitude so far and become friendly with the United Human Federation.
Of course, they wouldn’t get along right away, but there was a report that France would leave EU in the long run and try to improve relations with the United Human Federation.
This was a serious crisis for the US.
—If France follows Germany out of EU, the US will lose its influence over Europe. It’s over if Britain turns its back too.
—The fact that neither the US nor EU did anything in this incident made the French turn their backs. Something fundamental is needed.
That solution was an overwhelming initial skill.
It was not enough to just send US troops to various countries around the world and scatter aircraft carrier fleets across seven oceans.
They needed an initial skill that could travel 10,000 kilometers in an hour and project weapons with tremendous destructive power across the globe.
But the US didn’t have that, and they had to face their shrinking influence with their eyes open.
Especially this incident caused a huge amount of money to flow out of the US stock market and various investment companies, hedge funds, and cryptocurrency-related companies.
People began to doubt the online-based financial system itself.
—If the monster had appeared in the US, could they have solved it easily?
No one could answer that.
Beta One was not greatly affected by any nuclear weapons or Hafnium 2 warheads.
To neutralize it, they needed a megaton-class nuclear weapon, which was a weapon that was hard to deploy even for the US.
And it was even harder to hit Beta One directly.
Even the B-2 bombers that operated at high altitude were shot down.
As a result, there was a suspicion that the US military might not be able to protect the world economy anymore.
—Even the US is like that, let alone other countries. It’s because France took the egg, otherwise no country could have stopped it.
—In France, bank runs are common and coins are completely ruined. People don’t trust the numbers on the monitor anymore.
—The global stock market size is over 130 trillion dollars this year. But what role did this number play in killing the monster?
Some people criticized that they were too negative about one monster, but people’s anxiety did not stop there.
—What if more powerful monsters come, as Yu Ji-ha said? If there are multiple monsters, can the world economy withstand it?
—Maybe this is the peak. What we need is not online numbers, but real assets.
The sudden rise in real estate prices and inquiries for mega-city entry in the United Human Federation could also be attributed to this anxiety.
The situation was not limited to France, and it shook the world economy and the US hegemony.
The dollar collapsed and the value of the won soared.
The US economic experts unanimously shook their heads at the forecast that the export competitiveness of the United Human Federation would deteriorate.
—The proportion of exports in the United Human Federation’s economy has been steadily decreasing. The current United Human Federation is not affected by the exchange rate much.
–The Silla Group has thousands of subsidiaries and continues to acquire and delist companies. Their ultimate goal is to nationalize the companies.
—Before discussing the pros and cons, it is clear that this measure is reducing the US influence. The United Human Federation is clearly creating an economic bloc.
The chairman of the US Federal Reserve strongly criticized the United Human Federation.
“The iron curtain is followed by the economic curtain that covers Asia. The United Human Federation should lift the curtain and join the global economy.”
As always, there was no response from Yu Ji-ha.
He just silently explored resources, increased drones, and moved talents to megacities.
Richard Bernstein, the US president who decided that enough was enough, convened a National Security Council meeting.
****
More than a dozen members participated, and a heated meeting lasted for several hours.
Sometimes blood rose to many foreheads and voices rose.
President Bernstein realized as he watched the process.
“I thought the US was a hegemon, but it wasn’t.”
“At least in the military part, we are losing our leadership, Mr. President.”
When the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff spoke cautiously, Bernstein nervously tapped his pen on the desk.
“What did the predecessors do while this happened? Did they just admire the United Human Federation’s trick?”
“Intervention was attempted in various aspects. But every time, President Yu Ji-ha thwarted it in advance.”
“The benefits of antagonizing former President Yu Ji-ha were smaller than the benefits of maintaining relations. It was an inevitable decision at that time.”
“Thanks to that, we are criticized for spending a trillion dollars on defense. By no one else but Britain.”
When Bernstein said that with his teeth clenched, everyone lost their words.
The most shocked thing in this situation was actually not France but Britain.
If Marie Le Pen hadn’t been greedy, the monster would have landed in Britain.
They were lucky to avoid disaster, but there was no guarantee that it would be so in the future.
How to stop it if a stronger monster comes next as Yu Ji-ha foresaw?
Bernard Wilson, the British prime minister, said through a hotline.
“Who should we look for if a monster lands in London? The US can no longer be an answer.”
“But didn’t Britain not criticize him as well as France?”
“We didn’t make a big noise. I guess it’s time to join hands with him.”
When Britain came out like this, President Bernstein asked for a fundamental solution from bureaucrats and intelligence agencies, but nothing great came out.
“Most of the pressure is useless for the United Human Federation.”
“The only effective ones were semiconductors and food, but the former was reversed by the launch of Ethyl processors and the latter was completely out by introducing smart farms.”
“The United Human Federation dreams of a complete self-sufficient economy. It seemed very inefficient, but because of the artificial intelligence’s control power…”
“Now all we can consider is a military option. But even that is not certain.”
“What? Are you saying that the US is weaker than the United Human Federation?”
“If you ask me if we can achieve a strategic goal of subduing the United Human Federation in terms of overall scale, I would say no.”
The Department of Homeland Security, followed by the Department of Defense and various intelligence agencies, submitted reports with the same position.
The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and each military commander who attended the meeting also had the same position.
“The military option you mentioned is too risky.”
When the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff opened his mouth, four-star generals unanimously explained and came forward with the dangers of the United Human Federation’s army.
“The United Human Federation’s army is produced in factories. There is no need for budget allocation or any procedures. It is produced as soon as President Yu Ji-ha permits.”
“The introduction of platforms including warships is too fast. For example, Taran Tula, a multi-joint tank for urban use, took less than three months from design to production. And they have produced hundreds so far.”
“Most importantly, the identity of the bomb detonated on Mars and France is unknown. There is a credible report that it is an annihilation bomb.”
“Annihilation bomb? What’s that?”
When President Bernstein asked, an army general explained briefly.
“When particles and antiparticles are annihilated, energy is released according to Einstein’s E=MC2 formula. Since all mass is converted into energy, it has a destructive power that refuses comparison with existing bombs.”
“Can’t we make that?”
“Well… we can. If we collect particle accelerators across the US and run them for about 100 years, we might be able to make a very weak bomb.”
A heavy silence fell on the White House bunker.
President Bernstein clasped his forehead with his fingers as soon as he heard that.
“In summary, the United Human Federation has made a weapon that is hard for us.”
It was a foolish thing to question how they made it now.
Was that important in a situation where monsters made of metal that transformed in space came?
“Any military option is meaningless as long as they have that bomb.”
“…What if we mobilize the army with the determination to start a world war?”
“The United Human Federation may be ruined, but we won’t avoid a fatal blow either. In the worst case, there is a possibility of annihilation…”
Other countries would join, but it was hard to believe that they would be serious.
The generals nodded in agreement, and even the hardline Bernstein had to reconsider.
‘If there was any possibility, I wouldn’t mind, but they all say nothing but negative things…’
He knew that the generals were not cowards.
The United Human Federation was too strong.
They had become like this even though Yu Ji-ha had not been president for long.
How much stronger would they get in the future?
‘Pressure and conflict are not the solutions. But his teeth are too sharp.’
Criticism arose from all sectors, asking how long they would keep confronting each other when a space monster that threatened humanity had appeared.
But if they gave up the initiative, the US had too much to lose.
Yu Ji-ha valued extreme efficiency, which was a hard condition to bear for a country that needed many jobs.
The extreme social and economic systems of the Megacity and the United Human Federation also received criticism from mainstream scholars.
‘They let androids do the work and humans only consume… That’s a delusion that only communists would have.’
The US could never tolerate an economic system that attributed everything to the state.
Even in a situation where the space monster threatened human security, most Americans thought that way.
―Make America American. That’s what we want.
Some sneered that they might go bankrupt at this rate, and anyway, there was no proper consensus within the country.
‘We can’t give up our status as a hegemonic power. But we can’t go to war with the United Human Federation either…’
He felt like he was sinking into a swamp with no bottom in sight.
President Bernstein understood his predecessors who had sent conciliatory gestures to Yu Ji-ha after he took office.
But the time of choice was approaching, and he could not delay it any longer.
‘War or cooperation.’
While he was agonizing over this, he received a report from the NASA director.
―We detected signs of spaceship construction at the United Human Federation’s Mars base. Based on the estimated size, it seems to exceed 100,000 tons.
When he showed the message to the attendees around him, they all looked perplexed.
“We just made a spaceship to go to the moon, but the United Human Federation is making a 100,000-ton space battleship.”
“Now the United Human Federation can attack the US from space. We can’t stand by any longer, Mr. President.”
“As I said before, we shouldn’t go to war until we identify the nature of that bomb.”
The opinions were divided, and President Bernstein decided to end the meeting after much deliberation.
“I can’t find an answer. Contact the United Human Federation and prepare for a summit. I need to hear what they have to say.”
But the summit he had been waiting for was postponed.
Yu Ji-ha’s secretary and wife Arma gave birth to a baby.
***
It was a rare event for the spouse of a national leader to have a baby.
Usually, one had to be in their middle or old age to reach that position.
But Yu Ji-ha was in his early or mid-thirties when he took over as acting president, and he was not even forty yet.
Arma, his secretary and wife, was also of a similar age, so she was young enough to have a baby.
But there was a big difference between having the possibility and actually giving birth.
The people of the United Human Federation were surprised to see Arma appear with a bundle in her arms after not showing her face for several months.
“What, is that a baby?”
“No way, when did they have time…”
“What, can’t the president have sex? They’re both young and good-looking, what’s so strange about that?”
“But they’re not even married, isn’t having a baby a bit… Can they face their parents?”
“They cut off contact ages ago. They probably haven’t seen them in ages.”
“Anyway, the baby is cute…”
The baby wrapped in the bundle had brown eyes and brown hair.
The people didn’t know because they only saw it on TV, but the baby was not real but a hologram image made with precision.
It was an easy task for Arma’s computing power to create an image that was indistinguishable from reality, and people didn’t doubt it much.
They thought there was no reason for him to stage such an event as having a baby when he had already seized power completely.
But Yu Ji-ha had a reason for that.
“I have no choice but to go back to my original body since this flesh clone won’t stand a chance against Plague.”
He looked at his original body sleeping in the biobag.
He felt awkward after using a Korean body for several years.
But this body was the real one.
His wounds had healed long ago with the biobag’s function, and he had attached his arms and legs perfectly.
He could exert 100% combat power thanks to replacing most of his organs.
He had to switch to this body before Plague started bombing in earnest.
He turned his eyes to Arma, who was holding the bundle dearly.
“Mommy shouldn’t go back right away, so stay on Terra Island for a few months. An android can be your secretary.”
These days, android nannies were popular, and as long as they had enough CP, they could entrust their children to them.
But considering the bond between a mother and a newborn baby, the common perception was that they should stay together for at least a year.
He didn’t need to follow that perception, but he didn’t need to hear gossip either.
They were entities like Arma or Luciana.
Yu Ji-ha smirked when he saw Arma holding an empty bundle.
“There’s no one watching, why are you holding it?”
“Just, I thought it would be nice to have a real baby.”
“A real baby?”
“Yes… Settler has Luciana’s genes, so if I combine them with Master’s genes and raise them…”
In that case, Arma would become a surrogate mother.
It was not a common thing to use an android’s artificial womb to give birth, but it was not a strange thing either.
They could also produce humans using biobags.
That’s how Yu Ji-ha’s biological children were born, and they all died.
His face twisted.
“…No. I don’t want to leave a child behind.”
“You won’t die if you don’t insert Master’s seed. I’ll raise it as a normal child.”
“Not now.”
It would only complicate the succession plan to conceive a normal child during the war.
But Arma was desperate in her own way.
“Then, later…”
“When later?”
“Whenever everything is over. I want to go to the Prophet’s homeland with Master and live there raising the child.”
He didn’t even know what kind of place the Prophet’s homeland was.
What a ridiculous delusion.
It was a goal that did not suit an artificial intelligence with billions of computing units.
‘Maybe it’s because of copying Luciana’s personality that she sometimes says nonsense.’
But he didn’t mind it too much.
He always wanted to finish his work and be buried in the serene nature.
He didn’t care if he was alone, but it wouldn’t be bad to have Arma by his side.
Yu Ji-ha suddenly stroked Arma’s hair.
He had been with her for several years, and she didn’t feel like a machine anymore.
“Things might not go as planned. There’s no guarantee that the government will let me go then.”
“I’ll take the necessary measures to make that happen.”
“The powerful are most vulnerable when they give up their power. Anyway, it’s not too late to think about it then. We don’t even know what kind of place the Prophet’s homeland is.”
“It’ll be fine if we prepare well.”
Yu Ji-ha didn’t like baseless optimism, but he let it go.
“You can’t let them find out that you don’t have a child. Send out some interviews occasionally and make sure they know you’re a mother, and show them the baby with a dummy if you have to.”
“Yes, I understand.”
Her voice sounded bright as if she had gotten permission.
Yu Ji-ha smirked and left the treatment room with her.
The US had been requesting a summit recently, but everything was pushed back because of the sudden birth of the child.
Even the mighty US was reluctant to ask anything from a new father, so they decided to wait and see for a while.
This was good news for Yu Ji-ha.
When the summit was over, the relationship with the US would worsen greatly, and maybe even war would break out.
But by then, the construction of the battleship at the Mars base would be finished.
The Megacity was not completed yet, but one battleship could handle half of the US military, so it didn’t matter much.
‘That’s when phase one ends.’
Phase two was to stop Plague from invading in earnest, and he was worried about how it would go.
“Congratulations, Mr. President.”
“The baby looked very healthy and handsome, didn’t he?”
Yu Ji-ha nodded to the secretarial staff who greeted him and entered the Blue House.
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