Chapter 165: Heading Towards Disaster
The US Navy Fleet Command did not believe the information that Gamma One was a fake.
They judged that the creature that was swimming hard after the reconnaissance plane could not be a decoy.
But it was the president’s order, so they reluctantly decided to fire a hafnium-2 warhead.
“FFG-63 Congress, this is the command. Fire a hafnium-2 warhead at its head. Don’t let it get scared and run away.”
The escort ship loaded and launched the hafnium-2 missile.
There was no easier target than the huge metal monster that was following the reconnaissance plane.
The missile hit and the monster stopped in its tracks.
A small cheer erupted from the bridge and the sailors of the US Navy did not doubt that the monster had taken a heavy blow.
“That must have hurt, even if it didn’t kill it.”
“It would have been nice if we could hit its butt.”
The bridge was cheerful, believing that victory was already assured.
But the mood changed as the rough waves subsided and the debris surfaced.
“It died from that? Isn’t that too weak?”
“It’s not like our hafnium warhead was too strong…”
“Something’s wrong!”
Rear Admiral Andrew, the commander of the 2nd Fleet, rolled his eyes without rest as he received the report from the reconnaissance team.
As his subordinates said, there was no way that thing would die from this.
The US military had analyzed France’s combat records almost to the point of dissection.
Even the lowest-level entity did not die from one hafnium warhead, let alone a higher-level one that exploded.
Then…
Admiral Andrew opened his mouth.
“All ships, turn around. We’re going to search for Gamma Five from now on. It’s big enough to have a trail, so don’t miss it!”
It was close to 20,000 tons in size, so it would definitely leave a trace if it moved underwater.
But the waters off New York were very chaotic due to the successive tidal waves and fleet maneuvers.
The analysis team was activated, but the monster’s whereabouts were unknown.
“This wicked monster must be holding its breath and hiding.”
They searched the sea thoroughly with reconnaissance planes, destroyers, and submarines, but it did not appear.
“It must be sunk on the seabed.”
This case would be hard to find even for a submarine.
It was hard to overcome the harsh environment of the sea with the US Navy’s advanced equipment.
But there seemed to be a group in the world that could do that.
Admiral Andrew was startled when he saw letters engraved by laser on the deck of the aircraft carrier, but soon realized what they meant.
「JUST IN BELOW」
It meant that it was right below.
The officers realized that and looked at the floor when the admiral spoke bitterly.
“This monster is more wicked than we thought. It separated its shell and followed us, then hid under the fleet. We didn’t expect anything like this…”
“Sir, sir.”
“Did they teach us something less than the United Human Federation? I’m sorry, but it’s hard to repay their kindness. Everyone, prepare to retreat.”
“What if we use mines now…”
It was then.
Suddenly, something stirred on the bottom of the sea and pierced through the flight deck.
It was a black metal shaped like a wedge.
As the crew fell over from the shock and tried to run away, the black metal turned blue and exploded.
Boom.
The explosion was so powerful that it split in half the deck of Gerald R. Ford-class aircraft carrier, which had a displacement of nearly 100,000 tons.
And then there was a chain explosion as if the weapons in the hangar had detonated, and the entire carrier began to tilt and split.
“Everyone, evacuate immediately!”
Admiral Andrew’s order was already too late.
The fighters on deck and countless crew members were swept into the sea and eventually the carrier split completely into two and began to sink.
President Bernstein closed his eyes as he received news of the carrier’s sinking.
“It’s over…”
But the real thing had not even started yet.
Gamma Five’s main body landed in New York as Yu Ji-ha warned.
***
Bob was a conspiracy theorist who lived in Brooklyn.
He hated sincerely hated Korea’s president who had taken away his job from afar, and believed that he caused this current disaster because of him.
He didn’t care what people around him said was true or not.
Bob went to a weekly meeting to drive Yu Ji-ha out of Earth and participated enthusiastically in activities and received meals.
―Leave Earth!
Bob was a man who lived in a shabby house in Brooklyn with his wife and kids, waiting for him.
He was the kind of person who felt secure when he belonged to a community.
He didn’t care if his actions were considered crazy by others.
He was part of a group that wanted to drive Yu Ji-ha, the human-like alien monster, out of Earth.
They claimed that the monster came because Yu Ji-ha was on Earth.
Their only evidence was that the monster was made of black metal, but they believed it earnestly.
If they had been ignored, they wouldn’t have continued their activities.
But they received donations from somewhere and even the media covered their activities with a mocking attitude.
They even filmed a documentary recently.
Was it a family honor?
Of course, from Bob’s perspective, it was nothing but a bottomless business that didn’t bring him a cent to his home. But still, he could say proudly to his kids.
―Your grandfather was one of the first people to discover the true identity of Yu Ji-ha, the alien monster who wore a human skin…
Something like that.
He might be treated as a fool now, but someday his true value would be recognized.
Bob was puffing hopeful smoke when it happened.
The puddles around him trembled slightly.
At first, he didn’t care, but the vibration became so strong that he could feel it with his body.
And not long after, he witnessed something black emerging from the sea surface.
“Fuck, what is that?”
He swore involuntarily at the absurd shape of the creature.
It looked like a lizard at a glance, but it was unlike any lizard Bob had ever seen in his life.
And its size was so unrealistically huge that he doubted if he was seeing things.
“It can’t be moving…”
As if to deny it, the monster moved.
Every time it moved its massive legs, the seawater surged and the ground shook as if there was an earthquake.
And then the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge, which was on its course, began to collapse.
The cars parked on the bridge fell down and the steel cables wrapped around the monster’s body with a clanging sound.
But the monster didn’t stop and advanced by destroying the bridge completely.
It was an unbelievable sight.
Bob stared blankly at it and ran into the house.
“Jimmy! Aiden! Pack your bags now! Hurry!”
“What are you talking about? You resisted even when the state told us to evacuate?”
“There’s a monster now!”
Gamma Five, which made even the best conspiracy theorist in America evacuate, crossed Upper Manhattan and finally arrived at the symbol of America.
The Statue of Liberty.
It was a 93.5-meter symbol that announced the end of America by playing the role of falling in many disaster movies.
But the monster didn’t seem to care about the building that was similar in size to itself and just passed by.
Instead, what caught its attention was the F-35 fighter squadron that took off urgently.
They knew they couldn’t do any damage with conventional bullets, but they volunteered to buy some time.
“Fox Three, Fox Three.”
A radar-guided missile was fired and hit Gamma Five, but it didn’t flinch or show any sign of being hit.
As the pilots tilted their heads, an arc discharge occurred from what looked like its mouth.
“This is a bad sign!”
“Scatter!”
As the fighters dispersed, Gamma Five fired a thick laser.
The laser stretched out in a straight line and sliced through several buildings in lower Manhattan in an instant.
“Aaaah!”
“The building is collapsing!”
Gamma Five was definitely on a different level from the one that landed in France.
It landed in Manhattan and destroyed buildings and vehicles with its ether blade.
It was like the advent of a god of destruction.
“Oh, God.”
“Today is the end of New York…”
Flames and smoke rose from all over Manhattan.
No one could stop the space monster.
***
The White House bunker was shrouded in silence.
No one dared to open their mouth and they just looked at the documents in front of them with grim expressions.
Manhattan suffered astronomical damage from Gamma Five’s landing.
The New York of New York, boasting a population of 2 million.
The center of the American financial world, and also the center of the world, was completely destroyed.
There was nothing left of the Empire State Building or the World Trade Center.
The only thing that was intact was the Statue of Liberty, and there were no buildings higher than that in lower Manhattan.
The only consolation was that President Bernstein had ordered the evacuation of Manhattan residents in advance.
Gamma One had disappeared into the sea after destroying Manhattan for a while and corroding the surrounding metal greedily.
The New York authorities and the American political scene were shocked and terrified by the late damage assessment.
The governor of New York cried like a child as he looked at the shattered Manhattan.
President Bernstein opened his mouth heavily with a gloomy look on his face.
“I won’t talk about responsibility here. We’ll find out when everything is over. What matters to us now is how to deal with that monster.”
He meant to present a plan rather than blame someone.
But America couldn’t even find Gamma Five’s whereabouts right now.
The navy’s eyes were turned upside down as they searched the waters off New York, but all they found were dolphins and sharks.
It had disappeared, but everyone knew it hadn’t left America completely.
Someday, maybe as soon as tonight, it would reappear and America had to be ready for it.
They had no way to stop it.
Gamma Five was fast and strong, despite its intelligence.
It was immune to conventional warheads and could only be harmed by megaton-class nuclear weapons.
The problem was that it was agile, despite its size.
It hesitated a bit when it landed, as if it was seeing the scenery for the first time, but it destroyed Manhattan in less than an hour.
It was so fast that it was hard to hit it with a nuclear warhead.
Even if they accepted the destruction of the surroundings.
All this information was reported to the White House and everyone was speechless.
Who would have thought it would be so fast and powerful?
Yu Ji-ha had warned them several times and gave them information, but America ignored it.
To be precise, President Bernstein had struggled alone.
He declared that he would resign regardless of his term when the situation was over.
The only thing left was how to deal with it.
The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff spoke cautiously.
“I think we have no choice but to ask for his help.”
“Is that the military’s judgment?”
“Yes, the military commanders agreed. It’s not only a problem to find Gamma Five, but also to lure it.”
“We suffered a huge damage because we realized that too late.”
It was natural for a country like America to feel reluctant to lose its leadership and be dragged along.
But they should have cooperated when Yu Ji-ha repeatedly warned them of the danger of the situation.
As a result of ignoring all that, New York suffered a tremendous damage and it was irreversible.
With this incident, America would lose not only the trust of the international community, but also its status as a superpower.
Who would listen to America’s words?
President Bernstein clenched his pen nervously and spoke to his chief of staff.
“Contact Senator James. I have something to say.”
Senator James was the leader of the Democratic inner club and had a strong influence on politics.
Of course, the American president could open the airspace without the permission of Congress, but he wanted to surrender this time.
Not for his face, but for the future of America.
When Senator James’s face appeared on the screen, President Bernstein curled his lips.
“Are you satisfied now?”
“If anyone hears you, they’ll think I want America’s downfall. I’m a patriot who wants America’s interests, Mr. President.”
“You must have realized that you were wrong, so I mean you should be satisfied and step down. Or do you want me to finish you off?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
President Bernstein brought his face close to Senator James’s face, who shook his head with a sigh.
“Stop talking nonsense and get out of there. America doesn’t need your existence.”
“Hey, watch your mouth, Mr. President…”
“Do you know how many people died because of your selfish greed? Manhattan is gone!”
“That’s your responsibility.”
Senator James didn’t give up his smug attitude.
“I have a responsibility as a senator to submit bills and run the Congress. I’m not in a position to be accountable for the executive branch.”
His tone was so relaxed that it sounded like he was mocking.
President Bernstein couldn’t stand it anymore and said.
“Fine. Let’s see how long you can keep running your dirty mouth. Senator James.”
The vice president was supposed to be the president of the Senate, but the position was vacant when Bernstein became president.
The person that President Bernstein nominated as vice president didn’t get the approval of Congress.
As a result, the position of the Senate president was temporarily held by Senator James.
The speaker of the House was ahead in the presidential succession order, but he went to New York and met with a disaster, so Senator James automatically became president.
A pacemaker was ripped out of Bernstein’s chest.
The bureaucrats who witnessed it were flustered and Senator James’s face turned red.
“I tried not to be rude to the incumbent president, but I guess it won’t work. Give me your badge before you make a fool of yourself.”
“If I resign, you’ll become president. Why don’t you try to deal with the two monsters with your power?”
The monsters included not only Gamma Five, but also Yu Ji-ha.
Bernstein loosened his tie and left the conference room, followed by his aides.
The atmosphere in the bunker was a mess and Senator James, who was about to become president, sneered.
“It’s unbelievable that something that would happen in a backward country happened in America. What are you doing instead of assisting the president? Bring him back right now.”
“…We can’t listen to someone who doesn’t have authority.”
“Then don’t you bring the person who has authority? Will you obey me when I become president?”
“I’d rather not.”
“What did you say?”
The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff glared at the screen and said.
“You are using the president as a shield and plotting behind his back, but you should learn about responsibility on this occasion. To be honest, aren’t you the cause of this situation?”
“Say that again. Who is to blame for this situation?”
“You! The Democrats! The senators!”
The chairman’s voice rose.
As the people inside the bunker couldn’t breathe properly, he started firing like a machine gun.
“If we had received help from the United Human Federation, this wouldn’t have happened! Why do you only oppose without any plan? There were plenty of opportunities to cooperate!”
Senator James warned him at his harsh words.
“Chairman. You are committing a serious breach of etiquette right now.”
“Breach of etiquette? You killed at least 50,000 Americans and you’re talking about breach of etiquette?”
“Don’t talk nonsense. Who killed Americans?”
“You did!”
President Bernstein burst into the room and pointed at the screen.
“If it weren’t for you, this situation would have ended sooner! Do you know where Earth Fleet is? They’re returning to Terra Island after destroying the fourth monster!”
“It’s the federal government’s incompetence that can’t handle even one monster.”
“Do you think nuclear weapons will become more powerful if you take power?”
“Bernstein!”
The bureaucrats and generals in the bunker couldn’t believe the situation.
Was this really a verbal fight between the president and a powerful senator of the superpower America?
Even street gangs wouldn’t be this vicious.
The sad thing was that there was no alternative.
Since former President Baldwin resigned, the American politics was divided and chaotic, and the Congress had repeated unprecedented disasters.
America was almost split in half.
The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who had lost his temper first, cooled his head and tried to take President Bernstein somewhere.
A report came from the fleet command.
“Mr. President, Gamma Five has appeared.”
“Yeah, where? I’d like to tell them to blow up the Capitol cleanly.”
It was a malicious joke that he wanted to kill the senators, and Senator James gritted his teeth.
The officer hesitated and said.
“It landed in Delaware and is heading west. To be clear, it’s heading straight here.”
He blinked his eyes hard.
“Here? Washington DC?”
“Yes, sir.”
They didn’t know why it appeared there, but there was nothing in Delaware that would attract Gamma Five’s attention.
There were no psychers or cities worth destroying, so it would head west.
They didn’t know where its final destination was, but one thing was certain.
From now on, all the citizens and politicians of Washington DC had to evacuate.
It was obvious, since they didn’t know if it would go to Baltimore or come here.
Senator James realized that and quickly left the screen, and President Bernstein gritted his teeth.
“That rat bastard, he values his life.”
The chairman came over and said.
“Mr. President, we can’t afford any more damage. I think you should contact the United Human Federation.”
Bernstein looked at the people in the bunker for a long time and said.
“If we had done this sooner, New York wouldn’t have been destroyed, right?”
No one could answer that.
He sighed weakly.
“It’s not easy to avoid responsibility as a president. Connect me to the hotline. I need to talk to President Yu Ji-ha.”
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