The Good News
As the door creaked open, Major Lee raised his muzzle, aiming it toward the threshold. A familiar male employee from the Yellow Umbrella Foundation appeared through the gap. "Major Lee! You’ve finally arrived. Thank you!"
"Where are the others?" Major Lee Ho-chan asked. From the back of the restroom, two more staff members—one woman and one man—emerged. The woman spoke up, her voice trembling. "You have to save John. We ran away the moment the rebels started beating him."
Having searched the room and found no one, Major Lee immediately issued an order to his five-minute standby team. "Search the perimeter of the building and find the local named John!"
After transmitting the order, Major Lee immediately asked for details on John’s appearance and clothing. "Is there any way we can identify him?"
"...John is wearing a Taekwondo uniform. He’s been volunteering as a local Taekwondo instructor." Upon the female employee's report, he relayed the order. "Repeating: find the local wearing a Taekwondo uniform!"
The standby team began a thorough sweep of the entire building, and they discovered John, unconscious from the beating, a short distance behind the structure. For safety, Major Lee loaded the three Yellow Umbrella Foundation staff and the local into a truck and returned to base immediately. Colonel Go, who had been pacing while the rescue team was out, let out a sigh of relief as the Koreans stepped down from the truck.
"Loyalty! Major Lee Ho-chan and 17 others reporting return. Three Koreans and one local rescued successfully."
"You've worked hard. Is anyone injured?"
"There was no engagement, so our troops are unharmed, but the local who supports the Yellow Umbrella Foundation was injured. We found him unconscious, but he has since regained consciousness."
"Is that so...? Have the medical team examine him immediately! You really did a great job."
Once the rebel attacks ceased, a command meeting was held at the UN Bor base in South Sudan, presided over by the overall commander, U.S. Colonel Cornell. "Please report the damage status for each garrison."
Each nation reported that they had suffered no damage, with the sole exception of the Japanese forces, who reported that some containers used as barracks and other facilities had been damaged by mortar fire.
"That is fortunate. However, I heard that the South Korean military wiped out the rebels who attacked the Bor base. Colonel Go, how did you manage to eliminate them?"
At Colonel Cornell's question, Colonel Go Jun-dong replied with a smile. "We eliminated two rebels using the Switchblade supplied by Korea."
Colonel Cornell, aware of the existence of the Switchblade used by U.S. special forces, was surprised. "I was under the impression that the Switchblade was not included when you arrived here..."
"We received support from Korea after experiencing the ammunition shortage incident last time."
Since the commanders of the other nations were unaware of the Switchblade, they asked Colonel Go for precise specifications and details about the weapon. Finding the technical terminology difficult to explain, Colonel Go enlisted the help of an interpreter to brief the commanders. U.S. Colonel Cornell immediately sent a communication to his home country requesting Switchblade support, while the other nations requested information on how to purchase the weapon.
The UN announced that although there had been a rebel attack in Bor, South Sudan, there were no casualties, and that the South Korean military had eliminated the attacking rebels. Before the UN made the announcement, Colonel Go had already reported the details to his home country via satellite phone.
The South Korean Ministry of National Defense briefed reporters who had been writing malicious articles regarding the reconstruction unit's borrowing of ammunition from the Japanese military, boasting of the unit's achievements. When reporters asked if they were willing to sell the Switchblade if Japan requested a purchase, the Ministry spokesperson replied that it was not a matter for them to decide and that an answer from Starlink would be required.
Once the articles were published, the South Korean public was divided. Some argued that there was no problem with borrowing ammunition from the Japanese military, noting that it was only natural for UN forces to cooperate when supplies were low for base protection. Others left malicious comments, wishing that the Japanese military had suffered even greater damage.
As the Switchblade proved its effectiveness in South Sudan, inquiries regarding its specifications and pricing flooded into Starlink Defense. CEO Park In-tak and his staff responded to the inquiries and confirmed the requested quantities. When some reporters sought out CEO Park for an interview, he agreed to speak with them for the first time in a while.
"It is said that the South Korean military dispatched to South Sudan effectively eliminated rebels with the Switchblade. Could you introduce the weapon to us?"
"Rather than me telling you, I will distribute the materials, so please take the necessary information from there."
After briefly reviewing the distributed materials, the reporters immediately got to the point. "I hear there are many countries requesting to purchase the Switchblade. What is the total quantity?"
"Contracts have not been finalized yet, but I believe we can export at least 5,000 units."
"Has there been a purchase request from Japan?"
"No. There have been no purchase requests from Japan."
"If there were a request, would you be willing to sell?"
"As you know, to export military weapons, we need an export license from the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA). If a request comes in, we intend to proceed with the sale after obtaining DAPA's approval."
The reporters published extensive articles suggesting that Starlink was open to selling the Switchblade to Japan, while noting that the final decision rested with DAPA. DAPA briefed that they would review any export requests, while the media published editorials arguing that they should not export to Japan. For reasons unknown, Japan did not request to purchase the Switchblade, and Starlink Defense ended up signing export contracts for over 7,000 units with countries including Australia.
While the activities in South Sudan were being reported, South Korea was buzzing with the election for the 18th President. Attacks regarding a shell company owned by a president from the Dae-ah Group were directed at the ruling party, and candidates from each party vied for votes by declaring they would strictly punish any corruption.
The 18th presidential election saw the first female president elected. After her inauguration, she visited the UN Bor base in South Sudan, stating she wished to encourage the South Korean soldiers engaged in peace reconstruction activities. Upon hearing the news of the President's visit, Colonel Go Jun-dong put the entire unit on high alert and conducted a full inspection. Upon arriving at the base, the President immediately encouraged the troops and awarded medals to Sergeant Park and Major Lee for their contributions to eliminating the rebels and rescuing the Koreans.
Colonel Go expressed his gratitude, noting that they were able to seize this opportunity thanks to the Switchblade brought from Korea, and took a commemorative photo with the President.
While Korea continued its coverage of the new President, Taesik visited Edison Motors to meet Maron after attending Mike Jobs' funeral in Apple. Taesik, saddened that Mike had not undergone a health checkup despite his warnings and had died after living a few years longer than in his previous life, sought out Maron.
Edison Motors had released a sports car, but had been frustrated by selling only about 1,000 units. To overcome this, they decided to launch a large sedan-type vehicle. Meeting with Maron Musk, Taesik asked, "How is the car you're launching this time? Is it at a level that will satisfy consumers?"
"Hahaha. It's a treasure-class car that will save the dying Edison Motors. You can look forward to this one! It can travel 650km on a single charge, and its zero-to-hundred performance is quite decent."
"I heard you've been in contact with Google recently..."
"Uh...! How did you know I met with Google?"
"Didn't you know? The Starlink Map I own is collaborating with Google."
"Actually, developing electric vehicles costs so much money that I'm thinking of handing the company over to Google. Sales were much lower than expected. It's an unavoidable situation since investment keeps pouring in while sales remain low."
"Would you rather hand Edison Motors over to me?"
"Does CEO Kim have that much money?"
"Of course. I have more money than you think. How about it? Are you interested?"
"No. I'm going to decide after watching the sales trends following this new car launch. If it's the autonomous driving technology supported by Starlink and the charging technology and batteries we developed in-house, there is hope."
"Then, shall I support you with some investment?" At Taesik's words, Maron stiffened. "Speak clearly! Is it an investment? Or a request for a stock acquisition disguised as an investment?"
"Hahaha. Obviously a stock acquisition. I can support you as much as you want."
"Puhahaha. No. I'll handle it myself. Hearing that CEO Kim wants to invest makes me think the electric vehicle business will definitely succeed. It's a shame, but aim for the next opportunity."
At Maron's refusal, Taesik wore a regretful expression, and Maron brought up a serious topic. "CEO Kim. I heard you acquired Slovenia's M-Rex... is that true?"
"Yes. I acquired it because I needed the axial flux motor technology they are researching."
"Are you planning to jump into the electric vehicle market?"
"No. I'm more interested in the UAM (Urban Air Mobility) business than cars."
"Really...? I was so nervous because I heard you acquired M-Rex. European car companies are targeting Edison, so it was a bit tense. M-Rex also holds electric motor technology for cars; what are you going to do with that?"
"Why...? Would you like to purchase that technology?"
"CEO Kim! I just told you. I'm short on investment funds right now, how could I buy another company's technology? I'm just asking out of curiosity."
"I don't need it, so I should sell the technology to another car company."
"Please don't sell it to an American company! Everyone calls me crazy to my face while researching electric motors and batteries for cars behind my back. The U.S. market is mine!"
At Maron's stubbornness, Taesik laughed. "I'm planning to distribute the sales proposal to all companies for now. I'll try not to sell it to an American company if I can help it."
"Okay. I'll trust you, CEO Kim."
"More than that, how is Space Y doing? I'm producing a large quantity of satellites as requested..."
"I'm making profits in exchange for NASA's funds and putting satellites into orbit. Compared to Edison, the revenue is enormous!"
"How many times can it be reused?"
"The first stage of the rocket can be reused up to 200 times! But why?"
"They say you can launch 60 small satellites at once, but I have to be able to believe it."
"Since CEO Kim is my biggest client, I'll tell you. Space Y's launch agency costs are the cheapest in the world! A little more, and we'll be able to send people and goods to Mars."
"Kekeke. Still obsessed with Mars?"
"Of course. It's my dream to leave Earth and build a base of life on Mars..."
Maron announced the specifications of the car he was launching this time to the media, and the media, finding it hard to believe, asked about the launch date. Watching Maron's press briefing, Taesik returned to Korea to sell M-Rex's automotive motor technology, hoping that his 5% stock value would rise soon.