Bullet Through the Visor
BOOM!
Having secured the supplies, Kim Seo-jun and his team used explosives to collapse the entrance to the Hongwon Mine.
Afterward, they waited at a spot far from the mine's entrance.
It was quite a distance away.
Even with binoculars, they couldn't make out who might arrive at the entrance.
Yet no one questioned Sergeant Kim's eyesight, asking if he thought it was a hawk's or something.
This was Kim Seo-jun, after all—the man who'd shown countless miracles so far.
And Kim Seo-jun said,
'We just need to count heads.'
They weren't planning to engage—just confirm the numbers.
The Gauss sniper rifle he had aimed wasn't out of any intent to attack.
It was simply a basic precaution for any unexpected situation.
That's when it happened.
WHOOOOM!
Something streaked across the desolate wasteland of Amotia Planet.
It was a hoverbike.
"Huh?"
The moment they spotted it, Private Park Bo-seop spoke up.
"That speed doesn't make sense."
"Not a standard hoverbike."
Major Yan Zabwotski agreed.
He'd ridden them his whole life and knew right away this one was special.
"It's a Wyvern."
Kim Seo-jun answered the question, and the eyes of the two vehicle fanatics lit up.
"Wyvern? For real?"
"No way!"
Among hoverbikes, the Wyvern—one of China's secret weapons, top five in performance—was legendary.
To car enthusiasts, it was like a priceless supercar.
No wonder they were stunned.
'He spotted that?'
Lee Hye-na, who had no interest in such hobbies, was amazed at Kim Seo-jun's ability to identify the moving Wyvern.
And Kim Seo-jun himself was surprised too.
'A Wyvern means VIP evac.'
Not by the bike itself, but by what its appearance implied.
'Just as I thought.'
Its presence confirmed his prediction.
It also meant it was time to go.
'Can't take the shot.'
He'd planned to snipe if the chance came, but the situation had changed.
Even for him, dropping a psyker on a Wyvern was impossible.
Besides, the psyker would surely turn tail the moment they saw the blocked entrance—no looking back.
'Straight back to base at max speed. We need to move before that.'
Any psyker with battlefield sense would do just that.
That's why.
'Hm?'
Kim Seo-jun's eyes sharpened.
"Major."
He spoke.
"Get on top of me."
In the space age, the value of psykers was beyond words.
But nothing existed without drawbacks.
Operating psykers came with far more problems than anyone imagined.
And most stemmed from one thing: lack of competence.
It was inevitable.
Unless it was a lifelong soldier turned psyker, most were ordinary folks thrust into training and dumped on cosmic battlefields.
Expecting top performance from them was the real oddity.
Even proper training was rare.
No instructor could yell at psykers, "Is this all you've got? Shape up or ship out!"
Field experience was the same.
Some psykers rolled in the dirt, but most avoided hardship.
Second Lieutenant Zhang Wei was no different.
From the moment he became a psyker, he had one goal.
"Earn as much as I can!"
Money was all he chased.
Nothing else.
He'd never trained or worked to improve himself.
Nor faced real danger.
Exaggeration aside, since deployment, he'd fired at Mogs maybe a handful of times.
Yet his confidence overflowed.
He had a rare psyker trait, lethal to regular troops.
They couldn't touch him.
So he didn't know.
The first rule when plans go south: GTFO as fast as possible.
'What the?'
Ignorant Second Lieutenant Zhang Wei halted his Wyvern at the blocked Hongwon Mine entrance.
Then dismounted.
'Why's it blocked?'
He wandered in front of it even after getting off.
Not just shock.
'The supplies are in there!'
Greed for cash kept his feet planted.
"Damn bastards!"
Soon, rage boiled over.
"How dare they! How DARE they!"
He figured his subordinates had grabbed the goods and bolted.
Ridiculous, really.
This was Amotia, not Earth—escape options were limited with loot.
Gate non-functional too.
But Zhang Wei's logic differed.
Grab valuables and run—that was common sense to him.
'They headed to another base. With the stuff. Bet on it.'
Betraying the nation? Just another smart move in his book.
So he stood dumbly at the entrance.
Then it hit him.
'Gonna catch hell.'
Mission failure meant Colonel Wang Lei's epic meltdown.
"Shit."
As fury escaped his lips—
CRACK!
His helmet shattered, contents spraying everywhere.
Seeing Space Marines and soldiers die to Mogs was commonplace.
Psykers? Rare sight.
Two reasons.
Agent Suits' durability outclassed Battle Suits.
And battlefields killing psykers wiped out regulars first.
That's why.
SHWOOOM!
Light burst from Kim Seo-jun's barrel, the Gauss sniper's crack echoing—everyone froze, but he stayed calm.
He'd seen it plenty.
Psykers dying in combat.
"S-Sergeant Kim... d-did you just shoot a psyker?"
"Yeah. Aimed for the helmet—lucky hit."
"Pardon?"
"Biggest killer for psykers is asphyxiation. More die from helmet breaches than Agent Suit failures. Visors have reinforcement limits for visibility."
He'd targeted the visor precisely.
Everyone got it—no accident, pure skill.
No more buddying up with China on Amotia.
Park Bo-seop and Lee Hye-na weren't shocked.
Never planned to anyway.
"Did you just attack China?"
The issue was Major Yan Zabwotski's position.
"A Chinese psyker? My God!"
He gaped as he pieced it together.
"You actually did this insane thing!"
Then exploded.
"I respect it!"
That line told the team: no immediate fallout, thanks to him.
Excited, Yan continued.
"Always wanted payback on China—didn't expect the chance like this!"
He vented his fury.
"Rough history with them, huh."
"Which nation hasn't?"
Par for the course in this era.
"No issues from this! Polish Base will repay the favor forever!"
"Thanks."
Kim Seo-jun nodded.
Mission done.
"Objective complete. Let's move."
No reason to linger.
Yan nodded too.
"Hate leaving that, but no choice."
His eyes on the psyker's corpse and Wyvern.
Invaluable.
Agent Suit alone? Priceless black market.
Wyvern? Tech goldmine.
And every psyker had a Prophet's Relic—without it, just a normie.
But taking them? Suicide.
'Tracked the second you move 'em.'
Wyvern and suit packed with emergency beacons.
Fine in a Faraday cage, but open wasteland? "Please kill me" signal.
'Wanted to ride that Wyvern.'
Yan sighed.
"Wanted to ride that Wyvern. Damn."
Private Park Bo-seop, firing up the truck, felt it too.
"Huh?"
"Huh?"
They exchanged looks, nodded—plenty to geek out over ahead.
"Major Yan."
"Yes?"
Kim Seo-jun asked.
"Polish Base got a safe spot to depower trackers?"
"Yes."
"Accessible?"
"No issue."
Kim Seo-jun eyed Park Bo-seop.
"Private Park Bo-seop."
"Yes sir! Heading to Polish Base now."
"Hold."
"Sir?"
Ignoring his surprise, Kim Seo-jun dashed to the corpse.
Everyone watched from afar.
Then saw it: body loaded onto the Wyvern.
VROOOM!
Engine on, it lifted slightly, then landed.
"Huh?"
Then the Wyvern faded away.
"Wh-what?!"
Major Yan's eyes bulged.
Kim Seo-jun returned after stowing the Wyvern and body in inventory.
"Major Yan."
Climbing into the idling truck, he said to the stunned major ahead.
"Everything seen here is classified. Maintain security."
"...Of course."
Kim Seo-jun's mind was clear.
Trouble from his abilities would come after leaving Amotia.
He trusted Yan wouldn't betray them or his men.
The man risked his life as bait twice—wouldn't harm allies.
Otherwise, no meeting them.
Hiding inventory by ditching loot? Wasteful.
Bigger worry:
'Hope Polish Base is intact.'
VROOOOM!
The truck roared toward Polish Base.
Smooth ride, on schedule.
"Eagle Rock in sight!"
Major Yan beamed at the massive eagle-head boulder.
Death defied, good news in hand.
"Halting here."
Five klicks out, Park Bo-seop stopped.
Roll in unannounced? Greeted by shells and bullets.
No sweat.
"I'll radio."
The hero himself—what worry?
Thrilled, he keyed the mic.
"This is Major Yan Zabwotski. Major Yan Zabwotski."
No reply.
No surprise—Amotia radio sucked.
Ten minutes, try again.
"Major Yan Zabwotski here."
Another ten—no answer.
Faces hardened.
Kim Seo-jun spoke.
"Private Park Bo-seop, turn the truck around."
"Sir?"
"Opposite direction."
"Y-yes sir."
Truck nose reversed from Polish Base.
Major Yan's face tightened.
Five klicks, repeated calls ignored—even with bad signal, abnormal.
Amotia? Anything possible.
"No way, no way."
As worry spread—
CRZZT!
Another signal caught. Yan's expression shifted.
Major Yan grinned.
"Heavy interference! Major Yan Zabwotski here! I'm back!"