Black Vomit and the Thunder Tank
Ever since psykers started appearing, everyone had taken a keen interest in them. And naturally, the biggest question on everyone's mind was that one.
There wasn't a clear-cut answer to that.
Or rather, the cases were all over the map.
The most famous symptom was black tears.
But not every psyker shed black tears—some went through different processes. In Major Lee Hye-na's case, it wasn't tears. She vomited.
Black vomit.
Nonstop.
Of course, black vomit could sometimes mean coughing up blood, but the moment Major Lee Hye-na saw Private Park Bo-seop's condition, she knew.
"What Private Park Bo-seop vomited up doesn't feel like blood. We need an investigation."
Somehow, it didn't seem like an infection.
"Please check the vomit."
"Yes, sir!"
Right away, a staffer from Polish Base jumped into the investigation. They entered Private Park Bo-seop's emergency quarantine room, checked the vomit, and reported back.
They even sent photos, and the moment Kim Seo-jun saw them, he knew it wasn't ordinary vomit. It wasn't like a clot of blood—it reeked of thick, sticky tar.
"Major Lee Hye-na."
"It's like mine."
Hearing that, Kim Seo-jun had his suspicions confirmed. Whatever was happening to Private Park Bo-seop wasn't a disease.
It was an opportunity. A massive one.
"What happened after that?"
"He passed out and slept for 16 hours straight. When he woke up, he was in the hospital and took the psyker test right away."
That was when it happened.
Thud!
No sooner had she finished speaking than Private Park Bo-seop collapsed like a marionette with cut strings.
The waiting medic rushed in, checked his vitals, and reported.
"He's asleep! Heart rate and brainwaves are normal!"
Watching this, Kim Seo-jun said,
"Private Park Bo-seop's one lucky bastard."
Private Park Bo-seop woke up 22 hours later.
"I'm a psyker?"
After getting the briefing on what happened while he was out, he slapped his own cheek right there.
Smack!
"Urgh!"
Even after hitting hard enough to turn his cheek beet red, the world hadn't changed. He blinked a few dozen more times before finally speaking.
"Me, a psyker? No, what the hell does this mean? Me...?"
His reaction was dazed, spaced-out. Kim Seo-jun didn't find it strange at all. If anything, it was perfectly normal. Realizing this situation would be the weird part.
"Private Park Bo-seop."
"Yes?"
"'Yes?' You're talking formal already? Expecting major treatment?"
"N-no, sir!"
To the flustered private, Kim Seo-jun said,
"Congrats for now. Life's gonna throw hurdles your way, but at least you won't enlist for the cash."
"Ah."
Park Bo-seop's face went blank for a moment. And why not? He'd become a Space Marine for the money, nothing else. As a psyker now, money worries were history.
Kim Seo-jun knew that feeling better than anyone, so he gave him the words he most wanted to hear right now.
"Won't be easy, though. We've gotta get back to Earth above all. So till the rescue ship comes, you follow my lead."
He laid out the reality too, and Park Bo-seop nodded without hesitation.
"Yes, sir!"
Of course, he knew full well that surviving here meant sticking to Kim Seo-jun closer than anyone.
"Congrats again."
With that, Kim Seo-jun handed over what he'd prepared.
"A gift."
"What's this?"
Opening the box revealed three gemstones the size of fingernails. As Park Bo-seop tilted his head, Kim Seo-jun explained.
"Prophet's Relics harvested from Chinese psykers. Use 'em for now, Private Park Bo-seop."
His eyes went wide. Gifting something this precious just like that?
From Kim Seo-jun's view, no dilemma. Useless to normals anyway, and disposing of them was a hassle—especially off-planet.
"Major Lee Hye-na checked: red boosts strength, yellow boosts recovery."
Two of the three were the essentials every psyker used: strength and recovery enhancers.
"The black one's compatibility was off, so unknown. Probably a special ability."
"R-really? How do I use it?"
"Skin contact. Usually implant under skin to avoid loss, but just touching works fine."
"Like this?"
The moment Private Park Bo-seop touched the black gem—
"Urghhh!"
He winced and groaned. Kim Seo-jun asked,
"Something wrong?"
"Uh, well, it's just... everything's too loud all of a sudden."
That confirmed it for Kim Seo-jun.
"Super senses."
The black gem granted super hearing.
That's why she operated solo.
Now it made sense why that Chinese psyker moved alone. Extreme hearing that picked up what humans couldn't was a huge edge—especially for crisis detection. Vision failed at night, but hearing shone brighter.
But right now, the key point was:
Perfect fit.
For Private Park Bo-seop to wield this relic.
"Get ready, then."
"Ready for what?"
"Time to fetch that gift."
And how that ability would prove massively useful to the squad from here on.
Ten minutes later, Kim Seo-jun's team rolled out.
The moment Private Park Bo-seop came to, the squad moved out again.
The coordinates from Hawk Eye were pretty far from Polish Base—a full 22 hours by military truck.
They could make it faster on the Uryong, but Kim Seo-jun said,
"Three riders make the Uryong too unstable."
The Uryong was built for one; two was the absolute limit in a pinch. Three? Might as well not ride.
"Parts are a pain too."
Another issue: cutting-edge hoverbikes like the Uryong needed frequent swaps, and some parts only came from China.
"Hard to fight from a Uryong anyway."
Plus, no quick combat pivot mid-transit.
"So we pull it out when needed."
The real clincher? Keeping the Uryong in reserve. With inventory storage, Kim Seo-jun had zero reason to fret. Neither Park Bo-seop nor Major Lee Hye-na questioned it.
"Let's move out."
Vroooom!
Kim Seo-jun gave the order, and Private Park Bo-seop floored the military truck's accelerator.
"Ah."
As the chase kicked off, he said,
"Sergeant Kim."
"Speak."
"Everything's... too damn loud."
Awe filled his eyes. Kim Seo-jun wasn't surprised—he knew. The psyker world was on another plane from a regular Space Marine's.
So there was only one thing to say.
"I'm counting on you."
"Leave it to me!"
Park Bo-seop replied with unshakeable confidence—and backed it up.
Vroooooom!
He drove more aggressively than ever. Nothing scared him now. His ears caught more sounds, farther ones—including Mogdog barks and Thorn Snake hisses. Spotting them, he'd twitch the wheel to dodge early.
"Gonna push harder."
VROOOOOOOM!
No threats? He went from sprint to rampage. The 22-hour haul? Crushed in 16.
"We're here."
Kim Seo-jun marveled at the result—and spotted it.
"There it is."
A massive box atop the endless wasteland.
The squad closed in. Kim Seo-jun checked the lock first.
Dial-type.
No sweat cracking it.
Click!
Unlocked in under a minute. Inside: ammo. Magazines packed tight, no gaps.
"Just ammo?"
Disappointment flickered in Private Park Bo-seop's eyes. He'd expected some epic weapon from Hawk Eye's "gift," not bullets.
Kim Seo-jun saw different.
"Too good for mere bait."
"Huh?"
"Unlike last time, this is what Hawk Eye actually planned to use."
To him, the prior cache was bait to scout Chinese ops. This? Lifeline ammo. Even the mightiest gun or psyker power meant squat without it.
Kim Seo-jun was no different.
"Gauss rifle ammo's a bitch to find out here."
"Ah!"
Gauss rifles were psyker-exclusive rarities; their rounds weren't standard. Polish Base had zilch. Now? Overflowing.
Reassuring all around.
But Kim Seo-jun pondered:
Stocking up here means Hawk Eye's targeting something big nearby.
Ammo dumps happened near ops zones.
And he knew:
Chinese... or the Queen.
Hawk Eye's prey.
"Scout the area."
"Scout?"
Private Park Bo-seop's question hung—then:
"Huh?"
He whipped his head around.
"Something's coming."
Closed his eyes, listened harder.
"From that direction—machinery. Sounds like military trucks."
The squad crept toward the noise. A kilometer from the cache: three trucks vanishing into an abandoned mining site.
Kim Seo-jun raised binoculars. No standout visuals.
Didn't matter. He knew.
"Chinese."
Tire tracks told the tale.
"Looks like one of their multi-farms."
How China was repurposing the spent site.
"Multi-farm? Like the stolen loot stash we hit before?"
"No. Totally different."
He knew this spot dwarfed the old Hongwon mine. Hawk Eye resupplying nearby meant one thing.
"One of Hawk Eye's targets. No way it's just a stolen-goods warehouse."
Their faces hardened. Translation: a spot needing her to clear. High danger.
"Risky."
Kim Seo-jun agreed.
"That's why we hit it while we can."
"Huh?"
"Leaving it won't weaken them."
Park Bo-seop and Major Lee Hye-na gawked at his call.
"Not going full assault."
He talked them down easy.
"Sneak in stealth mode, toss some bombs."
Low risk. But still risk.
"Worth the danger?"
Major Lee Hye-na questioned the upside. Kim Seo-jun answered.
"Whatever China's scheming in secret ain't good for us. Ruin it while we can. Plus, it's Hawk Eye's mark anyway."
"Let her handle it—why risk us?"
"We get a tip from Hawk Eye."
She mulled, then nodded. Earning Hawk Eye's favor? Priceless, unobtainable with cash.
Then—
"Wait, Sergeant."
Private Park Bo-seop shut his eyes.
"Something's coming. Big."
"Big?"
"Heavy truck... trailer? Huge one. Not normal."
He opened his eyes, turned. Kim Seo-jun followed.
There: a massive heavy hauler barreling toward the multi-farm.
Covered load on top. Obvious to anyone: a Battle Tank.
Park Bo-seop spotted it from afar.
"Battle Tank? What is it?"
Kim Seo-jun replied,
"Thunder."
"Huh?"
"Thunder."
Park Bo-seop freaked.
"China's biggest blunder, that Battle Tank Thunder? The one that beat America's top dog, the Jackson tank?"
No answer needed now.
"Plans changed."
One job left.
"Destroy Thunder."