Hawk Eye's Final Message
Hawk Eye was a psyker agent who represented not only America but all of humanity.
The legendary tales that preceded her name were endless, and humanity had been utterly captivated by them.
It wasn't an exaggeration—Hawk Eye's biography had already been turned into webtoons and even live-action adaptations.
The Space Marines out in the field felt the same way.
To them, Hawk Eye was a hero, a savior.
Kim Seo-jun had thought so too.
The reason it was in the past tense was because his mind had changed.
After breathing the same battlefield air as Hawk Eye, Kim Seo-jun had come to clearly understand one thing.
Psyker agents like her were no different from Space Marines—they could die at any moment without it being strange at all.
So when Jo Yi-hyun told him that Hawk Eye seemed to have died, Kim Seo-jun wasn't surprised.
'Someone who goes around hunting only things like Behemoths can't expect a long life.'
Those who sought out death would eventually find nothing but their own graves.
And he knew this wasn't the time to be shocked.
"Ms. Jo Yi-hyun, can you send me all of Hawk Eye's messages?"
- Huh?
"I want to know the full content of that final message she left. I can't believe Hawk Eye died just because of a Queen."
Taking down tank worms like they were Mogdogs, even hunting Behemoths—could that Hawk Eye really have died?
The Queen's power was fearsome, no doubt, but the Queen that Kim Seo-jun knew didn't have that level of strength.
To be precise, the Queen itself was only about as strong as a ghost bat; it couldn't even compare to a Behemoth.
"There must be more to it than that."
Which meant there was some extraordinary danger beyond common sense!
- Ah, sure!
At Kim Seo-jun's request, Jo Yi-hyun promptly sent more messages.
- So, um...
Beeeep!
The radio cut out suddenly.
It wasn't unusual.
Radio communications failed constantly on Amotia Planet, and the distance between Kim Seo-jun's group and the Polish base was considerable.
The fact that the previous transmission had gotten through was the real miracle.
And even if they knew the situation right away, it wouldn't change what Kim Seo-jun's group had to do.
There was only one task at hand.
"Private Park Bo-seop, start the engine."
- Yes?
"We're heading to base as fast as possible."
Soon, Kim Seo-jun pulled a military truck from his inventory, and everyone piled in and sped off.
- Ah!
"Connection restored."
- I'll tell you quick!
About two hours into the drive, the radio came back, and Jo Yi-hyun read it aloud herself.
- This message will auto-send if I start the operation and no action is taken within a week.
- I'm about to enter the Queen's nest to hunt the Queen.
- I heard the U.S. base's rescue request. The reason I couldn't provide support is because I can't miss this chance.
- I'm right in front of the Queen's nest, and the champion sensor is going haywire.
The moment they heard the next words, Kim Seo-jun and everyone else in the truck let out the same sound.
"Ah."
That was when they all realized it.
Why Hawk Eye, the psyker agent who had become a hunter even before a Behemoth, had gone silent.
- Judging by it, at least Light-grade. Can't identify the exact type.
Of course, as Hawk Eye said, there was no guarantee that the special specimen was the Queen herself.
The Queen gathered and commanded Mog as the queen of their kind, so naturally, the special specimens on Amotia Planet would congregate at her nest.
It was far more likely the sensor had reacted to one of those rather than the Queen being special.
Queens were so rare at birth that the odds of one being a special specimen were equally slim.
Without solid evidence, assuming the Queen was special was overthinking it.
- If I make it back alive, it's no big deal. But if this message sends, consider the possibility that the Queen is a special specimen.
Yet this message from Hawk Eye was more than enough evidence to qualify as "solid."
- That's the end of the story. I wish blessings upon all survivors on Amotia Planet.
With that, Hawk Eye's message ended, and a heavy silence fell over the military truck.
In that silence, Kim Seo-jun spoke.
"We'll discuss the details after we reach the Polish base."
No matter what they talked about here, it would only complicate their minds without answers.
Understanding his intent, no one brought up Hawk Eye again.
By the time they arrived at the Polish base, they had no choice but to face it.
"Let's start the strategy meeting."
Kim Seo-jun gathered Major Yan Zabwotski, Jo Yi-hyun, Private Park Bo-seop, and Major Lee Hye-na.
Major Yan Zabwotski spoke first.
"In a situation like this, what should we do?"
Desperation and despair filled Major Yan Zabwotski's face.
It made sense—this was the first time in his military career he'd faced something so utterly absurd, leaving him unable to even gauge it.
"It's not exactly the same, but I've experienced a crisis on a similar level."
In contrast, Kim Seo-jun had some experience with the absurd.
"In that situation, there was always only one choice."
At those words, everyone's eyes changed.
Is he giving us the answer here? Expectation flickered in their gazes.
"All survivors on the planet board evacuation ships before the deadline and head to space, then the space battleships drop nukes on the Queen's nest until there's no life signs left on the planet."
But the moment they heard what followed, their eyes shifted again.
Seeing it, Kim Seo-jun replied.
"As I said, in this situation, any operation on this planet is meaningless."
The current crisis was the worst imaginable—no exaggeration.
"A Light-grade Queen? I don't even want to think about it."
Even a regular Mogdog became Light-grade and tore battle tanks apart like taffy.
And if a Queen had that power?
Moreover, a Queen wasn't just a strong individual specimen.
It was an existence that could alter the very presence of the Mog species.
Kim Seo-jun's mind immediately flashed to buffs that strengthened Mog swarms or abilities that drove humans insane.
And such powers weren't limited to a single planet.
If a Light-grade Queen truly existed, its influence could span galaxies, beyond the planet.
"But the problem is, we can't get space support right now."
Even worse, humanity lacked the power to stop such a Light-grade Queen's expansion.
The moment it left Amotia Planet, it could be the prologue to a universal catastrophe!
At that point, Kim Seo-jun understood why Hawk Eye had gone Queen-hunting even as the U.S. base fell.
And he had a question.
"Ms. Jo Yi-hyun."
- Yes?
"No communication with the U.S. space battleships either?"
Why hadn't they sorted things out with space yet?
Setting aside the halted gates, there were plenty of battleships waiting in orbit outside Amotia Planet.
Especially the Americans—their numbers weren't small.
So why no action so far?
"We're sending signals nonstop, but no response."
There was no answer.
"Sorry."
Jo Yi-hyun apologized sincerely.
She felt guilty for not delivering despite promising to fix the gate the moment they rescued her.
"No need to apologize. We just need to assess the situation clearly."
Of course, Kim Seo-jun wasn't scolding her.
"We can't count on rescue from space right now. And it's beyond our power. So to survive, we have only three options we can handle ourselves."
As he spoke, Kim Seo-jun extended his fingers one by one.
"Build a spaceship on Amotia Planet, or find one."
Everyone's faces went pale at the explanation.
It was as absurd as using superpowers in space to buy a lottery ticket on Earth and win.
"Yes, exactly. It's ridiculous."
Kim Seo-jun knew that.
But the reason he brought it up was simple.
"Which makes the third option the most viable: eliminate the Light-grade Queen."
The last one was even more absurd.
"Sergeant Kim."
Private Park Bo-seop spoke up then.
"No matter what, I'll follow Sergeant Kim to the end."
He declared his resolve.
And he wasn't alone.
The moment he spoke, the others began to steel their faces too.
"I'll trust and follow Sergeant Kim, even to hell."
Everyone placed their faith in Kim Seo-jun, and he responded.
"Thank you. But this situation is beyond my power alone."
He appreciated the trust, but he had no intention of handling it solo.
"We're up against the Queen. Everyone on Amotia Planet needs to unite."
Especially with stakes this high—going alone would be reckless.
"Above all, rescue operations come first right now."
"Rescue?"
"Yes."
Crucially, Kim Seo-jun knew.
"We need to confirm Hawk Eye's status first."
If she was alive, the odds of conquering the Queen shot way up.
Setting everything else aside, her ability to ignore any defense was irreplaceable.
"And if she's alive, she's in critical condition, so we need to rescue her fast."
There were no objections to the explanation.
Just a sense of vertigo.
Finding Hawk Eye in the Queen's nest swarming with Mogs—or nearby—was like diving into a tank full of starving sharks to find one shrimp.
Kim Seo-jun felt it too.
So he asked.
"Ms. Jo Yi-hyun."
- Yes?
"Can you modify recon drones too?"
Jo Yi-hyun tilted her head at the question.
"Nothing I can't do."
It wasn't a question about the modification itself.
"But are there many recon drones at the Polish base?"
Operating recon drones on Amotia Planet was tricky in many ways, so the Polish base didn't have many.
"...About three. We used to run over thirty, but the last Mog battle consumed most of them."
And even those were mostly wrecked.
That was another reason recon drones were precious.
In combat, Mogs never tolerated drones filming them openly.
Once battle started, recon drones were essentially disposable.
At that point, Kim Seo-jun said.
"We secured Chinese recon drones."
"Chinese ones?"
Everyone was stunned, then brightened.
China might suck at other things, but their drone tech was top-tier, rivaling America's.
They'd secured those?
"Give them to me right now, and I'll set them up!"
And they had the genius mechanic Jo Yi-hyun.
Kim Seo-jun nodded and said.
"Then let's move to the spot. I'll pull them out there."
Expectation lit up their faces.
They all sensed it.
'As expected of Sergeant Kim—he's on another level. Fishing Chinese recon drones, of all things!'
If Kim Seo-jun, who pulled off the impossible, could work a miracle in this despair.
With that hope, Kim Seo-jun showed them.
"Here they are."
"...Sergeant Kim."
"Yes."
"...How many is this?"
"Thirty-nine."
Thirty-nine Chinese recon drones.
No one asked how he'd done it anymore.
Kim Seo-jun didn't explain either.
"Ms. Jo Yi-hyun, set up the recon drones."
- Yes? Oh, right!
"I have a separate test to run."
"A test?"
He had one more thing to do.
"Major Yan, open the firing range."
"The firing range?"
Major Yan Zabwotski was puzzled.
Kim Seo-jun's marksmanship was already godlike.
A training range seemed pointless for him.
"Understood."
Regardless, Major Yan Zabwotski provided it immediately.
Soon after, at the firing range, Kim Seo-jun readied his gun and aimed at the target.
Then he saw a red line beaming from the muzzle—and freaked out.
He had no choice.
'...Even telekinesis movement applies skill effects?'
Confirming that, Kim Seo-jun's eyes sharpened.
From then on, he began firing training.
Relentlessly.
And the next day, Jo Yi-hyun said.
"Sergeant Kim Seo-jun! I removed all the tracking devices and linked the controllers!"
She'd finished at an astonishing speed again.
But her expression wasn't great.
Neither were the others'.
The reason was simple.
"But who's going to pilot them?"
A massive problem remained.
Operating drones on a space planet was far harder than imagined.
Radio interference, sandstorms blocking visibility—the worst factors for drone control abounded.
Even expert pilots made repeated mistakes here, and the Polish base had none.
A bad situation all around.
Then Kim Seo-jun provided the answer.
"I'll do it."
"Huh?"
Everyone was shocked, but soon they witnessed it.
"...Ms. Jo Yi-hyun, how do you tune a drone to drop at a perfect right angle mid-flight?"
"I've never done anything like that?"
Kim Seo-jun's absurd drone control.
And the moment the control—and test—ended, Kim Seo-jun declared.
"Tomorrow, we head to where Hawk Eye's message originated."