21st Century Goguryeo

December 31st, 2023, 23:30 (New China time: 22:30)

A motel in Hebei District, Tianjin City, New China (Foreign Intelligence Division 1 Temporary Residence)

At midnight on the 31st, the Foreign Intelligence Division 1 and Manager Namgoong-won, who had been monitoring the area around the factory in Hisan for several days, established an internal infiltration plan with the limited information they had.

Their mission was to completely abolish the plasma core technology and blow up important research facilities. In fact, to perform this mission perfectly, it was necessary to obtain complete information about the internal facilities in advance and establish an internal infiltration route. However, since they had heard the news that a copy of the plasma core technology was being attempted to be handed over to one of the countries in Europe, they had no choice but to speed up the infiltration plan.

"Babe! I am sorry that I have to leave you alone at the end of the year!"

"It's okay! How about you? Aren't you hurt?"

"I work with a computer at the dorm every day. Is there a chance that I will get hurt?"

"Okay! Come back after quietly working on the computer at the dorm! Any plans on when you'll be back?"

"Not yet…I wonder if I would be able to head back by mid-January?"

"Really?"

"Yes! It has not been decided, but at the current moment it looks that way."

"Great! Good! Until then, don't overdo it and come back healthy!"

"Okay! How is your company?"

"Hoho, I was wondering why you hadn't asked me about that. Don't worry, it's running fine! But I guess I have skills for company management!"

"What can my sweetie not do? Why don't you just take this opportunity to resign completely and join the company as a director?"

"Unless it's for the CEO position, I won't do it!"

"Haha, yes, you be the CEO and as for me, I don't need anything…okay?"

"Oh my goodness! That seems so tempting. Let's talk about it when you come back!"

"Okay! Okay, babe! I have to go to a meeting, so let's hang up! I'll call you back."

"What! What meeting is so late at night?"

"There is no difference between day and night on a business trip. I'll call you back. Happy New Year!"

"Happy New Year to you too!"

Namgoong-won, who looked at his wristwatch during his call, ended the conversation in a hurry.

"Are you done with the call?"

As if waiting for the call to end, Manager Lee Ja-sung leaned against the wall in the living room and spoke.

"Uh! Is it time? Let's go!"

Manager Namgoong-won put his smartphone in his inner pocket and zipped his coat up all the way.

"Hey, my friend. Do you have to go in yourself? Why don't you just leave it to our agents?"

"The conversation is already over! There isn't any time. Let's go!"

"Oh, this b*stard! You are so stubborn."

Without internal information about the secret laboratory of the General Equipment Department, it could be somewhat dangerous for Agent White, not Agent Black, to directly participate in the infiltration. Manager Lee Ja-sung tried to dissuade him several times but Namgoong-won insisted that he should be there until the end.

Manager Lee Ja-sung had agreed to it because it was an important task but he still wanted Namgoong-won to change his mind.

"Hey! Since I'm the one who killed the Scorpions, what's your problem?"

Manager Lee Ja-sung, who had a sad expression on his face, passed by and Manager Namgoong-won whispered in his ear.

"Hey! That's because you did all the preparations in advance! The situation is different for this infiltration mission."

"Shh! The team members might hear you. Speak softly! Anyway, don't be silly and follow me!"

At this time, the special security team, Assistant Manager Na Sung-hyeon, Director Kim Young-kyun, and Team 4 agents showed up at the front door.

"Manager Namgoong-won! Please take care of yourself."

At Deputy Assistant Manager Na Sung-hyun's request, Manager Namgoong-won clenched his fists as he winked at him.

"Don't worry about me. You guys just make sure to support me from inside!"

"Yes, don't worry."

Director Kim Young-kyun answered with a strong voice.

"Great! Then see you next year!"

"Haha, yes, I understand. Also, be careful Manager Lee."

* * *

January 1st, 2023, 00:30 (New China time: December 3, 23:30)

Zone 15, Industrial Park, Beician District, Tianjin City, New China (in front of the Hisan factory).

At present, the northwestern tip of New China was engulfed in so much smog that it was impossible to even see an inch ahead. Here in Tianjin's Beician District Industrial Park, the hazy smog spread like a fog, completely blocking the glow of the street lights as well as the buildings. It was really dark.

"What the! There are times when the useless smog actually helps!"

Manager Lee Ja-sung, who stopped the black van about 100 meters from the entrance of the Hisan factory and finished some final preparations for the mission, whispered while looking out the heavily tinted windows, and manager Namgoong-won, who was checking his equipment, smiled broadly.

"So that's what I'm saying. There are such days like this as well!"

"Won! Why are you laughing as if you're enjoying it!"

"Then, should I cry then? You should have fun doing what you do."

"Whew! I don't think you were like that in the past. Why did you change?"

In fact, there was a reason why Manager Namgoong-won had a strangely happy expression on his face. He was well aware that his mission this time could be very dangerous. That was exactly the reason why he did his best to hide the fear and tension that was creeping in.

Manager Lee Ja-sung, unaware of this fact, thought that Manager Namgoong-won simply enjoyed this mission, shaking his head and clicking his tongue. He then called each team through a silent communicator.

"This is Alpha Zero! Report the current situation from Alpha One!"

"This is Alpha One! Everything is ready and waiting!"

"This is Alpha Two! Ready and waiting!"

"This is Alpha Three! Secured a way out and now on standby!"

"This is Alpha Four! Standing by and waiting!"

"Great! We begin infiltrating 10 minutes from the present time of 23:50. Over!"

The infiltration mission was to go according to the following plan.

Alpha Zero, Alpha One, and Alpha Two will be the ones invading the premises! Manager Namgoong-won and Alpha Zero will be on a mission to completely destroy any data on the plasma core technology, and the mission of Alpha One and Two will be to blow up the research facilities related to the plasma core technology. Alpha Three was tasked with securing an escape route to the temporary dormitory and preparing for emergencies.

Manager Namgoong-won and the Foreign Intelligence Division 1, who were waiting after completing all preparations, waited anxiously and nervously until midnight for the full-fledged infiltration to begin.

* * *

January 1st, 2023, 01:00 (New China Time: 00:00)

20 kilometers southwest of Puning County, Hebei Province, New China (11th Artillery Brigade, 40th Army Group)

Under the southwestern tip of Mountain Yesin, all the artillery power of the 11th Artillery Brigade, the 40th group direct artillery unit, was waiting for the heat to die down while turning their guns in one direction.

The 11th Artillery Brigade was organized into four self-propelled artillery units and three multi rocket launcher battalions. The four self-propelled artillery units operated 36 PLZ-05 155-millimeter self-propelled guns and 36 85-type 122-millimeter self-propelled guns. The three multi rocket launcher battalions operated 122-millimeter self-propelled artillery and 18 83-type 273-millimeter type 8 MRLSs, which were very excellent in terms of firepower among various artillery brigades.

Currently, the gunport of the 72 self-propelled guns of the 11th Artillery Brigade and the 54 guns were pointing to the 6th Mechanized Infantry Division (Cheongseong) of the 5th Corps of Korea, which is responsible for the defense of Sunan (Qinhuangdao).

Currently, the 6th Mechanized Infantry Division (Cheongseong) had deployed all subordinate units to the border in preparation for the unusual movement of the New China army.

The Sunan (Qinhuangdao) region was an important strategic hub for both Korea and New China. The reason is that most of the borders of both countries were made up of a wide plain along the coast of Balhae Bay, along the border of the Manmyeon Sunan (Qinhuangdao), which is a tough mountainous area. This was the only place where a unit with mobility could maneuver quickly.

While a total of 126 gun barrels were directed towards the 6th Mechanized Infantry Division (Cheongseong), which was being deployed to defend this strategically important position, the 71st Artillery Battalion, which operated the 273-millimeter MRLS, was accompanied by the brigade commander, Liu Jiahui, and his staff.

This was because the current 18 273-millimeter MRLS of the 371st Artillery Battalion had two 20-kiloton-class plasma bombs secretly developed by the Ministry of General Affairs and Equipment mounted on the rocket warhead.

As its firepower was capable of blowing up more than 50 percent of the power of the 6th Mechanized Infantry Division (Cheongseong) with just one plasma bomb, Brigade Commander Liu Jiahui led the situation directly with his staff.

"Brigade Commander! It has been reported that the artillery units of each division and the artillery units of the 27th Army Group have completed all preparations."

The operational staff Lieutenant Colonel Jin Wei-Chung reported the situation it had received from the communications officer. At this, Brigade Commander Liu Jiahui slightly bit his lower lip and checked his watch.

"Okay. It means everything is ready."

"Yes, it is. Brigade Commander!"

In precisely two hours, three years ago, the Great Offensive of the New China Army was scheduled to begin to repay the humiliation of losing three northeast provinces and part of Shandong Province to South Korea due to a bitter defeat. In the offensive, the task of his subordinate unit, the 71st Artillery Battalion, was significant.

Currently, the air defense capabilities of the Republic of Korea Army were very good. It could intercept more than 90 percent of intercontinental ballistic missiles as well as small-calibre mortars.

New China, well aware of this fact, devised a plan to intensively fire the number of shells out of the intercept range so that the two plasma bombs mounted on the MRLS of the 71st Artillery Battalion could land on the enemy formation without being intercepted.

In other words, the 71st Artillery Battalion was going to fire a large number of shells that were to be intercepted, and when the intercept range limit was reached, the 71st Artillery Battalion was going to fire the two plasma bombs. In addition, this concentrated fire operation was planned to be carried out simultaneously in all units of the New China Army deployed across the current borders.

"Give each battalion commander an order to check again. The key to the success of this concentrated fire operation is that each subordinate unit continues to fire continuously."

"Yes, I will instruct them to do so."

The two eyes of Brigade Commander Liu Jiahui who had given the instructions were blazing. His eyes blazed brightly as if he had been waiting for this day for a long time. Liu Jiahui's older brother was killed in the Korean-Chinese war three years ago and it was finally time for revenge.

Brigade Commander Liu Jiahui's older brother served at the command center of the 38th Army Group, which had disappeared without a trace in the attack of the Zinog missile, a plasma-amplified bomb from Zeus 1, which began with the start of the Korean-Chinese War.

It was sad that even the body of his brother could not be found. The man's parents tried to recover from their loss but they died a year apart from each other – last year and during the reoperation. With such a sad family history, Brigade Commander Liu Jiahui was always seeking revenge against Korea.

* * *

January 1st, 2024, 01:20 (New China Time: 00:20)

Zone 15, Industrial Park, Beician District, Tianjin City, New China (inside the Hisan factory)

Namgoong-won and the agents of Foreign Intelligence Divisions 1 and 2, who escaped the gaze of external security guards and infiltrated the factory, thoroughly searched the inside of the factory for an hour and finally found a secret passageway connected to the secret laboratory 10 minutes ago.

Unlike the outside of the factory, which looked shabby, the inside was equipped with automated machinery to some extent. However, it was difficult to find the secret passage because the inside of the factory was more complicated than they had anticipated and various security devices were installed.

Fortunately, however, Alpha Team 1 found an iron door disguised as a large drawer on one side of the office, and behind it a secret passage. The agents who were separated gathered at the iron door.

"Are you sure?"

In front of the iron gate, in TCS mode, Manager Lee Ja-Sung asked Manager Namgoong-won through silent communication.

"Probably, right. We've been searching for an hour!"

Manager Lee Ja-Sung inspected the iron door hidden behind the drawer in shield glasses inverter mode and looked around, but did not find any switch or button that could open the door.

"But how do we open this?"

"I guess there is a way to open it from inside?"

Manager Lee Ja-sung asked with a perplexed expression.

"So what? Is there any way to open it?"

"This is my first time doing this. Shall we wait for a while? Won't someone come out?"

"We just have to wait like this don't we?"

"There's no other way!"