Master Smith Under Ministry of National Defense

Chapter 35

035 – White House

“As you all know, right now, not only is it impossible to attack the gates, but even setting foot on the

South Korea territory would lead to immediate arrest. Although the agents we’ve eliminated are not

official agents but secret operatives, the situation has escalated to the point where they’re sending

agents to track us down.”

“That’s correct.”

“So, under the current circumstances, negotiating with the South Korean government is a very risky

proposition.”

“I agree with that. But what choice do we have? It’s likely that other countries are in a similar

situation. They won’t hesitate to say to awakeners from other countries, ‘We have a great gate for

you, so help us attack our country’s gate.’ It’s a chaotic situation.”

Ho Chang ‘s words made sense. Originally, in a situation where governments worldwide tightly

controlled information about the appearance of these monsters and the gate phenomenon, it was

impossible for civilians like Myung-jun’s group to be wanted for attacking a gate.

Pointing this out precisely, Ho Chang continued with his question.

“Originally, even if we manage to somehow leave the country in the current situation where we

might all be wanted, we won’t be able to depart via the airport. Moreover, as soon as we expose our

faces, we will be arrested and detained by the Korean government. Considering the strong antipathy

of the Ministry of National Defense, it seems they aren’t even considering negotiating with the

government. How do you plan to contact foreign governments?”

“You don’t have to worry about that part. The client who entrusted you with the protection request

for my senior, Ho Chang, is a person affiliated with the U.S. government agency, DARPA. We’ve been

seeking contacts with the U.S. government through DARPA from the beginning. Now is the time to

confirm the results. In fact, we could have expedited the negotiations, but we wanted to conduct the

final negotiations with all the 1st generation members of our clan present.”

After finishing his explanation, Myung-jun turned his chair around to look at the spot where Soo-

jeong was standing and nodded.

Then, Soo-jeong took out a tablet from the table and started tapping it here and there. Strangely, an

analog-like odd dial-up sound accompanied by the text [Establishing Communication] appeared on

the massive screen behind Soo-jeong.

A moment later, when the figure appeared on the screen, Ho Chang was rendered speechless with

his mouth wide open, unintentionally.

The person who was waiting for Myung-jun and his party’s call on the other side of the screen was

someone Ho Chang knew very well.

[I’ve been waiting, Mr. Myung-jun, and all of your clan members]

Speaking fluently in Korean, the man on the other side of the screen greeted them warmly. He was

the leader of the most powerful nation in the world, the only person who could unilaterally

challenge the world.

The President of the United States, Joe Biden.

“I heard beforehand, but can we proceed with negotiations in English?” –

When President Biden cautiously asked, Soo-jeong replied in Korean.

“As I mentioned earlier, everyone here is using the Multilingual Translator Implant. Currently, Mr.

President, everything you say is heard in Korean by all of us. Similarly, the Korean I am speaking right

now will be heard by you in English. So, please feel free to speak comfortably without worrying

about language differences.”

[Multilingual Translation Implant. It’s fascinating that such technology exists.]

“Rather than calling it technology, it’s more accurate to see it as a kind of superpower. It’s

impossible to create translation equipment that supports real-time translation at this level using

only bioelectricity within the physical laws of this world.”

[If it’s okay, I would like you to sell that technology to the U.S. government so that we can use it.]

“That will depend on the outcome of today’s negotiations.”

At that moment, Myung-jun, who had been quietly listening to the conversation between Soo-jeong

and Biden, interjected.

Then, Biden turned to Myung-jun with a pleased expression.

[Are you Cha Myung-jun?]

“Yes.”

[We have reviewed the proposal you presented. We would like to proceed with the process of

confirming that both sides understand the content of this transaction. What do you think about

that?]

“I think it’s a reasonable proposal. Let’s proceed.”

As Myung-jun nodded, a man in a suit standing next to Biden, holding a tablet, joined the

conversation.

[I am Maverick Garland, the Attorney General of the United States. First, in the course of today’s

discussions, I would like to confirm the fact that both parties are negotiating under the assumption

that they have complete information about the Gate Incident.]

To negotiate directly with the President of the United States as an ordinary 20-something young

man from South Korea, Attorney General Garland explained the uniqueness of the procedure with

various legal terms.

Then, he began to talk about the “conditions” that Myung-jun had proposed.

[In summary, the conditions that Cha Myung-jun is seeking are the authority for you to engage in

activities as defined a little earlier as a [Hunter] and the authority to exercise veto power over the

political and military pressure of each country, which can be considered a request beyond the

authority granted by the U.S. government to DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration) agents

deployed to foreign governments.]

“That’s correct. The gate situation is a global issue, and we intend to roam the world with

independent authority to respond to this situation. To do that, we need super-legal powers that

exceed the jurisdiction of each country’s government. We believe that the U.S. government is the

only one that can provide such political and military protection.”

[However, as far as we know, You and all four of you are on South Korea’s wanted list. The reason is

for the kidnapping and murder of important government agents. I have one question.]

The Attorney General stared at Myung-jun with a sharp gaze as he asked.

[Did you kill them? -]

However, Myung-jun answered his question without batting an eye.

“Yes.”

[Why did you do it?]

“They were government agents sent by the government to detain me before these negotiations took

place. Furthermore, they attempted to assassinate my colleagues. It was an unavoidable decision to

ensure the safety of my colleagues.”

[Does the South Korean government know about this?]

“That I killed them?”

[Yes.]

“I may have a guilty conscience, but there’s no evidence. Currently, the space we are in is created by

my abilities. If we want, no human on Earth can find us. Also, the bodies of those agents are stored

in this other dimension. Without my permission, no one can find the bodies.”

[Fingerprints or traces like blood…]

“Finally, while escaping, we incinerated all traces within a 3km radius. Moreover, we hacked and

deleted all CCTV footage that captured us that day. In other words, you won’t be able to find any

evidence even if you die. It’s impossible to find something that doesn’t exist.”

[If it’s just deleting data, you can sometimes recover it with restoration programs…]

“The current meeting is being conducted through a breach in the White House’s communication

security network. Beyond the level of technology, you could say it’s hacking that’s happening in the

realm of superhuman abilities. They might still be diligently trying to trace our location from that end

but tracking us is likely impossible. We breached their network not through hacking but by using my

abilities.”

[So, you’re saying that evidence deletion is also due to your abilities, so it’s impossible to recover? I

understand. Then, officially, on the U.S. government’s side, we will push the stance that there is no

evidence proving you as culprits.]

The next issue discussed was the one that the U.S. government was most uncomfortable with.

Myung-jun intended to distribute technology worldwide that would allow hunting of the monsters

using modern weaponry, while the U.S. government wanted exclusive rights to use it.

However, Myung-jun’s stance on the matter was so firm, and it even came with a threat to abandon

the negotiations if the demands were not met, so the U.S. government had no choice but to give up

exclusive rights to use the technology.

“However, we will proceed by initially supplying SIG, which produces U.S. service rifles, with the wire

coating equipment that allows standard bullets to hunt monsters. We will also distribute wire

coating equipment for civilian firearms at a ratio of 7:3, with 70% for civilian use.”

[Can this equipment really allow standard rifles to hunt monsters of Rank 2 or higher? ]

“It can go beyond that, but keep in mind that this equipment converts energy from Crystal Stones to

coat the wire. Using it beyond a certain number of rounds can reduce its effectiveness, and the

operation of the equipment itself consumes Crystal Stones. The Crystal Stones required will have to

be borne by the manufacturers.”

[By any chance, are you considering supplying a large amount of Crystal Stones to the U.S.

government…? -]

“I’m sorry, but I have my own uses for them. You can arrange to procure the amount you need. After

all, I’m sure the U.S. government has quite a few Awakeners as well.”

Once the negotiations regarding the distribution plan ended like that, President Biden, who had

been listening attentively, spoke up.

[I understand Mr. Myung-jun’s desire to rescue as many people as possible from the threat of the

monsters. However, a trade should benefit both sides to be successful. From what I’ve heard so far,

it seems the benefit the U.S. government gains from Mr. Myung-jun is the ability to secure a

substantial quantity of monster-hunting equipment more fairly than other countries.]

“Does that not sit well with you?”

[Unfair deals inevitably leave a trace of regret. With the Gate Incident, humanity has embarked on

an irreversible path where the societies and orders we’ve maintained are no longer recoverable. In

the future, the world will be determined by the quality and quantity of Awakeners rather than the

number of nuclear weapons or aircraft carriers. I hope that, even within that trend, the United

States, my home country, will not lose its leadership in the world order. I believe this will also be a

greater benefit for the future you envision, Mr. Myung-jun.]

“So, if the U.S. government’s power weakens, the influence of the political protection we requested

will also diminish?”

[You catch on quickly.]

“In that case, you don’t need to be concerned about that issue. The real item we want to sell to the

U.S. government is not something as trivial as wire coating technology.”

When Myung-jun raised what had never been mentioned before, the attention of all the staff in the

underground situation room at the White House was immediately directed at Myung-jun.

Feeling dozens of eyes on him, Myung-jun slowly raised his hand, making a distinct “ping” sound,

and powerful, advanced equipment for Awakeners, which he had crafted with great effort over the

past month, began to pop up all around the meeting room.

Inside them were numerous high-end items specially designed for Awakeners, which Myung-jun had

created by pounding his hammer like a madman for a month.

“If wire coating technology was developed to hunt low-rank monsters, the equipment here is special

gear created for Awakeners to hunt high-rank anomalies. Simply using this equipment can increase

the abilities of existing Awakeners two to three times or more. With this equipment, clearing the

Gate won’t be an impossible task even with the currently secured Awakeners by the U.S.

government.”

Saying so, Myung-jun brought both his hands to his lips.

Then, with an evil-looking smile, he spoke to President Biden.

“How about it? With this, you’ll have a significant advantage compared to other countries, won’t

you?”

As if he possessed some sort of magical power, looking at the countless weapons that could bewitch

a person’s heart, President Biden couldn’t offer any counterarguments.

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