WeTried Translations

Translator: Coughing Baby

Editor: Coughing Baby

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 180: Alliances and Maneuvering (15)

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They learned of the aftermath of the nuclear strike three days later.

For Gyeoul, who had returned late because of Lieutenant General Xieru’s security arrangements, Joanna spread a map across the table in her private room. The border between California and Nevada cut diagonally across it. To the west lay part of California’s spine, the Sierra Nevada. At the heart of the range was the famous Yosemite National Park.

She marked the points where the nuclear explosions had occurred with a red pen. One, two, three, four...

“In the end, nine warheads fell in total.”

Nine. More than the number of nuclear missiles launched. The FBI agent immediately explained why.

“Only two ballistic missiles escaped San Francisco, but the problem was that each missile carried ten warheads. Their top speed on atmospheric reentry was eight kilometers per second, more than twenty times the speed of sound. They said the blockade line’s air defense capabilities weren’t enough to stop them.”

Joanna sighed.

“The ballistic missiles had such a short flight time that there was barely any time to respond. Air defense bases in Alaska attempted exoatmospheric interception, but they couldn’t reach them in time. If they had aimed at an eastern metropolis like New York instead, the interception rate might have been higher. Of course, that would have been far more horrific.”

Gyeoul had heard of nuclear missiles with multiple warheads before.

When had that been? In the past, not in this world setting, a retired Korean general had joined Gyeoul’s group. It was from him that Gyeoul had first heard about the emergency retaliation plans of nuclear states. Korea, as an ally of the United States, was included among Russia’s attack targets.

Apparently, a single missile had been assigned for that purpose. Once the separated warheads fell one by one on each major city, the country called Korea would cease to exist.

Gyeoul studied the map and asked, “How bad is the damage?”

Joanna’s face darkened.

“At least no city or base took a direct hit. Probably thanks to interference through satellite signals. But that doesn’t mean there was no damage. No, I should say the damage is serious. I wonder if Yang Yongbin Shangjiang chose targets from the start that didn’t need perfect accuracy.”

“Didn’t need perfect accuracy? What do you mean?”

“Look here, Gyeoul.”

The agent pointed to one spot on the map. Hawthorne. It was a small city beside Walker Lake, amid dry mountains and desert. Judging by its size, even at most, its permanent population likely fell short of ten thousand.

But three nukes had fallen nearby. One to the west, one to the north, and one to the southeast. Since all of them had missed, there would have been no casualties, but an evacuation order must have been issued if only because of the ash burned by nuclear fire and the radioactive fallout dropping from the sky. What other damage was there?

“A supply base overseeing central and southern California was located around Hawthorne.”

The agent’s finger drew a circle around the city.

“With this nuclear strike, about 150,000 acres and 2,400 ammunition magazines at Hawthorne Army Depot were contaminated by radiation. The unit operating the base barely managed to pull out its personnel before the fallout arrived. The southern California front, cut off from ammunition and supply deliveries, is in a panic. At this point, the ammunition held by front-line troops amounts to only four days’ worth, assuming continuous combat. A withdrawal order has reportedly been issued to the entire front.”

“...Will it be all right?”

“I don’t know. There hasn’t been a large-scale mutant offensive yet, but Reconnaissance in Force... small provocations that seem to be testing this side are still continuing even now. They’ll notice the moment we show weakness. They must understand the concept of ammunition and fuel. Probably.”

That was the safer assumption. Even if it was absurd to be talking about safety in a battle situation like this.

A hole opening in one front meant every other front’s rear became endangered.

‘Manifest Liberation is on hold for the time being... and in the worst case, it fails.’

Gyeoul worried about what lay ahead. This world setting had been highly stable, so he had thought the chance of such sudden deterioration was low. But it had already happened. All he could do was hope the front would be brought under control. Even then, it would be bad news for the coming presidential election.

How much longer would this daydream after death, this remaining life where only the mind was left, continue?

“What about the other areas, Anne?”

When Gyeoul asked, the FBI agent furrowed her brow.

“It’s the same. The problem is radioactive contamination rather than the nuclear explosions themselves. From Yosemite north toward El Dorado National Forest, five national highways connecting the east and west sides of the Sierra Nevada have been blocked. The loss of the Lincoln Highway at the very top is especially significant.”

“Then they don’t have any proper route for either supply or retreat.”

“No. This side didn’t take a direct hit either, so the roads themselves are intact, but... unless it’s an armored vehicle with a pressurization system and air filters, passing through would be impossible. At least, ordinary Humvees and trucks can’t do it.”

A pressurization system kept the air pressure inside a vehicle higher than the outside air. By doing so, it prevented contaminated outside air from leaking in. Several of the apocalypses Gyeoul had experienced had been worlds where humanity used nuclear weapons in large numbers to eradicate the plague, so vehicles equipped with that kind of gear had been useful.

In an environment contaminated by radiation, the time a person could endure with an individual gas mask was limited. Without superhuman levels of 「Environmental Adaptation」, securing a vehicle was a matter of survival.

But the current U.S. military probably had far too few vehicles of that kind.

‘It would be a waste of resources.’

Against mutants, tanks and armored vehicles were excessive in firepower. Their fuel efficiency was bad too. Having them around would be reassuring, of course, but with the resources and cost needed to build one tank, they could produce dozens of Humvees. Even if Gyeoul had to decide, he would choose the latter.

The U.S. military had swelled by tens of millions in half a year. Equipping them in time had likely made that choice unavoidable.

The more he tried to look beyond the map, the darker the outlook became. To retreat from the Central Valley of California, they had only two choices: go around the huge mountain range to the south, or climb far to the north. Gyeoul tilted his head. In a situation like this, there was no way fuel supplies would run smoothly.

“But if they start abandoning useless vehicles, that would be dangerous. The mutants will notice.”

“That’s... not something we can worry about. If there is any consolation, it’s that there don’t seem to be signs of infection spreading after the nuclear explosions. There really was nothing at the impact points.”

There was no use worrying about it here. Even as she said that, Joanna rubbed her face with a deeply concerned expression. She wiped the tired look from her eyes with one hand and muttered.

“These days.”

After a sigh,

“For the first time in a while, I feel like praying to God.”

“Fuck.” A drained emotion slipped from between her dry lips.

Silence flowed for a short while after that. Gyeoul did not find it uncomfortable. He had experienced times like this again and again. When hearts were dark and exhausted, there were moments when the simple fact of not being alone became comfort. Wishing for the rose not to wither, the boy from the past had held his silent older sibling’s hand. He had been grateful that Gaeul found comfort in him.

After taking the quiet space to collect herself, Joanna asked Gyeoul a question in return.

“Have you met Team Leader Chadwick since returning?”

“Yes. I met him as soon as I got back. I had to make my report.”

“How did he react?”

“I’m not sure. It’s strange that there have been no additional orders so far.”

Chadwick of the Intelligence Agency had listened halfheartedly to the after-action report. To the alliances and maneuvering that had taken place over three days. Even though the peace faction was gathering around Lieutenant General Xieru, he had seemed to have no intention of making use of it. He had not asked for details either. He had only told Gyeoul to go rest.

Was this indifference another layer of a mask? Or had the Intelligence Agency’s policy changed? Was there some other plan? Between conflicting 「Insight」 readings, Gyeoul could not guess the branch chief’s intent.

At any rate, Orca Black’s activities had effectively been suspended. Emergency standby with no time limit.

‘At this rate, the connection to Lieutenant General Xieru that we went to all the trouble of making has no meaning either.’

At the very least, shouldn’t they send Gyeoul back out alone? The whereabouts of Changcheng 9 were still shrouded in mystery. On top of that, the situation was already one where an extremist political officer was suspected of having taken control.

“With things turning out like this, they should finish the pursuit as soon as possible. But emergency standby with no idea when it will end... Could there be some other plan? Do you have any guesses, Anne?”

“Mm.”

Gyeoul sensed hesitation from the agent.

“There is something, isn’t there?”

“...”

“Please tell me. If it isn’t a secret I shouldn’t know.”

“It isn’t classified, and it’s only my personal guess... Do you still want to hear it?”

“You’re not the kind of person who worries without reason, Anne.”

At that, she gave a brief, faint laugh. After a little more hesitation, the agent laid out her suspicion.

“A standby order coming down at this point is strange no matter how I look at it. Perhaps those above are considering the worst final solution.”

“The worst final solution?”

“It was actually one of the ideas raised during the planning stage of this secret mission, Operation Fair Strike. It simply wasn’t adopted because it was horrifically immoral.”

At the word immoral, a thought crossed Gyeoul’s mind. No way. Joanna’s next words matched that unpleasant premonition exactly.

“It was a plan to carry out a preemptive nuclear strike across the entire bay. If they used ballistic missiles, Chinese radar would detect them, so the plan was for the CIA to take possession of the warheads, then install and detonate them manually. To avoid retaliation. The number of bombs used would have been at least thirty. They would have needed to sweep the entire wide bay clean, all the way down to the bottom.”

Disgust showed on her face the entire time she spoke.

“Killing more than ten million refugees and sacrificing even the American citizens remaining in the greater metropolitan area to protect national security... There was no way that kind of insane idea would pass. At least, not then.”

The number of American citizens remaining in the greater San Francisco area was in the hundreds of thousands. If they killed them that way, not only the administration’s life, but even the politicians’ own lives would be in danger.

It would also be hard to hope that the operation would stay secret for long after carrying it out.

Gyeoul asked, “So you mean it’s different now?”

“Honestly, I’m suspicious. Excluding terrorism, this is the first attack on the U.S. mainland since World War II. And it was a nuclear attack. In a situation where they might lose over a million troops and the blockade line might be broken, I’m not sure whether the top brass can keep their reason...”

“I don’t know. If nukes are used in an operation, it would require presidential approval. Refugees are one thing, but I don’t think an operation that burns citizens to death would be authorized.”

The president’s speech that Gyeoul had heard over the radio had been a fine statement filled with humane hope and an even greater sense of mission.

He was not a man of mere words. The America of this world setting proved his character and competence. The monetary economy had not collapsed, and despite the crisis, the presidential election was scheduled to proceed without issue. Though there was room for criticism when it came to the treatment of refugees, that was probably America’s limit, and the limit of people.

Joanna had a different opinion.

“I believe in His Excellency the President. It’s because I believe in him that I’m uneasy. Someone like him might disregard his political life and make a decision strictly as head of state.”

“That... makes sense.”

“As long as Changcheng 9 hasn’t been caught, nobody knows when another nuclear strike may come. Continuing the existing mission also doesn’t guarantee they’ll capture it. Choosing the certain safety of the absolute majority of citizens, even at the cost of inhumane sacrifice. Is that truly an impossible decision? At a time like this?”

“...”

“As I said earlier, it isn’t something that will change just because I worry about it.”

Fate was another name for events that came from beyond human limits. No matter how much someone expanded their limits as a human being, the world was always vaster than that.

Joanna relaxed her stiff expression.

“Still, saying it like this makes me feel better. Thank you, Gyeoul.”

“No, I should be thanking you. I came back, but the atmosphere was bad, there was no briefing, and I didn’t know who I should ask about the situation. Here on Pequod, who would make time for me besides you, Anne?”

Gyeoul made himself smile pleasantly.

The conversation ended there. The supervisor offered the boy officer coffee. When he said he would take it, she busied herself for a moment. He thought, Surely not, and sure enough, brandy came out. cafe royale again? The flat liquor did not catch fire easily, giving the supervisor trouble.

Even if the apocalypse was flowing past outside the door at this very moment, a short rest would be fine.

============================ Author’s Note ============================

#Hawthorne Army Depot

Hawthorne Army Depot is the largest ammunition storage facility on the U.S. mainland. Its coordinates are 38°31'26.8"N 118°37'22.4"W. Those who are interested should look it up on Google Maps. An area dozens of times larger than the city is all ammunition depot.

#Q&A

Q. koko-nim: @But if Gyeoul proves what happened at the meeting, the nuclear launch will be judged the act of a lunatic, so wouldn’t that actually benefit the negotiation faction, written as negotiation faction and read as surrender faction?

A. Even if Gyeoul tells them, it won’t matter if the CIA is passive, right?

Q. LewdDemonF-nim: @This is exactly why America is so obsessed with MD.

A. Multiple-warhead nuclear missiles are difficult to stop even with MD. They are objects full of childlike innocence.

Q. BlackRain66-nim: @Because of this, the people who were wavering between the hardliners and moderates will split to extremes. On top of that, even some people who were moderates will think America won’t just sit still and move over to the hardliners, and the people who are still moderates will naturally have no choice but to grow even closer to America, and the hardliners will see that and accuse them of being traitors and make public opinion even worse, what a touching story... Before that, how much damage America took from the nukes will decide the degree of the situation;; It’s gone beyond what our Gyeoul can handle, so he was one step too late, sob. It could also become a different childlike innocence development though, haha. Enjoyed it! Keep writing, haha.

A. The future development I have prepared will be somewhat different from what you predicted. Still, I expect it will be satisfying. :)

Q. svjk-nim: @(Earlier part omitted) But where are the seven nuclear warheads that were fired now going, and where would nukes cause the greatest damage if they fell? Normally, of course, you would think a major city would suffer the most damage, but in a situation like that, if they fell on a defensive line where forces are concentrated, the damage caused by mutants might be greater. Which side would suffer more damage? Could there be an important brain there, as they said? Or defensive lines, or strategically important airports??

A. It is as you saw in the main story. Yang Yongbin is someone who knows how to use limited combat strength effectively. Well, he is a soldier of the highest rank, after all.

Q. Calpis-nim: @Author-nim, what if you brought electronic girls here? With the madness of electronic girls who even humiliated the three great engineers who protect the universe, could they humiliate Gyeoul too? I am curious about the opinion of the Great Old One.

A. I’m not sure what electronic girls you’re talking about...

Footnotes:

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