21st Century Goguryeo

-The F-35B Lightning II has been hit on the wing by the Haegung missile! It's not a direct hit, but it is crashing.

-What about the enemy's ship-to-ship missile?

-All 22 rounds are flying towards us still. They are 322 seconds away from impact!

The F-35B Lightning II had lost its balance and was crashing down, but it still sent out its radar information to the Asakiri (DDG-178). The pilot tried to overcome the gravitational pull by manipulating the lever and delay the crash as long as possible.

However, before the Type 90 anti-ship missile could reach their targets, the F-35B Lightning II had crashed into the sea.

Woosh~ Boom!

The 22 rounds of anti-ship missiles either crashed into the ocean or self-destructed while 42km from their targets.

-All 22 rounds of the type-90 anti-ship missiles have self-destructed or crashed into the ocean! Every threat to our vessel has been neutralized!

Colonel Kim Gi-young checked the captain's monitor. The 22 red dots speeding towards his vessel had vanished.

-The Haesung A missiles are 62 seconds away from impact!

The Asakiri (DDG-178) and the Amakiri have exhausted their missile supplies, and all they could do now was launch their SM-2 anti-air interception missiles to defend themselves against the Haesung A missiles.

The Asakiri (DDG-178) and Amakiri (DD-154) had launched 12 rounds of SM-2 missiles in total to strike down the four Haesung A missiles. They both turned left and began to speed away. Since the F-35B Lightning II jet that had been their eyes was now gone, any further engagement would lead to their demise. Therefore, the vessels began to retreat.

However, the Haesung A missiles did not allow it. The missiles made it past the 1st and 2nd interception attempts, and finally the CIWS interception fire net before striking the center of the Asakiri and the tail of the Amakiri.

The Asakiri (DDG-178) Aegis destroyer was hit at its vertical launchpad and it caused repeated explosions to occur which shook the entire vessel. The ship with a 10,000-ton load displacement was annihilated and began to sink slowly into the ocean. A few of the crewmen had survived and were gasping for air on the surface.

A large hole was torn on the port side of the Amakiri which caused an enormous amount of seawater to rush into the ship. The ship leaned by 80 degrees and the crew began to jump into the sea left and right. However, the cold ocean waters had caused hypothermia in the men and all of them soon succumbed.

-Asakiri and the Amakiri had both been sunk by the Haesung A missiles.

The final report from the battle station came in. Colonel Kim Ki-young finally let go of his anxiety and gave an order to his first mate after plopping down on the captain's chair.

"Tell the fleet to break battle formations."

"The fleet will now break battle formations, sir."

"Helmsman! Set the azimuth to 2-7-5, and full turn starboard! We sail at 20 knots."

"Azimuth to 2-7-5, and full turn starboard! Sailing at 20 knots."

Excluding the regional reserve forces, the 72nd maritime flotilla had wiped out the rest of the 2nd escorting fleet. The Corean ships all sailed at fast speeds to prepare for the battle against the American navy.

* * *

February 11th, 2021, 15:30

Honshu, Japan, Osaka prefecture, the Chuo History Museum.

Osaka was the largest city in Western Japan. The city holds a population of 3.15 million by 1965. The expansion of business, exporting of factories, and increased industrialization of the city had made the population grow to 3.8 million by today.

Numerous soldiers wearing the emblem of the special forces on their uniforms suddenly appeared at Osaka city, one of the three largest cities in the nation. The shocked citizens began to scream and flee while gunshots filled the air.

These special forces men were from the 3rd paratrooper brigade that had infiltrated Osaka on the morning of the 10th. There were 60 men in 5 teams of 12. They all swiftly moved towards the entrance of the Osaka History Museum.

The museum was a 10-story building that outlined the entire history of Japan from the Naniwanomiya era all the way to the present. It housed historical artifacts that represented each period. However, the issue was some artifacts from Corea's history were also placed there disguised as Japanese.

-Teams 1 and 2 are to guard the premises, while Teams 3 and 4 are to retrieve the stolen artifacts. Team 5 is to take out the guards.

Major Gwak Hyun-joon moved with Team 1 and gave out orders to his men.

The reports from the citizens had brought in the local police and the heavily armored SWAT teams. They began to surround the area and the Corean special forces.

Vrooom~ Screeech~

The road leading to the Osaka History Museum was littered with police vehicles. The SWAT teams got off from their armored vehicles and began to fire their guns at the museum's entrance.

Bang bang bang bang~ bang bang bang bang~

The bullets from the automatic weapons flew into the entrance, causing the glass to shatter. The incoming bullets had left marks across the entire area.

-Teams 1 and 2 are to neutralize the police that attempt to enter for the next hour.

-Team 1, confirmed, over!

-Team 2, confirmed, over!

The barrage of bullets did not deter the commander from giving out orders. Teams 1 and 2 attempted to repel the SWAT team from approaching the area by firing back. Team 5 used this opportunity to take the emergency stairway and subdue the guards, while Teams 3 and 4 began to check the list of artifacts they had to recover.

Pew pew pew pew~

Teams 1 and 2 had taken cover and gifted the SWAT teams with laser beams from their personal firearms. A few of the men manipulated a small mechanical object the size of a hand grenade and threw it outside.

However, the mystery objects did not explode. Instead, four small legs popped out, and a red light began to flicker as if a sensor was working. The machines began to walk towards the SWAT team at fast speeds. They moved like living spiders.

clack clack clack clack~ clack clack clack clack~

Beep~ beep~ beep~

The small machine was equipped with a biosignal sensor and used it to crawl towards the SWAT team. A moment later, they exploded and wiped out the entire area. The SWAT team's 3-ton armored vehicle shot up into the sky. The men also were engulfed in the flames and vanished without a trace.

Boom~ Boom~ Boom~

The explosion had caused chaos across the area. The police and SWAT teams who survived took cover. However, their luck was short-lived, for they were struck by the laser beams from the special forces.

Pew pew pew pew pew~

Despite being outnumbered, Teams 1 and 2 were equipped with superior weapons, so they had an easy time defending the entrance of the museum. Team 5 that had went ahead to subdue the guards also had an easy time.

Teams 3 and 4 moved along each floor of the museum and began to recover their ancestors' stolen cultural artifacts. First, they sprayed the fragile ones like vases. When the spray was applied, white foam began to cover the entire vase from top to bottom, and soon hardened.

The spray that the special forces had just used was the latest development from the underground lab which was specifically designed for the mission. After an object was covered with white foam, the object within would never be affected by the shock coming from the outside, so it would be protected. However, the substance could only be melted down by using a special chemical formula to reveal the contents it protected.

Plates, vases, glass items, and other fragile objects were sprayed to avoid causing any damages. The books and drawings were carefully placed in carrying cases.

-Teams 3 and 4, what's your status on the recovery?

Major Gwak Hyun-joon, who was fighting against the enemy from the first floor with Team 1, asked through the communication line.

-Team 3, currently at 60% on floor 3. Over.

-Team 4, currently at 55% on floor 5. Over.

-Teams 3 and 4, try to cause minimal damage to the artifacts while you proceed. Over.

-Team 3 confirmed! Over and out.

-Team 4 confirmed! Over and out.

As time passed, every police from the Osaka prefecture gathered around the museum and surrounded the area as if they were laying a siege. The Corean special forces now faced the problem of how they were going to make their escape.

About an hour had passed since the special forces had infiltrated the museum. Teams 3 and 4, that were in charge of recovering the artifacts, came down to the lobby with Team 5 helping them carry the artifacts. Each person's arms were full.

The leaders of Teams 3 and 4 came up to the major and reported personally.

"Sir! Team 3 has completed recovering the artifacts."

"Team 4 is finished as well, sir."

"Great work!"

Major Gwak Hyun-joon glanced at his wristwatch and spoke.

"It's 16:50! We leave the area at 17:00, 10 minutes from now. Everyone, use that time to retaliate with our weapons at the lobby."

"Yes, sir."

Unlike the early moments, the Japanese police had stopped firing back. The Osaka police had given up on trying to enter the building. About 100 policemen from the 30 minutes of engagement had been injured or died.

Therefore, the police had decided upon a new tactic to close off all roads leading outside the museum and surround the area in multiple layers. They also called for backup to the 3rd mechanized division. The 36th mechanized infantry regiment used their armored vehicles and began to rush to the scene.

* * *

February 11th, 2021, 16:50 (Russian Standard Time 10:50)

A building in the suburb of Odintsovo. Russia

The Odintsovo state was a major part of Moscow, Russia. It had a population of 140,000. It was 24km west of Moscow. It was a small city that was also where the Russian branch of the NIS had a safe house. The agents had brought Yagumachi Genzo and his entourage they kidnapped to the safehouse before being brought back into the nation.

Inside the rundown house at the center of Odintsovo, three men were tied down and gagged on chairs. It was Yagumachi Genzo and his two bodyguards.

Two days ago, Yagumachi Genzo had been injected with an unknown serum, thus making him confess everything. The NIS agents had reported his confession to headquarters. Since the intel was such a major revelation, the NIS had decided to ensure Genzo's safety and have him brought back to Corea. Team leader Kim Jin-joong and his three subordinates were waiting here before returning to Corea.

"Sir! Could I accompany you when we return to our country this time?" Chief Park Won-ho's face looked pitiful as he asked.

"Why?"

"Don't you already know, sir? It's my youngest daughter's first birthday next week. I haven't even seen her yet."

"Has time passed that much already?"

"Already? Sir, it's been a year and a half since I came to Russia."

"Is that so? Why don't you take the new guy and those Japs back home instead of me."

"You're serious, sir?"

"It's your daughter's first birthday. You need to be there."

"Ha ha, thanks, sir."

"When the birthday party is over, take another week to spend time with your family. I will notify our manager."

"A whole week? Thank you, sir!"