21st Century Goguryeo

December 2, 2023, 13:00

Ministry of Foreign Affairs building in Jongno-gu, Seoul

Ambassador Egor Titov, who had been staying at the embassy since the outbreak of the Korean-Russian war, arrived at the Foreign Ministry building looking perturbed in response to Minister Kang Kyung-hee's unexpected call.

As he walked into the reception room, his face crumpled even more. This was because the reception room was not a VIP room, but rather a general one.

Even though this measure appeared to be possible because he was the ambassador of the opposing country, it proved how strongly the Korean government is currently against Russia.

"It's been a while since I saw you."

Ambassador Egor Titov greeted her with a forced smile, leaving his uncomfortable feelings behind.

"Please have a seat."

Minister Kang Kyung-hee, who replied in a hushed tone, looked at Ambassador Egor Titov, who was sitting on the sofa opposite, with a blank expression.

"May I ask for the reason for the call?"

"Let's get right to the point, shall we? Please suppress the violence against our people across Russia as soon as possible."

"What does that mean?"

It wasn't clear whether the Ambassador was acting or genuinely didn't know because he hadn't received the information, as he replied looking as though this was the first time that he had heard of this.

"It makes no difference whether you're aware of it or not. All you have to do now is contact your home country and tell them that if they don't deal with the current violence properly, we'll launch a massive retaliatory attack."

"Oh! That is why I am asking. What exactly do you mean by 'violence?' Shouldn't you explain it, so I understand?"

"That's a devious act."

Minister Kang Kyung-hee immediately recognized that Ambassador Egor Titov had purposefully pretended not to know.

"I don't need to explain it. Whether you are aware of it or not, just report what I said to your home country."

"Ha! You're so mean. Minister! You've known me for years. Isn't it rude to lead the conversation like this?"

"Will you keep up your act? Anyway, if my words aren't delivered to your country and actions aren't taken within the hour, Moscow will vanish from the planet."

Boom!

Ambassador Egor Titov, who was attempting to steer the conversation deftly, appeared to be enraged by Minister Kang Kyung-hee's threatening remarks, and he slammed his fist into the conference table.

"No! What does that mean? No matter how powerful you are, you're going to erase Moscow, the capital of Russia, where millions of civilians live?"

"Do you think it will only be Moscow? All industrial facilities that support the Russian economy will be turned to ash."

Minister Kang Kyung-hee conveyed President Choo Un-hee's anger to Ambassador Egor Titov.

"Huh! Did you call me to make such a threat? It doesn`t even make any sense. You talk as if Korea has already won the war. You'd be unable to handle our massive attack sooner or later."

To avoid being pushed out of the conversation, Ambassador Egor Titov made absurd arguments.

"There are 58 minutes left."

Ambassador Egor Titov looked at his watch and said.

"Whether it's 58 or five minutes, do whatever you want. Do you think Russia will be scared?"

"Ambassador Titov! There are a total of 20 places where President Putin is hiding in Moscow, right? R-01 through R-20 are the states, right? They were at R-13 not long ago, right? Well, I am not sure where he is hiding now but if we blow up a 100-kilometer radius around Moscow, does that even matter where President Putin and the General Staff are hiding?"

"What? What did you just say? Are you saying that you'll slaughter millions of civilians just to kill the president of another country?"

"Slaughter? I am not sure if it was appropriate for the ambassador to bring up the subject of slaughter as your country has fired hundreds of strategic nuclear missiles at the Republic of Korea."

"What do you mean by nuclear missiles? There was not even a single missile with nuclear warheads."

"Don't say anything that even elementary school students will find hard to believe. That's so naive. Titov, Ambassador! The clock continues to tick. There are only 55 minutes left."

"I'll say it again: do whatever you want. However, keep in mind that if you do as you wish and cause any harm to Moscow, Korea will be labeled as a civilian slaughter state by the international community and will face international restraint."

Minister Kang Kyung-hee changed her sitting position, crossed her legs, and smiled.

"Pfft! Do you think Korea is what it used to be? It's been a while since the Republic of Korea, which is aware of the international community, has vanished."

Minister Kang Kyung-hee spread her hands and gestured that there was no problem.

"Hmph! We'll see about this."

The heart of Egor Titov was bubbling.

"I don't think there's anything else we could say. But wait, there's one more thing. We are currently preparing for a mission with two GOABs (Grandfather Of All Bombs) that the Aerospace Force will drop over Moscow."

GOAB (Grandfather of All Bombs), which Minister Kang Kyung-hee said, was a nickname. The official name was X-PSB (Plasma Super Bomb), a 100 megaton bomb that was twice as powerful as Russia's 56-megaton class, the world's strongest. It was an annihilation weapon capable of affecting the Earth's rotation axis.

Minister Kang Kyung-hee gave it this name in reference to the FOAB (Father of All Bombs), which Russia claims is the most powerful conventional bomb in the world. That is, the grandfather of all bombs was more powerful than the father of all bombs.

"Now! This is brief information about GOAB. Read it on your way."

She got up from her seat and put the document down on the table.

It meant 'just get the document and leave.'

"I won't see you off."

"Thank you for your hospitality. I'll get going now."

Ambassador Egor Titov spoke sarcastically, grabbed the document on the table, and walked out of the reception room without looking back.

Russia's fate now rests on the decision of Ambassador Egor Titov. Whether he takes the current situation seriously and convinces the Russian government, or whether he dismisses it as a threat. In any case, his decision would be known in 45 minutes.

* * *

December 2, 2023, 13:30

Namju Road, Sajamun-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul (in an official vehicle of the Russian Embassy in Korea)

Ambassador Egor Titov kept looking at his wristwatch as if Minister Kang Kyung-hee's threats were bothering him. He was also disturbed by the document in his right hand.

The document included detailed specifications for the X-PSB (Plasma Super Boost Bomb) known as the GOAB. It was written that if just one bomb exploded in Moscow, the radius of 100 kilometers from the blast center would be turned into an uninhabitable hell for many years. There would be two of them flying to Moscow.

It was difficult to dismiss it simply as a threat. Considering the Republic of Korea's military power in the Korean-Russian Wars during both the First and Second Northeast Asian Wars, this is a plausible reality.

"Oh, damn. What should I do? Should I report it?"

Because of the complexity, Egor Titov, which was looking out the window at the peaceful scenery of downtown Seoul, had a headache.

<'If I don't report this and it goes wrong later, I can be the only one who can get punished. It would be better to report it first.'> After organizing his thoughts, Ambassador Egor Titov gave instructions to the secretary-general sitting in the passenger seat.

"Please contact the Foreign Minister as soon as we arrive at the embassy."

"Yes, ambassador!"

* * *

December 2, 2023, 13:50 (Russian time 07:50)

Russian Ivanovskaya Oblast Ivanovo (Exosphere)

The first CFS/A-31SP Three-toed Crow space fighter jet of the First Space Fighter Wing Alpha Squadron, equipped with two X-PSBs (Plasma Super Booster Bombs) in the internal weapons bay, had just passed over Ivanovo in the exosphere at a speed of Mach 20.

It arrived in Moscow, the intended destination, in less than ten minutes.

"Ha! I never imagined I'd be on a mission to Project GOAB."

Captain Oh Tae-bin, the co-pilot, rubbed his trembling chest and exhaled deeply.

"Me neither. I thought GOAB was just a symbolic weapon. I never imagined it would be used in combat."

Lieutenant Colonel Choi Young-ho, the Alpha Squadron's flight commander and Alpha one pilot, had also felt that it was not realistic because he knew just how powerful the bomb was.

"What should we do?"

Captain Cho Eun-bin, who was listening to the conversation in the back seat with a tearful face, said something uncharacteristic for a soldier.

"You two are just flying around but I'm the one who will release the bombs."

If the final drop order was approved by the aerospace command, Captain Cho Eun-bin, an avionics management controller, had to press the launch button. A single bomb could have resulted in at least 10 million casualties. This would cause far more damage than the 1945 nuclear bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

In other words, Captain Cho Eun-bin was to be the final perpetrator in the detonation of a bomb that could result in massive casualties. It is natural to fight for your country as a soldier, but if you were the perpetrator of an attack that could result in more than 10 million casualties, the situation was different. Due to a trauma like this, he may develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in the future.

"Captain Cho! I'll press the button. Don't worry!"

Lieutenant Colonel Choi Young-ho, who was well aware of what Captain Cho Eun-bin was worried about, turned his head and said.

"Are you really going to do it?"

"Yeah! So don't worry too much!"

"Thank you."

After one minute of talking, they began lowering their altitude as they approached Moscow.

"Keep an altitude of 80 kilometers and fly at rotation speed."

"The altitude of 80 kilometers is maintained. Speed is defined as rotational speed."

Captain Oh Tae-bin recited his confirmation and operated the control lever under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Choi Young-ho. The first fighter is now flying at rotation speed, and all that remains is for the orders to be issued.

"How much time do you have until the bomb is dropped?"

Captain Cho Eun-bin immediately replied to Lieutenant Choi Young-ho's question.

"It's 10 minutes and 22 seconds from now."

"Okay, co-pilot! Check the communication network!"

"Currently, the communication network is connected to Seongnam base."

"Okay!"

Lieutenant Colonel Choi Young-ho switched to automatic flight mode after double-checking everything was in order and closed his eyes with his arms folded.

Performing a mission that could result in more than 10 million casualties had been a significant burden for Lieutenant Colonel Choi Young-ho. Furthermore, the pressure increased when he stated that he would press the launch button instead of Captain Cho Eun-bin.

Ten minutes of waiting in complete silence in the cockpit had passed. Then, the communication from the headquarters of the First Space Fighter Wing came.

"Alpha One! This is the headquarters of the First Space Wing."

"This is Alpha One! We're all ready and waiting for the orders!"

"Alpha One! This is the headquarters of the First Space Wing! Order is issued from the headquarters of the Korean Air Force."

Lieutenant Colonel Choi Young-ho responded, swallowing his saliva when he thought that moment had arrived.

"This is Alpha One! I'm waiting for your order."

"Alpha One! Headquarters of the First Space Wing! The current time is 14:02:26!"