Master Smith Under Ministry of National Defense

Chapter 19

019-DARPA

In Arlington, Virginia, there exists a U.S. government agency that, despite its monumental achievements that have transformed the lives of all humanity, remains ridiculously under-recognized.

DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency).

While many may not recognize the long name of this institution, the products they have created are all instantly recognizable. The grand Internet that connects all of humanity, the microwave that heats food with the press of a button, the mouse that’s essential for computer usage, the voice recognition technology used to summon household AI, and even surgical robots that perform intricate operations unreachable by human hands are mostly the result of research supported by DARPA.

However, DARPA’s actual function is somewhat distinct from the typical research institution. More specifically, rather than directly researching and developing, they primarily fund others’ research and audit their progress. One of DARPA’s primary goals and purposes is to prevent technological military surprises from rival nations. It was established to prevent situations where unprepared U.S. soldiers using traditional firearms are suddenly confronted with Russian soldiers firing personal weapons equipped with lasers. This was the primary purpose and ground mission of DARPA.

At this very moment, the world’s leading future tech research institution, DARPA, which invests enormous budgets into countless research projects, some so bizarre they make you question their funding decisions, was facing its biggest crisis since its inception.

Even by the standards of DARPA’s researchers, who have already surpassed ‘common knowledge’, inexplicable phenomena were occurring all over the Earth. Across the nation, there were reports of “creatures immune to rifle bullets.” And within these creatures, there were organs unlike any known life form. Where a heart should be, there was an unidentifiable crystal.

Among all these discoveries that shattered their understanding, what troubled DARPA researchers the most was the peculiar superpowers that manifested in some individuals upon contact with these crystals. And Dr. Lee Jeong-hee, Han Soo-jeong’s mother and the head of the newly established ‘Special Monster Research Division’ at DARPA, was one of those deeply concerned about this new ability bestowed upon humanity.

In a strictly sealed lab, she looked through 20-inch-thick special glass at a massive titanium cage and said,

“Has there been any response from the White House?”

The Caucasian man in a white lab coat flipping through a report beside her replied,

“We are continuously monitoring the situation, but there’s no clear update yet. It’s not really a rush. What you’ve asked for goes beyond the current U.S. legal framework.”

“In emergencies, decisions beyond common sense are required. Especially in times like these, when scientific conventions and clear common sense that humanity has built over thousands of years are collapsing.”

“Next.”

As she finished speaking, the machine in front of the cage began to move with a roar.

The machine, which looked like a wheel, had a large gun attached to it that could be operated remotely. If the existing gun rotated to the back, the device was designed so that it could be replaced with another gun from outside the lab. As if they were conducting a firepower test, the researchers waiting on the other side of the machine asked for the gun to be replaced, and the machine began to rotate again. It then aimed in the direction of a huge titanium cage, waiting for the next command.

“Rank 2 Test Subject Durability Test 42. The test target is the Triple Action Thunder using .50 BMG ammunition. Test distance 15 meters. Start shooting as soon as ready.”

A sound came from the gun, so immense that it was hard to believe it came from a handgun. It pierced through the thick acrylic wall and spread. Following that, an even louder monstrous scream struck the ears of the woman who was observing the test. The scream was chilling, but she calmly began to write her report.

“The shorter barrel reduces the range significantly, but it can still deliver effective blows at close range. Considering its portability and usability, this may be better than an anti-material sniper rifle. However, the reload time is longer since you have to eject the shell and reload after each shot.”

The pistol she just tested was a large caliber handgun that uses .50 BMG ammunition, similar to the Barrett anti-material sniper rifle or the M2 machine gun. It had the disadvantage of only being able to fire one shot at a time and had a complex and time-consuming reloading process. Moreover, holding the immense recoil of the .50 BMG without a brace and with just two hands was an absurd specification, making it a failure in the civilian market.

Nevertheless, she had a logical reason for re-testing this failed handgun. Current US soldiers, who often have to chase monsters and engage in close combat, find the machine gun too cumbersome and the anti-material sniper rifle too difficult to use.

“Still, the inability to fire continuously is a bit critical. The existing weapons systems are not enough to combat them effectively. The overwhelming range of the anti-material sniper rifle and the absolute destructive power and rate of fire of the machine gun don’t offer much help against these monsters.”

“Do you mean we need a new weapon system for US soldiers?”

“We need a weapon that has more than 20,000J of kinetic energy, designed for close combat, and also has the portability and usability for soldiers to carry personally and engage quickly in combat. Of course, no super soldier can handle the recoil of that size of ammunition consecutively, so we’d need a revolutionary recoil suppression technology.”

“Well, as the caliber increases and the amount of gunpowder increases, the power of the bullet increases, but the recoil also increases. It’s like an absolute rule governed by the laws of physics, right? No matter how good our technology is, it’s not something we can solve.”

“That’s why the government needs to resolve the last issue quickly. If the information my daughter gave me is true, that capability is something the US government must secure at any cost.”

“But isn’t that ability too absurd? The ability to penetrate the skin of a rank 2 monster with regular rifle ammunition. If that’s true, we could easily defeat those monsters without the help of the awakeners.”

“Albert. DARPA’s basic philosophy isn’t ‘That’s impossible, no matter how hard we try, so don’t bother.’ It’s ‘If someone else succeeds in doing that, we could be screwed, so we should try it first.'”

In that sense, even if the ability that Soo-jeong mentioned is true, it would have significant value even if the probability is almost zero.

With the increasing appearance of monsters, and the anticipated appearance of even stronger monsters, the emergence of the awakener Soo-jeong mentioned could potentially change the landscape of the global defense industry.

So, please go back today and clearly relay this to the officials at the White House.

Even if it requires a special executive order by presidential authority, the “Awakening Acquisition Act” must be passed.

The “Awakening Acquisition Act”, colloquially known as the “Assets Law”, fundamentally allowed awakeners from all over the world to be valued as strategic assets for the U.S. if they wish to be, and the moment an individual is approved under this bill, that awakeners is immediately granted U.S. citizenship and the right to be protected by the U.S. government.

Currently, Lee Jeong-hee, Soo-jeong’s mother, is desperately pushing for this bill.

Of course, the mere existence of this law poses a significant risk of infringing on the rights of other nations, but the current situation is so dire that there is no luxury to worry about diplomatic relations.

Jeong-hee, placing down the report, spoke to Albert,

“Albert, I can confidently say that this monster’s appearance won’t just end like this. For now, monsters that can be killed with a .50 BMG round play the leading role, but there’s a high possibility that stronger monsters will appear in the future. And if that situation arises, the vast territory of the USA will rather become a significant obstacle to national security. Even if we gather all our soldiers deployed overseas, we can’t cover the entire U.S. territory. The more passive we are in responding to this situation, these creatures will increase their numbers in areas that are not monitored. Albert, if about 300,000 Rank 2 monsters attacked at once, could the U.S. military stop them?”

Albert, who had been silently staring at the cage, shook his head,

“If we deploy fighter jets and missiles, somehow…”

“What if there’s a monster among them that can attack from a distance? A monster that can shoot bone spikes capable of penetrating 20-inch alloy armor at a rate of 600 rounds per minute within a 200m radius.”

“That would be…”

“Of course, such a monster might not appear. Maybe only monsters we can control will continue to appear. But as I said earlier, DARPA has an obligation to respond to all conceivable technological disasters. When that situation occurs, it shouldn’t be an organization that just says, ‘No way, we didn’t expect such a monster to appear!’. Moreover, the Awakening Acquisition Act will also be a key law in the changing international situation. Even if it wasn’t the information from my daughter, awakeners with enormous abilities that we should secure in advance will continue to appear from other countries.”

“I understand your urgency, but this issue isn’t a simple one that can be resolved overnight. This law literally states that if the awakeners wishes, they will immediately be granted the rights of a U.S. citizen and be protected by the U.S. government. It’s clearly a law that can infringe on the rights of other nations, so, no matter how important the benefits are, it needs to be handled carefully. It probably won’t be processed immediately.”

“I know. That’s why I assigned bodyguards to my daughter.”

“Bodyguards?”

“Even if we don’t know the identity of the awakener who can manipulate the attribute of a bullet to kill a Rank 2 monster, seeing that he has been asked to help my daughter suggests that he is definitely close to her.

Until the bill is passed, we needed to ensure his safety.

So, I made a request to a private security firm in Korea.

Their mission was to ensure the safety of both of them and at the same time to monitor and report their activities.”

“What are the results?”

“While the sudden presence of a boyfriend is suspicious, their actions appear to be typical of a regular couple. They haven’t shown any signs of using any abilities either.”

“So, it’s possible that someone other than the boyfriend is the awakener.”

“No, I don’t think so. The two are just aware that they are being followed and are acting cautiously. Personally, I think this is a relief. If he blatantly used his abilities, and that information reached the Korean government, they would undoubtedly take action. Considering the guards we’ve assigned have suspicions but no concrete evidence, any other watchers would likely think the same. For now, this is sufficient. It’s about keeping them under the radar until the bill is passed. This should buy us enough time to secure him.”

“What if they do something noticeable?”

Upon hearing Albert’s question, Lee Jeong -hee sighed with a worried expression. She then replied,

“In that case, we would have to exercise all diplomatic and military pressures at the U.S. government level to transfer his affiliation under the U.S. Even if it means compromising our relationship with our ally, South Korea, the power he possesses will become an absolute force in the international geopolitical landscape that we cannot afford to lose.”

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