Chapter 318 The Butterfly Effect (9)


    Based on overwhelming technology and military power, the United States emerged as a superpower starting from World War II.


    Those who im to be the world''s police and intervene with interest in world affairs in order to maintain their influence and status as a hegemon are making enormous efforts to maintain their supremacy, especially in Northeast Asia.


    North Korea. china. russia.


    The nations standing in opposition to this US-led formation of the free world.


    to restrain and pressure them. And the 7th Fleet belonging to the Pacific Command, which exists to block maritime advances into the Pacific Ocean.


    An unprecedented event urred in which the US Navy, armed with a powerful force that no other country dared to deal with, forcibly seized and seized a Japanese civilian ship, but no one knew exactly what had happened.


    A very quiet and serene world.


    However, due to this incident, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which oversees Japan''s foreign diplomacy, was in an uproar as if a bomb exploded.


    “Madam Secretary! What the hell are you going to do now! Why did the U.S. military conduct a military action to seize a civilian ship in the home country? And that too without any notice to us! Making such an illegal military threat within Japanese territory is an absolutely uneptable provocation.”


    Foreign Minister Heisei strongly protests against what the US has done this time with a very angry face. However, even though it was an image, the person reflected through the monitor was Helen Fisher, the first female secretary of state with a thick bone who had been active in the diplomatic arena for decades, so her acting didn''t work at all.


    [We ask for your kind understanding for not being able to inform the Japanese government about the matter in advance due to time constraints. However, some things seem a little different from the facts I know, so I think I need to rify the facts. First of all, the military operation was carried out not in Japanese territorial waters, but in high seas not owned by any country. It seems difficult to argue that Japan''s sovereignty was vited due to the operation.]


    The Osumi Strait, which exists in the southern part of Kyushu, Japan.


    Unlike conventional internationalw, where up to 12 nautical miles is designated as national territorial waters, only up to 3 nautical miles is designated as territorial waters. Although the Japanese continent was right in front of you, strictly speaking, it belonged to the high seas where no owner existed.


    As if they had been waiting for the moment they entered the Osumi Strait, the United States immediately rushed in and captured the ship as soon as it entered the high seas. At Helen''s story, Foreign Minister Heisei shouted with an excited expression.


    “Do you think that, Secretary of State, is a valid excuse now? It shouldn''t be someone who knows better than anyone why the area is designated as high seas.”


    Intentionally created pollution.


    It was none other than the United States that gave up their sovereignty allowed by internationalw and turned the sea into an ownerless sea.


    [This is to open the waterway so that our nuclear forces can freely navigate throughout Northeast Asia, including Japan. The U.S. government is always doing its best to ensure Japan''s national interests and safety from potential adversaries that threaten the camp of the free world.


    pacifist constitution. As a result, the Izumi Strait was a strategic high seas created by the Japanese government as a desperate measure to allow the US nuclear forces, including nuclear aircraft carriers, to freely enter and exit because, legally, nothing rted to nuclear weapons could be entered into their territory.


    And he was indignant at the Secretary of State''s response to cleverly exploiting this geopolitical character and saying that they had nothing to do with it.


    “How exactly does this matter rte to our national interests and security guarantees in Japan! This is a military outrage by the United States and a betrayal of all that we have done to strengthen our cooperation with the United States government, even at the cost of our sovereignty.”


    Japan''s Foreign Minister goes on a wild rampage, iming that it is not the pollution that was created for this purpose. It was a legitimate anger and protest for Japan, whose sovereignty was vited right in front of their eyes, but the secretary of state opened his mouth in a cold tone at his remarks that gradually went beyond the limit.


    [If the Japanese government acts that threatens the national interest and safety of the United States, we have no choice but to choose what we think is best for the necessary measures, Minister Heisei.] “What is it?


    ”


    Helen Fisher, America''s first female secretary. However, she defeated all of her outstandingpetitors with only her ability and rose to the position of a senior official in the White House and the head of the State Department, the fourth-ranked executive in the executive branch. .


    [The US government does not want the rtionship between the Korean government and the Japanese government to deteriorate. However, the various uneasy movements recently seen by the Japanese government are gradually crossing the line to the point that I can''t just watch.]


    “This is...?”


    Photos of the kidnappers obtained by Argos and provided to the National Intelligence Service by Lee Mi-yeon.


    Heisei''s eyes began to tremble slightly as he saw the clear picture of the two pushing Jaeyoung and Jaekyun into arge van.


    ‘Damn it..... Did you mean that the Americans were also noticing it...?''


    I don''t know if the Korean side requested help or if the US side had already noticed it for a long time, but Heisei was able to realize that the operation had gone awry by looking at the picture in Helen''s hand.


    [We are all aware of the fact that public sentiment in both countries has seriously deteriorated due to a series of incidents originating from within virtual reality, and that the Japanese government is struggling to take the lead in the rapidly expanding virtual reality industry. And I personally support the Japanese government''s efforts.]


    Japan, which is pushing the revival of virtual reality technology with stronger support from the government than any other country. It wasn''t that she hated Japan, which was looking at the same future as the United States, but Helen shook her head slightly and said.


    [However, I don''t think it''s something to go unnoticed about forcibly kidnapping foreign citizens in this way.]


    Helen reprimands her as if it''s morally wrong. Then Heisei started muttering in a disgruntled voice with a furious face.


    “Okay, Secretary of State. If what you''re iming is true, I''ll admit that the Japanese government didn''t do anything to be proud of. But even if that were the case, it is also problematic for the US government to intervene in this way.”


    No matter how dirty and nasty things were done in Japan, it was definitely a problem between Korea and Japan. There was no reason or justification for intervening in this way in the United States, apletely unrted third party.


    “No matter how deeply we have a rtionship with the Japanese and Korean governments and exert a lot of influence, bringing the entire 7th Fleet.... To intervene in this way without any direct interest is tantamount to meddling in internal affairs.”


    No matter how wrong he was, Helen said with a strange smile at Heisei''s protest that it was too much to put on a political show by dragging the hijackers to an aircraft carrier to catch them.


    [Hmm..... It seems that the Japanese governmentcked a bit of investigation while nning this operation.]


    “What is that again?”


    Foreign Minister who didn''t understand exactly what he was talking about. But he couldn''t help but freeze for a moment at the storying out of Helen''s mouth.


    [This time, one of the recruits forcibly detained by the Japanese government... Mr. Lim is one of the special technical agents who have received Level 3 secret clearance from the United States government.] A


    ssified project being ambitiously prepared by the Pentagon of the US Department of Defense.


    War Game.


    For those who wanted to realize a vast battlefield at a level that waspletely indistinguishable from reality, Lim Jae-gyun was an existence that could never be given up.


    That''s why the Japanese government''s actions to kidnap such a Jae-Gyun were extremely threatening to the US government, which had been granted ess to US military secrets by exceptionally granting secret permission that was never permitted to foreigners.


    [I take all diplomatic, military, and political risks that may arise because I kidnapped a new recruit who handles US military secret information in this way and even carried out an illegal operation. The White House has no choice but to see that the Japanese government is making such an irrational move to steal American military secrets, including virtual reality technology. Therefore, as Secretary of State representing the United States, I ask, Heisei Japanese Foreign Minister


    . Helen asked him in a serious, firm, but very cold voice.


    [Is the target the Japanese government is aiming for to secure the source of virtual reality technology is the United States of America, not the Republic of Korea?]


    Direct question as to whether they are targeting themselves.


    The foreign minister was shocked and denied such a question.


    “Can that be?”


    Unlike Korea, the United States exerts enormous economic, military, and political influence over Japan. That''s why Heisei said, rolling his eyes here and there with apletely different, withered spirit.


    “Your Prime Minister has made numerous efforts to strengthen the security alliance and work more closely between the United States and our Japan than any other administration. In this case... it seems that there was a big misunderstanding.”


    Heisei to inform you that you did not know that you were so deeply involved with the United States. In response to his reply, Helen didn''t say anything and looked at him gently, then took a step back.


    [great. Even President Pearson does not want to break the long-standing rtionship of trust with the Japanese government. Let''s move on to this matter through broad understanding between the two countries.]


    Helen''s proposal to quietly cover it without making it a problem. For Japan, this operation is aplete failure. Heisei nodded his head obediently, not wanting to make it any more noisy.


    [We will hand over the kidnapped hostages to the Korean government. Regarding this matter.... Please thoroughly manage it within the Japanese government so that it does not flow into the media separately.] * * *


    Nimitz


    -ss aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan.


    Jaeyoung, who is riding in this ce, one of America''s strongest weapons, which he will never see with his own eyes in his lifetime, couldn''t keep his mind awake from the fantasy-like things that have happened in the past month.


    “While we were kidnapped by the Japanese intelligence department and taken by force to Japan under various threats, an American nuclear aircraft carrier appeared and dramatically rescued us....”


    It''s such a shitty ending that even if a drama writer specializing in the ending doesn''t seem to be able to save it. Jaeyoung grumbled over the fact that this situation really happened in real life.


    “Are you kidding me, writer of this district. How does this make sense?”


    More fantasy-like reality than fantasy.


    It was clear that it was a reality that could not be denied as long as he was lying in the cabin of an aircraft carrier, but even in this absurd situation that he could not understand with his head, Jaekyun was so rxed.


    “Jaeyoung, what''s wrong all of a sudden?”


    Jae-kyun, who was trembling and crying when he was kidnapped.


    But now, he was eating all kinds of choctes and sweets provided by the US soldiers and readingic books leisurely, and he looked like he was in paradise.


    “No, why are you so rxed in this situation? Isn''t it strange?”


    Seeing the carefree Jae-gyun who seems to have no thoughts, Jae-young frowns as if he doesn''t like it. Jaekyun shrugged his shoulders at his question.


    “What''s wrong? The U.S. soldiers have already exined in detail why this happened.”


    The story of Jae-kyun, who participated in a secret project promoted by the US Pentagon. It was absurd why the story, which had been ignored and passed in one ear as selling drugs, was real, but Jae-young felt a great sense of incongruity at the exnation of the US military that rescued them for that reason.


    “No, no matter how talented you are, don’t you think this is a bit too much?”


    “Um...well?


    I don’t know...” Jaekyun shrugs his shoulders when he sees this unprecedented situation in which an entire fleet is dispatched to rescue each person. However, he feels that the whole situation is so foreign. I felt a strong sense of incongruity, but I was able to have a strong conviction through a person I met as soon as I returned to Korea.


    “Wee back.”


    Dark rainy night.


    Seeing President Lee Mi-yeon smiling alone holding a ck umbre in arge, empty yard, Jae-young thought.


    Perhaps the real reason why the US 7th Fleet, which has the strongest power in Northeast Asia, rescued them.


    I mean, maybe it wasn''t because of that damn ignorant Jae-gyun.