## Chapter 315 – 31.RK…(9)
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“It’s amazing every time I come here.”
“Is that so?”
We were inside the giant underground hangar.
To be precise, we were in the elevator descending into the hangar, and the transparent walls offered a clear view of the hangar’s entirety.
‘Is this for real? It’s incredible every time I see it. How did they even do this?’
It was clearly underground, yet the scale of the space was enormous.
Even squinting and straining my eyes, I couldn’t see the end of it.
Seeing such vastness stretching out in all directions made me feel uneasy, as if the entire ground might collapse at any moment.
But that probably wouldn’t happen…
I had felt a bit uneasy when I came before, but nothing like that happened.
I trust they knew what they were doing…
Anyway, the hangar’s size was immense, and what was even more impressive was that there weren’t many empty areas.
The entire vast space was packed with weaponry.
Mecha, for example.
Mecha here, mecha there, mecha over there, mecha everywhere.
Mecha were lined up on all sides, so many that it created the illusion of looking at assembled plastic models.
Moreover, it wasn’t just mecha; almost everything people typically associate with “weaponry” was present.
Depending on the section, areas with land-based weapons were filled with tanks, armored vehicles, self-propelled artillery, and the like, all lined up endlessly, while areas with aerial weapons were filled with all sorts of aircraft, with or without owners.
Some of them were massive bombers with wingspans that seemed to stretch for dozens of meters.
If I had to guess the number of these things, it would be at least in the tens of thousands.
Even though it was a base, seeing this much hardware packed into the basement of a single headquarters was truly mind-boggling.
“Yeah… It feels suffocating every time I see it.”
“Sigh, I know. I’m overwhelmed just thinking about when we’re going to get rid of all this junk.”
“…Excuse me?”
“?”
Junk?
These things?
“That… was junk?”
“Huh?”
Koo Min-young seemed more taken aback by my surprised reaction.
Then, she opened her mouth as if realizing something and explained with a smile.
“Muyeol probably wouldn’t know. They’re all outdated models. You could use them if you had to, but it’s always best to use the latest weaponry.”
“…”
Seriously?
Just sending out what’s here could take on the entire world, but these are all outdated and being left to rot? They’re even thinking of getting rid of them?
‘What kind of junk is this???’
This is too shocking.
‘If you swallow up the entire Korean Peninsula, receive enormous tributes from the Twenty Republics of China every year, and extend your reach throughout Asia, this kind of thing becomes possible…’
The National Intelligence Service’s Great Mages training institution is called the Abyss, but maybe the real Abyss is the Korea Group?
That’s what it looks like to me.
“Then… where’s the real hangar…?”
“Three levels below this one.”
I could only laugh in disbelief.
.
.
The hangar with Baekseol’s personal mech was two levels below the junkyard(?).
Frankly, in my limited thinking, I thought it would be more efficient to keep the frequently used hangar on a higher floor, but I guess they had their reasons. Maybe to prepare for bunker-buster missiles or something…
Anyway, we arrived at the real hangar, and since it seemed to be a place for only special items, it was a bit smaller compared to the ones above.
Of course, that was only in comparison, and it was still an absurdly large scale in general.
“This is… Baekseol’s personal mech…”
We moved to a separate, isolated area within the special hangar.
As soon as the doors opened, what greeted us was a mech of overwhelming size that stimulated a man’s romantic fantasies, along with all sorts of cranes and mechanical equipment standing around like rocket boosters, and small robots moving busily.
‘This… its size alone is off the charts?’
Mass-produced mechs are usually around 15 meters tall, and personal mechs are around 17 meters, but Baekseol’s personal mech was clearly beyond that level.
Was this also because Baekseol’s specs were too high, like her personal weapons?
“Hmm. Your toy must be quite excellent. This is the first time I’ve seen something this big.”
“…Is it that much?”
Koo Min-young, who rarely showed surprise, nodded silently.
Her profile as she looked up was beautiful.
“Is this really an 8th generation?”
“Yes, Madam Vice Chairman. It’s a personal mech built based on the 8th generation. To be precise, it’s an 8.5 generation with some of the gains from developing the 9th generation applied.”
“8.5 generation… The latest, then?”
“Yes. It’s the strongest mech we can currently build with our technology.”
“The strongest…!”
“What’s with the size?”
“The knight’s specs are so outstanding that this is already a significant reduction.”
“…”
“Originally, a design of over 30 meters was needed, but that would change the specifications, and all the weapons would have to be redeveloped as new models. So we suppressed it as much as possible.”
“And the result is this?”
“Yes. A monster of 26.8 meters in size.”
Amazing.
If this is the flagship among personal mechs…
“Seol-ah, go get in.”
“Hup… Ah! Yes, yes…!”
Baekseol, who had been standing still and staring up at it, finally snapped out of it when she heard my words.
She wiggled her butt and busily went down below.
She was leading the way even before the escorting secretaries; she seemed to be looking forward to it.
“Your toy looks more impressive than I expected. It doesn’t seem like an item to dismiss.”
“Right?”
“So, I’d like to adopt this mech as a mass-produced model.”
“This… as a mass-produced model?”
A monster mech of 26.8 meters.
It’s about the height of a building, and they’re going to adopt it as a mass-produced model?
“Of course, there will be some degradation when it goes into mass production, but it’ll still be better than what we have now. More than anything, the 9th generation development is being delayed more than expected. We might find a breakthrough in the process of designing the 8.5 generation as a mass-produced model.”
“9th generation…”
My mouth was itching to say something.
“Ah, and.”
Koo Min-young looked at Kang Hye-young as if she had remembered something.
Then, she took out a document envelope from the bag she was holding and approached me.
Swish.
“This is a gift from the Vice Chairman to Young Master.”
“?”
I looked at Koo Min-young as I received the envelope with both hands respectfully, and she gave me a motherly smile.
“I’ve been thinking a lot since I received the report that you hijacked a mech without permission before.”
“Ah.”
She must be talking about Eunhwa…
“Indeed, it doesn’t make sense that our nephew only has one exclusive knight.”
“…!!”
Could it be…?
“We’ve selected the thirteen most outstanding trainee knights from training centers across the country. They’ve all almost finished their basic training, but their progress varies, so we’re gathering them separately for special training.”
“Are… are you saying…?”
“They’ll be assigned to you as your exclusive knights in three months.”
“!!!”
Exclusive!
And thirteen of them??!
Then, if you add Baekseol and Eunhwa, that’s 15 people…!
“So, there will be a total of fifteen exclusive knights…”
“Yes. It’s your first exclusive knight squad, Muyeol.”
“Hup…”
I was so surprised that I hurriedly opened the envelope and took out the documents.
Koo Min-young smiled like a young lady as she watched me.
‘It’s real. I really have a knight squad…!’
On paper, there are 13 people, so it’s not a formal knight squad formation.
But if you add Baekseol and Eunhwa, the number of personnel matches the 15 needed to call it a knight squad.
Then, including the Pacific Knight 1st Platoon that Koo Min-ji lent me, I can operate a whopping two knight squads.
“T, thank… you…”
This was truly unexpected.
Is it okay to give such a surprise gift?
My hands are shaking from the shock…
“I’m the one who should be sorry. I feel like I haven’t been paying enough attention to you until now.”
“Min-young…”
The documents I was holding slipped from my hand as I looked at her.
Kang Hye-young quickly bent down and picked them up.
Whack!
“Augh?!”
I hugged Koo Min-young tightly and whispered my gratitude.
Her face immediately turned from that of a Vice Chairman to that of a woman, and she blushed.
“Thank you, Min-young.”
“…Muyeol.”
But she soon returned the embrace warmly.
Ah.
Is this the dignity of an adult?
Mommy’s embrace is so cozy.
– Guwoooong
Just then, the mech that Baekseol was in started up.
The surrounding area trembled as a result, and the slightly dim surroundings brightened up due to the lights coming from the mech.
“…Your knight squad’s exclusive weapons and personal mechs are already in preparation.”
“Gasp.”
“And that too… It’s an 8.5 generation now, but we’ll make you a new one when the 9th generation development is complete.”
“T, that’s…!”
I looked at her in admiration, and she smiled beautifully before giving me a quick kiss.
“I told you, I’m going to pass everything down to you and Min-ji. This much is nothing.”
Mommy…!!
My emotions welled up.
This feeling is… yes, it’s the same feeling I had when I first received recognition from my grandfather and received Baekseol as a gift!
It’s exactly that feeling.
It’s not just that I’m happy to receive a gift, but the strong sense of belonging that comes from realizing that I’m truly a part of these people’s family swept over me.
“Th,”
I tried to say something, but it didn’t come out well.
No, I don’t even know what I want to say in the first place.
I just feel overwhelmed with emotion.
“I, I have something to say…”
“Hmm?”
“I want to be alone with… Min-young…”
