Mercenary Black Mamba

"Don't say anything. When I sing love, he sings a song of affection. When I burn love, he burns souls. When he cooks haejangguk next to me, I set off to find my ambition. Love doesn't have the right answer, but one has to be responsible for his own choice."

Hae Young turned her eyes to the horizon. "You, love my brother. I will love you too." A bold phrase rang out in her ears with the cuckoo's cry. The cuckoo wouldn't cry because people liked to hear it. It was a proclamation of the realm that would say one should go out from its realm.

Jin Soon was a toxic woman who spent a week wandering around Bangtaesan Mountain in winter with a kitchen knife when Mu Ssang went missing. Mu Ssang, who was engrossed in his family and friendship, needed a devoted Jin Soon rather than a smart, arrogant woman. Would Mu Ssang understand that she had no choice but to leave? Her chest was weathered and as dreary as the paper that had been crushed.

"We're alive and our love isn't over," Black Mamba, though exhausted, mumbled to himself.

It was sad to see the fluff of her auricles shining like gold in the setting sun. Hae Young seemed to melt at any moment and disappear into the air. At that time, Hae Young was only his first love and Jin Soon was only his sister.

The first love was immature, so it was even more unfortunate. He was sorry for Jin Soon and Edel, but there was nothing to blame for Hae Young. Even a bird that entered the embrace of his arms wouldn't let go. How much more would a wounded soul be thrown away!

"I, who could share happiness, was not enough to share suffering. I don't deserve to be jealous and quarrelsome. I have something to confess but..."

He was going to hide his sorrow and go away but he had words stuck in his throat.

"Stop!"

Black Mamba stopped talking.

"Are you and I in a relationship like a priest and a believer who confesses and gives absolution? There is no one without wounds. Rookies can't be complete. I, too, cover all my wounds with scabs and live my life pretending to be okay, pretending I'm strong. Why do you do that for? Did you say it to forcefully tear off the scab and bleed profusely? Love is just giving, it's not a giving and receiving deal. Because expecting and wanting to receive, people become saddened, hateful, and open. I miss you even though you are by my side right now and I feel sorry for you. It's just that time passed. You were Hae Young ten years ago and you are still Hae Young. We are still a little clumsy and a little lacking in love. If there's any part you're sorry for me..."

Black Mamba stopped talking and stared into Hae Young's eyes.

"Ah!"

Hae Young seemed to melt into his burning eyes. The young lover had returned as a man. A man as reliable as a mountain and wide as the sea, was more beautiful than flowers and more emotional than butterflies. He was full of the scent of a real man. This man was hers. Selfishness increased in her mind and the resolve she had built up over the past few days was shaken.

"Forget it. Whether it's a beautiful memory or an ugly memory, it hardens at the moment you spit a word. If you truly love me, if it's for me, don't break the scab. When you become a cow, I become a cow. And when you become a horse, I become a horse. That's enough. In a life that hasn't been a hundred years, time is not enough even just for loving. There's no time to rip off the scab."

Du-dung! A thick baritone-like voice struck Hae Young's heart as if it was the heavenly gospel. The word "cow" and "horse" rang in her ears like a reverie. It wasn't enough time to love! Sweet words melted her heart. He wanted to change, but he didn't change. He was exactly her eternal lover Mu Ssang. So it was even sadder.

"But I..."

"This place will soon become Gehenna (Hell where demons go on rampage, scene of chaos). Tomorrow, my private plane will arrive here to bring you to the new world. Don't ask anything. Don't think anything. Just trust me."

Black Mamba stopped talking again. His heart was busy with an ominous premonition.

"I won't ask you anything. You can't get hurt. You told me once that there was no hero who could put up with being ganged up."

Hae Young swallowed all the words she wanted to say. There were often things in the world that were incomprehensible. Mu Ssang had become a being beyond comprehension.

"I am The Eastern Swordsman Mu Ssang. Even if the rats cover the ground, the tiger can't let being ganged up."

"That's right, your side is always the safest and most comfortable seat in the world. Kiss me!"

Hae Young raised her chin and pursed her lips. Heavy lips covered hers. Her thin body and soul dug into the arms of the strong man. Hae Young's whole body melted at the smell of the strong man.

"God, thank you," she said in her mind.

She was sincerely grateful to fate for having reunited with Mu Ssang. She slipped a nail-sized object tightly wrapped in waterproof plastic into Black Mamba's pocket.

******

In Los Alamos Institute vs. Conference room, the last presenter of the research performance regular briefing came forward.

"This is Steve Owen, Senior Director of the Inertial Confinement Fusion Reactor Research Team. Unfortunately, the inertial confinement plasma control that is being pursued by the institute has failed."

Dr. Owen picked it up from the bottom line willy-nilly. It's better to hit first.

"Oh!"

"Oh, no!"

A weak sigh erupted, and dozens of pairs of eyes stared at Owen.

"The power density of the core of the sun, where nuclear fusion continues, is 270 W per cubic meter. The reason fusion persists despite relatively low temperatures is high pressure. A commercial fusion power plant on Earth must produce at least 1,000,000 W of power density per cubic meter to operate. Inertial confinement requires a pressure one hundred times the gravity of the sun to set a valid distance between nucleons."

"Do you mean that we got the wrong direction from the beginning?!" someone in the front row yelled at him without even asking for a comment.

"Yes, it's true. At the current rate of advancement in technology, it will take 500 years to achieve 5,000 times the gravity of the Earth. The inertial confinement method has lost its meaning. I'm sorry to tell you this sad news."

Owen bowed deeply.

"What is this? 30,000 people over 30 years and 3 billion dollars to produce 30,000 tons of scrap metal? Los Alamos did it again."

"The most expensive scrap metal in the world. It must be more expensive than a meteorite."

"Three, three, three, three... is this a three-curses announcement?"

"I need to go to the oil cartel to report on the increase in oil prices."

"The frogs that pushed the hull-containment blow their hooves and the Moscow idiots will grab their belly button."

"Ah, the pride of the United States has been shattered like a cheap Chinese glass bowl."

The remarks of the head of the government state agency were the formulation of a bitter failure. All kinds of sharp criticism and scorn were poured out from high-ranking officials and senior researchers at the institute, managers of related organizations including the Ministry of National Defense, and journalists in the press.

"Please pay attention for a moment."

Davis raised his hand. Dozens of pairs of eyes turned toward Marshal Davis. If the project manager's excuses weren't good enough, they would rush and bite like a hyena.

"It's disappointing. Inertial confinement has failed, but the fusion reactor project has achieved significant results. You are well aware that the process of hitting lithium with a deuterium nucleus in a tritium nucleus is 10 million times lower than the hole-in-one probability. The lab found a substance that could be hole-in-one by simply swinging a screwdriver."

"Wow!"

"What is that?"

Everyone got surprised. Accelerating atomic nuclei itself was not difficult even with current technology, but securing significant collision energy was a problem. According to the marshal, it was said that they had found a clue to the production of a nuclear fusion reactor.

"It's top secret. Today is the day to give a message of hope to those who are disappointed. I'll release your curiosity at the next meeting."

Davis just finished his speech. The reporters of the press had dissatisfied expressions on their faces, but they did not complain much. The secrecy of Los Alamos was not a thing of the past and the media had to cooperate as long as it was in the national interest.

******

Attendees and media reporters rumbled as they got out of the conference room. Only the marshal and the committee members were left in a huge space.

"Davis, the room temperature superconductor was picked up and bounced around by a Black Mamba. When a prudent person like you makes a hasty statement, there must be a good reason, right?"

Hathaway was obviously staring at him. Even thinking about the missing Oparts made him sick in his stomach.

"I sent a second Oparts from the camp. The first physical property investigation has been completed."

Davis smiled.

"Are you going to tell me the good news after your characteristic bad news? That's not a good habit."

Ian rolled his eyes.

"I apologize. There is a Korean proverb that says that if the end is good, everything is good. Dr. Owen, explain."

"Tridentem is, as expected, a type of strong refractory brick. Currently, the best commercially available refractory material is alumina silica refractory material, which is Seger Cone (SK) No. 42. SK 42 withstands 2,000 degrees Celsius. Tridentem withstood the Hephaestus limit of 10,000 degrees Celsius. It is not measured by the number of Segerkons. No oxides were obtained, but it is presumed to be pure carbon and argon, nitrogen, and unknown gases were captured."

"I need an additional explanation. We, old men, aren't physicists or chemists. I mean our heads became slow-witted, too."

Herman shook his head. Dr. Owen wrinkled his forehead as if he were in trouble. Material properties were difficult to explain to outsiders.

"If the decisive problem of inertial confinement is pressure, the problem of magnetic field confinement is the room temperature superconductor and impurities. We will omit the description of the room temperature superconductor that you already know. The surface of the material surrounding the plasma, especially impurities with a low Z value such as carbon and oxygen, loses all electrons in the plasma. At this time, the energy is radiated to the outside, so the plasma is cooled. When the ignition temperature drops, the fusion reaction stops."

"Does this mean the inner wall of the vessel containing plasma must withstand ultra-high temperatures?"

"Yes, it's true. It is called a Limiter because that part limits the size of the plasma. Tungsten, molybdenum, carbon, beryllium, etc., no existing material is free from ultra-high temperature and impurities. This means that there is no material known to date that will be used as the inner wall of a fusion power plant."

"Wait, didn't you solve the impurity problem with the diverter device?"

Davis expressed his doubts. He was also involved in the design of the fusion reactor stellarator at Princeton University. The diverter device artificially would divert the magnetic field lines passing through the plasma edge and guide them into a separate compartment. Plasma impurities would do so build up in the compartment.

"That's right. The diverter can effectively filter impurities and also has the effect of removing helium, a reaction residue. The problem is that the experiment path is becoming incredibly complex and the cost is rising. In addition, the diverter must be given services from time to time. It costs more than ten times the cost of constructing and maintaining an equivalent nuclear fission power plant. The experimental level is possible, but commercialization is not feasible."

"Dr. Owen, do you want to claim that Tridentem is the inner wall of a fusion reactor?"

"Yes, it's true. Tridentem is a material that can shield over a billion degrees of radiant heat leakage from plasma. The world of physics, materials engineering, and chemistry will be amazed. Of course, if we announce it, I mean. If the limiter analyzes the surface element arrangement of Tridentem and reverse-engineer it, there will be no problem. Once the endothelium is resolved, the outer skin can be resolved with a tungsten alloy."

"Are you saying that the value of Tridentem is no less than that of a room temperature superconductor?"

"Yes, it's true. Once the limiter is resolved, the nuclear power generation capacity of the fusion reactor is no longer limited. Currently, the standard nuclear power plant capacity in operation is one million megawatts. This means that fusion power plants can be built with a capacity of 10 million or 100 million megawatts. If we build a 300 million megawatt fusion power plant in Alaska and transfer it to the room temperature superconductor by jumping, the entire United States of America can use electricity without restrictions."

"Ooh!"

The committee members admired in unison.

"The Tridentem and the room temperature superconductor are a gift from God. If only the room temperature superconductor is obtained, commercial fusion reactors can be built within a decade. God wants the United States to be the ruler of the world, not the leader of the world."

"Ooh!"

They burst into admiration again.

"Not just that, Sir. When the Tridentem is combined with the room temperature superconductor, it creates an ultra weapon that can't be compared to a rail gun."

"Ultra weapon?"

Hathaway's eyes flashed.

"It's a light cannon. What happens if one hundred million megawatts of energy hit Moscow directly at the speed of light?"

Dr. Owen laughed brightly. He didn't even dream that the light cannon was taking a nap in the Sahara.

"The Reds will disappear from the earth. But would it have to be miniaturized to carry it?"

"The distance between atomic nuclei at which nuclear force overwhelms repulsive force is approximately 1-2 fm (1㎙=10⁻¹⁵m). Applying a 100,000-volt potential difference yields a corresponding particle acceleration. If only the room temperature superconductor and the Tridentem are secured, nuclear fusion can be created," Dr. Owen assured.

"How long will the Tridentem reverse-engineering take?"

"It's hard to affirm but... it can be done in 5 to 10 years."

At Ian's question, the doctor put on a puzzled expression. Because the technological gap was so large that no one would know unless they try it.

"10 years... Is the polar bear tokamak likely to succeed?"

Davis laughed at Hathaway's question.