Dictator From Outer Space

Chapter 42: Defending Secrets, Singularity's Rise, and A Honda Jet Surprise

As the new year began, the presidential election became a hot issue.

However, people were more interested in the achievements of Lucia, the artificial intelligence, than the candidate who was almost certain to win.

The national research institutes and Silla Hi-Tech, which were in the defense sector, had suffered from tremendous hacking attempts.

They had a lot of confidential data, such as surveillance drones, the new K-3 tank, and the railgun that they had just started researching.

Each institute had prepared for it, but they could not prevent information from leaking out during the process of updating the hardware firmware.

Since it was difficult to break into the internal network from outside, they created a company that sold cheap equipment and made a contract with them.

The equipment was not impressive, so the institutes did not check the firmware and received security certification.

And the firmware update program tried to disable the security system and steal the administrator information that could access the internal network.

This incident was discovered the next day when the researchers checked the access data.

The national research institutes were in danger of being turned upside down, but one researcher revealed that Lucia had stopped it.

“Lucia stopped this! I’m sure of it!”

“What? Who left Lucia on?”

“Well, actually…”

It all started with a Lucia Shield version that a researcher had left on his personal computer.

This Lucia had a powerful anti-hacking add-on installed.

He had downloaded it without much expectation, just to test it out, but he forgot to turn it off and went home after playing with Lucia.

And on the night of the hacking attempt, Lucia showed a brilliant performance.

When someone tried to enter with the stolen administrator account from outside, she not only blocked it perfectly, but also completely prevented any further attempts.

Lucia did not have kernel access rights, so she only defended herself all night long.

The researchers looked at the vivid traces of the battle and shook their heads in awe.

“Wow, she blocked that…”

“Usually they get through, but Lucia must have judged that it was not a proper authority.”

“Actually, even if they took the information, they couldn’t decrypt it because it was encrypted.”

“But you still have to write a report for leaving your computer on. Why don’t you follow the security regulations?”

The hacking ultimately failed, but the employee who caused the incident had to write a report and the company that made the contract was investigated by the prosecution.

Of course, they took down their site and fled somewhere, so there was no evidence left.

This incident made headlines with some exaggeration.

—Lucia protects Korea’s national defense secrets!

—A thorough analysis of Lucia, the perfect security guard.

—A white hacker praises Lucia: “There is no way to hack her because she analyzes like a machine and judges like a human.”

Lucia already had a good image, but this incident created a public opinion that she was flawless.

The Ministry of Land and Transportation applied Lucia’s fault ratio data to human cases as well as cars.

Impatient people clamored for giving Lucia the authority to audit government agencies.

—Stop throwing money at civic groups!

—I wish Lucia would expose budget waste by introducing 500 thousand won trash cans as a joke.

—She exposes them but doesn’t punish them. That’s the problem. They’re all in cahoots.

—They should get everything reviewed by Lucia before doing any business.

—How about letting Lucia take over Korea’s administrative and financial networks? Anyone who gets caught will be executed right away.

ㄴI like that idea.

ㄴYou’re a criminal if you disagree.

ㄴIsn’t that killing about 100 thousand people? Lol

ㄴThose who embezzle public money deserve to die.

The public opinion was so strong that they had a debate on this topic on public broadcasting.

The proponents argued that Lucia could detect all those who wasted taxpayers’ money with her perfect algorithm so far.

The opponents claimed that they could not fully trust an algorithm made by a private company.

What if it suddenly broke down?

The arguments were so sharply opposed that they could not reach a conclusion easily.

And soon there would be an election, so public opinion quickly subsided.

But people seriously believed that singularity had arrived and they could not stop it.

And that Yu Ji-ha was at the center of that singularity.

…

One day near the end of January.

A Terra Heavy launch vehicle launched by Starfield landed at Naro Space Center.

This launch vehicle carried as much as 500kg of unobtanium collected from the moon.

They also estimated the approximate amount of unobtanium deposits through extensive exploration.

Starfield calculated the profitability based on that number and announced that they could make enough profit with an improved Terra Heavy launch vehicle.

“However, this is only applicable if you use Starfield’s launch vehicle. We cannot guarantee the profitability if you use a different launch vehicle. I’ll take questions now.”

A Japanese reporter raised his hand and asked.

“Let me confirm this. Is it true that you received support from JAXA to make the launch vehicle?”

Yu Ji-ha did not deny it.

“It is true that we received some data from them.”

“That means that without JAXA’s support, there would be no Starfield today.”

He was waiting for his characteristic sarcasm.

He seemed to think that he could justify himself mentally by saying that he was the origin of Starfield.

If he did not refute here, the Japanese portal sites would be flooded with articles with titles like this.

—It is a clear fact that JAXA has a stake in the Terra Heavy launch vehicle.

—Starfield’s CEO confesses that he could not have been independent without JAXA’s support.

—Japan was Starfield’s father!

Of course, Yu Ji-ha did not want to let such articles go out.

“Shall I show you? How much of JAXA’s technology is applied to Starfield’s launch vehicle?”

Before the reporter could say anything, a laptop displayed a launch vehicle model.

Yu Ji-ha deleted the parts one by one.

The only thing left was a few boards and seals used in the mission computer and some trivial parts.

Among the reporters who had some knowledge, a remark popped out: “That’s nothing.”

“If you look at the ratio, it’s about…0.1%. If you look at the weight, it’s less than that. Do you think you can’t replace it with a generic part?”

“…”

The reporter closed his mouth and Yu Ji-ha tapped the table and said firmly.

“We only followed JAXA’s part specifications because we didn’t have time. And we have a good relationship with JAXA. We even plan to test their robots next quarter. Why are you so frustrated by this?”

“…”

“You reporters are the ones who write articles like I’m trying to kill the Japanese car industry. It’s only because they’re fighting over the ratio that the site selection is delayed. Is that my fault?”

There was a reporter who wrote that article in the press room, but he couldn’t come forward.

He wrote an article that mentioned the history of the Japanese car industry and said that Silla Energy was responsible if black metal was not supplied.

The article made it seem like Silla Energy was not supplying the promised batteries.

But in reality, it was only because the Japanese car industry was fighting over the ratio that the site selection was not done.

They had to sort out their internal affairs before they could build a factory or not.

Yu Ji-ha sighed and withdrew his gaze.

“I don’t expect much, but please stop it.”

The press conference ended there.

The Japanese reporters seemed to have some conscience and did not exaggerate or distort the atmosphere of the press conference.

Yu Ji-ha headed to the railgun research building after merging with Hansung Inotech and Hi-Tech.

This research building boasted a considerable number of researchers, adding those who had scattered before to the existing team.

The goal was to develop a Korean-style railgun.

As President Lee Hyun-sung had judged, it was originally considered impossible, but the situation had changed.

A superhuman who could solve the problems of barrel, capacitor, and superconductor at once had appeared.

But it was not completely solved, so the researchers devoted themselves to research, saving even their meal time.

They were all tired, but they were burning with determination to make Korea’s first railgun.

Yu Ji-ha looked around the tasks of the research team and gave some simple advice.

For example, something like this.

“You don’t have to worry about black metal wearing out. Make the rail gap wider.”

“If you make the projectile in that shape, the penetration power will decrease a bit. Make it slightly blunt.”

“Replace the cooling device pump with a lower spec one. That capacity is too much.”

They all tilted their heads, but when they actually tested it, Yu Ji-ha’s words were always right.

The researchers stuck out their tongues when he disappeared.

“He must be calculating in his head.”

“I thought he didn’t get a PhD degree, but he didn’t need it.”

“He could just make it by himself…”

Anyway, with Yu Ji-ha’s leadership, the railgun development was progressing steadily.

The naval command checked the progress and discussed whether to modify Korea’s Aegis destroyer.

“Are you saying we should tear down Daewangnim? It would be better to build a new one.”

“We’re already struggling with a lack of supply ships and you want to make a new ship? Do you think our ancestors will supply us with diesel?”

It was all because of the lack of budget.

The Korean-type light aircraft carrier that was being repaired in pieces at the dock was sucking up the navy’s budget like a black hole.

However, while they were fighting over this, the staff members hoped that Yu Ji-ha would throw them an ion thruster to try out.

It was something with an incredible thrust, so they wanted to test if it really worked.

He didn’t know or care about their expectations, and only devoted himself to superconductor and railgun research.

And time passed and soon it was February and the presidential election came.

The media announced that Jo Hyung-geun was certain to win, and the result came out as expected.

Arma reported that the Chinese navy’s movements were not good.

“They seem to be really going to war. They are mobilizing aircraft carriers and landing ships for landing training.”

In response, the US Navy also deployed an augmented Pacific fleet around Guam.

The media reported on the US Navy’s new weapon railgun every day.

Whenever a railgun appeared on the screen, Yu Ji-ha was also mentioned.

We want a railgun too.

The future food

—A series of underwater earthquakes have been occurring in the North Pacific recently. The Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries has urged caution for offshore fishing vessels in the area.

—President-elect Jo Hyung-geun appointed Oh Jung-chul, former director of the National Intelligence Service, as chairman of the transition committee. This is seen as a strong message of his drive for North Korea.

Yu Ji-ha sat on the sofa and listened to the TV.

“I need a private jet from now on.”

As the group grew and the business increased, he had a lot of schedules to go around.

It was a waste to reserve a seat every time, so he decided to buy a business jet.

Arma sat next to him and projected a hologram with his finger in the air.

“Here’s some coffee. Do you want to buy a used one since you need it right away?”

A website called AvBuyer that sold aircraft appeared on the hologram.

Yu Ji-ha turned his head and looked at the list and took a sip of coffee.

“Not bad. Just buy something decent. I’ll make a new one later.”

There was also a plan to separate and grow the aircraft sector from Starfield in the initial roadmap.

The existing aircraft were too slow for Yu Ji-ha, who lived in the 2180s, to ride, so he was furious.

He couldn’t suddenly come up with an aircraft, so he planned to acquire a suitable company and grow it.

He needed an aircraft to ride around before that.

“I’ll buy this one.”

It was Arma’s choice, so it must be good.

It wasn’t a lot of money anyway.

But a few hours later, Arma came back.

“Master, I got a call from Honda in Japan.”

“Honda? The car company?”

“They also make motorcycles and have entered the business jet market. They’re still in the early stages, but they’re making some progress.”

“Why from there?”

“Honda’s president said he wanted to donate a business jet to you.”

“How did he know?”

“I applied for a purchase on AvBuyer under my name, but I guess Honda also got contacted as the seller.”

“I guess that’s how the system works. But donation…it sounds fishy.”

He wasn’t trying to ask for a stake in the black metal battery, was he?

Arma showed the model and price of the business jet that Honda was selling on a hologram.

“It’s the Honda Jet Royal S line that was released recently. It’s about 15 billion won, so I don’t think it’s a bribe.”

It would be greedy to get a good stake for just 15 billion won.

“Call him.”

A moment later, a clumsy Korean came out of the smartphone.

-Ex…excuse me. I’m Fujio Shibu.

“Fujio Shibu”

“He’s the representative who inherited the founder and leads Honda.”

“This is Yu Ji-ha. You said you wanted to see me.”

-I apologize for confirming your message on AvBuyer.

He sounded like he was reading Korean written in Japanese.

Yu Ji-ha switched to Japanese right away.

“It can’t be helped if that’s how the system works. What do you want?”

-Yes…I saw that you were looking for a business jet and I wanted to show you that Honda’s product is not bad, yes.

Yu Ji-ha recited the Japanese text that Arma showed him.

“There’s no such thing as a free lunch, right? You seem to want something.”

-I have no such intention. I just wanted to show you that Honda’s wings are with you as you travel to many places.

He beat around the bush, but he meant to use Yu Ji-ha as a billboard.

Whenever he landed at an airport, Honda’s name would be shown along with him.

Fujio didn’t forget to say that a photographer would accompany him on the business jet.

Was it cheap for a 15 billion won advertisement?

When Yu Ji-ha didn’t accept it right away, Fujio spoke quickly as if he was desperate.

-If you accept this offer, we will cover all the maintenance costs. The deadline is until you get off the Honda Jet completely.

That wasn’t bad.

“I’ve always wanted to try a Honda Jet and this is how I get the opportunity.”

Of course, it was a lie.

-You won’t be disappointed.

A few days later, a Honda Jet Royal S version flew to Gimpo Airport.

Yu Ji-ha took a picture with Arma with the business jet in the background.

Click.

This picture would decorate Honda’s homepage for a while.

The pilot was Arma, who had just obtained his license, and an android from Starfield.

Yu Ji-ha got a business jet like this.

The test flight was not bad.

“It’s nice not having to worry about anything.”

It was partly because of his fame, but Arma was so tall and handsome that he stood out wherever he went.

The business jet they boarded headed for the capital of Kamchatka Peninsula.