Chapter 133: Technical Review
The Ministry of Defense’s Facilities Management Headquarters oversees the NCC technical review site.
Amid palpable tension, officials from the Ministry of Defense and external evaluators entered the review area.
There were two final candidates.
Ahsung Construction and Dojin Frontier.
[We will soon begin the bunker shock test. Both delegations, please move outside the on-site control area.]
An official’s announcement echoed through the speakers.
Seong-hwan, Park Cheol-jin, and I stood at a distance, holding binoculars.
“It looks like they’re starting with the test on Ahsung’s bunker.”
“How does the test proceed?”
Park Cheol-jin answered my question.
“The first stage is a vertical drop impact test. A 5-ton steel weight is dropped from a fixed height to measure the pressure on the bunker’s upper part. External cracks, internal sensor reactions, and the impact on the human simulation dummies are all comprehensively evaluated.”
“Hmm… It seems like a simple static load drop test.”
“Correct. But dropping a 5-ton weight from a height of 10 meters results in an impact force of 490 kilonewtons.”
490kN was enough to cause upper cracks in most medium-sized buildings.
“Without structural stability, the impact could crack the outer walls or collapse the internal air conditioning frames.”
No ordinary concrete could withstand this test.
However, since there was no sign of disturbance in Ahsung’s camp, they seemed confident.
‘They used steel fiber concrete, so there’s no reason to be nervous about this.’
Steel Fiber Reinforced Concrete (SFRC) is a type of concrete that mixes steel fibers with regular concrete to enhance tensile strength, impact resistance, and crack control.
It is mainly used in places like airport runways, port loading areas, and container yards, where heavy machinery and cargo trucks exert repeated loads.
[The test will begin with Ahsung’s bunker.]
As the moderator’s voice came through the speakers,
everyone’s attention turned to one side.
I also raised my binoculars to look at Ahsung’s bunker.
[First impact test, Ahsung Construction test bunker. Drop position fixed. Dropping in 3 seconds. 3… 2… 1.]
Boom!
The massive steel weight struck the bunker’s upper part directly.
The sound of the drop reverberated across the ground, causing some observers to flinch and step back.
[Vibration data secured.]
[No external cracks. Internal dummy survival rate 100%. Pressure, temperature, and micro-vibration levels are all within the standard range.]
“……It’s definitely solid.”
At Seong-hwan’s words, I frowned.
“Because they used steel fibers.”
I glanced at Ahsung’s camp, which was far away.
Despite withstanding the first impact, Joo Eun-cheon’s expression didn’t change much.
‘Normally, he would have come over here and boasted a lot.’
Today, he seemed very different from usual.
Instead, Cheon Jun-young, who was attending with him, had a look on his face like he was having the time of his life.
Feeling that I was looking at him, he flicked his index finger back and forth at me.
Shortly after, the moderator resumed the test.
This time, it was our turn.
[Next candidate, Dojin Frontier. The drop test will proceed under the same conditions.]
The steel weight suspended from the crane slowly moved over our bunker.
[3… 2… 1.]
Kaboom!
Once again, the impact sound shook the earth.
However, this time, there was much less residual vibration.
Dust rose where the weight hit, but soon the supervisors scanned the bunker’s surface from above.
[No external cracks.]
[Vibration absorption rate 82%.]
[Energy dispersion pattern, normal.]
[Internal dummy survival rate 100%.]
At the supervisor’s words, Park Cheol-jin shouted,
“Passed!”
“Whoa!”
It was the expected result.
But it was still exhilarating.
“What’s next? An explosion test?”
Park Cheol-jin smiled faintly and nodded.
“Yes, the second stage is a real-life simulation test. A 250kg high-explosive bomb will be dropped into the center of the bunker, and the blast reaction, internal collapse, and survival rate will all be comprehensively evaluated.”
I raised the corners of my mouth.
How much could a bunker made of ultra-high-strength concrete combined with Midas’s abilities withstand?
It was something I had been curious about throughout the construction of the test bunker.
[We will soon begin the second explosion impact test.]
[First candidate, Ahsung Construction test bunker.]
[Bomb type: 250kg TNT-based high-explosive]
[Drop height: 50m]
[Detonation method: Wireless remote fuse]
The Ministry of Defense test officer, who had been reading the details, looked around and then shouted loudly,
[All personnel, confirm evacuation beyond 200m from the blast radius. Drop preparation countdown!]
[3… 2… 1.]
Boom!
In an instant, a sharp metallic sound, as if the air were tearing,
accompanied the large bomb as it fell vertically on a wire.
And one second later.
Kaboom!
The scene flashed white for a moment.
Then, a huge cloud of dust and debris shot up, and thick smoke covered the area, obscuring the view.
[Collecting sensor data from the blast center.]
Vibration meters, high-speed thermal imaging cameras, and micro-debris tracking systems—
The various equipment prepared by the Ministry of Defense moved busily.
Through the binoculars, the upper part of Ahsung’s bunker looked more intact than expected.
[No outer wall damage.]
[Internal devices functioning normally.]
[Dummy survival rate 100%.]
Cheon Jun-young, who had somehow approached, sneered with his usual expression,
“The result is a foregone conclusion, so don’t get your hopes up.”
I didn’t respond to his childish words.
Seeing that, Cheon Jun-young, thinking he had won, curled the corners of his mouth upward
and returned to his camp.
[Next candidate, Dojin Frontier test bunker.]
[Dropping now.]
[Countdown 3, 2, 1.]
Kaboom!
The explosion sound rang out again,
and soon the supervisor’s announcement followed after scanning our bunker.
[No outer wall damage.]
[Internal systems functioning normally.]
[Dummy survival rate 100%.]
“It exceeded the standard.”
Park Cheol-jin lightly clenched his fist.
Glancing at Cheon Jun-young,
I saw that although the corners of his mouth were still turned up, his fingertips had gone into his pockets.
And from the spectator seats around the review area, murmurs arose.
“No way, is this for real?”
“A 250kg high-explosive bomb was dropped vertically, and both are fine?”
“Well, Ahsung has experience in defense-related projects, but… Dojin is new to this, right?”
Ministry of Defense officials also exchanged opinions in low voices.
“Who designed this, anyway?”
“I’ve never seen results like this in a structural destruction test before.”
“Is there something we don’t know, from the foundation work to the material selection?”
“Maybe the bunker is too small?”
“Both sides passed the specification inspection. The area, thickness, and depth all match the bidding conditions.”
“Wow, so this really is a matter of skill.”
As the conversation continued,
the preparation for the third test seemed to be complete, and the moderator’s voice was heard again.
[Next is the third test. This test is a high-intensity guided missile simulation strike experiment.]
“Guided missile?”
Seong-hwan asked in a surprised voice,
and Park Cheol-jin quickly answered.
“It’s an air-to-ground intelligent simulation missile. There’s no warhead explosion, but it measures the pressure generated by inducing a 1-ton impact.”
Once again, the first target was Ahsung Construction.
[Third guided missile strike test. Target locked, firing.]
Kaboom-
Whoosh!
Something from high in the sky struck the bunker directly.
Dust and debris flew up.
[Partial outer wall delamination.]
[Internal systems functioning normally.]
[Dummy survival rate 87%.]
“Part of the outer wall came off.”
“Still, they barely passed.”
At the words from the spectator seats, I looked at Ahsung’s side
and saw that Cheon Jun-young’s raised lips had completely dropped.
[Next, Dojin Frontier. Strike commencing.]
Kaboom!
The ground shook again,
and this time, our bunker’s upper part trembled from the massive impact.
But…
[No outer wall damage.]
[Internal systems functioning normally.]
[Vibration damping rate 88%.]
[Dummy survival rate 100%.]
[Third test passed!]
At the moderator’s announcement, applause erupted from the review panel.
At a glance, our blast resistance performance was superior.
However, the tests weren’t over yet.
[The fourth test is an EMP blast and electrostatic transmission test. The purpose is to assess the level of internal electronic equipment protection and the maintenance of command and control capabilities.]
As the moderator finished speaking,
the surrounding spectator seats stirred again.
“Is this a defense test or a full-scale military experiment?”
“The blast test alone is challenging, but EMP too?”
“Can the test bunker really withstand this?”
Ahsung went first again.
A high-output EMP module fired high-frequency pulses from above the bunker,
and soon, an electromagnetic pulse reaching millions of volts split the sky.
Sizzle!
[EM protection layer damping rate 39%.]
[Internal electronic equipment malfunction.]
[Survival rate 53%.]
[Some control systems halted.]
[Fourth test failed.]
At the moderator’s announcement, I smiled.
“It’s impossible to pass the EMP test with resin concrete.”
Resin concrete, made of metal, is very weak at electromagnetic shielding.
So, they tried to defeat us in the blast test before the fourth test,
but our bunker withstood more than expected, revealing all their cards.
Now, Cheon Jun-young’s expression was completely distorted.
I raised my index finger, just as he had done earlier,
and flicked it back and forth.
‘Watch closely, this is what real electromagnetic shielding looks like.’
[Next, Dojin Frontier. EMP test starting.]
[Countdown 3, 2, 1.]
Once again, a bluish electromagnetic wave spread across the sky.
The entire test site fell silent, as if power had been cut.
[Damping rate 91%.]
[Internal equipment functioning normally.]
[Dummy survival rate 100%.]
[Command system normal.]
The results were so astonishing that even the review committee chairman gasped in surprise.
“Is this… really possible?”
“Can this level of electromagnetic protection actually occur?”
“What kind of technology does Dojin possess?”
Even our people were equally amazed.
“Wow…”
“This performance overwhelmingly exceeds the simulation values I calculated.”
“Even with ultra-high-strength concrete, this level of protection shouldn’t be possible…”
Director Cha Dong-hyuk and Park Cheol-jin’s gaze turned to me,
and Seong-hwan spoke playfully on my behalf,
“I told you, Taejun has a magic touch.”
“Is that really true?”
Park Cheol-jin asked me,
but I answered with a smile.
I couldn’t reveal the secret of Midas’s hands.
“It seems like we’ve won the technical review. Is it all over now?”
“I think so. Since we overwhelmingly won both the blast resistance and EMP shielding tests, there shouldn’t be any additional tests…”
Or so I thought.
The review committee members exchanged words
and announced the final fifth test.
[The Ministry of Defense has decided to conduct a drop test using the simulator version of the Taurus missile, which is under consideration for domestic adoption, as the final stage of this NCC test.]