Chapter 162: The Tide of Battle

“Pleased to meet you. I’m Kang Tae-joon.”

“Jo… In-hyeok.”

As I extended my hand,

Captain Jo In-hyeok shook it with a nervous, wavering gaze.

“Do you have any idea why I’m here?”

“…….”

Captain Jo lowered his head.

It was proof that he knew he had done wrong.

“There’s no time, so I’ll be direct. I’ll give you a chance to fix your mistake.”

“A chance? What do you mean…”

He voiced his confusion, but his expression suggested he understood the meaning of my words to some extent.

“If you return the money you received from Ahsung and promise to do your best from the second round of evaluations onward, I won’t make an issue of this.”

“…….”

“You’ve dedicated ten years of your life to the nation. It would be a shame to be dishonorably discharged over one mistake, wouldn’t it?”

I could have told Lieutenant General Kim Dae-hoon to replace Captain Jo with another shooter.

But I didn’t go that far.

There wasn’t another shooter capable of replacing him,

and I had heard the reason he had no choice but to accept the money.

“Instead… if you promise to do your best in the remaining evaluations, I’ll take care of your father’s hospital bills.”

“You even… knew about that?”

“If it weren’t for your father’s situation, Captain Jo In-hyeok, I’m told you wouldn’t have taken the money.”

A soldier with a strong sense of duty and an inability to tolerate injustice.

That was the kind of person Hong Chung-ki had recognized in Captain Jo In-hyeok.

Unable to meet my gaze, Captain Jo’s head bowed low.

“…I’m sorry. And thank you.”

＊＊＊

The second round of evaluations.

The urban warfare simulation zone.

A complex firing course composed of flags, model buildings, and smoke grenades was fully set up.

Captain Jo In-hyeok stood at the starting line with the AGE-01 in hand,

his eyes completely different from those in the first round.

[30 seconds until the start of the second test]

“Is the computation module set?”

“Yes, I’ve adjusted the tactical pattern to this course, so even if the movements change, it’ll automatically find the optimal firing angle.”

“Good.”

I nodded at Han Yu-ju’s words,

then turned my attention back to the monitor.

[Test start!]

With a digital signal, five urban-type electronic targets appeared at random.

They moved quickly, evading in intervals of 2.7 seconds, 3.1 seconds, and 1.9 seconds.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Exactly five shots.

All hit the center of the targets, or within a margin of error of 0.1mm.

The evaluators let out exclamations almost simultaneously upon seeing the results.

“Wow, he hit them that fast?”

“How can he hit all the targets with just five shots?”

“Because Captain Jo In-hyeok is just that skilled.”

“Captain Jung Kwang-sik’s skills are the same, and he’s using an A2C. But look at the results.”

The display the evaluator pointed to showed that only four of the five shots Captain Jung had fired hit the target, and the average deviation was 0.18mm.

“So is it the difference in weapons? The A2C looks much better on the surface.”

The A2C was a digitally integrated assault rifle, an improved version of the existing A2.

It was equipped with an optical sight, a laser rangefinder, and a ballistic computation module.

At a glance, it was clear that it was an upgraded version of the A2.

In contrast, the AGE-01 looked rather simple and modest in design.

Its frame seemed to expose the module structure, and the exterior decorations were boldly omitted.

At first glance, it even gave the impression of being an unfinished prototype.

‘It is a prototype, technically…’

Yet, its precision in piercing the targets was overwhelming.

“Even if it looks shabby, is the AGE-01’s performance better than the A2C’s?”

“We’ll… see if we keep watching.”

The second course of the second evaluation was a mountain warfare simulation test zone.

Electronic targets were hidden in a battlefield of irregular terrain, steep slopes, rocks, and bushes.

The test required hitting the targets the moment they moved quickly from their hiding places.

The targets were moving, the firing lanes were narrow,

and the shooter’s field of vision was limited.

On top of that, the exposure time was only about one second, and the movement paths were unpredictable.

“Is this test three shots?”

Director Cha Dong-hyuk nodded at my question.

“It’s about who can hit the randomly appearing targets more precisely while moving to the destination.”

It was a test to evaluate the rifle’s performance,

but the shooter’s mobility and reaction speed could also have some influence.

‘Good thing I persuaded him in advance.’

I looked at Jo In-hyeok on the monitor.

If the persuasion hadn’t worked, or if he had been replaced by another shooter with lesser abilities,

this test might have been significantly affected.

My rifle might improve accuracy, but in the end, it’s the person who pulls the trigger.

“Begin.”

As soon as Director Cha spoke,

Captain Jung Kwang-sik, holding the A2C, dashed forward to start the test.

Captain Jung quickly advanced, using the rocky terrain for cover.

As he activated the A2C’s laser rangefinder and ballistic computation module, the distance and angle appeared on the HUD.

Shortly after, the first target emerged from behind some bushes on the left.

Bang!

Captain Jung pulled the trigger without a sound,

and the target fell cleanly.

[Hit, deviation 0.12mm]

Unfazed by the announcement over the speakers, he moved to the next position.

This time, the target emerged from between rocks on the steep slope.

Bang!

The second shot also hit smoothly.

[Deviation 0.09mm]

“Captain Jung, as expected.”

“With skills like his, he could have achieved the same results without the A2C, right?”

“I don’t think so. Last time, when he used the A2, he wasn’t this precise.”

Unlike the evaluators, Captain Jung couldn’t relax.

The final, third target.

It appeared for only 0.7 seconds in a gap between two rock walls, like a canyon.

Captain Jung aimed immediately,

but the ballistic computation module produced a slight error.

The calculation was delayed due to the target’s irregular movement.

However, there was no time to hesitate,

and Captain Jung instinctively pulled the trigger.

But…

[Hit, deviation 2.37mm]

Captain Jung lowered his rifle, frowning.

“Damn…”

He had hit the target,

but it was significantly off-center.

He seemed dissatisfied with the result,

but the evaluators watching had a different opinion.

“Wow, he still hit it.”

“The success rate for hitting targets on that course is less than 3%.”

And he had hit it, just 2.37mm off-center.

“The A2C’s performance is definitely good.”

“I wonder how the AGE-01 will do?”

The evaluators agreed that there was virtually no difference in skill between Captain Jung Kwang-sik and Captain Jo In-hyeok, who was holding the AGE-01 at the starting line.

The eyes of the evaluators and other officials turned to Captain Jo.

“Captain Jo, are you ready?”

“Yes.”

As Captain Jo took his starting position, the coordinator immediately gave the signal.

“Start!”

At the signal, Captain Jo In-hyeok slowly began moving with the AGE-01 in hand.

He read the terrain, took a deep breath, and lowered his stance.

The first target.

It emerged from beneath a rock on the right.

Bang!

A direct hit.

[Deviation 0.05mm]

The second target appeared midway up the slope, from between some bushes.

Bang!

Another direct hit.

[Deviation 0.04mm]

Now he was certain.

‘This rifle is definitely different.’

There was clearly something beyond just assisting his aim.

It sounded absurd, but it felt like the bullets were flying to the target on their own.

Which made him even more curious.

The final, third target, which he failed to hit eight out of ten times.

What would the result be this time?

Captain Jo reached the position and immediately took his stance, but…

“No, too late.”

The target’s appearance was too unpredictable.

It disappeared before his body could react.

From past experience, he was certain that if he fired now, the result would be a failure.

But he couldn’t not shoot, so he instinctively pulled the trigger.

At that moment, the AGE-01 recalculated the user’s arm angle and acceleration

and attempted a ballistic correction.

Bang!

As the shot rang out,

Captain Jo’s memory flashed with the afterimage of the target that had disappeared from his sight.

It was already too late,

and Captain Jo himself knew it.

There was no chance of a hit.

But…

The result appeared on the display.

[Hit, deviation 0.01mm]

“…What?”

Captain Jo In-hyeok stared blankly at the target.

He had clearly fired straight ahead,

but at that moment, the target had already turned to the left.

It was a position that, based on the bullet’s trajectory, he knew he couldn’t possibly hit.

“What just happened?”

Some of the evaluators also sensed something was wrong.

Many of those watching the real-time feed on the monitors were certain it was a miss,

but the result showed a hit.

The first to raise an objection was Yoon Seok-hwan, the CEO of Ahsung Defense.

“Is there something wrong with the test?”

Executive Director Kwon Do-hyun, who had accompanied him, chimed in.

“No matter how you look at it, a hit from that position is impossible. It’s an impossible angle.”

Some of the evaluators nodded at Executive Director Kwon’s words.

At that moment, the technical analyst calmly raised a hand and spoke.

“We’re analyzing it now, so please wait a moment.”

The analyst, after reviewing the high-speed camera footage at 0.01x speed, gaped in astonishment.

Unless his eyes were deceiving him,

the bullet clearly changed direction mid-flight toward the target.

Ignoring Yoon Seok-hwan and the others waiting for the results,

the analyst rushed straight to Lieutenant General Kim Dae-hoon, the person in charge.

“Sir, the bullet changed direction.”

“What?”

Lieutenant General Kim had been watching the situation on the monitor and had also sensed something was off.

But what the analyst said was far beyond his expectations.

He had expected an answer like a sensor malfunction.

“The bullet… changed direction?”

“After being fired from the barrel, the bullet adjusted its spin direction and acceleration, altering its trajectory by about 1.2 degrees.”

Lieutenant General Kim rushed to review the footage and saw what looked like the bullet indeed changing direction.

If this was true, it was an unbelievable technology.

“Sir, what should we tell Ahsung Defense?”

The technical analyst pointed to Yoon Seok-hwan and the others, their faces flushed with anger as they waited for the official announcement.

“Say there were no issues with the judgment.”

“Is that all we’re going to say?”

Lieutenant General Kim nodded immediately, without hesitation.

If what he had seen was true, this was information that should not be leaked externally for the time being.

He had no idea what kind of magic had been worked,

but a rifle with this technology could be a game-changer on the battlefield.