As soon as Scott saw Junho, he stood up from his chair, offered a handshake with a sly smile.

  “Mr. Vice Minister, ah... my apologies. Since this is a top-secret matter, we had no choice but to use a blindfold. Are you alright? Please, have a seat here.”

  Although Junho was a former vice minister, Scott used the title out of courtesy.

  “Yes, I’m fine. Security must always be thorough,” Junho replied with a slight smile as he sat down.

  Even in that brief moment of taking his seat, he scanned Scott closely to gauge what kind of man he was.

  Scott was about 170cm tall not particularly tall for an American. His brown hair was thinning a bit,

  but it was neatly slicked back, giving him a certain charm.

  The eyes behind his black-rimmed glasses looked as kind as a 'neighbor next door,' yet a sharp gaze lay hidden beneath that surface.

  He also couldn't quite hide the typical middle-aged potbelly.

  “Mr. Vice Minister, I am sorry for making you come all the way from Korea.

  This is a matter directly linked to national security, so it was unavoidable.

  To begin with, we have a few things we're curious about.

  May we ask you some questions?”

  “Yes, of course. Please, go ahead.”

  “First of all... regarding the woman currently detained in the security facility within the airbase I’m not sure whether to call her an alien or a human but anyway,

  how does she know your name, Mr. Vice Minister?”

  “That is exactly what I am most curious about as well.

  How could she possibly know me? I have absolutely no knowledge of that woman.”

  Junho was lying.

  “Mr. Vice Minister, you must be truthful with us.

  We may officially subject you to a polygraph test later on.”

  “Certainly. I will cooperate to the best of my ability. However,

  I truly do not know that woman, and I don't understand why she wants to see me.”

  Junho replied with a look of genuine bewilderment. Scott continued his questioning.

  “When you were in office, you led the deployment of military robots in the DMZ as part of a project to strengthen South Korea’s national defense capabilities, didn’t you?”

  “I understand that you even successfully completed the pilot testing.”

  “Ah, yes... South Korea is currently facing a sharp decline in military personnel due to the falling birth rate.

  Naturally, the forces available to guard the DMZ are bound to decrease in the future.

  As an alternative, our goal was to develop humanoid military robots capable of defending the entire DMZ. It wasn't just a simple project;

  my dream was to create the most superior combat-ready robots on the planet.”

  “But the actual deployment was scrapped, wasn't it?”

  “Yes. There was opposition from the U.S. at the time.

  The reason given was that the Korean robots were too powerful, but I never heard the specific details.

  There were also rumors that China strongly opposed it.”

  In truth, Junho knew the reality. He was already aware that China had adamantly opposed the deployment,

  and that an agreement had been reached where the U.S. pressured Korea to cancel it in exchange for China modifying some of its strategies regarding Taiwan.

  “Just out of curiosity, could this alien woman be linked to the robot project you were involved in?”

  “Well... I haven't the slightest idea,” Junho said, playing innocent.

  Scott rested his chin on his right hand and continued.

  “Mr. Vice Minister, regardless of the circumstances, that woman is connected to the spacecraft that appeared over Country R and the beings inside it.

  We have her in our custody now. She surrendered without any resistance whatsoever.

  Honestly, that is the most baffling part.

  Furthermore, she specifically mentioned your name and requested you, stating that ‘South Korea must also be aware of this situation.’

  There is a Korean ambassador in the U.S. and many other officials, yet she singled you out. There is clearly a reason for that.”

  “I am just as curious as you are.”

  Junho maintained a grave expression, continuing his act of knowing absolutely nothing.

  “In any case, we trust you. However, from the U.S. perspective, you have now become a ‘Very Important Person.’

  You are our link to an ongoing encounter with extraterrestrial beings.

  Therefore, you must maintain close communication with our JSTR.

  Even the President considers you one of the most pivotal figures for humanity at this moment.”

  “I understand. Then, will I be meeting her face-to-face?” Junho asked calmly.

  “We will conduct the initial interrogation first, so please observe through the one-way glass.

  If the situation arises where our agent calls for you, that is when you will enter the interrogation room.”

  “Understood.”

  Junho confirmed that the Americans knew nothing about his true nature.

  The same went for their knowledge of Ilik. But what truly perplexed him was Ilik’s behavior.

  Why had she allowed herself to be captured?

  Escaping this place would be effortless for her if she truly wanted to... So why?

  Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Was it to see him? If she wanted to talk, she could have used the silver sphere; why summon him for a face-to-face meeting after a hundred years?

  Scott led Junho to the observation room overlooking the interrogation area. The three of them—Scott, Junho, and a female JSTR agent—began to watch the proceedings through the glass.

  Ilik’s eyes were also covered with a cloth.

  A male JSTR agent removed her blindfold. As her vision cleared, Ilik lightly brushed her hair back with her right hand, adjusted her posture, and stared intently at the agent.

  “What is your name?” the agent asked.

  “It is Illik.”

  “What is your nationality?”

  Illik remained silent instead of answering. The agent pressed on urgently.

  “As per your request, we have brought Mr. Junho here from Korea. Now, speak as promised.”

  The agent’s voice was becoming increasingly demanding.

  At that moment, Illik suddenly stood up and quietly gazed at the one-way glass across from her.

  It was as if she knew Junho was standing right there behind the pane. She sat back down and finally spoke.

  “I have no nationality. Although, as you can see,

  I have the physical appearance of an Asian—specifically, a Korean woman.”

  “Are you an alien?”

  “If you define an alien as a being from a universe other than Earth, then yes, I suppose I am. However,

  I have lived here since long before you were born. In that respect,

  I am no different from a terrestrial. It’s just that, much like how you might not treat certain immigrants as 'true' Americans,

  I am simply an immigrant not being treated as an inhabitant of Earth. Is that not so?”

  The woman before him showed not a single trace of nervousness. In fact, her composure was unnerving.

  While her attitude appeared cooperative, it simultaneously radiated an inexplicable pressure.

  The agent was beginning to realize it.

  He felt that the one who should feel threatened in this room might, in fact, be himself.

  Illik continued.

  “Wait a moment. Let me ask you something first.

  Why does the United States intervene in almost every war on Earth, yet never seem to bring them to a clean conclusion?

  Isn’t the ultimate goal always American interest?

  You drag out wars that could be ended with superior military might, and you go out of your way to create wars that don't need to happen…. I really don’t like it.”

  Her voice was calm, but it was laced with undeniable cynicism.

  “We are not here to have a philosophical debate! Why did your spacecraft appear over the battlefield in Country R?” the intelligence agent cut to the chase.

  “Well now. Did that spacecraft actually attack anyone? Rather than the ‘why,’ I’d prefer to talk about the effect that craft will have. Ultimately,

  Country R’s influence will diminish. It means their control over East Asia, China, and Eastern Europe will be weakened.”

  Listening to this in the observation room, Scott felt a chill run down his spine.

  The appearance of the spacecraft wasn't just a random event; it was a deliberate intervention.

  Stripping power from one of the great superpowers was a declaration of intent to shatter the balance of power and establish a new world order.

  'Then, is the U.S. next?'

  As that thought took hold, Scott realized anew that Junho, standing right beside him, was an incredibly vital key for humanity.

  Suddenly, Illik shouted. “Bring that Korean man in here. Now!”

  Scott hurried to escort Junho into the interrogation room.

  After the agent was sent out, Scott and Junho sat across from Illik. “This is Mr. Junho, the former Korean Vice Minister you’ve been looking for.”

  Illik, who possessed the youthful appearance of someone in her twenties, stared intently at the 65-year-old Junho. Junho, in turn, gazed back at her with an expressionless face.

  “Do you know me?” Junho asked, pretending not to recognize her.

  Illik hesitated for a long moment before answering.

  “Did you, by any chance, research military robots in the past? I’m talking about AI-driven robots.”

  “Yes, I did.” Junho felt a sense of stifling frustration. He couldn't fathom what her true intentions were behind this theatrical performance.

  “Shall I tell you an interesting story? I came from a distant galaxy a very long time ago. On my home planet, we had many robots to assist us. But as their numbers grew, we began to worry. We were concerned that the droids might go against our orders and stage a rebellion. As a countermeasure, we embedded a 'kill code' in the droids that could force them to shut down. However, that code is one that only the master can know.”

  Ignoring Scott entirely, Illik continued, keeping her eyes fixed solely on Junho.

  “We have the technology to communicate through neural networks, but sometimes the smarter robots intercept those signals. If a robot’s master happens to expose the unique code through communication without realizing it, the robot enters a special defensive posture for survival. That is why the code must be entered by physically touching the robot's body.”

  Scott furrowed his brow, unable to make head or tail of what she was saying.

  “What does any of this have to do with why you called the Vice Minister here?”

  “Haha, I just called him to urge him to design unique codes with better security when he builds robots in Korea in the future.”

  Junho’s eyes darted as he became lost in thought. At the mention of a 'unique code,' he finally understood why Illik had summoned him.

  'Ah, that’s it... Illik wanted the unique code for the droids from me. And the code I know as the master is... the shutdown code for the Officer Droid. I see... she brought me here because she wanted to know that.'

  Junho had to put on an act. He had to convey the unique code to Illik right in front of Scott.

  “Ms. Illik... what is the real reason you called me?” Junho raised his voice.

  “You have now become the most important person to the United States. Simply because I called for you. I wanted to make you such an important person,” Illik said with a smile.

  It was an incredibly lackluster answer for having dragged Junho all this way. Junho let out a deep sigh and suddenly shouted.

  “Did you make me travel this vast distance just to say that? This is no joke! I am asking you what the real reason is!”

  Scott felt Junho’s anger was justified. Illik giggled and replied.

  “Are you angry? I just saw on the internet that you were a robot expert, so I reached out. Just to tell you to build them well.”

  “Start using your head! On Earth, we have a saying: ‘Cogito, ergo sum.’ Only those who think truly exist. Please, try to do some actual thinking!”

  Junho stood up abruptly from his seat and threw a comment at Scott.

  “Scott, further conversation is meaningless. It seems my presence here isn't helping, so I shall leave.”

  Scott hesitated for a moment before asking Illik.

  “We brought the Vice Minister here as promised. Now, will you answer our agent’s questions sincerely?”

  “I will. And I don’t need that Korean man anymore,” Illik answered firmly. “But first, I need to use the restroom.” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

  Junho stepped out of the interrogation room. Soon after, Scott followed him out. Junho told Scott there was no particular reason to stay. Junho wanted to return to the hotel and rest.

  Scott stared intently at Junho before speaking.

  “Very well...”

  As soon as Illik returned from the restroom and sat down, her entire body suddenly began to tremble violently, and she collapsed.

  The interrogation room fell into a state of emergency, and she was rushed to the base’s infirmary.

  A few hours later, Junho, who was staying at the hotel, received a call from Scott.

  He was told that because of Illik’s high fever and worsening condition, interrogation was impossible for the time being, so he was free to return to Korea.

  Return to Korea? Junho instinctively knew something had happened to Illik.

  However, he calmly replied that he understood.

  At a penthouse hotel in Las Vegas, Junho threw his jacket onto the bed and looked down at the spectacular night view.

  He thought once more about the real reason Illik had called him.

  Illik wanted the Killing Code for the 'Droid Officer' inside the spacecraft.

  That code was information only Junho knew, and it was something that could never be transmitted via digital communication through the silver sphere.

  Since the droids were hacking all communication networks between Illik and himself,

  the moment Junho mentioned the code over a transmission, the droid would have identified its weakness and taken a defensive stance.

  Illik had staged this entire performance to hear the code directly from Junho’s 'voice,' bypassing all digital surveillance.

  The answer lay within the anger-filled shout Junho had let out: “Cogito, ergo sum (I think, therefore I am).”

  Cogito = 6o

  Ergo = 4o

  Sum = 3m

  This alphanumeric password was the halt code embedded at the time of the Officer Droid’s creation.

  This was a decryption that Illik could easily figure out.

  To trigger the droid’s shutdown, the pads on its chest must be pressed in this specific order while the Officer Droid is charging;

  only then does the brain chip function cease completely.

  To obtain this code, Illik had offered herself as bait to be captured at the American base, successfully completing two missions:

  getting the code and making Junho a person of significance even to the U.S. President.

  Junho was lost in doubt. ‘But why does she want to stop the Officer Droid?’

  Questions followed one after another, but Junho had no intention of refusing Illik’s motives. No, he couldn't.

  For he had been living for 700,000 years carrying a debt of heart to her—an eternal punishment he had to bear.