NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 883
China’s attack was executed in a loud and tumultuous manner.
『…Chao Dong, the director of the National Broadcasting and Television Administration, announced new guidelines. Major guidelines include the prohibition of broadcasting Korean content, investment ban on Korean entertainment agencies, and a ban on broadcasting any content depicting Korea, all of which can be interpreted as a cultural restriction…』
『…According to the newly revised guidelines, a significant amount of content intended for export to China was rejected during the review process, resulting in damages amounting to…』
『…Today, Dorimja Fenghuan, a celebrated warrior and Taoist with the Huashan Sect, appeared in the media and firmly condemned Unified Korea, stating, ‘Throughout history, Goryeo has never been of substantial help to the Middle Kingdom, and their culture dilutes our purity. We must recall the tales of Su Dongpo from ancient times. Su Dongpo spoke of the five harms and urged to keep Goryeo at bay, and rightly so, for Goryeo’s nature is that of a barbarian, greedy and self-serving. Moreover, aiding them is akin to lending weapons and food to thieves, as Goryeo served as a henchman to the Khitan just as it serves as a lackey to the US today. Their nature remains unchanged.’…』
『…The Central Martial Arts Alliance accused Korea of attempting to steal martial arts exchanged during their meetings, declaring that ‘Unified Korea has not shed its thieving nature from ancient times to the present. Our warriors can no longer tolerate the characteristics of Korea that resemble those of thieves, and thus, we announce the exclusion of thieving Korea from participation with our martial artists.’…』
The revival of cultural restrictions began to stir again.
Using Chinese companies invested in Korea to shake the stock market.
Condemning Korea through the martial arts sect ‘Huashan Sect.’
Even a boycott of Korean martial artists via the Central Martial Arts Alliance, which is no different than a puppet organization of the Communist Party of China.
The sudden attack by the Communist Party of China was sufficient to shake the Republic of Korea.
Moreover, this was just the beginning.
『In the history of the Middle Kingdom, the Japanese were the arch-enemies! They plundered along the coast, killed people, and robbed wealth. During the Japanese colonial period, they turned their blades on us, massacring us and trampling us mercilessly! We must remember our grievances!』
『Grievances must be etched in stone to last a thousand years, and carved into our very bones so they be never forgotten, even through descendants! Do not purchase the evil items of the vile Japanese! Smash the evil items of the vile Japanese!』
『…Today, a spokesperson stated that a review of the simplified export procedures for strategic materials to Japan is necessary, with 34 items including batteries announced as strategic materials…』
China’s targets included not only Korea but also Japan.
Anti-Japanese sentiment surged in China once more, leading to frequent acts of plunder and destruction of Japanese goods. Videos circulated on Chinese video sites depicting patriotic acts of breaking and burning Japanese items, and there were even instances where Japanese tourists visiting China barely escaped a group lynching.
And apart from these civilian attacks, the Communist Party of China also began to officially target Japan at the government level.
They stated a need to review the whitelist, blocking exports of certain goods.
These items primarily targeted the struggling Japanese automotive industry.
As a result, joint development projects for electric vehicles with foreign automotive companies faced setbacks, and research on fuel additives to improve efficiency also came to a halt. Simultaneously, all projects involving the Japanese automotive industry in collaboration with Chinese companies began to stall, incurring losses that appeared to stem from a clear lack of effort.
Korea and Japan were taken aback by China’s sudden outburst.
Had there been any warning signs, it might have been more understandable, but the fact they were simply lashing out without provocation left them bewildered. However, the simultaneous attack on both Korea and Japan led them to suspect something beyond just consolidating domestic support or deflecting internal dissatisfaction… and thus, the situation grew even more perplexing.
Why in the world did those bastards suddenly explode like that?
Korea and Japan found it impossible to comprehend China’s actions.
And then… another strange development occurred.
There was an incident where Russian fighter jets invaded the airspace of Japan and Korea.
The Russian fighters launched from a military base in Russia, splitting into two paths.
One headed for Japan, and the other for Korea.
The fighters bound for Japan circled around the Tohoku and Doto regions of Hokkaido, as if taking a leisurely stroll. They then returned to the Sakhalin area, resembling victors in the territorial dispute between Russia and Japan.
Japan was left confused and disoriented by this sudden provocation from Russia. They couldn’t fathom the reasoning behind such actions, especially if they were using the territorial dispute card to sour diplomatic relationships.
Meanwhile, the fighter jet bound for Korea traveled along the coastline of the old North Korean region, crossed through Northern Gyeonggi and Gangwon Province, and then returned to Russia. While it displayed military force, it simultaneously relayed a clear message: ‘Russia is involved in matters concerning former North Korean territories.’
Korea found itself torn between feelings of joy and outrage at Russia’s actions.
While inciting outrage was certainly warranted, Russian’s attitude—boasting of their provocations while stating, ‘I’ll enlighten you, as we aren’t on bad terms’—left them with the impression of a strong but relatively amicable bully giving a nudge while expressing mild disappointment.
Regardless, Korea and Japan gleaned insight from Russia’s actions.
They came to understand why China and Russia were suddenly erupting in chaos and clamor.
In the old North Korean region.
It was crystal clear that the joint project being pushed by Korea and Japan had ruffled the feathers of the two countries.
But…another question arose.
Why?
The old North Korean region was undeniably part of Unified Korea’s territory. Whether Korea and Japan teamed up to conduct a purge or sent a multitude of fighter jets to bomb it to smithereens, that was Unified Korea’s business; they held no entitlements to meddle.
It wasn’t as if the former leaders of North Korea had fled to Russia or North Korea to establish an exile government; there were no grounds for them to reach out to the territories north of the Korean Peninsula. Furthermore, the co-governance scenario they proposed for the northern regions had already been scrapped since that area had turned into a ghost den.
That northern territory was not land they would want to covet.
Geopolitically significant? Certainly. But without the means to exploit that strategic location, what good was it?
A massive fortune would be required for a purge, and even if it were executed, it would be uncertain whether they could eradicate the ghosts completely. Moreover, if any lives were lost during the operation, the deceased would arise as ghosts, leaving them to feel as if they were battling an eternal, undying army, while the entire area brimmed with disasters and spectral energies, causing losses just by being part of it. Even if they expended effort to eliminate the ghosts, it would likely have an exponentially higher probability of producing even more ghosts than other regions.
And it wasn’t just the land.
The sea was teeming with water ghosts, and crazy entities were capable of crossing water without a care. Moreover, there were plenty that could operate in both the water and on land, while malevolent spirits that would attempt to bewitch at a mere gaze and evil spirits that would come charging at the sight of a person without minding if they were water or fire lurked around in abundance…
What could they possibly accomplish in such a place?
Korea was beyond grateful for managing this crazy nightmare, and they could never express enough gratitude… Why, then, were those two countries acting like that?
Korea and Japan were bewildered.
Thus, both nations reached out to each other through their respective hotlines…
[Are Korean and Japanese parties trying to conduct research to disrupt peace in Northeast Asia?]
[Research on ghosts is welcomed, but I am skeptical of Japan’s intentions, given their history with Unit 731 and human experimentation during World War II.]
[Has Korea forgotten the horrific history it experienced? Ghosts were once humans, and asserting that Korea and Japan would jointly research ghosts suggests a regression into the past, raising doubts of ill-intent.]
[How dare the barbarians oppose a great nation? Are they deluding themselves into thinking they can poke a hornet’s nest and reap the rewards?]
[Mr. Hajime. Just before declaring war, a sudden mood of reconciliation after a disgraceful collapse… I have no idea what kind of signals you and the ruling class of Japan are exchanging, but if it disrupts the peace in Northeast Asia, Russia will act without reservation.]
… Instead of finding answers, they became even more perplexed.
Allegations of disrupting peace in Northeast Asia.
How could Korea and Japan even collaborate on research?
The notion that ghosts were once humans and that researching them resembled human experimentation was nothing short of nonsense.
Korea and Japan were thoroughly confused.
Surely, if they were resorting to provocations and sanctions, there must have been credible reasoning behind it, but what was being uttered from those two countries was simply nonsensical…
Consequently, Korea and Japan concluded:
Those who spewed nonsensical rhetoric must be after something.
Those bully bastards were guaranteed to be throwing a tantrum to get what they desired.
Thus, both parties decided to wait for China and Russia to reveal their intentions…
After a bit of time had passed, they finally sent their demands.
『Eradicating the ghosts of the northern regions of the Korean Peninsula and preventing their escape is mankind’s duty and a prerequisite for peace in Northeast Asia. China and Russia will lend a hand in this process too.』
『Furthermore, we seek to organize a joint entity comprising China, Russia, Korea, and Japan to conduct operations against the ghosts in the northern regions and establish a base for ongoing cooperation.』