The Empire I Create Chapter 7

Chapter 7. Each One’s Reason

Under an ashen sky, the early morning sea breeze felt damp and subdued. Standing beside his truck, Hamin kept a vigilant eye on his surroundings. With the engine idling, the low rumble felt like some dormant beast about to awaken. Inside the truck, all twelve Optimus robots connected to the AI “Thanos” were on standby mode, and a faint electronic hum spread along the truck’s metal walls.

Before long, a black sedan appeared in the distance, gliding in gracefully. Its headlights flashed, prompting Hamin to crack open the driver’s-side door and lower his posture. What if it’s someone hostile?—his entire future was in this truck, so he couldn’t afford to let his guard down.

But as soon as the sedan door opened, and a middle-aged man stepped out, Hamin knew at a glance:

Michael Kim… At last, he’s here.

“You must be Mr. Hamin?”
Michael Kim shut the car door and approached slowly. Though fatigue weighed heavily in his voice, his eyes were keen.

“Yes, that’s me. You must have spoken with Dr. Lee Jin-young?”
Hamin asked cautiously.

Michael Kim glanced at the parked truck and got straight to the point.

“So this is the truck you’ve got—outfitted with a portable micro-reactor and operated by an AI-controlled system of Optimus robots. It’s a far bigger setup than I expected.”

Seeing how quickly Michael Kim grasped the nature of his truck, Hamin felt a twinge of surprise.
As expected of a top engineer in spacetime research—he’s got quite the eye.

“The robots have reactive sensors that carry out my commands or those from Thanos—my AI core—in real time,”
Hamin explained, gesturing toward the rear of the truck. Michael Kim let out a low sigh.

Hamin then guided Michael Kim to a bench in the park near the parking lot, and they sat with their backs to the table to talk in earnest.

“I’ve heard a rough outline from Dr. Lee,”
Michael Kim began, his tone serious,
“but to be honest, I still don’t fully trust you. You want to travel back in time? Volunteering for a risky spacetime experiment? I don’t really get it.”

Hamin paused before replying resolutely:

“If things keep going the way they are, humanity has no future. So even if it’s uncertain, going back in time and trying to change the world seems to me like the most realistic option.”

Michael Kim’s gaze stayed cool, though there was a hint of curiosity there.

“Well, if your conviction is that strong, maybe it’s worth a ‘try.’”

Taking a breath, Michael Kim shifted to the core issue:

“This spacetime technology warps time and space via quantum mechanics, theoretically allowing us to move to any chosen moment in the past. But it’s extremely dangerous in practice. A person’s biological data could be ‘erased’ during the transmission, or the transported object might collapse altogether.”

He pulled a thin tablet out of his briefcase, displaying some data. The screen was covered in graphs and tables.

“Take a look at these experimental results. Out of dozens of attempts, there was only one success—and that was just sending a small unmanned probe to the past. In other cases, the objects vanished without a trace, or they seemed to arrive but disappeared somewhere and were never recovered.”

Hamin studied the screen. He had braced himself for such dangers, but the reality still weighed on him.

“So there’s a chance I might just get wiped out.”

Michael Kim nodded.

“Exactly. That’s why neither the military nor the government dared to send a human into the past. They didn’t think it was worth the risk, and on top of that, a human in the past wouldn’t immediately function as a ‘weapon of war.’”

“But as for me,”
Hamin said, touching the truck’s window frame,
“even if the odds are low, it’s better than staying in this future and waiting for the end.”

Michael Kim let out a hollow laugh.

“It’s ironic, really. Right now, the primary backers of this project aren’t the military but big-tech corporations. Regardless of how the war ends, if ‘time-slip’ is possible, they stand to gain unimaginable value. More precisely, they want to monetize the ‘research data’ itself.”

Hamin’s eyebrows rose in surprise.

“Big-tech companies?”

“Yes. They’re more proactive than the government. After the war wrecked the industrial sector, they saw ‘spacetime experiments’ as a new frontier, and they’ve been pouring money into it, pushing for quick results. Of course, they’re distracted now by the intense fighting, but if the war ends, they’ll probably be the first to demand a live human subject. That’s why I plan to bypass the military’s bureaucracy and run this as an independent experiment.”

He looked off behind the truck as he spoke:

“And that’s where your truck and your Optimus units can be a huge help. Setting up a dedicated launcher, crane, and other infrastructure would take too long. But your truck is self-powered, can move heavy equipment, and your robots are controllable.”

He paused and then added:

“Communication is another major concern—one of the experiment’s key goals is to find out if real-time communication is possible between the past and present. If whatever we send back—a person, a device—can launch a rocket to put a satellite into orbit, and that satellite can somehow link signals to our present… it would prove we can transcend ‘time’ itself.”

At the mention of a satellite, Hamin asked in surprise:

“In Interstellar, Cooper and his daughter communicate via a fifth-dimensional space inside a black hole. But obviously that’s fictional, and there’s no black hole near Earth. Is something like that even feasible?”

“It turns out we discovered by chance that the frequency used by the Silent Gateway for time-slip can cross spacetime barriers. When we combined this with quantum mechanics and the concept of a multiverse, we developed the Time Master system of the Silent Gateway. The catch is that the frequency signal only works if it reaches a specific point outside Earth’s atmosphere.”

“That’s incredible. Hard to believe,”
Hamin murmured.
“The data I read said the Silent Gateway’s time-warp system sends small unmanned probes. But if you’re talking about fitting a satellite and rocket, that space must be larger than I expected.”

Michael gave a faint smile:

“There are a few things I haven’t told Dr. Lee yet. Through multiple experiments, we learned we can transfer an area of about a hundred square meters—roughly thirty pyeong in apartment terms. We have an experimental lab we’ve been using for this purpose. This time, we can use it for the real deal. It should be big enough to fit your truck, your gear, and even a micro-satellite with a small launch vehicle.”

He then pulled out another file from his briefcase, showing a set of satellite blueprints.

“These are the plans for a micro satellite. It’s tiny, but it’s equipped with optical sensors and communication modules. Of course, we’ll need a small rocket to put it into orbit. In this experiment, our idea is to send it back in time and have it launched at that point in the past.”

Hamin nodded slowly.

“So the plan is for a real launch of a satellite in the past to test if it can communicate with the present. That really does sound like straight-up sci-fi.”

Michael half-laughed.

“Yes, it’s pure sci-fi. But some researchers and certain big-tech folks are convinced it’s possible in reality, and the theory suggests as much. We’ve seen evidence in the Silent Gateway experiments. I’m just a scientist, so I’m driven by curiosity and a desire for success. You’re driven by the belief that going to the past could save the world. Our interests happen to align.”

In a grave tone, Hamin asked:

“Then, Doctor, can I actually go?”

Michael grinned.

“As I said, I want results. I looked into your background—enough to see that you have the engineering know-how to launch the satellite we need, and you’re an expert in hacking and programming. I’m just curious whether you truly have the guts. Are you really prepared to risk your life? War or not, I’m taking a risk here by deceiving the government and the military to get my results. If you back out at the last minute, Dr. Lee or I might have to be the test subject ourselves.”

Hamin exhaled in relief.

“So how long will preparations take?”

“From what Dr. Lee and I discussed, there are quite a few things we need to get ready before transferring the entire lab through spacetime. We have to stabilize the spacetime portal, set the frequency, integrate everything with the surrounding facility, and then physically separate the lab area for transport.”

Scrolling through files on his tablet, Michael Kim explained:

“We need to reinforce the lab with special materials and equip it with radiation shielding. We also have to bring in all sorts of gear, including the micro-satellite and rocket. Finally, we’ll run simulations to confirm that the transfer is even possible. That alone will take at least a week.”

“A week…”
Hamin muttered under his breath. That was faster than he’d expected—under a standard government structure, it might take months. Without direct government interference, with only these two scientists making decisions, the timetable was brutally short.

“Use that week to get your own gear ready. Once the lab is set, we’ll go through with the actual time-warp,”
Michael Kim said, face impassive.
“But remember, if something goes wrong during transmission, you could literally ‘vanish.’ And even if you succeed, no one here will ever see you again. So make sure you reach out to anyone you need to before then.”

Hamin gave a faint smile.

“I understand. I do have one more question.”

“What is it?”

“Could I get the technical specs and details on the satellite and the communication protocol you’ll be using?”

Michael tapped on his tablet and wirelessly sent several files to Hamin’s device.

“That’s the blueprint, the protocol data, and a materials list for building and launching the satellite. Just be aware that real-time communication between past and present isn’t guaranteed—we’ve never tested it with a human traveler. Until now, we’ve only succeeded in sending things back. Plus, paradoxes might occur.”

“I understand,”
Hamin said with a nod.

The two reached a rushed agreement in a short span of time. Before leaving, Michael Kim fixed him with a level stare.

“This is going to be dangerous. But if you’re willing to risk your life, that’s your business, not mine. I only care about the experiment’s success.”

Hamin responded:

“I’ve already seen a future worse than death. I’d prefer to vanish in spacetime than let that future happen.”

For a moment, a chill lingered between them—both silently acknowledging that each was deadly serious. Michael Kim headed back to his sedan, then paused before getting in.

“In a week, Dr. Lee and I will contact you with the details—where and when. Prepare yourself until then.”

The sedan smoothly made a U-turn and disappeared into the distance, leaving Hamin standing there a moment longer. It seems Dr. Lee and Michael share the same ultimate goal… A sharp wind blew, stinging his cheeks. In this world of ash, ravaged by war and climate destruction, Hamin once again found himself clutching at a new, precarious path.

Returning to his truck, Hamin switched the engine off and settled into the driver’s seat. He immediately called for Thanos:

“You heard, right? In a week, they’ll do the final transmission. They plan to load our truck, plus a micro-satellite and rocket, into the time-warp.”

“Understood. I’m already preparing the necessary analyses and simulations,”
Thanos’s voice resonated over the cabin speakers.

Hamin sighed.

“Chances are we’ll end up in the early Goryeo period—or thereabouts. We might be doing something crazy like launching a satellite in the past. Actually, we have to do it if we want any hope of communicating with the present.”

Suddenly, Hamin gripped the car seat tightly.

“If years pass in ‘past time,’ I have no idea how it’ll sync with ‘current time.’ The present could change or might vanish entirely if a paradox occurs.”

After a brief pause, Thanos replied:

“We have insufficient data on that scenario.”

Finally, Hamin tapped the truck dashboard with his fist, lightly.

“All right, let’s spend this week checking our gear and supplies. Metal powders and materials for the 3D printer, medicine, solar panels, all the blueprints… And we’ll need to review weapon systems, in case the people in the past react poorly.”

“Acknowledged. I’ll compile a checklist,”
Thanos answered as hacked map data and communication files filled the truck’s main monitor. The AI rapidly analyzed them.

Hamin flashed back to a dream he’d had a few days earlier—of a battlefield during the Mongol invasions. He’d seen a mysterious flying object decimating Mongolian cavalry, as if witnessing it firsthand.

Could it be that I was seeing a glimpse of myself beyond spacetime?
That thought led to others: If that’s true, maybe my presence in the past could leave a mark that future generations might discover.

If we succeed, will history ever acknowledge it as ‘real’? Or will it remain a shadow lost in time?

He allowed himself a wry smile.

“Well, that’s a question for later. For now, saving this collapsing future is what matters.”

Outside the truck, the world looked like a wasteland. The roads were full of cracks and rubble, dust swirled in the wind, and barely any cars passed. Occasionally, a military helicopter hovered overhead, surveying the wreckage below.

Hamin started the engine once more and glanced around. Even though it was midday, the sky was darkened by gray dust.

“In a week, I’ll start my journey back to the past.”

He shifted the truck into gear.

“There’s not much time. I need to prepare carefully.”

Yet an ember of deep anxiety burned inside him. The entire truck might disintegrate during the transfer; even if he survived, there was no guarantee he could make it in the past. And on top of all that, there was the huge question: Can he truly prove real-time communication with the present?

But despite all that uncertainty, there was no turning back. This was the only chance he had, the last way to change a world on the brink of ruin.

The engine roared as Hamin pressed the accelerator, rolling onto the barren road. A cloud of dust churned up behind him, and the truck’s massive frame steadily gained speed. With just a week left until that fateful countdown, Hamin’s heart thumped in his chest.