12dz Chapter 300 The Great Power Bows Down, A New Game Begins
Chapter 300 The Great Power Bows Down, A New Game Begins
Washington, D.C., the White House.
The atmosphere in the Oval Office was no longer the deathly silence and despair of before, but was shrouded in a repressed emotion mixed with humiliation and a hint of eerie excitement.
"One hundred catties of first-grade spirit rice and one hundred catties of first-grade spirit vegetables cost a total of two hundred national merit points. In addition, one hundred merit points were used to obtain three dubious so-called 'purposes'."
Secretary of State Blinken stood before the Resolute Table and recounted his experiences at the Temple of the God of Cookery to the President and several key advisors present, word for word. His voice was calm, revealing no emotion, but everyone present could sense the immense turmoil hidden beneath that calm.
On the president's desk sat a quaint wooden box, a "friendly gift" from China. Inside the box was a small vacuum-packed bag of glistening rice grains and a few incredibly fresh-looking vegetables.
This is what's worth two hundred points of national merit, obtained in exchange for the national dignity of the entire United States.
"Distinguish between humans and beasts...reward creation, punish destruction...select those who are worthy of living?" The president repeatedly pondered the three sentences Blinken had brought back, his expression shifting between light and shadow.
"This sounds like the voice of God in the Bible." A religious staff member subconsciously made the sign of the cross, his voice trembling slightly. "What...what are we facing?"
"What it is is unimportant." The four-star general, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke. His voice was hoarse but powerful. "What's important is that we have now obtained the ticket to enter this 'game.' Although, this ticket was obtained at the cost of our reputation."
He glanced at the "spiritual rice" and "spiritual vegetables" on the table, then at Blinken.
"Anthony, you did well. An apology was necessary. Humiliation is temporary. But if we don't even qualify to enter the game, that's the real end."
The president looked up at the hawkish military representative, somewhat surprised. He had expected the general to be one of the most vehement opponents.
"General, what do you mean?"
"My meaning is very simple, Mr. President." A flame of fighting spirit rekindled in the four-star general's eyes. "We can no longer view everything with the political perspective of the old era. This is a civilized, evolving race! And we are only temporarily half a step behind!"
He walked to the huge map in the office and pointed heavily at the location of China.
"They have their 'Divine Chef's Hall' and 'Kunlun Taoist Academy.' They set the rules. That's remarkable. But rules are inanimate; people are alive!"
"Didn't that Kunlun Academy publish the 'Guide to Acquiring Merits of Human Civilization'?" The general turned around, his gaze sweeping over everyone present. "Sharing technology, aiding the weak, upholding justice... we can do all of these! And we can do them better than anyone else!"
"But!" he suddenly changed his tone, becoming incredibly excited, "you've all overlooked the most important point!"
"In the trials of the Sky Alliance, both individuals and nations can earn merit by hunting down extradimensional monsters!"
"This is the path that is most suitable for our America!" The general slammed his fist on the table, making the wooden box containing the spirit rice jump.
"Politicians, you're responsible for playing along, haggling, and using technology to exchange for those basic cultivation resources. We soldiers, on the other hand, are responsible for fighting! Going to that place called 'Atlantis,' we'll use the corpses of monsters to build a path of glory for America, a path leading to the divine realm!"
"We may have lost to China at the starting line of cultivation. But in matters of war, we have never lost to anyone!"
The general's words were highly inflammatory, instantly lifting the previously oppressive atmosphere in the office.
Yes, so what if we apologize? So what if we bow our heads? As long as we can gain power, as long as we can stand on the peak again in this new era, what does temporary humiliation matter?
A light returned to the president's eyes. He looked at the general, who was full of fighting spirit, and slowly nodded.
"Okay! We'll do it your way!"
"Blinken, you're in charge of the technology handover with the Chinese side. Remember, don't reveal all our cards at once. Give them away little by little, and each time, get back what we need most!"
"Yes, Mr. President." Blinken bowed and accepted the order.
"General!" The president then looked at the four-star general. "I authorize you to assemble the most elite 'Pioneer' unit. Utilize our best equipment and our finest soldiers! I want you to, in the shortest possible time, make the Pentagon's merit points surpass those of China's Central Military Commission!"
"Mission accomplished!" The general straightened his chest and gave a standard military salute.
A national-level strategic meeting on how to "boost scores" quietly unfolded at the White House.
Similar scenes are playing out simultaneously in the highest centers of power around the world.
Moscow, the Kremlin.
The iron-fisted president looked at the detailed report that the intelligence department had just presented regarding the Chinese "Kunlun" and "Divine Chef Palace" and fell into deep thought for a long time.
"Using contributions to exchange for the right to evolve... this is a truly frighteningly ambitious move," he muttered to himself.
"Mr. President, the Americans have bowed their heads. What should we do now? Should we continue to distance ourselves from China, or..." His defense minister asked cautiously.
"Keep your distance?" The president sneered. "Sergei, do you think the word 'distance' still exists in this day and age? Either get on the boat, or wait to be smashed to pieces by the giant waves."
He stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the gloomy sky above Red Square.
"Notify our Academy of Sciences to compile a list of our latest research findings in superconducting materials and space technology and send it to the Chinese people. Say that it is the first contribution made by the Russian people to the 'treasury of achievements of human civilization'."
"Furthermore, notify the Federal Security Service to select a group of our best agents. Have them go to China in their own names and do everything possible to gain entry into the 'Kunlun Taoist Academy' or become honored guests at the 'Divine Chef's Hall.'"
"We cannot place all our hopes on exchanges at the national level. We also need our own 'trump cards'!"
"yes!"
Beijing, Command Center No. 1.
Li Zhenguo hadn't slept for forty-eight consecutive hours. Yet, he was in high spirits, even more excited than ever before.
Before him, on the huge electronic screen, the latest intelligence from all over the world was being updated in dense, overlapping patterns.
"Report! The UK has announced that it will share all of its core data in the field of aero-engines with us free of charge!"
"Report! France has requested to exchange 30 billion euros in infrastructure aid projects in Africa for national merit!"
"Report! The Japanese side hopes to exchange their most advanced robotics and precision manufacturing processes for the qualification to practice the Kunlun Basic Breathing Technique!"
"Report! Germany, Canada, Australia..."
One after another, news that was unimaginable in the past began to pour into the command center like snowflakes.
The entire Chinese leadership was swept up in a near-carnival-like state of immense joy.
They knew what all of this meant.
Without bloodshed.
China accomplished in a single day a great goal that previous generations had failed to achieve.
He became the undisputed leader on this planet.
"Sir... how exactly did you come up with this chess game?" Li Zhenguo looked at the photo of Blinken bowing on the screen, his heart filled with unparalleled awe for the young man who was still lying in the courtyard, drinking tea and listening to opera.
He had assumed that the gentleman would respond to the American provocation with swift and decisive action.
Unexpectedly, the gentleman simply threw out a bait called "Merit".
It made the whole world, all the proudest and most powerful nations, rush forward like cats smelling fish.
They even abandoned their dignity.
This is no longer an open conspiracy.
This is a dimensional reduction attack.
Just then, Li Zhenguo's private phone rang.
It was He Yuzhu calling.
"Minister Li."
"Mr. He! What are your instructions?" Li Zhenguo immediately stood up straight.
"The master asked me to pass on a message to you." He Yuzhu's voice was as calm as ever.
"The beginner village's welfare period is almost over."
"Let everyone get ready."
"The real game is about to begin."
Li Zhenguo was stunned.
Newbie village? Welfare period?
He hadn't had a chance to ask any further questions.
The phone call has already ended.
Meanwhile, inside the courtyard house...
Lin Fan just finished his chess game with Grandpa Wang.
"Oh dear! You lost again! Xiao Fan, your chess skills are getting better and better!" Grandpa Wang scratched his head, looking completely bewildered.
"Uncle Wang, you're too kind," Lin Fan said with a smile, tidying up the chessboard.
After seeing Grandpa Wang off, Lin Fan lay back in the rocking chair and closed his eyes.
His divine sense instantly traversed billions of kilometers of space.
We've arrived at the asteroid belt, between Mars and Jupiter, a cold and desolate region.
His gaze was fixed on an irregular asteroid, about fifty kilometers in diameter.
Inside that asteroid, something seems to be hidden. Some ancient, dormant spores, not belonging to this solar system.
It's "garbage" that some clueless interstellar civilization unintentionally left behind when it passed through the solar system last time.
"You're the one."
A thought flashed through Lin Fan's mind.
An invisible, immense force, inexplicable by any physical law, gently "pushed" the asteroid's rear end.
The asteroid's orbit has been slightly, almost imperceptibly, deflected.
It began, with a completely new and resolute attitude, to accelerate and fall toward that blue, beautiful planet.
After doing all this, Lin Fan withdrew his divine sense.
He opened his eyes, picked up the teacup on the stone table, and took a sip.
"Hmm, the tea is getting a little cold."
He muttered to himself.