redvbooks Chapter 321 The Shock of 1 Merit Points
Chapter 321 The Shock of 1 Merit Points
The entire Command Center fell into an eerie silence.
All eyes were fixed on the enormous, exaggeratedly large, golden number in the center of the holographic sand table.
[National total merit +10,000,000!]
Ten million!
A full ten million national merit points!
This number, like an invisible mountain, weighed heavily on everyone's hearts, making it almost impossible for them to breathe.
"This...this is..." A young staff officer's mouth gaped open, pointing at the number, his fingers trembling. "I...I'm not seeing things, am I? One, ten, a hundred...seven zeros! That's a fucking ten million!"
"hiss……"
A collective gasp of astonishment rippled through the crowd.
They were no strangers to grand battles; the victory in the first phase of the Changbai Mountain campaign had earned them millions of merit points. However, that was a glorious victory achieved after several days of fierce fighting, involving hundreds of thousands of troops from the entire Northeast Theater, countless high-tech weapons, and masters from the Kunlun Taoist Academy.
But now?
The Americans, with only a small team of fewer than twenty men, deep behind enemy lines, achieved a terrifying number of kills in just a few hours—numbers several times greater than what they had gained in a major battle!
How is this possible?!
What exactly did they do?
"Madmen...they're a bunch of fucking lunatics!" Even a bespectacled, usually composed strategic analyst couldn't help but swear. "They...they actually destroyed that 'mother hive'! Using a small squad to take down a 'mother hive' that spawns an endless stream of monsters! This isn't just madness, this is suicide!"
His words made the atmosphere in the command center even more tense.
Everyone had anticipated that outcome.
What was used to acquire ten million merit points?
It was General Marcus's life, and the lives of all the members of his "Death Squad"!
Li Zhenguo stood quietly in front of the sand table, unlike the others who were shocked or discussed it. His gaze calmly swept over the glaring number, and then landed on the bar representing the total achievements of the United States of America.
With the addition of these ten million, the United States' total merit points instantly surged from over 11 million to over 21 million!
Although, there is still a gap between us and China.
However, this gap has been greatly narrowed!
Li Zhenguo slowly closed his eyes, and He Yuzhu's plain yet profoundly meaningful words echoed in his mind.
"Wait for the right time."
"Wait, sir, the sharpest 'key' prepared for you is in place."
He seemed to understand a little.
The sacrifice of General Marcus and his squad may not have been a simple, crazy military adventure.
Rather... that unfathomable gentleman, a crucial link in the entire grand plan.
They used their lives to pry open the most solid "lock" for humanity, for America, and for China.
"Commander-in-Chief," a communications officer strode over, his voice carrying a hint of strangeness, "The White House... the White House has sent a congratulatory telegram."
"A congratulatory telegram?" Li Zhenguo opened his eyes, raising an eyebrow slightly.
"Yes, they...they are celebrating." The communications officer's expression became even more peculiar. "Mr. President, would like to invite you to their 'online celebration party'."
Upon hearing this, all the Chinese generals in the command center displayed a complex and indescribable expression.
Did they trade the lives of their national heroes for a victory worth celebrating?
Is this what American values are?
……
Meanwhile, in Washington, D.C., at the White House, in the underground bunker.
This place has now become a sea of joy.
"Second place! We're second place! And the gap between us and first place is less than three million! God bless America! God bless America!"
The president, pumping his fist and flushed with excitement, embraced each of his staff and generals with the fervor of a Super Bowl-winning football player.
The champagne cork popped open with a "pop".
Golden liquid was sprayed everywhere.
Everyone's face was filled with the ecstatic joy of surviving a disaster.
"I knew it! I knew it! Marcus is a true hero! He proved with his actions that we American soldiers are the best in the world!"
"That's right! What the Chinese can do, we can do too! And we can do it even better! We accomplished with just a small team what took an entire army group!"
"Now, we have money, cultivation techniques, instructors, and the confidence to defeat the monsters! Surpassing China is only a matter of time!"
A fervent, optimistic mood permeated the entire fortress.
In their view, the sacrifice of Marcus's squad was great, glorious, and worthwhile!
With the lives of a mere dozen or so people, they earned ten million merit points and a massive victory for the great United States, a victory that was enough to turn the tide of the war!
This deal is absolutely incredible, a steal!
"Immediately! Connect me to the highest communication line of the 'Sky Dome Martial Alliance'!" After a brief celebration, the President immediately issued a new order, his eyes burning with unprecedented ambition. "Tell them our new orders have arrived! I want to hire their top three S-class mercenary groups! Target: all A-class and above 'Mother Nests' in Europe and Africa!"
"We're about to start racking up scores globally!"
"I want the whole world to see, before the next rankings update, who truly reigns supreme on this planet!"
……
Just as the whole world was caught in a complex mix of emotions—shock, elation, or solemnity—because of this sudden surge of ten million merit points.
"Reporting to the Commander-in-Chief!"
In the command center, a technical officer responsible for monitoring intelligence in the North American theater suddenly stood up from his seat, his voice carrying an undisguised surprise.
"Zero War Zone detected: Abnormal energy reaction!"
"What?!" Li Zhenguo immediately went over.
On the enormous holographic sand table, the huge crater representing "Zero Zone" did not begin to shrink or collapse as expected after losing "Leviathan Heart".
On the contrary, in the very center of the giant crater, in the huge cavity blasted out by Marcus's squad with their lives.
A mass of energy, radiating an eerie, ghostly blue light, is slowly taking shape!
Its energy fluctuations are rising rapidly, exponentially!
"What...is this?" Li Zhenguo frowned.
"No... I don't know, Commander." The technical officer nervously operated the machine. "Its energy model doesn't match any of the Cataclysmic Beasts in our database! It doesn't seem to be a living being! More like... more like a man-made object!"
"Man-made?"
Just then, the dark blue light suddenly contracted!
Then, a visible energy shockwave instantly spread out from the center of the giant crater!
All the drones and satellites responsible for monitoring that area lost contact at the same time!
The entire North American continent, the area representing Zone Zero on the map, instantly became a pitch-black, signal blind spot!
"What's going on?!"
"Report! All of our detection equipment has been paralyzed by intense energy interference!"
"Damn it! Quick! Reconnect! Activate the backup line!"
The entire command center instantly descended into a tense and chaotic frenzy.
Li Zhenguo stared intently at that pitch-black area, a strong sense of unease welling up inside him.
He knew that things were not as simple as they imagined.
Destroying the "mother hive" may not be the end.
Instead, it was an even more terrifying beginning.