redvbooks Chapter 304 The Game of Gods, the Gamble of Mortals
Chapter 304 The Game of Gods, the Gamble of Mortals
"Enjoying the game...?"
The White House, Situation Room.
Mr. President, watching the chief Chinese translator painstakingly finish translating the "divine oracle" received simultaneously through special channels, was completely dumbfounded.
His Secretary of State, Secretary of Defense, four-star general, and all his staff were frozen in place, mouths agape, completely dumbfounded.
The panic subsided.
Despair vanished.
Instead, there was a tremendous shock that was even more absurd, more bizarre, and even somewhat comical.
original……
This is not the end of the world.
This is not some divine punishment.
This, damn it, is actually a game?!
A global online event launched by that terrifying entity hiding behind the scenes, calling itself the "Game Planning Team"?!
"PVE... Players... Contribution... Rewards..."
The four-star general murmured, repeating these words he had only ever heard in the video games his son played. He felt his worldview being crushed by a heavy tank.
He is a battle-hardened, iron-blooded soldier who commands the most powerful army on the planet.
His lifelong pride and belief was to defend the country and win the war.
But now, someone he's never even met exists and is telling him this.
He, and his country, he, and his army, and even he, and all seven billion people in the world.
They were all just tiny "players" in a large-scale live-action online role-playing game called "Earth Online".
Now, the game designers feel that the quests in the beginner village are too boring.
So, he casually tossed down an asteroid with a diameter of fifty kilometers.
How about creating a "world event" that players from all over the world can participate in?
If you lose, do you delete the save file and start over?
"This...this is insane..." Secretary of State Blinken rubbed his forehead, feeling his brain had completely shut down.
He has been a prominent figure on the international political stage for decades, witnessing countless acts of deceit and treachery, and crazy political gambles.
But he never imagined that one day, the fate of all human civilization would be placed on the gambling table in such a childish way.
"No! No! This is not child's play!"
Suddenly, the four-star general abruptly raised his head. In his eyes, there was not the slightest sign of collapse or despair. Instead, a kind of almost morbidly fanatical light burst forth!
"You guys still don't understand?!" He exclaimed excitedly, pointing to the now-vanished golden text. "This isn't a crisis! This is a tremendous opportunity!"
"Opportunity?" The president looked at him, puzzled.
"Yes! An opportunity!" The general's voice became somewhat sharp with excitement.
"Look! The rules! He gave us clear rules!"
"Killing monsters earns you merit points! Countries with high contribution levels receive rewards! The top-ranked nation can even gain partial jurisdiction over that 'Tower of Babel'!"
"What does this mean? It means that he doesn't really want to destroy us!"
"He is forcing us to evolve! Forcing us to fight! Forcing us to adapt to this cruel new world!"
"He gave us an incredibly clear path to advancement! A path to the heavens where power and status are earned through battles and merits!"
"Before, we were racking our brains about how to gain merit. We were also feeling humiliated and resentful about whether or not to hand over our technology."
"But what about now? Now, the glory is right in front of us! Like a huge mountain of gold! It's up to us whether we have the ability to take it!"
"Mr. President!" The general turned around and looked at the president, his eyes burning like a flame.
"This is our best chance, and our only chance, to surpass China!"
"They were one step ahead of us in 'universal spiritual cultivation.' But in this brand-new 'war,' we are back to square one!"
"No! We have an advantage over them!"
"We have the world's most powerful conventional military force! We have the most extensive global combat experience! We have the best soldiers!"
"As long as we can achieve a higher contribution rate than China in this 'natural disaster invasion,' then we can take back everything we've lost, double the amount!"
The general's words were like a powerful stimulant, injected deep into the hearts of every high-ranking American official present.
Yes!
game?
So what!
As long as there are rules, as long as we can win, that's fine!
What the Americans excel at is exploiting the rules set by others, playing them to the fullest, and ultimately becoming the new masters of those rules!
"Immediately! Immediately, contact the Divine Chef's Hall and the Kunlun Taoist Academy!" The president suddenly stood up from his chair, his face sweeping away the previous dejection and despair, and once again radiating the decisiveness and domineering presence befitting a leader of a superpower.
"Use all of our accumulated merit reserves! Exchange them for those 'wartime supply packs'! Exchange them for those three counter-techniques!"
"Notify the Pentagon! Order the 'Pathfinder' forces to immediately enter maximum readiness!"
"Notify NASA! Have them monitor Leviathan's movements 24/7! I need to know how many pieces it will break into! And where each piece will land on Earth!"
"Notify the CIA! Tell them to obtain the 'Cataclysmic Beast' encyclopedia that the Sky Dome Martial Alliance is about to release, at all costs! I want to know the weaknesses of every single one of these monsters before they even land!"
"Tell our people! The end of the world has not come! What has come is a war to defend our nation, a war that belongs to all mankind!"
"And we, the United States of America, will once again lead the world to victory!"
……
Beijing, Command Center No. 1.
Li Zhenguo, too, recovered from the initial, immense shock.
His back was soaked with cold sweat.
But as he looked at the "game announcement" on the screen, which had been fully recorded, a complex light flickered in his eyes.
There was lingering fear, there was awe, but more than anything, there was a sudden realization, a sense of enlightenment.
"So that's how it is..." he murmured to himself.
He finally understood completely what the master had planned.
Sir, you're not involved in international politics at all.
He is using the entire Earth as a chessboard and all of humanity as chess pieces to play a game of earth-shattering strategy that no one can understand.
And the ultimate goal of this game may be to deal with those real, dark forests from the depths of space.
This "natural disaster invasion" is both a cruel selection and elimination process.
Indeed, it was an unprecedented national mobilization and a pre-war exercise!
He is using the most direct and effective method to forcibly elevate the fighting power of the entire Earth civilization!
"minister!"
His thoughts were interrupted by the staff officer beside him.
"Leaders from the United States, Europe, Russia... almost every country has sent urgent communications requesting cooperation! They all express their desire to engage in global strategic cooperation with us on 'countering natural disasters'!"
"Cooperation?" Li Zhenguo's lips curled into a meaningful smile.
He knew that the so-called "cooperation" was just a nice-sounding term.
In reality, these countries have seen that China holds a geographical advantage in the "newbie benefits" by possessing the three core "card-issuing institutions": the Divine Chef Hall, Kunlun Taoist Academy, and Sky Dome Martial Alliance.
I guess I've ended up sucking up to someone powerful.
"Tell them," Li Zhenguo said calmly, issuing the order.
"China welcomes friendly cooperation in any form."
"The gates of the Divine Chef's Hall, the mountain gates of Kunlun, and the training grounds of the Sky Dome Martial Alliance will all be open to all warriors in the world who are determined to defend their homeland, without discrimination."
"but……"
He paused, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.
Everything must be done according to the rules.
"Want our supplies? Want our techniques? Want our intelligence?"
"Can."
"Take your merits in exchange!"
Li Zhenguo, looking at the giant celestial body on the screen that was constantly approaching, felt a surge of pride in his heart.
Sir, you have already set up the most magnificent stage in the world for China.
Now, let's see how they put on this grand show called "The Savior"!
He picked up the phone and connected to He Yuzhu's private line.
"Mr. He, I am Li Zhenguo."
"We are ready."