The guest was very young, only in his early twenties. He was wearing a rather classic Zhongshan suit, and in front of him was a cup of fragrant tea.
If Chen Xu were to see this young man, he would definitely shout out loud, because this person is none other than his roommate, Dong Qingjie!
"Mr. Locke, it seems you've made up your mind?" Dong Qingjie, far from his usual slovenly appearance, now wore a confident smile, showing no restraint or nervousness in front of the two generations of patriarchs from the most powerful family in the world. This impressed Old Locke; this young man, and Chen Xu just now, were both outstanding figures among this generation of young people!
"To calculate defeat before seeking victory." John stood beside Old Locke and said calmly, "In truth, SMMH is not our enemy, Tarot is. At the very least, SMMH does not have enough ambition right now, but Tarot does, and it is not afraid at all."
"And your family still expresses such an ambiguous view?" Dong Qingjie laughed. "There are only twenty minutes left before my brother makes his move. What are your family's plans in this short time?"
John smiled faintly, “Peace has lasted too long, and in the face of interests, there are no permanent friends… I think some people have been complacent for too long; they can’t hold back anymore. Such people exist in the four major families, and they exist in our family as well. You’re right, the Locke family may seem to be the largest and most powerful of the four major American families, but we are also standing at the forefront of events. Since Tarot dares to extend his reach to the four major Chinese families, I believe they would have the same guts to extend their reach to us. It’s a good opportunity to eliminate some destabilizing factors. Our family has been around for a century; we must have ways to deal with internal instability. You don’t need to worry about that. But, do you really have that much faith in your brother?”
Dong Qingjie laughed: "If I didn't have confidence, why would I have come here? I've watched my brother grow and rise step by step over the past two years. He might be a bit young and impetuous, but he's not an impulsive person. It's like..." Dong Qingjie tilted his head and thought for a moment, then said: "Once we were playing poker, and this guy got a really strong hand, a very strong hand. Although there's no such thing as a double-heaven supreme hand in poker, with that hand, he was basically guaranteed to win. If it were me, I would have just thrown the cards on the table, because the game would be meaningless. But he didn't. He kept smiling slyly as he played all his cards. We were playing Dou Dizhu, and in the end, he only had four bombs left. Well, what I mean is, Chen Xu had enough cards left to beat everything, but he just smiled wickedly and played them all one by one..."
You mean he's very cautious?
“No, John, perhaps you're not familiar with the Chinese way of playing poker. What I mean is, he's just too wicked!” Dong Qingjie's lips curled up. “Even with an overwhelming advantage, he still enjoys this cat-and-mouse game. Hmm, to use a popular Chinese term these days, it's called showing off! This guy is such a show-off! I'm sure that at this point, if he didn't have any trump cards, he would simply find a place to hide, conserve his strength, recruit more people, and then come back for revenge when he's powerful enough. The fact that he dared to come after you means he has enough capital and trump cards. I believe he will give you a surprise.”
The Rockefellers exchanged a smile. John said, “Among the Chinese, Chen Xu and SMMH are unparalleled in their influence. If he really pulls through this, he will undoubtedly be a powerful figure in ten years. Within thirty years, he will be qualified to be a rule-maker. This time, the four great Chinese families will also be involved in the reshuffling. The butler and Chen Xu have a close relationship; their fates are intertwined. If your Dong family takes the lead, two of the four great Chinese families will be tied to SMMH. However, Mr. Dong, as far as we know, your probationary period is not yet over. Moreover, many members of your family have already sided with Tarot. To be honest, we are not optimistic about your future. It seems that your father's health is not good, and there are rumors that Old Master Dong sometimes makes it difficult to be trustworthy in handling matters…”
Dong Qingjie smiled faintly; he understood John's meaning. Rumors circulated that his father, the current head of the Dong family, was getting quite old and increasingly unwilling to listen to others' opinions, displaying a somewhat stubborn and self-willed attitude. According to the Dong family's established rules, Dong Qingjie seemed to have a strong chance of becoming the heir in this generation. However, the final decision rested with the family head; if the head didn't approve, no amount of performance would matter. Moreover, it was rumored that several of his rivals were eager to take the position.
However, Dong Qingjie appeared confident: "You don't need to worry about that. If I hadn't left any backup plans, I wouldn't be here now. Just like the esteemed Mr. Locke, I'm young, and although I don't yet have the same control over my family as you, I'm not someone who can be bullied at will."
The strong confidence in his words startled both of them. They exchanged a glance, thinking that this young man was indeed no ordinary person.
It seems that after a long period of peace, the world is about to experience another upheaval.
Many people are unaware that the Rockefeller family, now the largest family in the United States and even the world, is in a precarious situation.
However, these undercurrents are generally invisible to the average person.
Taking over and nurturing Organization X was initially the Rockefeller family's plan. They joined forces with several other major American family conglomerates to control technological development and consolidate their position by monopolizing technology.
However, what this monopoly fears most is the emergence of another powerful force, such as SMMH now!
When Tarot appeared, it was merely a rival to X, and both had the same goal, so they could be said to check and balance each other, but they also shared common interests.
However, with the emergence of SMMH, this equilibrium is in danger of spiraling out of control.
In fact, Locke and his son knew in their hearts that this loss of control could not be entirely blamed on SMMH, but was an inevitable product of historical development!
Technology is advancing, society is developing, and countries in the Third World are rising rapidly.
They are no longer the colonial nations of a century or two ago, easily subjugated and exploited by others with simple weapons. Nor are they a barbaric world whose progress can be halted by mere technological blockades.
Although the development speed of Third World countries cannot be compared with that of major powers due to various constraints, science and technology are developed in stages. When they develop to a certain stage, they will have enough power to influence the Western technological powers!
The emergence of SMMH was merely an amplified and powerful catalyst.
Even if SMMH doesn't emerge, in ten or twenty years... this absolute technological monopoly will still cause great losses to various families!
Unfortunately, very few people can see this clearly.
Just then, the alarm suddenly blared, and Locke and his son instinctively looked up. It turned out…
An hour has passed!
Chapter 374 The Last Judgment
When the sky lost its color, when the sun, moon, and stars dimmed, and dark clouds shrouded the earth, even in daylight, one couldn't see a face close at hand. Despair filled the air; animals panicked, birds lost their way, unable even to spread their wings. A massive bolt of lightning, a punishment, cleansed this filthy world. After the cleansing, only emptiness remained…
This passage is a prophetic poem recorded in the only surviving document of the Mayan civilization, and it foretells the end of the world.
While many people were debating whether 2012 would actually bring the end of the world, in the spring of 2008, an island in the far north experienced its own premature end of the world!
This island, located north of Victoria Island, is called "Kaidan".
The word "Kaidan" refers to a monster from an unknown mythology, known for its extreme attack power. The island's value lies in its role as a testing ground for new weapons deep in the ocean.
When they received Chen Xu's warning, although the Tarot team did not believe it at all, they still contacted the person in charge of "Kaidan" and asked him to closely monitor the movements around the island and report any situation immediately.
"Kaidan" Island possesses a remarkably strong naval defense force!
Time ticked by without any unusual occurrences. The time Chen Xu had predicted was fast approaching. The person in charge on Kaidan Island, Taro?, the Moon in the Great Arcna, scoffed, "You've overestimated that guy's strength. In my opinion, he's a blatant fraudster. His words have made you all so nervous? Don't forget, even a fleet wouldn't be able to take down Kaidan."
"Are you sure there's nothing unusual?"
"No... buzzing." A buzzing sound of electricity suddenly came through the call, and the moon's voice suddenly became intermittent. The emperor was startled, because at that moment, the hands of the clock pointed exactly to the scheduled time!
The communication device with the moon uses a special satellite line that is absolutely confidential and secure. How could such noise suddenly appear?
An ominous premonition crept into the emperor's heart. Had something really gone wrong?
"The call dropped, I don't know why..." GOD appeared on the screen: "It seems the signal is severely interfered with. Could it be due to a magnetic field problem? There might be a strong magnetic field affecting the satellite, or perhaps Kadan's terminal."
"Is something really wrong?"
"I'm mobilizing satellites to monitor Kaidan Island. Wait... why are there so many dark clouds suddenly appearing above the island? Clouds with strong electromagnetic fields!"
"What?!"
"Let me analyze it... Is it the natural climate?"
...
Nobody knows what happened.
The moon looked at the suddenly dense dark clouds in the sky, and its heart sank.
The dark clouds themselves weren't unusual; in the far north, the climate is highly variable. While rain is rare, heavy snow is frequent. However, the sudden appearance of such dense clouds, as if the world had turned dark in an instant, struck the moon as highly unusual!
Is something bad about to happen?
The clouds piled up rapidly, and within the dark clouds, visible to the naked eye, were streaks of electricity generated by the collision and friction of the cloud layers, which was quite frightening.
More importantly, all communication equipment and electronic instruments on the island have malfunctioned! Even the compass is shaking incessantly, clearly due to strong electromagnetic interference in the surrounding area!
"Boss, something's not right about these dark clouds!" The speaker was Xingxing, one of the leaders of Tarot.
It's clear that this Kadan Island is highly valued by Tarot, as two high-ranking figures are actually stationed there.
"Could this be the attack predicted by SMMH?"
"How is that possible!" The moon scoffed at the star's words. A weather attack? Is SMMH a god? Just an ordinary hacker. This is just a natural phenomenon, nothing more.
Just as the moon was tapping the stars on the head, telling them to "use their brains," Tarot's headquarters, and all the forces watching Kaidan Island, were in complete chaos.
No one knew what was happening on Kaidan Island, but just as Chen Xu predicted, dense clouds appeared in the sky above Kaidan Island, and these clouds contained a large amount of energy!
Is it a natural phenomenon?
Absolutely impossible!
Because, according to satellite cloud images, the cloud cluster was covering Kaidan Island, extending at most one kilometer beyond the island's boundaries. And beyond that one kilometer, the sky was cloudless and clear!
In other words, for some reason, the clouds in this area have stopped moving over Kadan Island! Such a natural phenomenon has never happened before!
To give an analogy, it's like a dark cloud suddenly appearing over a house, bringing incessant rain and thunder, while the road right next to that house remains sunny and clear! The dark cloud only covers a very small part of the area.
If it were just images from a single satellite, that would be one thing, but the fact that both American and European satellites are showing the exact same results means there's only one thing... something must have gone wrong on Kaidan Island!
At this point, the situation on Kaidan Island had become extremely strange.
The clouds in the sky grew denser and denser, sparks from the friction between them and the booming thunder, plunging the entire sky into darkness. The occasional flashes of light were caused by lightning streaking across the horizon. The animals on the island seemed to sense an impending doom; dogs barked frantically, and some birds, disoriented as if drunk, plummeted to the ground. The whole island felt as if it were the end of the world.
The wrath of Heaven is unpredictable!
Although the moon and stars have seen countless great things, this is the first time they have ever witnessed such a situation.
Communication was completely cut off, and the surrounding electromagnetic field rendered all instruments ineffective… The two couldn't help but change color, even though they were used to the power of high-tech weapons. But how could those weapons compare to the might of Heaven?
Just then, a bolt of lightning ripped through the dark night sky, followed by two loud booms. The two men's expressions changed; the first boom was clearly a clap of thunder, but the second…
But from a distance came the sound of something heavy hitting the ground!
Just then, a staff member rushed in, clutching his head and shouting, "Something terrible has happened! The lightning just struck down the signal tower!"
Before the words were even finished, everyone's eyes lit up again. In the white flash of lightning, they saw each other's pale faces and lips, and saw that not far outside the window, a bolt of lightning descended from the sky and struck a building directly!
Next up, another one!
The thunder god has unleashed his power!
Lightning, accompanied by tens of millions of volts of high voltage and heat exceeding that of the sun's surface, causes immense damage to the ground.
Looking at these dark, heavy clouds, the constantly flashing light seemed to be venting its dissatisfaction!
The moon and stars are almost in despair...
Because they had already realized that these lightning clouds, containing enormous energy, were so close to the ground, unlike ordinary lightning clouds that were far away! The powerful energy, accompanied by a strong electromagnetic field, made these lightning clouds very restless; with just the slightest guidance, they would immediately unleash their power!
The guide might just be a two-story building.
"Get to the basement immediately!" Only after a large tree in the distance was charred by a bolt of lightning did Yue Liang react. She roared, "Sound the alarm! Everyone, get to the basement!"
The sirens blared, the piercing sound accompanied by the deafening thunder, creating an atmosphere of utter despair. Everyone fled in panic, as if facing the end of the world…
The elevator is useless; you can only rely on your two legs, and you never know when a bolt of lightning will end your life... There are indeed unlucky guys like this; three people have already been directly struck by lightning along the way—reality is cruel. In a comic book, perhaps this lightning bolt would give them some kind of superpower, but unfortunately... they have been tragically turned into charred remains!
This is no ordinary lightning, not the kind seen in ordinary cities, lightning weakened countless times by the time it reaches the ground. This is the lightning of punishment, the lightning of judgment, a cleansing of the world!
Well, who knows, maybe these three guys will actually benefit from this misfortune and travel to another world to live a carefree life... That's none of our business in this book.
The basement on Kadan Island is known as the safest place on Kadan.
Although the entire power system has been destroyed and the basement is pitch black, only the lighter provides a sliver of light.
But this glimmer of light put everyone at ease—at least, they weren't as terrified and fearful as before, thinking the end of the world was coming.
The sea is often rough, especially in the Arctic, where you never know when the weather might turn extremely harsh.
This underground shelter contained a large amount of food and fresh water, as well as power and heating systems—although these had been damaged by the powerful lightning strike and couldn't be repaired outside. However, for everyone, the safest part of this basement was that thick valve.
Once the valve is closed, the shelter, located ten meters underground, is virtually completely silent from the outside world. No matter how fierce the wind and waves, or how loud the lightning and thunder, it is completely inaudible down there.
It's like a hard tortoise shell; hiding inside it immediately makes you feel safe.
But the thought of what was happening outside... sent chills down everyone's spine.
Is it divine punishment?
If not, then what is it?
Never before have I felt the world was so close. I wonder how things are in other places? Are my wife and children alright?