The CIA, the FBI… all the high-ranking officials who knew about Xu Zhengyang's stern demands and threats were thrown into a panic. Even the usually composed and shrewd president had some doubts: when I accidentally fell, did someone actually push me?
have to!
This is outrageous!
A top-secret emergency meeting was convened immediately, and the president was unable to attend the congressional meeting and was urgently sent to a top-secret location for strict protection.
The meeting proceeded quite quickly, and a decision was made immediately. The president nodded in agreement, and without going through any resolutions from high-ranking party officials, the CIA was put in charge of resolving the matter, which was then handed over to the foreign ministry for further handling.
Two hours after the president's minor accident of twisting his ankle...
A well-known media outlet in the world, from country M, released a news report: Jialan, who was residing in country M, died at 10:44 a.m. local time after several days of fasting and meditation.
Subsequently, the M country government informed them of this news and allowed the ambassador from the embassy to go and confirm that the body was indeed Jialan himself.
This news came too suddenly.
However, death is death, and no one would suspect that the US deliberately used this method to protect Jialan. There was simply no need for it.
The foreign ministry breathed a sigh of relief. "Hey, there's no need to make a fuss about this anymore, the person is already dead."
After receiving instructions from his superiors, Nelson, the head of the FBI's office here, immediately found Xu Zhengyang's cell phone number, which he had obtained through various connections, and dialed it.
At this moment, Xu Zhengyang had just put down his book and was drinking tea, watching his little son sitting on the carpet, stumbling as he recited poems.
After the phone rang, Xu Xiaotian sensibly got up from the ground and went outside so as not to disturb his father's phone call.
Xu Zhengyang pressed the answer button with a sense of relief and held it to his ear:
"I am Xu Zhengyang."
“Hello, Mr. Xu, I’m Nelson Buck,” Nelson said in fluent Mandarin.
"Oh, hello." Xu Zhengyang smiled, his mind racing, and immediately thought of that matter. He said in a slightly cold voice, "It's been twenty days."
“Oh, I’m so sorry, I’m really sorry, sir.” Nelson said quickly, “You should understand that these things require a lot of procedures, especially under the legal system in our country… so it has been delayed until now. We had originally decided to agree to your request, but unfortunately… Garan died today.”
"What?" Xu Zhengyang was also stunned.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Xu," Nelson said apologetically.
"Oh." Xu Zhengyang quickly regained his composure. So what if he died? His soul couldn't escape anyway; it would come back. So Xu Zhengyang said, "I think I mentioned that in the last incident, a certain department in your country orchestrated and controlled it from beginning to end... You have to give me an explanation."
"Ah!" Nelson exclaimed in surprise, and after a long pause, he said, "Mr. Xu, I will report your words to my superiors..."
"Let's leave it at that for now."
Xu Zhengyang hung up. He thought to himself, "Jialan's death was certainly timely."
He is truly wronged and innocent.
That president just accidentally fell down; what does that have to do with Xu Zhengyang?
On the other end, Nelson's forehead was covered in a layer of cold sweat. Judging from Xu Zhengyang's tone, it seemed that the president's fall really was related to him...
The problem is, Xu Zhengyang isn't satisfied yet. It seems that from the beginning, he didn't care about Jia Lan's life or death; his main concern was holding the CIA department and key personnel responsible for planning the incident accountable. He wants an explanation—what kind of explanation?
Moreover, he didn't say how long it would take this time.
Nelson didn't dare delay and quickly reported the matter to his superiors.
So, another tense meeting ensued in the US. What should they do now? They were increasingly afraid of Xu Zhengyang's terrifying abilities, because according to the intelligence they had, Xu Zhengyang hadn't left the country at all; he was still in his own country. Analyzing the incident with Nelson last time, Xu Zhengyang had appeared before Nelson purely as a spirit. So, was it Xu Zhengyang's spirit that traveled thousands of miles to get here again when the president fell?
If it's true, that would be terrifying.
No matter how high the level of human vigilance is, it cannot stop the invasion of a ghost.
The CIA director thought with a touch of sadness, "Am I to atone for my sins with my own death in order to protect the safety of the country, the president, and the entire department?"
At this moment, the president showed the strong will expected of a president, and simply found a few people to fob him off.
What if Xu Zhengyang finds out?
The president said, "Then let him come and kill me!" This president was indeed angry. As the president of a world-leading superpower, he was constantly yielding, tolerating, and even fearing...
This is simply unacceptable.
Next, the president said angrily, "How is the progress of our special research? Also... where are our aircraft carriers? Hold a meeting tonight to prepare to militarily restrain that Eastern country. I think it can have a deterrent effect on anyone, even a god."
The officials were filled with respect, each pondering the feasibility of the plan in their minds.
Based on the information available, Xu Zhengyang appears ruthless and cunning on the surface, acting without considering the consequences. In reality, however, he is very protective of his own and kind-hearted, though often indecisive.
And if he really is a god, then he shouldn't want to see war break out and people suffer, right?
Doing this certainly carries a certain degree of risk and gambler's mentality, but isn't it also an experiment? Just as the President said, should we continue to give in, tolerate, and be afraid all the time?
Who knows what other outrageous demands he'll make in the future?
So while finding a few people to appease him, they also adopted a tough stance, so... it shouldn't escalate to an unbearable level.
At worst, we can negotiate then.
Anyway, they've already gotten used to this kind of military diplomacy.
This time, however, it's not targeting a country, but a person...
If Xu Zhengyang knew about this, he would definitely berate them for wasting manpower, material resources, and financial resources. This is because Xu Zhengyang is now paying attention to the issue of Earth's resource scarcity, with many resources nearing depletion.
Volume Seven, Emperor's Debate, Chapter 368: On Doing Good
For example:
In a small town lived a powerful, arrogant, and domineering local thug. Rich and ruthless, he was one day cornered and beaten up in his home by a seemingly unknown but highly skilled martial artist. Enraged, the thug wanted revenge but feared he'd lose face and be beaten again by the martial arts master. So, after much deliberation, he devised a plan: he led a group of men in over a dozen luxury cars to the martial arts master's house for a drive, then they all went to the best hotel for a lavish meal.
It means to show off and intimidate, to say, "You better watch out, I know where you live and how many people are in your family."
Actually, I was still feeling guilty and somewhat afraid.
This method usually seems to be very effective, and when the neighbors see it, they secretly admire them, thinking, "Wow, they're really something else. Look at all the people they have, and all those luxurious cars..."
The problem is, if this thug leads a group of people off to show off and intimidate, while the martial arts master is completely unaware, sitting at home watching TV and chatting with his family, and afterwards no neighbor, out of fear of either side, fails to inform him, then...
Will this thug feel he lost out big time afterward?
...
Country M put on quite a show this time. Good heavens, two aircraft carriers gathered in the international waters east of the country and conducted a large-scale military exercise with allies, with a total force of more than 10,000 people participating.
This has left countries around the world, especially those in the vicinity of the military exercise area, feeling anxious and apprehensive. Who is this for? Who is it trying to scare?
Who has upset you this time?
At the same time, the M country government announced with great fanfare the arrest of several members of a cult organization, as well as several employees of a CIA department suspected of colluding with the cult organization to commit crimes...
Oh, I see.
Many countries then realized that this was a show of force, followed by a sweet treat.
Or rather, the military exercises are a way to save face. Otherwise, if your government protests and demands something, and we, as the superior government, obediently arrest our own people because of your dissatisfaction, wouldn't that be a huge loss of face?
As the saying goes, everything needs a leader. After some hesitation, the governments of Japan and East India Company finally agreed to the demands of the other side, arrested the cult members, and granted the extradition request.
in this way……
Li Ruiqing and the other high-ranking officials then realized, from their confusion, that Xu Zhengyang must have done something.
Even high-ranking figures like Li Ruiqing would never have imagined that this military exercise was, in fact, a show put on for Xu Zhengyang.
The M country's considerations are very clear, and Xu Zhengyang should be able to understand their meaning.
It seems things unfolded as they had anticipated. When Nelson, representing his government, apologized to Xu Zhengyang and informed him that the relevant personnel had been punished, Xu Zhengyang calmly acknowledged it and said nothing more. It appears the military exercise's deterrent effect had worked; Xu Zhengyang was wise enough not to pursue the matter further.
In fact, the reason Xu Zhengyang didn't pursue the matter further was that he didn't expect the M Congress to just grab a few people to fool him.
This seems to share a similarity with the confidence displayed by the M country's government.
As for whether the military exercises conducted by the United States had a deterrent effect, that's like talking to a brick wall.
Xu Zhengyang never even considered such a profound level. Let whoever wants to conduct military exercises do so, what's it to me! When he learned from the news that the United States was conducting military exercises, he couldn't help but curse inwardly, "Isn't this a damn waste of resources?"
It's common knowledge that the world is facing resource shortages, but what consumes the most resources? War!
If resources are unavoidably consumed during wartime, then military exercises are downright wasteful. Xu Zhengyang did the math. Leaving aside the other supplies consumed in this exercise, how much fuel alone was burned? If all that wasted fuel were allocated to Zhengyang International Logistics Group, wouldn't it be enough to power this massive logistics company for six months?
What a spendthrift son of a bitch!
They keep crying out about resource scarcity, soaring oil prices, and shortages; that humanity will face a resource crisis in so many years to come... yet they still waste and squander resources in huge quantities.
Isn't this just demeaning yourself?
Xu Zhengyang checked online the number and scale of military exercises and wars in various countries around the world each year. Although he couldn't calculate the exact number immediately, he roughly guessed that if there were no military exercises, the fuel saved would be enough to support the entire national expenses of a small country for a year.
No, if you include the resources that countries around the world spend on military operations every year, it would be enough to cover the expenses of an entire superpower.
The math isn't hard. How much fuel does a military plane use for a short trip and then come back? If you put that fuel in a car, how long would it last?
Xu Zhengyang sat at his desk, looking up information on the computer while doing addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division on paper with a pen.
If someone unaware of Xu Zhengyang's background saw him doing something so pointless and pointless, they would probably think to themselves, "Idiot."
Just then, Li Bingjie walked in carrying a cup of freshly brewed tea.
The study door was open, so there was no need to knock. This was a thoughtful gesture from Xu Zhengyang; to avoid creating too much distance between himself and his family, he would always leave the study door open when he had nothing important to do, so that his family wouldn't have to politely knock if they came by.
Anyway, he is rarely bothered by anyone.
Looking at the webpage on Xu Zhengyang's computer screen and the scribbled equations and numbers he had written on paper, the quick-witted Li Bingjie paused for a moment before guessing what Xu Zhengyang was thinking.
Li Bingjie put down her teacup and stood behind Xu Zhengyang. She gently placed her hands on Xu Zhengyang's shoulders, leaned slightly forward, rested her chin on his shoulder, and said softly, "Some things can't be rushed... Let's take it slow."
Xu Zhengyang smiled and raised his hand to his shoulder, holding his wife's soft, boneless hand. He said, "Everyone has thought about being a superman, a hero. It seems that everyone has a dream of world peace... However, dreams always become unattainable in the face of reality, or they are simply abandoned for the sake of practical interests."
“This is not wrong,” Li Bingjie said with a smile.
"Yes." Xu Zhengyang nodded. "The resources on Earth will eventually be exhausted by humankind itself..."
"So humanity has always been striving to find and develop new energy sources, and working hard to develop technology, hoping to reach the universe, right?"
Xu Zhengyang paused for a moment, then said thoughtfully, "In the future, shall we, as a couple, go out and see the world?"
"where?"
"The universe, extraterrestrial civilizations..."
Li Bingjie was stunned. She had never thought about this question before, and she didn't know how Xu Zhengyang suddenly came up with such a thing.
In fact, Xu Zhengyang had just suddenly recalled some past events recorded in the Heavenly Court's historical records. After the first spiritual consciousness appeared in the ancient times, it transformed into an omnipresent, mysterious force, spreading throughout the endless universe. Later, when spiritual energy was depleted, those ancient gods either engaged in constant divine wars to compete for spiritual resources, or powerful gods, relying on their senses of that mysterious spiritual consciousness, flew into the endless universe to search for other spiritual treasure lands that might or might not exist.