Chapter 235: Crisis Command

When life, status, and family are all threatened at once, no one can resist—unless they are a true believer.

The dagger spun slightly as it sensed Yenir’s unabashed murderous intent, and in the end the Governor chose to compromise.

“I’ll do it! I’ll do it!”

“But even if I agree to help you, I can’t mobilize a large force!”

“Mobilizing troops requires justification! We need the Military’s signature!”

Heavy, ragged breathing filled the air.

Blaide’s face was pale and grim, his expression on the verge of tears.

He knew that once he cooperated with Yenir, his political career was as good as over. No one would care if he was coerced; he could never accept Yenir’s explanation.

In fact, he preferred to believe these mysterious figures were villains from another time—the real heroes were the ones being gunned down!

“How many men can you mobilize?”

“How many Class A mechs can you bring in!?”

This question wasn’t from Yenir, but from Ming Luo.

Seeing that half of Yenir’s plan was already in motion, Ming Luo felt a surge of exhilaration and almost instinctively blurted out.

He fixed his piercing gaze on that fat pig, his mind racing with calculations.

Spirit Energy Mechs are this world’s unique combat units. Class A corresponds to Third-Stage Awakeners—only their raw destructive power is even comparable. In overall combat effectiveness and durability, there’s a huge gap. But for ambushes, as long as they hit hard, it’s enough!

Mobilizing dozens isn’t just about eliminating other Battle Zones; even sapping enemy strength is a win!

Under Ming Luo’s scrutinizing gaze, the Governor struggled before he finally managed to utter a few tough words:

“At most, three Class A mechs! Our province has a reserve of over thirty units, but unless there’s a war or the Federal President personally orders it, only 10% can be mobilized at once!”

“We could get more Class B units—around 120 in total.”

After a pause, the Governor anxiously added:

“I can command the Class B ones, but once the Class A mechs are mobilized, all I can do is order them to wait. Their decision to attack is up to them!”

“Those gene warriors operating the Class A mechs hold too high a status! Even as Governor, I have no authority over them!”

As his words faded, the entire team was stunned.

Mobilizing only three Class A mechs is almost as useless as having none. No matter how numerous the Class B units might be, they pose little threat to Third-Stage Awakeners—unless you could deploy thousands at once for a concentrated assault.

But that all depended on one thing… that the enemy wouldn’t flee!

A collective dread fell over them, dashing their earlier hopes.

The last time they ventured into a Mine, the highest-ranking NPC they met was merely the mine owner—a manager of a corporation.

They had thought controlling a Governor would let them mobilize vast troops, but they never expected it to be utterly useless.

Just as Ming Luo, dejected, looked to Yenir for a solution, a flash of silver streaked past.

“Swoosh!”

“Ahhhh!!!”

“Thud.”

In an instant, screams and the chilling sound of a severed finger filled the air.

Yenir let out a cold laugh and manipulated the dagger to slice off the Governor’s small finger.

“Won’t behave, huh?”

“As Governor, you have special privileges. According to Federal Act No. 78, you have the right to declare wartime status and mobilize all armed forces directly.”

“Not only that, but the armed forces of Zijing Province include over sixty Class A mechs and 2,400 Class B units.”

“If you wish, you have every reason to mobilize your troops.”

“Stage a drill, claim that a terrorist organization opposing the Federation has emerged, or use an inspection as an excuse—any pretext will do!”

With Yenir’s methodical dismantling of his schemes, Blaide’s face turned ashen, his eyes filled with terror.

A searing pain made him tremble uncontrollably.

This young man knew him far too well. Seeing Yenir’s sinister manipulation of the dagger as he poised to cut off another finger, the Governor had no choice but to scream:

“No! It’s not like that!”

“I never meant to deceive you! It’s just that accomplishing this requires Mainframe approval!”

“I can declare wartime status, but without Mainframe approval, no one below will follow orders!”

He pleaded desperately.

Blaide’s face was streaked with tears and snot; someone of his status had never endured such humiliation.

Though he did harbor secrets and kept a backup plan, his words were true.

To quickly handle crises, the Federation had indeed granted him certain privileges. He could mobilize troops without a Federal meeting or high-level consent—provided an AI Mainframe review was completed.

This Mainframe, which controls the entire province and is linked to the Federation network, can assess a situation in mere fractions of a second!

Deceiving the Mainframe is virtually impossible!

“Oh, really?”

“Then mobilize! Issue orders immediately for the entire provincial army to gather at the designated coordinates.”

“Mobilize all mech units, claiming that underground insurgents are executing a terrorist plot.”

“Also, deploy every onshore engineer and technician—I need the outskirts of the City covered with surveillance within three hours! That includes satellites; I require temporary control of regional satellites within six hours!”

No nonsense, no delays.

After speaking, Yenir tossed a tablet to the Governor, signaling him to issue the orders.

Meanwhile, Yenir’s fingers danced over another electronic device.

Mainframe, huh?

Sorry, he just happened to have the backdoor to the Mainframe—a trick he had learned in his previous life while working with key figures. With this backdoor command, that NPC could easily infiltrate even the top Federal labs and hack into the regional Mainframe.

As Yenir’s device rapidly refreshed data streams, the Governor’s heart raced. He could see exactly what Yenir was doing!

Overwhelmed by doubt and fear, he had no choice but to start issuing orders reluctantly.

“Who exactly are these mysterious figures?!”

“Could they really be time travelers?!”

………

Ten minutes later, Yenir exhaled in satisfaction as he surveyed the control panel, now displaying his altered commands.

He had already hacked into the Mainframe through the backdoor—in fact, he had stepped right into it.

The backdoor was originally reserved as a contingency by the highest echelons of the Federation. Perhaps few knew of its existence before the end times, but as this world neared its collapse, many high-level fugitives would spill secrets for a price.

After punching in the final character,

Yenir suddenly turned to Ming Luo and said:

“Go to the Champs-Elysées in Third District. Bring his daughter here.”

“Bring her over—I need her.”

At these words, the Governor, clutching his bloodied finger, shuddered violently. His once lifeless face flashed with stark despair.

“No!! Please, don’t!!”

“I beg you, spare my daughter!”

His eyes bulged with terror as he looked up at Yenir, completely panicked. He had no idea what Yenir intended, but that word always conjured visions of horror!