Chapter 261: Shifting Tides of Fate

Ten minutes later.

Surrounded by a nervous guard of soldiers, Yenir seemed to quickly temper his brief outburst and accept the situation.

As if nothing had happened, he calmly returned to his fighter jet and headed straight back to the Federation Tower.

On the ground, a team of technicians scrambled to repair the production line he had cut through. Though the Military seethed with anger, they said nothing further as he offered no additional response.

They assumed that Yenir and his fellow travelers had recognized that this production line was not the source of the impending apocalypse.

Only when it became clear that Yenir didn’t know everything as they’d assumed did the higher-ups instinctively begin to question the identity of his group.

Of course, given the threat they posed, they all remained silent.

“Yenir, what are we going to do next…?”

Inside the cabin, Ming Luo asked in a low tone, a bitter smile tugging at his lips.

He realized that with their current strength, there was no way to halt the doomsday progression of this alternate world.

Their next move would most likely be to flee with the ore.

If luck was on their side, the apocalypse wouldn’t strike too quickly, allowing them another profitable haul; if not, the place might soon be teeming with monsters.

Even with the list in hand, it was clear to anyone that they could never eliminate everyone.

These individuals with suppressed organs were nearly all Federation elites, if not top brass.

With casualties numbering in the millions, the Federation could not possibly stand by and watch a massacre unfold — not even the threat of nuclear missiles would matter!

Needless to say, the current Federation President, Bayen, had already had a kidney transplant two years ago.

For the top officials, ever since that technology was developed, replacing aging organs had become as routine as changing clothes.

In the silence that followed, Yenir unusually remained mute.

He had never expected the system’s hidden “virus” in this alternate world to be planted in such a manner.

Under these circumstances, all his pre-entry plans had been thrown into chaos.

There was no way to treat this place as a safe rear base.

Those virus-infected organs were like ticking time bombs, ready to detonate at any moment. Once the virus erupted, the entire civilization of this alternate world would collapse just as society had in its original downfall.

No matter how many military factories he set up or how much manpower and resources were mobilized to mine the spirit energy ore, it was all futile — like castles built on sand, ready to crumble with the smallest wave.

Noticing Yenir’s somber mood, Ming Luo sighed softly and offered a word of advice:

“Yenir, try to look on the bright side.”

“After all, things have gone pretty smoothly this time.”

“Securing this much ore is a stroke of luck! And we even took out the Japanese and Korean Battle Zone!”

“The situation is far better than we ever imagined!”

“Indeed, Lord Yenir.”

Several team members joined in, attempting to lift Yenir’s spirits. In their eyes, this haul was beyond expectation. Seizing the best from the alternate world was the norm; failing to do so was what truly counted.

“We’ve never heard of an Awakener being able to alter the course of an alternate world!”

“After all, everything is under the system’s control. How could we possibly defy it?”

“Besides, the mission is complete. You have nothing to feel guilty about.”

Amid their words, the team shared a reflective silence.

Only Yenir dared to entertain the idea of turning the entire alternate world into his personal farm, daring to consider altering its progression single-handedly.

In their eyes, that was simply unthinkable!

If completing the mission was all he managed, he’d be lucky enough.

Listening to his teammates’ advice, Yenir merely nodded without uttering another word.

Sure, if he hadn’t received the task from the Sword God System, he wouldn’t have overthought things.

But his mission was unlike anyone else’s — he was determined not to accept failure.

Whether it was the aerospace carrier blueprints or controlling this realm, both held immense value for his plans!

Moreover, he now realized that his earlier plan to take out Lin Rui was equally misguided.

Chances were, in his past life as the protagonist, Lin Rui betrayed the Military after uncovering this secret — not merely because of Anna, as he had previously suspected.

That is to say, whether he tarnished Lin Rui’s reputation or killed him, his interference in the alternate world’s progression would be minimal.

The main storyline of this alternate world was singular: the onset of doomsday!

To seize the highest authority and drastically alter its course, the only options were to stop or at least significantly delay the catastrophe.

What should I do…

A spark flashed in his eyes.

Yenir murmured to himself, repeatedly running through potential strategies.

He needed the Federation to work for him, to force either disaster or delay.

But given the current state of affairs, the two objectives were fundamentally at odds.

He just couldn’t prevent the process — too many lives would be lost.

The idea to delay was straightforward and ruthless: eliminate as many of the ‘infected’ as possible.

Just like slowing down a viral outbreak, even one less infected in the early phase could hugely impact the spread!

Yet, as soon as he targeted anyone on the list, the Federation would immediately turn hostile!

Human nature is selfish.

In the end, everyone faced death; even if these high-ups knew they might eventually transform into monsters, none would willingly choose to die. Rather than be arbitrarily eliminated by Yenir as the source of the crisis, they would fight to their last breath!

“Persuasion is out of the question.”

“Threats are equally useless…”

“The Federation must not collapse; descending into chaos is essentially the same as triggering doomsday…”

“So…”

Abruptly, Yenir’s eyes snapped open as he looked up at Lin Rui, who sat in the cockpit with clenched fists.

He couldn’t kill people — he couldn’t let the Federation’s elite fall into panic.

But…

He could let others do it!

He could have Lin Rui, or a group of humans, disguise themselves as the ‘monsters’ he claimed had also traversed time, and let these creatures hunt down the ‘infected’!

Faced with the threat of these ‘monsters’, the Military would be more likely to cooperate with him!

Resolution was key.

Without hesitation, Yenir initiated a telepathic transmission, sending invisible psychic energy straight to Lin Rui.

In the very next moment, as Lin Rui simmered in sorrow and anger towards the Military, a calm voice resonated in his mind:

“You…”

“Do you hate them?”