Chapter 624: The Turning Tide

Prime Minister?! Are we still supposed to wait by the National War exit?

I’m worried that if we go there, we might never come back!

Our team is most likely defeated!

In the Prime Minister’s Office, several new-faction Military representatives looked visibly pale, their expressions grim.

As soldiers, they weren’t merely scared—they knew all too well what reaction Lu Haishan and his allies might have if the National War ended abruptly.

Following Huaguo’s tradition, after every National War, the Military and top leaders welcome back the returning units as a sign of utmost respect.

After all, the Awakeners representing our nation fight for their lives.

If they had clinched first place, it would have bolstered national morale—a cause for nationwide celebration!

But this time…

After a defeat in the National War, once it’s officially over and the rankings are released, the area will immediately become a battleground for those veteran Peak Third-Stage fighters to make their move!

If they use that as an excuse to strike, their loss will be all but certain!

Conversely, those staying in the Capital—in the Capital Safe Zone—will always hesitate, no matter how eager Lu Haishan and his men are to act. Outside the Safe Zone, opinions can be controlled, but within it, millions of eyes are watching!

Prime Minister! We simply can’t go this time!

Those veterans have been holding back, waiting for the right moment—they’re intimidated by your presence in the Capital! In the Safe Zone!

Anyone who strikes here is a traitor!

In my view, we should stick to the original plan: broadcast our message to all survivors and expose these people’s crimes!

As long as the people’s support is with us, no matter how formidable their elite forces, if the masses don’t follow them, we still stand a chance to turn the tables!

Inside the office, Li Xuanguo listened to the urgent pleas from the Military Awakeners—even from his own Secretary General.

But all he did was offer a bitter smile and shake his head in silence.

The original plan consisted of two options.

Option one: if Yenir and Li Tiejun secure a decent ranking in the National War—anywhere but last place—then Lu Haishan and his men won’t get the chance to cause trouble. Even the Neutral Faction’s Third-Stage fighters would realize that Lu Haishan’s group isn’t as crucial as they seem.

What’s wrong with not participating in the war?!

Without them, Huaguo could still win! In fact, without that group of leeches, our burden would be even lighter!

Ideally, they could completely reverse our current predicament, with Yenir’s case proving that the Fire Seed Plan was the right move!

Nurturing a new generation of Third-Stage fighters is not a mistake!

The second option is the one the Military representatives just mentioned.

In the event of a total defeat in the National War,

it would prove that without the backing of the veteran Peak Third-Stage fighters, Huaguo simply couldn’t sustain itself in a national conflict.

Then the Neutral Faction would naturally switch sides, taking the bigger picture into account.

Everyone knows those veterans are like parasites, weighing down Huaguo with an ever-growing burden!

But without them, there’s no alternative—everyone would have to suffer in silence. As the saying goes, it’s better to live poorly than to die nobly. We’ll scrape by, day by day.

As long as no major calamity strikes, stability might still be maintained!

And in that scenario, if they still hope to change everything, their only recourse would be to mobilize the grassroots…

but that path essentially means a full-blown war.

And not just any war…

a total war!

“Sometimes I wonder—are my efforts, everything we stand for, truly right or wrong?”

To everyone’s surprise.

Everyone saw the Prime Minister turn away with a trace of bitterness as he gazed out the window.

Contrary to expectations that he would immediately make a decision, Li Xuanguo began recalling the past.

“Prime Minister?!”

Before the Secretary General could register his surprise, Li Xuanguo waved his hand to signal everyone to let him finish.

“You all know… I come from a military family. Despite appearances, I wasn’t from the lower ranks.”

“Both my parents were Awakeners, so I had a good measure of innate talent.”

“During my service, my performance earned me military merit and the Military’s focused attention.”

“Back then, I truly believed that with enough effort, one could climb higher and achieve their dreams.”

“I wanted to become a powerful Awakener, an outstanding warrior, and to make our nation better.”

“So I dedicated myself fully to that pursuit.”

“To be honest, during my time in the military, I had little respect for the lower ranks—those who didn’t put in the effort.”

“I thought their miserable lives, constantly struggling for scraps like stray dogs, were their own fault. I even believed that many Awakeners doomed to remain in Third-Stage were simply too decadent and content with mediocrity.”

“This world is so fair: with effort, you can become strong and change everything!”

“Until one day, I realized I was wrong.”

Turning around to face a group of stunned, speechless onlookers, Li Xuanguo spoke again:

“There was a time during a military competition when I lost.”

“I was clearly the top candidate—I deserved the reward that would have propelled me to Third-Stage. Yet, the spot went to someone else.”

“And on that day, I realized that the Captain I had despised—the man forever stuck in Second-Stage—had once been as exceptional as I was.”

“He offended some people who crushed every shred of his potential, leaving him no choice but to ‘decline’.”

“It was also then that I was ordered to protect a high-ranking officer’s son while hunting mutants. That day, many perished—elite soldiers from various units, some even more talented and hardworking than I was.”

“Later, I was transferred to a training camp to oversee the selection of Awakeners.”

“Resources from the authorities were, of course, distributed through me.”

“There, I learned for the first time that the supplies allocated to Awakeners and the offspring of officials were over ten times greater than those given to common children—something I had always assumed was equal.”

With a bitter smile, Li Xuanguo’s eyes flashed with self-mockery.

“At the training camp, I first noticed that some commoners’ children, despite their raw talent and tireless training, were overlooked!”

“Yet very few of them managed to ‘awaken’.”

“In that moment, I suddenly saw the truth.”

“This world is anything but fair.”

“My belief that hard work could change fate—that one could climb higher—was nothing but wishful thinking!”

“With nothing to your name, barely enough to eat, how can you possibly rise up?!”

“I made it as far as I did simply because I was lucky—my family’s small privilege when I was young gave me a head start. That sliver of advantage set my destiny apart from most others!”

“If my parents hadn’t been Awakeners and soldiers, I wouldn’t even have had a chance to become one!”

With his final words, everyone fell silent in stunned disbelief.

No one had expected Li Xuanguo to have such a past.

“Prime Minister, you…”

“Hear me out!”

Taking a deep breath, Li Xuanguo closed his eyes as if baring his soul for the first time before reopening them, now burning with bitterness.

“Since then, I realized that hard work was meaningless—no matter how strong your talent, it pales in comparison to those in power!”

“I suddenly understood why the lower-class survivors struggle so hard, why so few ever change their fate to become Awakeners!”

“They have to fight tooth and nail just to survive. With no resources—or with those resources being exploited—how can they possibly compete against the privileged?”

“Even with equal talent, the elite’s offspring enjoy benefits far beyond what commoners receive—often by more than tenfold!”

“Moreover, with high-level resources monopolized, many who could have advanced to Third-Stage end up wasting their lives without any connections—risking everything for a pittance, only to die at the hands of monsters!”

“They’d rather let supplies rot in warehouses, waste them, or sell them off, than allocate a single resource to those people!”

“They deliberately cap the number of Third-Stage fighters, controlling the majority of resources!”

“They disregard the lives of the lower ranks, caring nothing for the nation’s future—only for their own interests!”

“At that moment, I truly realized that if things continue like this, our country is doomed!”

“I swear, I will change everything! At the very least, I will ensure that even in this apocalypse, our nation retains a glimmer of hope, allowing our people to envision a future!”

His words began to come faster and faster.

As if launching into a tirade:

“After coming to power, I implemented the distribution of potions so that every survivor in a Safe Zone could benefit—not just those in select areas!”

“I reinstated Fang Hao and his team, promoting them as a trio of commanders and talent scouts!”

“I reformed the Military Department by establishing the Special Operations Department, ensuring that exceptional individuals had the chance to develop!”

“I convinced the Council to endorse the Fire Seed Plan—I wanted to nurture a new generation of Peak Third-Stage fighters!”

“Everything went smoothly; it felt like I was truly achieving my dreams! My vision was becoming a reality!”

It was a resounding revelation.

Listening to Li Xuanguo’s impassioned speech, everyone present was visibly moved.

Indeed, they were willing to follow him—after all, Li Xuanguo had come this far because many in our nation desired change.

It was his charisma that inspired them to unite and work together.

Just as the Secretary General was about to speak with a hint of sorrow…

the Prime Minister’s excited expression suddenly gave way to calm.

He let out a low laugh, as if he had aged ten years in an instant.

“But the truth is, we lost.”

“Yenir and the others most likely lost as well.”

“We all lost.”