Chapter 582: Tides of Crisis

In the core meeting room of the Capital Military District.

A throng of officers and staff in various uniforms hurried past amid frantic, even chaotic, reports. An oppressive gloom weighed down on everyone like an invisible mountain.

Inside the urgently assembled joint command room of top brass from the Group Armies, anger was written all over every face.

The wall-mounted digital map of the battle zone flashed with red alerts at nearly every few minutes.

Throughout the vast Huaxia Battle Zone, red dots suddenly illuminated the border outline, and even inside the zone, numerous red lights signaled high-level alerts.

At a glance, it seemed as though the entire Huaguo had spiraled into chaos.

“Bastards! A bunch of bastards! Scum! They don’t even deserve to be called soldiers!”

Rage mixed with a sorrowful fury.

Li Hai, commander of the Air Force First Group Army who had been urgently recalled, glared at the live strategic map with bloodshot eyes.

Under the sudden assault of veteran Peak Third-Stage figures backing Lu Haishan, key high-level units from border forces and military districts were abruptly pulled out—as if their limbs had been severed—plunging them into a critical manpower shortage.

Moreover, the withdrawn forces converged on the capital under the guise of a training exercise. Even the High-Level Awakeners stationed in the military districts were continuously ‘disappearing.’

Regardless of the consequences of this abrupt redeployment, everyone could see that a major conflict was on the verge of erupting!

“General Li, what’s our priority now? Has the Prime Minister not sent down any new orders yet?!”

“Hold our ground or withdraw?! If our troops are also pulled back now, we might still have hope!”

“Our forces are too scattered at the moment. I fear disaster is imminent!”

Within the vast command center—even with all present being top military brass—their faces were grim in the shadow of this national crisis.

Although the forces assembling around the capital under the guise of routine exercises insisted they would never enter the city, who could really predict what might unfold once the encirclement took shape? That ruthless, fanatical group could do anything!

“No, the Prime Minister hasn’t issued any orders yet.”

“Honestly, what choice do we have!”

“Bang!”

He slammed the table-top model with a heavy blow, feeling a bitter mix of anger and despair.

No one could have imagined that the veteran Peak Third-Stage faction backing Lu Haishan would dare to do this.

They not only pulled a vast number of Peak Third-Stage units from the border, but even the very armies tasked with securing Huaguo were withdrawn in one fell swoop!

Simply put, Huaguo’s situation had become so dire, its internal forces barely faring any better than when the apocalypse first broke out!

The key forces guarding the numerous corpse hordes and vigilantly tracking mutant movements were definitely non-negotiable for withdrawal.

Lu Haishan and his cohort may ignore the repercussions, but we cannot afford to!

If they were to also pull back their troops, the entire Huaxia Battle Zone would be left utterly exposed; any outbreak resembling a corpse horde uprising could trigger unfathomable consequences!

One could even surmise that someone might deliberately detonate areas where mutants are concentrated, just to wreak further havoc!

Listening to the news that even the Prime Minister was hesitating, everyone could only bitterly smile as they watched the crisis unfold.

At that moment, an overwhelming sense of helplessness washed over everyone.

“Could it be… that there’s truly no way out?”

………………….

Inside the emergency meeting room, Yenir listened silently to the heated discussions.

Seated there, he appeared as an outsider, merely listening in silence.

A mere four hours ago, Li Xuanguo abruptly told him to head straight to the Capital Core for a meeting, informing him that the veteran Peak Third-Stage faction behind Lu Haishan had finally struck.

“Everyone, this is basically where we stand now.”

“There are only two paths before us! Option one: do nothing—even sacrifice the capital’s sanitation forces to support the border units!”

“Option two: deploy all our might to stabilize the border, betting that they won’t be so unhinged as to trigger an uprising!”

“Or, recall all our troops, issue an emergency mobilization order, and rally every available strength to stand off against them!”

From the head seat, Li Xuanguo, his eyes heavy with fatigue, spoke gravely. After laying out the two options, he fell silent, awaiting their choice.

The choice was excruciating, or perhaps neither option was acceptable.

The first option meant standing on a cliff’s edge—betting that those veteran Peak Third-Stage figures, still mindful of the authorities, wouldn’t be forced too far, leading to an all-out standoff!

The second option, though it might stave off instant disaster, would mean sacrificing the safety of countless civilians—a collapse of safe zones and survivor settlements around the border was inevitable.

Trapped in a dilemma, there was simply no acceptable choice!

In the midst of the stifling atmosphere, several top brass from the surrounding capital district couldn’t help stealing glances at Yenir tucked in the corner.

“Two options?”

“No, actually there’s a third option…”

“Hand over Yenir, and let the power behind Lu Haishan have its way.”

Though this would prompt many neutral factions to immediately change their stance, recognizing that neither side’s power nor determination was truly equivalent.

If Li Xuanguo and his cohort abandoned the struggle, things could revert to the status quo.

At least, fewer lives would be lost…

Meanwhile, noticing all eyes drifting towards him, Yenir calmly lifted his gaze and met their stares.

It was as if he had anticipated their thoughts; he remained silent, saying nothing.

In truth, when he learned that the forces behind Lu Haishan had suddenly struck, he was taken aback, realizing that his presence had accelerated the power struggle between the two factions.

Yet, he could understand the hesitation in their hearts.

To outsiders, it appeared that everything had begun with Yenir.

Maybe, by sacrificing him, fewer lives would be lost and needless sacrifices avoided.

Yenir was not taken aback by this suggestion.

Yet, as if sensing the ideas brewing among the lower high-ranking officials, during a brief silence—almost before anyone could speak—Li Xuanguo suddenly broke in:

“Everyone, implement Option One. We must never strike first!”

“The border’s security must be upheld, and our military districts must not fall into disarray!”

“Ladies and gentlemen, I know the pressure is immense, but we must face reality. While it may seem that submitting would suffice, in truth—even if we pull back—they will keep pushing forward!”

“They desire us to be nothing more than puppets—a reign, with us perpetually ruling over the countless survivors of the Huaxia Battle Zone!”

“A retreat now only opens the door to many more concessions! It’s not just Yenir at stake—there’s also Zhang Ning and Wang Ning!”

As he spoke, Li Xuanguo seemed to have held back his true feelings for too long—certain truths he’d longed to voice.

He drew a deep breath, rose slowly, and once again spoke in a grave tone:

“Everyone! Perhaps we stand at our most dangerous juncture, but I firmly believe triumph will ultimately be ours!”

“Provided we don’t instigate a civil war, they won’t dare break all the rules by striking first. Even if they do, their troops won’t rally behind them!”

“If they truly wish to attack, they must find a proper pretext!”

As his words faded, Li Xuanguo abruptly turned to Yenir, his gaze resolute.

He knew full well that all the reactionaries were nothing more than paper tigers!

Since Lu Haishan and his allies have pinpointed Yenir as their focal point, any genuine offensive—the pretext for true attack—can only come after a national conflict!

Only if Yenir’s involvement inflicts massive losses on Huaguo will they have the justification to strike!

But as long as a national war doesn’t spell our absolute ruin, there is still room for maneuver—we can still hold on!

Glancing at Li Xuanguo’s determined look, Yenir knew precisely what he hadn’t said.

Then, with a light laugh that exuded absolute confidence, he softly spoke to the room:

“I will win.”