298: Chapter 299 Betting on the Nation's Fate: All in on Lin Qi

At the same time that Lin Qi and The Black-Robed Figure were facing off in the core of the D-3 Region.

In the Federal capital, thousands of kilometers away from the Eastern Rift Zone, at the Central Military Command Center.

A piercing alarm sounded throughout the entire underground base without any warning.

"Alarm! Alarm!"

"Detected ultra-high intensity energy reaction in the D-3 Region of the Eastern Rift Zone!"

"Energy Rank... unable to determine! It has exceeded the monitoring threshold limit!"

"Repeat! Energy Rank unable to determine!"

The command hall instantly descended into chaos.

Everyone was stunned by this sudden, highest-level alert.

The technician in charge of monitoring stared fixedly at the monitoring screen in front of them, which was flashing red, the color draining from their face at a visible rate.

"What is going on?!"

A middle-aged general with stars on his shoulders rushed to the monitoring console and sternly demanded.

"Report, General! The energy index in the D-3 Region... the D-3 Region suddenly started to climb geometrically three minutes ago!" The technician's voice was trembling. "First, there was a violent tremor comparable to a Level 12 spatial storm, and then... then there was an explosion of an extremely pure Law fluctuation that we have never seen before..."

"Get to the point!" the general interrupted impatiently.

"The point is..." the technician swallowed hard, "according to model projections, either of the two energy shocks that just erupted would be enough... enough to instantly vaporize a full-strength Rank 5 fleet!"

"What?!"

The general's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

In the entire command hall, everyone who heard this sentence gasped.

A Rank 5 fleet!

That was the Federal Military's ultimate strategic force!

Just like that, it was gone?

What on earth is hidden in this D-3 Region?!

"What about the 'heavens scourge' project? How are the preparations coming along?" the general suddenly remembered something.

"Report! The launch silo has entered standby mode and can be launched at any time! The countdown has twenty-four hours left!"

"We won't wait!" The general slammed his fist onto the table and roared, "Connect me to General Luo Zhenbang's private line immediately! I want to request to execute a 'heavens scourge' strike on the D-3 Region immediately, right now! If we wait any longer, heaven knows what kind of trouble that monster inside will cause!"

...

The one-armed General Luo Zhenbang received this emergency communication in his office.

After he finished listening to the frontline commander's report, which was mixed with shock and panic, there was no change in expression on his weathered face.

He just quietly looked at the holographic sand table in front of him.

On the sand table, the model representing the D-3 Region was currently enveloped in a blinding, constantly flashing red light.

"What is your opinion?"

General Luo Zhenbang did not answer directly, but looked at another person standing in the office.

The Vice Dean of Longya Academy, Zhao Shouzhen.

Zhao Shouzhen's expression was equally grave.

He had been called over by an emergency call from General Luo Zhenbang half an hour ago.

Because, at the exact same time the energy abnormality erupted in the D-3 Region, his informants stationed on the perimeter of the Eastern Rift Zone sent back news that shocked him.

A teenager carrying a backpack and a fatty had entered the blockade line of the D-3 Region on foot.

And shortly after they entered, the energy storm that shocked the entire Federal Military erupted.

It was Lin Qi.

It couldn't be anyone else.

"Old Luo, do you trust me?" Zhao Shouzhen did not answer General Luo Zhenbang's question, but instead asked him.

General Luo Zhenbang glanced at him, this old partner who had worked with him for decades.

"I do."

Only one word.

"Then let's wait a little longer." Zhao Shouzhen's voice was hoarse. "I know the pressure on the front line is immense, and ordering a 'heavens scourge' strike now is the safest choice that requires the least accountability."

"But, let's take a gamble."

"Bet that the little guy can give us a surprise."

General Luo Zhenbang was silent.

Outside his office window were the myriad lights of the Federal capital.

He had protected this city and this country his entire life.

Every decision he made concerned the lives and deaths of billions of people.

Pinning their hopes on an eighteen-year-old teenager they didn't know at all?

This sounded like a decision only a madman would make.

"Reasons." General Luo Zhenbang spoke slowly.

"Two reasons." Zhao Shouzhen held up two fingers. "First, according to intelligence we received earlier, that female instructor named Instructor Su Qing infiltrated the D-3 Region alone and then lost contact. And Lin Qi has a close relationship with that Instructor Su Qing. He went in this time, nine times out of ten, to save her."

"A person willing to risk his life to enter a desperate situation for a companion, his nature, at least, cannot be evil."

"Second," Zhao Shouzhen's gaze fell on the flashing red dot. "The two energy shocks that erupted just now, although their intensity was terrifyingly high, they have one thing in common."

"What commonality?"

"Range." Zhao Shouzhen said word by word. "Their eruption and dissipation were incredibly fast. Moreover, the energy was perfectly controlled within a very small area, without the slightest leakage. What does this mean?"

"It means that at least one of the parties fighting inside has reached a level of control over power that is peak and masterful! He does not want to affect the area outside the rift zone!"

"And the mysterious person who turned the D-3 Region into such a mess is clearly not of this style."

"Therefore, the one who stepped in to control the energy can only be... Lin Qi!"

Zhao Shouzhen's analysis was clear and powerful.

General Luo Zhenbang closed his eyes after listening.

The office fell into a long silence.

Only the clock on the wall was ticking.

Every second felt like it was hammering at the nerves of the two people present.

In the encrypted communication channel of the front line, the urging voice of that commander kept sounding.

"Commander! Please issue the order!"

"Commander! We can't hold it back anymore!"

Finally, General Luo Zhenbang opened his eyes.

In his single eye, a glimmer of light, mixed with madness and determination that others could not understand, flashed.

He picked up the communicator.

"This is General Luo Zhenbang."

He only said one sentence.

"The 'heavens scourge' project, pause."

"All units, stand by in place."

"Before my order, whoever dares to fire a single bullet into the D-3 Region..."

"Will be dealt with by military Law."

After speaking, he hung up the communication directly, not giving the other party any chance to retort.

In the command hall, the general who requested the launch stood frozen, holding the hung-up communicator, his face full of disbelief.

The highest commander of the entire Federal Military, at such a critical moment.

Chose to make a gamble.

He bet the safety of the entire Eastern Theater Command, along with his own lifelong reputation, on that teenager named Lin Qi.

"Old Zhao." General Luo Zhenbang put down the communicator, looked at his old friend, and said slowly.

"I hope your judgment is correct."

"Otherwise, you and I..."

"Will both be sinners of the Federation."