176: Chapter 176 Overtime?

Chen Feng's voice echoed in the quiet war room, carrying a strange sense of sanctity, as if he were truly a saint fighting wholeheartedly for world peace and the welfare of humanity.

"By then, we can focus our research on medicines that save lives and heal the sick, can't we?"

Elena and the six super Soldiers behind her listened quietly. The fire of revenge in their eyes did not diminish; instead, it gained a touch of eerie fanaticism because of the "peaceful" blueprint Chen Feng had painted.

Wipe the warmongers from the face of the earth, and then... world peace.

For these people who had returned from hell, this logic was simple, direct, and possessed a lethal attraction.

Chen Feng said no more. He turned around, tapped a few times on the console in front of him, and pulled up several training evaluation reports.

"Elena Rovira, codename T-V01."

"Lin Hao, codename S-002."

"Kevin, codename S-003."

He read out three names.

"The three of you have the highest overall scores in the simulated combat over the past seventy-two hours." Chen Feng's gaze swept over the three of them. "Elena, your control over fire is getting stronger, but your energy output is still unstable when you're emotional. Actual combat is the best stabilizer."

He looked at the other two, Lin Hao and Kevin. These two young men, who had integrated the Ouroboros Virus, were now standing tall, their bodies containing explosive power.

"Lin Hao, your dash speed is the fastest. Kevin, your tentacle control is the most precise. The combination of you two works best in surprise attacks."

"Pack up; we leave in an hour." Chen Feng didn't give them a chance to ask questions and issued the order directly. "Hunk will meet you at the designated location. He is in charge of command, and you are in charge of execution."

"Yes, Boss," the three said in unison, their voices suppressed with excitement.

Just then, on the massive screen in the center of the war room, another red headline box for breaking news popped up, instantly grabbing everyone's attention.

[Flash News: The Iranian Revolutionary Guard has announced that in response to the assassination of the Supreme Leader, they will blockade the Strait of Hormuz indefinitely starting immediately. Any vessel attempting to pass without permission will be treated as a hostile target!]

The news footage switched to the sky over the Persian Gulf. Dozens of Iranian speedboats could be seen weaving through the strait like a pack of wolves, while on the distant coastline, dense rows of land-based anti-ship missile launchers had already raised their heads.

On the ticker at the bottom of the screen, the global crude oil price index was soaring upward at a terrifying speed. Every time the numbers jumped, it represented the evaporation and transfer of tens of billions of dollars.

"Crazy, absolutely crazy," Sarah muttered to herself as she watched the screen.

Blockading the Strait of Hormuz was equivalent to strangling one-third of the world's oil trade. This was no longer a regional war; this was a declaration of war against the entire world's industrial system.

Chen Feng, on the contrary, smiled.

Chaos is good. The more chaos, the better.

He had barely appreciated the spectacular sight of the skyrocketing oil prices for ten seconds when a red encrypted phone on the desk emitted a piercing ring.

This phone was a direct line from The Pentagon.

Chen Feng walked over unhurriedly and pressed the speakerphone button.

As soon as the call connected, General Clark's signature loud voice roared out, though this time, his voice was filled with irrepressible anxiety.

"Chen! My God, you finally picked up!"

"Good afternoon, General." Chen Feng's tone was as relaxed as if he were greeting a neighbor. "The weather is nice today, isn't it?"

"Weather? To hell with the weather!" Clark roared on the other end. "Did you see the news? The Strait of Hormuz! Those lunatics blocked it! The President's calls are about to punch a hole through my desk!"

"I saw it, General. Truly unfortunate news." Chen Feng expressed sympathy. "This will indeed cause some inconvenience to our lives."

"Inconvenience?!" Clark felt his blood pressure soaring along with the oil prices. "The 'Ford' carrier strike group has already passed through the Suez Canal, and the B-2 Bomber squadron is deployed! But what about our ground forces? Our original plan was to wait for your 'Walkers' to be in place before launching a ground offensive! Now we have to enter the fray immediately, but I don't have an ace in my hand that can handle the desert environment!"

"General, don't worry." Chen Feng's voice remained steady, as if it had the power to soothe people's hearts. "Worrying won't solve the problem."

"How can I not worry?!" Clark roared. "What about that batch of 'Walkers' you promised me? When exactly can they be delivered?"

Here it comes.

This was exactly the sentence Chen Feng had been waiting for.

He deliberately remained silent for two seconds, then spoke in a very difficult tone, tinged with the characteristic stubbornness of a technician: "General, I understand your feelings. But... the 'Walkers' are still undergoing final debugging."

"Debugging?!" Clark's pitch rose another octave. "What time do you think it is to still be debugging! I need weapons, not laboratory samples!"

"It's precisely because they are going to the battlefield that we must ensure their reliability one hundred percent, General." Chen Feng's tone became serious. "The 'Walker' is the pinnacle of our company's technology; its biological system is too complex. Yesterday, during the final stress tests, we discovered that in simulated extreme high-temperature environments, its neurotoxin conduction efficiency experiences attenuation. Although it's minuscule, based on the principle of being responsible for our Soldiers' lives, my team must resolve this issue."

Clark fell silent on the other end of the phone.

"Then... how much longer will it take?" Clark's tone softened, carrying a hint of entreaty.

"My chief scientist, Dr. Samantha, and her team haven't slept for three days." Chen Feng sighed, his voice full of heartache for his subordinates and passion for his work. "However, please rest assured. For the U Federation, for victory, I will personally supervise them. Starting now, all laboratory personnel have had their vacations canceled—three shifts, 24 hours a day! I guarantee you, we will work overtime to deliver the most perfect 'Walkers' to the frontline Soldiers as quickly as possible!"

These words were spoken with such righteousness and loyalty.

Sarah stood to the side, watching Chen Feng's performance expressionlessly, but in her heart, she just wanted to laugh.

What attenuation, what working overtime—it was all bullshit.

For that batch of degraded "Walkers" sold to the U Federation, Chen Feng had designed "backdoors" from the very beginning. The halving of toxins in high-temperature environments was just one of them. The real killer move was a "hidden mode" that could be interfered with by a specific electromagnetic Pulse, causing them to lose the ability to distinguish between friend and foe.

The so-called "debugging" now was merely laying the perfect groundwork for when this batch of "Walkers" would "accidentally" have problems on the battlefield later.

—We told you there were problems long ago; you were the ones who insisted on rushing them to the battlefield. You can't blame our product quality if something goes wrong.

General Clark on the other end of the phone was clearly moved by Chen Feng's spirit of dedication in "not hesitating to exploit employees for the sake of the country."

"Chen, I... on behalf of The Pentagon and all the frontline Soldiers, thank you." His voice carried a hint of guilt. "I was too impatient. You're doing the right thing; safety first."

"This is our duty as a law-abiding tax-paying enterprise of the U Federation," Chen Feng said sternly.

The call hung up, and silence returned to the war room.

Chen Feng picked up the coffee on the table that had already gone cold and took a slow sip.

Sarah walked over and asked in a low voice, "Overtime?"

Chen Feng put down his cup and looked at her.

"That's right, overtime."