199: Chapter 199 I'll Make You President

On the other side of the screen, Clark frowned deeply.

"The shipbuilder?" Clark sneered. "Mr. Chen, I don't have time to play riddles with you. Those politicians in Congress are eyeing the budget in my hands, and that batch of 'Walker' cannot even see the light of day right now. What do you expect me to use to reshuffle the deck?"

Chen Feng fiddled with the metal lighter in his hand; with a click, a flame shot up.

"General, broaden your perspective," Chen Feng leaned back in his chair. "Who said you have to play house with that bunch of trash in Congress?"

"Then what do you mean?"

"I'm very interested in the candidate for the next President of the U Federation." Chen Feng looked at the screen. "Are you interested in sitting in the Oval Office?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the communication channel fell into silence.

A full dozen seconds passed before Clark slammed the table and growled in a low voice: "Are you crazy?! I am an active-duty soldier! Since the founding of the U Federation, there has never been a precedent for a high-ranking active-duty military officer to run for office directly! You are making me a target!"

"Rules are meant to be broken." Chen Feng closed the lighter unhurriedly. "You know better than I do what kind of fate President Tanglangpu is facing now. Her downfall is a certainty. Both parties are blaming each other, and public trust in politicians has hit rock bottom. At a time like this, who can stand up and stabilize the situation?"

Clark didn't speak, but his breathing became noticeably heavier.

"The military." Chen Feng answered for him. "The Pentagon just announced its neutrality, which is seen by the public as a pillar of stability. You, Clark, hold heavy troops and have a perfect resume. As long as you take off your uniform now and announce your candidacy, you will be the hero who saves the U Federation."

"Easier said than done!" Clark gritted his teeth. "A campaign needs money! Massive amounts of money! It also needs media hype and local votes! Apart from that batch of illicit biochemical weapons, I have nothing!"

"Money, I have." Chen Feng laughed. "I just earned some pocket money on Wall Street; sponsoring you with tens of billions in campaign funds is not a problem."

Clark's eyelids twitched wildly. Tens of billions? Pocket money?

"Public opinion, I have that too." Chen Feng continued to up the ante. "Edgar's 'Voice of God' media network can mold you into a savior within twenty-four hours. As for political resources, Howard will clear the obstacles within Congress for you. He is, after all, the leader of the anti-war faction now."

Clark was completely stunned.

He was a smart man, and his brain worked extremely fast. Funding, public opinion, political insiders—Chen Feng had paved a path to the heavens right at his feet.

"What do you want?" Clark stared at the screen, his voice hoarse. He didn't believe in free lunches.

"I want Umbrella Corporation to become the sole designated supplier for the U Federation military." Chen Feng stated his conditions. "Not just conventional weapons, but also next-generation biological weapons and genetic serums. I want the U Federation's future war budget to be entirely labeled with Umbrella."

This was a high-stakes gamble.

If he won, Clark would be the most powerful person in the world.

If he lost, the worst that could happen was early retirement.

Clark stared at Chen Feng for a long time, then suddenly laughed. On that weather-beaten face, his ambition was no longer hidden.

"Mr. Chen, happy to cooperate."

"Happy to cooperate, future Mr. President." Chen Feng cut the communication and turned to look at Sarah. "Transfer five billion dollars to his account first, let him use it to grease some palms. By the way, notify Howard to prepare to build momentum for Clark."

Sarah operated her tablet quickly, then looked up and asked: "What about that batch of defective 'Walker' units sold to him? If he really becomes president and finds out he spent tens of billions on a pile of scrap metal, won't he turn against us?"

"Turn against us?" Chen Feng sneered. "He won't even have the chance to take that shipment out and use it now."

Meanwhile, in the Middle East, at Al Dhafra Air Base.

A massive C-5 "Galaxy" strategic transport plane taxied on the runway, the roar of its huge engines deafening.

The cargo door lowered, and a heatwave carrying sand and dust rushed in.

Miller tugged at his sweat-dampened collar and walked to the rear of the cabin with the cargo manifest. Inside the cabin, hundreds of huge silver thermostatic containers were neatly stacked.

Inside them were four hundred and fifty "Walker" units.

These were the "decisive weapons" that Clark had purchased using special procurement channels for a full forty-five billion dollars.

"Sir, should we unload?" A logistics sergeant major ran over, pointing at the thermostatic containers. "These things are very delicate; they require an ambient temperature no higher than twenty-five degrees. It's fifty-five degrees outside right now, and the cold-chain trucks haven't arrived yet."

Miller wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Rush the logistics! If anything happens to this shipment, Clark will have us all sent to a military tribunal! Cover them with thermal blankets first, move quickly!"

The soldiers began to drag the thermostatic containers in a flurry.

Just then, the encrypted communicator on Miller's waist began to vibrate frantically.

He pressed the answer button, and the furious voice of the base's supreme commander came through: "Miller! Stop unloading! Stop immediately!"

"Sir? Did the cold-chain trucks arrive?"

"Arrive my ass! The Pentagon just issued the highest directive: full withdrawal!" the commander roared into the communicator. "President Tanglangpu, that crazy woman, has been impeached! The country is in total chaos, the military has declared neutrality, and all overseas troops are to abandon non-essential positions immediately and retreat to the homeland!"

Miller was dumbfounded. "Withdraw? Then what about this shipment? It's forty-five billion dollars worth of stuff!"

"How would I know what to do!" the commander yelled. "These damn things can't even leave their thermostatic containers; do you want to hike through the desert with them? The Pentagon said all heavy equipment that can't be taken must be destroyed or abandoned on the spot! Clear out the transport planes to load personnel!"

The communication was cut off.

Miller stared blankly at the silver containers filling the cabin.

Forty-five billion dollars spent on a pile of industrial trash that couldn't see the light, couldn't handle heat, and couldn't even leave its thermostatic containers.

Now, it was taking up too much space even to be dumped as trash in the desert.

"Sir?" The sergeant major looked at the dazed Miller. "Should we still unload?"

"Unload my ass." Miller laughed in exasperation and kicked the nearest thermostatic container. "Screw the decisive weapons! Screw the forty-five billion! Notify everyone, take your personal weapons, and board the plane to return home! Throw all this scrap metal on the runway!"

A few hours later, an Da Shi State reconnaissance plane captured a comical scene.

The massive US military base was deserted, and the runway was littered with silver thermostatic containers. Under the scorching fifty-five-degree heat, the backup power for the containers ran out, and the cooling systems failed.

Inside the boxes, those defective "Walker" units, which Clark had pinned his hopes on but possessed fatal genetic flaws, rapidly lost their vital signs in the high heat, turning into puddles of foul-smelling dark golden slime that leaked out through the gaps in the containers.

This became the most expensive and absurd joke in the history of U Federation overseas military retreats.

The scene shifted back to Tel Aviv.

There were no jokes here, only doomsday.

Having lost the military deterrence and financial aid of the U Federation, Israel—a country built on a powder keg—instantly faced a reckoning.

General Amos's confession video and the financial strangulation initiated by Chen Feng completely destroyed the foundation of this country.

Sovereign bonds turned into waste paper, and the currency devalued by over a hundred times. A loaf of bread was being scalped for thousands on the black market, and it was even impossible to buy at any price.

The coalition of Arab nations, which had been oppressed for decades, led by Da Shi State, massed six hundred thousand troops at the border. Air raid sirens wailed day and night over Tel Aviv.

Outside the Prime Minister's office, it had turned into a living hell.

Hundreds of thousands of angry citizens broke through the riot police lines. Tear gas and rubber bullets could not stop the desperate crowd. They overturned police cars, set fire to barricades, and frantically charged at the gates of the Prime Minister's office.

"Prime Minister Netanyahu, come out!"

"Murderer! You destroyed our country!"

"Hand over this war criminal!"

The roar was earth-shattering, and even the underground bunker could feel the distinct vibrations.

Inside the nuclear bunker thirty meters underground, the atmosphere was extremely stifling and oppressive.

Prime Minister Netanyahu curled up on a sofa in the corner, his hair as messy as a madman's, his tie pulled askew. He clutched a red secure phone tightly in his hand.

It was the direct line to the White House.

"Answer the phone... Answer the phone, President Tanglangpu! You bitch!" Prime Minister Netanyahu roared frantically into the receiver, his eyes bloodshot.

The only response he got was an endless busy signal.

President Tanglangpu was struggling to save herself and had long since cut off all contact with him.

Prime Minister Netanyahu dialed The Pentagon's number again, trying to contact Clark.

"Beep—beep—"

"Bang!"

Prime Minister Netanyahu smashed the phone hard against the wall; the body shattered, and parts scattered all over the floor.

"Prime Minister." The Minister of Defense pushed open the door to the bunker, his face pale, his uniform stained with blood. "We can't hold the gate much longer. The guard is already seeing deserters. The people outside are demanding that we hand you over to appease the anger of the Arab coalition."

Prime Minister Netanyahu looked up abruptly, his eyes filled with the madness of being at a dead end.

"Hand me over? In their dreams!" He rushed over and grabbed the Minister of Defense by the collar. "Get all the nuclear warheads up! Aim at Tehran! Aim at Damascus! Aim at every country that dares to oppose us!"

The Minister of Defense did not move, just looked at him with the eyes of someone looking at a dead man.

"Prime Minister, don't you understand yet?" The Minister of Defense forcefully pried his hands away. "Without the U Federation's key authorization, those nuclear bombs are just a pile of scrap metal. We have been abandoned."

Above, a dull, loud thud suddenly rang out.

Outside the heavy blast door, the screeching sound of a cutting machine could be heard. Sparks splattered in through the gap in the door.

The crowd had already stormed into the building and was forcibly breaking into the underground bunker.

"No... No..." Prime Minister Netanyahu backed away repeatedly and fell to the floor on his rear.

He had once been arrogant, self-proclaimed as the hegemon of the Middle East. He used an iron fist to suppress the indigenous people and used white phosphorus bombs to slaughter civilians, thinking that with the U Federation backing him, he could do whatever he wanted.

Now, retribution had come.

The sound of the cutting machine grew louder and louder, and the titanium alloy door panel gradually turned red.

Prime Minister Netanyahu listened to the increasingly clear curses outside and closed his eyes in despair.

He knew that the moment the door broke would be the moment he was torn to pieces.

And the mastermind behind all this, that Umbrella boss hiding behind the scenes, had played two superpowers in the palm of his hand without even showing his face.

Los Angeles, Umbrella Headquarters.

Chen Feng looked at the satellite footage of the riots in Tel Aviv on the screen and took a sip of the coffee on the table.

"This play was performed quite well." He turned to look at Sarah. "Notify Lin Hao and Kevin to prepare to go to the Middle East to 'clean up the battlefield.' There should be quite a few good things in those abandoned military bases in Israel. By the way, leak the news of Prime Minister Netanyahu's downfall to General Qasim of Da Shi State."

"Understood." Sarah nodded.

Chen Feng leaned back in his chair, watching the burning Tel Aviv on the screen, and laughed out loud.

The old order had collapsed.

Now, it was time for Umbrella Corporation to set the new rules.