89: Ghost Project

Fighting a conventional war against a country that has mastered Controllable Nuclear Fusion? That's just asking for humiliation.

A nuclear war? Forget about whether we could win; once it starts, it's the end of the world. We'd all be finished.

Economic sanctions? Technological blockade?

Don't be ridiculous.

Right now, it's Dragon Country that holds the future.

They should be the ones sanctioning and blockading us.

Are we just going to stand by and watch Dragon Country rise, while the Lighthouse Country step by step declines, eventually becoming a second-rate or even third-rate nation?

No!

"We haven't lost yet!"

At that moment, a voice filled with ruthlessness and madness shattered the dead silence in the war room.

The speaker was a man wearing a five-star general's uniform, with a hideous knife scar on his face.

He was the most radical hawkish representative in the Lighthouse Country's military, Secretary of Defense, General Davis.

"Mr. President, everyone."

General Davis walked up to the huge world map. His gaze, like that of a starving vulture, fixed dead on Dragon Country's vast territory.

"We all admit that in the national destiny arena, we are no longer a match for Dragon Country."

"Their captain, Wang Yi, has grown to a height we cannot hope to reach."

"But!" General Davis's voice suddenly rose, full of provocation. "The national destiny arena is just one aspect! War has never been fought on just one battlefield!"

"They can beat us on a virtual battlefield, so why can't we deliver a fatal blow to them on a real one?!"

Hearing this, everyone was stunned.

Deliver a fatal blow to them on a real battlefield?

What does that mean?

Does he actually want to start a war?

"General, please calm down," a refined Secretary of State said, frowning. "Starting a war with Dragon Country now would be tantamount to suicide."

"Of course I know we can't go to war with them!" Davis sneered. "I'm not talking about conventional war."

He slowly turned around. A single eye gleamed with a terrifying, beast-like light.

"Dragon Country, didn't they obtain Controllable Nuclear Fusion technology?"

"Aren't they about to start an energy revolution and soar to new heights?"

"But technology requires people to research and implement it."

"What if... all those top experts capable of realizing this technology were to die?"

General Davis's words, like whispers from a devil in hell, seemed to drop the temperature in the entire war room by several degrees.

Everyone stared at him wide-eyed, unable to believe what they were hearing.

They all understood Davis's meaning.

Assassination!

He actually wanted to send people to Dragon Country to assassinate their top scientists!

"Madness! You're absolutely mad!" the Secretary of State was the first to stand up in opposition. "This is blatant state terrorism! Have you thought about the consequences if this is exposed?!"

"It would directly trigger World War III!"

"Consequences?" Davis scoffed disdainfully. "What do we have left to lose now?"

"As for exposure? Ha, since when does the Lighthouse Country need to explain our actions to anyone?"

His words were extremely arrogant, yet they resonated with a part of the audience.

Yes, when has the Lighthouse Country ever been afraid?

They are the ones who set the rules for this planet!

"I agree with General Davis's plan."

"I agree too. This is our only chance."

"Fortune favors the bold! If we don't take risks, we're just waiting to die!"

Soon, more than half the people in the war room sided with Davis.

They were all beneficiaries of the Lighthouse Country's hegemony, unable to accept the fate of falling from the world's peak.

To maintain their status and interests, they were willing to gamble everything!

The President looked at the nearly one-sided situation before him, his heart in violent turmoil.

Reason told him this was an insanely dangerous plan; the slightest misstep would lead to utter ruin.

But emotion, and his precarious presidential seat, tempted him to gamble this last hand.

In the end, the desire for power and the fear of failure overwhelmed everything else.

"Alright."

The President slowly rose from his chair, his eyes turning icy cold and resolute.

"Let's do it."

"Initiate... 'Ghost Plan'!"

When Mr. President squeezed those words out through gritted teeth, the entire presidential war room fell silent.

Everyone's gaze focused on General Davis.

Clearly, he had already planned this mad scheme long ago.

A smug, cruel smile appeared on General Davis's face.

He walked to his seat, took out a thick document marked with the highest level of classification from an encrypted briefcase.

"Mr. President, everyone."

He distributed the file to everyone present.

"This is the detailed plan for Ghost Plan."

As they opened the file and read just the first page, a chill ran down their spines to their brains.

The first page of the document was, shockingly, a long list... an assassination list, filled with photos and personal information!

The list contained all of Dragon Country's top, most treasured national-level scientists!

There was Academician Zhang, a globally renowned titan in the field of theoretical physics.

There was Professor Li, who had made outstanding contributions to high-energy physics and particle collider projects.

And there were the top experts in various fields like materials science, engineering, artificial intelligence, and more!

Each of these individuals was a national treasure of Dragon Country, a pillar supporting its technological development!

And now, their names, their photos, their home addresses, their living habits... everything was clearly listed on this death list.

"Davis! Where... where did you get this intelligence?!" The Secretary of State looked at the terrifyingly detailed list, his voice trembling.

"Heh," Davis chuckled smugly. "Mr. Secretary, you don't actually think our CIA and FBI, spending tens or hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars every year, are just making movies, do you?"

"We have countless sleeper agents planted in Dragon Country. They've been waiting for many years."

"Now is the perfect time for them, for our brave warriors, to sacrifice themselves for the great Lighthouse Country."

Davis's words sent a chill down the spines of everyone present.

This madman had been planning all this long ago!