158: Chapter 158 Abandoned

Hai Yan was still conducting her interview.

At that moment, a staff member from the aerospace center came over and said, "Time's up, prepare for launch!"

All the astronauts began to grow tense.

However, Gao Yuan looked as if he were simply going on a spring outing.

"I see Gao Yuan doesn't seem nervous at all!"

"Nervous my foot! To Gao Yuan, the Moon is nothing, Mars is just a light drizzle. Perhaps only going to Neptune could pique his interest!"

"I wonder what foreigners will think when they see this scene?"

Meanwhile, the video of the Xia Kingdom's live broadcast of the moon landing was also being streamed simultaneously abroad.

However, only major institutions and high-level personnel were watching the broadcast.

For ordinary people, the volatile situation and soaring food prices were what they needed to be nervous about; after all, the Moon was still too far away from them.

In the American Presidential Palace, Annie was also watching the live broadcast.

Beside her, her aide had a face full of envy.

"President, should we ask Gao Yuan for help? Dong Huang has been acting quite out of line lately!"

Annie's expression was complex; Gao Yuan's withdrawal from America was something she hadn't expected.

She already had a premonition that she had been abandoned.

The Consortium bosses, who had originally been obedient to her, had been wavering recently, and some had even begun to contact Dong Huang privately.

But what could she do?

Judging from Gao Yuan's strategy, he probably just wanted to let the world fall into chaos.

Because...

There were so many countries on Earth, and to him, it was all too messy.

Annie was very sad; she had given her heart and soul to Gao Yuan, yet she had been abandoned so quickly.

"No... perhaps we should go to the Xia Kingdom to take refuge!"

"Ah?"

The aide didn't understand what she meant.

"This world can never go back!"

"President, what do you mean?"

"It's exactly what you're thinking! Gao Yuan has completely withdrawn his personnel from America. The blight has already swept through half of America, and the scientists have no clue at all, not even understanding the characteristics of the virus... I estimate that soon, the blight will spread across the globe. Only Gao Yuan can solve it, but he has no intention of doing so!"

The aide looked on in disbelief.

"We cooperated with him so much, why would he do this?"

"There's an old saying in the Xia Kingdom: 'If they are not of our race, their hearts must be different.' He never trusted us at all! If the blight spreads throughout the world, then the Great Famine, war, and plague will soon follow! You know what the consequences of that are, right?"

"..."

The aide fell silent.

Annie looked at the high-spirited Gao Yuan on the screen and felt some resentment.

"Jack, if we're going to defect to Gao Yuan, we need a tribute. Right now, only the Xia Kingdom is safe!"

"What tribute?"

"Remember when Black Fish Technology said they were recruiting global scientists? America is now beyond saving. Since Dong Huang wants it, let him have it. Go and recruit a group of top scientists to come with us to the Xia Kingdom!"

"This... what if the scientists are unwilling?"

Annie's face darkened. "So what if they're unwilling? Humans are social animals; there's always something they care about, isn't there?"

"I understand!"

"Go now. If we succeed this time, we can watch the world's winds and clouds change in leisure!"

Jack still felt it was a bit of a pity. This was the President of America; were they just going to leave like this?

"Don't feel bad. Even if I stay, I can't change anything. Dong Huang won't give up this opportunity. America... is going to have a civil war! The Baizuo and the Rednecks haven't been on the same path for a long time; they were bound to have a showdown sooner or later... I just didn't expect that Dong Huang, this big capitalist, would actually become the hope of the American proletariat. How ironic!"

"Haha... it truly is ridiculous!"

...

In the Bear Presidential Palace, Putin was also watching the live broadcast.

His expression was solemn. "The Xia Kingdom is really going to occupy the Moon! Nova, how is the front line now?"

"Our front line has pushed to the doorstep of Germany. Now the opponent's army is retreating with all their might to defend their heartland! However, our supply of weapons and ammunition is insufficient! Previously, many components were purchased from the Xia Kingdom... but recently, the quantity of products they provide has been decreasing. It's said that many raw materials within the Xia Kingdom are being supplied to Black Fish Technology..."

"What on earth is Gao Yuan trying to do? By the way, the American army has entered Germany. How is it going now?"

"Although the American aircraft carriers were destroyed by Gao Yuan, their naval strength is still stronger than ours. We are unable to stop them..."

Putin frowned; the American military intervention was something he hadn't anticipated.

He had originally thought that America was now under Gao Yuan's control and wouldn't participate in this war. Moreover, he had visited Gao Yuan in advance, but now it seemed it had backfired.

There is no true friendship between great powers. The previous cooperation between the two countries had a prerequisite: that America was the strongest and their common enemy.

But when the threat of America vanished, the mindset of the Xia Kingdom changed.

"Gao Yuan... is also an Ambitious Hero!"

"President, Gao Yuan is likely acting out of necessity. A few days ago, Black Fish Technology's stores in America were smashed, and Gao Yuan withdrew all American employees! They have completely broken with America!"

Putin looked dismissive.

"That only proves that America has also been abandoned..."

Nova didn't quite understand.

"Why would Gao Yuan do this? Could the Xia Kingdom really unify the globe?"

"Why not?"

"But... how could that be possible? There are so many people in the world!"

"The blight! Don't you think the timing of this virus's appearance is too perfect? Gao Yuan was previously dedicated to controlling the global economy. He used Black Fish Technology's product agency conference to bind a group of the world's top enterprises. Within the Xia Kingdom, he has taken stakes in almost all major enterprises. And then there's the Life-Sustaining Base Fluid, which is meant to control global healthcare... But look at his recent actions; there's a clear strategic contraction! He's ignoring everything outside the Xia Kingdom. Why? It's because of the blight..."

Nova didn't believe it.

"A tiny virus... as long as it's conquered, it'll be fine. At most, it's a bit of trouble!"

Putin's face was full of worry.

"What if the blight can't be solved? One year might just be a bit of trouble, but what if it's three years? Food crops go extinct, and a great famine sweeps the globe. Who can remain unscathed? At the previous agency conference, Black Fish Technology showcased a product called Nutritional Paste, an industrially synthesized artificial food! At that time, many people felt that Gao Yuan's development of Nutritional Paste was superfluous and useless. With current agricultural technology, food is plentiful. Who would eat that stuff?"

Nova's eyes widened. "Are you saying Gao Yuan is destroying global crops just to promote his Nutritional Paste?"

"I didn't say that, but the possibility can't be ruled out. Now it seems the most likely scenario is that the Nutritional Paste will only be supplied to the Xia Kingdom. As for those outside the Xia Kingdom... who knows!"

"Then what should we do?"

"Tell our generals fighting abroad that the objective of the war has changed. For every city they take, they must plunder it. Seize only food; ignore everything else! The food must be transported back to the Bear nation!"