285: Chapter 285 The Newly Sharpened Knife

"It seems the next stage of the contest might unfold on a level that's even more eerie and beyond the imagination of ordinary people." Zhang Cheng closed the interface, his eyes deep.

"The USA won't take this lying down. We, too, have no path of retreat."

"Then let them come. Let's see if their hegemonic noose is tougher, or if our newly sharpened blade is sharper."

Washington, the White House Situation Room.

The atmosphere was so heavy it could be wrung out like water. Seated around the oval oak table were the President, the Vice President, the Secretary of State, Secretary of Defense Austin, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Milley, the CIA Director, and the National Security Advisor who had just been urgently summoned.

On the screen, a technically processed but substantively intact clip was playing—footage "leaked" from Myanmar, circulated through certain "unofficial channels" to several internationally renowned intelligence analysis firms, and subsequently inevitably captured by the media.

In the footage, though the faces were blurred, the unique "Grey Wolf" combat uniforms, the captured exoskeleton components with obvious experimental US military markings, and the close-up of "Colonel McLean's" ID tag struck everyone's hearts like heavy hammers.

"Gentlemen," the President's voice carried suppressed fury and deep exhaustion, "can anyone tell me what on earth is going on? Our most elite special forces, built with astronomical amounts of taxpayer money—sixty men, nearly wiped out on the territory of... a Southeast Asian warlord state? The commander captured? The equipment on display?"

His gaze swept over Austin and General Milley: "Is this the 'absolute advantage' and 'controllable risk' you guaranteed? Is this how we recover face for the F-35 and the aircraft carriers? Now, we've lost even more face! The whole world is laughing at us! The 'Grey Wolves' have become sheep in a pen!"

Austin's face was ashen: "Mr. President, there was a severe intelligence failure. The Myanmar side... Zhang Cheng's regime, possesses border surveillance, electronic warfare, and anti-special operations capabilities that far exceed the assessments of all our agencies. They set up a complete killing field; our troops were exposed the moment they entered their airspace. This... this was a premeditated, high-tech ambush."

"So you're saying we were defeated by the opponent using the very methods we are best at?" the Secretary of State asked sharply. "This is a catastrophic blow to our allies' confidence and our global deterrence! Tel Aviv is going crazy; Lavitz keeps calling to demand what reliable means we have left! The Saudi royal family is also asking about security guarantees in the Red Sea! We are losing control of this region!"

The CIA Director interjected: "Based on limited intelligence analysis, the opponent may have used optical camouflage technology we haven't mastered, highly efficient low-altitude surveillance networks, and intelligent drone Swarm tactics. More importantly, their command and intelligence integration speed is extremely fast, as if there's a... highly integrated 'brain' scheduling everything in real-time. This doesn't fit any characteristics of Myanmar's original military system. We highly suspect Zhang Cheng has received systemic technical support from some... level beyond current standards."

"The Dragon Nation?" the Vice President asked.

"Unlikely. The Dragon Nation's support is mainly in economy and conventional weapons. This cutting-edge asymmetric warfare system seems more like... it was developed independently or comes from an unknown third party," the CIA Director said uncertainly.

"Now is not the time to investigate the source of the technology!" General Milley tapped the table. "The question is, how do we respond? Militarily, another large-scale direct intervention in Myanmar is too risky; the Dragon Nation's stance is very clear. Economic sanctions have reached their limit. Cyberattacks have been ongoing with limited effect."

"Retaliation must happen!" the President said decisively. "But not blindly. We need a victory, one that can prove to our home front and our allies that we still possess overwhelming power and determination. The target... cannot be the Myanmar mainland; that would trigger an uncontrollable escalation. But it could be..."

His gaze turned toward the map of the Middle East.

"Gaza or Yemen," the National Security Advisor chimed in. "In these two places, Zhang Cheng has invested significant resources; they are his 'soft underbelly.' Achieving a decisive victory there would both strike at Zhang Cheng's arrogance and appease the Squid Nation and Saudi Arabia, reshaping our regional leadership."

"In the Gaza Strip, Lavitz's army is already exhausted, and morale is on the brink of collapse," Austin analyzed. "Unless we commit ground troops on a large scale, it will be difficult to turn the tide in the short term. But committing ground troops... the political cost is unbearable."

"Then Yemen." The President's finger landed on the southern end of the Red Sea. "The Houssa regime is not yet stable, blustering with a few missiles. The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower carrier strike group has withdrawn but is not far away. If we can... take out his missile sites or plot an internal subversion to make this so-called 'Republic of Yemen' collapse overnight..."

"It will take time to plan and requires cooperation from local proxies," the Secretary of State said. "Saudi Arabia might be willing to provide some help, but they've also been spooked by the Houssa missiles."

"Then a two-pronged approach!" the President ordered. "Austin, Milley, I want you to come up with a feasible military subversion plan against the Yemen Houssa regime within 48 hours. It needs to be fast, ruthless, and covert—ideally framed as a local tribal conflict or remnants of Al-Qaeda. Meanwhile, ramp up air support and intelligence sharing for Gaza, giving Lavitz one last bit of support to help him hold on a little longer and draw the attention of Zhang Cheng and Sinwar."

"And the 'Grey Wolf' prisoners...?" the CIA Director asked.

The President's eyes were cold: "Deny everything. Claim it's forged, a propaganda trick by the Myanmar side. Privately... try to make contact through all possible channels to see if they can be exchanged back. If not..." He didn't finish, but the meaning was clear.

A new conspiracy against Yemen began to brew amidst frustration and fury.

Tel Aviv, the Prime Minister's Office.

Lavitz stood before the large desk, but felt as if he were standing on the edge of a cliff. He had just finished an extremely unpleasant hour-long conversation with the Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister's words still rang in his ears: "Simon, public approval ratings have dropped to an all-time low. The scale of street protests is growing, and groups of families of fallen soldiers have surrounded the Ministry of Defense. In the cabinet, the calls for your resignation can no longer be suppressed. Our USA ally has just suffered a crushing defeat and cannot provide more substantive help in the short term. Operation 'Anvil and Hammer' has gone bankrupt. We need to... consider other options."}],