55: Chapter 55 Humanity's Utter Defeated

As soon as the President's tweet came out, the comment section was filled with wails. Everyone believed the President was about to publicly announce a surrender to the entire world.

[I once shouted 'Humanity will not kneel' under Thompson's video. I was also the one who cursed at the aliens to get off Earth under Chen Mu's first tweet.]

[But today, I'm not shouting. Just now, my five-year-old daughter asked me, 'Daddy, will the sun still shine tomorrow?' I said yes. She asked again, 'What if the aliens won't let it shine?' I didn't answer, because I couldn't.]

[If the President announces surrender tonight, I won't protest. It's not because I don't love freedom, but because I love my daughter more than freedom.]

[I'm sorry, Thompson. I'm sorry, humanity. I'm out.]

[I don't know how to face what I said yesterday, but I was one of those who shouted 'Humanity will not kneel.' I feel obligated to say this: I wasn't just talking big back then; I truly believed it.]

[Now it seems I just didn't know what it felt like for the sun to be turned off.]

[Tough Veteran: I'm not fucking surrendering.]

[Do whatever you want. Go kneel, go light your candles, go shout 'Give us the sun, not Mars.']

[I'm a Texan. My family has been carrying guns for three generations. My grandfather fought on Iwo Jima, my father fought in Vietnam, and I fought in Afghanistan.]

[Now you want me to fold my flag and say 'Yes, Master, what else do you require?' to some alien bastard who hasn't even shown his face?]

[Piss off. They can turn off the sun? Let them. Turn it off for another three years, until the Earth freezes into an ice ball. I don't care.]

[Freedom isn't given by the sun; it's bought with blood.]

[Buddy, your coordinates are in Texas, right? I just checked your IP—Austin. Good. You just said let them turn off the sun again, until the Earth freezes into an ice ball.]

[I have a proposal. Would you mind if Chen Mu only turned off the sun over Texas?]

[I'm not joking, I'm serious. Have you thought about it: What if he doesn't turn off the sun for the whole world, but just snuffs it out over Texas for, say, thirty minutes? Just your Texas.]

[Let you freeze in dozens of degrees below zero. Raise your flag if you want, shoot your guns if you want—the triggers will be frozen solid anyway.]

[While we 'cowards' continue to live in the sunlight, using the videos sent from your frozen hands as teaching materials.]

[You want all of humanity to die standing with you? On what grounds? Just because you have a gun?]

[Tough Veteran: I just deleted that tweet. Not because I'm afraid of you. It's because I thought about it—my three-year-old nephew is also in Texas. He'd have to stand in the dark with me, holding his toy gun, pretending to be a hero, and then freeze to death.]

[But he didn't sign up for this war. I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking just now.]

[Star Ghost Organization: We have hacked the traffic signal systems of thirty-seven major cities worldwide.]

[The original plan was that if the President announced resistance tonight, we would turn all traffic lights red at every intersection, symbolizing that human civilization has entered a state of emergency.]

[But we just cancelled it. We held a vote and decided that if the President announces surrender tonight, we will turn off all traffic lights. This is not a protest, but a moment of silence for human civilization.]

[Where's Sima Bei? Come out and take a few steps! Can your 'the art of war' light up those three minutes? Can your steel-boned folding fan fan the sun back? 'When capable, feign incapacity'? You're not even 'incapable,' you're just incompetent.]

[Ambassador Chen Mu, no, Your Majesty Chen Mu, I am your most loyal servant on Earth.]

[From the very beginning, I haven't posted a single bad comment about you. You can have your fleet check my cloud backups; I guarantee they are clean.]

[I even downvoted all of Sima Bei's videos. My reason for reporting them was 'spreading false information and endangering the safety of all humanity.']

[By the way, when will the Guga Planet Embassy on Earth be established? I'll be the first to sign up as a volunteer. No salary needed. I'll bring my own food. I'm fluent in three languages and can fix printers. If the volunteer spots are full, cleaning the toilets is fine too.]

[I am an astrophysicist. In those three minutes, the edifice of physics I built over forty years collapsed. I now have two choices: one, admit my entire academic career is a joke; two, admit the physics Chen Mu possesses is at least a thousand years ahead of ours. I chose the latter.]

[Physics isn't dead; it just has a new mentor. Teacher Chen Mu, are you still taking students?]

[Vatican: The Pope is holding an emergency meeting. Those three minutes were not a miracle, but something far more terrifying. If God said 'Let there be light,' that was creation; if Chen Mu says 'Let there be darkness,' that is dominance. We aren't sure if we should pray for him. Perhaps we should pray for ourselves.]

[I am at the Kaaba. When the sun went out, I continued my prayers. People around me were screaming, but I didn't stop. Why? Because I suddenly understood: if Chen Mu was sent by Allah, I am worshipping Allah's will; if he is a demon, I am worshipping the dignity of humanity.]

[Indian Ascetic: I have meditated for thirty years, pursuing the unity of Brahman and Atman. Today, in three minutes of darkness, I felt the true 'void.' Chen Mu, are you an incarnation of Shiva? Have you come to perform the dance of destruction for humanity?]

[Finally, this day has come! Low-level species like humans should have been put under control long ago! Emperor Chen Mu, I suggest the first thing you do after taking over is to purge 50% of the Earth's population; only then can the rest be managed efficiently! I can provide a list—start with those protesters, those who oppose you, and Sima Bei's fans! Kill! Kill them all! Long live Guga Planet! Gugu Gaga!]

Meanwhile, the official accounts of various countries remained collectively silent. No one wanted to be the first to officially announce surrender, as that would be recorded in human history forever, becoming a synonym for a cowardly nation.

Inside the United Nations Building, Chen Mu's room had completely changed after the sun was restored.

Although the room was still the same, the waiters, chefs, cleaners, translators, and security personnel who had vanished for seven days—even the towel lady who would rather quit than go near Chen Mu's room—had all returned.

The knocks on the door came one after another. First was a middle-aged butler in a white uniform, holding a silver tray covered with a hemispherical silver cloche.

He wore a professional smile: "Ambassador Chen! Breakfast has been prepared for you."

"Today is the chef's special Eggs Benedict with black truffles; the hollandaise sauce is freshly made. The coffee is Jamaican Blue Mountain, the beans were just flown in this morning. If you don't care for coffee, we also have Darjeeling tea, Wuyi Mountain Da Hong Pao, and aged Pu'er..."

"I've already had breakfast, and besides, it's ten in the morning now," Chen Mu said, somewhat speechless.

"Then lunch! What would you like for lunch? The head chef says he can make anything for you. Any cuisine. Any ingredient. Would you like to try Alaskan King Crab? Or Japanese Wagyu?"

"Just arrange it yourselves! I'm having lunch with Ms. Maya at noon."

The man acted as if he had received a sacred command, turning and breaking into a light jog, fearing he might be slow by even a fraction of a second.

Chen Mu closed the door, but before he could walk back to his bed, the knocking sounded again.

This time it was a young woman in black-rimmed glasses, clutching a laptop with a densely packed spreadsheet open on the screen.

"Ambassador Chen! I'm from the UN Office of Administrative Services. Regarding your living conditions, we have several upgrade plans for you to review. Would you like a presidential suite? A penthouse panoramic apartment? If you want a detached villa, we can arrange that too; an estate in Long Island can be cleared out by this afternoon."

"I'm fine staying here for now."

"Then the furniture here! Should the mattress be replaced? The curtains? We have a new shipment of handmade Persian rugs; what color do you prefer? Silk or wool? If you have special lighting requirements, we can replace the windows on this entire floor with full-spectrum adjustable glass."

"No need for now."

After the woman in black-rimmed glasses left, the third visitor appeared at the door seamlessly. This time it was a balding man in a deep blue suit, holding a leather-bound folder.

"Ambassador Chen, I am from the Protocol Department. Regarding your diplomatic status, we have revised the relevant regulations overnight. You will be recognized as a 'Supranational Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary,' entitled to the highest level of courtesy."

"Your vehicle is ready. Wherever you want to go, just call me."

Chen Mu took a deep breath and sent him away.

Afterward, all sorts of people scrambled to serve him, annoying Chen Mu to no end.

He could only announce: "From now on, do not knock on my door."

The corridor went silent for a few seconds, then erupted into a heated argument. They were debating who should go to the kitchen to relay the order, who should pick the beef, and who should confirm the drink recipes.

Footsteps surged toward the kitchen like a school of salmon swimming upstream.

Chen Mu returned to the window, preparing to pick up his phone to check if Sima Bei had posted any new updates.

At that moment, Maya came before him and, without a word, knelt down with a 'thud,' kowtowing forcefully, her shoulders twitching slightly.