9: Chapter 9 National Speech

Chen Mu looked up at the plain-looking but curvaceous female officer and replied politely, "Thank you, kind lady."

"I only need some food to satisfy the basic caloric needs of this body, and a glass of water will suffice."

Thompson let out a snort of laughter. "Man, asking humans for food... that's not very alien-like of you."

Chen Mu turned his head and glanced at him, explaining in the patient tone an adult uses when a child says something foolish, "This body is merely a container I selected at random."

"Therefore, its essence still belongs to your race, and it naturally requires the energy necessary to sustain life."

Thompson opened his mouth to retort, but Maya beat him to it. "Is a burger okay?"

Chen Mu nodded. "That is quite enough."

Maya turned and walked out of the interrogation room, the door closing behind her.

Thompson sat in his chair, holding his now-cold cup of coffee, staring at Chen Mu across the metal table.

No one spoke; only the hum of the fluorescent lights filled the room.

Maya returned quickly, carrying a KFC paper bag in her hand.

She placed the paper bag on the metal table and took out a burger, an order of fries, and an iced cola.

"Thank you," Chen Mu said.

He unwrapped the burger and ate at a steady pace. His manner wasn't particularly elegant, nor was it messy; he simply ate normally.

Chen Mu had previously considered whether to feign a certain way of eating, but he ultimately decided against it. After all, there was no rule stating that an alien had to be knowledgeable about everything.

"You say you're an alien," Maya spoke up while he was eating. "Then what have you come to our Blue Star to negotiate?"

Chen Mu looked up at her. "Although I shouldn't be telling you this, for the sake of the food, I don't mind informing you."

"I am here on behalf of Guga Planet to demand that you people of the Blue Star surrender unconditionally and relinquish all sovereignty. From now on, you will be entirely under the rule of Guga Planet."

"Hahahaha!"

Thompson's laughter exploded in the interrogation room.

He clutched his stomach and leaned back, looking like a beetle flipped onto its shell.

He laughed for quite a while before catching his breath, wiping the corners of his eyes with his sleeve. "Maya, you spent ten dollars just to treat this lunatic!"

Maya glared at him. "Because I felt like it!"

Thompson raised his hands in a gesture of surrender, though the smile hadn't quite left his face.

Chen Mu didn't laugh. He picked up the cola and took a sip. "I heard you mention earlier that your President is giving a national address at eight tonight."

Maya nodded.

"Why don't we listen to it together when the time comes?" Chen Mu put down the cup. "I believe that even though my current status is that of a suspect, I should still have the right to be informed."

Thompson let the front legs of his chair drop back to the floor. He looked at Chen Mu, and the smile finally faded completely.

Looking at the calm Chen Mu before him, he suddenly felt a bit unnerved. Chen Mu's composure was like that of someone who already knew the ending, watching the frantic efforts of those who did not.

"Fine," Thompson said, his tone more subdued than before. "But you have to promise that after listening, you'll explain your magic tricks to us."

Chen Mu smiled. "With pleasure—if you still need me to explain by then."

Maya leaned against the wall and glanced at her phone, sending a message to her younger sister: "Sorry sweetie, I might not be able to spend your birthday with you tonight."

An angry emoji was sent back in response.

——————

7:59 PM Eastern Time.

"It's eight o'clock," Chen Mu said.

Thompson picked up the remote, pointed it at the old LCD TV on the wall, and pressed the power button.

The screen was slow to brighten, having clearly not been used for many years.

The image flickered from static to a blue background before cutting to the Oval Office in the White House.

At the presidential podium, President Trump stood in the center with two national flags behind him.

His suit was deep blue and his tie was red, tied a bit tighter than usual.

He spoke solemnly: "My fellow Americans, tonight, I stand here to deliver the most important address of my presidency. Perhaps the most important in the history of the entire world."

Thompson snorted. "Every president says that."

Maya didn't say anything, her gaze shifting back and forth between the television screen and Chen Mu.

Chen Mu was expressionless, looking as if he were watching a ball game for which he already knew the score.

On the screen, President Trump continued: "Eight hours ago, our nation's most advanced deep-space observation systems detected something near the Kuiper Belt, at the edge of the Solar System..."

His voice caught for a moment.

"A fleet."

"It does not consist of any spacecraft known to us. It is not Russian, it is not from the Eastern Power, and it is not a creation of any human civilization."

"It is a massive fleet truly from beyond Earth, and it is currently advancing toward Earth's orbit."

He took a deep breath. "I am now showing you the optical imaging obtained by NASA's deep-space observation department over the last eight hours."

"These images have been cross-validated by seventeen independent observatories around the globe. This is absolutely not special effects."

He stepped half a pace to the side.

The screen switched to show the darkness of the Kuiper Belt. Then, one by one, points of dim red light began to glow.

Countless alien craft were visible, inching closer to the Solar System.

Maya leaned forward slightly, her lips parted. Thompson's hand froze over his coffee cup, motionless.

Only Chen Mu remained calm as he watched the scene, enjoying the explosive surge in fear value.

Ten thousand, a hundred thousand, a million—it was steadily approaching the ten-million mark.

President Trump's voice came from off-screen: "According to military assessments from the Pentagon, this fleet possesses approximately ten thousand giant cosmic motherships, with the number of small combat units exceeding two million!"

Maya's phone slipped from her hand, falling face-down onto the floor.

President Trump continued sternly: "Our military experts have completed a preliminary assessment. If these ships maintain their current deceleration curve, they will reach Earth's orbit in approximately three months."

President Trump's speaking pace began to quicken, like a man trying to grip the mast in a storm.

"I have already ordered the entire military to enter the highest state of combat readiness. All three thousand seven hundred nuclear warheads in our stockpile are being moved into deployment positions."

"Our B61-12 tactical nuclear bombs can be deployed at any time, in any location, and at any yield. The approximately two hundred and thirty nuclear bombs deployed in Europe have all been activated."

"Our Ohio-class nuclear submarines are moving into firing positions at full speed. Our land-based interceptor systems, our space-based laser platforms—all of our defensive forces have entered the highest state of alert tonight."

His voice began to grow impassioned: "We do not know who they are. We do not know where they come from. We do not know what they want."

"But we do know one thing."

He raised his right hand from the podium, holding it high. "We are the United States, and more importantly, we are humanity. We will not fear. We will not back down. And we will certainly not surrender."

"Prepare for battle! My fellow citizens, may God bless humanity!!!"