122: Chapter 122 You guys are unrepentant! See you on Capitol Hill!

"Warhammer: Starting as a Planetary Governor, Three Hundred Years of Back Taxes" is currently in a hot serialization, not to be missed!

It took Jarvis only three minutes to anonymously stuff the mailboxes of all major global media outlets with concrete evidence of steel falsification across the entire US Army fleet and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries' rebranding scams.

Overnight, the internet exploded.

The front-page headlines of The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, the BBC, and Reuters were all filled with the same news story: "The American Navy Has Used Fake Steel to Build Warships for Thirty Years; Dozens of Capital Ships Could Break in Two at Any Moment."

Twitter and Facebook crashed directly. The hashtags #US Army Tin Cans and #Military-Industrial Complex Get Out of Congress topped the trending searches, with views exceeding 100 million in a single hour.

Families of naval personnel blocked the gates of Pentagon, holding signs demanding a thorough investigation into warship safety.

Retired veterans spoke out collectively, demanding that those responsible for the falsification be held accountable.

Even Wall Street was in an uproar; military-industrial stocks plummeted at the opening bell, with over a hundred billion US dollars evaporating in a single day.

The moment the scandal broke, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries' headquarters held an emergency press conference broadcast globally.

Before the cameras, the president of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, along with a group of executives, bowed in unison at a ninety-degree angle and read a three-minute apology statement. Throughout the entire process, there wasn't a single sentence regarding substantive accountability or a commitment to rectification.

Just one hour after the press conference ended, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries announced the final handling results:

Two executives responsible for the steel business resigned in blame and were transferred to idle positions in the group's subsidiaries.

All members of the board of directors were docked 1-3 months' salary.

Mitsubishi Steel, the involved entity, was fined 10.9 million US dollars.

Not a single executive went to jail, there was not one cent of sky-high compensation, and there were no product recall plans.

In a follow-up statement, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries explicitly stated that no structural damage had been found in active-duty vessels, Shinkansen trains, or civilian ships, and they would only strengthen subsequent production monitoring.

The Japanese Ministry of Defense and the American Navy would not cancel subsequent orders with Mitsubishi; Mitsubishi remained a core supplier for the US and Japanese militaries.

As for this massive fraud case that spanned nearly thirty years and deceived the militaries of both the US and Japan, the final "main culprit" was identified as a 67-year-old retired grassroots quality inspection engineer. He faced 10 years in prison and a 1 million US dollar fine, while all of Mitsubishi's management claimed to be "completely unaware of this."

Mirroring Mitsubishi's operation was the American homegrown Bradken Foundry.

The same thirty years of steel falsification, the same shifting of all responsibility onto a 67-year-old metallurgist, Elaine Thomas. The company spent only 10.9 million US dollars to reach a settlement, and they continued to hold massive Navy orders, business as usual.

The scandal that caused such a stir six months ago is now no longer mentioned by anyone.

The US Army simply added extra safety inspections and hull reinforcements to active vessels, spending hundreds of millions more in taxpayer money every year, yet they never touched a single order from the fraudulent companies.

All of America was waiting for Congress to apologize, hold people accountable, and give the public an explanation.

In the closed-door meetings on Capitol Hill, however, the congressmen were not discussing how to hold people accountable, but how to play this "bowing craftsman" blame-shifting game even more thoroughly.

Graham, the Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, tapped on the table and said in a sinister tone: "If Mitsubishi can find a retired engineer to take the fall, why can't we? It's simple. Have the internet trolls and media release info simultaneously, saying that a Chinese enterprise swapped out Mitsubishi's qualified steel, replacing the original factory parts with inferior steel, which is what exposed the so-called falsification issue."

"Thirty years of falsification? That's all dirty water splashed by this Chinese spy!"

He had already calculated it. Fu Haoran was Chinese and had no political background in America. By pinning the label of commercial spy on him, they could instantly divert public attention, twisting the falsification scandal into a narrative of a Chinese enterprise endangering national security. Furthermore, they could legitimately seize the shipyard, freeze assets, and completely stifle this threat that had touched their cake.

Killing two birds with one stone, seamless.

At noon, Congress and the Department of Justice jointly issued an announcement, pushed across the entire network.

There was no apology, no accountability, only murderous accusations:

"DYB Shipyard illegally used steel from the prohibited procurement list, endangering American national security. A comprehensive criminal investigation is launched effective today."

"Fu Haoran, the person in charge of the shipyard, is suspected of commercial espionage activities and is restricted from leaving the country."

"All factory areas of DYB Shipyard are seized, and all its assets in the US are frozen."

As soon as the announcement came out, the entire internet was in an uproar.

On domestic Weibo, related topics also rushed directly to the top of the hot search list.

The top-rated comment was a long post by a netizen, and the number of likes instantly broke a million:

"Let me tell you a joke. An old gentleman living downstairs from me used to work on warship steel. He did it his whole life. Today he saw the news and spent three whole hours at home cursing the Americans."

"The old man said that back then, they risked their lives for R&D, using every bit of strength they and their ancestors had, yet even the performance of the best materials could only reach eighty percent of the American nominal value. And for that, they even received national-level awards."

"On the day the R&D succeeded, not a single person at the scene laughed. Everyone was frowning, feeling that the gap with America was too large and that they wouldn't be able to catch up in this lifetime."

"As it turns out, we only just found out that the indicators we've been chasing for decades are things the Americans themselves couldn't even reach!"

"They've been faking it for thirty years, and we believed it for thirty years, and struggled for thirty years!"

"In the end, they bow, apologize, and fine themselves three drinks, find a retired old man to take the fall, and it's business as usual with orders coming in as always, while we are the ones getting splashed with the dirty water of being spies!"

The comment section completely exploded, with countless people leaving messages of lament. The topic #Thirty Years of Being Fooled by Americans went straight to the top.

DYB top-floor office.

Fu Haoran looked at the congressional announcement on the screen and the replay of Mitsubishi's bowing apology press conference, and smiled.

It was a very cold smile.

Fu Haoran thought that by exposing the inside story, the American Congress and Mitsubishi would soften and obediently transfer the 680 million balance.

He didn't expect that these people would not only show no remorse, but would instead play this game of shifting blame and framing onto him. Pinning a commercial spy label on him, they wanted to shut down his factory, freeze his assets, and even send him to prison to become the next Thomas to take the fall.

"Jarvis, check who's behind the scenes leading this trouble."

"Querying... Query complete," Jarvis's electronic voice sounded. "The one leading it is Graham, Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee. Behind him are Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Newport News Shipbuilding. He receives over 8 million US dollars in political contributions from these two companies every year."

"The other 12 congressmen who seconded the motion have all accepted benefits from the military-industrial complex."

"Organize all the dirt, back it up to the servers of all major mainstream media globally, and wait for my..." halfway through, Fu Haoran realized things shouldn't be like this.

"In the Warhammer World, I guard against the old nobility, against Genestealer Cults, and against the Horus Heresy. I am always calculating every step, as if treading on thin ice."

"I almost forgot, the ten years I fought for by spending 100,000 general points wasn't so I could come back and swallow my pride, playing house with them."

In Fu Haoran's original plan, returning to the 2K World this time was to quietly fleece some wool, build up his family assets, and leave himself a way out. He had never gotten in anyone's way.

Fu Haoran couldn't understand. He had kindly repaired the ships for the US Army, yet in return, these people wanted to withhold his money, shut down his factory, send him to prison, and cut off all his paths of retreat.

A step back for a wider view?

The more he thought about it, the angrier he got.

He had taken step after step back, but what he got in return was a relentless pursuit to kill him off.

Did they really think he, a Hive City Governor, was made of clay?

Fu Haoran immediately ordered: "Father Kallun, activate all vehicles, including my Baneblade tank. We're going out."

"Political Commissar Ling Shuang, notify the soldiers to bring their gear. We're going out. Prepare for the worst-case scenario."

Ling Shuang asked hesitantly, "My Lord, are we going to war?"

"No, just a violent demand for unpaid wages. And while we're at it, we'll let the lords in Congress broaden their horizons and learn what a military mutiny looks like."

As a nominal Captain in the National Guard, strictly speaking, the forces under Fu Haoran's command belonged to the regular military organization.

"As you command, My Lord," Ling Shuang nodded.

Callun's mechanical synthetic voice sounded steadily, "The glory of the machine shall bloom together with My Lord."

Just then, the office door was slammed open.

Jimmy rushed in, saying flusteredly, "Boss! The FBI convoy is blocking the main gate! Dozens of riot vehicles, hundreds of agents and SWAT, they've brought search and arrest warrants. You should run through the back door!"

Outside the window, the piercing sound of sirens penetrated the factory area, and the alternating red and blue police lights were dizzying.

Outside the gate, the FBI's riot vehicles were already lined up. Agents held guns and raised riot shields, and a battering ram was aimed at the gate, waiting only for the order to force an entry.

The workers in the dock stopped their work and looked at the display at the gate with faces full of panic.

Lucifelle lay lazily on the sofa, her long legs crossed. Her snow-white skin shimmered with an ivory luster under the light, and her long green hair fell over her shoulders, making that exquisite face look even more cold and elegant.

She looked at Fu Haoran with a half-smile, her emerald eyes carrying a hint of playfulness: "My dear, what will you choose?"

To accelerate the cultivation of Space Marine gene organs, Fu Haoran had also brought Lucifelle and her party to the 2K World this time.

Looking at it today, this decision was truly about finding himself an audience for live commentary.

Fu Haoran could already see the contempt in her eyes.

Lucifelle shook her head gently, the smile at the corners of her mouth deepening: "The dignified Planetary Governor, in charge of a Hive World with a population of over ten billion... and yet you're being bullied by Judicial Police Officers from a border town. If this gets back, I'm afraid you'll be mocked by Danteoche for the rest of your life."

Thinking about it, a Planetary Governor in charge of a planet with over ten billion people... even if he was just a figurehead, his current situation was indeed too pathetic.

It would definitely become a dark stain on his history.

Fu Haoran said with a dark face, "Only children make choices. I never choose."

"Since they want to make a move, I'll play along to the end!"

"Immediately arrest all intruders. Kill anyone who resists on the spot."

As the order was given, the system, which hadn't appeared to cause trouble for a long time, showed up:

[Detected that the core management of the North American Hive is suspected of being corrupted by Tzeentch, fabricating charges to frame loyal Hive citizens, and attempting to dismantle the Planetary Defense Force. This is a typical behavioral pattern of Tzeentch followers.]

[Triggered Series Mission: Suppress Rebels · Reclaim Hive Treasures]

[Mission Requirement: Within one month, make Graham and other Tzeentch followers publicly admit to the conspiracy and return the embezzled treasures (the ship repair balance).]

[Mission Rewards: General Points +50,000, Hive (North America) Reputation +2,000, Unlock legal armament authority for the Planetary Defense Force, Free Attribute Points +2]

[Mission Failure Penalty: Hive (North America) Reputation reset to zero, Planetary Defense Force forcibly disbanded, the Transmigrator will be listed as a Hive traitor and wanted globally.]

[PS: This group of Tzeentch followers thinks you're a soft persimmon they can squeeze, steal your money, and send you to prison. Why not just give Capitol Hill a blast? Doing so will yield extra rewards.]

Fu Haoran ignored the final suggestion and got up to depart.

...

Outside the shipyard gates, it was already crowded to the point where not a drop of water could leak through.

Over a hundred riot armored vehicles were parked across the intersection, the police lights on their bodies flashing crazily, and the piercing sirens broke the silence of the port.

Over a thousand FBI agents and Homeland Security SWAT were fully armed. Bulletproof shields formed a line of steel defense, sniper rifles were already set up on surrounding high points, and the muzzles were dead-set on the shipyard gate.

The scene's general commander, Hawkins, the FBI Washington field supervisor, leaned against a riot vehicle with a cigarette in his mouth, looking at the arrest warrant in his hand with a face full of disdain.

A deputy next to him leaned in and asked in confusion, "Sir, to deal with one shipyard's Chinese owner, we've deployed over a thousand people, and even pulled in the entire SWAT team. Isn't that a bit of an overkill?"

"Overkill?" Hawkins gave a cold laugh and flicked the ash from his cigarette. "The lords of the military-industrial complex above have given a death order. We must nail the man on espionage charges and take down both the person and the factory in one go."

"Deploying so many people is both to build momentum and to reflect the seriousness of the situation."

He looked up at the tightly closed shipyard gate, his face full of arrogance: "But that's about it. A Chinese person from outside, with no one to rely on here. At most, he's hired a few security guards with some crappy handguns."

"With our lineup, let alone a small shipyard, even a small military base could be flattened."

The SWAT captain next to him laughed along, saying proudly, "Within ten minutes, we can break in and pin the target to the ground."

"Unless he's hiding tanks and ten thousand regular troops inside this shipyard, he won't be able to escape today even if he had wings!"

Hawkins nodded, stubbed out the cigarette on the vehicle, raised his hand, and coldly ordered into the walkie-talkie: "All units attention, in thirty seconds, force the gate and enter! If the target resists, you are authorized to subdue him on the spot!"

The agents instantly gripped their guns, the battering ram was aimed at the gate's lock core, and everyone held their breath, waiting only for the order.

But just then, the ground beneath their feet suddenly began to vibrate violently.

It wasn't the tremor of an explosion, but the uniform, heavy sound of footsteps from inside the factory area, along with the roar of heavy engines, like a sleeping giant finally opening its eyes.

The thick alloy gate slowly rose, followed by the uniform, heavy sound of footsteps, and the ground vibrated violently along with them.

The next second, the factory's perimeter wall was forcibly smashed open by twelve chimera armored personnel carriers.

In the roar of the engines, the armored convoy rushed in front of the FBI convoy. The heavy machine guns on the vehicles turned in unison, their cold muzzles pointed at the dumbfounded agents.

Closely following behind was a densely packed Planetary Defense Force.

How many were there?

Ten thousand or a hundred thousand?

It made no difference; in short, they were too many to count.

The scene instantly became deathly silent.

The FBI agents holding their guns froze in place, looking at the power armor and heavy weapons in front of them that far exceeded the current level of the US Army, not even daring to breathe.

The handguns and rifles in their hands were no different from toys in front of these steel monsters.

Hawkins' expression was even more like he had eaten feces.

"No, how do you have so many soldiers? Are you going to rebel or start a civil war?!"

The sentence he just said, "Unless he's hiding tanks and ten thousand troops," now felt like a resounding slap in the face.

The scene commander Hawkins instantly snapped back to his senses, roaring for his subordinates to retreat, while simultaneously frantically pressing the walkie-talkie to call for National Guard support.

His finger was clamped tightly on the trigger.

But he absolutely did not dare to fire a single shot!

Hawkins knew very well that firing would only result in him being turned into a sieve on the spot, with not even a whole corpse left behind.