59: Chapter 59 Better to Die for Your Fellow Daoist Than for Yourself
Late at night, Vladimir Ivanov, the President of the Russian Federation, was awakened from his bed.
The president, known for his toughness, did not get angry; he knew very well that being woken up at such a late hour meant something big must have happened.
He quickly put on his coat and walked out, asking as he went, "What happened?"
"We've lost contact with Murmansk Port, including all ships."
President Ivanov paused, looked back at his secretary, and upon seeing the heavy nod, confirmed he hadn't misheard and immediately quickened his pace.
Ten minutes later, the Kremlin received a communication request.
Fu Haoran's projection appeared in the meeting room.
Appearing simultaneously were the real-time coordinates of all nuclear submarines in Murmansk Port, structural diagrams of underground ammunition depots, and even the security deployment maps of the Kremlin—all projected onto the meeting room screen.
Ivanov was horrified. The other party had the ability to directly seize everything by force; what did they want to talk about by reaching out now?
"What do you want?" Ivanov asked.
Fu Haoran didn't beat around the bush and directly sent over the complete set of mass-production blueprints for the arc reactor.
On the other end of the screen, the head of the intelligence department took just one glance and his breathing instantly quickened. This was the technology that their FSB had been desperately trying to steal back!
Now someone was willing to offer it for trade?!
He leaned in and whispered a few words into Ivanov's ear, and Ivanov's expression changed instantly.
Tony Stark's arc reactor technology, something the whole world was fighting over, was actually being offered as a bargaining chip.
Fu Haoran's voice rang out again: "I want you to provide a portion of high-yield strategic warheads, and I need the coordinates of several of the largest strategic weapon stockpiles in the US."
"In exchange, this set of blueprints is yours."
President Ivanov fell silent for two seconds, several thoughts racing through his mind.
"They have already controlled Murmansk Port. Whether I agree or not won't stop them from taking things."
"If the other party only made this small request, I would never agree. Because once word gets out that we bowed to an unknown armed force, the consequences would be unimaginable."
"But if the US is also robbed, that's another matter."
"It just so happens we have the coordinates of the largest US weapon stockpiles. They have decades of accumulated assets there, from conventional ammunition to special strategic warheads; losing any of them would be enough to make them suffer."
"Since someone is willing to help me give the US a hard time, I have no reason to refuse."
Thinking of this, Ivanov smiled.
Adhering to the principle of "better you than me," Ivanov made the decision on the spot.
Using someone else's technology to trade for a generational upgrade of his own military industry, while also causing a major headache for the US—this deal was a massive profit with no loss.
"Deal," President Ivanov decided on the spot. "All information will be sent to you within ten minutes. If you look for trouble with the US later, we can provide intelligence support."
Fu Haoran looked at the transmitted documents, a smile playing on his lips.
The Hive Noble fleet had always been a thorn in his side; relying solely on the Russians' warheads couldn't fill the firepower gap.
The US's largest strategic-grade weapon stockpile globally would be just enough to replenish everything at once.
On the other side, after getting the blueprints, Ivanov immediately ordered: "Give the blueprints to our people. I want to see a finished product within three months."
"Also... keep an eye on the US. The more chaotic they are, the better it is for us."
...
Three days later, President John of the US was also awakened in the middle of the night.
"Can someone tell me what the hell is going on?" President John roared.
John stared at the images sent back by the satellite, his face pale and his fingers trembling.
In the images, a strategic-grade weapon stockpile located in the heart of the mainland had been looted clean.
The blast doors of the underground warehouse had been completely sliced open. All the high-yield strategic warheads stored inside, along with their matching guidance systems, had vanished without a trace.
"This is not a drill; this is an act of war!" The Secretary of Defense slammed the table hard. "We must find out who did this! Activate nationwide combat readiness immediately!"
"No." John took a deep breath and gritted his teeth as he ordered, "Suppress it. This news must not get out. Announce to the public that it was a routine warehouse drill and an accident occurred."
He turned to the CIA Director, his eyes bloodshot: "Investigate! Use all resources, dig three feet into the ground if you have to, to find out who did this!"
Before he finished speaking, the red hotline telephone on the table suddenly rang.
John picked up the phone, and President Ivanov's familiar voice came through, filled with undisguised amusement: "I heard your warehouse lost some things? Do you need us to help look for them?"
John's face instantly turned the color of pig liver, and he gritted his teeth to hold his ground: "We haven't lost anything; it was just a normal exercise."
"Is that so?" The voice on the other end chuckled. "Then it's quite a coincidence. My people said a kilometer-long giant ship hovered over your mainland for a while a couple of days ago."
"If you really can't find it, we can help. After all, we're very experienced at finding things."
Click.
The phone was hung up directly.
John slammed the receiver onto the desk, swept the documents off the table, and roared at the door with a livid face: "Get Nick Fury over here to see me!"
S.H.I.E.L.D., Helicarrier command deck.
Nick Fury looked at the satellite surveillance screens covering the globe, his single eye filled with irritation.
It had been three days.
That kilometer-long giant ship seemed to have vanished into thin air; global satellites and radars couldn't capture even a hint of a signal.
"Director." Hill walked in quickly, her expression grave. "Emergency communication from the White House. The President demands that we find the location of that warship within 72 hours."
"Also, the largest strategic weapon stockpile on the mainland was attacked, and all warheads were looted."
Fury's fist clenched tightly.
He knew all too well what this meant. To be able to silently loot the US's core weapon stockpile meant the other party's capabilities were already beyond S.H.I.E.L.D.'s control.
"Notify headquarters." Fury's voice was as low as muffled thunder. "Activate the other three Helicarriers ahead of schedule, power them up fully, and search globally for that ship's signal."
What he didn't know was that at the same time he gave the order...
In the East, at Shenmao Bureau headquarters, Zheng Xian stared at the disappearing warship signal on the screen and slowly ordered the activation of the highest level of national air defense warning.
In Russia, at the Kremlin, President Ivanov issued a first-level combat readiness order to the Northern Fleet.
Even the Hydra bases far away in Africa activated alert protocols for their hidden global outposts.
Fu Haoran's move had completely stirred up the global landscape.
But no one knew what his next step would be.
Yet everyone knew that starting from tonight, this world had become completely different.