N-M Chapter 271 A Shocking Change in Antarctica, Global Silence
Chapter 271 A Shocking Change in Antarctica, Global Silence
Li Zhenguo's hand trembled slightly as he hung up the call.
He wasn't afraid, but rather experiencing a mixture of shock, awe, and a touch of absurd excitement.
A massive earthquake?
Something exploded under the ice cap.
The research station's report used very careful wording, but Li Zhenguo could almost picture the frantic expressions on the other end of the phone as those top scientists racked their brains, unable to come up with a reasonable explanation.
Others may not know, but he does!
Just a few minutes ago, Master Zhang told him personally that the "Divine Guards" under his command had gone to Antarctica to deal with the "beacon" from the moon!
Therefore, this unprecedented super earthquake is not a natural phenomenon at all!
This is... a battle of gods!
It was that man's pawn that fought against that terrifying monster from outer space at the southernmost point of the earth!
"Minister? Minister? What's wrong?" His secretary couldn't help but whisper a reminder when she saw his ever-changing expression.
Li Zhenguo suddenly came to his senses. He glanced at the ancient Taoist temple outside the meditation room, then at Zhang Sanfeng in front of him, who was calm and composed, as if he had expected this all along. He made a decision in an instant.
"Master, I have urgent official business to attend to, so I must take my leave now!" He bowed deeply to Zhang Sanfeng once again.
"Minister Li, please make yourself at home." Zhang Sanfeng stroked his long beard and smiled slightly. "I only have one word to offer you."
"Please speak, sir!" Li Zhenguo immediately listened attentively.
"Even if Mount Tai collapses before you, your expression will not change; even if a deer runs past on your left, your eyes will not blink. Only then can you control advantages and disadvantages, and be ready to face the enemy." Zhang Sanfeng's voice was calm and profound. "The matter of Antarctica is merely an appetizer. The storms to come will be far greater. Only by keeping your mind steady can you steer the great ship of China well."
Li Zhenguo's body trembled, as if a clear stream had poured down from the top of his head, instantly extinguishing the anxiety and unease that had just risen in his heart.
He got it.
Master Zhang was giving him pointers and reassuring him.
Now that the master has made his move, everything is still under control. What these mortals need to do is not panic, but to fulfill their own duties and maintain composure!
"Thank you for your guidance, Master! I have learned a great deal!" Li Zhenguo bowed again, and then, without the slightest hesitation, turned and strode out of the Taoist temple.
"Contact headquarters immediately! Connect me to Line 1!" he ordered in a deep voice as he walked, addressing his men following behind him.
"yes!"
……
China, Beijing, Command Center No. 1.
When Li Zhenguo's order was transmitted here through the highest level of encryption, the entire command center was in complete chaos.
"Report! All earthquake monitoring stations within the Antarctic Circle have exceeded their maximum seismic readings! Preliminary estimates indicate that the magnitude exceeds that of any earthquake ever recorded!"
"This isn't an earthquake! The propagation pattern of seismic waves is completely wrong! This is more like... a super-massive, core-explosion!"
"Our 'Kuafu' satellite detected an extremely terrifying energy reaction before the signal was lost! The energy level... is incalculable! It has exceeded the limits of all our instruments!"
"Minister! The urgent communication requests from the United States, Russia, and the European Union are almost overwhelming our lines! They're all asking us what our Antarctic research station has detected!"
One after another, researchers in white coats and intelligence analysts in military uniforms, their faces flushed, reported loudly.
Every face was filled with incomprehensible shock and a hint of fear stemming from the unknown.
Just then, Li Zhenguo's face was clearly displayed on the main screen of the command center.
His resolute face was expressionless at that moment.
But it was precisely this calm demeanor, devoid of any expression, that instantly silenced the entire noisy command center.
Everyone was watching Li Zhenguo on the screen, waiting for him to give the order.
"Pass on my orders." Li Zhenguo's voice, clear and distinct through the loudspeaker, resounded in everyone's ears without a trace of emotion.
"First, raise the secrecy level of this Antarctic incident to the highest level, 'God-level'! All relevant data must be immediately physically sealed! No one is allowed to divulge a single word!"
"Secondly, we should maintain a unified narrative externally, stating that China conducted an experiment with a new geological exploration technology in Antarctica, which triggered some unexpected geological reactions. The specific data is currently being analyzed."
"Third, use this same line when replying to other countries. Whether they believe it or not is their business. Ignore any of their inquiries or probing."
"Fourth, order all our ships and personnel near Antarctica to immediately evacuate the relevant waters and not approach the ice sheet continent! Designate that area as a top-level restricted zone!"
One command after another was issued clearly and decisively from Li Zhenguo's mouth.
Everyone in the command center was stunned.
This order... is too perfunctory and too domineering, isn't it?
A new geological exploration experiment? This kind of nonsense might fool a three-year-old, but how could it possibly fool those shrewd foreign intelligence agencies?
This is practically telling the whole world: something big happened in Antarctica, and I did it, but I'm not telling you what it is, and don't ask, it's no use asking.
"Minister... this... this kind of response, won't it cause an international dispute?" an official in charge of diplomatic liaison couldn't help but ask in a low voice.
"A dispute?" Li Zhenguo sneered. "Then let them fight it out."
His gaze swept over everyone in front of the screen, and his voice suddenly rose.
"Listen up, all of you! From this moment on, we don't need to guess anymore, we don't need to fear anymore! We just need to believe!"
"Believe that behind us stands a great being, one we cannot even imagine!"
What we need to do is not to explain anything to others, but to get used to it all! To adapt to it all!
"Because, just as Master Zhang said, this is only the beginning!"
Li Zhenguo's words struck like a heavy hammer, hitting everyone's heart hard.
Although the crowd still didn't quite understand, they sensed an unprecedented and powerful confidence in Li Zhenguo's tone!
That confidence seemed to say, no matter what happens, we are bound to win!
"Yes! We guarantee to complete the mission!" Everyone responded in unison, their voices louder than ever before.
……
Meanwhile, at the Pentagon, in the underground command center.
The atmosphere was so oppressive it felt like it could drip water.
A white-haired four-star general stared at the large screen with a livid face, looking at the map of Antarctica that represented the lost signal.
"So, all our military satellites, spy satellites, and weather satellites deployed in Antarctica lost contact at the same time?" His voice was hoarse, like sandpaper being rubbed.
"Yes, General." A technical supervisor wiped the cold sweat from his brow, his voice trembling. "They just vanished...like they evaporated into thin air. We didn't even receive any signal of an attack."
"What about the research station? What about our 'Amundsen-Scott' research station in Antarctica? Have we made contact with it?" the general pressed.
"Unable to contact them... All communication methods have been cut off. We only received a very chaotic distress signal from them a few seconds before the incident, which contained only one repeated word..."
"What word?"
"God..."
The general swayed slightly, and his adjutant behind him quickly steadied him.
"What about China? What did they say?" The general took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.
"They...they said they were conducting some kind of geological exploration experiment..." an intelligence officer reported with a strange expression.
"An experiment?!" Upon hearing this word, the general nearly coughed up blood in anger. "What kind of experiment could destroy a satellite network worth hundreds of billions of dollars in an instant?! What kind of experiment could trigger a super earthquake that shakes the entire Earth?!"
"They're talking nonsense!" He slammed his fist on the control panel in front of him. "They must know something! They're hiding something terrifying in there that we don't know about!"
"General, we've just extracted something from the last footage transmitted by a high-altitude reconnaissance plane before it crashed..." a technician suddenly shouted.
"Quickly! Release them!" the general roared immediately.
On the big screen, a video filled with static and distortion, extremely blurry, began to play.
The video footage was shaking violently.
But it was still barely possible to make out that on a vast expanse of white ice, there appeared a pitch-black abyss that was larger than anyone could imagine!
At the edge of the abyss, there seemed to be two very small figures standing.
"Zoom in! Zoom in to the maximum!" the general roared.
The technicians immediately got to work.
The image was magnified to its limit, frame by frame.
Although still blurry, the outlines of the two figures became slightly clearer.
They... seemed to be wearing some kind of streamlined armor, full of metallic texture?
One, entirely golden.
One, entirely dark red.
Behind them, it seemed, were enormous, metallic...wings extending out?
Everyone in the command center who witnessed this scene gasped in shock.
What is this?
Movie special effects?
"General..." A young staff officer looked at the two blurry figures, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down, and murmured in a dreamlike tone.
"They look...like...legendary...angels?"
The general didn't speak; he just stared intently at the two god-like figures on the screen, his eyes filled with unprecedented solemnity and horror.
He knew that from this moment on, the world would enter a crazy era that they could not understand at all.
He suddenly raised his head and gave a resolute order to his adjutant beside him.
"Immediately activate 'Operation Prometheus'! Dispatch our elite 'Seal' Squadron 6 and the superhuman 'Alpha' team aboard our state-of-the-art 'Aurora' spaceplane, at all costs, to Antarctica and find out exactly what happened there!"