Within the command deck of the colossal airship, darkness reigned supreme, punctuated only by lightning strikes illuminating the ravaged earth tens of thousands of meters below. The highland plateaus fought a losing battle against the furious encroachment of the sea, achieving minimal success. Volcanic ash drifted in billowing plumes, like malignant tumors suspended high in the troposphere, seemingly blocking out much of the electric light. Such a grand, bizarre spectacle was something the average person might never witness in a lifetime.
Under the bright lamps, a group was assembled around a powerful communication array that hissed softly. The communication satellites previously launched into space were still faithfully operational.
With mounting anxiety, one technician tuned the high-powered radio to the pre-agreed frequency established before the onset of the apocalypse... Silence. Only the static hiss of the storm noise filled the air.
The lips of the Black technician parted, and with apprehension clouding his expression and under immense pressure, he leaned into the microphone:
“This is Air Force One, this is Air Force One. I have forty-three thousand of our compatriots surviving here with me. They are currently well-situated, with their own bunks and access to heated meals. If anyone can hear my transmission, please respond. If you are facing any difficulties, we will provide assistance to the best of our ability.”
Still, only silence answered, seemingly reflecting only the echo of his own hoarse, weary voice. Everyone waited in hushed anticipation, but despair began to rise like a slow, relentless tide.
Suddenly, a calm voice shattered the awkward silence:
“This is Ark D, I am Captain Stephen. Please forgive my directness—Air Force One should already be submerged in Zhuoming Valley, so please state your true identification.”
Sally, the President’s female aide, leaned forward, her expression stern as she addressed the microphone:
“I am Sally, Chief Secretary to the President. Captain Stephen, you have this backwards! Only the aircraft carrying the President of the United States is qualified to be called Air Force One! If the President is not aboard that Boeing 747 codenamed S7M3B, it doesn't deserve that glorious designation!”
The person on the other end choked for a moment, their tone immediately becoming far more courteous:
“Is it possible there was a miracle? We lost contact with the White House during the cataclysmic tremors that struck Washington.”
Suddenly, another voice chimed in:
“This is Alaskan Secret Base B; I am Lieutenant General Agil. We are safe underwater. The earthquake fortunately spared us, though our communications equipment was destroyed. I convey greetings from Base D and Base E as well. Our survivor count here is one hundred and sixty thousand. Finally, may I ask if Mr. President is truly still alive?”
As greetings from Alaska concluded, another voice cut through:
“This is the Tuna Formation, I repeat, this is the Tuna Formation.”
The Tuna Formation was an organization established hastily by the U.S. after discovering China’s covert efforts—it represented the greatest official hope for rescue. Hearing news of the Tuna Formation, everyone held their breath, for to put it plainly, the future resurgence of America and its standing on the global stage depended entirely on the success of this plan.
“The Tuna Formation sustained a damage rate of 23.1%. The plan is fundamentally successful! Repeating the previous question: Is Mr. President truly still alive?”
Upon hearing this news, everyone present erupted in cheers. This implied that at least several million Americans had survived. Hearing this, various other messages quickly began flooding the encrypted channel—official and private—but all unanimously inquired after the President.
Truthfully, ever since President Wilson decided to remain and face shared destiny with his people, his prestige had nearly become comparable to that of the first President in American history. Such powerful charisma elevated his standing among all Americans to its zenith.
President Wilson finally moved to the desk, his voice husky and exhausted as he spoke slowly:
“This is Wilson. I am currently navigating twelve kilometers above the ground with the last forty-three thousand compatriots who survived in Washington. I have never so deeply resented the whims of fate, which nearly brought the great and proud race of humanity to the brink of extinction. Yet, I have never been so grateful to fate, for even in this dire predicament, it preserved a sliver of hope for us. Long live the great United States of America… Huh?? What is this?” Accompanying President Wilson’s hoarse, weary, yet firm voice, a strange form suddenly appeared on the retinas of Fang Senyan and the others: a bizarre spreadsheet.
China: Total directly/indirectly rescued individuals…… people. America: Total directly/indirectly rescued individuals…… people. Your team has earned the gratitude of Jackson Klust. Your team has earned the gratitude of Dr. Gordon. Your team has earned the friendship of International Leader G. Your team has earned the friendship of International Leader Wilson. Calculating… The Ace Team has completed a Glorious Deed: Savior! In the 2012 apocalypse, you have successfully saved the lives of five million people who were destined to die!” “Evaluation for this Glorious Deed: B. All team members receive +10 Merit Points.”
Glorious Deeds are ultimate secrets hidden within every world, extremely difficult to uncover and unique in nature. Once a Contractor completes such a deed, no other Contractor can achieve that objective. You have triggered the relevant conditions; all of you are eligible for an additional reward of +1 Legend Score. However, your standard clearance evaluation reward will be nullified. Do you choose this reward? (Yes/No)
In non-combat states, Legend Score enhances the owner’s reputation among story characters in any Nightmare World. +1 Legend Score means a 10% reduction in the reputation value required to raise standing with any faction, a 10% discount when trading with all story characters, and grants the right to speak directly with certain high-ranking story characters. In combat states, +1 Legend Score simultaneously increases your Evasion Rate and Hit Rate by 5%! In the final clearance summary, +1 Legend Score grants you an additional evaluation bonus!
Everyone was stunned. They had never imagined that by persistently adhering to Fang Senyan’s policy of saving lives, they would ultimately gain such a formidable reward: Legend Score!
Although Legend Score hadn't appeared to have a significant effect on Fang Senyan recently, this was only because the worlds he had experienced since becoming a Colonist-Hunter were of excessively high difficulty. In reality, only the effect "+1 Legend Score grants you an additional evaluation" in the summary was suppressed. The other attributes of Legend Score had been silently exerting their influence all along.
In fact, the others had coveted Fang Senyan’s points of Legend Score for a long time. Compared to that, forfeiting the mere clearance reward was insignificant. Furthermore, if they could successfully escort the Mist Song girl’s clan out of the Lord of the Rings world, they could gain another point of Legend Score—an event that now seemed virtually guaranteed to happen soon. This must be what people meant by good fortune coming in pairs.
Subsequently, Fang Senyan and the others received notification that they had completed the main mission with a low evaluation, yielding a meager reward of only five thousand Universal Points. This reward clearly indicated how perfunctory and superficial their efforts had been.
Following this, the Space granted them one hour for final preparations before they were due to return. However, Fang Senyan had no intention of vanishing; he planned to settle affairs and hand over essential information to President Wilson before departing.
Undoubtedly, based on the intelligence gathered, China’s rise, having successfully seen tens of millions of its population through the 2012 catastrophe, was now inevitable. America’s descent from global supremacy was almost certain.
Therefore, Fang Senyan carried no psychological burden while undertaking these tasks. Provided China’s interests were not harmed, his objective was simply to ensure a better life for these people who had survived at the bottom tiers… “This is it. This is the location and structural schematic of all food reserves on the upper mothership. Since we estimate staying airborne for about fifteen more days, and anticipating potential irrational outbursts or disturbances among the passengers, it is necessary to establish a temporary armed force to maintain order at the appropriate time.”
“I understand,” the President replied. Though his deep-set eyes looked profoundly weary, he listened intently to Fang Senyan’s words, even using pen and paper to meticulously record the details lest he forget anything.
“May I ask, Mr. President, what are your thoughts on the Mutants and the vampires who do not actively attack humans?” Fang Senyan probed tentatively.
“We welcome any force bearing goodwill. Even in the nation’s strongest period, we attempted to grant them the respect and treatment they deserved. How much more so now?”
Hearing the President’s answer, Fang Senyan nodded with satisfaction. In his view, Professor X, lacking any experience in politics, was better suited to soothing people’s souls. Therefore, Fang Senyan believed that post-disaster reconstruction should be handled by the familiar hands of President Wilson and his team; Professor X might inadvertently cause more harm than good if he intervened rashly. Conversely, Professor X’s true calling lay in religion; he could freely use his psychic tendrils to comfort the populace, acting much like a Pope. Such a system of separation between government and religion would likely be the most suitable structure for the aftermath.
I had planned to post an extra chapter today, but I was delayed by an appointment during the day. I will make up for it now. (Your support is my greatest motivation.)RV
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