97: A net of heaven and earth

The global live broadcast storm triggered by Su Yuan was like a magnitude 12 tsunami of public opinion, instantly sweeping across the world and shattering the hypocritical image of the Lighthouse Country as the 'City upon a Hill'.

But this was only the beginning.

"General Long, the good show has just begun."

Inside the Command Center, Su Yuan's voice was as calm as a still pond, but to General Long, Li Guodong, and the others, it sounded like a clap of thunder.

"I have used the system to compile a detailed list of all the sleeper agents the Lighthouse Country has planted within our borders, including their safe house locations, secret bank accounts, contact methods... everything."

As Su Yuan spoke, his finger tapped lightly on the keyboard.

A top-secret file with an encryption level of SSS instantly appeared on the main screen of the Command Center.

Looking at that dense, hundred-page list, everyone in the Command Center gasped.

Major General Li Guodong's hands were trembling. He adjusted his glasses and stared fixedly at the screen, his lips quivering, unable to say a word for a long time.

This... this was a feat that the National Security and Counter-Espionage Departments might not have been able to accomplish even after decades of painstaking effort!

And Su Yuan had completed it so nonchalantly in just these ten-odd minutes!

"Now," Su Yuan's voice carried a hint of a cold smile, "it's time for us to close the net."

General Long stood up abruptly from his seat, his old but still upright body trembling slightly with excitement. He took a deep look at Su Yuan's profile on the screen and then, without any hesitation, picked up the red secure telephone on the desk that represented the highest command.

"Order! Immediately initiate Operation Inescapable Net! Highest response level!"

"Target! Everyone on the list! Not a single one is to be let go!"

With a single command, the most powerful state machine of the entire Dragon Country began to operate frantically with an unprecedented and terrifying efficiency!

...In Donghai City, inside a lecture hall of a famous university.

An elegant economics professor, who was extremely beloved by his students, was on the podium, eloquently analyzing the global economic situation.

Suddenly, with a loud 'bang', the doors of the lecture hall were slammed open.

A team of fully armed special police, their faces painted with camouflage, rushed in like tigers descending from a mountain.

"Don't move! National Security!"

Cold muzzles were instantly aimed at the professor on the podium.

Amidst the terrified screams of all the students, the refinement and composure on the professor's face vanished instantly, replaced by a deathly ashen color. He instinctively reached for something in his pocket, but a large, pincer-like hand had already firmly pinned his shoulder... In Yangcheng, Nanyue Province.

In the tallest office building of the CBD, a woman dressed in a high-end custom suit, hailed as a queen of the business world, was signing a multi-billion dollar contract with a partner.

Just as she was about to put pen to paper, the office door was pushed open.

Several men in black trench coats with steady temperaments walked in. The leader simply and silently showed her his credentials.

The powerful woman's hand gave a violent jerk, and her expensive fountain pen fell to the floor.

The exquisite makeup on her face instantly turned pale.

"President Li, come with us."

...In Western Xinjiang, in a remote small mountain village.

A dark-skinned old farmer, who looked no different from the local villagers, was hoeing the field. He had lived here for twenty years, married and had children; everyone thought he was just an ordinary farmer.

Two men, dressed plainly but with exceptionally sharp eyes, walked to the edge of his field.

"It's been thirty years, old partner," one of them spoke, his voice very soft. "The organization wants you to go home."

The old farmer's body stiffened abruptly.

He slowly straightened his back and remained silent for a long time. Finally, he gave a long sigh and threw down the hoe in his hand... Similar scenes were playing out simultaneously across the 9.6 million square kilometers of Dragon Country's land.

One by one, the deeply hidden poison nails, some almost forgotten even by their own people, were precisely extracted.

Secretly established intelligence stations, contact points, and capital transfer stations were uprooted one after another.

The intelligence network in the Dragon Country that the Lighthouse Country had spent over half a century and countless human and material resources to build—the one they claimed would never fall—was completely destroyed in a single night, like dry weeds before a scythe!

On the main screen of the Command Center, on a giant map of the Dragon Country, the hundreds of flashing red dots representing threats were extinguishing one by one at a speed visible to the naked eye, turning into green dots representing safety.

Major General Li Guodong looked at this heart-stirring scene, moved to tears.

"This... this is more than just closing the net! This is practically digging up their very roots!" he said incoherently. "Comrade Su Yuan, you... you are simply a divine soldier descended from heaven! No! You are the incarnation of the national destiny!"

Su Yuan just watched all this calmly.

There wasn't much of a ripple in his heart.

"If you dare to play dirty, you must have the resolve to pay the price."

"At this card table, I am not only a player, I am also the referee!"

...Meanwhile, inside the abandoned cold storage.

Through a still-functioning surveillance screen in the corner, Shinigami saw the global live broadcast. He also heard the desperate news of their intelligence network being completely purged through a miniature receiver hidden in his tooth.

His expression changed from its initial madness to complete dead silence.

He knew he was finished.

The Lighthouse Country was finished too.

All paths of retreat were blocked. He had become a discarded pawn, an isolated and helpless piece.

A surge of extreme despair and malice rose frantically from the depths of his heart.

"Since... since we're all going to die..."

His gaze instantly became incredibly hideous.

"Then let's all go to hell together!!!"

He spun around abruptly and lunged with all his strength toward an inconspicuous red emergency button on the wall.

That was the manual detonation device for the entire underground explosives cache of the cold storage!

"He's going to detonate the bombs!"

Wang Yi's roar exploded in the team channel!

Shinigami's movement was too fast, too sudden!

He was like a maddened beast, lunging at that red button of destruction with the resolve to perish together.

Wang Yi wanted to stop him, but suddenly, over a dozen automatic firing turrets popped out from the walls and ceiling in front of him!

"Da da da da!"

Dense tongues of fire instantly blocked all his paths forward.

These were Shinigami's final defensive measures, and also the retreat he had prepared for himself.

"Get out of the way!"

Chen Hu roared, swinging his Battle Blade and frantically smashing at those turrets, but these specially-made defensive fortifications were exceptionally sturdy. Even he couldn't destroy them all in the first instance.

They were pinned down!

Seeing Shinigami's hand was less than half a meter away from that button!

A hideous and distorted smile had already appeared on his face.

In the Command Center, everyone's hearts leaped into their throats!

"Stop him, quick!" General Lin Zhan roared, losing his composure.

But it was too late!

Everyone knew it was too late!

Su Yuan's pupils suddenly contracted into dangerous pinpoints.

His brain operated to its limit within 0.01 seconds.

Wang Yi and Chen Hu couldn't make it in time!

Wu Qiong's Space Flicker was still on cooldown because of continuous use earlier!

What to do?!

Was there any other way?!

His Gods Perspective scanned frantically across the entire battlefield, searching for any possible point to break the deadlock.

Suddenly, his gaze locked onto a tiny point of light outside the battlefield that had been ignored by almost everyone.

That point of light was at the top of an abandoned signal tower a full two kilometers away from the cold storage!

It was Zhao Zihan!

Since the battle began, she had been holding her sniper position like the most patient hunter, waiting for the right moment to strike.

"Zhao Zihan!"

Su Yuan's voice rang out directly and urgently in Zhao Zihan's earpiece without any preamble!

"Listen to my command! Target: third floor of the cold storage, northeast corner, next to the red button, the enemy's right hand!"

"You only have one chance!"