61: Chapter 61 Winning Studies

Chen Mu pushed open the heavy walnut door of the White House conference room, and camera flashes instantly surged toward him like a tide.

"Ambassador Chen! Has the negotiation broken down?"

"Will human civilization be destroyed?"

"Did the President press the destruction button just now?"

"Has the President surrendered to you?"

A swarm of microphones almost poked him in the face, and in the eyes behind dozens of lenses, there was fear and anger, as if they needed to witness the final moment of human civilization.

Chen Mu stood still, raised a hand, and pressed down slightly.

Everyone held their breath, and even the frequency of the flashes dropped eerily.

His gaze swept over the nearest female CNN reporter, and he smiled condescendingly, "Your leader just showed me an interesting kind of resolve. It's very intriguing and has given me a new perspective on your civilization."

"Rest assured, your human civilization will not be destroyed for the time being."

Chen Mu tilted his head slightly, as if comforting a pack of startled young beasts. "As for the specifics, you will find out next Monday at the United Nations General Assembly."

He offered no further explanation and turned toward the black Cadillac.

The car door was already open. Maya Rodriguez was sitting in the back seat, clutching the stack of negotiation memos soaked in sweat.

Six Secret Service elites parted the crowd like black reefs, clearing a path for him.

Chen Mu bent down and climbed into the car. The bulletproof door closed, cutting off the frantically flashing lights outside.

"Back to the United Nations."

The car started and merged into the traffic on Pennsylvania Avenue.

Chen Mu closed his eyes, and a translucent system interface suddenly appeared on his retina.

Now, the growth curve of the fear value plummeted after the meeting; it seemed the solar deterrence had reached its marginal effect.

He would have to change his approach next month to keep them shocked.

Maya handed him a phone: "The President is out."

On the screen, President Trump strode out of the White House, his red tie fluttering proudly against his chest. The reporters were like a powder keg being lit, instantly exploding.

"Mr. President! Did you press the nuclear button just now?"

"Is the Permanent Five authorization real?"

"Has humanity been sold out by you?"

A young reporter from The Washington Post roared as he squeezed to the front: "Mr. President! Have you surrendered to Chen Mu?!"

The President stopped in his tracks and reached into his suit's inner pocket to pull out that destruction button.

A collective gasp rose from the group of reporters, and several female reporters instinctively backed away.

The President grinned, revealing his signature white teeth.

Then, right in front of the live global broadcast cameras, he pressed it without hesitation.

"Click."

The crisp mechanical sound was amplified by countless microphones.

"Holy f*ck!!!"

The faces of the reporters on the scene simultaneously displayed an "Earth's last second" expression before they were knocked over by fright.

Even the CNN camera began to shake violently; for a moment, the global audience saw the blue sky over the White House lawn at a 45-degree angle.

Three seconds, five seconds, ten seconds.

Nothing happened.

The President laughed heartily, turned the black box upside down and shook it, and a AA battery and a plastic label saying "Made in the East" fell out.

"This is a toy I bought for my grandson," he winked. "Fifteen dollars, free shipping with Amazon Prime. The little guy loves it; he uses it every day to 'blow up' his sister's Barbie castle."

Both on and off the screen, there was dead silence. Everyone was stunned by the President's move.

The playful expression on the President's face suddenly vanished, replaced by a mask of solemnity as if he were changing faces.

He suddenly straightened his back, pointed his finger toward the overcast sky, and announced loudly: "Through the unremitting efforts of myself and the leaders of the other four Permanent Five nations, human civilization has achieved a complete and total victory!"

He raised his arms and shouted: "Guga Planet has agreed to all the conditions we proposed! He compromised! He backed down! We have blocked them outside Mars' orbit with our wisdom and courage! Victory belongs to every Blue Star person who refuses to kneel!"

The reporters on the scene looked at each other, confused as to how they had suddenly won.

"America! America!" The President didn't explain; he just danced a hypnotic dance all the way back into the White House.

Leaving a group of reporters bewildered in the April wind.

Chen Mu closed the live broadcast page. As his finger swiped, several real-time bullet comments flashed by:

[This old geezer, he always plays the fool at critical moments. I've really had enough!]

[Wait, so the fleet is real? The button is fake? Then was the sun going out for three minutes a toy too? What's real in this world? What's fake? I can't tell! I really can't tell!]

[We won!!! Comrades!!! United States imperialism is a paper tiger, and it turned the alien imperialism into a paper tiger too!!! Double paper tigers!!!]

[LMAO, the destruction button is 15 dollars with free shipping on Amazon. Does that mean the 9.9 laser sword my grandma bought on Pinduoduo can also deter the Guga Planet people?]

[Win-ology Textbook: Step 1, announce that you've won. Step 2, if the result is good, it's because I won. Step 3, if the result is bad, it's because I'm playing a grand game of chess. Step 4, if the game falls apart, it's the fake news media smearing me. Step 5, go back to Step 1.]

[Actually, the most terrifying thing about Win-ology isn't that it's lying, but that it turns lying into a ritual that everyone knows is a lie, yet everyone pretends to believe.]

[Anyone with even a shred of normal logical thinking knows we can't possibly win against a civilization that can turn off the sun at will, but there's no choice—humanity must "win" this round!]

[No matter what level of civilization you are, as long as you come to Blue Star, you won't escape being 'won' over by Blue Star!!!]

——————

The next morning, Chen Mu was awakened by a violent roar like metal tearing.

The crackling sound was so dense it felt like someone had thrown the entire city into a boiling vat of oil, then funneled the noise into his eardrums at ten times the volume.

He bounced up from the bed, his temples throbbing: "What the hell is going on?"

He stepped barefoot onto the cold floor and threw open the bedroom window. He wanted to see who dared to ignore his warning and keep disturbing his sleep.

He looked down at the street from above, but was stunned because the street below was empty.

There wasn't even a single out-of-control car on Fifth Avenue, only a few gray pigeons startled by the loud noise, scurrying between the buildings.

But the gunfire didn't stop; instead, it became more surging, echoing from the depths of Manhattan's steel canyons. It was as if all of New York had stepped into a civil war, yet not a single enemy could be seen.

"Maya!"

Chen Mu roared at the top of his lungs, his voice wrapped in shredded sleepiness and suppressed rage.

The door was pushed open gently, and Maya walked in. She was still wearing the same crumpled suit from last night, but a trace of a smile hung on the corner of her mouth.

"What's going on outside?" Chen Mu pointed out the window and then at his own ears. "Is there a civil war in New York? Or has Sima Bei finally brought his fans to rebel?"