"Why was our nation completely unaware of this?!"
The generals were furious.
The Dragon Kingdom dared to act so boldly, right under their noses!
What angered them even more was that the Dragon Kingdom had reached their doorstep, yet their own people remained oblivious.
The Mushroom Submarines surfacing were a blatant act of provocation!
Even more critical was the fact that four Mushroom Submarines had surfaced. How many more remained submerged?!
The generals broke out in cold sweats at the thought.
"Mr. President, urgent report!"
Another presidential aide rushed in.
"What is it? Speak!"
The President's face darkened with displeasure.
The aide didn't dare delay or play games. He quickly tapped on his device, and new information appeared on the wall-mounted screen.
A mysterious fleet had materialized less than ten nautical miles from Eagle Country's territorial waters.
"Mr. President, the Dragon Kingdom claims they are conducting live-fire exercises in international waters and warns other vessels to stay clear."
"The exercise area is here."
The aide marked a vast expanse of sea on the map. The eastern edge of this area ran almost parallel to Eagle Country's territorial waters.
*Bang!*
The President could no longer remain seated. He stood up and slammed his fist onto the desk.
"Bastards!"
"And..."
"And what?!"
The assistant stammered, "The Dragon Kingdom's news is broadcasting information about our fleet."
He grabbed the remote and switched to the Dragon Kingdom International Channel.
Then he rewound the news from a few minutes earlier.
On the screen, a glamorous anchor was introducing the Dragon Kingdom's latest satellite research achievements.
"...As you can see in the footage, this is our Dragon Kingdom fleet patrolling the Taipingyang."
The anchor smiled brightly, then feigned surprise and apologized.
"Oh!"
"Sorry, sorry, I made a mistake."
Someone handed her an A4 sheet of paper, and she continued:
"According to the corrected information, this is not our Dragon Kingdom fleet, but the Eagle Country's fleet."
"Heh, the Eagle Country's fleet... what's it doing in our waters?"
In the Eagle Country President's office, everyone fell silent.
The room was deathly quiet.
Even breathing seemed to have stopped.
The generals were astonished that the Dragon Kingdom's media could have obtained their military secrets.
Clearly, the Dragon Kingdom had leaked this information!
"They... they actually discovered our fleet!"
"According to the 'Destroy on Discovery' principle, our fleet should have been annihilated. Of course, if the Dragon Kingdom wanted to."
The President slumped back in his chair. After a moment's thought, he personally dialed the Dragon Kingdom's number.
***
Minutes earlier, the National War Department of the Dragon Kingdom was in a frenzy.
They had been working around the clock for two days and nights, their eyes bloodshot, their feet never touching the ground. Even basic necessities like drinking water and using the restroom were luxuries.
"Section Chief Li, the A-San Kingdom's zombie eradication efforts have failed, plunging the nation into chaos. The Eagle Country, citing the need to contain the zombies, has deployed troops to A-San, and their ground forces are now advancing toward our border."
The A-San Kingdom had suffered catastrophic losses over the past two days.
Had the Eagle Country not intervened, the entire nation might have become a zombie paradise.
In just two days, the Eagle Country had already reached A-San's border.
"Hmm."
Li Tai's eyes were filled with anxiety.
When he first heard about the Eagle Country's deployment to A-San, he knew their true intentions were far from altruistic.
Now, it was clear their target was the Dragon Kingdom.
Not only from the west, but also from the east, Eagle Country's fleets were approaching their territorial waters.
Li Tai ordered his subordinates, "Activate all our buried assets. These white devils have no idea what they're doing. If they want war, we'll give them one!"
"Yes, Section Chief!"
***
A few minutes later, the phone rang.
"Hello, I need to speak with your leader."
The caller was, of course, the President of Eagle Country.
Li Tai snorted coldly. "My leader is busy. I handle minor matters myself. What's your business?"
"Can you really make decisions?" the President demanded.
Li Tai calmly replied, "I can handle minor matters on Blue Star. My leader has more important matters to attend to. State your business quickly—I'm busy too!"
The President was furious.
*Damn it! World War VII is on the verge of breaking out. What could be more important than the lives of hundreds of millions?!*
The Eagle Country President assumed Dragon Kingdom was toying with him. However, since someone from Dragon Kingdom was willing to speak, he decided not to press the matter.
"Your Dragon Kingdom guardians killed two of my guardians. How do you intend to resolve this?"
"You owe us compensation!"
Not only were the guardians killed, but their resources were also plundered.
On the National Fortune Battlefield, less than two days remained until the next wave of attacks.
Searching for and securing resources in time would be impossible.
Li Tai sneered. "You know as well as I do that communication on the National Fortune Battlefield is one-way. If our personnel die, we'll simply accept our own inadequacy. We won't grovel to others, begging for help, and we certainly won't demand compensation!"
"You... you're so ill-mannered!" the President roared, his face flushed with fury.
Being called weak was one thing. But the mention of "begging for help"? That was tantamount to calling him a woman!
"Mr. President," Li Tai's tone softened slightly as he adopted a reasonable demeanor, "I'm sure you understand that Blue Star cannot communicate with the National Fortune Battlefield. Even if we had met the three Guardians before the war began, and even if we had communicated with them, the outcome would likely be the same. Life and death on the battlefield, fortune and disaster—these are the very principles of the National Fortune Battlefield game."
"I suggest you focus your efforts on defending against the monsters in Eagle Country, lest your Guardians fail to protect your borders."
"Stop wasting time on this nonsense. Otherwise, even if it means starting a seventh World War, we'll gladly oblige!"
"I have other matters to attend to. I won't waste any more time on this verbal sparring."
After his speech, Li Tai hung up the phone.
Throughout the entire call, the President of Eagle Country had barely managed to say two words. He had spent the entire time being lectured by a young man.
"Damn it... that bastard!"
"The Seventh World War is about to break out, and the Dragon Kingdom's leaders are letting some young punk call the shots?! What could possibly be more important?!"
The President was so furious he nearly rolled his eyes. His assistant quickly produced a heart medication and administered it.
Everyone in the office held their breath, terrified the President might drop dead on the spot.
A few minutes later...
"Mr. President? The troops...?"
The first to speak was the same general, a hero of Eagle Country.
The President knew exactly what he was referring to. He waved his hand weakly and sighed.
"Forget it... Withdraw them all. That young man is right. We can't control the National Fortune Battlefield, so we'll just have to focus on defending our own territory against the monsters."
A collective sigh of relief swept through the room.
None of them wanted to completely alienate the Dragon Kingdom, especially with the looming crisis on the National Fortune Battlefield.