The Final Struggle

Night.

In the cool, quiet night, the spacious, sturdy, elegant White House—with its strong European design and British architectural style blended with American architecture—seemed exceptionally calm and composed.

Even the crickets dared not chirp in this atmosphere.

Oval Office.

The huge blue carpet could muffle the footsteps of twenty people, but it could not calm their breathing.

They were all powerful figures from the president's faction.

Although the President of the United States had been pressured by the United Nations and his domestic political opponents into issuing an apology regarding the alien, and had declared that he would withdraw from politics for life and devote the rest of his years to charity in hopes of earning the public's forgiveness.

Clearly, however, many citizens and political parties were not buying it.

And because the alien was simply too powerful, even after the president announced his withdrawal from politics, the other parties forcibly kept him in the presidential seat, claiming that this was a critical time and that he should remain president to shine his last remaining light.

Even the vice president did not dare take over the president's job.

In short, they wanted the president to stay in office for a few more days and see what the alien would do before making further plans.

If the alien did not hold a grudge, then the president would naturally step down immediately. After all, he had committed such a grave sin, endangered peace between humanity and the alien, and practically committed the crime of plotting against humanity. That would be perfectly normal.

If the alien came looking for them in anger, then the president would still be the president. It was his decision, so let the alien come for him.

Politics had always been brutally real.

Inside the Oval Office were all those who had once strongly advocated dissecting the alien, greedily seeking immortality. They had all been branded as power-hungry figures consumed by greed, criminals against human peace.

They were a group of people awaiting execution, yet unwilling to give up their power, wealth, reputation, status, and lives. They were waiting for the press conference to begin.

"It's starting!"

Someone who had been watching the large television mounted on the wall saw He-El begin to move on-screen and could not help interrupting everyone's fruitless thoughts.

For a moment, all twenty people in the Oval Office turned their eyes toward the television screen.

"Everyone, the reason I am still on Earth and have not left is because I want to conquer the world." He-El's captivating, magnetic voice came from the television.

With a thunderous boom, all twenty people in the Oval Office were stunned as if struck by lightning.

They did not believe that, after being conquered by the alien, people like themselves—who had once wanted to dissect him—would be allowed to live and help him control Earth.

During the alien's first war in Anchorage, the alien had already announced their punishment.

"I do not intend to leave for now. Rest assured, as long as you do not struggle, you will die without pain. This is not directed at Earth, but at you people who wanted to dissect me."

That emotionless, superior, utterly indifferent way of dealing with people was familiar to them. They often handled insignificant ants with the same attitude.

Only now, they were no longer the ones above.

They were the ants.

"Arrogant!!"

An elderly man sat on a white leather sofa, dressed in a meticulously tailored suit and adorned with an exquisite, lavish gold-and-diamond chain. Even his white beard had been trimmed neatly, giving him the air of an old-fashioned gentleman and aristocrat.

Both hands rested on his cane. He was so furious that the wrinkles on his face reddened with rage, and he repeatedly drove his cane hard into the blue carpet, cursing He-El for his arrogance.

After cursing a few times, he actually fainted from anger. The people beside him hurriedly called for emergency personnel to carry the old man out.

The moment he got outside, the old man woke up. He immediately ordered them to use a sudden cerebral hemorrhage as an excuse and send him to the hospital. On the way there, he switched to his private car, fled the city, and rushed to an air-raid shelter base prepared long ago, stocked with enough supplies to last at least twenty years and buried 860 meters underground, where he hid himself away.

The remaining nineteen powerful figures in the Oval Office saw He-El fly alone into the thick clouds and blow them apart, and they completely lost their composure.

Why were you so utterly unreasonable?

"No wonder he refused when we privately promised him territory anywhere he wanted. He wants the entire Earth."

"Damn it, whether the United Nations sent envoys or we secretly tried to surrender, he never responded."

"Alien, your ambition is too great."

"Damn it. If there had been no dissection incident, we would not have been targeted. Even if he conquered Earth, we could still have lived well. He would need people to manage the world, after all."

"I am willing to pay any price. I am willing to do anything for him, as long as I can save my life."

"If he conquers Earth, everything you own will be his."

"It's useless. The psychological team has profiled him based on his behavior. He is a reckless beast who despises life and has no empathy whatsoever for humanity."

"Does he... have any weaknesses? Have you found one?"

"...No."

"Nuclear weapons... perhaps."

"Nuclear weapons should be able to hurt him."

"Launch the nuclear weapons and kill him!"

"Nuclear weapons..."

"As for nuclear weapons, we should discuss that later."

"First, we can threaten him with nuclear weapons and see what happens."

"After all, nuclear weapons are most powerful when they are not launched."

Facing an alien whom they did not even know nuclear weapons could kill, they clung tightly to their nukes while not daring to play their final card.

Everyone present felt utterly powerless.

No schemes, political calculations, open plots, or hidden plots could be used. They had no strength to wield.

They could only wait quietly for death to arrive.

That feeling of helplessness was something they had always inflicted upon others with money, status, and power, leaving them with nowhere to appeal, no way to fight back, until they finally died in despair.

Now it was their turn.

"From the moment I began speaking, Earth's finance, economy, banks, and networks have already been locked down."

"I will build a magnificent empire on Earth."

"Starting tomorrow, I will spend one day thoroughly clearing out the strongest country beneath my feet. Let every nation see reality clearly and refrain from unnecessary resistance."

"I have no excessive desire to kill. Ordinary citizens, please do not panic. This is a change among the upper ranks that has nothing to do with you."

The nineteen powerful figures in the Oval Office turned deathly pale. Their minds collapsed. Why were they being purged first?

Was it appropriate to fight BOSS right from the start?

We are the strongest!

We are the strongest country on Earth!

Why not practice conquering smaller countries first and gain some experience in destroying nations and ruling them...

Fuck you!

"Nuclear weapons!"

"Nuclear weapons! Launch the nuclear weapons!"

"If we cannot kill him, we only have a dozen hours left to live!"

"Launch the nuclear weapons!!"

The group completely lost their composure. Irritably tugging open the ties choking their necks, unable to breathe, they began shouting with bloodshot eyes and increasingly crazed expressions.

"Calm down! All of you, calm down! Contact the Secretary of Defense and have the nuclear bases prepare first. I will contact the other nations. Once the time is right, we will launch nuclear weapons together and execute him!" The president's face was grim. Something like launching nuclear weapons absolutely could not be done by his country alone.

He began contacting other countries, but the responses he received were terrible.

"Mm... We should prioritize peace and should not casually consider using nuclear weapons."

"He is not attacking our country first. Do not drag us into this. When you competed with us over nuclear stockpiles, didn't you have enough nuclear weapons to cleanse Earth? Do you really need a joint nuclear launch? We will assess the situation again in twenty-four hours."

"Our country advises you to surrender."

"Our country does not believe this is a wise choice."

After the president hung up on several countries, his heart went cold.

So those countries wanted to watch what would happen to his country after twenty-four hours. Besides, the United States itself already possessed enough nuclear weapons. If they wanted to launch nuclear weapons to kill the alien, there was no need to join forces with other countries.

If the nuclear weapons failed to kill the alien, then fine—it was the United States that had launched them. The rest of the world had nothing to do with it.

At that moment, the president felt, nakedly and clearly, that the world had abandoned and isolated him.

"Shit! I applied for nuclear weapons, and the Secretary of Defense approved it immediately. The nuclear weapons are ready!"

A powerful figure who had just finished a satellite call cursed. Even the entire country had abandoned them. The nuclear authorization had been approved swiftly, and now all they needed was the nuclear codes briefcase beside the president. The president merely had to confirm it.

If the nuclear weapons killed the alien, the president would still have to step down.

If they failed, the president would be the one who launched them. It would have nothing to do with the others.

The president carried too much on his shoulders. Looking at the bright red button inside the black briefcase, his heart pounded with fear, and he did not dare press it.

"Press it!"

"The alien has just finished fighting the monster. He is showing off his strength."

"This is the best opportunity!"

"Press it, now!"

"Do not hesitate!"

The president cursed wildly inside. Then come press it yourselves! Stop fucking talking and rushing me like I'm about to die.

In the end, after a painful inner struggle, a tear of anguish slipped from the corner of the president's eye as he pressed the bright red button. From that moment on, his family, everything he had, his wife, son, mistress, money, reputation, power, status—everything would vanish into smoke.

After pressing it, his heart twisted into instant savagery, even distorting his face. His fingers spasmed as they kept hammering the button, pressing it so frantically that they left afterimages.

"Die!!!!!"