When Ms. Zhouzhou's figure appeared with absolute clarity at the top of the aircraft stairs.
When the thunderous cheers at the scene were transmitted via satellite signal to
this room representing the highest authority and deepest secrets, time seemed to come to an abrupt halt.
Then came dead silence.
A silence so complete that one could hear someone's suppressed gasp in their throat.
One could hear the futile hum of the cooling fans in the electronic equipment.
One could hear the faint crack of the President's knuckles as he clenched his fists.
Then, like a volcano suppressed to its limit, it erupted completely.
"Useless!!"
The President's roar was like that of a wounded beast, hoarse and savage, instantly tearing apart the silence in the room.
He shot up from his chair, and the heavy solid-wood seat slid backward from the force.
It scraped harshly against the floor.
His eyes were bloodshot as he stared fixedly at the main screen still showing the celebration, as if he wanted to burn through it with his gaze.
"A bunch of useless idiots! This was your 100% confirmation?!
This was the target's destruction that you guaranteed with the nation's credibility?!"
He spun around sharply, his movements somewhat unsteady from the intensity of his rage.
But those blood-red eyes had become like those of a beast ready to devour its prey.
They locked firmly onto the Defense Minister, whose face had gone deathly pale and who seemed ready to shrink into his chair.
"Tell me! Now!" The President stopped before the Defense Minister and leaned forward.
They stood so close that they could feel each other's heavy, trembling breaths.
"The entire world saw it! We, the Bald Eagle United States, have become the biggest joke on Earth!
We staged a missile attack ourselves, then announced