Ways and Submission

Seemingly noticing Wu Ming's expression, Zhao Minghui comforted him, "You don't need to blame yourself. Without your epidemic prevention manual, the death toll would have at least doubled."

"I understand."

Wu Ming shook his head. The figures had indeed startled him, but he would not take all the responsibility upon himself.

He had been considering something else just now. After thinking it over, he asked, "Mr. Zhao, you said there were opposing views among the higher-ups. Could it be because the military lacks manpower?"

"That's right." Zhao Minghui nodded.

Whether it was maintaining internal stability or conducting external purges, both required deploying large numbers of troops. Clearly, the nation's upper ranks now disagreed over how this force should be used, and the internal faction most likely held the advantage.

After all, although the existence of mutated creatures had previously been proven, the higher-ups had no clear understanding of how dangerous they were. Coupled with the full outbreak of the RR Virus and unrest across the country, some senior officials naturally believed that preserving national stability was the top priority.

Even if they were to purge the mutated creatures, it would not be too late to do so after the domestic situation had stabilized. Before dealing with external threats, one must first secure the interior.

However, the new evidence Wu Ming had presented today shattered the understanding of certain senior officials.

Animal mutations were nothing to fear, but what if mutated animals could continue evolving?

If every monster became like Wu Ming and Jia Qingshan, capable of disregarding the threat of conventional weapons, it would be nothing short of a disaster for this vast land.

Therefore, as the threat posed by mutated creatures rose sharply, the pro-war faction gained a greater voice.

In truth, Wu Ming could also be considered part of that faction. His goal had always been to make the nation act early and nip the Beast Tide on land in the bud.

Compared to the threat of the Beast Tide, some domestic unrest was hardly worth mentioning.

Wu Ming keenly noticed that Zhao Minghui's expression had not relaxed much, so he asked, "Once the hypothesis is verified, will the higher-ups immediately send troops to purge the mutated creatures?"

"They will." Zhao Minghui answered decisively, then added hesitantly, "But they may not deploy the entire military. The domestic unrest cannot be ignored, and part of the force must be retained to maintain stability."

Wu Ming was somewhat doubtful. "There are so many mutated creatures in the wilderness. Can only part of the military handle them?"

Zhao Minghui's expression stiffened at those words. He sighed softly. "Forget deploying only part of the military. Even if we threw in every active-duty soldier, it would still be a drop in the bucket against the mutated creatures."

Left with no choice, he had to reveal a fact to Wu Ming and Jia Qingshan: the country's active-duty military personnel numbered only a little over two million in total.

At least half of those troops had to be kept to maintain internal stability. At most, only one million could be sent out to fight.

Even though conventional weapons could effectively kill mutated creatures at this stage, relying on a mere one million people to deal with hundreds of millions of mutated creatures? That was nothing but a fool's dream.

Forget one million. Even if they committed all remaining forces, it still could not be done.

That was also why the pro-war faction had previously been suppressed. They wanted to eliminate the external threat, but they simply lacked the strength.

Even if the threat of the Beast Tide had alerted the decision-makers, they still had to face this practical problem.

At that moment, Wu Ming suggested, "I have a method that may work, though it will require taking some risks."

"Oh?" Zhao Minghui's eyes lit up. He hurriedly said, "What method? Go ahead."

Wu Ming said solemnly, "Lift the Gun Ban Order. Mobilize the entire nation and work together to eliminate all mutated creatures."

"Lift the Gun Ban Order?" Zhao Minghui drew a deep breath. Arm everyone with guns? He had to admit that the method would indeed work, but the risks were also genuinely enormous.

What if the country descended into chaos before they could even contain the Beast Tide?

"No, the risks of lifting the ban directly are too great." He shook his head repeatedly. "The higher-ups will not agree."

"Mr. Zhao, I don't mean lifting every restriction. We can lift only part of them first."

Wu Ming added, "Or rather, grant certain people the privilege of carrying guns and let them hunt mutated creatures in the wilderness. The state can then reward them by collecting the creatures' corpses."

"At the same time, closely monitor every shooting incident. Once someone is found pointing a gun at another human, whether or not they cause casualties, execute them without exception!"

Zhao Minghui fell into deep thought upon hearing this. He had to admit that Wu Ming's proposal tempted him.

The country's current problem was an extreme shortage of manpower, not equipment. This was especially true of small firearms, which had originally been intended for export but were now all piled up in warehouses.

Moreover, it was foreseeable that once the number of Martial Artists grew in the future, such low-powered firearms would become useless. They would not even be able to kill anyone.

Yet at the current stage, firearms still held an absolute advantage against mutated creatures that had not absorbed cosmic energy.

If those guns were distributed and the general public was allowed to organize hunts freely, the efficiency would be far greater than deploying the military.

But there was still the same problem. Once the ban was loosened, even if the number of gun holders was restricted, the level of domestic unrest would rise by several degrees.

As for the supervision and punishment system Wu Ming had mentioned... honestly, Zhao Minghui did not believe it would deter criminals. It might even provoke fiercer resistance and lead to additional casualties.

Wu Ming had long prepared for Zhao Minghui's concerns. He said, "This is not difficult. We only need to ensure that absolute military power remains in the hands of the state."

"And that military power... once referred to advanced weapons and equipment. Now, it refers to the number of Genetic Warriors."

"Genetic Warriors?!"

At last, Zhao Minghui understood Wu Ming's intention. His pupils contracted sharply. "Could it be that you have a way to cultivate Genetic Warriors?"

As he spoke, his gaze turned toward Jia Qingshan, and a guess immediately surfaced. "Wait, could Pavilion Master Jia have broken through this way?"

"That's right." Jia Qingshan, who had kept a low profile all this time, finally nodded. "Young Friend Wu possesses a cultivation method for Genetic Energy. It allows those whose physical strength has reached the Human Body Limit to sense cosmic energy."

"After obtaining this secret method, I cultivated for eight days before successfully sensing it and breaking through in one stroke to become a Genetic Warrior."

Wu Ming said at the right moment, "Mr. Zhao's concern is simply that lifting the ban will greatly increase the cost of maintaining stability."

"But if the state possesses a group of Genetic Warriors and has them supervise and punish criminals, then even if those people resist, the warriors can eliminate the threat with zero casualties."

After a pause, he continued, "What the pavilion master said just now is correct. I do possess a cultivation method for Genetic Energy."

"I intend to hand this method over to the state. I hope the higher-ups can cultivate Genetic Warriors who belong to the nation."

"And me as well."

At this moment, Jia Qingshan also spoke. "My Jia Family possesses a hereditary secret art and secret medicine. Used together, they can help Martial Artists reach the Human Body Limit sooner, thus meeting the requirements for cultivating Genetic Energy."

"To safeguard the nation's stability, I am also willing to hand over this method."