North America Region:
Are you sure?
Upon receiving the news, the Speaker of the North America, even neglecting the most important campaign rally at the time, rushed to the data center council to summon all senior officials.
"It shouldn't be a rumor!" The department in charge of intelligence is now known as the cybersecurity department, but its predecessor was the famous Central Intelligence Agency.
The bureau chief seemed shocked by the news, explaining, "From the moment the incident broke, almost instantly, 347 of our more than 700 spies planted in the Central China Data City lost contact with us. We couldn't reach them no matter what we did, and those people just happened to be operating in the West China Region!"
West China Region is a recognized high-tech park in Central China Data City, possessing numerous valuable technologies and being the place with the most investment and espionage among all the major districts of the Federation.
"Could it be that all the spies have been exposed, and this was a trap deliberately set by Central China?" someone couldn't help but ask.
"Anyone with a brain full of water wouldn't ask such a question." The director of the intelligence agency glanced disdainfully at the congressman who had just spoken. The quality of congressmen these days is really not as good as before. Most of them got their positions through propaganda and gimmicks, just like those Green Party and Environmental Party before Digital Life. They got their positions by hype and were carried into parliament by fooling the masses.
"Leaving aside whether Central China has such exaggerated counterintelligence capabilities, even if they do, what's the point of deliberately causing such a huge panic? To lure us into war and then find an excuse to wipe us out? If they have that kind of capability, why put on this show? What excuse isn't an excuse? Even disliking our large pores can be an excuse to attack us!"
The man's face turned red from the rebuke, but he dared not refute much. The director of the intelligence agency had always been powerful, and he held a spy force that even the speaker of the council was unaware of. These politicians, who rose to power through sensationalism, might be outspoken and confrontational in public, but they still dared not be presumptuous in the face of such a powerful figure.
It might unexpectedly malfunction and crash inside some piece of machinery one day.
"If I'm not mistaken, the problem lies with the Central China project," one of the councilors said seriously. "We've deployed multiple intelligence agents to the Demon World project, and the conclusion is that it's all about wasting resources. Central China has been reluctant to give up on that project, and the resources wasted have caused many research projects to be delayed in recent years, leading to considerable controversy."
"The project was suddenly restarted because of a person Chen Qing, and the entire Federation was persuaded to invest resources. Didn't we send elite intelligence agents into that world not long ago? Has any intelligence been transmitted out?"
The director of the intelligence department looked at the senator who had spoken, and his expression softened slightly. It seemed that there were still some senators with somewhat normal minds.
The speaker looked at the director of the intelligence agency and asked, " John, do the intelligence agents have any information on this?"
"Absolutely not." The other person shook their head and said, "That world is very strange. Everyone who goes in can be Samsara. Right now, they're all still inside women's wombs. How can they give us any information?"
Everyone: "."
"I was against this project from the start," John sneered. " Central China is just playing the time game with us. They call it intelligence sharing, but our people have to start all over again. If they want to establish themselves there, it will take at least twenty years. By then, Central China will have already taken over everything. It's clearly a situation where they get the meat and we get the soup. It's a shameful cooperation, and it's a wonder your parliament agreed to it."
Everyone turned pale with sarcasm at John's impolite words.
This project was indeed quite passive, but the immortality system of infinite Samsara in that world was something that the Federation high command could not refuse. If he had disagreed back then, he was certain that he, the speaker, would have died in some corner the next day, and then a more obedient speaker would have taken his place.
He's joking, he wouldn't be surprised if those big capitalists did something crazy for this chance at immortality.
"So what do you think we should do now?" a member of parliament asked coldly.
"Of course, we'll apply pressure!" John sneered. "Whether this commotion is real or not, we won't lose out by putting pressure on them. Let's use the guise of justice to get our allies to put pressure on us immediately. If there really is such a big internal conflict, this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. These yellow-skinned monkeys have finally met their match!"
The Speaker nodded in agreement. John was a pure racist, belonging to the more extreme category, but what he said was true. If the intelligence was true, then this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Central China's productivity was getting better and better, and its actual status in the Federation was no weaker than theirs. If things continued like this, it was not impossible for them to be surpassed one day.
If this upheaval can strike a blow against them, or even disintegrate them altogether, that would be for the best.
The power stations and elite engineers in Central China are the hard currency of the Digital City era!
"Immediately contact the three major regions and issue a joint statement saying that there may be a leak within Central China that threatens the entire Federation, and that the intelligence must be made public to guarantee the Federation's right to know. Otherwise, for our own safety, we must also take necessary measures."
"Immediately notify all soldiers in the virtual world: except for those with urgent missions that prevent them from leaving, everyone return to Data City immediately!!"
--
"See? I told you this was going to be big news!"
The Federation's statement once again stirred up excitement among civilians who saw the news on the official website.
The Federation government's official website issued a statement claiming that a top-level crisis leak had occurred in Central China, and the four major regions jointly demanded that Central China disclose the intelligence to ensure the security of the entire Federation.
The Central China Region immediately refuted this, saying that the four major regions were taking advantage of the crisis to create panic, which was despicable. The official statement strongly condemned and resolutely opposed this.
However, this statement did not bring about internal stability, and most places remained in a state of panic.
"What exactly happened?"
"How should I know? It certainly won't happen for no reason. Are you kidding me? Shutting down the entire West China Region? If nothing happens, I'll commit suicide by swallowing feces."
"Wow, the Jade Dynasty project is also in West China, right? It's not going to be shut down too, is it?"
"I am an employee of the Jade Dynasty project. I solemnly declare that the Jade Dynasty project is fine. Don't listen to what others are saying online. This shutdown at West China is just a technical one. Please don't panic."
"I don't believe you for a second! My cousin was also involved in the Jade Dynasty project, and I can't contact him anymore!"
Online discourse is becoming increasingly heated, showing no signs of calming down, and this panic has led to real-world panic.
Those at the bottom of the consumer base in the Data City applied to leave the city as soon as possible.
Meanwhile, many middle-class people took the opportunity to frantically hoard energy, and in just a few hours, the price of robots that could go out to the Data City doubled!
In an instant, the entire area descended into chaos.
--
"Is this what you wanted?" Wu Xiaoli looked at King of Qin with a livid face.
The King of Qin kept looking at the information online, a smile appearing on his face.
"You're insane!!" Wu Xiaoli almost screamed.
She was truly unable to calm down. Three hundred million lives, just like that, lost because of this culprit right in front of her. And judging from the current situation, who knows how many more people will die!
"How interesting. Am I crazy?" The King of Qin sneered, "I only killed some people in high positions, but what did your people do? Without hesitation, they shut down an entire district!"
"Three hundred million people, and you didn't even flinch before taking action. You call me crazy? Don't you know who's really crazy?"
"Isn't it because of you?" Wu Xiaoli said coldly.
"Haha." The King of Qin laughed immediately, "Because of me? Am I a biological virus? Do I need to resort to such methods? I haven't massacred any civilians, have I?"
"They acted only because they were afraid the system would be challenged. Just because that could happen, they'd rather sacrifice 300 million people immediately than let me be nipped in the bud. It's not fair to put all the blame on me."
Wu Xiaoli: "."
"Do you know why nuclear weapons can maintain peace? Is it because they are too lethal to civilians? No," the King of Qin shook his head and said, "It's because they can truly threaten those at the top. That's why Japan surrendered so decisively back then. If they dropped another one, it wouldn't be civilians who would die, but themselves. When have you aristocratic families ever cared about the lives of ordinary people? What are you pretending for here?"
"You bastard!" Wu Xiaoli's eyes were red. "You're the same, you're just like everyone else! You knew the consequences, yet you still did it. You're one of the murderers too!"
"No," the King of Qin shook his head, "If you noble families were willing to risk everything to negotiate with me for the sake of the lives of three hundred million people in West China, I wouldn't have taken this step. But the facts prove that you are no different from before; you have never treated us commoners as human beings. The Demon World needs to change, and this place needs to change too!"
The third update today will be a little late; I have a dinner party I can't miss.