The headquarters complex resembled a silent, black mountain range, shrouded in deathly stillness. The open-air area was filled with abandoned, unmanned vehicles, and the pungent smell of fuel and gunpowder filled the air. Countless blank and bewildered eyes peeked out from the cracks in the windows of the buildings. All the remaining soldiers hid inside the buildings, and the atmosphere was gloomy and desolate.
Although the surrounding forces of the Six Nations could not be seen on the horizon, everyone knew that countless missiles had locked onto the headquarters base complex and could strike at any moment, turning into towering fireworks that would burn everything to ashes and purify everything.
No one knows what the future holds.
Everything hinges on Germinal's final decision: surrender, or perhaps a sliver of hope.
Ultimately, not everyone is willing to die for their cause.
In the control room of the underground headquarters, the screens displayed the current situation: the blue-represented Germinal was reduced to a solitary headquarters, while the red of the Six Nations spread across the rest of the continent, leaving them with no way out.
The masked leader stood at the front, hands behind his back, silently watching the screen. Behind him, all the high-ranking officials exchanged glances discreetly. No one spoke; the silence was eerily profound.
"What are your plans?" a senior executive asked hesitantly.
The leader closed his eyes, and after everyone had grown impatient, he said in a hoarse voice, "Launch all nuclear missiles."
The high-ranking officials were shocked. A bald, high-ranking official couldn't help but say, "The Six Nations have already locked onto us. Mutual destruction is no longer an option; this is suicide!"
"What, you want to grovel before the Six Nations?" The leader's tone was completely unwavering. "Don't forget what the Germinal was founded for: there is no defeat, only annihilation."
The high-ranking officials were all traitors who deeply hated the Six Nations and were devastated by their defeat. However, not everyone could remain steadfast in the face of death. Moreover, in their view, sending someone to their death was completely futile. Even if the promise of not killing the Six Nations after their surrender was unreliable, having a sliver of hope was better than having no hope at all.
"I disagree," the bald-headed executive stepped forward and shouted.
The leader turned around, his sinister gaze sweeping over the faces, and said indifferently, "You, or all of you?"
Some of the high-ranking officials met his gaze without hesitation, while others lowered their heads, but without exception, they all chose silence over response.
Faced with a life-or-death crisis, the leader and all the high-ranking officials disagreed, as if a chasm had been created between them.
"What if I insist?" the leader asked calmly.
The bald-headed high-ranking official said in a deep voice, "Launching a nuclear missile requires two special keys, system access, your fingerprint, and your pupil scan. You have the access, but you only have one key. The other one is with the deputy commander, who is on our side."
The leader scanned the room with the books and scrolls. "Where is he?"
"Naturally, it's not here, and it won't give you any chance."
The leader shook his head. "It seems you've already made your decision privately."
"Don't be impulsive, we still have a chance to make a comeback, don't throw your lives away in vain..." The bald-headed leader tried to persuade him, but after only a few words, he suddenly stopped, his eyes widening in disbelief. As he spoke, the leader slowly pulled out two keypads for launching nuclear missiles from his pocket, including the key that should have belonged to the deputy commander.
"You, how could you..."
"Oh my god, put it down right now!"
"How did you end up with the key?!"
"Where is the deputy commander?"
The expressions of the high-ranking officials changed drastically; they became incoherent and began to stir.
The leader gripped the key, remaining silent.
"Hand over the keys, or we won't let you do whatever you want." The bald executive tried his best to control the muscles on his face so as not to reveal his shock, anger, or panic. His voice trembled, and his other hand was secretly gesturing behind his back.
The leader shook his head, looking indifferently at everyone, and said calmly, "Mei'ergao, five days ago you contacted Red Maple privately. Duoluomende and Ordifenna reached some small agreements with you, and Linu and Raylen agreed to provide you with protection..."
He called out the names of most of the people present in one breath, and seeing their astonished expressions, he slowly said, "Your fate after surrendering will naturally be different from that of the other Germinal warriors, so there's no need for any righteous indignation. Do whatever you want."
The expressions on the faces of the high-ranking officials were uncertain, a deep-seated fear of being seen through rising within them.
Although the former leader was fearsome, they could still make some guesses about him. But since the war turned against them, the leader has become increasingly unpredictable, and no one knows what he is thinking... To be precise, the leader changed after Zero escaped the encirclement.
He seemed to have become an unfathomable deep pool. Despite the ever-decreasing battle situation, he remained calm and composed, as if even dire circumstances could not arouse the slightest anger in him.
The door opened, and dozens of executives walked in, silently surrounding the leader, while the other high-ranking officials stepped back.
These executives are all their people. Since the start of the war, the Germinal executives have suffered heavy casualties, and the higher-ups are consciously protecting their core forces. In a large power, everyone has their own hidden agendas and private power. The Germinal's cohesion comes from hatred, not loyalty to any particular person.
No one spoke again. The bald executive gave a wink, and the executives began to stir, unleashing their various superpowers and arrogance.
Amidst the dazzling array of lights, the leader sighed.
"I'll take you to see the deputy commander."
Far from the headquarters was the joint position of the Six Nations, where countless armed forces stood by, and groups of fighter jets carrying missiles circled in the air, the roar of engines cutting across the sky, the sound waves and vibrations sweeping across, and the tents and vehicle armor plates on the ground trembled slightly.
Ground missile vehicles are in a state of readiness to launch at any time. Various satellites and detection devices are constantly monitoring the missile silos at headquarters and the situation in the air. Once a dark object rises into the sky, it can be intercepted immediately and detonated in mid-air. Finally, all missiles will be used to Germinal the headquarters into scorched earth.
In the war room, the military officers representing the Six Nations gathered, anxiously awaiting their arrival.
"Seven hours, thirty-two minutes, fifty-two seconds remain until the ultimatum, and Germinal has yet to respond." The Red Maple officer kept glancing at the clock.
"I think the ultimatum period should be extended to allow the Germinal to reconsider and avoid making hasty or Reckless decisions," said Representative Ordifenna.
Nobody paid him any attention.
The Raylen officer, his face cold, said, "We've been in private contact with four high-ranking members of the Germinal organization. Their last message indicated they were trying to persuade the Germinal Leader."
Other countries nodded in agreement; they all took the same action. Faced with this desperate situation, many of the Germinal leaders were pragmatic and willing to make trades in exchange for security.
The Six Nations ' conditions were naturally that the Germinal surrender, and allowing the hostages to live would be the best outcome.
"It's been an hour and twenty minutes since our last call, and there's still no new information."
"Keep waiting, we have time."
The officers from various countries discussed the situation casually. This was the current situation; they were in an invincible position, giving the Germinal a choice, and all they could do was wait.
The Hesla officer pondered, "Just who exactly is the Germinal Leader? According to intelligence from the Dark Net, the Germinal Leader comes from the destroyed Golan, and the predecessor of the Germinal Organization was Minmok. We've reviewed all the files, but we still can't find the exact identity of the Germinal Leader..."
Bennett handed over the intelligence that Hannes had found to the Six Nations Six Nations, believing that with their power, they should be able to find more details. However, the Six Nations were also at a loss. The Germinal Leader was like a ghost without a past, and the mountain of dossiers and documents contained no record of anything. The information that Hannes had found was all they had.
"Wasn't Golan wiped out by your Raylen? Do you have any information on that?" the Stardragon officer asked.
The Raylen officer shook his head. "We even checked the list of civilians who received and executed the Golan people back then, and there wasn't a single match. We sent people from our country to visit the former Golan region, but still found nothing... I doubt whether the intelligence from the Dark Net is accurate."