novelraw Chapter 37 : The Curtain Falls
Chapter 37 : The Curtain Falls
Chapter 37: The Curtain Falls
Half a month after the end of the “Game of Gods” in Jiang City.
The capital of the Longxi Republic, one hundred meters beneath the surface—the National Strategic Command Center.
This was the true brain of the Longxi Republic, capable of withstanding a nuclear strike of tens of megatons, and also the most heavily guarded secret of the entire nation.
At this moment, inside a top-level conference room codenamed “Kunlun,” a meeting was in session.
Before the long rectangular conference table sat the most powerful figures of the nation—top leaders from the military, government, national security, and the Academy of Sciences.
At the center of the conference room, a holographic projection device was continuously playing all the extraordinary footage officially recorded during the Jiang City incident.
There was the scene of Zheng Wei tearing apart an armored vehicle with his bare hands, roaring like a demon god;
There was Liu Gang transforming into a towering, hundred-meter-tall iron giant, unleashing a storm of metal that shredded modern troops into fragments;
There was Sun Na becoming a blazing phoenix of flame, burning everything in dazzling, destructive splendor;
There was Zhang Jie defying gravity, darting across rooftops with movements too fast to capture;
And there was Wu Ce’s grotesque stitched monstrosity—an abomination formed from countless animal carcasses, as if it had crawled out from the pages of a Cthulhu mythos...
Each of these scenes, transcending the bounds of human understanding, played on loop in the silent conference room like an epic of gods and devils.
Every person present was a true titan of the Longxi Republic, veterans who had weathered countless storms. Their wills were forged of iron, their hands wielded power capable of shaping global destiny.
Yet at this moment, they still felt a chill and awe that came from the depths of the soul.
“According to the final battle damage report from the Jiang City Joint Command,”
a general from the military rasped, breaking the silence, “our forces suffered three hundred and sixty-one casualties, over eight hundred serious injuries, and the loss of seventy-three pieces of heavy technical equipment—including infantry fighting vehicles and armed helicopters.”
“And our only result was the ‘elimination’ of three Transcendents.”
Professor Jiang, the one who had previously proposed the “Administrator Privilege” theory, pushed up his glasses and said,
“We must clearly recognize that the emergence of the ‘Transcendent’ is, for human civilization, no less shocking than humanity’s first discovery of ‘fire.’”
“It will completely overturn the foundations of our current physics, biology, and even sociology!”
“We can no longer rely on outdated thinking to confront this new era that has already arrived!”
“Comrades, facts have proven that Professor Jiang is right.” The elder seated at the head of the table slowly spoke after his gaze swept across everyone present.
“An extraordinary era—completely unknown to us and known as the ‘Game of Gods’—has already descended.”
“In the face of this Transcendent Era, all the experience, rules, and technologies we once prided ourselves on are no longer applicable.”
“The lesson of Jiang City was a tragic one.”
“We sacrificed hundreds of our finest soldiers, lost billions worth of advanced equipment, only to barely ‘eliminate’ three exposed Transcendents.”
“Yet according to Zheng Wei’s information, that was merely a small fraction of the twelve ‘players’ within Jiang City alone.”
“We have no idea how many such ‘games’ are being—or will soon be—played across Longxi, or across the globe, hidden from our sight.”
“Nor do we know what that being hiding in the shadows—calling itself a ‘god,’ freely granting mortals extraordinary power and treating human life as mere grass—that so-called ‘creator of the game’... truly is.”
The Commander’s voice echoed through the conference room, each word striking heavily upon the hearts of everyone there.
“However,”
his tone suddenly shifted, his previously calm eyes becoming razor-sharp.
“The Longxi Republic has an indomitable will that never surrenders to any catastrophe, and the courage to draw our swords before any challenge!”
“We possess the strongest organization, discipline, and learning ability among all humankind!”
“Even a ‘god’ shall not treat us as mere pawns in his game!”
“We shall show him with our actions—that humanity is not a flock of lambs waiting for slaughter!”
“Therefore, from this day forth—”
The Commander slammed his hand on the table and stood up, his gaze blazing.
“—we shall officially initiate the nation’s highest-level emergency response protocol: Project Ark!”
“Project Ark?” The crowd was momentarily stunned.
“Yes.”
The old man nodded. “A ‘flood’ vast enough to drown the entire old world has already arrived.”
“We can no longer afford to wait passively—we must actively build an ‘Ark’ of our own.”
“One that will carry us through this cataclysm, into a new era.”
“From this moment onward, the Bureau of Transcendent Affairs will be transformed from a temporary organization into a permanent, top-level independent department—under my direct command!”
“This department shall possess independent authority over law enforcement, intelligence, and—during states of emergency—autonomous military operations!”
“It will unite the nation’s finest talent and resources, assuming full responsibility for handling all future incidents related to the ‘Transcendent’!”
Then, the Commander’s gaze fell upon a man seated at the far end of the table.
“Comrade Chen Mo.”
“Here!” Chen Mo immediately stood up, his posture straight and firm.
“During the Jiang City incident, you displayed extraordinary composure, foresight, and a strong sense of duty.”
“We’ve all reviewed your report on the Jiang City incident—it was well written, and deeply insightful.”
“Therefore, we have decided to grant you a special appointment: you are hereby promoted to Deputy Director of the Bureau of Transcendent Affairs, with the rank of Major General, fully authorized to oversee the Bureau’s establishment and daily operations!”
A wave of shock rippled through the room.
Chen Mo froze for a moment—he had not expected to be entrusted with such immense responsibility.
But he quickly regained composure, snapped to attention, and gave a crisp military salute. “I guarantee the mission will be accomplished!”
“Excellent.”
The Commander nodded in satisfaction. “Now, tell us—what do you plan to do?”
Chen Mo took a deep breath, stepped forward, and opened the dossier he had long prepared.
“Report to all leaders.”
“My plan consists of three parts.”
“The first part is technical support and military capability upgrades.”
“We will immediately begin recruiting—nationwide and globally—top experts in physics, biology, information technology, materials science, and related fields, at all costs, to establish dozens of ‘Transcendent Phenomenon Analysis Laboratories.’”
“We will use scientific methods to analyze the very essence of the ‘Transcendent’!”
“At the same time, based on the Transcendent abilities exposed during the Jiang City incident, our military industry units must, in the shortest possible time, develop countermeasures and specialized weaponry!”
On the holographic projection, several conceptual designs of weapons instantly appeared.