Countermeasures Research Office
Inside the conference room, the large screen was playing the video shot by Guan Tong. When it finished, the attendees watching it were all silent and stunned.
Of course they already suspected Suroma was lying, and they had been criticizing it through the foreign affairs department, but no amount of verbal condemnation compared to the direct shock brought by this video.
Someone couldn’t help but say, “Our intelligence department has been working so long and still didn’t get this decisive evidence. It’s honestly embarrassing when you think about it.”
Hearing this, Li Meng’s face turned a bit flushed. Although he had only recently been transferred to manage the intelligence department, he still felt the shared pride and shame that comes with being responsible for subordinates.
“You can’t put it that way.”
At that moment Gao Liangwei spoke out in disagreement.
“The Countermeasures Research Office is an official body and, to some extent, represents the will of the nation. If we, like Guan Tong, went to Suroma’s capital to arrest people, the nature of this would change, and this is not a decision our institution can make on its own.”
The attendees all nodded in agreement.
“The leader is right. Guan Tong can act like that because he’s not under any department—he’s an unaffiliated Ascendant. If we did the same, we might directly trigger military conflict with Suroma.”
“That’s the dual nature of things. Even though we can mobilize state resources, we are constrained by our official identity. Some actions simply aren’t as easy for an official body as for a bold unaffiliated Ascendant.”
“However, now that Guan Tong has evidence and has issued a call to action, specifically pointing at the Senate and King Bruce, shouldn’t we do something as well?”
Everyone looked at Gao Liangwei. He pondered for a moment and said, “We need to wait for the highest decision-making body to judge this, then take corresponding actions. Don’t forget what our department’s responsibilities are.”
The Doomsday Rules Countermeasures Research Office was established to study the Doomsday Rules, find countermeasures, and cultivate Ascendants.
Conflicts between nations inevitably involve Ascendants, but that does not mean the Countermeasures Research Office can deeply intervene on that basis.
Just as engaging with other countries is the responsibility of the foreign affairs department, the Research Office’s external communication mainly consists of publicly releasing the White Paper on Doomsday Rules.
On matters like this, the Research Office can hold internal meetings and submit results upward.
But the power to make final decisions rests with top-level decision-makers.
When Gao Liangwei finished speaking, everyone exchanged looks and fell silent.
They understood the leader was reminding them—and reminding himself—to be clear about their scope of responsibility and not to overstep.
“Back to the rules,” Gao Liangwei said. “This rule is about to end. What are conditions like across the regions?”
Li Meng, who also oversaw the statistics department, answered: “Casualties are currently being tallied and overall are relatively controllable. However, many abandoned cities have been completely overtaken by plants, and post-rule cleanup will likely be difficult.”
He played some overhead videos shot by satellites and drones on the large screen.
Several cities had become “plant cities”—skyscrapers transformed into gigantic vases inhabited by vines, roads carpeted with vegetation and lichen, a sea of green as far as the eye could see.
“With so many plants, just cleaning them up will take a lot of time.”
“Before the rule started, would leaving them to die naturally be a bad idea? Why proactively clear them? Without the Fire Thief’s power to boost them, their energy acquisition rate obviously can’t support such massive bodies.”
“Right, it makes sense. It’s like how small terrestrial animals go extinct when atmospheric oxygen levels drop before the rise of giant factors. Without the rule’s power, those giant plants relying solely on special photosynthesis probably couldn’t sustain that gargantuan structure.”
“Even so, it still takes time... If it drags on, the nuclear power station construction plan will face some delays.”
“That’s true. It’s not yet September, but you are scheduled to launch rockets this month, and next year you plan to explore Meltstar. Without substantial energy support, that’s impossible.”
“Energy plans can tolerate some delays. Before the rule starts, there’s no need to mobilize the entire population to clear plants,” Gao Liangwei said. “You will present that recommendation to the decision-makers.”
“By the way, leader, there’s another piece of news,” Li Meng said. “Adjacent to us, in the rainforest bordering Antu City in Sakura Prayer, an ultra-large mutated plant has appeared.”
“Oh?”
“Based on satellite images, the mutated organism seems to be a giant dragonblood tree deep in the rainforest that the people of Andai State once called the ‘sacred tree.’”
According to records, this dragonblood tree has existed for nearly a thousand years, its trunk diameter exceeding ten meters, its umbrella-like canopy covering more than half a mile. In peacetime, many would venture into the rainforest to see and photograph it.”
A botanist at the meeting spoke: “I’ve heard of that dragonblood tree in the Andai rainforest. It is indeed famous... If that tree mutated, it could be extremely dangerous.”
“Yes,” Li Meng said. “Antu City is currently on the brink. According to intelligence, the Serpent Hair Society is organizing the defense there.”
“Serpent Hair Society,” Gao Liangwei narrowed his eyes. “The intelligence department already reported to me about this organization’s leader...”
“Uenoshi,” Zhang Minglu took over the thread. “She used to be the leader of Sakura Prayer’s official Chosen Team, and later somehow began operating with Guan Tong. Not long ago she founded the Serpent Hair Society in Sakura Prayer, monopolizing Ascendant intermediary transactions there. I don’t know whether she’s acting on Guan Tong’s orders.”
Zhang Minglu knew, in meticulous detail, the Ascendants affiliated with the Research Office and was equally familiar with notable or unusual Ascendants from other countries.
Not to mention he had met Uenoshi several times and had direct contact with her.
“This merits attention,” someone said with a grave expression. “If Guan Tong is indirectly manipulating Sakura Prayer through Uenoshi and the Serpent Hair Society, maybe this is his first step in forming a large armed entity.”
Li Meng shook his head: “That’s unlikely. From what I know of Guan Tong, he wouldn’t lean toward doing that.”
“I know you and Guan Tong are from the same hometown and have known each other a long time, Li Meng, but people can change, especially in this era.”
Gao Liangwei then asked Li Meng, “Is Antu City at risk of falling?”
“As it stands, yes. Satellite observation shows the mutated giant dragonblood tree has shifted position several times in just a few days, which indicates it has been moving... and the direction is toward Antu City.”
At this point Zhang Minglu suggested: “Leader, should we propose to the decision-makers that we send personnel to assist?”
Gao Liangwei pondered for a long time, then nodded: “We should indeed do that.”
His words confused some people.
One asked: “Leader, why?”
“In my view there are three reasons.”
Gao Liangwei spoke slowly:
“The first reason is this rule already destroyed the Hanlis Nation. If Sakura Prayer also falls, the Human Consortium will lose two member states at once. That would be a devastating blow to humanity’s morale and could even lead to the organization’s disintegration.”
“The second reason is that Suroma’s senior leadership has been exposed with incriminating evidence showing anti-human tendencies. If Beixing now offers external support, the contrast will help win global trust and strengthen our official discourse power over world affairs.”
“The third reason is Guan Tong. Our previous protection of him was insufficient, and we could not officially support his arrests—that’s an undeniable fact. Considering his demonstrated ability to neutralize Doomsday Rules, the Countermeasures Research Office needs to rebuild a cooperative relationship with him. Assisting Uenoshi, who is closely connected to him, is a form of indirect signaling; he will surely understand.”
When Gao Liangwei finished, everyone felt his points were reasonable and not worth arguing.
Indeed, at a large scale this is about the prestige that would grant Beixing global leadership, and on a smaller scale it would ease tensions with Guan Tong.
Some even thought it wasn’t clear which was the larger motive.
After Guan Tong presented the evidence, it was confirmed he had stopped the “bright moon” rule from escalating. Coupled with his prior actions against the earthquake rule and the Scarlet Fear rule, many online were belatedly convinced he might be key to resisting the Doomsday Rules.
Thus how to handle relations with him might be the “big” thing, while helping Sakura Prayer organize defenses could be the “small” thing.
After the meeting, Gao Liangwei reported the proposal upward. The highest decision-making body quickly agreed and instructed the Research Office to urgently organize personnel to go to Antu for support.
At the same time, Beixing’s foreign affairs department was also taking action. Using Guan Tong’s public evidence as leverage, they joined other countries in formally demanding an independent investigation into Suroma through diplomatic channels.
Xisiya reacted most strongly—before Beixing officially made a statement, Xisiya issued extremely severe wording in their declaration.
Their Administrator, Yelanka, even recorded a video address to all citizens.
In the video she angrily vowed to seek justice for Xisiya Ascendants who died in the Carrier Array operation. If she could not, she said she would resign her post as Administrator.
Faced with worldwide public opinion, Suroma was thrown into turmoil.
Many uninformed Suromans demanded immediate responses from the Senate and King Bruce, and some radicals demanded Bruce step down to be tried.
Few Suromans tried to defend themselves, because the world’s pressure was aimed not at the nation but at the decision-makers led by Bruce and the Senate.
Because the Suroman government had always shown contempt for the lives of common people, many Suromans were even harsher in their denunciations than foreigners.
Inside the Senate, after Guan Tong’s statement, meetings had been convened multiple times over a single day and night.
They were holding the final decision meeting now, and many senators were furious that Bruce had not attended any of the sessions!
“Now all countries demand our decision-makers be held accountable, and Beixing is trying to lead. If we mishandle this, we might be besieged!”
“For such a big matter, the king says nothing and shows no stance, doesn’t even come to the elders’ meetings—what is Bruce trying to do?”
“His aide said it’s because the memory digitization experiment has reached a critical stage, and he’s temporarily ignoring other matters.”
“What? He can ignore other matters, but this too?”
“Everyone, calm down.”
At that moment the senators’ leader, Dodge, spoke. When he opened his mouth the others fell quiet to hear him.
Dodge said: “If the whole world wants to pursue accountability, let them.”
All the senators nodded at his words.
“Dodge, do you mean we should confess? That can’t be! If that happens we...”
“I said let them pursue accountability, not that the Senate should admit guilt.”
A calculating smile appeared on Dodge’s face.
“Everything was done by Joiessen for the sake of glory—he deceived us above and below, secretly colluded with the Fire Thief Cult’s Your Holiness, a monstrous crime, and afterward threatened Andrew and others, hiring killers to silence them... Our Senate, and our wise King Bruce, are victims who were deceived.”