March 5th.
Xingdao International Airport was bathed in pleasant sunshine.
A Boeing 747 from Tokyo touched down smoothly on the airport runway.
Several hundred foreign workers from East Japan arrived in this land of dreams, full of hope for their future with the Homo Sapiens Company.
However, before they could celebrate for long, a level-two alert blared from the airport’s special screening room, and all passengers were immediately placed under centralized control.
At the same time, professional inspection teams were dispatched to conduct a comprehensive screening of all passengers, their luggage, and the Boeing 747 itself.
A security cordon was also set up around the airport, and large numbers of fully-armed internal affairs personnel quickly brought the entire airport under control.
The Huangmu family, who had just arrived from Tokyo, looked uneasy as they faced the sudden quarantine and inspection.
Fortunately, an airport receptionist was there to reassure them.
The receptionist said with a smile, "We’re very sorry. Due to an emergency, we need everyone to cooperate with a full screening."
"Is it a bomb?"
"Probably not a bomb. It might be a chemical or biological agent."
"Mommy, I’m scared!"
"Don’t worry, everything should be fine."
Although the group from East Japan was scared to death, they remained restrained and orderly—a racial characteristic of their people.
Had they been white or black, things would have probably descended into chaos by now.
The inspection went on for over three hours.
During this time, the Xingdao Aviation Management Company had already reported the situation to the head office’s aviation division.
The aviation division reacted with incredible speed, immediately announcing the suspension of all flights to and from East Japan and publicly declaring that Xingdao Island Airport was under a level-two alert.
It also ordered all other airports and ports to immediately screen any planes, ships, cargo, and personnel arriving from East Japan.
This sudden development was also immediately noticed by major intelligence agencies around the world.
These agencies sprang into action, trying to figure out what was happening at Xingdao Island Airport and why the plane from East Japan was being singled out. They took a two-pronged approach: one arm probed for details at Xingdao Island Airport, while the other investigated what was going on in East Japan.
...
Five hours after the incident with the plane at Xing Island.
In the foreign affairs hall of the Capital City Thonburi.
Wu Wei, the head of the External Affairs Department, walked up to the podium, his face a mask of fury and solemnity.
The special correspondents from the news media and the various representatives stationed with the Homo Sapiens Company felt their hearts tighten. Something big was about to happen.
The world was no longer a place where America was the sole superpower. The Homo Sapiens Company now stood shoulder-to-shoulder with America, and in some areas, even surpassed it.
Therefore, whether the world was at peace or in chaos was now decided by the Homo Sapiens Company and America.
And now, with Wu Wei looking so menacing, it was clear that something major had occurred.
After adjusting the microphone, Wu Wei cut straight to the chase. "At 11:20 AM today, aboard a Boeing 747 passenger jet that arrived at Xingdao Island Airport from Tokyo, our inspection personnel detected an unknown fungus."
What? The crowd immediately raised their hands to ask questions.
But Wu Wei ignored them and continued, "This unknown fungus is extremely transmissible. Its spores can spread through seawater and air. At present, we have not yet determined whether this fungus affects humans, crops, or livestock."
"As the fungus originated from the plane from Tokyo, we are temporarily naming it the ’Tokyo Fungus’ to facilitate further research and external communication."
A reporter from the Yomiuri Shimbun immediately stood up. "On what grounds do you believe this fungus came from Tokyo? It might have spread to Tokyo from another region. To name it the ’Tokyo Fungus’ so directly is, in my opinion, highly inappropriate."
"Get the hell out," Wu Wei said, waving him away dismissively.
Two security guards swiftly grabbed the furious Yomiuri Shimbun reporter and threw him out.
The look on Wu Wei’s face practically screamed, ’I’m furious, and you’d all better watch your step.’
He continued, "We have reason to suspect this was a targeted attack against the Homo Sapiens Company. Therefore, effective immediately, all of our company’s security units will enter a state of emergency until this matter is thoroughly investigated."
Then, without a backward glance, Wu Wei left the hall.
He left behind a room full of stunned reporters and representatives.
At almost the exact same moment.
Stationed on the East Coast of the Luzon Branch, a large number of warships from the Pacific Fleet’s Luzon Sub-Fleet rapidly departed from their home port. In particular, the vessels with submersible capabilities vanished directly from satellite surveillance.
From the Spice Islands branch, the Pacific Fleet’s Nanyang Sub-Fleet.
From the Xingdao Branch at the Natuna Islands, the Pacific Fleet’s Xingdao Sub-Fleet.
From the Ceylon Island Branch, the Ceylon Ocean Fleet’s Central Sub-Fleet.
From the Hongsawaddy Branch, the Ceylon Ocean Fleet’s Hongsawaddy Sub-Fleet.
From the Malacca Branch on Sumatra Island, the Ceylon Ocean Fleet’s Eastern Sub-Fleet.
From the Mad Branch, the Ceylon Ocean Fleet’s Western Sub-Fleet.
From the Suez Branch in the Red Sea Province, the Ceylon Ocean Fleet’s Red Sea Sub-Fleet.
All eight sub-fleets mobilized at once.
The various regional branches within the Homo Sapiens Company also swiftly entered a state of emergency. Large numbers of registered elite employees (New Humans) gathered at security training camps in their local cities, while regular employees (Naturals) were issued emergency manuals.
In the face of the Homo Sapiens Company’s sudden, seemingly crazed, large-scale movements, the other major world powers reacted instantly.
It was a move that threatened to shake the entire world.
For a time, an unusually oppressive atmosphere fell over the entire world.
After the last Xiangjiang summit, the Homo Sapiens Company had actually established an emergency hotline system with the major powers, precisely to avoid miscalculations.
For a moment, the hotlines between the great powers were lit up with activity.
...
Thomas, who was vacationing in Seattle, was once again hurriedly dragged by his subordinates into a newly built nuclear bunker, turning him into a "bunker boy."
After listening to his subordinate’s report, his expression turned grave, and he roared in fury:
"Who did this? Who authorized them to act without permission?"
His subordinate replied awkwardly, "The Pentagon says it wasn’t their people, and Black Ship has no such plan on record."
"Then what the hell is going on? Can someone tell me?" Thomas ground out through clenched teeth.
Just then, a dedicated Black Ship liaison in Seattle appeared before Thomas.
The man looked anxious. "Mr. Morgan, Black Ship in Northeast Asia has already uncovered some information. There is indeed a large quantity of an unknown fungus in Tokyo right now."
"And?"
"The preliminary suspicion is that a biological lab at the Kyoto Institute of Technology had a lab sample leak."
Thomas frowned. "What was that lab researching?"
"Plastic-decomposing fungi."
"Plastic-decomposing fungi?" Thomas paused for a moment, then pressed, "Do the lab’s researchers know anything about this leaked fungus?"
The Black Ship liaison nodded. "According to our emergency interrogation, the head of the lab, Yoshida Akira, admitted that they unintentionally obtained a mutant strain during their research."
A conflicted look crossed Thomas’s face. "How widespread is the leak? Can it be controlled?"
The Black Ship liaison replied in a heavy tone, "According to Professor Yoshida’s testimony, this fungus is unlike any strain they’ve studied before. It’s extremely transmissible. It’s estimated that its spread can no longer be stopped."
"What about harm to humans? Any other effects?" Thomas was more concerned about this than anyone, as it was his own skin on the line.
The Black Ship liaison shook his head. "The research period was too short. All we know for now is that it affects plastic."
Thomas immediately fell into deep thought. He finally understood why the Homo Sapiens Company had reacted so fiercely. They clearly suspected America of launching a biological attack.