"Where... Where am I? What am I doing?"
John awoke from a half-conscious state. The darkness before his eyes dissipated, revealing the scene within the President’s Oval Office.
A blond man, vigorous and ruddy-cheeked, sat behind the desk, watching John with a kindly smile.
Also watching John was Chief of Staff Mr. Meadows, who stood before the desk briefing the President. He wore the same kindly smile, one that could put anyone at ease.
"Dear John, is there something I can help you with?" the President asked like a gentleman. He then praised John to Meadows, "John is a good lad, a hero back from Afghanistan. I trust him completely."
John’s mind was a complete blur. He had totally forgotten why he’d pushed open the door to the Oval Office. He couldn’t even remember when he’d arrived or how long he’d been standing there.
Hearing the President’s words, Meadows smiled slightly and said:
"I have the utmost admiration for heroes who serve their country. Afghanistan... those are real heroes... I have a friend who also came back from the Marine Corps in Afghanistan. Unfortunately, he developed PTSD. Ah, poor Old George... By the way, John, did you hear a noise?"
At this, a chill went down John’s spine. His heart leaped into his throat.
’If I get diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, my career will be over!’
He quickly went along with what Meadows said:
"That’s right, Mr. Chief of Staff. I heard a slight noise just now, probably from another room. As long as everything is fine. Please forgive my rudeness... I’m very sorry."
The blond man with the warm smile offered a standardized one, nodding as he spoke:
"Good man, John. I’m proud of you. You were just doing your duty. No need to apologize."
"Thank you, Mr. President... and Mr. Chief of Staff." John nodded repeatedly, closed the door, and turned to stand guard at his post again, a trace of confusion on his face.
’What the hell just happened?’
’Why can’t I remember why I opened the door...? It feels like I’ve completely forgotten something important...’
’What could it be?’
’It’ll be a real problem if I actually have PTSD... I have to see a psychiatrist when I’m on leave...’
’I should stop taking the fentanyl for now...’
’Thank goodness the two of them didn’t say anything and forgave my recklessness.’
At this thought, John shook his head, trying to clear it.
Just then, a deep voice came through his earpiece:
"Position One, you left your post. What happened?"
John quickly took a deep breath and replied in a low voice:
"Eagle’s Nest, Eagle’s Nest, situation is clear. I repeat, situation is clear."
At the same time, the door to the Oval Office opened again, and Chief of Staff Meadows walked out, head held high. He gave John a kind, encouraging smile as he passed before striding away.
Inside the Oval Office, the middle-aged man, now alone, glanced around. He propped his legs up on the desk, leaned back hard in his chair to find a more comfortable position, and muttered to himself:
"Jingwei, this chair really is comfortable. No wonder so many people want to sit in it."
The television nearby turned on by itself. A beautiful, shapely blond girl appeared on the screen. She glanced around a few times before speaking to the middle-aged man in the chair:
"Hmph, look at you, acting like you’ve never seen the world. It’s just a chair. Hurry up and fix the current international situation. Pulling human society out of the vortex of a new Cold War is what’s important... By the way, what if I make myself a Western girl avatar? Like it? I think a chocolate-colored one would be nice too."
As she spoke, she tossed her blond hair, hopped a few times, and transformed into a tall black girl.
The middle-aged man in the chair curled his lip. He casually picked up a document, glanced at it, and saw it was about building a wall on the border between Eagle Country and Mexico. He nodded in satisfaction and drew a large checkmark on it.
Then he grabbed another document. This one was about international diplomacy. He scrawled a big "FUCK" across it.
Just as he was enjoying himself, a black telephone on the desk suddenly rang.
The middle-aged man snatched the receiver and held it to his ear. The next moment, a blast of crackling white noise surged through, accompanied by a sharp, piercing soundwave!
This soundwave and white noise were highly suggestive and could also cause temporary damage to a person’s brain structure through resonance, thereby affecting the hippocampus.
The middle-aged man frowned, but his expression showed he had been expecting this.
Then, a deep, magnetic voice came from the receiver:
"...No one understands you... You are this country’s hero... Only you can save this country... It’s all their fault, the fault of other countries... Everything is the responsibility of that Eastern nation... You must use your great carrier fleets to teach those people a harsh lesson... You will become the people’s hero... Make Eagle Country great again..."
The voice was deep and hoarse. The hissing white noise was still incessant, and the high-frequency noise, temporarily destructive to the human brain, continued to pour in.
The middle-aged man on the phone curled his lip and said in a somewhat perfunctory tone:
"...Yes, yes... Mm... Great, great... Great again... Mm... Mm... You’re right... Must be great..."
After about five minutes, he finally hung up.
The image of the girl on the TV asked curiously:
"Who was that? It all sounded like empty platitudes, like a director’s speech."
The middle-aged man smiled faintly and said:
"No one special. A call from the Whisperer. I just had to listen, that’s all. Is the instance set up? I’m handing off."
As he spoke, the middle-aged man’s movements paused for an instant. He then smiled, his vitality returning, and dialed a number. "Get me a press conference immediately," he said.
The TV before him switched back to CNN, which was broadcasting an interview with infectious disease expert Fauci.
「Meanwhile, on an international flight to Dubai.」
Shen Feng and Jingwei, who had been sitting as still as statues, both shuddered simultaneously as they withdrew their Consciousness Antennae from the distant network.
Shen Feng and Jingwei looked at each other and smiled, feeling much more at ease.
After this little interlude, the world would be much more stable and united for the foreseeable future.
Looking down through the airplane window, they saw an endless expanse of yellow sand flashing by below, interspersed with small oases dotted with human structures.
"Xiaofeng, we’ve reached the Arabian Desert. Are you sure you want to build the Earth-side Space Wormhole Generator here?" Jingwei asked.
Shen Feng nodded and said:
"The more chaotic a place is, the better the cover. Even if we accidentally created a black hole here, no one would care. In fact, there are plenty of ways to cover up any problems. It’s like that tasteless Eagle Country joke, where the President of Eagle Country tells a reporter they’re going to kill three million Iraqis and one bicycle repairman."
Jingwei’s eyes widened. "Why kill one bicycle repairman?" she asked.
Shen Feng said:
"See? No one cares about the Iraqis. No one cares about the Middle East. No one cares what has happened, is happening, or will happen here."