Meanwhile, across the ocean in the United States.

Wharton White House, inside the Oval Office.

Albert's face flushed red, his small eyes fixed on Defense Secretary Anthony and CIA Director William Blair.

"William Blair! Do you not want the head of the intelligence agency anymore?!"

Albert's roar made the two of them tremble.

William Blair's eye twitched slightly: "Your Excellency, President..."

"Shut up!"

Albert grabbed the files from the desk and threw them in front of William: "I don't want to hear any of your excuses!"

"Just tell me what our CIA is doing!"

"Damn it, the Xia Kingdom on the other side is already preparing to break out of the solar system, and what about us?"

"We're still repairing power equipment all over the country?!"

"Fxxk!!"

William Blair looked down at the document lying at his feet.

The words "Moon Palace Project" on the document stung his eyes.

He paused for a moment, then slowly said, "Your Excellency, our intelligence agents in Xia Country did not obtain any information about this plan before the meeting began."

"I suspect this is just a smokescreen thrown out by the Xia Kingdom."

Do you remember the Star Wars program we proposed decades ago?

As soon as William Blair finished speaking, Anthony chimed in, "Sir, my view is the same as Director William's."

"These three plans of the Xia Kingdom... in my opinion, are simply impossible to achieve!"

The two men's words eased Albert's expression slightly.

"You mean... that Xia's three so-called space programs are all just a bluff?"

"What about the newly established space agency?"

"Could it be that the newly established department in Xia Kingdom is just a bluff?"

"According to intelligence, Professor Lü Yongchang wields considerable power!"

William chuckled and countered, "Your Excellency, would you appoint a twenty-one-year-old as the director of NASA?"

Without a second thought, Albert shook his head: "What a joke! A twenty-one-year-old kid should be dating in college!"

William shrugged, spread his hands, and looked at the president in front of him with a sneer.

Albert paused for a moment, then suddenly realized what he meant and nodded slightly: "I think I understand what you mean."

"So, in your opinion, how should we deal with these smokescreens released by the Xia Kingdom?"

"The reactions on Twitter these past two days haven't been good; we need to come up with a solution as soon as possible!"

A bitter smile appeared in William's eyes.

Twitter! Twitter! Twitter again!

How could the United States have such a president!

He sighed softly to himself, then looked to Anthony beside him for help.

This kind of thing has nothing to do with his CIA!

After a moment's thought, a glint of light flashed in Anthony's eyes, and he said in a deep voice, "Your Excellency, I believe it is necessary for us to launch the Mars landing program!"

Albert's pupils contracted slightly, and his expression immediately became much more serious.

"Landing on Mars?! Are you sure?"

Anthony nodded slowly but with a determined look on his face.

"Although the authenticity of these three plans of Xia Kingdom is not high, we can draw a simple conclusion from them."

"Currently, China is paying increasing attention to space."

"In order to secure the future position of the United States, we must first gain dominance in space."

...

That afternoon.

The White House then held an emergency press conference.

Albert stood on the podium at the press conference and cleared his throat.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the White House press briefing."

"The United States suffered extremely severe damage in the solar storm a few days ago."

"However, thanks to our strong national power, we returned from the steam age to the modern era in just a few days."

As he spoke, Albert made a funny gesture.

A burst of laughter erupted from the audience.

"Alright, alright, let's get back to the main topic, or my secretary will glare at me again..."

The laughter from the audience grew louder and louder.

After receiving a disapproving look from his secretary, Albert straightened his expression and spoke again.

"Ladies and gentlemen! The United States has never slowed its pace in the pursuit of a better future for humanity!"

"I hereby announce that, effective immediately, the United States will launch its manned mission to Mars!"

Project codename: Pathfinder!

As Albert finished speaking, the press conference fell silent.

A dozen seconds later, a noisy discussion suddenly broke out!

"Your Excellency, is this decision by the United States due to the three plans recently announced by China?"

"Mr. President, does this decision by the United States signify the start of another arms race?"

"Your Mightiness……"

Albert frowned slightly as he looked at the excited reporters below the stage.

He stretched out his hand and made a pressing motion in the air.

The murmurs gradually subsided.

Soon, the press conference fell silent again.

But the expressions on the reporters' faces were completely different from just a few minutes ago!

Every reporter looked like a shark that had smelled blood, their eyes gleaming with excitement!

Albert glanced at the crowd below the stage and said in a deep voice, "The purpose of launching Project Pathfinder is to find a second Earth for humanity."

"Everything the United States does is for the future of humanity!"

"As for Xia Kingdom's Moon Palace Project and South Heaven Gate Project, I sincerely hope that they can turn the content of science fiction into reality."

After finishing his speech, Albert didn't pause for a moment, nor did he give the reporters time to ask questions. He turned around and left the press conference.

A slight disturbance broke out at the press conference as the president turned to leave.

"Editor-in-chief, big news! Breaking news!"

"Believe me, this will definitely be on the front page of our newspaper..."

Just as the reporters were still confused, a voice rang out from a corner.

A man in a suit was seen excitedly holding up his phone, talking animatedly as he strode towards the front door.

This is... a reporter from the Walton Post!

Many reporters recognized the man's identity.

His actions also served as a reminder to everyone, and a group of reporters picked up their phones to report the situation of the press conference to their editors!

...

Within just two or three hours, the Walton Post was the first to release its latest edition.

Moon vs. Mars: Who Will Win This Space Race?

Following the Walton Post, other newspapers followed suit, with headlines that became increasingly exaggerated!

The Second Arms Race?!

Space Conquest! Xia Kingdom's Ambition Fully Exposed!

《……》