Chapter 280 I Picked Up Trash on the Battlefield of National Fortune 36
Under the cover of night, in an abandoned energy transfer station, Jiang Zhe stood under a rusty iron frame, with Vasily beside him, arms crossed and a gloomy expression on his face.
Footsteps approached from afar, and Scott swaggered in with two key members of the Bald Eagles.
He looked around, his gaze finally settling on Jiang Zhe, a mocking smile playing on his lips.
"Jiang, why did you make such a big fuss to call us here?"
"Are you looking for a secluded spot to show off your ridiculously powerful enhancement card?"
Jiang Zhe ignored his provocation. After receiving the message "Interference" from 1024, he looked up at the crowd.
He didn't speak to Scott, but instead looked at Vasily and glanced at the heads of other countries.
"Gentlemen, those who still have communication slots, connect to the highest communication network in your respective countries."
Vasily was taken aback, and the mockery on Scott's face froze.
“What are you going to do?” Scott asked warily.
"Just do as instructed." Jiang Zhe's voice was flat.
Vasily hesitated for a moment, but then initiated the communication.
Scott and his men exchanged a glance and also chose to connect. Jiang, there was no need to go through all that trouble just to use up one of their communication attempts.
In an instant, several light screens lit up simultaneously in the small space. Behind each light screen was the highest command center of a country, with several leaders of different skin colors appearing on the screen with serious expressions. Once the number of uses was used up, they appeared in videos of other countries.
This was a top-secret meeting that Jiang Zhe had coordinated in advance through Blue Star headquarters, with global implications.
Seeing this scene, Scott's flippant expression vanished completely; he realized the seriousness of the situation far exceeded his expectations.
Jiang Zhe's gaze swept across all the light screens and over everyone present.
To make a long story short...
“We’ve all been living in a giant deception since the first day we entered here.”
“We were drawn into this battlefield. Some people see it as an opportunity, while others see it as a challenge. But now that we see many countries already extinct or on the verge of extinction, do people still think this is a good thing?”
"On the last page of the system shop, there is a locked item called [Planet Barrier]."
"It can take us all home."
"It can end this game completely."
"And the system is doing everything it can to prevent us from accumulating enough points to buy it. The last auction was a wealth harvesting operation targeting all of us."
The warehouse was eerily quiet. Both inside and outside the light screen, everyone's minds went blank from the shock of those words.
"What the hell are you talking about!"
Scott lunged forward, grabbed Jiang Zhe by the collar, his eyes bloodshot: "Go home? Old man, are you crazy? You're joking about something like this!"
Jiang Zhe let him hold her, meeting his gaze calmly: "Do you think I would joke about something like this in this kind of setting?"
He pointed to Scott's hand, which was gripping his.
"You emptied your coffers for 'Dawn'."
"Our Dragon Kingdom has also exhausted its national treasury for the sake of the 'Amplification Card'."
"And then there are those small countries that go bankrupt for a mere, uncertain chance to go home."
"Don't you think all of this is too much of a coincidence?"
Scott's hand, which was gripping Jiang Zhe's collar, was trembling slightly. He let go of his hand and staggered back a step. He wanted to argue, but found that he couldn't utter a single word.
The fervor and resentment he felt at the auction now transformed into a chilling coldness in his mind.
Inside and outside the light screen, things completely erupted.
"Is...is this true? Can they really go home?" A leader from the alliance of small nations asked, his voice trembling.
"Is the intelligence source reliable? What is the identity of the other party?" In the command center of the United States, a general calmly asked.
Doubts arose.
“I cannot disclose the source of the intelligence,” Jiang Zhe replied.
"But I can guarantee the authenticity of the intelligence; the Dragon Kingdom is willing to stake its entire fortune and life on it."
"I suggest that all countries form an alliance, pool all their points, and unlock the last page first to verify its authenticity!"
"Gather them up and give them to whom? To you? On what grounds?" Scott immediately retorted.
"Who knows if this is a conspiracy by your Dragon Kingdom to steal all our points!"
His words reflected the concerns of many countries, sparking a heated debate that unfolded both on and off screen.
Ultimately, a compromise was proposed.
Led by the Dragon Kingdom, those countries that chose to believe in Jiang Zhe formed a camp and transferred all their points to Jiang Zhe.
Meanwhile, the skeptical nations, led by the United States, formed another camp and transferred all their points to Scott.
The two camps temporarily set aside all grudges and had only one goal: to uncover the truth that was locked away by the system as quickly as possible.
A silent competition to accumulate points, sweeping across the entire battlefield of national destiny, has begun.
...
Five months passed in what appeared to be calm but was actually oppressive.
In the past five months, Zhou Jue has become the most mysterious legend in the NPC circle.
During the day, she transforms into 0714, frantically scavenging through various ruins; at night, she switches to 1024, selling potions, weapons, and repairing weapons, while constantly accepting strange yet rewarding quests issued by high-level NPCs.
Her points are increasing at a rate that outsiders cannot imagine.
Meanwhile, the player faction fell into an eerie silence.
Battlefield missions continued, and casualties persisted, but everyone was like a wound-up machine, frantically completing tasks, earning points, and then handing them in immediately.
Using the most basic equipment and drinking the cheapest medicine, they scrimped and saved, pouring every penny into those two enormous pools of funds.
Finally, on an ordinary night.
Inside the Dragon Kingdom's rest hall, Jiang Zhe looked at the numbers on his bracelet, which had broken through the 20 million mark.
At almost the same time, in another corner of the world, Scott's points also exceeded 20 million.
Under the silent cover of Zhou Jue's system, they simultaneously opened that familiar mall interface. The last page, which had been grayed out and untouchable for years, lit up in their eyes for the first time.
There was no golden light, no special effects, and no system notification. Almost simultaneously, the two of them tapped the button with trembling fingers.
Product Name: Planetary Barrier, capable of completely concealing an entire planet.
[Type: Special Strategic Item]
[Effect: Upon activation, it can dimensionally separate the current planet from the Interdimensional Star Network, or sever the data link between the current national destiny system and the main system.]
Price: 99,999,999 points
The truth was presented to everyone in the simplest yet most shocking way.
At that moment, whether it was Jiang Zhe, Scott, or all the high-ranking officials of Blue Star who knew the truth, they all felt a sense of suffocation.
There's no need to doubt anymore; this is the only answer and the only way out.
"Quick! Distribute the points!"
Jiang Zhe and Scott issued the orders almost simultaneously, without the slightest hesitation.
Even looking at it for one more second could trigger the system's alert.
The two huge sums of points were instantly split into countless parts and quickly transferred to the second-tier members within the camp.
Under Zhou Jue's system, the last page of the mall in front of them turned back to that familiar gray.
Everything returned to normal, as if nothing had happened, but everyone who saw that scene knew the truth.
A crack has appeared on the ice.
Beneath the ice, a terrifying wave is brewing, waiting for the moment it will break through everything.
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