In an instant, every single American officer in the room lowered their heads. Myers was like an emperor here in Japan—the voice of America across East Asia—and back home, he had built his fearsome reputation entirely on slaughter.
Right now, seeing how decisively he killed, nobody dared say a word.
Just then, a trembling officer handed the nuclear detonation controller to Myers.
"What are you scared of? Give it here!" Myers snorted coldly, snatching the controller for himself. At that very moment, the radar system locked onto Ryan Ling's position.
"Chinese martial artist, I want you dead—dead, dead!" Myers didn't hesitate for a second and slammed the button down.
Immediately, a massive missile launcher inside the base roared to life. An enormous silver missile—Fat Boy—blasted out at insane speed, carving a long, beautiful arc through the sky.
"Boom!" As Fat Boy shot into the sky, Myers burst out laughing, even throwing in an exaggerated explosion gesture—he was absolutely ecstatic.
"Commander, get inside the nuclear bunker—fast! We're way too close to ground zero. If that thing goes off, we'll be caught in the blast!" The deputy shouted, clearly panicked; this warhead was way more powerful than any normal nuke.
"Don't panic. I can walk myself!" Myers snorted, swaggering into the base—and as he stepped inside, he even wiggled his hips twice.
The staff behind him just shook their heads. Clearly, America's East Asia commander had lost his mind—and when he went crazy, it meant hundreds of thousands might die with him.
The moment Fat Boy shot out of its silo, China's reconnaissance satellites locked on instantly—and the whole operations room erupted, shouting in excitement and panic.
"That bastard Myers—he's actually violated international law and launched a nuke! Has he lost his mind?"
"Chief, Fat Boy's payload is off the charts. If it detonates, it'll level all of Kyoto and wipe out hundreds of square kilometers. Please, order our people to pull out—otherwise they're all dead!"
"Exactly—the blast center is right on Ryan Ling's position. Myers is dead set on killing him. We've done everything we could, but there's no saving him now. Even if we throw every unit into a rescue, it's just two words—suicide mission!"
...
Right now, Daniel Deng knew exactly what Fat Boy could do. His face turned grim, eyes reddened. As a top general on China's Central Military Commission, he admired Ryan Ling—but he couldn't risk the entire nation for one man.
He wasn't like Myers. Deng carried the weight of the country on his shoulders. He'd already defied orders to block the Seventh Fleet, and so far both sides were only trading fire. If he really pushed America too far, it could mean world war.
He knew he had to be smart. Right now, dialing back would secure China's biggest gains. If he kept attacking, not only would the U.S. throw in even heavier forces, but China's own top leadership would be furious.
"Chief!" The generals closest to Deng saw how awful he looked and quickly chimed in again—if they didn't retreat now, it would be too late.
"Sigh!" Deng let out a heavy breath and shook his head. "Withdraw—pull everyone out, now..."
"Get everyone out of Japan—move, now! Leave Japan, leave!"
The moment the order was given, it felt like a chunk of flesh had been ripped from Daniel Deng's heart—he slumped straight down onto the floor.
"Chief! Chief!" The whole command center erupted in chaos.
...
Far away in central Kyoto, a deafening roar suddenly erupted. A rare mushroom cloud shot skyward. Tens of thousands closest to ground zero were instantly vaporized; the city turned to ash in a heartbeat. Worse, a wall of dust and debris blasted up, swallowing every building. Death kept spreading, unstoppable.
Ten thousand!
Twenty thousand!
Thirty thousand!
...
The number kept multiplying by the second.
The whole world was stunned. Nobody ever imagined this kind of horror would hit Japan again after so many decades—and this time, even more people died.
Instantly, condemnation poured in from everywhere. Even inside the U.S., opposition forces went wild attacking Myers, branding him a criminal and a madman.
With that deafening blast, China's whole surprise raid on Japan was over. All forces pulled back, and the U.S. Seventh Fleet stopped its advance.
The U.S. leadership was furious at China's operation, but after Fat Boy went off, the old question of who was right or wrong didn't matter anymore. The fallout from the nuke was way bigger than anything else, and even the U.S. president was nearly forced to resign under the pressure at home.
Besides, China actually had a legitimate reason for sending troops to Japan, while America—no matter how good their excuse—was about to get buried under a mountain of global outrage.
But inside China's Central Military Commission, nobody felt excited about the victory. Instead, the whole headquarters was locked in total, deathly silence.
"How's Chief Deng? Right now!" Several top-level envoys had already arrived at the commission building outside.
"He hasn't moved from his bed this whole time!" Some senior generals, noticing the envoys' tense faces, answered quickly.
"The top boss wants him immediately—it's urgent. What do you think?" One of the envoys asked awkwardly.
"Right now? Can't we wait a bit?" a senior general asked hurriedly.
"Wait? The top boss wants him to explain why he ignored direct orders and fired on the U.S. Seventh Fleet. That's serious insubordination!" another envoy shouted, face fierce.
[Irrelevant system message—skip translation per guidelines.]
"Who the hell are you to yell at Chief Deng? Want me to cut you down right now?" Deng's deputy rushed over, furious.
"You think I'm scared?" The fierce envoy shot back, even louder.
"Enough! Quit fighting. I'll go with you!" Daniel Deng finally emerged, looking haggard and barely able to walk.
"Chief!" Several close senior generals immediately voiced their concern.
"I'm fine. Keep searching the blast zone—see if there's any sign of life. That kid's cheated death so many times, I refuse to believe he's really gone!" Deng called back.
"Don't worry, Chief—we'll keep monitoring. If there's even a sliver of hope, we won't give up!" One deputy saluted.
"Good!" Deng straightened his uniform and told the envoys, "You lead the way."
The envoys exchanged glances, then quickly led the way, respectfully.
Watching Daniel Deng get led away, several senior generals nearby immediately got anxious. "The chief will be okay, right?"
"He should be fine. With his reputation, nobody would dare go after him—otherwise the whole military would be shaken up!"
"Ninety-nine percent chance he's fine. But this is open insubordination. If the higher-ups really want to make it an issue, things could get dicey!"
Clearly, every senior general was worried.
...
But as the war ended, another group was secretly celebrating—and plotting their next move.
It was none other than the World Dominion Society.
"Ryan Ling really was something else. Now every big shot in the world probably knows his name. Too bad he's dead—ha!"
"Yeah, he got famous, but he died in Japan—saves us a ton of trouble. Plus, I heard that Vice Chairman Deng from the Military Commission is under house arrest. That guy always hated us, and he was Ryan's biggest supporter. Now look, even he can't protect himself!"
"Ha! Heaven's on our side! Get word to our southern forces—take Guihai One-Blade out for good, wipe out all of Ryan Ling's power in Jiangnan. Eagle King, head to Jiangnan; Bat King, you too. Send the Five Elements Banner as well. Once Guihai One-Blade is gone, all of China is ours. Oh, and that kid's parents—don't leave any loose ends. Kill them, just to be sure..."