Starting from South America, speeding through the world

Chapter 198 Unprecedented
"What is he going to do?"

California Governor Newman turned his head, his voice not loud, but it sent a chill down the spines of everyone present.

The man swallowed hard, his tongue seemingly tied in a knot in his mouth. After mumbling a few words, he repeated:
"President, uh, McCain just ordered the activation of the EAM command chain, the redirection of communication systems, and the entry of strategic air platforms into their preset range."

The room remained unresponsive, enveloped in an eerie stillness.

The man blinked, thinking he hadn't explained clearly, and mustered his courage to add:
"In other words, issuing a nuclear strike warning to uncooperative states."

Newman nodded slowly upon hearing this.

He didn't say "I understand," nor did he express any shock or anger.

He was just gazing into the distance, as if he was lost in thought.

"Thank you," he said after a moment. "This is very important."

The man felt a huge weight lifted off his shoulders and quickly walked away, as if something was about to explode behind him.

The door closed, and the overhead lights turned an eerily pale white.

It makes people feel uneasy.

"This can't be true, can it?" Someone broke the silence first; it was the deputy governor. "He really intends to?"

"He's forcing us to back down."

The Treasury Secretary leaned back in his chair and said coldly, "We are asked to withdraw our statement to the Union and admit our previous 'misjudgment'."

"and then?"

The Los Angeles state legislator looked up at the woman: "And then tell the voters in the Bay Area, Sacramento, and San Jose, we're scared, so we've decided to go back to accept tyranny?!"

"What's wrong with being afraid?!"

Another aide raised his voice, "Can you guarantee he won't actually press the button? Are you willing to bet the nuclear bomb is just for intimidation?"

At this moment, the oldest security advisor, who was sitting in the corner, spoke up: "If you believe that, we've lost."

"The core of EAM has never been about execution, but about making you believe that he will execute."

"It's not nuclear deterrence, it's political deterrence."

“He wants us to know that constitutionalism is over,” the lieutenant governor murmured.

“In the order he created, the obedient were protected and the rebellious were eliminated.”

The finance minister frowned: "But then again, if we insist on not backing down, aren't we just pushing him to take action step by step?"

“It’s a battle of courage,” the safety consultant said. “It’s like two cars coming head-on on the highway, each driver hoping the other will swerve first.”

“The problem is, McCain wasn’t driving a car,” the aide took a deep breath. “He was driving a strategic bomber carrying nuclear warheads.”

A brief silence followed.

Someone asked the question that everyone was avoiding.

Even if he presses the button, will anyone actually carry it out?

"After all, the Cuban Missile Crisis did not escalate into a nuclear war."

"Arkhipov on the Soviet submarine refused to launch torpedoes, even when communications were interrupted."

"It's not just him."

"In 1983, Lieutenant Colonel Petrov refused to report the radar misjudgment."

"In the 1995 Norwegian rocket incident, Russia opened its nuclear briefcase, but still chose not to retaliate."

"I don't think the situation will be any different now."

The aide shook his head: "What you're saying sounds more like a 'theory of faith'."

"We can never be sure whether the reason why World War III did not break out was due to deterrence, arms control, or pure luck."

"No one can verify the answer."

"All we do is deduce some rules from the cracks in history and then pray that they still apply today."

“But that’s precisely why,” the security advisor reiterated, “we cannot back down.”

"It's not that I'm certain he won't make a move."

"Instead, we cannot base our 'concessions' on a weak 'possibility'."

“Once you do that, McCann wins.”

"He doesn't need to actually press it, as long as you're afraid he'll press it."

“That way, every subsequent threat won’t require any cost.” The man opposite him fell silent.

He was clearly not completely convinced, but he didn't continue to argue.

A tense undercurrent suddenly surged within the room.

Everyone turned to look at Newman, awaiting his final decision.

The air was so heavy that it was almost impossible to breathe.

One second. Two seconds.

Until the pen stopped spinning between his fingers and fell onto the table with a thud.

Finally, the man opened his mouth:

"We will not surrender."

"At least, we can't give up so quickly."

He spoke at a measured pace.

"Otherwise, even if McCann were to let us go, others wouldn't."

"Two betrayals will not make voters forgive you, your allies distrust you, and even your enemies will no longer take you seriously."

At this point, Newman raised his head, his gaze sweeping over the various expressions on the faces of the people in the room:
"However, before making any statement."

"I need to speak with **."

[Omitted here]

In Rocky, it was not yet fully light.

Zhang Wei woke up very early.

He stared at the dormitory ceiling for a while before turning over and picking up his phone.

As soon as the screen turned on, a notification popped up in the notification bar.

[Express Notice Regarding Assisting in the Orderly Evacuation of People]

Zhang Wei paused for half a second before clicking the link.

"Given the recent tense social security situation in some areas of **, and the considerable uncertainty surrounding public infrastructure, communication services, traffic order, and emergency response capabilities, foreign countries and **consulates in ** are closely monitoring the safety and legitimate rights of Chinese citizens in **."

"In accordance with the unified deployment of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and based on the current risk assessment and the actual situation in the relevant regions, the Consulate General of China in Los Angeles will provide necessary assistance to some Chinese citizens in Southern California (including those with long-term residence, short-term visits, students, and workers) and carry out temporary evacuation work in batches and in an orderly manner."

The relevant matters are hereby notified as follows:

Before I could even look at it closely, my mother's WeChat call popped up.

The next second, a barrage of urgent words rained down on him:
"The evacuation has begun, son."

"I just reported it to you."

"I used your passport number, but I left my own phone number. They can contact me later."

"If it's approved, it will be a flight from Los Angeles back to Shanghai. Your aunt is listed as the contact person; she'll pick you up there."

On the other end of the phone, her anxiety was barely concealed.

At the same time, Zhang Wei's mind was still a little fuzzy.

"Mom isn't saying you can't make your own decisions, but you really can't act impulsively at this time."

"Two weeks ago, your dad and I told you to come back, but you insisted that the semester wasn't over, so we just let it go."

"But this time is different. It's been reported in the news; they've even brought out nuclear weapons! Something terrible could happen; people could die!"

"Your uncle also said we can't wait; he's a professional researcher in this area."

"Don't think we're forcing you. If a fight really breaks out, even flights won't be able to take off. At that point, we'll be too sad to even think about dying."

"Mom begs you, please listen to me and come back, okay?"

Zhang Wei pinched the bridge of his nose.

Inside the room, his luggage was piled in a corner, most of it already packed away.

After a few seconds, he nodded slightly. "Okay."

　Quotes/Recommendations:

　　[1] Deudney Daniel H. Bounding Power: Republican Security Theory from the Polis to the Global Village. Princeton University Press.
　　[2] Schelling Thomas. The Strategy of Conflict. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
　　

(End of this chapter)