Starting from South America, speeding through the world

Chapter 293 The east wind blows flowers and thousands of trees on a night

"But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. On that day the heavens will pass away with a loud roar, the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything in it will be burned up."

2 Peter 3:10
I saw the world split into four directions.

The fire started in the east, burning down the city walls and reaching the sea without ceasing.

Blood flowed from the west, flooding fields and rivers without ceasing.

I saw the people raising their flags and shouting, their voices like the sea, their numbers like the tide.

However, the iron cavalry suddenly stormed into the alley, spewing fire at the door and slamming their blades into the doorway.

The mother collapsed while holding her child, and the father broke while holding a halberd.

The sounds of wailing and horn mingled, boats lay rotten on the shore, and granaries were empty in the fields.

I also saw a secret chamber beneath the Germania.

A crowd stood in the middle.

If the deceased is not buried, their eyes will be lifeless and their mouth will be silent.

Suddenly, a man stood in front of the generals.

He was dressed in gray, with narrow shoulders, a thin face, and lifeless eyes.

People called him "Your Excellency," and his name was Himmler.

Himmler neither opened the scrolls, nor revealed the law, nor issued any decrees.

But when he spoke, it was like a hammer striking a stone.

"The throne has fallen, the golden statue has been destroyed."

"Its flesh turned to ashes, and its bones scattered among the stones of the Holy City;

“Beasts rise in the East, and rebellion breaks out in the North.”

"The southern border has been corrupted by temptations, and western merchants have abandoned their mark."

The generals tore their clothes and threw dust on their heads.

Some lay prostrate on the ground, some vomited, and some shook their heads and muttered:
Have we not done everything in our power?

"With blood shed and reputation shattered, what is left to offer?"

Another person cried out:

"What are we to do? Swords are broken, shields are shattered!"

"When the end comes, what light will remain?"

Himmler replied to them:

[River Crab.]

“I will throw away nine-tenths and keep only eleven as a memento.”

"So that they may know what calamity is, what anger is, and what it means to cease to exist."

"The air will burn, and the rivers will turn black."

"The eyes of the living will be dimmed, and they will never be able to see the light again."

"No one can say 'peace,' because there is no more peace."

"No one can ask for mercy, for mercy has been locked in the grave."

After he finished speaking, a secret edict was sent across the ocean to Japan.

Then it was spring, the twenty-ninth year of Showa.

base camp.

"Send the order."

The officer on duty opened the cover and put the red-skinned combat order into the transmission pipe.

The sealed cartridge arrived at the central control level a few seconds later and was personally received by an army major.

He held it up with both hands, making sure the seal was intact and the signature was clear, before opening it.

"Target coordinates: Six o'clock in the Southwest Theater Command."

Number of launch units: twelve.

"Rank: Imperial Decree"

There was silence.

The person took off their headphones and whispered the message being read aloud from the terminal.

Soon after, feedback from Kamakura was relayed back item by item:

—All warheads have been loaded.

—The manhole cover has been unlocked and the manhole cleaning is complete.

—The entire system is on standby and ready to be deployed at any time.

Lieutenant General Okabe looked up and scanned his surroundings.

Behind him, an old-fashioned map hung on the wall.

The red line starts from the Atlantic Ocean, traverses Eurasia, and finally converges in the Central Plains.

"Gentlemen—" he raised his voice slightly, "the will of Heaven has been decided."

"Seventeen years have passed since our Imperial Army entered the pass, yet their foundation remains unbroken."

"The bandits have not been eliminated, the schools still exist, and the pseudo-regime is clinging to life like a worm."

"The enemy's morality is not righteousness, his faith is not faith, and his loyalty is not loyalty."

"Therefore, today, we are not fighting a war, but eliminating evil."

His right hand gripped the hilt of his saber, forcibly suppressing his increasingly rapid heartbeat:
"According to the established plan, the first wave of firepower will cover Lanzhou, Xi'an, and Chongqing."

"The second wave struck Chengdu, Guiyang, and Kunming twelve minutes later."

"Planned completion time: 10 PM sharp."

"The German side launched more than 800 missiles through the same window."

"Targets include, but are not limited to, Poland, Gdansk, and the Carpathian Mountains."

"We intend to synchronize with it."

"Expected impact: Complete collapse of communications, transportation, administration, and military supply lines."

"A long-term unusable area has been formed within a radius of 100 kilometers."

"Civilian casualties. No need to be counted."

When he finished speaking, Okabe paused for a moment, but did not lower his head; he straightened his back.

No one responded at the scene.

".good."

Upon seeing this, General Kase smiled slightly, stood up, and put his military cap back on.

He walked to the control panel and personally opened the sealed box.

Inside were two brass keys; the other was given to the advisor.

"Is the technical team ready?"

"Report: Complete."

"Does this require final confirmation?"

"It has been verified three times."

"Observatory, what's the weather like?"

"The weather is stable, with wind speeds of three meters per second, so the impact is minor."

He paused for a moment, then slowly nodded:

"Let's begin then."

Two keys are inserted into the port simultaneously and turned in sequence.

The next second, the red light in the center of the main control board lit up.

The signal link automatically appears on the light curtain of the central control unit.

Tracing back along satellites, ultra-long wavelengths, and sealed optical fibers.

The command stream, secret codes, and logs were all intercepted, frozen, and decoded.

In an instant, the privilege hijacking was completed.

Thus, the launch routes controlled by Germania and Tokyo were finally all brought under control at the operational intelligence center of the Independence-class littoral combat ship USS Coronado.

In other words, all of the world's nuclear weapons are in the hands of one person.

Zhou Yi looked up.

Directly in front of him, the outline of the world gradually unfolded before his eyes.

A transportation hub connecting the Central Plains, Central China, and Southwest China.

The industrial corridor and military backbone between the Ganges and Indus rivers.

The Persian Corridor, the Suez Canal.

Ports and railways extending from Anatolia to the Levant.

From Poland and Baltic ports to the southern edge of Scandinavia.

The coastline of the British Isles, the White Sea estuary, and the naval ports along the Barents Sea coast.

The Nile and Congo basins, the desert where West Africa meets the Sahara.

The industrial clusters of the Great Lakes, the metropolitan area on the east coast, and the refining and chemical zones along the Gulf Coast.

Both ends of the Panama Canal.

A port connecting the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, in a valley at the foot of the Andes Mountains.

The industrial chain along Australia's east coast, and the island defense zones scattered across the Pacific Ocean.

Suddenly, Zhou Yi felt an indescribable shiver creep up his spine.

My heart was pounding heavily and rapidly, my palms were hot, and my fingertips were slightly cool.

The gaze focuses and then disperses, as if everything around, light and shadow, is stretched.

now--

He controlled the entire world.

57.56 million square miles of land.

The ocean covers 135 million square miles.

The mountains rise up, stretching endlessly through the clouds.

The wind blows across the grassland, causing the grass blades to undulate like waves.

In the jungle, beneath the layers of tree shadows, all things thrive.

More than forty great rivers flow from afar, turning ice and snow into waterways.

Rainy season, dry season, monsoon, cold wave, they alternate endlessly.

Humans appeared among these mountains and rivers.

They drove wooden stakes into the riverbank and lit fireworks in the cave.

During the days of hunting and gathering, tribes grew stronger as they migrated and stayed.

The grains sprouted, and the oxen moved forward through the plow ruts.

Floods forced them to build high dikes, and droughts forced them to dig deep wells.

Bronze is formed in the furnace, and forging makes iron sharp.

River valleys nurture city-states, and ports connect to the coast.

The sails brought salt, fish, pottery, and unfamiliar languages.

Goods were piled high in the market, and news was carried along the post roads.

The road extends to a place beyond the sight of the eyes.

The caravans brought back spices, silk, gems, metals, and stories.

The city lights illuminate the night sky, while lighthouses at sea guide ships.

Dynasties rise and expand their territories, but collapse amid corruption and famine.

War and peace, the boundary markers are torn down and rebuilt.

The roar of the steam engine accelerated the wheels and oars.

Railways and canals closely connect the coast with the inland areas.

Steel is rolled in the factory, and machines have replaced human hands.

Electric lights prolong the night, and messages cross the strait.

In that city of steel and glass, skyscrapers rise vertically, and roads crisscross. All of this—

Mountains, rivers, ocean currents, and wind direction

Fields, ports, roads and cities,

Language, writing, legal codes, and contracts —

At this moment, everything rests on Zhou Yi's decision.

But that's not all.

The fields were overgrown with weeds, the granary gates were overturned, and grains were scattered all over the official road.

War drums thundered below the pass, and the oaths of victory echoed through the valley.

On both banks of the Yangtze River, warships were arrayed, their banners obscuring the sun.

On the northern grasslands, cavalry swept in, their blades gleaming in the snow.

The flames of war rose from the border and spread for thousands of miles.

The exiled troops carried the rubble of their former homeland on their backs.

In the ruins, stone and wood were rebuilt.

In the fields, spring plowing proceeds as usual, and wheat seedlings sprout new buds from the soil.

A journey of 300,000 years, the rise and fall of 3,000 generations.

Zhou Yi closed his eyes and let out a long sigh.

Now, amidst the flames of war, the train heads towards the front lines.

Footprints covered the wilderness and riverbanks, stretching from the pass to the valley.

Blood was spilled on the field ridges, bones were buried on the hills, the long night did not end, and the daytime was uneasy.

Shouts gathered from all directions, like waves crashing against the shore.

What did those millions of hands grip tightly—gun handles, steel blades, stones, and flames?

We can't see each other's faces, yet we can raise our arms at the same instant.

Amidst the hail of bullets, the ranks stretched even longer.

Step by step, we bring forth a new world.

He opened his eyes.

The map is still there.

The coastline, river valleys, mountains and plains intertwine to form a network.

Countless white dots flashed, marking the designated targets of hundreds of nuclear delivery vehicles.

Zhou Yi reached into his pocket, pulled out a rolled cigarette, and put it in his mouth.

The match was struck, and the red light flashed briefly before going out.

He took two deep breaths and placed his fingers on the control panel.

Then, the cursor moved, crossing oceans and mountains.

One point after another was quickly erased and then reset.

[Preventing Reporting and Censorship]

Finally, it's all over.

Zhou Yi casually stubbed out the cigarette and gently pressed it down.

A low buzzing sound filled the room, and numbers appeared in the upper left corner of the screen—

300.

299.

298.

Germania.

The command center is located 20 meters underground.

The air was stuffy and dry.

Nine hundred and twenty-three green indicator lights are neatly arranged.

Suddenly, several green lights flashed, then instantly turned into orange "veto".

Immediately afterwards, a large number of status bars changed color in sequence, accompanied by the rapid switching sound of the relays.

"Fire control main display coordinates changed!"

The monitor jumped up in fright at the sudden change, his voice sharp and high-pitched.

The punched paper tape is ejected rapidly from the data receiver.

He ripped off the reader, his pupils shrinking sharply—

These new coordinates have no internal document number.

"Activate the backup deployment plan!"

The staff officer rushed to the secondary control console and pulled down the red lever.

Click——!
With a crisp metallic click, the lever returned to its original position.

The link is not responding.

The engineer, his face deathly pale, looked up:
"The signal...the signal didn't come from here."

"It...it bypassed all local verifications from the highest priority."

A brief silence fell over the hall.

The numbers on the countdown clock suddenly started jumping.

120.

119.

118.

"Cut off the main line!"

The officer on duty shouted at the top of his lungs, his eyes bloodshot with anxiety.

The technician yanked off the plug and flipped the isolating switch.

However, the numbers continue to decline relentlessly.

"It was not an unauthorized launch."

"The system determines that the command is valid; it considers it to be valid."

The engineer nearly fainted; his lips moved, but he could no longer utter a single word.

50.

49.

48.

Tokyo Bay, the fire control center.

Someone saw it first.

It wasn't the numbers on the screen, but the string of flashing red dots on the map.

From Hokkaido to Kyushu, the coastal and inland nodes were marked one by one.

That wasn't a reconnaissance map drawn by our side, but rather the launch coordinates.

Breathing becomes heavy in the enclosed room.

His neck was stiff, his eyes bulged, and sweat trickled down his temples.

He tried to open his mouth several times, but no sound came out.

Only after his teeth had shattered flesh did he lunge at the control panel, letting out a hoarse, desperate cry:

"Stop! Stop! Stop now!"

The countdown continues relentlessly, like a death knell.

10.

9.

8.

No one pulled the control lever anymore, as if the cold metal had turned into a scorching torture device.

They just stared intently at the screen, as if they were nailed to the spot.

The numbers above jumped faster and faster, as if intentionally mocking.

The red color spreads rapidly across the map.

It swallows up the coastline, crosses the mountains, and floods all the open spaces.

7.

6.

5.

Someone stumbled and fell, knocking over the metal cabinet behind them.

The object crashed heavily to the ground, causing the entire row of instruments to vibrate.

His eyes were bloodshot, his breathing was disordered, and blood was seeping out.

His chest heaved violently, and a low, intermittent gasp escaped from deep within his throat.

It’s over.

late.

It's all over.

too late.

4.

3.

2.

1.

silence.

Short ignition sounds exploded in different directions.

The metal stretches and vibrates under high temperature, and the fuel is instantly ignited, tearing through the air.

Hundreds and thousands of tongues of fire shot straight into the sky, breaking through the clouds.

The horizon trembled in the burning light and shadow, the shadows being stretched and contracted.

The sea of ​​clouds rolled and was pushed aside by the scorching heat waves.

Then, everything seemed to be crushed by an unseen hand.

Light came before everything else.

From your feet, from the sky, from the air you breathe, from the depths of your blood.

The pupils didn't have time to constrict, and the nerves didn't have time to transmit fear.
All senses are erased, leaving only a pure, absolute existence.

blank.

Immediately afterwards, the white collapsed into a fiery red.

Hundreds of suns opened their eyes at the same instant.

They don't have a gradual change in temperature, no burning process, only devouring.

The ocean was smoothed out like a mirror, and evaporated into mist in the high temperature.

The mountains were straightened and flattened, then transformed into flowing rivers of fire.

Shockwaves are not wind.

It hammers steel into liquid and compresses air into solid.

There was no tone, only tremor.

From bone marrow to earth, from lungs to clouds, a low, mournful sob emanated from all sides.

All the things that once belonged to the world—roads, ports, wheat fields, lights, handwritten letters—have all been transformed into the same substance at this moment.

ash.

Ashes swirled and rose in the flames.

The ashes spread across the colorless sky, becoming an everlasting night.

(End of this chapter)