One man's resistance against Japan, I mobilized a million people to aid Shanghai.

"Gentlemen, do not be discouraged, do not despair."

"As long as we regroup, we can turn the tide in six months, or even a month."

Roosevelt rekindled morale.

However, at this very moment—

"Bang!"

The door was flung open, and the confidential secretary stumbled in.

"Mr. President... West Coast! San Francisco emergency!!"

These few words, though brief, pierced everyone's heart like icicles.

West Coast? How could it be the West Coast?

We were just discussing how to defend that area, could it be...?

Roosevelt's heart skipped a beat; an ominous premonition, like thick asphalt, instantly filled his chest.

He stared intently at the staff officer, his throat tightening, and he practically forced out the order through clenched teeth:

"read!"

The staff officer took a deep breath, using all his strength, but still couldn't control the trembling in his voice.

"San Francisco... In several parts of San Francisco, especially... especially Chinatown and the surrounding area, a large number of enemy troops suddenly appeared around 9:00 AM local time!"

"The number... the number cannot be accurately counted, but based on sporadic reports of resistance from the San Francisco Police Department and the National Guard, and descriptions of panicked fleeing citizens..."

"There are at least tens of thousands, possibly even more than one hundred thousand!!"

"They were well-equipped and, upon their arrival, immediately launched an organized attack on the city government, police headquarters, telegraph office, port terminals, and the bridgeheads at both ends of the Golden Gate Bridge!"

"Multiple naval and army facilities in the San Francisco Bay Area were also attacked simultaneously!"

"Battle...battle has broken out in the city center! The city is in utter chaos! Communications are being cut off! San Francisco...San Francisco has...has fallen!!"

Has it fallen?

San Francisco has fallen?!

This news was more explosive and more devastating than the fall of Pearl Harbor!

Pearl Harbor was, after all, far overseas and a military base.

And what is San Francisco?

It is the gateway to the west coast of the Bald Eagle, and an important industrial city and transportation hub!

It's the Bald Eagle's homeland!

The enemy has actually appeared directly inside the core city of the Bald Eagle's homeland, in the heart of San Francisco!

The operations room was deathly silent; even the sound of breathing seemed to have vanished.

Everyone froze in place, their faces drained of color, their eyes vacant, their minds blank.

We were just discussing how to build a defense line along the west coast, and how to protect the homeland with newly built aircraft carriers and planes...

But now, the enemy has crossed all the imagined defenses and appeared directly in our home!

The backyard caught fire, and it started from the inside!

"No...it's impossible..."

Secretary of the Army Stimson murmured, instinctively shaking his head in rejection of the information.

"This is impossible! Where are our coast guard? Where are our air raid sirens? How did they get in?!"

"Airborne? It's impossible for so many airborne troops to go undetected!"

Secretary of the Navy Knox suddenly seized on a key point and shouted in a sharp voice:

"Chinatown! The report mentioned Chinatown!"

He seemed to have grasped some clue, turned to Roosevelt, and his eyes gleamed with a kind of madness.

"Mr. President! Pearl Harbor! There are also many workers and service personnel with Asian faces at Pearl Harbor!"

"And...and these local Chinese and Japanese!"

He spoke faster and faster, and his logic became clearer amidst the panic.

"Zhu Ganglie is an Easterner! His soldiers all have Eastern faces!"

"His evil ability to conjure armies out of thin air... could it... could it require a medium? Something to rely on? Could it only be activated in a place where a large number of Easterners gather?!"

"Like...like witchcraft requires offerings or a specific location?!"

This inference is utterly absurd and violates all common scientific sense, but in the face of a series of terrorist attacks that cannot be explained by common sense, it has taken root and sprouted in people's minds like a poisonous weed!

Yes, Pearl Harbor had Asian workers, and San Francisco has a huge Chinatown...

What if Zhu Ganglie's abilities were truly related to these Easterners?

What if they are lurking "coordinates," or "anchor points" for summoning demons?!

"Secretary Knox is right!"

Stimson seemed to have found an outlet for his emotions, and instantly flew into a rage, slamming his fist on the table, causing the water glass to tip over.

"That must be it! Those damned Easterners!"

"They are traitors! Spies! They are bombs planted among us by Zhu Ganglie!"

His eyes were bloodshot, filled with the rage of betrayal and an unvented murderous intent.

"Mr. President! We must take immediate action!"

"The West Coast already has enemies. Who can guarantee that thousands of enemy troops won't suddenly appear in Chinatowns and Chinese neighborhoods in Los Angeles, Seattle, and San Diego?!"

"I suggest that the emergency declaration be invoked immediately!"

"Authorize the military and law enforcement to fully control, expel, and, if necessary... wipe out all Asian population on the West Coast, no, throughout the entire United States!"

"Isolate them! Confiscate their property! Cut off all contact between them and the outside world!"

"We must not give Zhu Ganglie any further opportunity!"

The proposal was extreme and cruel, but many people present, enraged by the "invasion of their homeland," did not immediately voice their opposition.

Roosevelt sat in his wheelchair, leaning slightly forward, his hands gripping the armrests tightly, his knuckles white.

The news of the fall of San Francisco was like the last straw, almost breaking his will to hold on.

The newly rebuilt confidence collapsed instantly after being stabbed in the back by this fatal blow from within the country.

He felt a wave of dizziness, his vision blurred, and his ears rang. Stimson's roar seemed to come from a great distance.

He shook his head violently, forcibly dispelling the dizziness. Now was not the time to break down.

He is the president and must make decisions, even if those decisions are incredibly cruel and may even bring him historical infamy.

He raised his head, his eyes now as cold and hard as ice, devoid of any warmth.

He slowly scanned the faces in the operations room, some angry, some fearful, and some bewildered.

"Secretary Stimson."

His voice was hoarse and calm, yet it carried a chilling power.

"Yes, Mr. President!"

"Your suggestion... makes sense."

Roosevelt spoke slowly and deliberately, each word sounding as if it had been pulled from an icebox.

"Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures."

"We cannot take any risks; any potential internal factors must be eliminated."

"I command!"

"The entire country is placed under the highest level of martial law and military control. The Department of the Army, the Department of Justice, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are authorized to take immediate joint action."

"A forced purge will be carried out in Asian-populated areas across the country."

"The operation will be carried out by the National Guard and federal troops. It must be swift and decisive, and all means may be used if necessary."

"Immediately notify the state governments, National Guard, and the main federal forces currently being mobilized on the West Coast to move all forces to the West Coast and make every effort to contain all enemies in San Francisco."

"Stop them from spreading to other cities at all costs!"

"At the same time, immediately implement preventative military control and screening of non-white predominantly populated areas in all major West Coast cities, including Los Angeles, Seattle, and San Diego!"

"We must never allow another San Francisco to emerge."

"The nation is at a critical juncture; the focus on the west coast is to delay and wear down the enemy for the time being."

"Mobilize our main forces to construct a second strategic line of defense east of the Rocky Mountains, along the middle reaches of the Mississippi River and the southern shore of the Great Lakes!"

"Protect our industrial and population centers! Abandon some western states, shorten our defensive lines, and concentrate our forces!"

This is a painful decision, meaning that vast swathes of West Coast territory will be abandoned and millions of Bald Eagle citizens will be placed behind enemy lines.

However, given the enemy's unpredictable attack methods, dispersing the defense of the coastline has proven to be dangerous.

"The industrial relocation plan must be launched immediately! All possible means must be used to relocate potentially threatened military factories and critical equipment from the West Coast and even the Midwest to the East, towards the Great Lakes industrial region!"

"Things that cannot be moved... Be prepared to destroy them; we must not leave them to the enemy!"

"Immediately issue a note to Europe, informing Chamberlain, Stalin, and XHZ that the devil has landed on the Bald Eagle's homeland."

"What they are facing is no longer a threat that is far away, but a demon that could appear at any moment in the heart of any European city."

"Let them choose: cooperate, or perish together!"

He issued orders in rapid succession, his chest heaving violently and his face flushed, clearly having expended a great deal of energy.

"Gentlemen,"

He concluded by speaking in a low voice that carried an undeniable authority.

"We are experiencing the darkest moment since the founding of our nation."

"The enemy's methods are beyond comprehension; conventional rules of warfare have become ineffective."

"From this moment forward, there are no legal constraints, no moral shackles, only one ironclad rule—to protect the survival of the bald eagle at all costs!"

"Any person, thing, or object that may threaten this goal must be ruthlessly eliminated!"

"Execute the command."

The atmosphere in the operations room was tense and tense.

The officers and officials quickly took notes, then, like wound-up machines, hurried away to carry out these brutal orders.

A reign of terror has gripped the Bald Eagle, leading to the closure of countless Chinatowns and the loss of lives to tens of millions of Asians. This move will severely weaken the Bald Eagle's power.

After everyone left, Roosevelt was left alone in the increasingly empty war room, his figure in the wheelchair appearing exceptionally lonely.

Outside the window, the sky over Washington remained a clear blue, but a storm was about to engulf the entire Bald Eagle.

Roosevelt closed his eyes in despair, muttering to himself, whether trying to convince himself or questioning fate.

"Why? Why is Zhu Ganglie so powerful?"

"How did he do that?"

"How can I defeat Zhu Ganglie and save the world? Could my world's strongest nation really be defeated by an Eastern tyrant?"

The sound echoed in the operations room for a long time, but no one could answer.

Suddenly, Roosevelt, who had been keeping his eyes closed, opened them abruptly, his gaze instantly sharpening.

"No, I still have a trump card!! I haven't lost yet!!"