Richard used his one spin in the Wheel of Fortune which he received from the monthly. The prizes remained the same, and hoped that it would be another future tech.

However—the results were disappointing.

[Congratulations: You received Misfortune: No rewards gained, better luck next time :(. ]

"Is this system making fun of me?" Richard clicked his tongue. This is the second time he spun and landed on Misfortune. Truly, the Goddess of Luck is not smiling upon him. Well, it doesn’t matter, as there is seemingly good news on the other front.

Speaking of the news, it’s approaching.

"Sir...please you are needed back to the command center, there is a huge development going on in the last area of Lin Feng," Sara reported.

"It’s about time," Richard jumped out from his chair and followed Sara.

Upon entering the command center, Richard quickly waved his hand, dismissing their salutations.

"What do we have?" Richard asked, his gaze fixed on the display.

Sara quickly briefed him. "Sir, our latest satellite imagery shows significant movement in Lin Feng’s last known location. It appears they are evacuating the area. Our analysts believe Lin Feng might be attempting to leave the country, as intended by our operation reception."

Richard nodded in satisfaction and laughed softly. "Oh...after almost a month, he finally has decided to leave. He must have realized that staying here would only bring more destruction. Okay, now we focus on our drones and satellites to track his movement. Of course, if he wanted to escape so badly, we need to know where he is going. Now, would it be back to his homeland, China? Or another country nearby."

"So, back to nuking cities again huh?"

"Why are you sounding so awfully somber?" Richard glanced at her.

"Well, we are destroying a lot of cities in the process, cities where survivors could be hiding somewhere," Sara said.

"Look, Sara, we cannot save everyone on this planet, but we can do the greater good we can offer to our planet," Richard said, sounding philosophical.

Suddenly—one of the reporters raised a hand as if it was urgent.

Richard noticed that and quickly made a beeline to his station.

"What’s the matter?"

"Sir...we are receiving transmission from an active satellite, not one of ours," the operator reported.

Richard furrowed his brow. "An external transmission? Do we have any idea who it might be from?"

The operator shook his head. "No, sir. It’s not a frequency or a signal that we recognize. It’s completely unknown."

At that moment, Sara stepped forward. "Let me take a look. This is my expertise. Dealing with non-standard communications and encryption. It could be a disguised signal or something more complex."

Richard nodded immediately. "Go ahead, Sara. Any information could be crucial at this point."

Sara quickly began working alongside the operator, her fingers moving deftly over the keyboard as she analyzed the transmission.

After a few minutes, Sara’s eyes widened slightly. "I think I’ve got something. It’s a scrambled signal, but I managed to decode it. It’s an audio transmission."

"Let’s hear it," Richard commanded.

"To whoever receives this, I need to speak with you urgently...I am the President of the United States William Barry. My Joint Chiefs of Staff has tracked a nuclear missile taking off from the country of the Philippines, and if you are receiving this, that means that you are the one responsible for nuking California, Vegas, Texas..."

Upon hearing that, Richard’s eyes widened, and then recalled the previous events when he tried nuking New York City. A possibility where the government of the United States is still active and operating beneath. So it was true after all.

"We want to know your intention, why you are doing this, and how you are able to stockpile nuclear missiles in a country where there is no nuclear missile program. We demand an explanation and immediate cessation of any further nuclear strikes. Failure to comply will result in severe consequences. We have the capability to respond with equal force."

The room fell into a stunned silence as the message ended. Richard stood motionless for a moment, processing the gravity of the situation. The United States government was not only active but had also been tracking their actions.

"Sir, how should we respond?" Sara asked, her voice tense with concern.

Richard took a deep breath. "First, we need to establish secure communication with President Barry. We need to explain our situation and actions. We are not the enemy here; our fight is against a global threat."

He turned to the operator. "Get me a secure line to the President of the United States. Use our most encrypted channels. Sara, draft a brief on our situation, including the threat posed by Lin Feng and our actions to contain him."

Sara nodded and quickly began working on the brief.

"Also, cease all nuclear activities immediately. We can’t risk further misunderstanding. I don’t want the United States nuking the Philippines," Richard added.

The operator started the procedures to establish a secure line.

Richard paced the room, his mind racing. This is the President of the United States, the most powerful man in the world prior to the apocalypse. Well, he still is as he does have a nuclear missile. Talking to him would be very challenging, but it was necessary. Richard knew he had to be transparent about their actions and the reasons behind them. An ally is best at this point.

Finally, the operator signaled that the line was secure. "Sir, we have established a secure connection with the office of the President of the United States."

Richard took a deep breath, steadying himself. "Put it through."

"Hello," Richard spoke and waited for a response.

"Who is this?" the person from the other end of the line demanded, and based on the tone and sound of his voice, it was definitely President William.

"I’m Richard Gonzales, founder of the private military company called Blackwatch, and yes, we were the ones who nuked some of your states but don’t take it as a sign of aggression, it was purely to counter a global threat posed by Lin Feng."

Richard doesn’t bother beating around the bush, he has to make them understand. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

"So you are claiming responsibility that you nuked my states huh? That’s bold of you. I couldn’t help but notice that you sound young, are you sure that you are repre—hold on a moment—"

Seconds later, William continued. "It appears that there is no record of Blackwatch in our list of private military firms."

"That’s because we are good at making things covert," Richard replied. "But that doesn’t matter, you wanted to understand something right? And we have information about the apocalypse, would you lend me an ear?"

There was a silence in the call until ten seconds later, William replied. "Okay, let’s hear it."