Meanwhile, in the United States Cheyenne Mountain Complex, Colorado. President William Barry was reading a report passed to him by the department heads. He rubbed the bridge of his nose as fatigue started to set in. Even though he was running a country that was overrun with zombies, there were still constitutional duties that he needed to perform, for the future stability of the country.

But, he still hoped that someone would get him out of this paperwork. As if someone was answering his prayer, his National Security Advisor approached him from behind.

"Mr. President, can I have a moment of your time?" the NSA asked respectfully, noticing the weariness in the President’s posture.

President Barry looked up with a slight sense of relief, "Of course, what is it?"

The NSA advisor handed him a folder containing the latest intelligence reports. "Sir, we’ve just received confirmation about the Blackwatch operation in China. It appears they’ve launched a tactical nuclear strike in the Dongcheng District of Beijing. We’re still assessing the fallout, but the fact that they strike without us informing breached the trust in our alliance with them."

President Barry’s eyes narrowed as he scanned the report. "Why would they do that?"

"We are still trying to establish contact with them, however, they are unreachable," he replied.

Barry clicked his tongue. There must be a reason why the Blackwatch launched a nuke on Chinese soil, and he is sure that it must be to kill Lin Feng, but they were told not to strike Lin Feng unless told upon by the Blackwatch. Something is not right.

President Barry leaned back in his chair, deep in thought. "We need to understand the full context of Blackwatch’s decision. Their actions might have been extreme, but they’ve always operated with the goal of eliminating the zombie threat. Lin Feng’s presence there... it’s not a coincidence."

The NSA advisor nodded. "Agreed, Mr. President. We’ll continue our efforts to establish communication with Blackwatch. In the meantime, we should prepare for a set of questions that we will ask the leadership of Blackwatch."

"Exactly," President Barry affirmed. "We need to ask them directly about their decision-making process. What intelligence led them to take such a drastic step? Was there an immediate threat that warranted a nuclear strike? And importantly, why there was no communication with us beforehand?"

The NSA advisor was already making notes. "I’ll compile a list of questions for them. We also need to consider the possibility of Blackwatch operating with information that we are not privy to.

Barry nodded gravely. "That’s a possibility. But it’s our responsibility to ensure that any independent military force, especially one as powerful as Blackwatch, is acting in a manner consistent with our own national security policies."

Five hours later.

"Mr. President, we now have established a secure line of communication with Blackwatch," the NSA advisor reported as he returned to President Barry’s office.

"Finally," President Barry sighed. "Patch them through."

The advisor nodded and activated the secure communication system. Richard’s face appeared on the screen, looking both determined and weary.

"President Barry, this is Richard from Blackwatch," he began.

President Barry leaned forward. "Richard, we need answers. Why did Blackwatch launch a nuclear strike in Beijing without consulting us?"

"Mr. President, I understand your concerns. Our intel indicated that Lin Feng was using that location to summon and control hordes of zombies. The situation escalated rapidly, and we had to make an immediate decision. The threat he posed not just to the local area but potentially worldwide was too great to ignore..."

While Richard was explaining that, he was panting mid-sentence, showing visible signs of exhaustion. "We had intelligence suggesting Lin Feng had acquired new, powerful abilities that could have escalated the situation beyond control. Our primary focus was on neutralizing this immediate and unpredictable threat."

"Speaking of threats, are you dealing with one right now?" President Barry inquired.

"We are indeed. But it’s under control, it’s why I was able to return here in the first place," Richard explained.

"Well, you could have told us. I thought we were allies. Not telling us what you are about to do is not a good sign of a

healthy alliance," President Barry pointed out sternly.

Richard, rubbing his eyes as if tired of the conversation, responded, "Mr. President, with all due respect, in a situation like this, time is of the essence. If we had contacted you, we would have been bogged down with bureaucracy. That delay could have cost countless lives. Our decision to act swiftly was driven by the urgency of the threat posed by Lin Feng and his newfound capabilities."

President Barry’s expression was a mix of understanding and concern. "I get the urgency, Richard, but you must understand that actions like these have significant geopolitical consequences. We need to be on the same page, especially when it involves a nuclear strike."

"Geopolitical? As far as I know, the United States government is the only functioning government in the world. I don’t think China or Russia would file a complaint about our actions," Richard retorted.

"Seriously?" Barry leaned forward, his facial expression turning serious. "I thought you were a wise leader but I guess I was wrong."

"Look, Mr. President, I have been hunting Lin Feng since I was able to figure out what kind of monster he is while you and your colleagues are hiding deep beneath the mountain hoping that a better day would dawn. I’ve seen things that would make your worst nightmares seem like pleasant dreams. We operate in a world that has gone dark, where the usual rules don’t apply. Our mission is to ensure humanity’s survival at any cost."

President Barry took a deep breath, trying to maintain his composure. "I understand, and that is our goal, but please next time, do inform us of your next move. If you told us, we wouldn’t stop you, as long as it is justifiable. The nukes that you used could have resulted in human casualties hiding in Beijing."

"In war, it’s expected that there would be human casualties," Richard firmly interrupted. "Our priority is to minimize those casualties, but sometimes difficult decisions have to be made. I apologize for not informing you beforehand, Mr. President, but I stand by the choice we made, and we are seeing the results of it. The zombie hordes that we are dealing with right now have already been thinned, in two or three hours, we will clear it."

"I see...zombie hordes? We never faced that one before. But anyways, since you launched those nukes, do you have confirmation that Lin Feng is neutralized?"

"I’m going to conduct an operation to search for his remains," Richard replied. "But it’s likely that Lin Feng is still alive, we have to assume the worst."

"In that case, I want my men on board as well," President Barry proposed.