fictionpage Chapter 18 A Monster Like the Chosen One, The Name of the Chief Advisor!
Chapter 18 A Monster Like the Chosen One, The Name of the Chief Advisor!
The wind and snow in the Kunlun Mountains seem to be even heavier than before.
Qin Bing stood on the devastated battlefield, gazing at the distant, snow-capped mountains, without uttering a word.
After taking stock of the casualties, her heart felt like it was being gripped by an invisible hand, the pain making it hard to breathe.
The elite squad suffered one death, three serious injuries, and the rest were all wounded.
The other three special operations teams suffered seven dead and sixteen wounded.
This is the first and most devastating loss suffered by the Dragon Kingdom's forces on the main battlefield since the apocalypse began.
And all of this was done just to deal with one person.
"Team Leader Qin..." The vice-captain walked to her side, his voice hoarse.
"Let's... go back."
Qin Bing slowly turned around, glanced at the body of her former comrade-in-arms covered with a white sheet on the ground, and closed her eyes.
A tear slid down her cheek, instantly freezing into frost in the cold air.
"I... underestimated him."
Her voice was filled with deep self-reproach.
……
When Qin Bing returned to the underground command center in the capital with the casualty report and the psionic collector that had collected data on the "Emperor's Flame," it was already the early hours of the next day.
The atmosphere inside the command center was extremely tense.
Elder Long and several high-ranking military officials hadn't slept all night, and their faces looked grim.
"Eight elite soldiers sacrificed their lives to capture one man, and he still managed to escape!"
A hook-nosed general with a gold star on his shoulder slammed his hand on the table, his tone full of dissatisfaction and doubt.
"Comrade Qin Bing, I need an explanation!"
"Did your on-site command make a major mistake?"
His gaze pierced Qin Bing like a knife.
Qin Bing's body trembled, her lips moved, but she couldn't utter a single word.
She had no way to defend herself.
People were driven to their deaths by her, and comrades sacrificed their lives in front of her.
She must bear this responsibility.
"That's enough, Commander Ma."
Just as the atmosphere was about to freeze, Elder Long, who had been silent all along, spoke up.
He slowly stood up, walked to the large screen, and pulled up the footage of Xiao Fan's final escape using the spatial rift.
"You all saw it clearly!" Old Master Long's voice wasn't loud, but it silenced everyone present.
"Emperor Flame! Shadow Step! Fire and space, two S-class superpowers combined into one."
"In addition, there's his extraordinary cunning and ruthlessness, as well as the fighting instincts he honed in the apocalypse."
Old Master Long sighed, turned around, and glanced at everyone present.
"This is not a mistake in our command, nor is it because our soldiers were not brave enough."
"But what we are facing is a monster possessing immense fortune, almost a 'chosen one' of this era!"
"As expected of the overlord of his past life, this person cannot be restrained by ordinary means."
Elder Long's words were powerful and decisive, directly defining the nature of this failed operation.
This also silenced all the doubts.
Indeed, facing such an unprecedented dual S-class ability user, any conventional tactics and arrangements seem so pale and powerless.
It was incredibly fortunate that most people survived his terrifying outburst and that his perfect inheritance was successfully prevented.
"Don't stand, sit down."
Old Master Long waved his hand, gesturing for everyone to sit down.
His gaze finally landed on Su Chen, who had remained silent throughout.
"Xiao Su, what do you think?"
All eyes were now focused on the young man.
They were all very curious about how this college student, who was highly valued by Elder Long and could even be considered the "director" of this operation, would react after experiencing this painful failure.
However, Su Chen's face did not show the frustration, regret, or even anger they had imagined.
There was only a terrifying calm.
"I believe that, from a strategic perspective, this operation was not a failure."
Su Chen stood up, walked to the large screen, and spoke calmly.
When he opened his mouth, everyone was stunned.
No failure?
Eight people have died, and they still haven't failed?
"First." Su Chen held up one finger, his tone clear:
"We successfully prevented Xiao Fan from inheriting his perfect legacy. This is based on the analysis of the psionic energy collector brought back by Captain Qin."
"He absorbed less than two-thirds of the core power at most, and his foundation was unstable and he was seriously injured, which bought us valuable time."
He looked at Qin Bing, who immediately nodded and projected the data from the psionic collector onto the big screen.
The immense golden flame energy contained within caused everyone to gasp in astonishment.
It's hard to imagine how terrifying it would be if Xiao Fan absorbed all of this energy.
"Second." Su Chen held up his second finger:
"We have successfully obtained first-hand combat data on the 'Emperor's Flame', as well as a large number of energy samples."
"This is of immeasurable value to the Academy of Sciences in analyzing S-class superpowers and developing countermeasures."
"Third." Su Chen held up his third finger, his gaze sharpening.
"And most importantly, we forced him to reveal all his cards."
"Double S-class superpowers! The value of this information far exceeds the cost of sacrificing eight warriors."
"Because if we didn't know he had spatial abilities, the next time we try to capture him, we might have to pay the price of eighty or even eight hundred men, and we still might not be able to catch him."
"Now we know! We have enough time to research, to plan, and to create a truly deadly trap that leaves him with no way out!"
Su Chen's analysis was calm, objective, and incisive.
He did not shy away from failure and sacrifice.
Instead, they precisely extracted all the strategic value that would benefit the future from the failures.
The originally oppressive and heavy atmosphere miraculously eased under his analysis.
Those military leaders who were just questioning him now looked at this young man with completely different expressions.
Is this really a college student in his early twenties?
This sense of the big picture, this mental fortitude, this ability to find opportunities in adversity... is even stronger than those old guys who have been fighting in the military for decades!
Qin Bing stared blankly at Su Chen's retreating figure.
The self-blame and guilt in her heart seemed to find an outlet after Su Chen's words of comfort.
Yes, we did not fail!
We paid the necessary price for the final victory.
Our fallen comrades, their blood was not shed in vain!
Looking at Su Chen, Elder Long's eyes were filled with admiration and satisfaction.
He knew he hadn't misjudged the person.
This young man is the biggest trump card for the Dragon Kingdom in this apocalyptic catastrophe!
"Well said!"
Old Master Long clapped his hands loudly, breaking the silence.
"We are heartbroken by the sacrifice. But we cannot wallow in grief!"
"What we must do is carry on the legacy of our fallen comrades, become stronger, and face even more brutal battles!"
He walked to Su Chen's side and solemnly announced in front of everyone:
"I propose the formal establishment of the 'Spark Project' Supreme Command!"
"I will be the commander-in-chief."
"All related actions under the command, including intelligence, scientific research, and military deployment, must take the opinion of one person as the highest reference."
He paused, then placed his hand on Su Chen's shoulder.
"I hereby announce that Comrade Su Chen is hereby granted the title of Chief Advisor of the 'Spark Project'!"
"From this moment forward, he has supreme advisory authority over all related operations, as well as the highest level of intelligence mobilization authority!"
These words shocked everyone present!
Chief Advisor!
This title means that Su Chen's status within the "Spark Project" system is almost on par with that of Elder Long!
A 21-year-old college student suddenly became one of the core decision-makers of this top-secret project in China!
This is unprecedented in the history of the Republic!
But this time, no one raised any objections.
Including Commander Ma, who just looked dissatisfied.
Su Chen, with his unparalleled intelligence capabilities and strategic vision far beyond his years, had completely won over everyone present.
Su Chen looked at Elder Long and did not refuse.
He knew that this was trust, but even more so, responsibility!
He gave a solemn military salute.
Old Master Long nodded with satisfaction, and then personally handed Su Chen a document.
Su Chen took it, opened it, and saw that it wasn't an appointment letter.
Instead, it was a newly compiled, latest national disaster report.
The coordinates of dozens of cities were marked in scarlet.
Each coordinate represents a high-risk area where spatial rifts frequently appear, alien beasts roam freely, and the situation is on the verge of spiraling out of control.
"Comrade Chief Advisor." Elder Long's voice became extremely heavy.
"Xiao Fan is just the beginning; the real war has only just begun."
"Now it's up to you."