Chapter Twenty-Seven: Failure?

"Don't!" Auden suddenly stepped in front of Chu Xiao, blocking Marcus.

Chu Xiao saw Marcus draw his gun, his eyes flashing with alarm, but he quickly regained his composure.

This, too, was within his expectations.

Marcus frowned as he saw Auden standing protectively before Chu Xiao. "Auden! Why are you defending this man from Jiuzhou?"

"I'm not trying to protect a man from Jiuzhou, but if something really happens to him here in America, it's very likely to ignite a dispute between our two countries. If that escalates into war, it would be disastrous." Outwardly, Auden spoke with measured objectivity, but in truth, he was driven by more personal motives.

A heavy silence fell in the room.

After a long moment, Marcus lowered his gun.

"Man from Jiuzhou, leave now!"

Auden pulled Chu Xiao out.

Chu Xiao said nothing more. There was no use; Marcus would never believe him at this point.

Auden led Chu Xiao to a gleaming, silver-white laboratory.

The lab was completely empty.

But with a casual press of a button, Auden made a table extend from the wall.

On the table was a five-inch display screen, showing pictures of various drinks.

"Chu, what would you like to drink?" Auden looked up at him.

"Anything is fine," Chu Xiao replied, his heart full of doubt. Why had Auden brought him here? Did he have ulterior motives? Or was there some purpose? Did he perhaps believe him?

Auden selected two coffees.

A minute later, two steaming cups of coffee emerged from within the wall.

"Here, have a taste," Auden placed a cup before Chu Xiao.

"Thank you," Chu Xiao murmured, but the suspicion in his eyes did not fade.

In the vast laboratory, only the faint sound of two men sipping coffee could be heard.

"What did you bring me here for?" Chu Xiao broke the silence first.

Auden was quiet for a while before finally speaking, "Is what you said true? I have a feeling it might be, but it sounds utterly incredible—like something out of a fairy tale!"

"It's true! I stake my life on it," Chu Xiao met Auden's gaze.

As Auden looked into Chu Xiao's eyes, a strange certainty welled up inside him—this man was telling the truth.

"Fine! I'll keep an eye on things. If I can, I'll contact you." Though Auden believed Chu Xiao somewhat, he could not, on the strength of mere words, destroy Hades outright.

Besides, that wasn't a decision for him alone to make.

"Then can you take me to see Hades?" Chu Xiao had already observed carefully before entering, but he hadn't caught a glimpse of Hades. Where, exactly, was it?

If he could just see Hades, Chu Xiao would not hesitate to use his laser gun to destroy its control system in an instant, nipping its awakening in the bud.

Auden didn’t answer directly. "If America and Jiuzhou go to war, it will be a war of the century. If nuclear weapons are used, the dead will number only more, not less!"

"You must understand this."

Auden saw through Chu Xiao's intentions; his words were meant to warn him.

Suddenly, Chu Xiao's eyes sharpened coldly. With a swift motion, he appeared before Auden, pressing a gun to his temple.

"I'm warning you! Take me there now!" Chu Xiao had to try. Otherwise, he would betray the hopes and expectations of the people of Jiuzhou.

Auden's pupils dilated in disbelief. "Are you mad?"

"Even if you take me hostage, you still can't get into Hades' control room! I can't even get in myself!"

"Just show me the way, that's all I need!" Chu Xiao tightened his grip and pulled the trigger. A hole, nearly an inch wide, appeared instantly in the tabletop.

Auden's heart skipped a beat. He was certain he hadn't seen any trace of a bullet—only a beam of red light.

That red light had pierced straight through the table.

Terrifying. What kind of weapon was this?

But Chu Xiao's action had set off the alarm system; sirens began to blare.

"You'd better run!" Auden urged him kindly. "If anything really happens, I'll contact you!"

Chu Xiao released Auden. "If something happens, it will be too late!"

"I'm leaving!" Chu Xiao dashed out of the laboratory, reaching the surface just as several people were rushing his way.

Reaching for his gun, he was surprised when the group ignored him entirely, instead storming into the lab.

Chu Xiao hurried to a helicopter and made his escape.

By the time the American troops burst in, Chu Xiao was long gone.

In the office of the Chief Executive, a young man stood in the center, worry etched into his features.

"I'm sorry. I failed," Chu Xiao sighed. Things were even harder than he'd imagined.

"It's nothing. Prepare yourself for the National Production Initiative. I'll assign someone else to handle diplomatic matters." The Chief walked around the desk and placed a heavy hand on Chu Xiao's shoulder.

Looking into the Chief's eyes, Chu Xiao felt a wave of reassurance—and also sensed the weight of the Chief's expectations.

"Understood. You have my word," Chu Xiao replied with unwavering resolve.

December 23rd. Sixty-seven days until Hades awakens.

Chu Xiao returned to Xishan Province to meet with Qin Lihua.

"Mother, has the progress been smooth lately?" he asked quietly.

Qin Lihua nodded. "You needn't worry about my work, but I feel the grain stockpiling is too slow—not nearly enough."

"If, as you say, this food is to feed all the people of Jiuzhou, or even the entire world, then what we have now is far from sufficient." Even wielding the full power of her conglomerate, Qin Lihua could only do so much.

Chu Xiao fell into deep thought. His mother was right. Even with the massive base construction underway, it wasn’t nearly enough for the population of Jiuzhou.

"You're right. In that case, we'll mobilize the entire nation to gather food!" At his words, Zhang Feng—who had just stepped through the door—stood frozen.

Had he just heard something incredible? Mobilize the entire country to gather food? Was this madness?

Chu Xiao continued, "Soon, I will speak with the Chief Executive. I will organize the military—or volunteers—to go out to abandoned cities and collect all available food! Everything will be transported to Shanxi Province!"

"Furthermore, I will enforce national rationing! Each person will have a fixed daily allowance of food, which will greatly reduce waste!"

"All other necessities will not be available for purchase with money, but will also be distributed by the state!"

"The principle of distribution will be based on each person's contribution of labor. Of course, even if one does not work, there will be a minimum guarantee—no one will starve to death."