69novels Chapter 288: The Federation
Chapter 288: The Federation
The Federal Central Assembly Building.
Subterranean Level 3. The Top-Secret Briefing Chamber.
The room possessed zero windows; its four walls were composed of specialized
alloy two meters thick. Thirteen individuals sat around a rectangular mahogany
table. They were the High Council—the supreme decision-making tier, representing
the final power core of human civilization.
Before each sat an archaic reel-to-reel recorder, the tape rotating slowly with
a rhythmic, low-frequency hiss.
The expressions of the thirteen varied. Some wore brows knit in tension; others
were masks of cold stone; others radiated a fatigue that could no longer be
concealed.
The woman at the head of the table looked up. Her designation was Lin Shuang,
the Federal Chief and the most experienced Night Watchman on the planet. Though
barely thirty-two, her hair was entirely ashen-white—not from chronological
aging, but from the tax on her life-force required to survive each successive
Instance. Her face was a map of fine wrinkles, her sockets sunken, her frame as
skeletal as an undead's.
"You have all parsed the data," she stated.
"The intelligence provided by Master Vahn is verified. He was once my
instructor; his caution is a known constant. He would not have transmitted this
audio-log unless the data was absolute."
She paused, her fingers tapping a clinical beat on the table.
"Therefore, we must finalize our stance." "How shall the Federation respond to
the entity designated as Bochi?"
Hardly had she finished when the man in the third seat on the left lunged to his
feet. He was Zhao Tiejun, fifty-six, Chairman of the Federal Military Committee.
A jagged scar ran from his forehead to his jaw—a souvenir from a Tier-5 Anomaly
breach a decade ago.
"My assessment is definitive: Containment."
"Regardless of this slime's output level, it is currently within our coordinate.
It must adhere to our protocols. According to the log, Bochi is psychologically
immature—a juvenile unit. Children are the easiest variables to manipulate."
"Provide it with high-tier glucose. Provide it with toys. Establish a
'Friendship' resonance. And then... weaponize it."
"Liquidating Anomalies, protecting human assets—that shall be its directive."
He paused, his gaze performing a predatory sweep of his colleagues.
"Time is a resource we no longer possess. Last cycle, global population dropped
by thirty million. Thirty million! In the first eight months of this cycle, we
have already lost twenty million. At this rate of attrition, the human species
will reach total liquidation within two decades."
"An entity that can dismantle Anomalies with zero effort has manifested. We must
seize the variable. Even with a high-risk factor, we must gamble! We have no
other extraction route!"
Zhao Tiejun sat back down with a heavy thud.
Silence reclaimed the room. After several seconds, the woman in the second seat
on the right spoke. Su Wan, Director of the Federal Academy of Sciences,
forty-three, peering through thick, alchemical spectacles.
"I object."
"Chairman Zhao's logic is a death-protocol. We have zero intel on Bochi. What is
its origin coordinate? What is its maximum power threshold? Does a supporting
entity truly exist behind it?"
"These are data-voids."
"Initiating contact with the intent to control could trigger an unquantifiable
retaliation." She adjusted her glasses. "Furthermore, the log mentions a
'Master.' A Sovereign of Evernight. A God. A Dominator. Each of those titles
broadcasts extreme danger."
"If we agitate Bochi and draw the attention of its Master, we won't be
discussing population decline; we will be discussing a planetary wipe. The
Scourge we face is already redlining our defense capacity. We cannot afford to
create a more powerful enemy."
A few murmurs of agreement rippled through the hall.
Then, a young man in the fifth seat on the left stood. Li Yang, thirty-one,
Minister of Intelligence. The youngest member of the Council.
"Director Su is correct: containment is a high-risk error. But Chairman Zhao is
also correct: we are dying. Therefore, I propose Option Two: Neutrality."
"A policy of non-interference. Follow the momentum."
"The log indicates Bochi manifested for exploration and sustenance. It has
displayed zero active malice and no ideological agenda. It is a curious child
witnessing a new world. We should allow it that witness."
"No active contact. No overt control. Zero hostility. Let it explore the sectors
at its own discretion. If it liquidates Anomalies along its route, we record it
as a statistical blessing. If it remains passive, we do not issue a mandate.
This minimizes the risk of provocation while maintaining the possibility of an
opportunistic alliance."
Li Yang resumed his seat. The atmosphere grew even more leaden. Three paths.
Three conflicting logics.
"I have a third option," an old man in the fourth seat on the right said, rising
slowly.
Chen Guodong, seventy-two. The oldest decision-maker and the only unit present
who had experienced the peace-era before the Game commenced.
"Submission."
The word was a grenade. The room erupted into a riot of shouting.
"Chen! What logic is that?!" "Submit? To a slime?!" "If they aren't of our
species, their intent is naturally hostile!"
Chen Guodong ignored the outburst, standing as steady as an ancient oak until
the noise died down. Lin Shuang raised a hand for silence, and the Council
members reluctantly closed their mouths.
"Continue, Elder Chen," she prompted.
Chen nodded. "I am aware the term is abrasive. But consider the tactical
reality."
"Human civilization is standing on the event horizon of the Void. Every second,
more of us are harvested. Every day, more sectors collapse. Our current effort
is merely a delay of the inevitable."
"And now, an opportunity has manifested. A powerhouse from an alien world. It
has no malice; it only wishes to observe."
"Why do we not initiate a friendship-protocol? Why not inform it that our
species is in a state of emergency? Why not petition it for a 'Grand Miracle'?"
Chen's voice trembled with a sudden, sharp fervor.
"Dignity? Can you eat dignity? Does dignity resurrect the dead? Can it stop the
Summons? No! It is a useless parameter!"
"Our sole objective is survival. Any cost is acceptable to ensure the species
persists. If it requires kneeling to a slime—if it requires discarding our
pride—so be it! As long as the heart of humanity continues to beat, the
sacrifice is logically sound!"
Chen finished, collapsing into a fit of jagged coughing before he managed to
sit.
The discussion resumed, but the tone had shifted. Everyone knew Chen was stating
an ugly truth. Humanity was out of options.
But was the power behind the slime truly better than the Scourge? No one had the
data to answer.
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