How to negotiate with the Russians and Europeans wasn’t Zhao Bowen’s concern. As a qualified client, he only needed to provide requirements and deadlines. As for how to accomplish it, excellent clients never concern themselves with such details. The Aerospace Team was perhaps urgently dispatching their strongest drinkers with two boxes of Beijing Red Star Erguotou liquor to catch a flight.

“Step two, we need to build models and analyze the Big Eye’s behavioral patterns. This is the prerequisite and foundation for subsequent plans, including BG4MSR’s route to the first and second bases, data transmission plans, and countermeasures.” Zhao Bowen faced the camera, slapping the map behind him. “The highest priority is the young girl’s life safety and the data within the first and second bases. We must ensure neither the person nor the data comes to harm!”

Bai Zhen and Wang Ning sat on the sofa, both silent. The atmosphere grew solemn. This was a military operation deployment meeting, a pre-battle mobilization conference, but the battle they were planning would take place twenty years later.

“This task goes to the Computer Team.”

“As long as we have sufficient data, we can do model analysis. We’ve reserved enough computing power,” the Computer Team said. “Currently all available supercomputers in the country are at our disposal.”

The Computer Team was well-resourced, making no compromises on supercomputer access.

“Step three, we need to obtain data from the first and second bases. This is our initial objective. We’ll make multiple contingency plans for dealing with the Big Eye. If we’re lucky and it temporarily doesn’t interfere with BG4MSR’s actions, there’s no need to risk a proactive strike in the short term – let’s get the data first,” Zhao Bowen continued. “But if it’s highly likely to affect our plans, we’ll eliminate it first to prevent future troubles.”

“Do you have a plan for eliminating the Big Eye, Professor Zhao?” someone asked.

“We believe it’s very difficult and dangerous for BG4MSR to confront the Big Eye with her current capabilities.”

“We know very little about the Big Eye – it is an alien life form after all.”

“What weapons to use against it? Rocket launchers? Man-portable missiles? Even if we could send them over, they couldn’t be used.”

“No, the risk factor is too high. We can’t take this risk.”

The meeting participants argued back and forth.

“No—” Zhao Bowen drew out the word, gesturing with both hands for everyone to quiet down. “We won’t use conventional weapons. Conventional weapons have proven useless. If we’re going to do this, we’ll do it thoroughly, root and branch, one step to completion, leaving no future troubles… There is one type of weapon that’s proven effective in practice.”

Everyone knew what he meant, but their eyes still showed surprise.

In this long-peaceful era, Zhao Bowen’s words sounded like a joke, like armchair strategizing, like wild imagination. It could appear in novels, in scripts, in boasts — but it would never appear in real life. How could anyone sit in a residential apartment seriously discussing such a topic? But everyone knew this wasn’t a joke. This was truly a feasible plan, a means worthy of serious consideration, perhaps even their only choice.

Miss Qiu.

It was a code name, representing humanity’s most powerful weapon.

A nuclear weapon.

If the plan was implemented, they would become the first organization to truly use nuclear weapons in warfare since World War II. Such an earth-shattering, unprecedented decision was being made in a living room in a residential area of Qinhuai District.

This might be the third nuclear bomb in human history used in actual military combat, and it would detonate in Nanjing.

“How do you plan to send the nuclear bomb over?” Bai Zhen asked. “Bury it underground for twenty years?”

“That’s impossible. If I dared bury a nuclear bomb under Nanjing city, the millions of Nanjing citizens would tear me apart, then tear you all apart,” Zhao Bowen waved his hand. “The only feasible option is to send it up…”

He paused here, muttering to himself, “This is fucking insane.”

If Zhao Bowen wanted to send a nuclear bomb up, roughly calculating, he’d be violating enough international conventions to fill a household registry book. He was trampling underfoot humanity’s Outer Space Treaty, Space Demilitarization Treaty, Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, and Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty. This was an extremely risky move – except for North Korea, the human world hadn’t detonated a nuclear bomb in twenty years.

In a movie, Zhao Bowen would be the terrorist.

And not just any terrorist – a super-terrorist mastermind intent on destroying the world. What kind of Hollywood movie villain couldn’t get their hands on a nuclear bomb?

“Lao Zhao, you must be extremely careful. Even the Cuban Missile Crisis wasn’t this big – don’t start World War III,” Wang Ning was getting nervous. He felt this job wasn’t something he should be involved in. “We might end up destroying ourselves before Black Moon arrives.”

During the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Soviets only transported nuclear weapons to South America, into America’s backyard, and that brought global tensions to a head, pushing the Cold War to its peak. Now Zhao Bowen wanted to launch a nuclear bomb into space, hanging it over everyone’s heads. This Sword of Damocles was far more deadly than the Soviets’ – what if it fell? Wherever it fell would be a major international incident.

Similar things have happened in history. In 1978, the Soviet Cosmos 954 ocean surveillance satellite crashed in Canada. It was a satellite carrying a uranium-235 nuclear reactor, and its crash caused widespread nuclear contamination and intense international disputes.

Wang Ning backed down. He was just a section chief waiting to coast to retirement – how had he gotten tangled up with something as dangerous as nuclear weapons?

“Lao Zhao, is it too late for me to back out now?” Wang Ning asked.

“Too late,” Zhao Bowen said. “Just wait for death.”

“Will… will this plan be approved by higher-ups?” Bai Zhen asked. “We promised not to be the first to use nuclear weapons – don’t embarrass the Foreign Ministry.”

“That was a promise to humans,” Zhao Bowen replied. “It doesn’t apply to aliens.”

Typical small-town citizens like Wang Ning and Bai Zhen were quite timid and risk-averse, paying lip service to grand ambitions. Though Bai Zhen complained daily about the command center having no grand gestures, and being useless except for its long name, when something truly grand appeared, Bai Zhen shrank back. They realized that grand things also meant grand responsibilities. Just looking at such enormous responsibility made one suffocate. Damn it – bearing the lives of millions, bearing relations between major powers, bearing humanity’s future and fate. When such tremendous weight fell on one’s shoulders, it was instantly clear who was steel and who was mud.

Bai Zhen wasn’t such steel, nor was Wang Ning. Of course, they wouldn’t admit to being mud either – aluminum alloy at most.

Nuclear weapons were terrifying things – acceptable in anyone else’s hands, just not their own.

Zhao Bowen indicated the plan had already been approved, and the necessary signatures obtained. As they spoke, a nuclear weapon was being transferred from the nuclear arsenal.

Bai Zhen and Wang Ning exchanged glances. They both knew only one person in the country had the authority to sign off on this.

“Only now do I deeply understand… we’re going to war,” Bai Zhen sat on the sofa with drooping hands, speaking softly. “The wind fills the tower as mountain storms approach.”

“This war has already begun.” Zhao Bowen turned to face the camera, vigorously waving both hands. “Comrades, the bugle call to charge has sounded! Time waits for no one – everyone into action! GO! GO! GO!”