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The Villain Slaps The Protagonist’s Halo - Chapter 144
🕑 Added 2024-02-18 00:18:56 +0000 UTCChapter 144: Hunting the World
The main island of Oasis has been completely destroyed. The abilities of Oasis members seem oblivious to the fact that Ning Lang's actions were all manipulated by Xie Feng. Even the former members of the Hunters organization are unaware of An Yuan's role in the events.
The battle between Nie Jia and Ning Lang was swift, and by the time most of the Oasis abilities arrived, Ning Lang had already been defeated and subdued, and the main island was lost.
In their eyes, General Shi Chen of the Huaxia Special Forces came with his abilities to negotiate peace, but war broke out on the main island that very night. Their new leader, Ning Lang, was imprisoned, and many of the original abilities on the main island perished. These sudden changes caught everyone off guard.
The Huaxia fleet quickly arrived to take over the Oasis after the incident. Although Ning Lang survived, he was left completely paralyzed by Nie Jia, who had broken his spine. Song Nuanyang altered Ning Lang's memory to enable him to control all the islands of the Oasis, preventing them from sinking into the sea. Otherwise, millions would perish, and there would be no room for carelessness.
With Ning Lang gone and most of the high-ranking personnel lost, the Oasis was left leaderless, presenting a perfect opportunity for Huaxia to intervene. However, being the headquarters of the Shark faction, many opposed Shi Chen's actions of using peace negotiations as a pretext to initiate a massacre and imprison Ning Lang. Countless voices of resistance rose up against merging with Huaxia.
Even after He Qingtang publicly exposed Xie Feng's actions on behalf of the Oasis, many abilities still resisted Huaxia. There were even several conflicts with the Huaxia military.
In fact, not only the Oasis, but even within Huaxia, there were voices of opposition upon learning that the government intended to merge with the Oasis rather than acknowledge its independence. When they learned that the government not only wanted to merge with the Oasis but also wanted to bring the millions of abilities from the islands into the mainland, all the anger and opposition erupted at that moment!
"They are abilities of the Shark faction! Bringing millions of Shark faction abilities into the country to live with us, even the abilities of the Dolphin faction might struggle against them. How can the safety of our ordinary lives be guaranteed?!"
"If the military is our reliance, and the government will truly protect us, then please listen to our voices! Prevent any abilities of the Shark faction from entering the country and threatening our lives!"
"No to abilities of the Shark faction!"
Every day, countless people across Huaxia protested, including some in the upper echelons of the government. After all, this was a matter of life and death, and everyone argued for their rights.
To appease the citizens, Shi Chen made a ruthless decision to kill all the abilities who continued to resist the implementation of the Shark faction's ideology. They were hidden bombs in today's society, and nearly a thousand people perished in the sea, bringing a complete silence to the Oasis. But this wasn't meant as a deterrent; it was to show the ordinary people who were worried about their safety that the government wasn't acting unilaterally and would always prioritize the vulnerable groups.
However, this move had little effect, as the number of people participating in the protests only increased.
He Tian, representing the anti-war faction, repeatedly assured in front of the cameras that the abilities of the Oasis would be properly resettled, and that all military forces would be used to ensure the safety of ordinary people.
Even though the opposition was growing stronger now, He Tian remained resolute. Since taking office as president, she had been committed to quelling the war between ordinary people and abilities. Now that the Oasis had been reclaimed and peace was within reach, she didn't expect to be hindered by her own people.
Her insistence on reclaiming the Oasis had stirred dissatisfaction among most ordinary people. In recent protests, there were even voices calling for He Tian to step down.
"Shi Chen shouldn't have listened to He Tian's order to kill those thousand abilities. Concessions from the government will only embolden some people. Now, with the clamor for He Tian to step down growing louder, let's see what she'll do." Nie Jia was a little angry, throwing the chopsticks onto the table.
He Tian's presidency was of no concern to him. What angered him was that He Tian had made Shi Chen the scapegoat. Originally, Shi Chen's visit to the Oasis had already made him very dissatisfied with He Tian. Now, with the death of those thousand people, not only would the Oasis remember this grudge, but also everyone in Huaxia would regard Shi Chen as He Tian's lackey. If He Tian, the president, couldn't hold on to power, if there were any later political upheavals, Shi Chen would be the first one implicated.
Today, Song Nuanyang and Shen Su were sent by Shi Chen to cook for Nie Jia. Shi Chen had been busy at Qinghai Gate for the past half month and didn't have as much time and energy to take care of Nie Jia.
"Shi Chen is aligned with the president, you shouldn't say that." As the weather grew colder, after finishing the meal, Song Nuanyang dragged Nie Jia to the balcony to bask in the sun, while Shen Su went to the kitchen to do the dishes.
Song Nuanyang continued, "Now, administrative authorities in various regions are opposed to welcoming the abilities of the Oasis into the country. The president's supporters behind the scenes have the greatest power. Moreover, the president and Shi Chen are acting based on global consciousness, which is different from what you and I know. You can watch racial wars erupt without any concern because you know it's all fake, but they don't."
"I haven't seen Shi Chen for several days." Nie Jia leaned on the railing, suddenly saying, "I miss him."
"Then go to Qinghai Gate to find him." Song Nuanyang hesitated for a moment before saying, "But now Qinghai Gate is in chaos. If you don't like the president's actions, don't express your opinions. Just look at Shi Chen."
Recently, due to the Oasis incident, authorities from various regions gathered at Qinghai Gate for discussions. He Tian's support rate had taken a hit, as the opposition had grown too strong.
Originally, Nie Jia just wanted to wait at home for Shi Chen to return. But after not seeing him for a few days and even not receiving a phone call, he couldn't help but feel longing for Shi Chen. With Song Nuanyang's encouragement, Nie Jia couldn't resist anymore and went straight to Qinghai Gate in the afternoon.
The National Assembly Hall was heavily guarded, but Song Nuanyang wouldn't be stopped, and neither would Nie Jia. The two of them met He Qingt
ang in the corridor.
He Qingtang, with dark circles under her eyes as if she hadn't slept for three days and nights, looked at Nie Jia with a dazed expression, holding a paper bag and saying, "Mr. Nie? What are you doing here? Director Shi asked me to bring you some egg tarts."
"I'm here to find Shi Chen. Where is he?" Nie Jia asked.
He Qingtang seemed exhausted. Leaning against the wall, she slowly squatted down and yawned, "He's in a meeting. I sneaked out for a break..."
Nie Jia walked over and patted her shoulder, replenishing her energy. He felt a bit sorry for her and said, "Has Shi Chen not been resting well these days?"
He Qingtang suddenly bounced up from the ground, her energy instantly replenished, her eyes sparkling. She had forgotten about this! Nie Jia and Meng Jia were like walking fountains of life!
"Recently, because of the Oasis incident, you know how hectic it's been." He Qingtang waved her hand wearily.
Nie Jia's identity was very special, without any military rank or even identification, yet he could freely enter and exit the National Assembly Hall. While the president and various regional authorities were having a meeting, He Qingtang boldly led him into the conference room.
Shi Chen's seat was facing the door. When he saw Nie Jia come in, he was stunned for a moment, about to get up. Nie Jia waved his hand gently, indicating not to disturb him, and went to sit by the wall to listen. Song Nuanyang also followed, sitting next to Nie Jia, while He Qingtang happily came over, took out the egg tarts that Shi Chen had wanted to give Nie Jia from the paper bag, and shared them out.
The solemn and solemn meeting hall was immediately filled with the fragrance of egg tarts.
Members and authorities: "..."
He Tian looked at the three of them helplessly, shook her head, and ignored them, continuing her speech.
Shi Chen, on the other hand, suddenly became distracted. With one hand supporting his cheek, he tilted his head to look at Nie Jia, while the other hand played with a pen, doodling on the documents.
He Tian continued, "The islands of the Oasis have been divided, and their survival now depends entirely on Ning Lang's control. Once Ning Lang breaks free from Captain Song's control or dies unexpectedly, dozens of islands of the Oasis along with twenty million lives will sink into the sea. With the global population now less than five billion, Huaxia cannot afford to sit idly by on the fate of these twenty million people."
"They are abilities, naturally, they have a way to escape. We are just spectators and haven't launched hundreds of nuclear missiles at the Oasis like they did!" General Qiao Yuan's voice of strong opposition came from under the table.
Shi Chen folded up his doodles and put them in his pocket before calmly playing with the pen again. "Not everyone in the Oasis is an ability. There are also ordinary people, accounting for a small portion. You've seen the statistics, there are at least a million people. Moreover, most of the others are abilities of the second or third rank, with minimal abilities. Do you think abilities are gods, capable of escaping the vast sea?"
"Watch your words, Lieutenant Shi Chen!" General Qiao Yuan glared at Shi Chen with bloodshot eyes.
"I don't need you to remind me that your rank is lower than mine." Shi Chen's expression changed suddenly, his previously nonchalant demeanor giving way to clear annoyance. "You've been inciting unrest and organizing protests behind the scenes, exaggerating the threat of the Oasis, causing panic domestically, and attempting to use public opinion to impeach the president. I can't be bothered to investigate what you're up to. I'll ask you straight: Do you understand the gravity of twenty million lives? Each of them shedding a drop of blood could drown you!"
Shi Chen stood up, slamming a stack of reports detailing Qiao Yuan's orchestration of protests to impeach the president and manipulation of public opinion on the table in front of him. With a loud slap, the strong wind swept across Qiao Yuan's face, as if he had been slapped hard. "Take a good look at this yourself!"
Qiao Yuan clenched his fists tightly against his knees, his whole body trembling with effort as he breathed.
He Tian frowned. "General Qiao, if you have any grievances against me, you can bring them up in Congress, even go as far as to vote for my impeachment. If anyone can do a better job of being a president who doesn't incite war and genuinely develops the country, I'm willing to step down. But you absolutely cannot play games with twenty million lives and the unrest of the domestic population."
Other authorities and lawmakers were taken aback by Shi Chen suddenly producing such a report, exchanging bewildered looks and murmuring their opinions privately.
Qiao Yuan slammed his hands on the table and stood up, his eyes blazing with anger. "What do I want to do? I just want to safeguard the safety of our citizens! I want to ask you, President He, General Shi, what exactly do you want to do? Bringing in twenty million Shark faction abilities through our borders, are you out of your minds? Joking with the lives of over a hundred million of our citizens!"
"All the top leaders of the Oasis except for Ning Lang are dead. Our country has been committed to anti-war efforts, yet we still have people like you who incite racial tensions. With twenty million people from the Oasis, are you saying they're all from the Shark faction?" Shi Chen countered Qiao Yuan.
"But bringing in such a large number of Oasis abilities into the country inevitably poses security risks, which is unavoidable. If conflicts arise between the citizens and the Oasis abilities in the future, resulting in loss of life, who will bear the responsibility?" an official remarked.
Shi Chen looked at him incredulously. "As a regional authority, are you afraid of bearing responsibility? How do you think, if Huaxia had turned a blind eye to this, allowing twenty million abilities to wander outside, would our borders be safer?"
"Colonel Shi, you're going too far!"
"I think Colonel Shi is right. If we turn a blind eye to this, the twenty million Oasis abilities wouldn't all drown, and their existence outside poses an even greater threat to us! Once they advance, who knows if we'll have another Nie Jia!" The man suddenly remembered that Nie Jia was also in the meeting room and turned to look at him with a hint of embarrassment.
Nie Jia waved it off, not paying it much mind.
Qiao Yuan retorted angrily, "Threat? They're enemies, why should we be threatened by them? Just kill them, problem solved. The real threat is when they, as our own people, enter our borders!"
"In the end, you still want to resort to killing. Twenty million people, and you say just kill them all?"
The heated argument escalated, leaving Nie Jia feeling tired from watching. He whispered, "It's getting intense, is everything okay?"
He Qingtang replied wearily, "It's been like this for the past few days, exhausting me and causing my hormones to go haywire. General Qiao has been unwilling to compromise or back down. He's only satisfied if the people from the Oasis die. I get irritated just seeing him."
"But that's twenty million lives..." Song Nuanyang murmured.
It was his first time witnessing such a high-level meeting, expecting it to be extremely solemn and dignified, only to find it so fiery... they were on the brink of physical confrontation.
He Tian's expression turned slightly cold. "We can't let this drag on any longer. Let's vote."
As her words fell, the hall fell silent for a moment.
Nie Jia raised an eyebrow. Voting was the final resort, and He Tian's decision had low support to begin with. Voting clearly wasn't favorable for her. However, letting it drag on further, causing unrest among the domestic population was one thing, and the anxious wait for resettlement for the Oasis was another. With things escalating, who knew what would happen next. As a president, He Tian was fair and impartial, with no selfish motives in anything she did. Although Nie Jia had been holding a grudge against her for sending Shi Chen to deal with the Oasis, he couldn't help but admire her courage and perseverance at this moment.
"Everyone, voting is sacred. Regardless of the outcome, I will abide by it, and I hope you will too. Please consider both possibilities carefully and make your decision after careful consideration." He Tian stood up, bowing to everyone with a somewhat sad tone in her voice.
"Colonel," Shi Chen glanced at He Qingtang.
He Qingtang immediately jumped up to prepare for the voting process.
Then Shi Chen scanned the hall, frowning. "We have an even number, so there's a possibility of a tie."
Qiao Yuan snorted coldly. "Then to show fairness, let's include the president's vote."
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