Chapter 1: A New Era (2)
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In a top-secret conference room of the Ocean City government, all the bigwigs related to security gathered, led by Zhao Nanyang.
Lin Nan took the main seat at the long table, with the head honcho of Ocean City, Zhao Nanyang, to her left.
Anyone familiar with the seating arrangements in bureaucratic meetings would know that in a security-themed discussion, Lin Nan was somehow at the top of the hierarchy, even surpassing Zhao Nanyang! And poor Director Wang Shengli from the police department had to sit somewhere far behind.
Lin Nan briefly introduced the situation that the Special Operations Bureau had gathered up to that point, and the expression of everyone in attendance grew increasingly grave.
Zhao Nanyang sighed, “I never thought you were plotting such a grand scheme, Director Lin.
Ladies and gentlemen, according to the investigations of the Special Operations Bureau, there are actually around three thousand otherworldly individuals sneaking into our city under the guise of cosplay!
Our agent 22 bravely delved into the enemy camp and retrieved precious footage, allowing us to quickly grasp the true identities and objectives of these foes.
This clearly shows that the enemy is eyeing Ocean City like a hawk.
If they launch an attack with their three thousand warriors, it could spell a bloodbath for our city.
The reason Director Lin chose this critical moment to reveal the existence of the Special Operations Bureau is to give the citizens a sense of reassurance.
If something uncontrollable happens in Ocean City, at least we want the public to hold on to a glimmer of hope and the desire to survive.
Conversely, if we keep everything under wraps and hide this unusual occurrence, once a disaster strikes, the public might spiral into chaos, potentially leading to a complete collapse of social order.
Therefore, Director Lin’s foresight and broad vision are truly beyond ordinary comprehension.”
After Zhao Nanyang finished his remarks, almost everyone in the room looked at Lin Nan with sincere admiration.
After all, not even Wang Shengli, who had been director for nearly a decade, had ever encountered such a large-scale invasion by special criminals.
Even worse, these invaders had mostly broken into smaller groups, infiltrating every nook and cranny of Ocean City. Even if the military were mobilized, they couldn’t guarantee they could take down these powerful and numerous otherworldly beings without harming civilians.
Lin Nan remained expressionless.
Zhao Nanyang’s praises stirred not a single ripple in her heart.
No matter how the past unfolded, the harsh reality lay fiercely before her. If she couldn’t handle it well, she might never access the deeper dungeons below.
And that was an outcome she simply could not accept.
After pondering for a moment, Lin Nan cast her gaze over the gathered leaders.
Suddenly, she asked, “If every citizen of Ocean City were to evacuate outside the city, how long would that take?”
At Lin Nan’s hypothetical question, all attending leaders were immediately dumbfounded.
Just moments ago Zhao Nanyang was praising her for her acumen. And now, in mere seconds, she was suggesting a full-city retreat?
What is this, a game of house?
To put it bluntly, the entire Ocean City, including the residing population, stood at around seven to eight million.
A total retreat? Where would they even go? Vehicles, food, camping sites, internet, power, water sources…
Even if they were just moving nine hundred or a thousand people, all those issues had to be considered.
It’s not just a simple matter of getting everyone out of the city.
The conference room fell into a hush, and Zhao Nanyang cleared his throat. “Director Lin, that question is tough to answer.
After all, Ocean City isn’t some small county in the Midwest where twenty or thirty thousand people could get moving in no time. With almost ten million people, how on earth do you expect to move? It’s impossible! The complexities behind that are far beyond what we can imagine.”
Lin Nan nodded, fully understanding Zhao Nanyang’s concerns.
After all, as a city that had remained peaceful for so long, it boasted top-tier economic development and infrastructure in the country.
Anyone would feel a bit cuckoo being told out of the blue to pack up and leave their home without anything.
But they seemed to overlook one crucial point.
Ocean City was on the verge of war, and in the brutal theater of war, human lives equated to that of ants. No one could guarantee civilian safety.
It was unfortunate that everyone present still viewed this operation led by the Special Operations Bureau as something controllable.
But the reality was the complete opposite. Lin Nan had dealings with Fu Yetian before and knew that beneath his seemingly gentlemanly demeanor lay a bottomless pit of madness.
Otherwise, how would he have betrayed the Heavenly Sword Sect and, under the pretense of being the Left Protector of Ji Shen, taken away the core power source supporting the Floating City right from under her nose during the battle of Thousand Bird City?
As Zhao Nanyang’s voice faded, the room fell silent.
Lin Nan stood up, hands behind her back.
Today, she had donned the sharp black uniform of the Special Operations Bureau, which was far more fitted than a police uniform. The angular design gave her an imposing presence, instantly filling the conference room with a commanding aura.
“Leaders, let me ask you a question.
If you were to know in advance that a nuclear bomb would be dropped over Ocean City tomorrow, would we still be sitting here debating whether or not to leave the city?”
Everyone shared a collective grimace.
Wang Shengli chimed in, “Director Lin, that analogy was spot on… but has the situation truly deteriorated to a point of no return?
So far, those individuals haven’t even made a move. In these past couple of days, not a single police precinct has reported any deaths or missing persons.
I believe if we quickly investigate and take them out one by one, we can effectively resolve this crisis.”
Zhao Nanyang added, “Director Wang’s right. I largely agree. Director Lin, would you reconsider? Aside from a full retreat, I, representing the Ocean City government, am willing to cooperate fully with the Special Operations Bureau, whether it’s manpower or money. Just say the word.”
Lin Nan sighed. Although the powers of the Special Operations Bureau had expanded after she went public, she still couldn’t command the Ocean City government. They had their own turf; things couldn’t just go her way.
The meeting had reached a temporary pause.
Lin Nan hadn’t achieved her goal, but the only gain was Zhao Nanyang’s promise.
Now the police department was temporarily under the command of the Special Operations Bureau, so manpower wouldn’t be an issue for the time being.
Her suggestion to evacuate was because she worried Fu Yetian and Lady Rong Ji might come up with another crazy idea. After all, to them, humans in the small world barely counted as humans; they were merely stepping stones to ultimate victory.
But looking at it now, she had to find other ways to minimize civilian casualties during the impending conflict.
……
P.S.: The New Era chapter is expected to be around ten installments. This small world may become a reality, and providing more detail is also a setup for what comes next!
