Invasion of America

Chapter 112 Reckless
More than two weeks after the outbreak, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the chief medical advisor at the White House, announced at a press conference that Washington, D.C., had successfully achieved herd immunity.

More than 90 percent of people already have antibodies and can safely go out and about without having to stay at home.

This news brought a great sense of relief to medical staff on the front lines of the epidemic prevention efforts, National Guard troops enforcing the lockdown, and the more than 700,000 residents who had been under lockdown for a long time.

Fauci almost copied the dozen or so emergency response plans signed by Zhou Qingfeng—issuing subsidies, gradually lifting restrictions, and recruiting medical volunteers for follow-up work.

The White House expressed its approval and did not raise any further questions or make any modifications.

All the bureaucrats at the center of power knew perfectly well how chaotic and terrible their response was in the early stages of the pandemic.

Contradictory decisions, indecisive delays, and constantly changing orders pushed the entire country to the brink of collapse.

The long hours of high-pressure work have left everyone exhausted, and they desperately need a chance to catch their breath, a reason to temporarily put down their burdens.

As for whether there will be an even larger and more turbulent wave of the epidemic later, no one cares about that right now.
-
However, once inside the Oval Office, the "White House," Fauci adopted a different demeanor, somberly reporting to the Vice President and other cabinet officials:

“There is some very bad news. The National Institute for Infectious Diseases, which I oversee, has discovered that the ‘X’ virus has mutated.”

We originally expected the first mutation to occur at least six months later, and at the earliest three months. But just half a month later, a completely new 'beta' variant of the virus emerged.

The good news is that the 'Beta' variant is less toxic and has a significantly lower mortality rate than the original.

The bad news is that existing vaccines are also significantly less effective against it. We, including ourselves, could potentially be infected.

The Oval Office is where the US president stays. It's not a big place, only about 70 or 80 square meters, and it only has two sofas.

After Fauci announced the end of the 'pandemic', many cabinet ministers who were previously unwell suddenly recovered.

Minister Robert of the Ministry of Health reappeared, looking refreshed. He was followed by the other Deputy Ministers and Assistant Ministers.

As soon as these guys got back, they immediately put back the temporary "Ministry of Health" official that Zhou Qingfeng had promoted under the guise of "Harden".

But Harden has also done a good job in dealing with the pandemic, and now he's standing next to Fauci, reporting to the Vice President. He's standing at the back of the office, looking around with a mixture of curiosity and trepidation.

The security at the 'White House' is really terrible; they managed to let an imposter in.

Zhou Qingfeng wasn't listening to Fauci at all. He was just scanning the people in the office, wondering if he could wipe them all out if he suddenly attacked.
As Fauci spoke of the 'Beta' variant, all the bureaucrats present became extremely agitated—as a man-made virus, the 'X' Prototype was terrifying enough, but now it had mutated.

Especially after learning that there is currently no vaccine to prevent the 'Beta' variant, no one was in a good mood.

"Harden, do you have any ideas?" A sudden voice abruptly pulled Zhou Qingfeng's wandering thoughts back to reality.

Seeing seven or eight pairs of eyes turn to him, and the one asking the question was none other than the 'country bumpkin' vice president, Zhou Qingfeng subconsciously replied, "There's no other way, just wait to die."
-
The meeting ended without reaching a conclusion, and the vice president kept several cabinet members in his office to continue the discussion.

Zhou Qingfeng walked out like a street urchin, continuing his fantastical adventure in the "White House"—he had come with Fauci. Since Fauci wasn't leaving, it seemed he couldn't leave either.

Outside the Oval Office, a number of officials had gathered along both sides of the corridor, waiting to report to the Vice President. They stood in small groups, talking in hushed tones, mostly about their respective areas of responsibility, and the air was thick with a mixture of anxiety and bureaucracy.

Zhou Qingfeng is socially awkward at heart, but in this extremely unfamiliar environment, he seems to be invisible, which gives rise to an unusual boldness.

When others saw him emerge from the Oval Office, they naturally regarded him as a high-ranking government official and had no doubt about his identity.

This allowed him to move freely through the corridors, approaching any small group of people having a conversation, at most attracting a few scrutinizing glances, but no one would come forward to drive him away.

So he looked around with great interest, straining his ears to try and catch some valuable information.

Several high-ranking military officers in crisp uniforms, their shoulders adorned with gleaming stars, caught Zhou Qingfeng's attention. They stood together, their expressions serious, seemingly discussing something important.

Zhou Qingfeng curiously leaned closer, wanting to hear what they were saying.

These generals were unusually alert. They were already speaking in low voices, but when they noticed an unfamiliar face approaching, they immediately stopped their discussion and turned their eyes to Zhou Qingfeng.

A general with four gleaming stars on his shoulder turned his head, scrutinized the man with his sharp gaze, and asked with a hint of doubt, "Who are you...?"

“Oliver Harden.” Zhou Qingfeng smiled and extended his hand, then casually shrugged. “I just came out of the Oval Office and may be called back at any time.”

I couldn't leave, so I could only wander around outside.

"I'm so sorry to have bothered you all. Believe me, it wasn't intentional. I'll move over right away." With that, he made an apologetic gesture and turned to leave.

Unexpectedly, the generals became interested.

The four-star general raised an eyebrow, a hint of surprise in his voice, and called out to him, "You're that... bastard Harden from the Ministry of Health?"

Zhou Qingfeng's face showed a strange expression, his lips twitched, and he asked in return, "Is my reputation really that bad now?"

His words were barely out of his mouth when they were met with a low chuckle.

The four-star admiral patted Zhou Qingfeng on the shoulder affectionately and said with a hint of appreciation, "I am Chief of Naval Staff Alvin, and these are my colleagues."

He pointed to the generals around him, introduced them, and continued, "You told the medical staff to abandon the elderly patients in order to give younger patients a chance to survive."

This has caused quite a bit of controversy and offended many people. However, we soldiers can understand your actions.

In such a dilemma, someone has to step forward and make a quick choice. The worst thing is to hesitate and do nothing.

Zhou Qingfeng quickly shook hands with the other soldiers and introduced themselves to each other.

Another general asked jokingly, "Sir Harden, what's new at the Ministry of Health lately? Anything that can amuse us?"

“Oh, of course.” Zhou Qingfeng deliberately adopted a affected tone. “I made a small suggestion to Minister Robert, hoping to conduct a comprehensive inventory of the currently scarce medical supplies in a month.”

To prevent another outbreak of the epidemic, which could catch the Ministry of Health off guard, His Excellency the Minister stated that he would seriously consider this matter.

Zhou Qingfeng shrugged and said casually, "The news has already been released. Those guys who manage inventory are probably scrambling to restock right now."

"My demands aren't high. I have a month as a buffer. They... should be able to handle it, right?!" Upon hearing this, the generals exchanged glances, their faces filled with complex emotions—they didn't know whether to admire this "Harden's" audacity or to mock his naivety and lack of understanding.

General Alvin paused for a few seconds, then burst into a hearty laugh, so loud that the other generals around him joined in, using laughter to cover their slightly embarrassed expressions.

Several generals had the same thought in mind: if this "Harden" came to the army, he probably wouldn't live long.
-
Now that they'd met, it was Zhou Qingfeng's turn to ask, "What are you talking about? Of course, if it involves classified information."

The jokes were told twice, which helped to improve relations between the two sides.

General Alvin sighed and said, "No, we didn't talk about anything classified, just some casual conversation and ideas about the current situation."

"epidemic?"

No, 'Todai'.

Zhou Qingfeng feigned surprise, looking like the straight man in a crosstalk performance, always ready to respond, ask questions, and create atmosphere.

General Alvin couldn't resist showing off a bit, explaining, "We are discussing how to contain 'Todai' from a military perspective."

Zhou Qingfeng immediately followed up with, "Go to war with 'Dongda'?"

Several soldiers looked on as if they'd seen a ghost, and General Alvin shook his head even more. "Of course not, we're not going to war. We're discussing some more peaceful methods."

Zhou Qingfeng sneered inwardly, thinking, "Given the US military's domineering attitude of bombing east and west all day long, if you were to start a war, you wouldn't be using any 'more peaceful methods'."

The generals remained tight-lipped and didn't reveal any further information. Shortly after, the president's office opened its doors and called them all in, after which the two sides naturally separated.

Admiral Alvin, however, found Harden somewhat agreeable and personally handed him a business card, inviting him to the Navy Club for a gathering of senior officers when he had time.

Zhou Qingfeng held the general's gold-embossed business card, completely baffled. The front only had a name; there was no title or contact information. The back was completely blank.

"How am I supposed to use this?"
-
As the generals were meeting with the vice president, Fauci happened to come out of his office, glanced at Harden standing outside, nodded, and gestured for him to leave with him.

Right there in the Oval Office, the Vice President asked Fauci with a serious expression, "What do you really think of Oliver Harden's abilities?"

The name "Harden" is now stirring up ripples of public opinion within the American bureaucracy, with a constant stream of rumors about him.

Some people regard him as the embodiment of justice who stood up in times of crisis, while others hate his cold-blooded decisions and curse him as a devil who brings death.

The Vice President was also very curious about this highly controversial figure, so he specifically instructed Fauci to bring "Harden" with him when he came to the White House this time, as he wanted to see him in person.

However, Harden was absent-minded in such an important occasion, and his cold "Hopeless, just waiting to die" shocked everyone present and made the vice president's impression of him drop to zero.

But surprisingly, Fauci said a few fair words: "Your Excellency, Harden is indeed not the kind of person who follows the rules, and he cannot be measured and appointed in the conventional way."

However, in times of national crisis, the government needs precisely the kind of public servants like Harden who dare to break with convention and achieve unexpected success.

Recalling the most critical period of the pandemic, Fauci said in a deep voice:

"If Harden hadn't been so bold and decisive in making those highly controversial decisions, we probably would have struggled in the mire for a long time and paid an even heavier price."

But then he changed the subject, "But once the pandemic is over, let Harden go back to the IRS to work as a tax inspector."

That kind of job, which requires improvisation and ruthlessness, might actually be more suitable for someone with his rigid personality.

Although the first wave of the pandemic lasted only half a month, it severely impacted the US government, especially the bureaucratic system in Washington, D.C., which underwent a brutal reshuffle.

Those high-ranking officials who were originally in their seventies and eighties and full of vigor have been forcibly "rejuvenated." Fauci is finding it difficult to find serving officials of his own age, which makes him very uncomfortable.

One-tenth of the more than 500 members of Congress in both the Senate and the House of Representatives died in one go! This group had access to the best medical care in the entire United States.

Such a high mortality rate sent a chill down Fauci's spine.

As for the various ministries and commissions such as the State Council, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Energy, and the Ministry of Health, thousands of elderly bureaucrats have died.

This was like clearing away a rotten and withered forest, instantly freeing up a large number of promotion positions, allowing countless young civil servants to be promoted and leapfrog ahead.

The young civil servants had no aversion to Harden; on the contrary, they secretly praised his courage and sense of responsibility, believing that in extraordinary times, extraordinary people should do extraordinary things.

Deep down, Fauci kept praying: "Get that guy out of here, stop him from wreaking havoc on the health system!"

Let him go back to collecting his taxes! That ruthless person would be an absolute master at it!

After hearing Fauci's "fair" assessment, the Vice President pondered for a long time before finally nodding slowly and saying:
"You made a good recommendation. The bureaucracy definitely needs someone like Harden, especially in the current situation. We need someone to step up and solve problems."

Harden dared to complain to my face, which shows he's very bold, and that's exactly the kind of bold person I need right now.

Ah. Fauci felt a bitter taste of "lifting a rock only to drop it on his own foot." He muttered to himself, "When did I 'recommend' him? I clearly said to send him back to collect taxes!"

Unexpectedly, the vice president's next words terrified him even more: "What do you think about sending Harden to the 'White House'?"

Upon hearing this, Fauci inwardly screamed, "No way! Keeping that guy at the Department of Health and Human Services is already a huge promotion, and now they want to bring him to the White House?!"
He dares to act so recklessly in the Department of Health and Human Services; if he were in the White House… I can't even imagine what he might do!

He quickly and earnestly said, "Your Excellency, I think this appointment needs careful consideration. After all, Harden has just caused a huge controversy, and it's best to be cautious in using someone like him."

These words were spoken with great earnestness.

The vice president, seemingly lacking in his own opinion, nodded again and said, "You're right. Harden is a double-edged sword; he shouldn't be promoted casually."

Let him continue working at the Ministry of Health for now; I'll observe him further.

When Fauci came out of the Oval Office, his gaze towards Harden became particularly complicated. He thought to himself, "Could this guy... be getting promoted again?!"

(End of this chapter)