Invasion of America

Chapter 123 Traceability
When the USS Ford "set off fireworks," the news spread like wildfire across the internet and the real world.

The online and offline world was in an uproar, and the atmosphere of celebration, which was a mixture of shock, joy and disbelief, even overshadowed the impact of the "9/11" attacks.

Countless people spread the news with glee, shouting together in both virtual and real spaces – "USA, you've finally met your match?!"

Social media began publishing extensive reports on the disastrous consequences of the United States' deindustrialization, vividly depicting how the shipbuilding industry of the former maritime superpower collapsed.

The construction of new ships is progressing at a snail's pace, simple maintenance has become a major challenge, there is a shortage of skilled workers, and the management system is in disarray, among other issues.

Various analytical articles, short videos, and jokes have emerged one after another, aiming to completely nail this once invincible empire to the pillar of historical shame.

Initially, people at all levels were more or less influenced by this public opinion atmosphere, and many people also accepted the conclusion that "the manufacturing industry in the United States is hollowed out."

Especially in industries that require a large workforce, the signs of decline are self-evident. Therefore, it's not incomprehensible that its aircraft carrier was burned down during renovations, as similar incidents have occurred before.

However... when Xiao Jinlang transmitted encrypted information via satellite, the police were astonished to learn that the supercarrier with a displacement of 100,000 tons had actually been "sunk" by a pee!

What?
How can it be?

The Ford died such an unjust death!
Zhou Qingfeng impersonating "Harden" to assassinate an enemy general is already terrifying enough. Now you're saying he failed in his assassination attempt, but managed to sink an aircraft carrier?
What is this J? Is it alien technology?

Such a reason is too unbelievable, as bizarre as a fairy tale. But the information that Lao Xiao relayed back was not just that.
-
'Dongda', ***.

Inside, a huge projection screen was playing a video recording of a closed-door meeting convened by the US President for the "real estate" sector and his top cabinet members.

In the video, the former head of the "Efficiency Department" is mercilessly hurling scathing insults at the director of the U.S. National Trade Council, calling him a "Harvard idiot, an economic moron!"

Facing the president and his staff, the director fought back without backing down, angrily denouncing the head of the "Efficiency Department" as a spy planted by "Dongda" in the upper echelons of the United States, a red-hearted businessman corrupted by red ideology!
The two argued like two angry bulls, neither willing to give in, their words so intense they seemed to ignite the air.

The other cabinet members had stiff expressions, their faces taut like statues, only glancing cautiously out of the corner of their eyes at the president, who sat at the head of the conference table with a gloomy face and remained silent.

"Is there anything else?" *** asked the person next to him without turning his head in front of the projection screen. "Let's watch something else. This farce is really nothing new. We already know that there's internal discord within the enemy ranks."

The projected image then switched to a heated debate between the US Secretary of State and the visiting EU trade envoy, with the two sides arguing fiercely over trade and market issues.

*** shook his head and chuckled, "Although we had anticipated this and conducted countless analyses and discussions internally, witnessing such a heated argument between Mio and others was like watching a joke."

Xiao Zhou is incredibly audacious to send back such internal video recordings.

Observing the infighting and disagreements within an opponent's decision-making hierarchy is far more direct than our superficial speculation and research. Is there anything else of greater value?

The staff then opened more than a dozen different videos, documents, and pictures, and the projected images changed like a carousel, presenting all sorts of astonishing top-secret information.

For example, an internal meeting of the U.S. Department of Health confirmed that although the pandemic has been declared over, the trend of excess deaths has not only not stopped, but is still gradually increasing.

The benefits include the deaths of a large number of elderly and infirm people, freeing up a significant amount of young labor to care for them, and a substantial reduction in federal pension payments, which greatly alleviates the government's financial pressure.

For example, detailed reports on core data such as personnel organization, equipment support, ammunition reserves, and logistical supply at major U.S. military bases around the world are clearly presented to the public.

There are also recordings of US intelligence agencies secretly wiretapping private conversations between heads of state of other countries, including its close allies.

Those private conversations involving core national interests were exposed to the *** of "Dongda" like goods sold at a street stall.

A staff member reported: "The amount of intelligence information obtained this time is extremely large, with video data alone exceeding 10,000 hours."

We are organizing personnel to conduct multi-faceted cross-verification and meticulously compare it with intelligence obtained from other indirect channels. It can be basically confirmed that everything is true.

"We've struck gold," *** whispered. "Little Zhou has practically laid bare America's cards, proving that the opponent's decisions are full of randomness."

In future negotiations with the US, we even need to be more cautious, deliberately setting ourselves up in a few traps so that the other side doesn't realize they've been completely exposed.

*** then asked, "Currently, what situations in the United States are we unfamiliar with, yet are of paramount importance?"

The staff member quickly searched his memory for relevant information and replied with a solemn expression, "It should be the research of 'Project X'."

We still know nothing about who specifically carried out this virus modification project, the specific location, or the subsequent research direction.

Unfortunately, this top-secret project has already brought incalculable catastrophic consequences to the entire world, and the damage is still escalating.

what to do?--
Two weeks after the fire and explosion on the USS Ford aircraft carrier, the US media has begun to downplay the incident.

Zhou Qingfeng, disguised as 'Harden', still did not make a public appearance, returning silently to his office in the Efficiency Department located in the Eisenhower Building, like a ghost.

Considering the potentially violent reaction to the execution of the admiral, he prepared for a battle fought without gunfire.

Betrayal by subordinates, defection by allies, elaborate traps set by law enforcement agencies, and even cold handcuffs and arrest warrants.

However, Harden's return went unnoticed and went unnoticed.

The reason is simple yet poignant: the bureaucratic system in Washington, D.C., is experiencing a silent wave of staff absenteeism.

The beta variant of 'X virus' is like a slow poison, relentlessly tormenting those who lack protection.

Once a civil servant falls ill, even with only mild symptoms, his colleagues will flee as if avoiding a plague, leaving the office empty.

Healthcare workers were the first to be affected, and their departure further exacerbated the collapse of the healthcare system, triggering a larger-scale loss of personnel like dominoes.

The "Efficiency Department" was already short-staffed, and after this wave of absenteeism, the office was even more deserted, with the few people who did appear looking tired and lost.

Many employees simply resigned and then disappeared completely.

Zhou Qingfeng stood quietly in front of the huge floor-to-ceiling window in his office, his eyes blankly looking down at the once again empty city streets.

The once bustling street now seemed eerily deserted, like a giant, lifeless toy model. Jeff Connery, the prospective father-in-law, grumbled as he entered his office like a restless, trapped animal, complaining incessantly, "I just went to the fourth and fifth floors, and more than a third of the office doors were locked. This is so abnormal!"

The Eisenhower Building, where the Efficiency Department is located, is a magnificent granite building dating back to the 19th century. It stands majestically on the west side of the White House and houses more than 500 offices.

The White House, the National Security Council, and a host of other vital government departments operate here. However, due to widespread absenteeism, many departments are now in a state of semi-paralysis or even complete shutdown.

“I was just appointed as a senior advisor to the ‘Department of Government Efficiency,’ and I haven’t even started giving orders yet, how come the entire bureaucratic system is about to collapse? Harden, where’s your secretary? He’s gone too?”

Jeff's tone was full of displeasure.

Having finally squeezed into the core of American power, before he could even exert his official authority, the bureaucratic system appeared to be on the verge of collapse, making him feel that all his efforts had been in vain.

Zhou Qingfeng shrugged. "Xia Ni is still receiving treatment in the hospital, and the secretary I temporarily hired has also taken leave. Even several of my key personnel haven't come to work; many of them are genuinely sick."

Now, the most active people around him are "Grey Shark" and Xiao Jinlang. The two of them recklessly use the "Efficiency Department's" permissions to connect to the government database and greedily spy on all kinds of highly confidential and sensitive information.

As for the large number of absenteeisms among bureaucrats and civil servants, it seems that they have not had a significant practical impact so far.

There are too many redundant staff in the long-standing bloated bureaucracy. At worst, some staff can be transferred from non-core departments to fill the vacancies, and administrative efficiency will increase rather than decrease.

Jeff frowned and walked to the liquor cabinet in the corner of the office, only to find it empty except for a few lonely bottles of mineral water.

“Victor, your aversion to drinking is such a downer! You'll have no friends at important social occasions!”

Zhou Qingfeng scoffed, "Quite the opposite. When I clearly state that I don't drink, I'm usually met with enthusiastic praise."

Everyone seemed to have found a kindred spirit, unanimously agreeing that drinking had no benefits and vowing to quit drinking as well.

“That’s true. You’re a big shot now, it’s only natural that people should fawn over you.” Jeff glanced around cautiously to make sure no one else was in the office, then lowered his voice and asked:

"Victor, are you sure the business side has been completely smoothed over? The import ban on 'electric flight' has really been lifted?"

Zhou Qingfeng nodded, calmly and confidently stating, "The obstacles from the Ministry of Justice have been cleared, my arrest warrant has been revoked, and my bank account has been restored to normal use."

"Wow!" Jeff let out a long sigh, his shrewd eyes fixed on Zhou Qingfeng, as if he wanted to get to know the kid all over again.

He prided himself on his extraordinary courage and was known for his ruthlessness in the investment world. However, it wasn't until he met this young man that he truly realized what real audacity meant.

"So, you can now freely use those hundreds of billions of dollars..."

Zhou Qingfeng interrupted, saying, "It's meaningless. When money reaches a certain level, it's just a number. Especially now that the pandemic isn't over."
-
The moment the topic of the 'pandemic' came up, the phone on my desk rang. It was the chief of staff of the 'White House,' saying, 'Harden, the vice president wants to see you. Come to the Oval Office.'

Jeff enjoyed being close to the center of power. Seeing Zhou Qingfeng hang up the phone with a tense expression, he asked anxiously, "What happened?"

"The Vice President wants to see me. I wonder what it's about?" Zhou Qingfeng got up, went out, and drove to the 'White House' which wasn't far away.

The chief of staff personally came out to greet him, and was surprised to find that this 'key minister' was all alone. "Harden, where is your assistant?"

"I'm sick, and there's no one to replace me for the time being," Zhou Qingfeng replied.

The chief of staff said "Oh," and then said in a low voice, "Yes, it's been terrible lately. Many positions are empty. Quite a few staff members at the White House are also sick, including the vice president himself."

Zhou Qingfeng looked at the chief of staff in surprise, thinking, "When did the vice president get sick?" Then he thought again, "No, I should have been notified after the vice president recovered."

Upon entering the Oval Office, the "country bumpkin" vice president indeed looked exhausted and listless, clearly having been ill for several days and only summoning his confidants again after his condition improved.

Based on this order of information, Harden belongs to the group of vice president's confidants who are not so trusted but have to be relied upon.

Previously, there was a vaccine, and the original strain of the 'X virus' didn't harm most of the people inside the 'White House.' Its biggest achievement was taking down the president, but he hasn't been seen since.

Once the original strain evolved into the 'beta' form, even a vaccine was useless, as the number of people it killed increased exponentially, and even the vice president was infected.

"Harden, how are you feeling?" the 'country bumpkin' asked weakly.

“Not bad, it’s pretty good.” Zhou Qingfeng has an immune system that can coexist with the virus, “but several people around me have fallen ill.”

“More have fallen on my side.” The ‘country bumpkin’ didn’t have the energy for much small talk and pushed out a document in his hand. “We must end this terrible situation, or the country will be finished.”

Zhou Qingfeng walked over, picked up the document from the desk, and found it to be a simple file on a man in military uniform. He casually flipped through a few pages, then immediately noticed the familiar "X" symbol in the upper right corner.

"The country bumpkin" said angrily, "Wynne Herbert, a major general in the army, is an expert in health and disease prevention. This guy started a virus research project and has been saying to everyone that the project is safe."

But clearly, this guy has messed up, and the situation has become so serious that it threatens national security. We must stop him.

Zhou Qingfeng quickly finished flipping through the file in his hand and asked, "Where is this person right now?"

"I don't know. The Department of Defense says they are arresting him and will put him in a military court. The FBI is also investigating him, but at the moment, they don't even know where his team members are, let alone arrest him. Someone is definitely protecting him."

You only realize the bitterness when you're down on your luck.

The "country bumpkin" slammed his fist on the table a few times, expressing extreme anger and hatred.

Zhou Qingfeng put away the file and asked, "Do you want me to investigate this person?"

“Yes,” the country bumpkin replied in a deep voice. “I don’t trust the military’s investigative agencies, and I’m not entirely at ease with the FBI either.”

Harden, I hope you'll also participate in the investigation, find this person as soon as possible, and end the pandemic as soon as possible.

Zhou Qingfeng gave a simple "hmm," his gaze sweeping over the file in his hand again, and he muttered to himself, "Old bastard, so your name is Wayne Herbert. You've finally run into me."

(End of this chapter)