Fate's Choice: Livestream at the Start Summoning Billions of Ravens

New York, Security Council Room, United Nations Headquarters.

The dome lights above the circular conference table were dimmed to their lowest setting. In front of each of the five seats was a stack of investigation reports marked as top secret, with the covers showing thermal images of the Kolwezi mining area in Congo, aerial screenshots of the Daka Bogra region, and a comparison of vegetation indices of the Juba refugee camp in South Sudan.

Browning, the resident representative of the United States, was the first to open the folder in front of him and tapped his knuckles twice on the table.

"Seventy-two hours, three incidents, three continents."

He pushed the folder to the center of the table, cover facing up.

"Gentlemen, I think we can skip the pleasantries."

Zhang Weiyuan, the representative of the Chinese nation, sat opposite him, with the encrypted tablet screen facing down beside him, and Chen Jianguo's real-time comments were refreshed every thirty seconds.

Pierre Morin, the representative from Gaul, leaned back in his chair, holding a pen with the cap still on, his gaze sweeping back and forth between the United States and China.

The Russian representative, Ivanov, hasn't uttered a single word since he entered. His left hand rests on the armrest, while his right hand occasionally slips under the table, his thumb swiping across the encrypted phone screen.

John Bull's representative, Harrison, had dark circles under his eyes, his tie was half an inch looser than usual, and he looked like he hadn't slept well for three days.

Browning stood up, walked to the wall projection screen, and pressed the remote control.

Three satellite images appeared side by side on the screen.

"In the Congo No. 2 mine, diesel generators have achieved zero carbon emissions, and ore production has quadrupled, leaving physicists speechless."

He changed it.

"In the Dakabogra district, liquid water solidifies into building-grade strength materials at room temperature, and the area covered is still expanding, currently exceeding seven square kilometers."

Let's get another one.

"In Juba, South Sudan, saline-alkali land within a five-kilometer radius is transformed into top-quality arable soil within minutes. The crop growth cycle is compressed to one-tenth of the normal value, and it has selective identification capabilities, making it impossible for armed personnel to harvest."

Browning turned off the projector and turned to face everyone.

"Our position is very clear."

His voice was lowered by half a octave, but he emphasized each word.

"These three areas must be immediately identified as international security threats, and the Security Council should authorize the formation of a multinational joint investigation team led by a country with rapid global deployment capabilities to conduct mandatory security assessments, sample collection, and background checks on relevant personnel in these areas."

Zhang Weiyuan's encrypted tablet vibrated. He glanced down at the four words Chen Jianguo had sent on the screen.

Push it back.

Zhang Weiyuan raised his head, his expression unchanged.

"Mr. Browning, I have a question."

Browning turned around.

"Speaking."

Could you please provide a specific list of the countries you mentioned that possess rapid global deployment capabilities?

There was a two-second silence in the conference room.

Browning's lips twitched slightly.

"This needs to be assessed based on the actual situation."

"Then I'll speak for you."

Zhang Weiyuan placed the pen on the table and crossed his hands above the folder.

"You mean that the US military, under the guise of the United Nations, entered the territories of three sovereign states, exercised military-level control over the areas, and then transported all the collected samples and data back to its domestic laboratories?"

Browning frowned.

"Representative Zhang, I suggest you do not misinterpret our well-intentioned proposal."

"bona fide?"

Zhang Weiyuan's speaking speed did not increase, but his volume increased by half a notch.

"Seventy-two hours ago, your USS Colorado nuclear submarine was called out and driven away by our fleet in the Pacific Ocean. Forty-eight hours ago, your Deepsea Overlord unmanned probe was crushed in the Mariana Trench. Now you want to use the Security Council resolution to give your unilateral actions a legal veneer."

He opened the folder in front of him, revealing a satellite trajectory map marked with timestamps.

"Mr. Browning, the Chinese people's stance has never changed."

Zhang Weiyuan pointed his index finger at the document.

"Respecting the sovereignty of the countries involved and opposing any hegemonic power using extraordinary events for external military intervention is our bottom line."

Browning's face darkened, and just as he was about to speak, Pierre Morin unscrewed the cap of the pen in his hand.

"Gentlemen, may I interject?"

Moran pulled a neatly bound document from his briefcase. The cover bore the watermark of the Gallic Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a line of small print.

"The Paris side has prepared a draft, a preliminary concept for establishing an international legal framework for extraordinary phenomena."

He pushed the documents to the center of the table.

"Since military intervention is not feasible, a legal framework may be a path acceptable to all parties."

Browning glanced at the cover.

"A legal framework? Moran, are you planning to use a piece of paper to regulate things that can make diesel engines produce no exhaust fumes and turn seawater into building materials?"

Moran twirled the pen cap halfway between his fingers.

"It's at least more effective than sending an aircraft carrier."

Zhang Weiyuan's tablet vibrated again. He looked down and saw that Chen Jianguo's new message contained only six words: "Pay attention to the French plan."

Harrison finally spoke, his voice visibly weary.

"Gentlemen, you are all aware of the current situation in London. We are already overwhelmed with the issue of the Sword in the Stone force field, and we do not have any extra political capital to invest in these three new incidents at the moment."

He rubbed his temples.

"But I agree with Moran's direction; there should at least be a framework."

All eyes turned to Ivanov.

The Russian representative pulled his right hand back from under the table, the faint light from his phone screen flashing briefly between his fingers.

"Moscow's position is very simple."

Ivanov's voice was deep, and he spoke very slowly, leaving ample space between each word.

"We observe."

Browning's brow furrowed even more.

"Ivanov, do you mean the Russians intend to remain bystanders in this matter?"

Ivanov glanced at him, the smile on his lips barely visible.

"What I mean is, none of you here have even figured out what you're dealing with before you're rushing to seize control."

He stood up and pushed his chair back under the table.

"Come back to me for your vote once you've figured things out."

The meeting room door closed behind him, leaving the remaining four people looking at each other in bewilderment.

Browning placed his hands on the table and leaned forward.

"I reiterate that the U.S. will not abandon its intelligence-gathering operations in these three regions, regardless of whether the Security Council authorizes them."

Zhang Weiyuan flipped the encrypted tablet over, placing it on the table with the screen facing up, so that the person opposite could see the line of text displayed on it.

That was the last message Chen Jianguo sent.

The same applies to us.

Browning stared at the line of text for three seconds, then looked away, picked up his folder, and turned to leave.

Moran left the draft on the table and nodded slightly to Zhang Weiyuan as she stood up.

Harrison was the last to leave. He paused at the door, glancing back at the empty conference table and the unread Gaulish draft.

The door closed.

In the corridor, the footsteps from five directions gradually faded into the distance.

Five top-secret reports lay open on the conference table. The dome lights shone on the satellite image, showing three anomalies on three continents standing quietly in the photograph, indifferent to anyone's stance.

In their respective encrypted communication channels, the top intelligence officials of the five countries received the same message from their respective representatives at almost the same time.

If we can't reach an agreement at the table, we'll see what happens under the table.