Everyone's playing Red Giant? I, Black Hole, devour everything!

They had certainly heard of quasars.

Over the past few months, this name has become a sword of Damocles hanging over the heads of the entire United States.

Hearing about it is one thing, seeing it with your own eyes is another.

When the quasar finally came into view, everyone finally understood why so many quark stars had vanished in an instant.

Why would an antimatter bomb be eaten as a snack?

Why is the time-space freezer completely ineffective against it?

Because this is a power they cannot comprehend.

This is not even a celestial body they could imagine!

"Mr. President, look over there." The adjutant's voice suddenly rang out again.

The president looked in the direction his aide was pointing, and then he saw a sight that made him even more silent.

On the side of that quasar, a command ship of the Great Xia Kingdom was slowly approaching.

He knew what the Great Xia Kingdom was trying to demonstrate.

The Great Xia Kingdom doesn't need a densely packed escort fleet to set it off, nor does it need to adopt any tense stance; a single quasar is enough.

"Get ready, we're coming over." The president slowly stood up.

……

The meeting between the two sides was arranged at a neutral coordinate on the outskirts of the first star sector.

Although it was called a meeting, the two sides were actually separated by a distance of several light-years.

After all, one is the president of the United States, and the other is the highest-ranking official of the Great Xia Kingdom.

In the current state of war, allowing the two sides' entities to get too close is an unacceptable risk for both sides.

But being separated by light-years does not hinder communication.

The communication system of the cosmic will can instantly traverse cosmic-scale distances, making it seem as if the two parties are conversing face-to-face.

At this moment, Elder Chen's command ship had stopped in a vast area of ​​space.

On the main screen of the bridge, the image of the president of the United States had been connected. He was sitting in the conference room of the special ship, with the national emblem of the United States behind him, and his expression was unreadable.

On Elder Chen's side, besides Elder Chen himself, there was another person.

Lin Tian.

The president of the United States lingered on Lin Tian's image for a moment.

He knew this young man all too well.

Over the past few months, Lin Tian's photos, documents, and battle reports have practically filled his desk.

He had read and analyzed the person countless times, but when he actually saw him face to face, he still found it hard to believe.

too young.

"Mr. Chen, it's an honor to meet you," the president said first.

"President, you have come from afar. We apologize for any shortcomings in our hospitality." Old Chen's voice was unhurried, with a faint smile on his face.

The two elderly men, who had spent half their lives vying for power on the global political stage, greeted each other with impeccable politeness.

But everyone knows that these pleasantries are just a moment of calm before the storm.

"Mr. Chen, I won't bother with formalities." The president put down the documents in his hand and looked directly at the screen. "I'm sure you can guess why I'm here."

Old Chen didn't speak, but simply nodded slightly, signaling him to continue.

"The military action taken by the Great Xia Kingdom against the Sakura Kingdom has gone beyond the scope of punishment. Five star sectors have been captured, tens of thousands of observers' stars have been swallowed up, and the overall national strength rating of the Sakura Kingdom has fallen to less than half of its pre-war level."

"Old Chen, Japan cannot perish, at least not now."

Old Chen's smile remained unchanged.

The president of the United States really came for Japan.

This is exactly what he guessed.

Japan is the most important strategic foothold for the United States in the Asia-Pacific region. Once Japan is completely swallowed up by the Great Xia Kingdom, the United States' entire defense system in East Asia will collapse instantly.

But guessing their intentions doesn't mean they'll accept the request.

"Mr. President, you should be well aware of what the Sakura Kingdom did to the Great Xia Kingdom in the past."

"They launched a war, slaughtered the people of the Great Xia Kingdom, and brought immense disaster to our country! For fourteen years, blood and death shrouded the Great Xia Kingdom, and even in recent years, they have continued to provoke us."

"These accounts, one by one, are all kept by the Great Xia Kingdom."

"Now, tell me, can the land of cherry blossoms not perish?"

"Mr. President, this war has dragged on for so long that it cannot be stopped by just a few words. The debt that the Sakura Kingdom owes the Great Xia Kingdom must be repaid. No one else has the right or the ability to stop it."

The president remained silent.

He knew, of course, that what Old Chen said was true.

The Great Xia Kingdom did give the Sakura Kingdom a chance, but the Sakura Kingdom itself shattered those chances time and time again.

Now that the Great Xia Kingdom has reached the Eighth Star District and is about to flatten the entire Sakura Kingdom, it would be impossible for anyone in Elder Chen's position to agree to stop it at this time.

"Elder Chen, I know that the Great Xia Kingdom has every reason to continue fighting." The president took a deep breath.

"But the international situation isn't just something you and I can decide. If Japan collapses completely, the balance of power in East Asia will be broken. At that point, not only Japan, but also Russia, the British Empire, the Gallic Empire... everyone will be dragged into it."

"I'm not threatening you, I'm just stating a fact."

"If this war continues to escalate, the consequences will benefit no one."

Old Chen shook his head: "Mr. President, the Great Xia Kingdom is not a warlike country. We have never wanted to escalate the war, much less drag other countries into it."

"Therefore, I can make a promise to you here."

"In the upcoming war, as long as your country's stars do not launch an attack on the Great Xia Kingdom or linger near the battlefield, we can guarantee that we will not take action against them."

"If your country has stars stationed in the star sector of the Sakura Kingdom, we can give you time to allow them to evacuate safely."

"Apart from that—there is no possibility that this war will end."

With these words, Old Chen's attitude couldn't be clearer.

The Great Xia Kingdom can give you face and allow your people to withdraw safely.

But you want us to stop? No way.

The president remained silent for a long time.

So long that the images on the screen seemed to freeze.

No one knows what he's thinking.

But Lin Tian could guess a few things.

The president of the United States is probably in a much more difficult situation than he makes it out to outsiders.

For the United States, Japan is more than just an ally on the map.

It is a strategic fulcrum that the United States has cultivated in the Asia-Pacific region for decades, the first line of defense to contain the eastward expansion of the Great Xia Kingdom, and an indispensable part of the United States' global hegemonic system.

The entire military deployment, intelligence network, and economic chain of the United States in the Asia-Pacific region are all centered around Japan as a pivotal point.

Once this foothold is uprooted, the United States will completely lose its foothold in the Asia-Pacific region.

By then, let alone restraining the Great Xia Kingdom, they won't even be able to maintain their own influence.

But what difference does it make to the Great Xia Kingdom whether or not this fulcrum exists?

The Black Hole Legion of the Great Xia Kingdom has already proven one thing on the battlefield—in the face of absolute power, any strategic foothold is meaningless.

Even if Japan were to intervene directly, let alone Japan, it wouldn't be able to stop the Black Hole Legion's advance.

The president couldn't possibly be unaware of this principle.

"Elder Chen," the president finally spoke again, his voice a few decibels lower than before, "I know that Great Xia now has the confidence, and I also know that what Japan did to you in the past cannot be forgotten with just a few words. But—why bother?"

"Our two countries have been battling on the global stage for decades, Mr. Chen. Have you ever considered what if we did it differently?"

"What method?" Old Chen raised an eyebrow slightly.

Just as the president was about to speak, Lin Tian, ​​who was standing behind Elder Chen, suddenly spoke up.

"Mr. President, Mr. President, you've come all the way from the United States, surely not just to mediate the war in the United States?"

The president's gaze sharpened slightly.

Lin Tian continued, "You should be well aware of the Great Xia Kingdom's stance. There is absolutely no room for negotiation regarding the Sakura Kingdom. If your true purpose in coming here is merely mediation, then I can tell you now—it's unnecessary. This war will not end!"

"So, if you have anything else to say, please feel free to speak up."