American Strategic Deception Bureau

　Firi explained, "Secondly, Mr. Hefner, haven't you been to the East Coast in a long time? The United States today is no longer the United States of a few years ago. The entire East Coast is in chaos. How can we hold a conference with such a poor security situation?"

　Dr. Kissinger had originally wanted to hold this annual national conference for people with superpowers in Connecticut, where he lives. However, the local governor had recently been assassinated, and there was a street fight between police and the Terrorist Squad... so they had to wait until the next annual conference—if there was one.

　In the United States today, the political bottom line of "fighting without breaking" has been completely shattered. Assassinations and attacks are a recurring phenomenon between corporations, political families, and governors and presidents, and small-scale armed conflicts continue. Firi alone knows of dozens of governors, mayors, and congressmen who were secretly assassinated or warned by President Nixon.

　Of course, President Nixon's closest associates were also constantly at risk. For example, in the past year, New York City has had eight mayors, only two of whom left office safely. Six Secretaries of Defense and five Attorneys General have also been replaced. Even now, shootings and clashes occur monthly inside the Pentagon, with officers often found dead in their offices or hallways.

　If the political struggle at the top is so brutal, the struggle at the bottom will be even more direct and cruel.

　There was even an absurd incident where a hardcore and ruthless gangster who had just led his men to kill half of the police station a few days ago wore a police badge and became the chief of the police station a few days later.

　Dr. Kissinger once sent someone to investigate Connecticut, where he originally lived, and discovered that 80% of state legislators were not elected but illegally self-appointed. Furthermore, over 60% of state legislators had homicide cases, and 50% of judges were appointed illegally, many of whom were illiterate.

　Since the quality of judges is so terrible, how can the social security situation be good?

　A military coup even broke out in Maine not long ago. The commander of the National Guard sent troops to occupy the state government, forced the governor to resign, and dissolved the state legislature by force... However, the coup army also promised that after six weeks of state of emergency, new elections would be held to return power to the people.

　Therefore, Washington has been arguing endlessly about whether this "Maine Military Government" is a rebel armed force and has been reluctant to issue an order to attack it.

　In short, everyone has grass in their hearts, is becoming more and more unruly, and is using illegal means and violent assassinations to seize power.

　Holding a grand gathering in such a chaotic social atmosphere is obviously likely to cause trouble, resulting in all kinds of farces or even tragedies.

　The West Coast, being farther from the political center, was relatively stable. Furthermore, Fieri, the initiator of the conference, was based in Los Angeles. Consequently, Washington bureaucrats, unwilling to take responsibility, ultimately handed the matter back to Fieri, leaving him in Los Angeles with full responsibility for organizing the conference.

　"But didn't a supernatural disaster break out in Los Angeles recently? Hundreds of people were killed or injured!"

　Hugh Hefner frowned and asked, "An ugly monster suddenly appeared in reality and started killing people on the streets of Los Angeles! This scene, which was like the beginning of a superhero comic, scared a lot of people." As he spoke, he handed a piece of cut newspaper to Fili.

　Fili took the newspaper from the other person and saw that it was a special report from The Washington Post - When the nightmare comes to Los Angeles: the supernatural crisis is reshaping the social order in the United States, and mankind has officially entered the "era of supernatural crisis."

　Unlike the TV news and Los Angeles newspapers that Fieri had watched before, this report did not dwell on the bloody rampage of the "stinking monster" at the Blue Lizard Motel. Instead, it focused on the psychological shock and cognitive collapse of ordinary citizens after the incident.

　Before this bloody tragedy broke out, although Americans already knew that they lived in a world with mysterious supernatural powers, they also believed that those supernatural disasters were far away from ordinary people like them and did not need to pay much attention to them.

　But now the foul-smelling monsters that appeared on the streets of Los Angeles and killed hundreds of people in one breath broke the seal of their thinking and shook the beliefs and concepts of many people. This in turn reflected in the economy, causing the Dow Jones Index to plummet 5% in one day, and the prices of canned goods and bullets to hit new highs.

　The Los Angeles police force was also broken by the heavy casualties. In addition to the casualties, three SWAT teams resigned en masse due to mental breakdown.

　The Ministry of Finance issued an emergency statement, stating that supernatural threats have upended traditional economic models. Sociologists are even more pessimistic, stating that when supernatural beings, time travelers, and demons descend upon the mortal world, mortals will be no more than pawns on a chessboard, mere dust stirred up by our breath.

　“When supernatural events become part of our daily lives, civilization must learn to coexist with the absurd in an eternal cycle of deconstruction and reconstruction.”

　Fili looked at the newspaper and read a passage, "That's well written, but just like you couldn't avoid World War II when you were young, and my generation couldn't avoid the Vietnam War, the emergence of supernatural events will become a daily routine in the new era, just like natural disasters.

　In the face of a changing world, turning a blind eye is the worst option. We must face this new era squarely and not bury our heads in the sand.

　What's more, compared with economic collapse and political turmoil, simple extraordinary disasters are probably far from being terrible.

　Fear comes from the unknown. The only way to eliminate people’s fear of supernatural events is not to hide them, but to make them public!”

　"Well, you're right. A bad government is far more terrifying than a hundred demons. The daily casualties during the Vietnam War were probably far greater than those caused by a demonic riot, yet people regarded it as normal. So..."

　Hugh Hefner nodded, "Let the extraordinary be the extraordinary, and the mundane be the mundane..."

　-

　Just as Philippe Castro and Hugh Hefner were chatting and laughing by the swimming pool on the boat, admiring the poolside scenery composed of a group of handsome men and beautiful women, his nostrils suddenly fluttered a few times, and he smelled the aroma of roasted ribs mixed with the water vapor and salt in the sea breeze.

　Looking back, I saw the chef, wearing a white cylindrical hat, flipping a cast iron grill pan behind the open-air cooking station at the stern. Butter popped onto the surface of the bone-in steak, creating a delicate golden bloom. With a flick of the chef's knife, the charred, reddish steak fluttered like a leaf onto the bone china plate.

　"Ah, the steaks are already grilled! It's time for our luncheon to officially begin!"

　Firi said this, said goodbye to Hugh Hefner, and then turned and walked into the bridge's control room.

　Next, accompanied by the sound of bells played from speakers throughout the ship, a specially made giant champagne bottle poured down a special slide.

　The amber liquid gathers into a dazzling vortex in the champagne pyramid formed by stacking glass goblets.

　The next moment, the ball hanging on the top of the yacht's mast suddenly opened, and a shower of shiny confetti fell.

　At this time, Phiri, who had changed into a snow-white military uniform, came to a pre-set microphone in his public identity as the former commander of the US Forces in Vietnam, and with a smile on his face, delivered a warm welcome speech to the more than 200 "Tantric masters" and "representatives of emerging practice groups" who came to participate in this "yacht party", as well as more than 100 other guests. He especially thanked several important figures for attending the party.

　Then, the mayor of Los Angeles, a paranormal "research expert" from the American Academy of Sciences, and a White House adviser came up to speak one after another.

　As we all know, unless they are election campaigns, the impromptu speeches of leaders of various countries are usually long, boring and uninspiring.

　——Those speeches that sound exciting usually have their manuscripts drafted in advance by professionals.

　So, after three or four big names’ “hypnotic” speeches, the guests were already feeling sleepy and their eyelids were drooping.

　Seeing this, Fili quickly gave a signal, and then deafening rock music rang out on the ship. A group of heavily made-up Playboy girls walked out of the cabin in a cat-like manner and danced samba on the deck or pole dancing with their arms around the pillars...

　The guests at the scene were finally refreshed, feeling a bit of a party atmosphere again. The lively young people among them drank champagne and swayed to the music. In addition, some people took the initiative to jump onto the stage and dance with the dancers.

　But Hugh Hefner pulled Fili to a quiet corner and whispered, "I just looked around and found that everyone attending the party is from Canada. There's not a single European, not even a Canadian! Doesn't that feel a bit off?"

　Every year at the Oscars, there are a lot of foreigners walking the red carpet. How come there is not a single foreign visitor at your rally?

　Isn’t this too closed?”

　"Well, you have to look at this. What time is it now? President Nixon just nuked Europe and stabbed France in the back!"

　Hearing this, Firi couldn't help but smile bitterly. "Nowadays, all international cooperation projects led by Europe and the United States have basically collapsed or frozen. Even NATO has been paralyzed. How dare I invite guests from Europe to the Extraordinary Gathering? What if they deliberately want to cause trouble?"

　"That's true," the Playboy owner smacked his lips. "Even if the US economy was in dire straits, President Nixon's treatment of Europe was truly disgraceful. We're all liberal allies with shared values, so why did it have to come to this?"

　"Shared values? What shared values?" Firi smiled. "Those are just European flattery to fool the US, tricks and sleights of hand to trick the US into working for old Europe for nothing! In my opinion, Washington should have taken drastic measures against Europe a long time ago!"

　At the end of World War II, they should not have been intimidated by Charles de Gaulle, but should have directly revoked France's status as one of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, reducing the number of permanent members from five to four..."

　-

　During the Cold War, as the two superpowers, the United States and the Soviet Union, engaged in a fierce competition to prove the superiority of their respective social systems and ideologies, in areas ranging from the deep sea to outer space, from computers to automation, from nuclear weapons to nuclear power plants, from progressive equality to citizen welfare, and even supernatural powers... other Third World countries, lacking the confidence or strength to participate in this all-encompassing competition among superpowers, could only watch with envy.

　After the Second World War, the old European nations, in their efforts to rebuild national and civilizational confidence, in the early years of the Cold War, the 1950s, Britain and France, still lagging behind the United States and the Soviet Union, also worked hard to develop nuclear weapons and nuclear power plants, expand the aerospace industry, and produce jet aircraft and nuclear submarines. Germany and Italy, as defeated nations, faced various restrictions but also showed great enthusiasm for economic recovery.

　But after a few years, these European countries could no longer compete in this performance competition because of their population and size, which could not compare with those of the United States and the Soviet Union.

　However, how can we make these arrogant old European upper-class people admit that they are not as good as the Russians in Eastern Europe and the American cowboys in the New World?

　This is also absolutely not allowed.

　What to do? Easy, just change the track!

　Since it’s no longer possible to achieve performance in a pragmatic way, let’s just pursue idealism in a theoretical way!

　Since then, Europeans have gradually stopped speaking from the perspective of strength. Instead, they have begun to talk about concepts such as freedom, equality, human rights, progressivism, and environmentalism. The United States has also evolved from a barbarian, previously despised by Europeans, to a nouveau riche that can eat at the same table.

　Then, in order to deal with the behemoth "Soviet Union", Europe's "great scholars" decided to tie the United States completely to the chariot, and began to promote the existence of common values ​​​​between Europe and the United States, and that everyone belongs to the same civilization system, using "empty winning theory" to gradually brainwash the United States.

　There is no other way. A bunch of small and medium-sized countries in Europe cannot compete with the Soviet Union in its heyday, so they have to cling to the United States!

　But if Europe relies on the United States and does not want the United States to exploit too many benefits from Europe, what should it do?

　It's very simple. Just imitate the Indian caste system, let Europe be the Brahmins and concentrate on chanting scriptures, and let the United States be the Kshatriyas and do various jobs, isn't that enough?

　As we all know, the Kshatriyas must obey the orders of the Brahmins!

　In this way, under the deception of the empty winning theory of "common values" of European scholars, the United States has gradually moved away from reality and become more and more confident and inflated, adding the halo of freedom and democracy to itself, and then deducing that it is a morally perfect person and everything it does is right, which is a closed loop of winning theory.

　What we hear every day is that the United States has won, the United States is the sun of the world, and the light of human civilization.

　From then on, America became a winning idol. As the embodiment of winning, he was invincible, unstoppable, and absolutely perfect in this winning philosophy, attracting countless fervent fans with daily excitement and countless fan clubs spontaneously emerging around the world.

　But idols are only glamorous on the surface. The agents who launch the idols and the planning teams of the performances are the ones who really profit behind the scenes.

　So, in this Germanic theory of victory, the United States, the naive and innocent figure thrust into the foreground, appears glorious, flaunting itself, but in reality is merely a worker. Europe, despite its peaceful and military prowess, is a completely impoverished nation rebuilt from the ruins of World War II. Instead, it dumps all costs onto the United States, while relying on the global system built by the United States to reap the lion's share.

　Even within the United States itself, there are a bunch of bootlickers who worship British aristocrats and French gentlemen.

　American Jewish financial capital and some international capitalists, in cahoots with the old European aristocrats, act as major Brahmin shareholders, do not engage in production, but rely solely on exporting ideology and selling the superiority of Western civilization to make money, obtaining astronomical profits without any investment.

　Meanwhile, pro-American groups in various countries have gone from being rational, clinging to power, to becoming fanboys brainwashed by that set of values. While on the surface they appear even more fanatically pro-American, the mental poisoning has also made them even more useless, with only the desire to cling to the US, doing nothing and reaping the benefits. What use is there for the US in having such useless pro-Americans?

　Because of this winning theory, the United States itself gained the name but lost the benefits. In the end, even though it won, ordinary Americans did not feel like they had won at all.

　You have to know that in the past, the world hegemon had to be paid tribute by the whole world.

　For example, Rome's conquest of the Mediterranean brought not only the "Roman Peace" but also Roman extortion and exploitation to the surrounding provinces. Spain conquered the Americas, and Spanish treasure ships, carrying tribute of gold and silver from the Americas, plying the Atlantic for three hundred years, plundering the Americas to their uttermost. The British Empire dominated the seven seas, and India became a British treasure trove. The products of Latin America and Africa were also imported into Britain.

　Plunder, colonization and massacre are the true nature of imperialism!

　But since the Cold War began, when the two superpowers, the United States and the Soviet Union, competed for hegemony, the hegemonic power had to continuously provide massive amounts of aid to its vassal states. From India to the Middle East to Africa, the United States and the Soviet Union competed to spend money around the world, while their own economies were severely damaged.

　The Western world knew how poor life was for the Soviet people; and the lives of ordinary Americans were obviously not as good as those in old Europe.

　In another timeline, the US had a stronger foundation and relatively less expenditure. So, despite being deceived by Europe and imbued with Germanic triumphs, it managed to survive until the end of the Cold War, and then benefited from the disintegration of the Soviet Union. Finally, during the Trump administration, it was completely unable to deceive anyone.

　After all, for residents of a superpower, the psychological comfort of winning far outweighs the actual gains and losses. Unless the realities of life become so difficult that they can no longer deceive themselves, those who have been fooled into licking dogs by the theory of winning will finally wake up.

　After all, the United States is a city on a hill and the chosen nation. Even if the lives of the American people continue to get worse, it will take many years for them to reach rock bottom.

　But in this dimension, because both the Cuban invasion and the Vietnam War became nuclear wars, their scale expanded more than tenfold, and the war costs soared dozens of times, the American people were already overwhelmed by the end of the 1960s. They began to realize that they had been fooled - win, win, win! When did the United States ever win? It was clear that all the benefits went to the European losers! So we sent the troops, the Americans died on the battlefield, and the Europeans reaped the benefits?

　What about freedom, democracy, progressivism, and environmentalism? America is awesome because of its advanced technology, large population, world-leading economy (GDP), and world-leading military. It doesn't represent freedom, democracy, civilization, or shared values. America itself is Manifest Destiny!

　We are going to bully the weak and take back all the benefits!

　Of course, this trend of awakening sycophants has severely damaged the interests of Europeans, as well as those of Wall Street and the Deep State. To stifle the awakening of American sycophants, they've even gone so far as to launch a second American civil war. The problem is, you can't beat a sycophant with a stick, especially not one that's already awakened. The best you can do is turn them into masochists.

　Therefore, all efforts by the Democratic Party to curb the United States' shift to conservatism have failed, and Old Europe has fallen into panic.

　After all, let's be honest, great nations with vast territories and populations like the United States and the Soviet Union don't need to engage in some kind of "winning theory." The sheer power of a superpower means they inevitably win the vast majority of the time. There's no need to even assume or fantasize about winning.

　But this bunch of poor people in Europe are different. If they don't fantasize, they really can't win.

　——The Soviet Union

　A greedy polar bear was watching nearby, waiting to nibble on it piece by piece.

　But now, they have messed up the art of winning and are being bitten by both the American cowboys and the Russian bear. It is no use talking about common values ​​at this time.

　Just like the Indians back then, even if they converted to Christianity, they still couldn't save their scalps as long as the Americans were determined.

　Because President Nixon had developed a new philosophy of winning, namely "American exceptionalism" and "whatever America does is right."

　So, even if the US government decides to degrade you old Europeans into colonies, it would be just—you Europeans have been colonizers for so many years. Now it's time to taste the feeling of being plundered and exploited, right?

　But at the moment, Europeans are still unwilling to accept their tragic fate and are still raging and throwing tantrums.

　As a result, cooperation between the United States and Europe in the field of supernatural becomes impossible - and Firi doesn't want to put his efforts into something that is not accepted by the public!

　Chapter 636: The Snow Wind Award for Superpowers (Part 2)

　Although the "American Supernatural Power Forum" held on the Yukikaze did not have any foreign guests from Europe, Australia, Latin America or other places, according to traditional views, it seemed a bit low-class and not "international" enough.

　But no matter what, this is ultimately an extraordinary rally with official endorsement from the United States.

　Moreover, no matter from which angle you look at it, there are many highlights that can fully attract the eye.

　Apart from anything else, the mere sight of so many handsome men and beautiful women who have mastered the "Tantric mental method" and are naked in broad daylight, boldly showing off their beautiful bodies, is enough to make many repressed and coquettish people's eyes light up, their crotches swell up, and they almost bleed from the nose.

　Hugh Hefner also told Ferry that with the footage shot by his photographers on the Yukikaze, along with music and narration, they could make a special Playboy documentary that could be shown in theaters and on late-night television shows and was guaranteed to be a huge hit.

　Before the widespread use of videotapes and DVDs, the hardcore romantic action films of the 1960s and 1970s were also only shown on the big screen in theaters, either in small underground theaters or in late-night screenings at major cinemas.

　Of course, while it looked like a Playboy pool party, it was ultimately a formal annual meeting.

　So, after the lively pole dancing and samba performances came to an end, and the dancers, who were almost naked, retreated back into the cabin like a tide, Ferry walked up to the stage again and gave an award speech with a smile to the extraordinary people who came to the meeting.

　——The Oscars have the Golden Image Award, and the Supernatural Power Forum naturally has the Snow Wind Award: This name sounds very auspicious!

　I believe that after receiving such an auspicious award, the winner will surely step on his or her fellow losers and continue to move forward bravely, and have a safe journey, right?

　"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Yukikaze! Welcome to this memorable gathering! Cheers!"

　"Cheers!" All the participants, regardless of gender, naked or dressed, raised their glasses in response.

　After downing a glass of champagne and finishing his toast, Fieri casually put down his glass and continued speaking into the microphone: "Although it's been less than ten years since the official advent of supernatural powers, it has already profoundly changed our world! Countless aspiring young people have abandoned their clothes, pants, and shoes to cultivate supernatural powers day and night with their lovers, thereby contributing to the public and the country!"

　Some people with old-fashioned ideas find this unbearable, but reality cannot be changed; times have changed. Just as the number of cadavers a surgeon dissects determines his medical proficiency, the number of "Tantric Masters" among the public determines America's standing in the paranormal realm.

　Today, a race to study and apply supernatural powers has begun on Earth! Please don't scoff! This is a world-class competition on par with the Space Race and the Nuclear Warfare Race! Only the cost of participation is lower, and more participants are entering!

　India, Brazil, Thailand, Venezuela, even the Dominican Republic and Haiti, are all developing their own ambitious plans to popularize superpower cultivation! Even the poorest countries in the world, as long as they have a sufficient population, can compete with the United States on the same level!

　In the past, children wrote to NASA, asking why the federal government spent so much money to send a spacecraft to the moon instead of providing welfare to poor children across the United States. But now, no one should ask why we should develop super powers, right?

　After all, there are already millions of patients across the country who have recovered their health due to extraordinary powers, and millions more are waiting in line!

　Regarding those petitioners who, under the pretext of morality and customs, are demanding the abolition of the practice of "Tantric Masters," I suggest they go to the hospitals and persuade patients awaiting treatment that as long as all patients are willing to die peacefully, then the practice and popularization of supernatural powers doesn't seem particularly necessary.

　Fili jokingly said this, causing a few awkward laughs from the audience, "Ladies and gentlemen, those who reject supernatural powers are actually just afraid of the unknown. Since ancient times, mankind's fear of the unknown has never evolved; only the name of the devil has changed.

　For example, in 1787, the first hot air balloon in the United States was launched in Philadelphia.

　When the city was launched into the sky, the onlookers shouted that it was the devil's evil creation and demanded that it be burned. But now, we can only think that these ancient people were ridiculous.