Chapter Seventy-Nine: Humanity's Response Plan

None of the major authorities held a press conference immediately; while one reason was to concentrate their efforts on handling the emergency, another was that they sensed something was amiss.

The superhuman organizations of various countries exchanged information with each other and compiled a detailed list of where the monster attacks had erupted—over forty cities worldwide had been struck. While this number might not seem large, every single one of these cities was a metropolis with a population of ten million or more, or at least close to that number.

Cities capable of holding such vast populations are, by definition, crucial players on the world stage, and the nations they belong to likewise hold significant influence. The fact that monster attacks broke out exclusively in these cities was clearly the result of meticulous planning—a move designed to make an unforgettable impact.

It was much like the logic of kidnappers: only those with wealth and power are worth capturing, for that brings greater ransom and higher status in their circles.

As organizations specialized in confronting monster incidents, the superhuman agencies of various countries had in-depth knowledge of these creatures. Though they were reluctant to admit it, in recent years the monsters’ aggression had indeed waned.

Judging from their mastery of “evolution” drugs and related biochemical technologies, these monsters, if they had ever chosen to release such mutagenic substances freely—or worse, to launch indiscriminate terror attacks with even more destructive and reckless drugs—human society would have been thrown into chaos.

Superhuman organizations knew that monsters had leaders, and no small amount of intelligence. Just as each country had its specialized organizations, there were also transnational ones. The largest and most sophisticated among them was “Evolution”—those very pills were its product.

If these creatures had truly exhausted every trick in the book, as humans might imagine, the situation would have escalated long ago. Yet, the monster faction had held back. Was there internal power struggle and mutual restraint, leading to the previous standoff? Perhaps this sudden assault signaled a decisive shift, and now they were ready for an all-out confrontation with humanity.

Though this was still speculation among the major organizations, it was not outside the realm of possibility. At the very least, the surprise attacks delivered a resounding message: We are stepping onto the stage.

In the face of such circumstances, governments could only brace themselves for battle, however reluctantly. According to ancestral records, there had never been peaceful coexistence between extraterrestrial monsters and Earth’s creatures. It was always a zero-sum game—if not mutual destruction, then the collapse of Earth’s environment and the demise of both sides.

The more than forty directly attacked cities were already under martial law, and other cities had begun to tighten security as well. Still, the situation varied from country to country.

After the Great Qin Nation declared martial law in its cities, people who had been panicking and uncertain suddenly breathed a sigh of relief. The future remained uncertain, but with the army deployed, most believed that things would not spiral out of control.

Elsewhere, it was a different story. In some foreign cities, the response was comparatively subdued—there was a run on guns and toilet paper, and people stayed indoors as much as possible. But in others, the public was thrown into even greater chaos.

Recent updates showed that some had already taken to the streets, with armed groups asserting they could protect themselves and demanding the army withdraw. Others believed the entire crisis was a hoax, that monsters did not exist at all. In places like these, stalemates quickly developed.

——

Dongyuan City, 11:30 p.m. that night.

Zhou Shu sat in the "Special Police" armored vehicle of the Demon Suppression Bureau, watching the military and police vehicles stationed at key intersections or patrolling ceaselessly, along with the various transports belonging to official organizations, and finally felt a sense of relief.

Dongyuan City had performed admirably this time. The bureau’s warriors, having worked tirelessly all afternoon, could finally rest and leave order maintenance to the military and police.

With the authorities now in control, the whole Dongyuan branch of the Demon Suppression Bureau returned to base. They would await further orders from above and convene to discuss their own future strategies.

The Great Qin Nation had over a dozen cities with populations exceeding ten million, which accounted for 30% of those attacked this time. Fortunately, the national response was swift—though results in other cities were not as positive as in Dongyuan, the mere presence of the military and police quickly restored calm.

Now, all awaited the official statement. If the authorities mishandled the aftermath, a new wave of unrest could easily follow.

Indeed, the government was urgently convening meetings to discuss all possible solutions, but the top priority was to reassure the populace—to demonstrate the state’s strength and ability to protect them.

With information flooding the internet, citizens were bombarded with news of dubious veracity. Yet, regardless of truth or rumor, the impression of monsters as powerful and savage had taken hold in the public psyche.

People also realized that conventional weapons seemed... ineffective.

It wasn’t that conventional arms lacked power, but that they could not hit monsters that moved with such speed.

And by “conventional,” that included armed warriors as well.

If only standard combat capabilities were displayed, people would inevitably ask pointed questions:

“You want us to trust these warriors, but why did you have to blow up an entire building just to kill a single small monster?”

“If monsters show up here, are you going to blow up our buildings too?”

Given such concerns, world leaders were actively considering whether to reveal the existence of “superhuman warriors.”

“Monsters are formidable, but so are we. These superhuman warriors have been protecting us all along.”

——

At the same time, they could showcase more powerful firearms, sturdier armored vehicles, or have their country’s most advanced fighter jets take to the skies, all to ease public anxiety.

Compared to other countries, the Great Qin Nation possessed even more compelling material: footage of battles featuring powered exoskeleton armor. Unlike standard weapons, these exoskeletons were the stuff of science fiction—and being mass-producible, their reassuring effect was even greater.

Additionally, Dongyuan City’s flawless clean-up operation—eliminating every single monster at the outbreak site—had been recorded and could be released to further stabilize public morale.

The scenes of exoskeleton-clad warriors sealing entrances with explosive firepower and executing precise, lethal shots were especially awe-inspiring.

Of course, the moment when three missiles detonated at once, generating smoke that obscured the warriors’ vision, was somewhat awkward, but that segment could be edited out. Instead, they could fast-forward to the exoskeleton squad storming the pharmaceutical company and rescuing survivors.

When Zhou Shu returned by car to the Demon Suppression Bureau, he could clearly sense that the place was more crowded than usual. The warriors’ moods were generally stable; some rested in their dorms, while others, unable to remain idle, trained in the exercise facilities.

When Sun Congliang came clattering in, everyone turned to look.

“Well, old Sun, looks like you’re going to be famous this time!” a familiar comrade said.

“What do you mean?” Sun Congliang replied, puzzled.

“Head to the conference room. The director said to come see them when you got back—you and Captain Zhou both,” another chimed in.

Hearing this, the two made for the conference room. Sun Congliang was about to remove his bloodstained exoskeleton, but the messenger stopped him. “Keep it on. The folks inside like that sort of thing. If you want to be famous, you’ll need that suit.”

Puzzled, the two entered the room, which was crowded—not only with the elusive director and the more familiar deputy director, but also two men in black suits they’d never seen before.

They sat at the head of the table.

Also present were all the demon-suppressing officers and trainees of the Dongyuan branch, the captains and vice-captains of each team, and the heads of the technical department and the exoskeleton modification project.

The director invited them to sit, even arranging for Sun Congliang a specially reinforced chair.

“All right, everyone is here and time is of the essence. Let our colleagues from headquarters explain the ‘Starmaker Project.’”

He pointed at Zhou Shu and Sun Congliang. “These two are the key figures in this operation.”