Darkstone Code

The President, dressed in pajamas, sat in the meeting room, revealing his most disheveled side for the first time in front of everyone.

Not only him, but most of the others also appeared somewhat unkempt—some with unzipped pants, others with traces of lipstick on their faces, and some with tousled hair, showcasing their resistance and resilience against fate.

The President's face was filled with sorrow. He sat behind his desk with his arms crossed. Even though it was midsummer, he felt a chill.

To completely annihilate the Gafura Royal Navy fleet had been a dream for almost every country at some point, but now that it has become reality, it has also become a source of fear.

This is not a trivial matter; no one knows how enraged Emperor Gafura would be. Perhaps a new wave of war could break out, which seems to be the most likely scenario.

"Truman, give us some advice," the President looked at Mr. Truman.

As the highest administrative officer of the Federation's Office of International Policy/Affairs Research, he had the most authority in this area. Previously, he had accurately predicted changes in some international affairs, which had enhanced his authority on professional issues.

Mr. Truman wasn't wearing a tie. Originally, he did, but the damn silk tie was too fragile (silk referring to the material surface), or perhaps the rough calluses from years of handling weapons had been too harsh. Either way, the silk tie tore, so he simply did away with it.

He was very composed, which might be one of the few good news in the room.

"Mr. President, Cabinet Members..." he used "Cabinet Members" to refer to all cabinet members, as he didn't have time to address each of their titles and names individually. The big shots in the room showed no displeasure over this.

"This war will not break out!" Mr. Truman's tone was extremely sure, which surprised the others momentarily, but shortly afterward, the Minister of Finance voiced his doubts.

"Mr. Truman, you say this war will not break out. What basis do you have?" He was very concerned about the consequences this incident might bring. "Our comprehensive negotiations with Gafura are still ongoing..."

There are many details in the negotiations between Bail Federal and Gafura, and these negotiations are quite difficult to settle.

It's either the other party's demands are too harsh, or the Federation agrees and suffers losses.

Gafura people dislike Federation people, always feeling that once the war was over, the Federation almost simultaneously ended its isolationism just to avoid losses in the war while still wanting benefits.

Therefore, many things cannot be agreed upon. This failure to agree isn't really about not reaching a consensus; it's purely Emperor Gafura's deliberate difficulty.

Before this sea battle occurred, everyone here knew that such a battle would break out. Some were worried, some were delighted, but in general, everyone's interests were aligned.

Displaying limited strength to earn the respect of the Gafura people was everyone's thought.

Unexpectedly, this wasn't just showing strength; it was annihilation!

It is said it happened after the Gafura Royal Navy raised the white flag, indicating surrender and ceasing the fight!

This offense was too severe. Now the question isn't about finding support outside the negotiation table to pressure the Gafura people but considering whether they would tear up various treaties and unilaterally declare war.

Mr. Truman shook his head confidently again, "It won't happen. When I first learned of this, I was indeed shocked, but I quickly realized that this naval battle won't escalate."

"The myth of the invincibility of the Gafura Royal Navy was broken by us. I heard the submarines and our new torpedoes performed well?" Someone had provided ample information on his way here.

The Minister of Defense nodded, which might be one of the few good things of tonight, "Their Guardian Knight was sunk by our submarine and new torpedo."

"Look!" Mr. Truman slightly raised his voice, "The once invincible Gafura Royal Navy was defeated by our advanced military technology. As long as they haven't found a way to counter our submarines and new torpedoes, we don't need to worry about war breaking out!"

After these words were spoken, most people in the room felt a sense of relief, and upon careful consideration, it was indeed like that.

Although the Minister of Foreign Affairs was somewhat displeased that Mr. Truman not only shone in front of the President but also in front of all his peers, he had to acknowledge that Mr. Truman's analysis was accurate.

However, to show his determination to defend his power, he did find some faults, "But Gafura isn't just one person!"

He cleverly used personification here, likening a country to an individual to deepen his context, "It has many allies, and if Emperor Gafura can sacrifice part of his interests, they might very well be tempted."

Mr. Truman stared at the Minister of Foreign Affairs for a moment—it seemed impolite, but before the Minister could react, he turned to look at everyone else, "Gentlemen, we have just annihilated Gafura's First Fleet. Although there are two battleships not there, I believe that even if they were present, they wouldn't escape annihilation."

"No one would dare take action against us at this moment. As long as we show a strong diplomatic stance, for instance, actively resisting threats, no one would risk huge threats and stand side by side with Gafura."

"Gentlemen, humans are cunning and wise creatures. Smart people only stand with the victor, and right now, we are that victor!"

This statement carried great presence, and instantly the meeting room fell silent, Truman's decisive voice soothed the restless hearts.

The power of Gafura made many "people" become its allies, but these alliances are not particularly stable; some even resemble more like excuses for Gafura to collect protection money during war times.

For instance, they would ask allies to provide ports for their fleet supplies or demand more resources from allies to support their global combat plans.

If it weren't for their powerful military force, they wouldn't have so many allies.

Now, through a sea battle, the Federation proved they weren't invincible, which actually was good news for the world; at least the Federation was more approachable than Gafura.

Coupled with the severe losses each country suffered in the last World War, having not achieved all war objectives, it's unlikely another war will break out, at most, just breaking diplomatic ties.

Mr. Truman had a clear understanding of the international situation, especially after interacting with Lynch for over half a year. The "interest supremacy" philosophy gave him a new, thorough insight into international dynamics.

The fundamental purpose driving diplomatic actions between nations is more interests.

If interests don't align with a country's development needs, then such diplomatic actions won't occur, he was very certain about this.

And just then, more people arrived at the President's Mansion.

According to the Federation's charter, all first ministers of departments, after taking office, are assigned a single-family house around the President's Mansion.

The walk from these houses to the President's Mansion takes no more than ten minutes, prepared for any sudden circumstances to find relevant responsible officials. A major issue might arise if they can't be found, as it did now.

Once they retire, the Federation Government reclaims the houses and assigns them to the next first ministers. This system has been in place for a long time.

Of course, not everyone can live around the President's Mansion; some don't have such privileges, residing further away, like Lynch.

As a specially appointed consultant of the Security Committee, actively participating in constructing certain international political actions, once Mr. Truman found out about this, he immediately arranged someone to pick up Lynch.

Lynch always manages to find a new perspective, and now they need this.

On the way to the President's Mansion, Lynch roughly learned from the apologetic Security Committee Special Agent about what happened—the agent forcibly broke in, and if they hadn't immediately identified themselves, it might have triggered a small conflict.

Lynch didn't blame them; something significant must have happened for them to choose to break in instead of waiting.

After quickly changing clothes, he got into the car headed for the President's Mansion.

At that moment, after three checkpoints, the vehicle stopped outside the Presidential Mansion's gate. Lynch got out of the car and happened to look up and see Mr. Wardrick standing on the steps.

The two exchanged glances, feeling both surprised and that it was expected.

Lynch was actually quite famous in certain circles as a young man active in various radical salons, whereas Mr. Wardrick, backed by the consortium, was also involved in some defense businesses and was a national security advisor.

After exchanging nods, they entered the President's Mansion one after another; this wasn't a place to chat.

At 3 o'clock in Bupen, the air was filled with a sense of jadedness after a celebration. Lynch stood on the mansion's steps, glanced at the dark night, and then turned to walk inside.

Soon, the President had changed his outfit since those arriving were some specially appointed security advisors and people from society, the President had to ensure his attire was appropriate, and they moved to a larger conference room.

About ten minutes later, the President walked into the meeting room, and the roomful of thoughtful people stood up to show respect for the President.

The President raised his arms slightly to gesture everyone to sit down, "Please sit, ladies and gentlemen, I'll be brief; we are facing a historical decision, and I need your advice!"