Chapter 336: We Must Take the Initiative

Li Weiguo did not say much more, only gripping Petrov's hand tightly:

"Thank you, my friend. The people of Long Country will not forget the kindness shown today."

Days later, in the special conference room at the headquarters of the Long Country Ministry of State Security, the atmosphere was suffocatingly heavy.

Minister Zhang, the Military Representative, and several high-ranking officials listened to Li Weiguo's report with grim expressions; the room was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.

"This letter has already undergone three rounds of verification," Li Weiguo concluded,

"Information from all aspects can mutually corroborate it. We have reason to believe that Di Guo is indeed planning to use biochemical weapons against our country."

"Those lunatics!" Minister Zhang slammed his fist onto the table, "They can't afford to lose, so they want to drag all of humanity down with them!"

The old general, the Military Representative, had a livid complexion: "Long Country has experienced hardships since ancient times, but it has never faced such a deranged enemy. This is no longer war; it is naked genocide!"

"We must report this to the higher-ups immediately," Minister Zhang took a deep breath, struggling to remain calm, "At the same time, we need to urgently formulate a response plan."

Half an hour later, an emergency meeting was held at a secret location.

When Di Guo's biochemical weapon plan was announced, the entire conference room fell into a brief, deathly silence, followed by an eruption of angry roars.

"Di Guo is trying to wipe us out!" an old cadre shouted, his hair standing on end, "Have they abandoned even the most basic humanity?"

"We must act immediately," the Military Commander slammed the table and stood up,

"I propose that we immediately mobilize the nation's strength to prepare for defense against a biochemical weapon attack. At the same time, we should consider a preemptive strike to give the enemy a head-on blow!"

The conference room suddenly boiled over, with various opinions interweaving.

Just then, a calm voice broke the chaos.

"Everyone," Li Mingyuan stood up and looked around at the group, "Rather than passive defense, it is better to take the initiative."

Everyone quieted down, watching this prodigy who had recently led Long Country to a series of technological breakthroughs.

"The reason Di Guo dares to use biochemical weapons is because they believe we lack the ability to strike back," Li Mingyuan analyzed,

"But they are wrong. The Long Country of today is no longer a lamb waiting to be slaughtered."

He walked to the map and pointed to several key points in Di Guo: "According to intelligence, Di Guo's biochemical weapons are mainly researched and stored at these bases. If we can destroy these bases before they launch their attack, we can nip their conspiracy in the bud."

"That is impossible," a general shook his head, "These bases are all on Di Guo's home soil, heavily defended, and we do not have the capability to strike such distant targets."

Li Mingyuan smiled slightly: "No, we do."

He turned to Minister Zhang: "Remember our 'Thunder Strike-1' missile? It has already proven that it can accurately sink a Di Guo aircraft carrier from 300 kilometers away. Now, we can modify it to carry a special warhead, allowing it to strike more distant land targets."

The conference room boiled over again, but this time it was filled with the flames of hope.

"You mean we can use missiles to directly strike bases in Di Guo's rear?" Minister Zhang asked excitedly.

"Exactly," Li Mingyuan nodded confidently, "We can strike first and let them taste their own bitter fruit."

"But this would be a direct strike against Di Guo," a diplomat said worriedly, "It could trigger a full-scale war."

Li Mingyuan sneered: "They are planning to kill our civilians with biochemical weapons; this is already a naked act of war. Our counterattack is merely legitimate self-defense."

He looked around at everyone: "Most importantly, we must make Di Guo understand that Long Country is not to be bullied. Today they dare to use biochemical weapons, tomorrow they will dare to use mushroom weapons. If we do not teach them a profound lesson, they will only become more unscrupulous."

The Military Commander stood up and said firmly: "Chief Engineer Li is right. Since the enemy has chosen the most despicable means, do not blame us for not following the rules. I support the preemptive strike plan!"

As the discussion deepened, the meeting finally reached a consensus: authorizing Li Mingyuan to urgently form a special task force to modify and upgrade the "Thunder Strike-1" missile, preparing for a precision strike on Di Guo's biochemical weapon bases.

After the meeting ended, Li Mingyuan stood alone in front of the window, looking at the distant lights.

He shook his head, casting aside these distracting thoughts: "Whatever, the most important thing now is to protect Long Country and not let those lunatics succeed."

Taking a deep breath, Li Mingyuan turned and left, his mind already beginning to conceive the specific plan for modifying the "Thunder Strike-1".

The next morning, at the Northeast Military Industrial Base.

Li Mingyuan had not slept all night; just as the sky was beginning to brighten, he was already standing at the laboratory entrance, waiting for the team members to arrive.

His eyes were bloodshot, but his gaze was more determined than ever.

"Chief Engineer Li, have you... not slept all night?" Lao Liu was the first to arrive, and seeing Li Mingyuan's appearance, he could not help but ask with concern.

"Yes, there are some ideas that must be verified immediately." Li Mingyuan raised his hand to check his watch, "Where are the others?"

"They are all on their way. Hearing there was an emergency mission, everyone set off early."

In less than half an hour, the laboratory was packed with people, each of their faces written with confusion and anticipation.

"Comrades," Li Mingyuan looked around at everyone, his tone unprecedentedly serious, "We are facing an unprecedented challenge."

He briefly introduced Di Guo's biochemical weapon plan, and a burst of angry curses erupted among the listeners.

"Animals!"

"Is this something a human would do?"

"Those Di Guo bastards are truly fucking deranged!"

Li Mingyuan raised his hand to signal for silence: "Anger cannot solve the problem; we need action. The higher-ups have approved my proposal—to modify the Thunder Strike-1 missile and conduct a precision strike on Di Guo's rear bases."

The laboratory fell instantly silent; everyone was shocked by this bold plan.

"Strike... strike Di Guo's rear bases?" a young engineer asked stutteringly, "Won't this trigger a full-scale war?"

Li Mingyuan sneered: "They are preparing to kill hundreds of thousands of our civilians with biochemical weapons; this is already a full-scale war. Our counterattack is merely self-defense."

He walked to the blackboard and began to draw quickly:

"We need to modify the 'Thunder Strike-1' in three aspects: first, increase the range from 300 kilometers to at least 600 kilometers; second, change the warhead design so it can carry high-explosive bombs; third, upgrade the guidance system to improve strike precision against fixed targets."

His chalk moved rapidly across the blackboard, and a complex design drawing soon appeared: "I have named this modified version 'Air Strike-1', meaning to strike the enemy precisely from the air."