Chapter 364: Internal Deliberations

"I heard," a veteran said mysteriously, "Li Mingyuan is no ordinary person; he can foresee the future and knows every step of the Di Guo's plans!"

Such absurd rumors would usually be scoffed at, but in the face of constant defeats and shocking news, they actually began to be taken seriously by some soldiers.

Fear and uncertainty began to spread through the Di Guo army.

Frontline commanders tried to control the situation, but with little effect.

Some units even saw small-scale mutinies, with soldiers refusing to follow orders that might lead them to face the Mushroom.

"Long Country has gone mad; this time things are really going to be turned upside down!" This sentence was repeated constantly in the Di Guo frontline camps, becoming a lingering fear in the soldiers' hearts.

……

Meanwhile, other countries around the world were also urgently responding to this sudden event.

Major global media outlets scrambled to report this shocking news, and all sorts of speculation and analysis were everywhere:

"Long Country Announces Impending Mushroom Test, Global Situation Faces Major Variables"

"Mushroom Era 2.0: How Will the World Respond to a Multipolar Mushroom Landscape?"

"Dual-Power Status Challenged, Global Strategic Balance May Be Restructured"

Intelligence ships, spy planes, and monitoring systems all focused on the stretch of international waters between Taiji Tiger and Yinghua Guo, waiting for the arrival of a historic moment.

At the Long Country military industrial base, Li Mingyuan and his team stayed up all night, conducting final checks and adjustments on every component and every parameter of the Mushroom.

"Check the pressure distribution of the Detonation Lens again," Li Mingyuan said, his voice hoarse but firm, "the Safety Interlock System must be ensured to be one hundred percent reliable."

Director He had been working for 36 consecutive hours, his eyes red like a rabbit's, but his spirit was abnormally excited:

"Chief Engineer Li, all parameters have been repeatedly verified; theoretically, there will be no problems."

……

Meanwhile, at a high-level emergency meeting in Long Country, the debate over the decision to conduct the test continued.

Chief Scientist Wang Dezhong slammed the table excitedly: "I oppose this hasty test! The Mushroom is no child's play; it requires strict safety inspections and Reliability Testing. To just go ahead and detonate it like this, the risk is too great!"

Chief Engineer Zhao Mingyu frowned and echoed: "Academician Wang is right. The Mushroom head hasn't gone through full-process testing yet; what if something goes wrong? We won't just have all our efforts go to waste, we might also cause serious environmental pollution and an international crisis."

The military representative, Deputy Chief of Staff General Liu, spoke bluntly: "Once the test fails, Long Country will make a fool of itself in front of the whole world. Di Guo will seize the opportunity to make a big deal out of it, claiming we are bluffing, which would be a heavy blow to our army's morale and the nation's reputation."

The Military Department Director looked grim: "I understand everyone's concerns. But please consider another possibility: if we hesitate, and Di Guo's Mushroom is launched first, the consequences will be unimaginable."

Minister Zhang added: "According to the latest intelligence, Di Guo has already prepared two Mushrooms and may launch an attack on our Frontline Command and the military industrial base where Li Mingyuan is located at any time. Time is extremely unfavorable for us."

"But to take such a risk..." Wang Dezhong was still unwilling to give up.

Just as the debate was intense, a communicator hurried into the conference room and handed a telegram to Minister Zhang.

Minister Zhang scanned it quickly, his expression becoming even more solemn: "Just received news, Di Guo has ordered its frontline troops to be on full alert, and two carrier strike groups are moving toward the sea area near the test site. They are clearly trying to stop our test."

The atmosphere in the conference room instantly became tense.

"By what right do they stop us?" General Liu said angrily, "The high seas are international waters; we have the right to conduct any peaceful activities there!"

Minister Zhang sneered: "Peaceful activities? A Mushroom test? Di Guo will of course try every possible way to stop us. They are afraid that Long Country has truly mastered the Modan Jishu, which will completely change the battlefield balance."

The meeting fell into debate again, with various opinions clashing and no consensus reached.

Finally, the Military Department Director made the final decision: "Time waits for no one. According to Chief Engineer Li's suggestion and technical assessment, the test plan will proceed as scheduled. All departments are to cooperate fully to ensure nothing goes wrong."

As soon as the meeting ended, Li Mingyuan was surrounded by several high-ranking officials, all expressing their worries at once.

"Chief Engineer Li, are you really sure?" Wang Dezhong asked with deep concern, "Theoretical calculations are one thing, but an actual test is another."

"That's right," Zhao Mingyu echoed, "what if... I mean, what if it fails, the consequences would be unimaginable."

Li Mingyuan looked at these worried faces and suddenly smiled: "Everyone, please trust in science and trust in ourselves. The wisdom of the Long Country people is no worse than that of any other country. As for the possibility of failure... who says we will definitely fail?"

Meanwhile, the Long Country representative office also received reactions from various countries.

Long Country's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Chen Zhiming, had just finished a difficult press conference and was flooded with telegrams and phone calls upon returning to his office.

"These foreign devils are all crazy!" Chen Zhiming's assistant complained, "Every country is demanding an explanation from us, as if we had done something heinous."

The Alliance observer did not hide his skepticism at an internal meeting:

"Does Long Country really dare to test? In my opinion, they are digging their own graves. Mushroom technology is no child's play; if the test fails, they will be completely humiliated in the international community."

Small countries along the high seas were even more worried about the actual consequences: "I just hope they don't cause a big disaster. If there is a radiation leak or other accident, we small countries will be the first to suffer; it really is a case of the innocent being caught in the crossfire!"

At the international press conference, various speculations emerged one after another:

"Could this be another smoke bomb of Long Country bluffing? They have released shocking news at critical moments many times before to divert the international community's attention."

"But what if it's true? If Long Country has really mastered the Modan Jishu, the world order will change completely. Di Guo's era of hegemony might end right here."

"The most critical question is: who exactly is Li Mingyuan? How could he master the Modan Jishu in just a few months? This violates the basic laws of scientific development."

These discussions had no answers, only more questions and speculation. But one thing was certain: the whole world was holding its breath, waiting for that moment that could change the course of history.

At the Di Guo intelligence headquarters, a secret meeting was underway.

"According to our technical analysis," the Chief Intelligence Officer said with a sneer, "it is impossible for Long Country to have mastered the Modan Jishu in such a short time. These yellow-skinned monkeys are likely just asking for humiliation."

The Director of the Military Intelligence Department nodded in agreement: "Indeed, the Mushroom is not a child's toy. Without years of theoretical research and experimental accumulation, they might not even be able to handle the detonation device."