Chapter 579 - 550 Mr. Negative

Africa is a loyal ally of Atlas, and from a business perspective, it is the only place left in the world where oil has not yet been integrated into the Rocksen network.

From a political point of view, no matter how much Atlas was involved in the sinking of the Truman, what people saw was "African Union attacking Mei Army."

Therefore, the alliance between Atlas and the African Union is very close, a well-known fact to all.

But to say that Africa is safe is somewhat unreasonable.

Not to mention, sinking an aircraft carrier is an extremely risky operation. Can there be such carriers roaming around in a safe place?

Furthermore, this time it was an aircraft carrier; if next time it is a missile destroyer, it would be problematic since the African region still lacks the ability to defend against missiles and does not have sufficient modern combat capabilities. There are no military satellites or early warning aircraft; frankly, if they secretly bombed the coast, the world could only condemn the Mei Army while facing the ruins.

Lille has never been one to consider his opponents too conservatively.

Due to the lack of industrial accumulation, the range of products that Africa can currently produce is quite limited. High-precision and high-tech military products are unlikely to be produced in the short term, so they can only arm themselves as much as possible with their limited industrial capacity.

On the home continent, the manufacturing capacity for military vehicles will make a leap forward with the merger of two car companies. The base model of the Mackinaw Mammoth is quite good, with strong power, a stable chassis, and protective capabilities comparable to a light tank; yet its mobility and terrain adaptability far exceed those large machines.

Simply equipping the Mackinaw Mammoth with an Electromagnetic Gun and making appropriate modifications, its own electronic control system can support this new type of kinetic weapon and combat electronics, turning it into a mobile artillery platform that poses a major threat to land units.

On water, Africa’s industrial capacity has developed to the point where it can produce qualified warships, and the first military dockyard has also been successfully launched in Zhu Ya City.

While still unable to compete with seasoned military powers like Mei Country and making something big like an aircraft carrier is unlikely, relying on mature small-scale fission reactors and robust power system designs, Zhu Ya City dockyard can produce escorts and fast attack boats that far exceed the performance of their peers.

It may sound primitive, but the main naval tactic of the African Union is to use the speed advantage of small vessels and the superiority of their information technology for concealment, to quickly approach the enemy, and then have soldiers enhanced with prosthetics and equipped with mobility gear board the ships.

If a large firepower unit appears, escort ships equipped with large Electromagnetic Guns will be deployed to strike. Compared to missiles, it lacks precision, and anti-ship power is somewhat limited, but the range is definitely not short.

Now that they have the internal data of Stark Industries, they are only stronger in information warfare: both the probabilities of concealment and target acquisition have greatly increased, and they can even attempt to decode the enemy’s military network while remaining in stealth.

However—

They still lack air defense capabilities, and the Mei Army is known not just for its navy but also its formidable air force.

New York is Lille’s location, and while it is safe now, that does not mean it will always be; Africa is the apparent base of operations, seemingly safe, but in reality, it is likely to become the frontline should war break out.

Lille had considered this issue a long time ago, so there is another place that can be considered as an alternative—

Latovia, nestled in the mountains, located in the impoverished Nordic region, lacking resources, value, or attention, with its surroundings in constant turmoil, and the local state still being what it was over two hundred years ago.

Royalty rules over citizens from within castles, but these ’citizens’ just occasionally ride out to collect taxes: grain tax, land tax, head tax...

The overall situation is poor, but they can still squeeze out some funds, which are then used to ensure the ruler’s ability to buy decent weapons and munitions from the outside world to maintain power.

"Mom, it’s already not safe by my side, New York is safe for now, but... it’s not going to be safe forever around me.

Do you remember that Latovian kid Christopher?

I have some agreements with Europe, and for the past two years, they have been directing relief organizations to send resources to Latovia, and they have built a concealed village there..."

Lille was halfway through speaking when Maya shook her head, interrupting him, "Lille, I understand what you mean, and I’m not the type to not prioritize matters.

I know you have many enemies, and your situation is dangerous, but many people rely on you, so you can’t back down.

I know my being here distracts you, I understand you’re thinking of my safety."

After finishing, she laughed and took Lille’s hand, "I will go back, actually, I’ve thought about going back before—especially when I’m alone in New York, with no family or friends, on edge every day.

Even though life was terrible before, I still remember the mountains, forests, breezes, and animals there."

Lille listened quietly, but he knew this was a different matter.

So he continued, "Mom..."

"I really won’t feel pressured."

Maya shook her head again, looking earnestly at Lille, "Remember what I said? I promised you’d always have a home to return to, just... you must remember to come back."

Without hesitation and quite naturally, Lille nodded, "Of course, Mom, this is just temporary."

Hesitation meant self-doubt, and at least in front of his mother, he wouldn’t allow himself to doubt on such matters.

...

Maya would leave New York on a civilian ship belonging to the European Union. Christopher would meet her on board to ensure everything went smoothly.

Since secrecy was paramount, aside from the parties involved, no one else would be aware of this transportation. The cargo on the ship would consist of ordinary agricultural products...

There would be no excessive allocation of resources; Maya needed to vanish before her departure and would remain out of communication until she arrived in Latovia.

Perhaps this was what concern felt like: reason told Lille everything was arranged perfectly and the enemy’s intelligence system was completely laid bare, yet Lille still felt a trace of worry—

Sitting on the sofa, Lille received the last visitor of the day.

Martin, clad in a black suit, walked in. Instead of sitting directly opposite Lille, he stopped and waited for the door to close.

It seemed he pondered over what to say until he began speaking.

Lille instantly sensed Martin wasn’t just there to discuss routine business issues with him.

"...I saw Ms. Li, your mother. She must be very worried about you."

While speaking, Martin looked at the floor and walked to the front of the sofa before slowly taking a seat.

Lille took a sip of water, "She’s worried I might one day not come home."

"The problem is serious, and her concern is justified, but maybe... I can help you," Martin paused, then let out a long sigh, "Considering your capacity, it would be easier for me just to show you through actions."

As soon as he finished speaking, the light in the air seemed to dim.

Martin was Asian, so he had yellow skin, generally wearing his usual attire—a black suit and white shirt, with black pupils and white sclera.

But in an instant, all these colors vanished, like a person being exposed to a camera, recorded on film, leaving only black and white...

Pupils and sclera, suit and shirt, the places originally in black and white now reversed in color—

Some sort of black and white flame engulfed his entire body, and in the end, only this figure remained.

The change in color was superficial, but what was truly unsettling was this financial tycoon, known for his gentle appearance, had become menacing and malevolent.

The white pupils turned towards Lille as if possessed by an odd charm, reaching out to unleash the turmoil deep within Lille’s heart...

Martin took out a black and white ink-wash mask from within his clothing and placed it on his face:

"Let’s reacquaint ourselves, I am..."

Mr. Film.