Chapter 986: He Yuzhu is Retiring

Over in M Country, from top to bottom, they were practically gnashing their teeth; William was even more furious, wishing he could smash the table to pieces.

The Pentagon was in an uproar, with some even shouting with bloodshot eyes and slamming tables, demanding to launch a direct war against Huaxia to get their own back.

After a bout of shouting, a senior Consultant at the Pentagon, Hopkins, leaned back in his chair, gave a self-deprecating, cold laugh, and said: "We couldn't even take Babylon. How could we possibly go to war with Huaxia? Their hidden military strength there is more than ten times that of Babylon. Are we in such a hurry to collapse?"

William couldn't save face and muttered somewhat overconfidently: "We could launch a proxy war, let the Vietnam and the others charge to the front, while we pass them knives and guns from behind..."

Hopkins poured a bucket of cold water on him without ceremony: "Those countries in East Asia are all fence-sitters. They are more active than anyone when it comes to cheering and shouting; but if you really let them charge into battle and sacrifice their lives? Not a single one is reliable."

William wasn't actually stupid; he knew it clearly in his heart.

It was just that, having mobilized troops and made such a huge fuss this time, only to fail to catch even a small delegation, he had lost too much face—where was he, a general, supposed to put his dignity?

His clamoring for war was, frankly, just to regain some face; he wasn't really going to bet the national destiny on a desperate fight.

William sulked for a long while before suppressing his anger and asking: "Mr. Hopkins, then tell me, what exactly should we do?"

Hopkins's gaze revealed a shrewd and cold calculation: "Since Huaxia has been holding back to develop its economy, then we should massively support and cultivate dissidents within them to stir up the water from the inside. When the time comes, without us spending a single bullet, they will fall into chaos themselves, and we will win without a fight..."

William gritted his teeth, his fists clenching with a creak: "But we suffered such huge losses intercepting the Huaxia delegation this time; are we just going to let it go?"

Hopkins turned around and looked at him meaningfully: "You suspect He Jian is Shadow, but have you ever thought—this Shadow never takes the initiative to provoke us. Every time, wasn't it us who cut off their path and forced them into a corner first before he struck back? Since that's the case, why don't we change our approach and take the initiative to make peace?"

William didn't answer, his lips pressed into a line; he clearly didn't agree.

Hopkins, unhurried and calm, continued to persuade: "Think about it carefully—every single thing Shadow has done, doesn't it involve world-destroying capabilities? Think big, it's just like an alien. If we acknowledge they exist and are stronger than us, why would we rush to provoke them? Have you ever thought that this Shadow might be able to traverse mountains and rivers in a single thought, going wherever he wants?"

"I still don't believe he has that ability!" William shook his head.

"But we used the power of the whole nation, casting a net across the sky and earth, yet we haven't caught a single living person from the Shadow Organization. Are you... not afraid?"

Hearing this, a layer of cold sweat broke out on William's back. He realized Hopkins was right. He nodded gently: "Mr. Hopkins, I... I have changed my mind. We will do as you say."

Hopkins patted his shoulder, his tone sinking: "General William, the war in Babylon cannot be fought anymore either. In just a few days, we've thrown in thousands of lives. If this war continues, our foundation will be hollowed out. We... can't afford to fight it."

William took a deep breath, as if swallowing all his arrogance and anger, and finally nodded heavily: "I will go and persuade the President to start negotiations with Babylon."

Over in East Asia, the Vietnam and the others had been making as much noise as if it were the New Year, protesting and demonstrating, each louder than the last.

But after a while, seeing that their leader was actually going to make peace with Huaxia, they felt cheated.

Of course, their shift was also related to another matter.

And on the Huaxia side, they suddenly unveiled several major weapons: Long-range Ballistic Missiles, large-displacement cruisers, and even more advanced Fighter Jets, each more terrifying than the last.

One by one, they took the initiative to come knocking, sitting down to negotiate politely, no longer possessing that arrogant, swaggering air they had before.

He Yuzhu watched these changes one by one, and the string that had been taut for who knows how long finally loosened.

He knew there was no need for him to keep wasting time in M Country—even a rabbit will bite when pushed to the limit, let alone a major power holding Nuclear Weapons. If people were truly pushed to the edge, heaven knows what kind of trouble would be stirred up. Now that the international situation had eased and the sound of guns and cannons was fading, it was time to quit while ahead.

He returned to Si Jiu Cheng, entered his home, called his whole family before him, and in front of everyone, said: "From today on, I am officially retired! No matter what happens, don't come looking for me. I'm only going to do one thing from now on—take care of my little grandsons and granddaughters..."

As he said this, he was holding He Zheng's youngest daughter—He Doudou—in his arms.

The little girl had her hair in two pigtails, soft and squishy, and was currently picking at his coat buttons while nestled in his arms.

He Doudou could already talk, but she still sounded like a baby, her words slurred: "Grandpa... I want to eat braised pork with preserved mustard greens... Brother said, Grandpa makes the best one!"

When He Yuzhu heard this, he smiled until his eyes narrowed into two slits: "Alright! Grandpa will make it for you tonight, all you can eat!"

Although He Yuzhu claimed he was retired and wouldn't care about anything, to his own family, these words were like wind blowing past; few took them seriously. What was meant to come still came, and what was meant to be sought still had to be sought.

The first one to sneak into the study was He Zheng.

He Zheng sat down, didn't beat around the bush, and poured out his grievances straight away: "Dad, you said it firmly before—after ninety-nine, real estate would see a huge explosion. But after I've been working hard for these few years, why don't I feel it at all? On the contrary, more and more buildings are going up, one after another, but the people buying them? They haven't increased at all! Seeing several housing projects with dismal sales and no one visiting, I really have no confidence in my heart. To be honest, I feel it's not as profitable as doing trade in Russia."

He Yuzhu glared at his son, slammed the newspaper on the table, pointed his finger at a line of bold text, and raised his voice an octave: "Are you blind? Doing business without studying policy is like a blind man riding a blind horse! It's written in black and white in the newspaper—the abolition of welfare housing! This is the eve of the full explosion of Commodity Housing, the day is about to break, and you're still here nagging at me!"

He Zheng was unconvinced, pouted, and retorted: "Dad, so what if welfare housing is abolished? Everyone only earns a thousand-plus yuan a month, what are they going to buy houses with? For us developers, the average price of housing in Si Jiu Cheng is only four thousand yuan per square meter now. It sounds okay, but when you factor in the cost of land, construction, labor, and materials, how much is left per square meter? Besides, the government has released a large amount of Economic Affordable Housing, keeping prices suppressed. Our Commodity Housing simply won't sell, and all our capital is tied up in it; we can't turn it around!"

He Yuzhu pushed the newspaper aside, leaned back in his chair, and stared at He Zheng with a half-smile: "You're going in circles with me, taking such a big detour, aren't you still thinking about that trade business over in Russia? I'll tell you straight—for these few years, just kill that thought, and try not to go. They are leaning entirely toward M Country now, and all the good projects have been snatched up by those M Country tycoons whose noses are sharper than dogs. If our family goes in now, let alone drinking soup, we might even lose our principal."

Upon hearing this, He Zheng's shoulders slumped, and he let out a long sigh, his face full of helplessness: "Sigh—you always stop us from investing abroad. My hands and feet are all tied up, and I can only watch the opportunities slip away; it's like a cat is scratching at my heart."

He Yuzhu picked up his teacup, took a sip, set it down slowly, and his gaze sank: "Do you think I don't want you to go to Russia to make money? I'm telling you—the spies M Country sends to Russia are more numerous than legitimate businessmen! If you really get a good project, they will be the first to trip you up, with open and secret means, there are plenty of ways. Besides, our family has long been on the blacklist in M Country. If you go near them now, isn't that like putting fat meat in front of a wolf's mouth?"

He Zheng was left speechless by his father's words, his mouth opening several times, but he couldn't utter a single word. In the end, he could only nod repeatedly and respond in a muffled voice: "I know, Dad."