欧美亚洲日产综合新一区

Mammon, visiting Oceanos for the first time, felt strangely calm and relaxed, having accepted his current situation. After seeing Oceanos, any remaining thoughts of regaining freedom vanished.

"It\'s good enough to be alive and kicking, eating those juicy Chromatic Philosopher\'s Stones from time to time," he thought. "Who would be crazy enough to fight a guy who invented and built this super submarine? It\'s best to know the depth of the iceberg first."

Meanwhile, the US government was busy maintaining order and preventing the collapse of civilization. Soldiers, the National Guard, and the police did their best to uphold order, and their efforts paid off.

Two hours passed, and the rumor that the US had the capability to intercept all nuclear missiles spread. People began to calm down, though they didn\'t fully trust their government and maintained a healthy dose of skepticism.

Despite this, people continued stockpiling goods, and some preppers had already opened their apocalypse bunkers.

However, the news gave them enough hope to avoid falling into depravity. It was good enough.

Seventeen hours had passed since the countdown began, and the situation across the US was gradually stabilizing. While order had not been fully restored and chaos still lingered in some areas, the police were managing the remaining disturbances.

Twenty-three hours in, there was still no news of the frontline retreating or complying with General Moore\'s demands. The hearts of both US citizens and those within the Confederacy hung in the balance, praying that General Moore would find a shred of humanity and refrain from using weapons of mass destruction.

— White House —

General Moore paced restlessly. He had issued the ultimatum to the US, and there was no turning back. Using his magic, he had brainwashed the personnel controlling the nuclear silos.

He only had four silos under his control; the rest were in territories already reclaimed by the US, beyond his reach.

"Have the US followed our instructions yet?" General Moore demanded of one of his brainwashed soldiers.

"No, sir," the soldier replied in a robotic tone, devoid of any personal will. "The US remains silent. There has been no communication from them."

"Tch! Useless..." General Moore cursed under his breath. He had no other recourse. The moment he decided to go nuclear, those who remained sane had tried to stop him, forcing him to resort to brainwashing.

The countdown reaches zero. The time had come. General Moore stared at the timer, gritting his teeth. He didn\'t want to do this, knowing there would be no turning back once he started.

"Grrr, do they think I wouldn\'t dare push the button!?" he snarled before slamming his fist down on the large red button on his desk.

—

At all the nuclear silos, the lids of the world-ending weapons opened. Monotonous voices crackled over the radios, confirming the launch procedures from the personnel brainwashed by General Moore.

After confirming all procedures, the staff in the silos launched all four nukes under the Confederacy\'s control. Many people witnessed the white trails of death streaking towards the sky.

Some prayed for the souls of the inevitable victims, while extremist war supporters cried out in twisted satisfaction.

But then, blue energy beams descended from the sky at near light speed, instantly disintegrating the launched nuclear warheads without triggering any chain reactions.

General Moore, witnessing this spectacle, was stunned. "Launch the second wave immediately!" he roared into his communication device.

Four more nukes were launched, but their fate was no different. They were disintegrated into ash and vanished into the air.

"What...what are those lasers!?" General Moore exclaimed, a chilling realization dawning upon him. "Could it be...Astral Tech!?" His mind flashed back to the event where Astral Tech had launched several rockets carrying micro-construction bots. At the time, he hadn\'t paid much attention, assuming it was simply a space station for their Moon Helium-3 extraction project.

But now, he wondered if it was more than just an ordinary space station. Did it also house a highly advanced ICBM interception system?

"F*ck!" General Moore cursed, consumed by envy. He raged, destroying everything within the Oval Office.

Envy gnawed at his heart, fueling his desire for Astral Tech\'s wealth and technology. He wanted it all! The demonic power within him surged, his horns growing longer. A thought took hold of his mind.

"I need to survive! I will go to Astral Tech, capture Daniel Emberweave, and make him work for me!" With this twisted resolution, the demonized General Moore fled the White House and boarded his personal jet, heading for Sector Alpha City with the intent to seize control.

At his private hangar, General Moore arrived, consumed by envy and hatred. His soul, already corroded, rapidly fueled the growth of Leviathan\'s power within his body. Leviathan, safe within the confine of Moore\'s form, reveled in the surging emotions, absorbing the envy and hatred to nourish itself.

"Ah, this host is quite exceptional," Leviathan mused. "He possesses a wealth of pent-up envy and hatred. It\'s a shame his soul is nearly completely consumed. Otherwise, I could have regained at least one-tenth of my former power."

General Moore walked past the main door and found out that all of his plane was destroyed. None of it was in a state that can be used. All of them had been cut in half with heated energy as the metal where it was cut was still red hot.

"Sorry for trashing your place, but I can\'t afford to let you run away now," an unfamiliar voice said. General Moore immediately turned toward the direction of the voice and found his target.

"Daniel Emberweave..." General Moore smiled widely, revealing his sharp, blade-like teeth. He now looked more like a hideous demon than a normal human.