Chapter 716

Chapter 716

The strategy meeting room was dead silent, the atmosphere heavy and tense.

Soon, Jack arrived.

Francis couldn't wait any longer and shouted, "All the military leaders are here. Let's start the meeting!"

Before he even finished, I cut in, "I've invited two more people. Let's wait a bit longer."

Francis scanned the room, his brows furrowing, "All the military leaders of the Elite Alliance are already here. Who else is coming? Don't tell me Chief Smith has secretly formed two private military units?"

His words dripped with sarcasm, but I just gave a faint smirk, "You've got it wrong. I, James, would never build a private force for myself. The two people I've invited are Uri and Dane, leaders of the Wildman Tribe from Forbidden Island. You've met them before."

Francis let out a heavy scoff, his face showing clear disdain, "Two people from the Wildman Tribe? What kind of ideas could they possibly offer the Elite Alliance? Are we really going to let two savages interfere with the fate of our alliance?"

I glanced at the other directors and military leaders. Though they didn't voice the same opinion as Francis, their eyes and expressions made it obvious—they shared his contempt for Uri and Dane.

Raising my voice, I responded to Francis, "Even the smartest person can be foolish sometimes, and even someone foolish their whole life can have a moment of brilliance. Uri and Dane might just come up with some great suggestions. We can't be sure! Remember, this meeting concerns the future of the Elite Alliance. We shouldn't be arrogant!"

Gilbert nodded in agreement with me, "The Chief is thinking about the fate of the Elite Alliance. Let's wait a little longer."

Suddenly, Francis spoke in a mocking, sly tone, "Actually, I have a perfect way to help the Elite Alliance escape the Mainframe's attacks!"

As soon as he said this, everyone's eyes turned to him. I couldn't help but look over too.

"You have a plan? Spit it out, what is it?" Director Chang asked eagerly.

With a smug and ill-intentioned tone, Francis said, "The Mainframe is targeting the Chief, a descendant of the Divine Clan. If we cut ties with the Chief, won't we be safe from the Mainframe's attacks?"

Before he could finish, someone slammed a fist hard on the meeting table.

I looked over—it was Ronnie.

"Francis, do you have any conscience saying that?" Ronnie glared, his face red with anger, "The Chief just fought tooth and nail to get us the experimental data and samples, and now you're turning your back on him?"

Ronnie's roar echoed like thunder in the silent strategy room.

His burly frame trembled with rage, his fist hitting the thick alloy table with a dull thud, making the water glasses on it buzz and shake.

"Francis!" Jack shot up, his face dark with fury, his voice icy, "Do you even know what you're saying? Ungrateful, backstabbing—is this the spirit of the Vasquez family?"

Cecil also frowned, looking at Francis with disbelief and deep disappointment, "Francis, these kinds of words are beneath you. They chill the hearts of every warrior who's bled for the alliance!"

The other directors and military leaders, though intimidated by Francis's power and the influence of the Vasquez family, didn't dare scold him like Ronnie did. Still, the scorn and anger in their eyes were unmistakable.

The air in the meeting room felt as heavy as lead, suffocating everyone.

Facing the wave of criticism, Francis showed no shame. Instead, he lifted his chin with a near-manic stubbornness and self-righteous calm, "Ungrateful? Backstabbing? I'm thinking about the survival of the entire Elite Alliance! This is rational thinking!"

He suddenly pointed at me, raising his voice with a provocative edge, "Open your eyes and see! The Mainframe! That thing that can silently infiltrate our headquarters, treating our defenses like nothing! Who is its target? It's James! It's the Ω-7 test subject! All its actions—warnings, tests, declarations of war—are aimed at him! We, the Elite Alliance, are just collateral damage!"

He looked around at everyone, his gaze sharp, "As long as James is with us, as long as he's in this position, the Mainframe's attacks will never stop! Next time, it might not just be a single ship—it could be the entire headquarters, or even the main city! We just broke free from the shackles of the New World Alliance. Are we really going to drag the whole alliance into ruin for a 'specimen' targeted by the ultimate entity? Isn't that the biggest irresponsibility?"

Francis's words were like poisoned ice, striking at the deepest fears in everyone's hearts—the fear of the Mainframe's incomprehensible, unstoppable power.

He cleverly used that fear to turn everyone against me.

I noticed a few military leaders' eyes flicker for a moment. Though they quickly hid it, that brief hesitation was like a pebble dropped into a calm lake, sending ripples outward.

"Enough!" I said in a low voice, not loud, but carrying the weight of the Divine Clan's Spiritual Energy. It instantly drowned out Francis's provocation and silenced the room.

I wasn't angry, just cold and clear, as if I could see through everything, "Francis, your logic is clear—and selfish."

I stared straight at him, speaking word by word, "The Mainframe's target is me, that's true. But do you really think that handing me over or cutting ties with me will make the Mainframe spare the Elite Alliance? Spare all of you, the 'top products' of this 'secondary test site'?"

I curled my lips into a mocking smirk, "That's naive. In its eyes, we're all just data in its lab. I, Ω-7, am the main subject of observation. And you, the Elite Alliance, along with the New World Alliance, are just 'environmental variables' for it to watch my behavior, test my abilities, and study the interaction between the Divine Clan and other humans! Hand me over, and you lose the most important 'variable.' To it, your value drops drastically. So what's waiting for you then? A 'reset of the environment'? Or being 'discarded' like broken lab equipment?"

My words hit like a hammer, striking everyone's hearts.

Even Francis's expression shifted slightly.

"The 'Reset Sequence' the Mainframe activated isn't just targeting me. Its goal is to 'reshape the order' of the entire test site! Every single one of us is on its elimination list! Division, infighting, abandoning allies—it'll only make us die faster and more completely!"

My voice was firm, leaving no room for doubt.

Just then, the heavy alloy doors of the strategy meeting room slid open silently.

Uri and Dane stood at the entrance.