Chapter 66: Chapter 66: Behind the Schemes
Seeing this, Shen Hao’s expression darkened slightly, as he had already guessed the purpose of the Blood Demon Mother releasing this video.
Sure enough, after this, the tone of the Blood Demon in the video suddenly became chilling:
“500,000 Blood Demons! And they are scattered among the humans, 500,000 Blood Demons! Our species’ average individual strength far surpasses that of humans, and even without firearms, one Blood Demon can kill dozens of people in a short time! What casualties could 500,000 Blood Demons, pushed into a corner, bring if they stopped hiding and started slaughtering humans with full force all at once?”
“At least 30 million people! Maybe even more!”
At this moment, the people who were somewhat excited because the Blood Demon Mother had capitulated, suddenly fell silent.
And some even felt a chill run through their bodies.
30 million people!
How many people does the entire country have in total? This number had already reached one-fiftieth, which means that out of every fifty people, one would meet their demise.
It may not seem like a lot, but for ordinary people, it’s an unimaginable calamity!
Especially since there had already been many such incidents abroad.
The scenes of Blood Demons picking up weapons and suddenly going on killing sprees among crowds of ordinary people had occurred countless times!
Even though people had learned to carry weapons when they went out, there would still be corpses left behind.
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“Maybe you, Mr. Shen Hao, don’t need to fear our threats. Perhaps we will ultimately be defeated by your power, but before that, we can certainly bring massive casualties to your country! That is our trump card.” The words of the Blood Demon in the video continued, the eyes that should have appeared lively were now seemingly filled with a chilling determination.
And he finally threw out the “demands” of the negotiation.
“Therefore, I hope you, Mr. Shen Hao, will seriously consider our following demands:
First, immediately stop the capture of the Matrix, and release the two Matrices that have been captured.
Second, provide us with more than ten safe routes to other countries, which we will use to cautiously and gradually complete the evacuation of all Blood Demons.
Third, you must appear on camera 24/7 during the entire evacuation process to ensure we know your location.
I believe these three demands are reasonable and beneficial to both sides. I hope you, Mr. Shen Hao, will consider them carefully, with the interests of the species and national security as your top priority. We will give you some time to await your reply, but it won’t be long.”
The video ended there.
At this very moment, the entire country, and even the whole world, was in an uproar because of this video.
This was the first time the invader, the Blood Demon, had publicly addressed humanity.
And the message it contained was too abundant and too special.
After watching the entire video, Shen Hao silently pondered for a while before reconnecting with Dong Gong.
“Team leader, the spread of this video is too wide, and the attention it’s getting is too high, it’s completely impossible to block it now,” Dong Gong spoke without any heaviness in his tone.
“Is the number of 30 million people real?” Shen Hao asked directly.
“It’s definitely exaggerated,” Dong Gong said very assuredly. “First of all, our army, after scrutiny, has been stationed in all cities in shifts, plus every city has its own armed forces, so they are not entirely defenseless against Blood Demons. Secondly, without weapons, a Blood Demon killing sixty people in a short time would only be possible in densely populated public places. But if all cities are locked down and people are prohibited from moving around, then it’s not so easy for the Blood Demons to create a massacre. In fact, according to the Analysis Department’s simulations, if all Blood Demons stopped hiding and started killing with the sole purpose of murder, the final casualty count could be kept under 7 million.”
7 million people, huh.
Shen Hao was certainly more inclined to believe that number.
Actually, in this situation, the options and cards that the Blood Demons could play were inherently limited; the worst scenario would be to stop hiding and launch simultaneous retaliatory attacks with all Blood Demons.
There was definitely a contingency plan for this.
Dispersing the military forces across all regions, especially focusing on cities where Blood Demons had been detected, was one such precautionary measure.
The 30 million mentioned by the Blood Demon Mother was, in its entirety, a way to exaggerate the threat and spread panic.
However, the main goal of this Blood Demon who proclaimed himself as the Shadow King in releasing the video was definitively not just to evacuate all Blood Demons.
“I didn’t expect that the Blood Demons would also play the game of lifting to strike down.” Shen Hao seemed to be sneering.
Yes, lifting to strike down.
“The Analysis Department holds the same view. It should be said that the intention is quite clear,” Dong Gong stated. “It downplays the role of the state, highlights your strength and status, and with the added threats, it’s as though the lives of 30 million people are entirely in your hands. It tries to use public opinion to coerce you, and possibly it even aims to undermine the Global United Front. I guess our neighboring countries must be feeling the tension now.”
Exactly.
Even if 500,000 Blood Demons were really to retreat, they couldn’t possibly flee via the sea; they would be sitting ducks.
They could only retreat to nearby countries.
Even if we took a step back and managed to reach an agreement where the Blood Demons retreated honestly, the influx of such a number of Blood Demons would inevitably bring significant destruction to neighboring countries and might even further provoke international discontent with the Eastern Country.
At the least, the public could easily be incited.
Given the current circumstances, it’s clear that the Global Front is the key to surviving this Trial. If other countries suffer a comprehensive defeat, no matter how intact their own nation remains, they will still have to face a colossal crisis of extinction.
The best outcome would merely be mutual destruction.
Yet, how many people can have such perspective and vision?
Even if the reasoning is laid out plainly and explained clearly, faced with the immediate threat of death and a path that seems less fearsome, how many can make the right choice?
Just as it’s difficult for them to explain the difference between 7 million and 30 million, it’s equally challenging to justify why they should give up on the chance to save millions of their compatriots.
What’s more important is—this resentment would converge on Shen Hao.
You’re so powerful, even the Blood Demons fear and revere you, so why can’t you protect us?
This thought can spread and take root very easily.
Raising Shen Hao to an undeserved height was precisely the fundamental strategy of lifting to strike down!
It can be said that the scheming behind this Blood Demon Mother’s manoeuvre indeed appears sufficiently sinister.
But—
Shen Hao suddenly laughed, and even laughed out loud.
On the other end, Dong Gong also chuckled softly a few times.