Chapter 93 The Expeditionary Force Resolution—A Joint Operation!

“Commander, congratulations on achieving a great victory.”

The first thing Ethan heard upon entering the room was Elena’s congratulation.

After several days apart, Elena remained as valiant and imposing as ever, carrying herself with the disciplined bearing of a professional soldier.

However, she was not wearing her general’s uniform today.

Instead, she wore a red beret, a fitted American military shirt, and a formal skirt that accentuated her mature figure.

Who could reject praise from a beautiful, mature female officer?

Ethan nevertheless remained unmoved by the compliments.

He smiled at Elena and ignored the almost worshipful look in her eyes.

“We can catch up later, Elena. Two other generals are waiting.”

“General Randall, General Hammer—what would you like? Coffee? Tea? Something other than cola?”

Two stern and experienced American generals stood inside the conference room.

The one-armed officer wearing a Blackwatch uniform was General Randall, Blackwatch’s supreme commander.

The younger, equally hard-bitten officer beside him was General Hammer, the JTF’s highest-ranking commander in New York State.

“Plain water will be sufficient, Commander Ethan,” Randall replied.

“I’ve heard the Commander serves excellent coffee,” Hammer said. “I’ll have a cup.”

Compared to the stone-faced General Randall, General Hammer appeared considerably friendlier.

He belonged to Sergeant Major Ryan’s faction within the military and had once served under the old general.

Ethan was not offended by Randall’s cold expression.

“Relax, General Randall. I didn’t summon you here to assign blame.”

“I’ve already stated that Blackwatch’s infiltration was the fault of the anti-human Twelve Round Table Council and a traitor to humanity named Obadiah Stane.”

“The Foundation and I deeply regret the severe losses your forces suffered.”

Randall’s expression softened slightly, although his tone remained firm.

“A defeated general has no right to boast of courage.”

“Blackwatch was devastated because of my incompetence. I will accept responsibility for every consequence.”

“However, I hope you will show Blackwatch mercy and refrain from disbanding it.”

“Relax. Let’s all sit down and discuss this properly.”

In the game Prototype, Blackwatch had been portrayed as a villainous organization and had committed numerous atrocities.

However, if that aspect was set aside, most of its soldiers were simply excellent servicemen following orders.

Condemning an entire military force because of the actions of several foolish politicians was not Ethan’s style.

That was especially true now, when the United States had suffered catastrophic losses.

Ethan’s forces might have exchanged fire with Blackwatch in the past, but the organization had now been abandoned by the Twelve Round Table Council.

According to Foundation intelligence, nearly all forces controlled by the Council within the United States had chosen to fuse themselves with a daughter strain of SCP-008.

The temptation of immortality was immense, even when that immortality came in an inhuman form.

Blackwatch had been crippled by battle and parasitic infection.

Even so, it remained a military force far more powerful than an ordinary American unit.

It belonged to the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, and its soldiers had been selected from elite special operations and security units throughout the country.

They had also received specialized training in responding to biochemical incidents.

After careful consideration, Ethan had contacted General Randall and extended the Foundation’s olive branch.

With nowhere else to turn and knowing that Blackwatch was destined to become a scapegoat, Randall decisively came to the meeting with only a small escort.

Ethan looked at the general, who appeared firm but was inwardly anxious.

“There’s no need to worry, General.”

“You are an outstanding soldier of the United States and humanity. You should not lose your future because of someone else’s mistakes.”

“Blackwatch is an exceptional force composed entirely of elite personnel.”

“Its officers and soldiers did nothing wrong. The organization should not be dissolved because of crimes committed by others.”

“Humanity needs your strength.”

Randall was moved by Ethan’s sincere words.

So were General Hammer and Elena.

Randall quietly repeated the phrase.

“Humanity needs our strength?”

“That’s right, General Randall.”

Ethan looked at everyone present.

“This is not merely about the United States.”

“Humanity needs the strength of everyone in this room.”

“You’ve all witnessed the current situation.”

“The United States is considered the most powerful country on Earth, yet a single containment breach involving SCP-008 created this catastrophic disaster.”

“The Foundation naturally bears some responsibility.”

“If we had contained these anomalies in time, this tragedy would never have happened.”

None of the three had expected Ethan to accept part of the blame so readily.

Elena was stunned.

She immediately objected.

“Commander, how can you say that?”

“This disaster was caused by human traitors like the Twelve Round Table Council and Obadiah Stane!”

“How could the Foundation be responsible?”

General Hammer nodded in agreement.

“She’s right, Commander Ethan.”

“The Foundation saved New York. We all witnessed it.”

“You saved New York and the entire United States. Without the Foundation, our defenses would inevitably have collapsed.”

“Without the Foundation’s orbital deployment and Five-Star General Ryan’s efforts to persuade them, the fools in Congress and the military leadership might have blindly used nuclear weapons and created an even greater catastrophe.”

General Randall also nodded.

“If anyone bears responsibility, Blackwatch bears far more than the Foundation.”

Ethan knew the moment had arrived.

He ended the debate before the generals could continue assigning blame.

After all, the military had already placed all responsibility on the Twelve Round Table Council and the other traitors to humanity.

With Sergeant Major Ryan’s influence, Ethan had successfully brought much of the American military over to his side.

It was time to begin implementing a plan he had long envisioned.

“There’s no need to continue discussing responsibility.”

“I’ve communicated with several influential figures in the federal government regarding another matter, but we still require additional support to push it through.”

“Congress will soon vote on an emergency resolution.”

“I need your assistance.”

“Is this about the Expeditionary Force Resolution?” Hammer asked.

The resolution was one of the plans Ethan had been arranging during this period.

Under ordinary circumstances, convincing the United States to approve it would have been extraordinarily difficult.

However, Obadiah had destroyed three American cities in a single day, created a horde numbering in the tens of millions, and infected hundreds of thousands of American soldiers.

Ethan knew his opportunity had arrived.

The Expeditionary Force Resolution would authorize foreign forces from China, Russia, Europe, and other regions to enter the United States and join the operation.

The European expeditionary force was relatively uncontroversial.

However, under normal circumstances, the American government would never have permitted Chinese or Russian expeditionary forces to enter its territory.

As Earth’s foremost military power, the United States possessed powerful organizations like S.H.I.E.L.D.

Even if it imposed a nationwide lockdown and completely isolated itself, it would never have allowed those countries to intervene.

Of course, the United States still considered itself the world’s greatest power only because Wakanda’s true strength had not yet been exposed.

Obadiah’s Doomsday disaster had left the American government with no choice but to seek assistance.

China and Russia had initially intended to watch from the sidelines.

After Doomsday, however, the Twelve Round Table Council and Obadiah used SCP-008 to corrupt and parasitize hundreds of thousands of American soldiers in an extremely short time.

Faced with such terrifying power, former enemies had no choice but to set aside their differences.

They now confronted a far more dangerous common enemy.

Ethan looked solemnly at the three generals.

“The Chinese and Russian expeditionary fleets are already approaching the West Coast.”

“Once permitted to land, they can depart from the western United States and reach this battlefield in less than ten hours.”

“The European coalition, the ANZAC Corps, the Pan-Asian Allied Force integrating Southeast Asia, Korea, Japan, and other countries—even an African Federation assembled from nations across that continent—are preparing to participate.”

“Humanity has finally understood that we must unite when facing a terrifying enemy and an existential threat.”

“Yet some people inside the federal government continue arguing over insignificant interests.”

“The Foundation has mobilized everything at its disposal.”

“This resolution must be passed immediately.”

“Humanity must unite.”

“Unity is our only hope.”

“I need all of you to help push the resolution through.”

“We cannot allow politicians to waste precious time and leave expeditionary fleets stranded offshore for dozens of hours because of idiotic laws and procedures.”

“Yes, the Foundation has troops on the battlefield.”

“Our Death Korps is still advancing.”

“But you’ve all witnessed the scale of the enemy they face.”

“We possess only so many soldiers. How can we resolve this crisis quickly through their strength alone?”

“Humanity cannot depend solely on the Foundation!”

Having personally experienced Blackwatch’s devastating losses, Randall slammed his hand against the table.

“I agree.”

“We cannot allow those parasites in government to waste our precious time.”

General Hammer nodded.

“Soldiers are bleeding and dying while those fools continue obstructing us.”

“That cannot be tolerated.”

Elena looked ready to march troops into Congress herself if the resolution failed.

“Commander, President Adam Benford supports the resolution.”

“So does my grandfather. He promised to use all his influence to push it through.”

“It appears we’ve reached a consensus.”

Ethan nodded.

“Once the resolution passes, we must act immediately.”

“Our first step will be integrating every military force within New York and establishing a unified command system.”

“The Death Korps is still advancing, but its numbers are limited.”

“Once the JTF enters the unified command structure, it will advance with them and protect the Death Korps’ flanks.”

“I will continue mobilizing Mobile Task Forces.”

“This will become the greatest joint military operation in human history.”

Ethan looked sincerely at the three officers.

“Then…”

He raised his voice and saluted them.

“For humanity!”

The three generals returned his salute with equal emotion.

“For humanity!”