Invasion of the United States

After Washington D.C. had been under lockdown for twenty-four hours, the capital of the United States was shrouded in an eerie silence.

The streets were desolate, with soldiers stationed at checkpoints standing guard at intersections. Ordinary people could only stay at home and silently pray.

There were few vehicles moving around, most of them being ambulances transporting patients or trucks delivering essential supplies.

The news that the Vice President was officially taking over the presidential duties spread across the nation through an emergency broadcast.

At that moment, a large image of the Stars and Stripes appeared on the TV screen, and he stood under the flag to deliver a speech to every citizen.

"Fellow Americans, it is with a heavy heart that I inform you all that a deadly virus, deliberately spread by foreign adversaries, is threatening our country.

To protect our society and economy from even greater damage, Congress has authorized me to take all necessary measures.

I have ordered the deployment of state armies and the National Guard to immediately enforce a nationwide lockdown until the pandemic is over."

These words were like a bombshell, instantly igniting public opinion nationwide and even globally.

On city streets, people gathered in bars, cafés, and at street corners, staring at TV screens, their faces full of shock and suspicion.

On social media, angry posts flooded in like a torrent: "Lockdown? On what grounds?" "This is a conspiracy!" "Have the country folks gone mad?"

Citizens rushed to supermarkets to stock up, merchants worried about goods being stuck at ports, scholars questioned the authenticity of the data, and politicians engaged in urgent behind-the-scenes deliberations.

Panic spread like wildfire, and sporadic protests began to emerge on the streets, with people holding up signs and chanting slogans, their voices drifting in the cold wind.

Just as the situation was reaching a boiling point and nearing chaos, the Vice President's second command came like a bolt from the blue.

"To curb the spread of rumors and negative emotions, within twelve hours, the entire United States will cut off internet services.

We will only retain basic telephone communications and TV broadcasts, and all other internet services will be suspended except for necessary information flow."

Soon, internet signals across the United States vanished—the Wi-Fi symbol on phone screens turned gray, and computers displayed "Unable to connect."

The clamor of online social interactions came to an abrupt halt, leaving only a deathly silence.

In contrast to the former president who made his fortune in real estate, the countryside-born Vice President was younger, more energetic, and much more rough and tough. He indeed made the most decisive move.

But after the internet blackout, people in the cities were dumbfounded, staring at their suddenly mute phones as if they had lost a vital sign of life.

In cafés, young people angrily smashed their laptops to the ground. In offices, suit-clad white-collar workers blankly stared at their disconnected monitors, at a complete loss.

The entire nation seemed to have been muted, with anger and fear being forcefully suppressed within everyone's chest, with no outlet for release.

Under the iron-fisted lockdown, the skyscrapers stood like silent behemoths, and military trucks rumbled into the streets.

National Guard soldiers wore masks and even protective suits, carrying rifles, their eyes vigilantly scanning their surroundings.

Once bustling cities suddenly became deserted, and the ringing of telephones became the only sound piercing through the silence. Everyone's internet addiction was cured at that moment.

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When the Vice President announced the spread of the virus by foreign adversaries, he deliberately left a vague blank—he didn't specify who was behind it.

This dirty work was left to the Department of Homeland Security to handle.

At this moment, the streets of Washington D.C. were filled with the pungent smell of disinfectant.

Soldiers in heavy protective suits carrying sprayers moved like a group of silent ghosts through the mist.

The lockdown entered its second day, and the once bustling capital of the United States was now left with only the low hum of engines and the occasional sound of military boots hitting the ground.

Now, most of the vehicles on the road were ambulances and trucks delivering supplies.

Monica sat in the back seat of a black SUV. Outside the window, a soldier in a hazmat suit waved them to stop.

Yeager, who was driving, rolled down the window and handed over an emergency pass.

The soldier took the document, scanned it with a reader to verify its authenticity, and then stepped back a few paces. Content sourced from MV4LEMPYR – My Virtual Library Empire.

As the window rolled up again, other soldiers sprayed a white mist over the entire vehicle with their sprayers.

Yeager then stepped on the gas and slowly drove into the barbed-wire and military-sealed Washington D.C.

Roads that were once jam-packed were now empty, with a few abandoned cars tilted at the roadside, doors open, as if hastily left behind by their owners.

In this chaos, people eventually found refuge—hotels and motels within the district became the last sanctuaries.

Rumors said some rooms were packed with double or even triple the normal number of people, with makeshift beds on the floor and even the corridors carpeted for people to sleep in.

Monica's gaze swept over the ubiquitous surveillance cameras by the roadside, and she bit her lip, muttering under her breath, "Idiots."

Yeager, gripping the steering wheel, kept his eyes straight ahead, seemingly not hearing the complaints of the "rich girl" in the back seat.

But the burly man in the front passenger seat lacked such patience. He slowly turned his head, his cold eyes like iceballs, and asked in a gruff voice, "Who are you calling an idiot?"

Monica's ire was sparked instantly, and she retorted without backing down, "You pig, I wasn't talking to you!"

The burly man squinted, his mouth twitching slightly, and said in a low voice, "I think you were talking to me. You look down on me, but I'm better than you."