Invasion of the United States

Unexpectedly, these generals became interested.

The four-star general raised an eyebrow with a hint of surprise and called out to him, "You're that bastard Harden from the Ministry of Health?"

Zhou Qingfeng showed a peculiar expression, his mouth twitching slightly as he retorted, "Is my reputation that bad already?"

As soon as he spoke, a low laughter ensued.

The four-star general warmly patted Zhou Qingfeng on the shoulder, speaking with a touch of appreciation, "I'm Admiral Alvin, and these are my colleagues."

He gestured to the generals beside him and continued after introducing them, "You asked medical personnel to abandon elderly patients to give younger patients a better chance at survival.

This caused quite a stir and offended many, but we military folks can understand your approach.

In such a dilemma, someone has to step forward and make a quick decision. The most terrifying thing is hesitating and doing nothing."

Zhou Qingfeng hurriedly shook hands with the other soldiers, getting to know each other briefly.

Another general jokingly asked, "Mr. Harden, is there anything new at the Ministry of Health recently? Anything we can have a laugh about?"

"Oh, absolutely." Zhou Qingfeng deliberately adopted a mocking tone, "I made a small suggestion to Minister Robert, hoping for a thorough inventory of the currently scarce health supplies in a month's time.

To prevent another outbreak, the Ministry of Health might be caught off guard again. The Minister said he would seriously consider it."

Zhou Qingfeng shrugged his shoulders, pretending to be relaxed as he said, "The word is out, and those inventory managers are probably scrambling to replenish supplies.

My requirements are not high, giving them a month as a buffer. Can they handle it?!"

Upon hearing this, the generals looked at each other with complex emotions on their faces — not knowing whether to admire the audacity of this "Harden" or to laugh at his naivety and ignorance.

Admiral Alvin paused for a few seconds before bursting into hearty laughter, his laughter loud enough to make the other generals around him join in to cover their slightly awkward expressions with their laughter.

A thought simultaneously crossed the generals' minds — if this "Harden" joined the military, he probably wouldn't last long.

-----------------

Since they had become acquainted, it was Zhou Qingfeng's turn to ask, "What are you discussing? Of course, if it's confidential..."

After two jokes, the relationship between the two sides seemed to have drawn closer.

Admiral Alvin sighed, "No, we weren't discussing anything confidential, just some casual talk and ideas about the current situation."

"The pandemic?"

"No, 'Dongda'."

Zhou Qingfeng feigned surprise, his expression like that of the assisting comedian in a traditional crosstalk, deliberately responding, asking questions, and setting the mood.

Admiral Alvin couldn't resist showing off a bit, explaining, "We were discussing how to deter 'Dongda' from a military perspective."

Zhou Qingfeng immediately quipped, "Going to war with 'Dongda'?"

The soldiers all showed expressions of shock as Admiral Alvin shook his head, "Of course not going to war. We were discussing some more peaceful methods."

Zhou Qingfeng inwardly sneered, thinking, "The US Military, with their aggressiveness bombing left and right every single day, if you could go to war, you wouldn't talk about 'more peaceful methods'."

It's just that these generals were tight-lipped and didn't reveal more information. Before long, the president's office opened, summoning them all, causing both sides to naturally separate.

It seemed that Admiral Alvin still viewed "Harden" favorably, personally handing him a business card and inviting him to the Navy club for a gathering of high-ranking officers.

Zhou Qingfeng, holding the Admiral's gold-embossed business card, was utterly bewildered. On the front was only a name without a position or contact information. The back was completely blank.

"How am I supposed to use this?"

-----------------

As the generals went to meet the vice president, Fauci happened to come out of the office, glancing at "Harden" standing outside, nodding slightly, indicating for him to leave together.

In the Oval Office, the vice president had previously gravely inquired of Fauci, "What do you think of Oliver Harden's capabilities?"

The name "Harden" had now caused ripples of public opinion in the United States bureaucracy, with a constant stream of rumors about him.

Some revered him as a symbol of righteousness standing up in times of crisis, while others hated his cold decisions, cursing him as a demon bringing death.

The vice president was also filled with curiosity about this highly controversial figure, so he especially instructed Fauci to bring "Harden" to the White House for a firsthand meeting.

However, 'Harden' seemed absent-minded on such an important occasion, and a cold "No hope, just wait for death," shocked everyone present and gave the vice president a zero impression of him.

Contrary to expectations, Fauci unusually spoke a few fair words: "Mr. Vice President, Harden is indeed not one to follow the rules, nor can he be evaluated and employed in conventional ways.

But in times of national crisis, the government needs someone like Harden who dares to break the mold and win with unconventional strategies." The canonical source for this content: M|V|L2EMPYR.

Recalling the most critical times of the pandemic, Fauci said somberly:

"If it weren't for Harden's immense courage and decisive, albeit highly controversial, decisions during this crisis, we might still be stuck in a quagmire and paying a much heavier price."

But he then changed his tone, "However, once the pandemic ends, it's best to let Harden return to the Internal Revenue Service to do tax auditing.

A job that requires flexibility and a ruthless nature might truly suit a person of his rigid character."

The first wave of the pandemic, though only lasting half a month, hit the United States government like a storm, particularly causing a brutal 'reshuffling' of the Washington D.C. bureaucratic system.

Originally, those senior officials in their seventies and eighties were forcibly "youthized." Fauci found it hard to find peers still in office, making him feel uneasy.

In Congress, over five hundred congressmen saw a tenth vanish at once! This was a group with the best healthcare conditions in all of the United States.

Such a high mortality rate sent chills down Fauci's spine.

As for the State Council, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Energy, Ministry of Health, and other departments, the number of elderly bureaucrats who died was in the thousands.

Like sweeping away a forest of decay and withering, this instantly opened up a large number of promotion positions, allowing countless young civil servants to be swiftly promoted.

As for 'Harden', the young civil servants not only held no negative feelings towards him but secretly praised his courage and responsibility, believing that during extraordinary times, extraordinary people should do extraordinary things.

In the depths of Fauci's heart, he kept praying, "Please get that guy away, don't let him ruin the health system anymore!

Let him go back to collecting taxes! A cold-hearted person like that would surely be adept at tax collection!"

Upon hearing Fauci's 'fair' evaluation, the vice president pondered for a long time before slowly nodding and saying:

"You've made a good recommendation. The bureaucratic system indeed needs someone like Harden, especially in the current situation. We need someone to stand up and solve problems.

Harden daring to complain right in front of me shows he has guts, and I precisely need someone with that kind of courage now."

Ah... A wave of the bitter feeling of "shooting myself in the foot" surged through Fauci, and he lamented inwardly, "When did I 'recommend' him?! I clearly said to let him go back to collecting taxes!"

Unexpectedly, the vice president's next words filled him with even more dread: "What do you think about having Harden work at the White House?"

Upon hearing this, Fauci's heart screamed wildly, "No way! Having that guy at the Ministry of Health has already been an exceptional promotion, and they're thinking of bringing him to the White House?!

If he's so reckless at the Ministry of Health, if he gets to the White House... I can't even begin to fathom what he might do!"

He quickly said earnestly, "Mr. Vice President, I believe such an appointment needs careful consideration. After all, Harden has just stirred up huge controversies, and such a person should be used cautiously."

This statement was made with earnestness.

The vice president, appearing as someone without any opinions of his own, nodded again, "You're right, someone like Harden is a double-edged sword and indeed cannot be promoted casually.

Let's let him stay at the Ministry of Health for now, while I continue to observe."

When Fauci came out of the president's office, the way he looked at "Harden" became particularly complex, and he mulled over it internally, "Is it possible that this guy... is going to get promoted again?!"