True Apocalypse Game

During the Cold War of the 1980s, to counter the Former Soviet Union, Eagle Country deployed various numbers of nuclear weapons in countries such as Turkey, the Netherlands, and Belgium.

Incirlik Air Base was home to fifty B-61 tactical nuclear warheads.

They were all nuclear bombs, delivered by bomber aircraft, with each possessing a yield between ten and one hundred kilotons.

These warheads had been deployed and maintained at Incirlik Air Base for decades, a testament to the honeymoon period between Eagle Country and Turkey.

However, as the situation in the Middle East Region changed dramatically, in the international political landscape of recent years, these tactical nuclear warheads had become Eagle Country’s balls in Turkey’s hands. Whenever it suited them, Turkey would give them a hard squeeze, making Eagle Country ache.

In effect, these tactical nuclear warheads had become hostages.

Of course, despite the headache Turkey caused, Eagle Country knew they would never dare to actually seize the warheads. Besides, Turkey had no strategic bombers to deliver them, nor did they have the activation codes. Stealing them would be pointless.

Unless they went completely insane and tried to dismantle the warheads to get at the nuclear material inside.

For this very reason, the security for these nuclear weapons at Incirlik Air Base was not at its highest level.

And now, these treasures lay before Hall and his men.

Fifty tactical nuclear warheads. A single one detonated in the center of any city would be a catastrophe!

A look of delight spread across Hall’s face. He took a deep breath, closed the case, and entered a new password to lock it tight.

"Load them up. We’re taking them with us. We don’t have much time..."

The situation at Incirlik Air Base would soon be discovered by the Central Theater Command Headquarters, and then by the Turkish military. If they were trapped on base, getting out would be difficult.

After receiving the order, the surrounding group of mercenaries began to quickly move the warheads and load them onto the vehicles.

The warheads were extremely heavy, but after being injected with the mysterious Serum No. 0, the mercenaries were several times stronger than before. They moved the cases into the vehicles with ease.

The underground vault was swiftly emptied.

After entering a password one more time to seal the underground vault and setting a new one, Hall crushed the base commander’s eyes underfoot. Only then did he, the last to leave, get into a vehicle.

The convoy started up quickly. Under the cover of darkness, they departed the silent Incirlik Air Base and headed out into the wilderness.

Their destination was the same as their point of origin: the southeastern mountains of Turkey.

Hall clicked his tongue as he looked back at the dark, silent base.

"Tsk, tsk. Budget cuts for overseas bases, lax management... they’re running on fumes, relying on past prestige to intimidate other nations. It’s just another sign of Eagle Country’s declining global hegemony, isn’t it?"

Ever since Eagle Country’s current President took office, he’s been steadily pulling back overseas troops, squandering the legacy his predecessors built. That’s one of the main reasons the entire Middle East Region has been spiraling out of control.

Ivanovic let out a dark chuckle.

"That has nothing to do with us. Mortals blaming and killing one another is just a result of their own flawed nature. Soon, those short-sighted fools will meet their final purification, brought on by their own stupidity... I can’t wait to see tomorrow’s headlines."

Hall glanced at the sky, a hint of worry in his voice.

"Are you sure these things can be properly hidden? Every country’s military spy satellites will be looking for us... They’ll find our tracks, won’t they?"

Ivanovic raised a hand and patted Hall’s shoulder.

"Relax. We have people in the high command of every country’s military, including Eagle Country’s Central Theater Command Headquarters. Your rank isn’t high enough yet; there’s a lot you don’t know. The truth is, the Purifiers’ reach is far greater than you can imagine... As for the trail we’re leaving? Someone will be along to erase it for us. Once we get into the southern mountains, these little treasures will find their way onto the global black market through various channels. We have plenty of buyers. This world is never short on madmen."

Hall couldn’t help but frown.

"So this is the leadership’s grand plan? Just dumping nuclear warheads on the black market to create a little panic?"

His tone was clearly one of dissatisfaction.

’All this trouble, for an act that’s guaranteed to draw the entire world’s attention, and it’s just to cause a little panic?’

Ivanovic glanced around and then whispered to Hall:

"We’re only selling off some of the low-yield tactical warheads. We’ll be keeping the ones fifty kilotons and up to create a few... surprises. Given enough time, cracking the codes isn’t that complicated. And Purifiers willing to sacrifice their lives are a dime a dozen. According to the leadership’s projections, the world is on the cusp of a major global recession. A worldwide war is the best way out. It’s like a massive boulder, perfectly balanced on a cliff’s edge. All it needs to fall is a little extra push. We... are that push."

Hearing this, Hall opened a digital map he was carrying. He placed a finger on Damascus, the capital of Syria, and looked at Ivanovic questioningly.

Ivanovic shook his head slightly. "Not significant enough."

Hall then moved his finger to Tehran, the capital of Persia, and glanced at Ivanovic again.

"It might trigger a new war in the Middle East, but that’s not enough to shake the whole world."

Hall stared at the map of the Middle East before him. After a moment of contemplation, he moved his finger to a new location.