Someone taking the lead, the meeting immediately burst into complaints, all grumbling about the lack of realism.
Xiao Xun slammed the table, "Then what do you suggest we do? We can't just wait for them to attack!"
"Then why not release her first, buy some time, and recapture her later?"
Xiao Xun was unhappy, "Do you think aliens are easy to catch? This was such a rare opportunity to capture her."
Su Xiang, also attending the meeting, said, "President Xiao, I have a suggestion, if I may."
"The situation is dire, and you're still asking if you may? Speak quickly!"
"Have you read martial arts novels?"
"Stop beating around the bush and get to the point."
"A human skin mask, wearing someone else's face. We can search the entire country for someone with similar height, weight, and appearance."
Someone else proposed, "Then why not get plastic surgery? That would make her look even more alike."
Su Xiang immediately retorted, "Three days isn't enough time even to get a nose job."
After much consideration, Xiao Xun said to Su Xiang, "Then I'll trouble you, Brother Xiang, to find someone."
Su Xiang nodded, "No problem."
Xiao Xun then said to the rest of them, "In three days, I need a human skin mask. Can you do it?"
Everyone shouted in unison, "Yes!"
"Good, then I'll await good news."
Xiao Xun returned to the command center, he had a feeling that Chu Ningxiang wasn't joking.
He instructed all personnel at the command center to closely monitor all areas of the satellite radar and report any issues immediately to him or Su Xiang.
Two days later, a person who looked exactly like Chu Ningxiang stood before Xiao Xun.
"President Xiao, how is it?"
One had to admit that Su Xiang's efficiency and capability were truly high; no wonder Qin Yongmei trusted him to guard the base for her.
Xiao Xun implanted the latest listening and tracking equipment beneath the skin of the "Chu Ningxiang," undetectable unless specific instruments were used.
He handed over Chu Ningxiang's belongings to her, "Remember, you are the princess of Tuoluo, and a young lady of high status."
"Chu Ningxiang" nodded. Xiao Xun then handed her a box of disposable finger cots, "There are a hundred of these, all with the real Chu Ningxiang's fingerprints. If you need fingerprints, use these. If you run out, contact us immediately."
"Yes!"
Xiao Xun asked the captain of the guard, "Have all the alien's subordinates been examined?"
"From a DNA perspective, they are all people from our planet, no aliens."
Xiao Xun nodded, then said to "Chu Ningxiang," "I will assign you two subordinates to act as your bodyguards. If you have any issues, discuss them with them."
Then, he had Action Captain Z and his subordinates pose as bodyguards and follow "Chu Ningxiang."
Su Xiang was still a bit worried, "Now it's not just fingerprints; many high-tech detection instruments also measure voiceprints and irises."
"We can't worry about that for now; let's deal with this situation first and, during this time, let the experts speed up their work."
"Yes!"
Xiao Xun drove to the experimental base. This base was specifically built for the Cradle Project, housing a large number of Primes, as well as the compatible and candidate compatible individuals.
They had all passed the synchronization rate tests and were successful in the simulators.
Xiao Xun looked at them, the oldest not being older than himself, yet they had already shouldered such a heavy burden for the survival of humanity.
"Where are the weapons? What weapons do the Primes use?"
"We have replicated a large version of the high-frequency vibrating particle knife you have, scaled to be held by the Primes. We have also developed several suitable machine guns and rifles, and sniper rifles as well."
Xiao Xun toured the facility. The height of the sniper rifles was as tall as a forty-story building.
"If this gun falls, how much damage will it cause?"
The staff exchanged glances. "How about this, we add a propulsion device to the buttstock, which will activate the moment it lands to buffer the recoil of the weapon."
Then, looking at the bullets, which were larger than cannonballs, he exclaimed, "This is too exaggerated!"
"We made them all to scale, and the manufacturing cost of this single bullet is much higher than a regular cannonball."
Xiao Xun sighed, "If we were fighting in a city, that city would be ruined."
"This is also a last resort. If the aliens intend to destroy our planet, who would care about the loss of one or two cities to protect the planet?"
"How is the digging of the air-raid shelters progressing?"
"We dug them near densely populated areas."
Xiao Xun nodded, "This has never been a regional issue. Have people in other regions started preparing?"
Su Xiang replied, "The first twelve regions are almost ready, but starting from Region Thirteen, all regions have begun to cry poverty, stating they have financial problems and cannot support such enormous expenses."
Xiao Xun was furious, "At a time like this, when lives are at stake, they're still worried about a little money? I don't understand what these people are thinking!"
"President Xiao, don't be angry. They can't see the long-term picture. Many people are struggling to eat right in front of them, so they're not thinking about anything else. If it weren't for the support of the Gatekeeper Society, these regions might not even have their presence."
Xiao Xun knew Su Xiang was telling the truth, but there was no perfect solution at the moment.
"At the meeting tonight, ask the regions that can afford it how many Primes they can support. Don't let us build seventeen or eighteen of them, and then only be able to handle twelve."
Su Xiang mused, "Then I'll have to do some calculations. It's likely that in the end, it will be one Prime per region for the twelve regions."
Xiao Xun could understand. Putting aside everything else, the amount of ammunition alone was something most factories couldn't produce. If a real battle broke out, ten minutes of fighting would cost the fiscal revenue of an ordinary city.
"Alright! We'll discuss this further once the calculations are complete."
"Yes!"
At the regional meeting that evening, everyone was still pushing responsibilities back and forth regarding the interstellar spies, until Region One inquired about the progress of the Cradle Project from Region Eight.
After Xiao Xun reported the progress, he also presented the expenditure roughly calculated by Su Xiang. Of the twelve countries, four could not afford it and wanted to withdraw.
In the end, it was Region One who rallied everyone with a statement, "This is a matter for all of humanity, not for individuals. If one family cannot bear it, then two will share it. If two cannot bear it, then three. Unless your region declares withdrawal from the Gatekeeper Society and is no longer protected by it."
"But even if we agree, I can't make decisions for my leader!"
"Exactly! Empires are fine, with one person making the decisions, but in our country, it's the parliament that decides."
"Parliament still has room for discussion, but those old fuddy-duddies in my cabinet probably won't even discuss it."
Region One, hearing these complaints, also felt a headache. "I'll give you one week to resolve the funding issues. If you can't, the regional head representative should come and explain the situation themselves."
With that, he disconnected without even announcing the adjournment.
Xiao Xun thought, "Then I shouldn't wait to be scolded either."
He also disconnected.