Tokyo: My Superpower Refreshes Every Week-Chapter 520 - 518: The Arrival of the Tree Realm_1
Jerusalem is the Holy City of three religions. Since ancient times, the struggles surrounding this place have never ceased. Even now, countless people still want to seize it and declare it as their own capital. The United Nations had already clearly demarcated the area, but later, for various reasons, certain individuals unilaterally declared it their capital.
At this moment, it was midnight in Jerusalem. The somber night was not much different from other major cities. In the Prime Minister’s Office, the lights in the meeting room were on. An informal meeting was taking place there, unattended by any reporters and unknown to the public—simply the higher-ups, meeting in secret behind closed doors.
And Tani was the one presiding over this unconventional meeting, the Prime Minister who had led the country for nearly sixteen years.
His recent mood had been complex. The initial ecstasy upon learning of the attack gave way to shock and then rage. After all, it was incredibly humiliating for an adult to be slapped in the face by a child in public, losing teeth in the process.
Tani could never have imagined that his own military leaders, who kept boasting about their strength and advocating for military action against the Front, would be routed so disastrously once the war commenced.
The Mossad wasn’t nearly as formidable as its subordinates had boasted, claiming to have one hundred percent knowledge of everything happening in that city, with comprehensive surveillance and eavesdropping. Those were nothing but shameless lies. The truth was that the Mossad knew absolutely nothing about the city’s intelligence. The supposed comprehensive monitoring they believed they had was a ruse; their adversary had long since switched to another intelligence system for communication.
Intelligence, military—the consecutive defeats were like a series of heavy slaps that left Tani dazed.
Even so, he seized this opportunity to attempt to fulfill a strategic concept he’d previously proposed: taking control of the Suez Canal.
Tani was aware that after so many years in power, he had accomplished relatively little. The populace, and even the United States, were starting to grow discontent with him. This was a very dangerous situation. If he couldn’t produce some semblance of success to adorn his tenure with a medal of honor, his ousting was all but guaranteed.
Moreover, Tani wanted to prove that he was stronger than his late older brother.
Power and ambition drove Tani to gamble his political career and wage this war, despite all conditions suggesting otherwise.
「...」
"Has the recent bombing by the air force been going smoothly?" Tani asked. He sat at the head of the conference table, the warm light illuminating the room, with the Secretary of Defense, Minister of Internal Affairs, Minister of Finance, Foreign Minister, and others seated around the circular table. What they discussed here absolutely could not be publicized.
The Secretary of Defense, with a hint of a smile, said, "Please rest assured, Prime Minister. We have already struck residential areas, and leaflets advising them to evacuate are also being printed. Once printing is complete, we will drop them from aircraft."
"Good," Tani said, a sinister look flitting across his face. "We must ensure that, after the war, not a single person remains there." He then asked, "How is that plan coming along?"
The Minister of Health distributed documents to those present, explaining in a measured tone, "Prime Minister, we’ve meticulously drafted a plan that determines the extent of damage required to provoke a large-scale disease outbreak in that city."
Tani looked down at the plan.
The Front was a target they needed to eliminate, but not their primary one.
In truth, the complex network of tunnels made it hard to eliminate them swiftly.
But that was no issue; Tani already had a backup plan.
Simply cut off water, electricity, food, and all supplies. Add to that the mass death of the populace and the diseases caused by the overcrowded environment.
This would ensure the Front could not endure.
This approach would also make it easier for them to spin the narrative to the outside world.
It wasn’t that they were too cruel; they had hardly bombed anyone. It was just a sudden disease outbreak that caused those deaths—nothing to do with them.
They had done their utmost to protect the lives and safety of the people there.
Their actions were in accordance with international law and humanitarian principles.
After Tani meticulously reviewed the plans and nodded in satisfaction, he added, "Make sure the training for the 300,000 reservists called up is not neglected by the Department of Defense."
"Please rest assured, Prime Minister," the Secretary of Defense answered with conviction. It was only during wartime that he could truly exercise his authority, naturally making him more eager than anyone to push for this war.
Tani turned to the Foreign Minister and inquired, "How’s the online public opinion?"
The Foreign Minister distributed documents and replied with a smile, "Prime Minister, we’ve managed to pin all the blame on the Front. It’s their inhumane actions that led to heavy casualties among our people. We are merely launching a justified retaliation.
"I’ve already made arrangements with various online media outlets and influencers. Phoenix has even agreed to arrange an exclusive interview. We’ll have some of our naturalized citizens go online and share their experiences; it’s sure to elicit sympathetic responses on their networks."
While the Foreign Minister wasn’t an expert in such deceptive practices himself, he trusted the professionalism of the media under his command. Twisting the truth and avoiding important issues—his people were experts at these tactics, and a public relations disaster was out of the question.
Assured by the Foreign Minister, Tani next inquired, "How’s the situation to the north?"
"For now, they are still in the dark about the specifics and won’t make any rash moves," the Mossad Director replied.
The Mossad Director wore an expression of utmost deference. The recent series of operations had been a harsh blow to his standing as Director, and Mossad itself had lost significant credibility.
Tani stared at him, his face expressionless as he said, "You had better ensure that what you’re telling me is the truth."
"Please rest assured, Prime Minister, there’s absolutely no issue with the information this time!" the Mossad Director replied, his tone grave.
Tani had settled on what needed to be done and was about to suggest adjourning the meeting when the ground suddenly began to shake beneath his feet.
「...」
An earthquake?
A flash of dissatisfaction with the Geological Survey, Civil Defense, and the Meteorological Bureau crossed Tani’s mind.
So much money allocated every year, such hype about the earthquake warning system, and yet when an earthquake struck, there wasn’t even a second’s warning.
A bunch of incompetents!
Tani was furious, wondering just how many incompetents were hidden in his cabinet.
"Prime Minister," the Mossad Director began, wanting to show his loyalty, but the ground beneath his feet suddenly cracked. Vibrant green trees, pulsing with vigorous life, broke through the reinforced concrete, growing rapidly upwards.
"What’s this?!" Shock covered Tani’s face, and he instinctively grabbed at the sprawling branches.
The ceiling above was also punctured by the trees. Stone debris flew, and before the dust could even settle, the trees continued their upward surge.
Tani felt his thoughts freeze until a cool breeze on his cheek snapped him back to reality. He looked up to see the night sky of Jerusalem.
The shaking stopped.
Tani withdrew his gaze and observed that they were over ten meters off the ground. He then surveyed his surroundings, now a sea of lush greenery. Many of the trees were taller than the one he was on. Some of the trees’ branches were entangled with the wreckage of buildings, their lights long extinguished—the sudden disaster having severed all power. At least, that was the situation as far as Tani could see.
After being stunned for a few seconds, he quickly took out his phone. Even if the entire communication system of Jerusalem was down, his phone could still connect to the outside world via satellite.
He immediately dialed the Secretary of Defense. After a brief ring, the call connected. "Prime Minister, are you alright?"
"I’m fine. Notify the military to send helicopters to get us out of here," Tani ordered without delay.
In this unknown situation, his first instinct was naturally to escape as quickly as possible.
Whether Jerusalem’s strange phenomenon was related to the Different World, or if it was a divine miracle in the Holy City—these were questions he would ponder once he reached safety.
"Okay, I’ll call right now. Please stay where you are and don’t move; I’ll coordinate with the Guards to find you based on your location."
"Hurry." Tani hung up and then quickly dialed Air Force One.
With such an event in Jerusalem, the nation’s operations would surely be severely disrupted. He needed support from the United States to ensure other countries in the Middle East wouldn’t try to take advantage of the situation.
After a single ring, the call connected quickly. In such urgent moments, any call from Tani would be connected immediately by Air Force One.
"What happened?"
Hearing the Secretary of State’s voice, Tani said gravely, "I’m not sure what’s going on, but Jerusalem has suddenly sprouted a forest, destroying the Prime Minister’s Office and adjacent buildings. The whole of Jerusalem has probably been affected. It could be related to the Different World, or perhaps a divine miracle has descended upon the Holy City. I need your help to stabilize the regional situation."
The Secretary of State spoke calmly, "Prime Minister, shouldn’t you consider a two-state solution?"
Tani flatly rejected the suggestion. "We must eliminate any enemies threatening our security! Secretary of State, I hope you understand, we listened to you last time, and the result was that they struck first. Eradicate them! This is an action we must take!" Tani was adamant. "As long as I live, a two-state solution cannot be implemented!"
"Alright, I will negotiate with other leaders," the Secretary of State sighed.
In such circumstances, it was indeed difficult to persuade Tani to swallow his pride.
The Secretary of State couldn’t help but internally blame the Front. If only they had endured; choosing to act in a way that disrupted the larger situation was utterly foolish.
However, did the sudden appearance of a forest in Jerusalem signify an overlap between the Different World and this one?
In any case, that forest warranted thorough investigation.
Were there Monsters dwelling within it? Any special species?
A series of thoughts flickered through the Secretary of State’s mind. He then hung up and prepared to phone the CIA and the nearby U.S. Army to secure the area first, and then slowly negotiate with the relevant parties.
As Tani heard the click of the call ending, he considered his next steps. He glanced at the ground below, wondering if he could get down on his own.
But before he could deliberate for too long, a bird made the decision for him.
