Did You Destroy the World Today?
Chapter 50: A Leisurely Stroll

After Skull Head finished speaking, Lin Xu fell into brief contemplation.  

If Lin Xu had only "suspected" before that the abnormal celestial phenomena were related to the Apocalypse, he could now almost "confirm" that the unusual solar halo was part of the Apocalypse's omens.  

But this raised a new question before him.  

If the Apocalypse had signs, and the Planetary Reincarnation organization deduced the Apocalypse's arrival from "omens" like the "solar halo," why hadn't the authorities made the same inference?  

There was a glaring logical gap here.  

In reality, no country in the world would ever have a scenario like in Hollywood movies where "the authorities foresaw the Apocalypse but hid it from the public for their own reasons."  

Even disregarding the terrifying mobilization capabilities of his own country in the face of major events, a purely cynical view of "human nature" made the reason simple.  

Survival at the top alone was meaningless.  

To put it bluntly, the top stratum itself was a class sustained by others—indeed, the so-called "bottom stratum" often constituted the property of the wealthy.  

When you foresee imminent property loss, the obvious course isn't to abandon the property to save yourself but to extract its maximum value in the shortest time possible.  

Thus, the rational approach was to disclose limited, downgraded information to the public.  

If 10% were predicted to die, tell the public no one would die, only that life would be slightly affected, requiring unity to overcome hardships.  

If 50% were predicted to die, tell the public 5% would die, urging everyone to fight for survival.  

If 100% were predicted to die, tell the public at least 20% would die, compelling them to burn their remaining energy.  

Managing expectations and mobilizing maximum organizational efficiency through reasonable disaster forecasts was the optimal solution to ensure the survival of the upper echelons.  

Yet in the Bracelet World, this clearly wasn’t the case.  

Every civilian Lin Xu encountered lacked such disaster expectations.  

They didn’t even know the Apocalypse existed!  

So why?  

Had the authorities’ judgment deviated from Planetary Reincarnation’s?  

Or was the Apocalypse inherently unpredictable, with Planetary Reincarnation’s so-called "prediction" merely coincidental?  

Exactly...  

If Planetary Reincarnation had truly foreseen the Apocalypse’s timing and manner, Earth would’ve already descended into chaos.  

Had they revealed their evidence chain, given their organizational scale and brainwashing capabilities, the world wouldn’t remain so "calm"!  

Their "prediction" of the Apocalypse was, in fact, just speculation!  

Even they weren’t certain!  

—But what about Jiang Xingye’s prediction??  

This doubt lingered in Lin Xu’s mind for only a moment before he realized:  

Jiang Xingye hadn’t "predicted" the Apocalypse.  

She had "observed" it early from Mars!  

That’s why her time was so limited!  

Everything clicked.  

The solar halo, Mars, the "cosmic filter," the Zhurong rover...  

Planetary Reincarnation went to Mars not to escape the Apocalypse but to seek its clues there!  

And the Zhurong rover must have, under some circumstance, "concentrated" clues about the Apocalypse!  

Whether due to changes in its structure or something it captured, Planetary Reincarnation needed it to uncover the Apocalypse’s truth.  

The logic connected, clarity achieved.  

Though the ultimate truth remained distant, all current clues had been consolidated.  

From here, further deductions wouldn’t be built on thin air.  

A satisfied smile crossed Lin Xu’s face as the convoy arrived at Donghua Chemical Fiber Factory’s perimeter.  

He patted Skull Head’s shoulder and took the lead exiting the vehicle.  

"Activate electric-induced camouflage. Follow me."  

Lin Xu circled toward the factory’s side, adding:  

"All operatives follow my command. Maintain tight formation, synchronized steps. Advance with me."  

"Understood," Skull Head replied tersely, staying close.  

Lin Xu checked his wristwatch, timing meticulously.  

"Hold in 15 seconds. Drop low for concealment."  

"Deactivate night vision and all light sources, including IFF markers."  

"Understood."  

Skull Head’s faith in Lin Xu’s "Maritime Security Bureau" identity now stood unshaken.  

Obviously!  

Who else but a professional could command an unfamiliar team with such ease?  

This mysterious man knew Donghua’s security layout like the back of his hand!  

As the seven-man squad dropped prone, a guard patrolled the wall’s edge—their electric-induced camouflage just evading his line of sight.  

"Proceed."  

"Prepare grapples and ascenders. Pre-charge capacitors."  

"Understood."  

This order stunned Skull Head further.  

Their ascenders relied on high-capacity capacitors requiring 30-second charges for ~15m lifts.  

Yet this man had accounted for even that!  

Was he truly here for the first time?  

The doubt flickered briefly as Lin Xu reached the target point.  

"Here!"  

"Launch and ascend!"  

"Copy."  

Ropes hooked the factory’s outer wall. Lin Xu led the climb, his pre-charged ascender propelling him up in seconds. Retrieving the line, he rappelled down the other side without pause.  

The entire breach took under 20 seconds. His team landed soundlessly behind him.  

Lin Xu exhaled. From here, infiltration difficulty plummeted.  

The factory’s complex structures offered ample cover. Even a boar could evade guards en route to the target.  

"Maintain low profile. Silent advance."  

"Radio silence."  

"Load subsonic rounds before entry."  

"First floor: three hostiles—two at danger corners, one at right safe corner."  

"After entry, execute rolling dynamic clearance."  

"Post-clearance, ascend stairs. Final hostile at second-floor water cooler side—armored. Dual headshots."  

"...Understood."  

Skull Head gaped at Lin Xu, baffled by his intel source. But it didn’t matter—orders were orders.  

The seven advanced to the office building. Lin Xu fell to the rear as six others formed a dual-pronged assault wedge, breaching via hand signals.  

"Tap."  

"Tap."  

"Tap-tap."  

Subsonic pistol pops resembled dropped marbles, unnoticed. After neutralizing the first-floor guards, the team ascended to eliminate the shotgun-wielding last target per Lin Xu’s directions.  

"Take hostages."  

"Knock out, bind, stash in storage."  

"Storage at corridor end."  

"Copy."  

Under two minutes later, it was done.  

Lin Xu checked his watch.  

"38 minutes left. Good work."  

"Good??"  

Skull Head short-circuited.  

They’d gone from perimeter to target building in under 3 minutes!  

The entire op flowed like a leisurely walk home!  

And this was just "good"?!  

As Lin Xu entered the office, unlocked a terminal, and reviewed files, Skull Head approached hesitantly:  

"What now?"  

"Report safety code via guards’ comms every 5 minutes."  

Lin Xu answered:  

"Code is ‘Lion Dance.’"  

"Copy."  

After relaying orders, Skull Head couldn’t resist:  

"Hey... do you Maritime Security guys know everything?"  

"Pretty much."  

Clearing his throat, Skull Head ventured:  

"So... about my wife..."  

"Feels off somehow."  

"—Everyone knows she’s off." Lin Xu didn’t glance up from the screen.  

"Huh?"  

Waving frantically, Skull Head clarified:  

"Not like that! She’s a doomsday prepper—builds bunkers, hoards supplies."  

"Feels like she got scammed... maybe by that Planetary Reincarnation cult?"  

"Does your bureau... handle that?"