Chapter 169: Tension in the Air

Words : 1147 Updated : Oct 6th, 2025

The storm around William White had just blown over when the Russians stirred up trouble again. The big boss of America had just recovered from an injury and immediately gave a tough speech. "Ha ha, Jason, that guy is an actor. His performance was too staged." "Boss, my mom asked me if there's really gonna be a war. If it gets bad, she wants me to head back." "Don't worry, the Russians are just like us. They're almost broke. War? What a joke! You think they'd let their workers eat nuclear bombs?" "Alright, I'll reassure Mom." Feeling humiliated, the largest military exercise in history kicked off. You'd think the Russians lack culture; they could have named it something better, like 'Peace Mission' or something. Even though that's nonsense, at least it would serve as a fig leaf. So, they called it 'West 81.' It wasn't just the Americans who were scared; the whole world was on edge, especially Europe, which was practically scared out of its skin. According to intelligence, more than 300,000 troops participated, and the scariest part was these were all mechanized units; hardly any were just infantry. Remember back when that little mustache guy paraded his troops and ended up annexing Czechoslovakia? Europeans think the Russians are just like him -- completely untrustworthy. Europeans were genuinely worried; if you had one too many drinks, you might just invade somewhere. By then, there might not even be tears left to cry about it. Resist? Sigh, with just 30,000 troops, they'd take over a country. 300,000? Whether France stands tall is doubtful; Germany surely can't handle it. Even with American troops stationed there, it's a lost cause. A few days, and it'd be over. Suddenly, America found out that aside from yelling, they had no other solutions. Forget about an all-out war; they couldn't even handle this 300,000-strong force. An inventory of their resources showed that they couldn't fight a war; they didn't even have enough to scare anyone. This slap in the face was exceptionally harsh, stripping the world's top dog of its prestige cleanly. William White wasn't worried because he knew history. Others didn't have that foreknowledge. Looking at the Russians' posture, even if it wasn't World War III, it seemed pretty close. Stocks, which had just started to improve, began tumbling again as the shadow of war loomed over the world. Everyone knew that in a conventional war, no one could beat the Russians; one misstep, and everything could be ruined. America was feeling vexed now; they were just mouthing off, yet everyone was reacting so excessively. The financial world didn't have time for William White; they were feeling duped. Everyone knew William White's short-selling funds were primarily targeting them. In the current economic climate, it was wise to be cautious. William White's actions were ruthless, fast, and decisive; by the time anyone reacted, it was too late to do anything. Now, with the Russians doing their thing, what were they planning? They've already occupied Afghanistan; are they planning to invade Europe? America was also startled; their economic situation wasn't good, and Russia's was even worse. A country with almost no light industry, how could sustainable development be possible? Sure, not having light industry isn't necessarily a deal breaker. You could use foreign currency to buy what you need; as long as you can export your goods, it's not the biggest problem. Unfortunately, due to the audacious invasion of Afghanistan, the Russians became the target of global anger. Even the French didn't want to cooperate anymore. In truth, the French regretted it deeply. They were the imaginary enemy in this military exercise. Playing it different? Ha ha, this time they really messed up! UK was a bit schadenfreude about it; their position was awkward, being typical two-faced players. They didn't want to be little brother's sidekick; in modern society, after all, they filled the role of world leader for many years. If not for World War II, they could have muddled through. Sadly, they squandered everything fighting the Germans, lost all their resources, and ended up deep in debt. Never mind being world leaders; in Europe, they could only stand on equal footing with two other nations. The Russian military threat truly gave America a fright. The situation in Europe was naturally worse, being almost in perpetual shock. Geez! West 81! Playing like this, when's World War III coming? You're West 81 today, West 82 in the future. By the look of things, this is going to be an annual event? Just an exercise, you say? Who'd believe that; you'd have to be really naive. In the Russian eyes, there's only profit, just like the little mustache guy, where any agreement or contract is as good as scrap paper. They don't care. To Europeans, Russians and the little mustache guy are the same, lacking any spirit of contract. William White sees it as those folks being quite similar, probably taught by the same mentor. ... "Cut, I announce that Speed is wrapped." The moment William White said it, the crowd erupted. The cost of this movie was truly astronomical. Those following William White were even getting somewhat unaccustomed; the boss's skill was improving, and he was demanding more and more from them. The movie was shot, but there was a lot more work to come, especially those special effects. Lucas was having a tough time; William White's requirements were simply too high. One thing Lucas was very sure about, no second studio in Hollywood could pull off such effects. "William, the next movie absolutely needs to increase the budget. I'm losing money here." "At most, you made a bit less, but losing money isn't possible. The location for the next one isn't even decided. We can add a bit, but 10% is the max." Lucas thought William White was stingy, which was completely different from what the rumors outside said. "Alright, enough of that. Will the Russians come?" "Haha, what are you thinking? It's been years since they fought, and their military is just as lousy as ours." "I'm still uneasy; those folks have no integrity." Ever since snagging the Spanish gold, Western countries had no trust in them. Geez, they even tricked their allies' money. The country is on the brink of collapse, yet they still did this, transported so much gold over, and then lied about not receiving it. People say, even that little mustache guy was like this. He'd just signed an agreement with Chamberlain but reneged on it as soon as the ink was dry. ***** https://www.patreon.com/Sayonara816.

Chapter 169: Tension in the Air

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