NOVEL NEXT Chapter 185: The Toughest Side Of Me
Phase after phase the operation played out. Each strike was a calculated cut. Bases that once blustered with the threat of launch now lay stripped of their teeth. Northern islands, coastal facilities, false factories, all were rendered impotent one by one.
The Core moved with a grace that hid the violence underneath. They did not broadcast their success to the world as each base fell. They waited until they could show the string of evidence.
By the second day, the ripple had become a wave. News leaked, not from the Core but from Nortasian reports, that missile stockpiles were irreversibly damaged, that the launch architecture had been corrupted, that dozens of technicians had defected or vanished. Northern ports were closed and the Icelandian Defense Council called emergency meetings.
Nortasia's media went wild. But this time the story they told was not the same as before. This time their President had acted, and he had done it with a strange restraint.
Breaking news crawled across screens: PRESIDENT JAYDEN AUTHORIZED RETALIATORY STRIKES. But the messages that followed framed it differently. Jayden had struck at weapons, not people. Jayden had targeted launch capability, not towns. He had offered proof on air, footage of command nodes, intercepted logs, and before-and-after telemetry that showed satellites once in Icelandian control now lying silent.
In the cities of Nortasia people gathered in the squares, not with weapons but with posters. They chanted, yes, but it was different from anger. There was a sound of relief. Some wept openly. Others hugged strangers. Men who the day before had cursed Jayden now raised their hands in gratitude.
The headlines said what Jayden had hoped they would: NORTASIA STRIKES HARD AND SMART. PEOPLE PRAISE PRESIDENT.
People placed flowers where the Aegis V pillars rose like a guard. Children drew jet planes with smiley faces and swords with hearts on them. The government stations fielded calls by the thousands.
"Is it true? Are they done?" The answer came back, for now.
Jayden watched the footage of his people and felt something he had not felt since he was a boy in New Wiston. A warm, low glow of belonging. It did not remove the weight of the dead. It did not make Katie's face less present. But it was proof that his decision had not been made in vain.
Charlotte briefed him in the small hours. "We did not destroy every single missile," she said. "We made them unable to launch. We left enough for them to claim they had power if they wanted to save face. We did not need to obliterate them to show we could."
Harper added, "We did enough to stop immediate launches. They cannot fire a barrage like before. They need months to rebuild. And in that time, we must use diplomacy and pressure to force them to back down."
The world watched. The Independent Society nations offered cautious praise, citing Nortasia's restraint.
Smaller countries sent messages of support. The Alliance nations went quiet, unsure how to respond without looking weak. President Liam called for emergency sessions of his council, and rumors flew that his internal support wavered. For the first time since the crisis began, the balance had shifted.
.....
In the capital, crowds gathered and chanted in streets and in the squares, "Jayden! Jayden!" It was a sound like a tide. Harper and Camilia stood on the steps of a small government building and watched, their hands linked. Temi, Paula, and Becky stood nearby, arms crossed but lips thinning with a private satisfaction. Charlotte watched the screens, fingers wrapped tight around a mug.
Jayden walked outside and stood before his people. The security detail made a cautious ring, but he removed his jacket and stepped to the edge of the podium like a man who did not need armor.
He looked at the faces, at the children with crayon signs, at the middle-aged who had lost shops and jobs, and he felt the gravity of his oath.
"My people," he said, and his voice carried without crack. "Today we have taken steps to keep our children safe. We struck at weapons, not at people. We stopped what was coming without becoming the kind of nation that kills for sport. We will heal what was broken. We will build stronger so that this never happens again."
The cheers rose like a wave. The memory of Western Spring still burned, but alongside that pain, there was now a belief, their leader would act, and he would act with their lives in mind.
The world would not forget the strikes, and neither would Icelandia. But what Nortasia had shown was something more than power. It was control. It was a message that rage and grief could be turned into direction.
Jayden knew the road after this would not be easy. He knew prisoners would be taken, that intelligence would be sifted, and that Icelandia would lunge again if given the chance. He also knew that wars are not decided in a single night but in the patience of many days that follow.
For now, as the sun set on a country that had gone through too much, Jayden allowed himself a small, private thing: he took the picture of Katie from his pocket and pressed it to his chest. Then with tempered resolve he turned back to his team. The work had only just begun.
They had taken the teeth out of the beast for now. They had given their people a breath. They would use that breath to bind their nation tighter, to heal, and to stand ready. And that readiness would not be built on fear alone.
It would be built on the knowledge that when his people called, he answered
... Smart, deliberate, and human.
...
And the final message he gave to President Liam?
"Come on, can't you see? You are helpless. You don't have to put millions of lives on the line because of your pride."
"I give you twelve hours to step down, Mister Liam. This time it won't be that easy on you. Whether you want it hard or not. Your call, you are gonna get it."
Jayden said as he gave his Combat Attribute bar a look.
[Combat: 100/100.]
"Perhaps you'd seeing the toughest side of me," he muttered what a striking tone.