The Endgame Chronicles (by Hugh White) novel Chapter 400

Chapter 400

Hayley pulled the red button out of her inventory.

The moment it appeared in her hand, she felt a massive presence hidden deep beneath the ocean, waiting for her command any moment.

That was…her nuclear missile.

Damn.

She had hit the jackpot.

Now, she owned a nuke!

A top-tier doomsday weapon!

In reality, nuclear weapons aren’t quite as terrifying as the stories make them sound. One missile can erase everything at the blast center, but the actual damage radius is limited. Anyone deep underground or far enough away can survive.

That’s why wars between nuclear powers aren’t decided by a single strike.

Before launching a nuclear war, targets must be carefully chosen. The first strike has to eliminate the enemy’s nuclear forces cripple them so badly that they can’t retaliate.

That’s called first strike capability.

If the first strike fails, it guarantees a brutal counterattack. At that point, what matters is second strike capability.

Second strike capability means retaining enough strength after being hit to launch a retaliatory nuclear strike and wipe the enemy out completely.

So, nuclear warfare is really a contest of nuclear strength.

This was especially so for large countries. They don’t carpet bømb everything. They strike key cities and infrastructure to paralyze the enemy.

Maintaining nuclear weapons is incredibly expensive. Even before the apocalypse, many nuclear nations couldn’t stockpile large numbers or guarantee a second strike.

Still, nuclear weapons are as much about deterrence as they are about destruction.

Most followed the minimum deterrence doctrines. One missile was enough to warn other nuclear powers not to act recklessiv

Now, Hayley had obtained an epic level weapon of mass destruction. Just like that, her heart thally felt steady.

This was the ultimate life-saving trump card.

A massive, final fallback.

Her list of hidden cards just got longer.

As Hayley was still riding that rush of excitement, Liam’s voice came from outside

“Hayley!”

“Liapa?”

Still buzzing, Hayley rushed over and wrapped him in a big hug

Liam froze on the spot, completely caught off guard. His heart immediately started pounding

Chapter 46

Wail. No way.

Was he overthinking this?

He knew today was a huge win. Of course, Hayley was happy. A celebratory hug made sense.

But why did she hug him specifically, and not anyone else?

Did that mean he was…different?

The thought hit him like a truck.

His eyes went wide, and his ears turned red all the way down to his neck. Stiffly, he lifted his arms and hugged her back.

Right then, the door was pushed open. Alex walked in.

“Captain Reid! The city’s secured. I’ve drafted a new development plan, and I’d like to walk you through it.”

Hayley glanced at Alex and somehow found him much more pleasant to look at today.

“Not now, Alex. That plan can wait. I’m heading home first!”

She laughed and headed straight back toward her shelter.

“Captain Caldwell, perfect timing. Since you’re here, I’ll go over it with you instead,” Alex said, pulling out his documents.

Liam watched Hayley disappear, and his face immediately fell.

“I’m busy.”

He turned around and walked out.

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Chapter 46