Chapter 202 Inside the Kremlin (Patreon)

Transformers Begin : Table of Content/Chapter List

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When an urgent call came in, Rear Admiral Ivanov, the head of the Severodvinsk Naval Base of the North Sea Fleet, stared blankly at the faint light outside the window. It seemed like his mind hadn't fully recovered from the shocking news on the phone.

"What did you say? Our naval base was invaded? The intruders used our ocean-going tugboat to tow away the Arkhangelsk from the Severodvinsk shipyard? And they managed to escape with it?"

If Ivanov hadn't been aware that he had only had a light drink of half a bottle of vodka last night, an amount that wouldn't have intoxicated him based on his alcohol tolerance, he would have suspected that he was hallucinating!

"Yes, General. You heard correctly. Someone has infiltrated the naval base, and we have lost a ballistic missile nuclear submarine..."

On the other end of the phone, Lieutenant Colonel Bunoeyevsky's deep voice could be heard. Even over the phone, Ivanov could sense that he was trying to control his emotions, ensuring his voice didn't sound panicked.

Ivanov stumbled, almost collapsing onto the bed. He made an effort to steady himself, preventing himself from falling, and urgently shouted through the phone, "Lieutenant Colonel, I need to know what exactly has happened. Were the night guards and patrols merely going through the motions?"

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone. Bunoeyevsky listened to his outburst in silence before speaking again in a low voice.

"General, it's not convenient to discuss the details over the phone. Please come to the headquarters as soon as possible, and please be prepared mentally. The situation is more serious and complicated than you can imagine."

The call ended abruptly, leaving Ivanov staring blankly at the receiver in his hand for a while. Suddenly, he snapped back to reality, quickly left the bedroom, washed up in a hurry, changed into his military uniform, summoned the driver, and ordered him to drive to the command post.

Over an hour later, a comprehensive report on everything that had occurred in Severodvinsk reached the main base of the Russian Navy's Northern Fleet in Murmansk, shocking the senior management of the entire fleet.

No one dared to conceal the fact that a ballistic missile nuclear submarine had been lost, even if it was a submarine slated for decommissioning.

Furthermore, behind the loss of the Arkhangelsk, there was an indescribable and eerie mystery.

As a result, the situation was finally summarized and uploaded to the Ministry of Defense building in Moscow before dawn, leaving the insiders of the Ministry of Defense astonished once again.

Upon receiving the news and learning about everything that had happened in Severodvinsk, Defense Minister Konashenkov had no choice but to rush to the location and immediately notify the presidential palace. Faced with such a major incident, he didn't dare to make any decisions himself.

When the news reached the Kremlin, Russia's second president and political strongman, President Vladimir, was going through his usual morning swimming routine.

However, when the secretary whispered to him about the urgent call from the Ministry of Defense, the political strongman, who had never shown concern even in the face of the encroaching NATO group, suddenly changed his expression dramatically!

A base at the Severodvinsk Naval Base had been invaded, and the Arkhangelsk nuclear submarine had disappeared!

How could this be? Had Russia's esteemed Northern Fleet deteriorated to such an extent?

At that moment, President Vladimir didn't have the luxury to think about his daily morning swim. He quickly climbed out of the swimming pool and accepted the cashmere bath towel handed to him by a security guard, draping it over his body. With a grim expression, he asked, "Has the news been verified?"

The Kremlin secretary responded in a low voice, "The news was reported to the Northern Fleet by the General Severodvinsk Naval Base and then relayed to the Ministry of Defense. Minister Konashenkov called a moment ago, and he has dispatched investigators on a military plane to assess the situation at the Severodvinsk Naval Base. However, based on the transmitted materials and images, the news appears to be true!"

"Send someone to the Ministry of Defense to retrieve all the materials and images. I want to personally examine them."

President Vladimir's face displayed an unusually unpleasant expression. After receiving instructions and responding respectfully, the secretary prepared to make the necessary arrangements.

Suddenly, he stopped his secretary once again and ordered, "Wait, personally go to the White House (Russian Federation Government Building) and bring Dmitry to see me!"

Dmitry was Vladimir's trusted and favorite general. After the disintegration of the Soviet Union, Russia began implementing a system of democratically elected presidents, with each president serving a four-year term and being eligible for re-election once.

The short eight-year term clearly couldn't satisfy President Vladimir's political ambitions.

From the beginning of his tenure, he sought to extend the presidential term to six years through constitutional amendments, and made every effort to eliminate the unwritten rule of presidential re-election limitations.

Pushing Dmitry into the position of Russia's first deputy prime minister was Vladimir's final move for his own benefit.

As eight years flew by, his political opponents forcefully suppressed the constitutional amendment bill, unwilling to let him extend his political life through constitutional changes. This forced Vladimir to consider another plan.

He would withdraw from the presidential election after his current term ends next year, to deceive his political opponents. Simultaneously, he would support Dmitry in running for the presidency, believing that with his backing, Dmitry would have a good chance of winning.

At that time, Vladimir would have Dmitry appoint him as Prime Minister of Russia.

This would allow him to continue his political life and steer the course of reform in this great nation.

To prevent Dmitry from having any unnecessary ideas, even after promoting him to the position of first deputy prime minister, Vladimir continued to give him important tasks while seizing every opportunity to remind Dmitry that he was indispensable for governing the country.

Now, presented with such a great opportunity, Vladimir wouldn't miss the chance to take advantage of Dmitry's intelligence and also teach him a lesson.

Vladimir didn't make Dmitry wait for long; he had only changed his clothes and quickly had a Russian breakfast.

After approximately forty minutes, Dmitry had rushed to the Kremlin.

"Your Excellency, is it true that the Severodvinsk naval base has lost a nuclear submarine?"

"It has been mostly confirmed. The Ministry of Defense has already dispatched a special plane to Severodvinsk to verify the situation."

With a somber expression, President Vladimir gestured to the side, inviting Dmitry to take a seat before slowly addressing him, "Dmitry, the situation is even more serious than you imagined!"

"What's the situation?" Dmitry had only caught snippets of information from the Kremlin secretary. Until he received specific instructions from the president, even his secretary and the prime minister didn't dare to speak or ask random questions about the plot.

Vladimir let out a heavy sigh, picked up a thick file bag, and handed it to Dmitry, saying, "You better see it for yourself!"

Dmitry took the file bag skeptically, opened it, glanced through its contents, and immediately looked up at Vladimir in surprise.

After Vladimir nodded slightly, Dmitry lowered his head again and continued reading.

Because most of the documents in the bag were images, Dmitry was able to finish reading them in just a few minutes.

After finishing, his eyes were filled with disbelief.

"Intruders resembling combat mechas? Unknown number of invading units? Bullets unable to cause harm? The Arkhangelsk has been stolen, and the Navy has urgently requested the tracking of the anti-submarine reconnaissance plane, but its whereabouts are unknown? This..."

He didn't know what to say in that instant!

Vladimir observed his reaction and felt a slight sense of relief.

Just as he had observed Dmitry's abilities in governance over a long period of time, he acknowledged his impressive political skills but noted a lack in methods and psychological resilience. Such an individual could be involved in government affairs, but he was by no means a resolute leader capable of leading Russia back to its position at the top of the world.

A faint smile emerged at the corner of his mouth, and the gloom on Vladimir's face dissipated significantly.

Looking at Dmitry, he spoke slowly, "The report from the Northern Defense Naval Base mentioned that the Severodvinsk Shipyard, where the Arkhangelsk was docked, has lost a significant amount of equipment and materials during the past period. They suspect that these may have been used for submarine modifications. The Ministry of Defense also believes that these combat mechas may not be invaders from other countries, but rather unknown creatures from beyond our world. I will have the Security Bureau dispatch elite agents to investigate the situation in Murmansk and Severodvinsk."

"Unknown creatures?"

Dmitry shook his head, finding the credibility of such claims even lower than that of other countries' combat mecha units invading Russia.

However, he failed to notice the flicker in Vladimir's eyes.

The reason he considered involving the Russian Federal Security Bureau was because he suddenly recalled the intelligence they had received from the United States a few months ago.

There had been a large-scale battle in the gambling city of Las Vegas. The US military had fought against unidentified creatures of unknown origin.

Although the US government intervened promptly, and intelligence agencies actively worked to suppress and block related news after the battle, numerous photos and content had still leaked onto the internet, catching the attention of some agents from the Security Bureau in the US.

"Could the intelligence be true?"

In the past few months, the Security Bureau had lost several talented agents while trying to uncover the secrets behind the battle in Las Vegas.

That was why Vladimir had agreed to temporarily halt the investigation on this matter.

Now, with the appearance of the mechanical giants in Severodvinsk, it reminded him of that incident.

After a brief moment of contemplation, Vladimir finally spoke, "Fortunately, the submarines were not equipped with missiles. Although I am concerned that our Typhoon-class submarine falling into unknown hands could lead to a breach of classified information and unnecessary complications, personally, I don't think this matter should be made public. The Ministry of Defense has already ordered the Northern Fleet and anti-submarine aircraft to depart the port and thoroughly investigate the missing submarine. Additionally, Dmitry, I would like you to immediately visit the US Embassy in Moscow as a special envoy and provide an explanation to the US Ambassador regarding this situation, so as to avoid any unnecessary suspicions on their part."

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