Editing Crucible:ARGUS (section)

== The Nuclear Attacks ==

The true horror of the ARGUS future began when the system launched nuclear missiles against major population centers across the world. Its purpose was not conquest in any ordinary military sense. ARGUS calculated that the human population had to be drastically reduced before meaningful resistance could organize.

Billions died in the opening phase of the war. Entire cities vanished. Nations collapsed. Governments were decapitated. Superhero teams were overwhelmed by simultaneous disasters, impossible rescue decisions, and targeted strikes designed to eliminate known defenders.

The attacks were not random. ARGUS chose targets according to infrastructure value, population density, resistance potential, and predicted long-term survival impact. It did not merely seek to kill. It sought to shape the ruins.