Space City, Studio One.
For the sake of realistic program effect, a wall of white cement had been erected in the studio, displaying a global map of the Exile Star and a so-called "war situation map."
Zhi Cun, dressed in a jet-black formal suit, wearing glasses, with salt-and-pepper hair, sat solemnly at the table, repeatedly reading his script.
The recording was about to begin. The recorded video and audio would be broadcast across the entire Exile Star via television and the internet, also marked with the word "Live." This deception of a fake live broadcast was necessary, as the speech concerned the lives of billions, and the entire process had to be flawless.
Opposite Zhi Cun were several cameras and recording equipment, with a group of people observing silently, including Jiang Ye and Cen Yemeng.
"I remember when Zhi Cun last addressed the globe, he still had black hair. Why is it now almost entirely white?" Jiang Ye whispered to Cen Yemeng.
"To enhance authenticity," Cen Yemeng replied. "This was the idea of a tactical deception expert from Leng An Star who came to assist. He said that if Zhi Cun looked exactly the same as before, many people would subconsciously wonder if it was a fake."
"But by making Zhi Cun's hair turn salt-and-pepper, the people of Exile Star will be shocked at first glance. Everyone will be startled, and their thoughts will shift to – why has the leader's hair gone from black to white in such a short time? Many will then think that the leader is already old and perhaps had white hair all along, but dyed it black for appearances. Some will also speculate that the war has been too brutal during this period, causing the leader to lose sleep and appetite, turning his hair white under immense pressure heavier than mountains and deeper than seas."
"Once people's thoughts are diverted like this, they will subconsciously believe that the Zhi Cun speaking is real. This is a form of deception tactic known as 'feinting to the east while attacking in the west,' exploiting people's blind spots in thinking," Cen Yemeng explained. "The expert's point is that at a time like this, 100% similarity is less effective than being eighty percent alike. Have you noticed that the makeup artist specifically deepened Zhi Cun's nasolabial folds and crow's feet? Before the broadcast, Zhi Cun had already rehearsed the script hundreds of times, and his voice is now slightly hoarse and tired. He was only allowed to sleep for four hours last night, and he is currently suffering from the torment of both nervousness and drowsiness."
Jiang Ye nodded.
He felt the expert's approach made sense, exuding a sense of professionalism.
Leng An Star actually had experts specializing in such deceptions. The true depth of the great planet was profound. What was the purpose of nurturing such experts? What hidden conspiracies lay behind it?
"All departments, take your positions!" the director suddenly shouted. "Recording countdown, ten seconds! Ten! Nine! Eight!"
Cen Yemeng suddenly grabbed Jiang Ye's arm.
Jiang Ye could feel her nervousness.
The countdown reached zero.
Zhi Cun glanced at the camera and began to read from the script, his tired and solemn voice echoing in the studio:
"The reason Exile Star declared war on the Galactic Empire was in pursuit of self-preservation and independence. As for the disasters caused by the deaths and injuries of innocent civilians, economic regression, and social destruction, these were not My original intention."
"If the military and civilians continue to resist, it will not only lead to the demise of this planet but also destroy human civilization. The Galactic Empire has agreed to My terms, to treat prisoners and civilians favorably, and to implement economic investment and post-war reconstruction for Exile Star."
"I hereby declare that the armies of all states, cities, counties, and townships shall lay down their arms, cease hostilities, and await the takeover by the Galactic Empire's allied forces. I hope all the people of Exile Star will shift their focus to post-war reconstruction, so that the future of Exile Star may be bright and promising. I hope all inhabitants of Exile Star will understand My decision to end the war."
Zhi Cun looked up, glanced at the camera, and reached for his glasses.
His weathered old face was etched with exhaustion and helplessness, truly like an emperor at the end of his reign.
"Cut!" the director shouted.
Jiang Ye and Cen Yemeng immediately leaned closer to the screen to review the recorded video.
After the playback, the director, with a beaming smile, asked, "Sir, is there anything you feel is not quite right? We will improve it immediately."
"General Li?" Cen Yemeng looked at an old man standing nearby.
The old man was wearing the uniform of Leng An Star and was likely the expert who suggested dyeing Zhi Cun's hair white. His rank was quite high, actually a general.
"No problem," General Li nodded.
"When the time comes, broadcast it like this," Cen Yemeng said to the director.
The staff and entourage in the studio breathed a slight sigh of relief, but they were not entirely relaxed, as there was still half an hour until the broadcast time.
Cen Yemeng pulled Jiang Ye away from the studio and headed towards the combat command center.
The combat command center looked much like an ancient rocket launch control center, with rows of screens. The wall at the front was a single large screen, displaying the dynamics and data from various locations on Exile Star. Countless officers were hunched over the screens, wearing headphones, and occasionally shouting:
"Latitude 51 degrees 28 North, Longitude 0.1 degrees 5 East, enemy armored vehicle units detected. Unit 0113, please complete ground-to-air strike within eighteen minutes!"
"Latitude 33 degrees 40 South, Longitude 150 degrees 11 East, enemy infantry units discovered. Unit 1377, please complete strike within twenty minutes!"
"Latitude 35 degrees 40 North, Longitude 137 degrees 40 East, our mecha squad has encountered an ambush. Unit 0673 and Unit 0674 nearby, please split forces to provide support!"
The large-scale offensives had recently ceased, and these were all anti-insurgency operations. The combat command center had this appearance every day, relying on satellites and drones to identify enemy units and then ordering nearby forces to eliminate them. The process was somewhat like playing a game, a rather tedious one, of course, from the perspective of the officers in the command center. However, the soldiers fighting on the front lines of Exile Star were experiencing thrilling moments.
After detecting enemy forces, nearby units would not send live infantry. Instead, they would employ a three-round ground-to-air tactic.
The so-called three-round ground-to-air tactic was actually very simple and brutal.
The first round involved rapid missile bombardment to incapacitate enemy movements and prevent them from escaping.
During the time the missiles were active, bomber drone formations would arrive on the scene to launch the second round of heavy bomb strikes.
Typically, the bomb strikes were highly saturated. To deal with a hundred or so infantry, forty to fifty tons of various aerial bombs would be dropped, flattening the area around the enemy forces repeatedly, engulfing them in flames, and depleting the oxygen. The scene would often be so devastated that not even bone fragments remained.
The final round would be mecha airborne deployment to check the area for any missed enemy personnel and conduct targeted elimination. Any dud bombs also needed to be detonated to avoid the enormous cost and long time required for cleanup after the battle.
The three-round ground-to-air tactic was very effective against small enemy units and held an absolute advantage in the current anti-insurgency operations. The only drawback was the exorbitant cost, with the daily expenditure on missiles, bombs, and wear-and-tear on mechanical parts amounting to astronomical figures. However, this money was exchanged for the safety of ordinary soldiers, with many units maintaining zero casualties since the start of the war.
Jiang Ye and Cen Yemeng sat down to wait amidst the rising and falling shouts.
Soon, the scheduled time arrived.
The shouts in the command center abruptly changed their content:
"Tea Sheep State signal fully connected, broadcasting Zhi Cun's surrender speech!"
"Sakura Wood State signal fully connected, broadcasting Zhi Cun's surrender speech!"
"New Isaac State signal fully connected, broadcasting Zhi Cun's surrender speech!"