Hearing that Qing Chen was going to confine everyone in this military camp, many people panicked.
The politicians all fell silent, because they knew that if only the Qing Family troops were in City 10, it was this young man who had the final say.
Life and death were all in his hands.
Even if Qing Chen killed them all now, he could simply say, “Died in the Rat Tide, a great pity, sincere condolences,” and no one would be able to discover the truth, because the truth of this piece of history would be written by the Qing Family.
Therefore, the politicians didn't want to speak. It was better to cooperate while their lives were in someone else’s hands. Don’t be stubborn.
Politicians are different from Conglomerate death squads; they are people who sell their services to the highest bidder. So, whoever offers the best price, they listen to them.
But some stars are different. Some of them have been trainees since elementary school; some young men are meticulously crafted into the ideal image favored by rich men and women; some female stars precisely meet the preferences of ordinary male citizens.
In other words, they haven't seriously studied chemistry since elementary school.
At this moment, a male star was escorted to the camp by a Shadow soldier. He shrieked hysterically, “What right do you have to imprison us? I’m close friends with Koshima Li Yunxuan! You can't treat me like this! Does the Federation still have laws?!”
This male star had made a joke the year before; when presenting an award, he mispronounced three words in one sentence.When someone took the lead in rebelling, it ignited a sense of solidarity among others. After all, the Qing Family couldn't kill everyone, could they?
Only Song Niao Niao stood in the crowd, pulling her best friend, reminding her not to speak.
As the stars made eloquent speeches, she watched as if it were a huge joke. The young man was a butcher! You didn't recognize him because of the mud on his face; that’s fine. But now that you recognize him, how dare you continue to oppose him?
A rapper with dirty braids came out, using curse words with single and double rhymes to insult Qing Chen.
Protein bars, vegetables, fruits, meat, milk, eggs—every imaginable food was on the supply list.
Once all the goods arrived, Qing Chen only needed to sign his name for the goods to be unloaded and distributed.
Furthermore, the transport team stated that they would stick to this route and would run exclusively for City 10.
For three months, all goods would be considered donations from the Qing Family Conglomerate; after three months, City 10 would have to pay for the goods.
Within three months, the Qing Family Conglomerate would spend a huge amount of money, and Qing Chen only needed to sign a name or have someone sign it.
This meant that Qing Chen controlled the allocation of resources in the entire city.
Qing Chen signed.
He asked, “When did you start preparing these supplies?”
The general manager of the freight company smiled, “Eleven days ago. Otherwise, we couldn't have been so well-prepared. Of course, with the continuous supply later, the pressure will be reduced. All supplies come from surrounding production bases and can be delivered within 4 hours.”
Eleven days ago, the day the Rat Tide broke out.
Qing Chen sighed again, marveling once again at the prophetic ability of the old man on Ginkgo Mountain.
The other party had determined eleven days ago that he would take over this city!
Not only supplies, but the power repair team also arrived, pulling new equipment and materials into the city and heading straight for the power plant.
All materials were donated by the Qing Family Conglomerate; Qing Chen just needed to sign.
At some point, he felt a sense of powerlessness.
The revenge for Ning Xiu, the Head of the Qingshi Clan, was Qing Chen's primary suspect. But now he was thinking, even if he knew it was the other party, did he truly have the ability to take revenge?
No, he still needs to accumulate strength as quickly as possible.
Suddenly, a cheer erupted in the city. Qing Chen turned to look and saw the lights illuminating before him. The Lower Third District was the first to restore power!
The refugees in the city embraced each other and wept.
If I had never seen the light, I could have endured the darkness.
In the past, the people of the Lower Third District had lived without electricity. The Guardians' Union provided electricity for only a month, and then the city was plunged into darkness again.
During that month, they deeply missed the month they had electricity.
Now, the lights lit up, symbolizing the return of light, and the chaotic and disordered days were over.
In the evening sun, a Hope Media reporter rushed past Qing Chen, clutching a pile of handwritten manuscripts in his arms.
Qing Chen stopped him, “Hello, are you a reporter from Hope Media? I heard Xiao San mention you.”
Gao was stunned. He responded somewhat shyly, “Hello, I’m Gao, a reporter from Hope Media. I want to write an article about this disaster.”
Qing Chen said earnestly, “Please don't mention the Guardians' Union and try to buy us more time. Thank you.”
Gao solemnly promised, “Don’t worry, I will. You don't need to thank me; I should be thanking you.”
He continued to run towards the Hope Media building. He wanted to make public everything he had recorded during this period, so that everyone would know that under the environment of the Federation's civil war, there were still people who saved a city.
Northern Battlefield.
A small party was being held in an Air Fortress suspended in the clouds.
People with blond hair and blue eyes communicated in English, raising their glasses to celebrate the victory of their first battle.
The appearance of two overseas Air Fortresses and ten Class A Airships destroyed 12 Class A Airships and 41 Fighter Jets belonging to the Qing Family and the Li Clan, completely changing the northern war situation.
It was fortunate that the Qing Family and the Li Clan evacuated early, otherwise the losses would have been even more severe.
This battle led to the Qing Family and the Li Clan retreating along the entire front, and for a time, they relied on ground fortifications to prevent the fleet from advancing south.
At the party, a dark-complexioned Asian young man suddenly raised his glass, “Cheers!”
Everyone raised their champagne glasses.
An Asian young man stood out among the white people.
Arthur, the Asian young man, is the leader of the Royal Organization. However, all members of the kingdom know that he is merely a puppet, and the real person is not present.
At this moment, twelve women in cherry blossom kimonos entered the dance floor, gently swaying their bodies to the soothing music.
A group of white men whistled, and some even tried to lift the skirts of the kimonos.
The girls were terrified but could only endure their fear and continue dancing.
As they danced, some members of the Royal Organization took them aside to drink.
Arthur asked with a smile, “Where is that friend from the Shendai Consortium?”
“He's still in his private room and said he will be here soon,” a white man said.
A young man with black hair and black eyes walked into the party; he didn't look at the fate of the kimono girls, but greeted Arthur in fluent English.
Arthur exclaimed, “Shendai, your fluency in English always amazes me.”
The young man known as Shendai smiled, “In my long life, I once used a Forbidden Artifact to cross the Forbidden Sea and lived in San Francisco on the West Coast for a period. I like it there, especially the women there.”
Arthur laughed after hearing this, “That won't do. You're not worthy of our white women.”
As soon as these words came out, the entire party fell silent. Everyone looked at Shendai silently, wanting to see his reaction.
Arthur stared intently at the young man in front of him: “You only moved your lips in this war and haven’t won our respect yet.”
Shendai said softly, “I sacrificed a real son for this war. He has followed me for hundreds of years. This is the price I paid for war. Moreover, the disaster in City 10 is enough to sever two supply lines in the south. This is why the Qing Family and Li Clan retreated.”
Arthur shook his head, “I don’t like your schemes; they sound ugly. You need to understand one thing; you need us, not the other way around.”
The young man without a name, but with the code name Shendai, remained silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled, “Don’t worry, I won’t touch white women in the future.”
“Good,” Arthur nodded.
There must be one principle in this cooperation: the West Coast, with its forward base on the Forbidden Sea, must have absolute say.
The Federation will be their first colony, not a region of equal development.
The Royal Organization and the Future Organization need a dog, not a partner.
“Let’s talk about the situation, Shendai. What's your take on the upcoming battle?” Arthur handed his champagne to the waiter, replaced it with a whiskey, and took a sip. His tuxedo was impeccable; he looked like a true gentleman.
Shendai analyzed, “The Federation has just undergone a war. The Chen Family’s air fleet in the south is incapable of going north. The Li Clan’s Air Fortress is under repair, and it will take at least three months to set sail. But I don't advise you to attack rashly because Shendai needs time to build supply lines and forward bases. The front line cannot be extended too quickly.”
Arthur asked, “How long will it take to build a forward base?”
“Two months,” Shendai said seriously, “This will be the lifeline of your fleet’s southward advance. Of course, your current military strength is not very large, and it is difficult to cross the Spring Thunder River’s air defense positions. Your biggest advantage is that the Kingdom and Future organizations have completed the resource integration of the West Coast and merged, while the Federation is in a state of disintegration. A little provocation, and they will fight among themselves. I intend to first—”
Arthur suddenly shook his head and sneered, “You underestimate our strength. Our fleet will continue to arrive in the Federation. Then you will understand that conspiracies are insignificant in the face of true power. Shendai and Koshima just need to build forward bases for us, don't play any tricks.”
A white man beside him said, “We will sell some weapons to Shendai and Koshima. You need to facilitate this series of transactions. Of course, it's to help you control your sovereignty, so the price isn't expensive. Remember to use gold for settlement. Also, cooperation with some OEMs must be put on the agenda.”
Shendai was stunned. He knew that an economic crisis was erupting within the West Coast, and this war of distant expeditions was meant to shift the crisis to the Federation.
A new cake is enough to quell everyone's anger and anxiety.
The Royal Organization and Future Organization intend to turn the Eastern Federation into their factory so that the West Coast can suck their blood.
The weapons the West Coast plans to sell may not be more advanced than those of the Federation, but Koshima and Shendai must buy them.
After thinking for a moment, Shendai smiled brightly, “Okay, no problem. My people are all over Shendai and Koshima. They will promote this.”
But at this moment, a combat staff officer from the Air Fortress quickly walked into the party. He whispered, “The East Continent Federation President and many political figures jointly issued a statement condemning Koshima and Shendai for causing the City 10 disaster and calling for the Qing Family, Li Clan, and Chen Family to jointly launch a war against Shendai and Koshima as a punishment.”
Shendai was stunned, “The Federation President is still alive?”
“Alive. A total of 71 political figures participated in this statement, along with 109 celebrities and entertainers,” the combat staff officer said, then opened the LCD screen and clicked on the translated video.
In the video, the Federation President, Vice President, and others condemned the actions first. Then, celebrities and entertainers expressed their condemnation, followed by Song Niao Niao's solo act, tearfully recounting the events of the disaster. She was incredibly pitiable.
Song Niao Niao wore tattered clothes, her shoes didn't quite fit, and her face and arms were scarred, as if she had personally experienced the disaster.
She first denounced the cause of the disaster, then praised the greatness of the people. All her words tried to awaken the independent personality of the masses.
In front of the camera, she even mentioned a young man who had saved her, and with tearful eyes, said that this kind of hero is her ideal type.
Empathy, suspense, indignation, gossip—everything was thrown in together, and she maxed out the video's dissemination.
It must be said that Song Niao Niao's ability to become a top-tier female star wasn't just based on her beautiful appearance; her acting skills were indeed superb.
The camera switched, and residents from City 22 and City 24 took to the streets, vehemently protesting the atrocities of Shendai and Koshima.
This public opinion war had only just begun two hours ago.
Arthur looked at Shendai and said with a smile, “Didn’t you say that everyone in City 10 would die? Then your Rat Tide would counter-invade the Li Clan and Qing Family.”
Shendai said calmly, “I also said that this plan could fail. The most important thing is to launch the war and cut off the two supply lines of the Li Clan and Qing Family. City 10 is not only the political center but also the transportation hub of the Federation. This goal has definitely been achieved.”
Arthur asked with a smile again, “Didn’t you say that City 10 would have information isolation for at least half a month? I remember very clearly, you said they had no ability to quickly repair the city's power stations. Moreover, you promised that City 10’s political leaders would all die, leading to the gradual collapse of the Federation’s system, leading to the emergence of warlordism in the Qing Family, Li Clan, and Chen Family. But you didn’t seem to do that either. In the cities you control, there will be rebellions, which means that the speed of building your forward base will definitely not be as fast as you imagine.”
Shendai was silent. He really didn't expect so many unarmed presidents and parliamentarians to survive.
At this moment, he sensed something was wrong. It seemed as if someone was targeting his plan, inexplicably dragging their southward advance!
The President and Vice President are both alive; this is unexpected!
Shendai said calmly, “There are no perfect plans in this world, but please believe me, public opinion in the Federation is not so terrible. In the past, Shendai could suppress them; he can still do it today. Building forward bases is the primary goal, and we will do our best to ensure this.”
Arthur said noncommittally, “Don’t hold us back.”
Shendai smiled, all his true emotions hidden behind the smile.