January 31
At nine in the morning, just one day after Dawn City held its press conference, the long-silent Aines finally made a move.
Without any prior notice, the Federal Bureau of Investigation headquarters suddenly held a press conference.
All reporters received word only half an hour in advance. More than a third of reporters and media outlets failed to arrive due to traffic jams and various other reasons.
And this time, the person holding the press conference was no longer the Federal Bureau of Investigation's frequently seen spokesperson, but its director, who almost never appeared before the cameras.
The content of the conference was simple. The Federal Bureau of Investigation Director stated that he had learned of the Order Church, that the Federal Bureau of Investigation would not tolerate any cult organization existing within the government, and that it had begun investigating the Order Church.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation Director spoke very quickly. The entire conference lasted less than ten minutes from beginning to end.
By the time the late reporters arrived, the press conference was already over.
Yet this brief ten-minute conference was like a heavy bomb dropped into already boiling water.
Afterward, all of Aines fell silent once more. But people no longer found it quiet. They only felt that surging undercurrents lurked beneath that calm water surface.
February 3
Dawn City released part of the surveillance video from the city center on the night of the incident and announced increased sanctions against the major conglomerates suspected of involvement in the previous events. The sanctions would extend to the conglomerates' holding subsidiaries and affiliated companies with close business dealings with them.
Stars Pharmaceutical held a press conference, claiming that Christos was "abusing government power" and using his authority to "suppress law-abiding organizations."
The major conglomerates