"Under the onslaught of the brave Federation army, the rebels were routed and fled from the outskirts of Monit City. The Federation army is now steadily retaking cities occupied by the rebels, thwarting their evil schemes and wiping out those terrifying cultists and insurgents."
Mark reached out and changed the channel.
"President Skvis delivered a speech two days ago, praising the fearless courage of the officers and soldiers fighting on the front lines and thanking them for their outstanding contributions to the Federation's unity. He called on the entire Federation to stand together, donate supplies to the front, and enlist enthusiastically to fight for the unity and order of the Federation."
"In his speech, he said that the rebels' weakness was plain for all to see, as was the unity of the Federation. The war would inevitably end, and the Federation would ultimately triumph. The Federation's order and justice, its legacy of over seven hundred years, would surely prevail."
Mark reached out again and changed the channel.
This time, a soft, gentle song came from the radio.
The music seemed to ease some of the young staff member's distress.
He looked up at He Ao, who was resting with his eyes closed, then turned to Mark. After a moment's hesitation, he asked cautiously, "I've been watching a lot of news lately. Are we winning on the eastern front? I keep hearing that the Federation is about to win. Half a year ago, the president even said we'd win in three months, but we've been fighting another six months now. Is the Federation really about to win?"
"Hah." Mark scoffed. "About to win? Half a year ago, they were fighting right outside Dawn City. Now they're fighting to defend Monit—
"City. Christos nearly took it."
"What does that tell us?" the