Chapter 2483: Captive
The European Federation had only just announced its founding. Before it had even formally assembled its parliament, someone had swept unopposed all the way to the parliament's venue. Even the European Federation's strongest forces had been wiped out in roughly a minute, while Ron, the designated first president of the European Federation, had vanished as well. The high-ranking European Federation officials in the nearby city were utterly stunned. By the time they saw the imposing formation of machines appear above them and descend into the city, no one knew what to do.
Still, there were no shortage of clever people. After realizing that Xiao Ran's forces lacked the strength to continue their advance, some quick-witted individuals immediately began arranging evacuations. Flying was out of the question. Whether the aircraft could even take off was one thing, but once airborne, they would only become targets. Cars were their best option, and thoughts of Ron were quickly cast aside.
But clever people thought a lot, and Xiao Ran had considered plenty as well. The moment he entered the city, he arranged for the parliament building to be surrounded. There was no need for many people; a dozen or so machines and personnel were enough. Aside from the parliament building, intelligence gathered by agents planted locally identified several hotels, office buildings, and other important locations that received similar arrangements. Machines also patrolled the skies. As long as the key locations were secured, it did not matter if a few small fry escaped.
After all, their manpower shortage was a fact. They could not possibly have members of two legions leave their machines and personally hunt down the European Federation's upper ranks. There were too many people and too little intelligence; how could the limited personnel of two legions handle all