Just as Xiao Ran was making the final preparations in space, a piece of news quickly spread across Earth. It emphasized that the Federation was preparing to use satellite weapons to attack the Middle East and force it into joining the Federation, disregarding the lives of hundreds of thousands, perhaps even millions. This immediately caused an enormous uproar across the world. Countless people were furious, yet very few truly took to the streets to protest or demonstrate.
Because in most of the Federation's major cities and important regions, countless people wearing Federal Army uniforms—and even A-LAWS Combat Suits—along with MS stationed here and there, had long since imposed martial law. No matter how quickly the news spread or how much discussion there was online, an eerie calm still persisted within Federation territory.
Countless people were burning with anger but had no way to deal with the current situation. Countless people grieved and raged at what was happening, yet felt deeply powerless. Looking through their windows at those fully armed soldiers was like looking at a shadow hanging over their heads, one that would never disperse. It left them helpless, confused, and afraid for their future. When they thought of the terrifying government looming over them, there was nothing left in their hearts but sorrow, without even the slightest positive emotion.
The Frontier had now become the forward base for this operation, as well as the command center coordinating all actions. Captain Jeffrey puffed white smoke from his large pipe one mouthful at a time, while the Bridge Trio used the VEDA access authority provided by Ribbons to monitor the entire world, especially the two satellite weapons in the orbital ring and A-LAWS's troop deployments.
The areas around both satellite weapons were completely filled with A-LAWS forces and ordinary Federal MS