Although the nine islands made the news, they did not make the headlines right away.
From beginning to end, there had only been a few words from the spokesperson. No pictures, no proof. Most netizens thought they were merely palm-sized reefs.
They were happy, of course, but that was all. After all, there were already several unsinkable aircraft carriers, and everyone's threshold for excitement had been raised.
Nor had the authorities promoted the matter too vigorously. Gaining over four hundred square kilometers of land territory overnight was still rather frightening.
There was also the fact that the shapes of those nine islands simply could not be explained away...
So they first gave the matter a cold reception domestically, responding to whatever came their way and meeting ten thousand changes with one unchanging course.
Yet unexpectedly, after the initial frenzy gradually subsided, the outside world's reaction was not as intense as the authorities had imagined.
Reality had far exceeded imagination. Before anyone could figure out what exactly was going on, everyone instead lost their nerve and dared not be the first bird to stick its head out.
After the Northern Myanmar lightning killings and the deaths of the masterminds behind the telecom scams, those with ulterior motives had no desire to suddenly suffer myocardial infarctions.
They all turned suspicious, cautious eyes toward a certain great power in the East.
That country's style of conduct had remained consistent throughout the years: upright and moderate, proceeding step by step, winning through an open and righteous formation.
Thus, in everyone's eyes, neither the Northern Myanmar lightning killings nor the extermination of the Lineage behind the telecom scams fit that country's usual style.
Even the Red Chess River Project and the South Sea Nine Islands incident should not have been so aggressive.
There were too