Adding Fuel to the Fire

"They're just fobbing us off!"

At the Cabinet meeting, Mr. Truman slammed his hand down hard on the newspaper on the table without hesitation, making it crack loudly.

The newspaper's front-page headline was a photograph taken by Gefra's official photographer a week earlier. It had been sent to the Federation's major media outlets and appeared on the front page that morning.

There was no doubt that the people with sacks over their heads were definitely not the people they were looking for. Moreover, these savage images had not been edited at all. Of course, the Federation's media had touched them up slightly so they would not look excessively bloody.

What Gefra's liaison officers had not expected was that this would not calm the Federation people's anger. Instead, an even greater wave of public outrage was beginning to build.

Mr. Truman looked grimly at every "carefully selected" Cabinet Member, his gaze filled with ruthlessness. "They haven't merely deceived and fobbed us off—they're also openly defying us!"

"Look at these images. I can't sense the slightest bit of shame from within them. They're not admitting their mistakes. They're using this method to fight us!"

A newly appointed Cabinet Member glanced quickly at the President, then said in a low voice, "Mr. Truman, isn't that interpretation a little too extreme...?"

"They've already killed those bandits. That means they've bowed their heads. There's no need for us to keep pressuring them!"

The President had not expressed an opinion. He appeared to be deep in thought, and in fact, he truly was.

He was not a Radical Faction member in the strictest sense. If he had been, he would now be discussing whether they could send troops to attack that country.

In reality, all old politicians his age supported conservatism. It was only because he