<A Brief Analysis of the Current Situation from UNN Fake News>
During the journey to their destination, the Victor V, the Giant-class Frigate No. 1, where Augustus stationed, were generally idle as the ship was in a state of hyperspace travel.
They mostly spend their time sleeping, exercising in the mess hall and ship's corridors, or reading ebooks and watching videos stored on their personal terminals a week before the spacecraft's departure.
Due to the lack of supply ships and docking stations, the warship had to carry enough refined high-energy gas fuel and ammunition. The problem caused by insufficient space was that most of the more than 500 crew members had to sleep in single alloy compartments that they called coffin rooms. The space was cramped and the height was only enough to support the person sleeping inside to sit upright.
The Holographic Projection screen in the captain's cabin was playing UNN news from a week ago, which Augustus had watched several times before. Raynor and Tychus were playing cards with one of Swann's technicians at a metal folding table. The smell in the small captain's cabin was not pleasant.
"This is UNN frontline correspondent Mark Piel. I'm currently aboard Edmund Duke's flagship, Norad II. The invincible Alpha Squadron has recaptured Char from the Kel-Morian today! Experts are still assessing the value of recolonizing this lava planet."
Next up was Duke, an "old acquaintance" of Augustus, who spoke smugly to the camera, his tone as arrogant and disdainful as ever.
"We all know that the Kel-Morian bastards are nothing but a bunch of spineless cowards. They just don't realize how tough the Tarsonis's fists are. See? The Kel-Morian people are already kneeling and begging for mercy!"
"Peace negotiations? We have nothing to talk about with the Kel-Morian Combine. The Fleets will take Moria in no time. Alpha Squadron's attacks are always swift and ruthless!"
"Hey, what's that gorilla talking about now?" Raynor played his cards. "There aren't any Kel-Morian people on Char anymore. So he calls replanting the Confederacy flag on a volcano 'reclaiming lost territory. 'Edmond, you're something else."
"Besides your own people, you even attacked thin air."
"No surprise, Jim." Augustus swiped across the screen, skipping over Duke's next twenty minutes of boasting.
The paused footage shows a rather young male reporter with deep-set eyes and somewhat disheveled hair. This reporter is clearly inexperienced; the only reason he could make a splash on the Golden Age news channel is that he is standing on the chaotic streets of Khastilling, filled with people waving revolutionary flags.
"I am Mike Liberty, thank you Anderson. Yes, as you can see in the intro, my name means 'liberty.' This signifies my connection to the revolutionary aspirations of the Korhal people, and that I stand among millions of Korhal —enough with the nonsense! We're live now!"
The young journalist, standing alongside the flag-waving revolutionaries, was not only not driven away or beaten, but was instead welcomed by the people.
This is probably the only reason his show was able to air. At the same time, the TV station obviously used filters and lighting effects to make the streets of Sterling look like a slum. There was broken glass, bottles, and trampled flags everywhere, and the Korhal waving the flags looked like ADHD lunatics.
"Well—friends watching the midday news— Confederacy Big Events, as you can see, Korhal IV is a complete mess." The anchor said in a somewhat compassionate tone, "Look at those smashed shop windows and flattened vehicles—I simply can't bear to look."
"The largest riot in Confederacy history has left an indelible and painful impact on Korhal. Factories have shut down, city transportation has been paralyzed, electricity and water supplies have been cut off, and rioters have stormed into civilian homes, looting property and the wives and daughters of law-abiding citizens."
"Angus and his traitorous lackeys ravaged the city, and criminals revelled in the rule of law at Sterling. It was a catastrophe, a tragedy rarely seen in this new era, a terrible wound to human civilization!"
"In fact, Angus Mengsk's approval rating in Korhal IV has remained above 90% for six consecutive years," the young reporter, who looked to be under twenty, patiently waited for the TV host to finish speaking before speaking.
"During the new government's term, unemployment and crime rates have dropped to their lowest levels in 2480 years. Factories are operating at full capacity, and the fusion power plant generates enough electricity in a week for a prime planet like Mar- Sara to last a year. The great city of Sterling is bursting with vitality, while the Revolutionary Army..."
"No new government! No Revolutionary Army!" the host emphasized. "Nonsense!"
"I laugh until my stomach hurts every time I hear this," Raynor said with a hearty laugh.
"They don't want to hear the truth, Jim." Augustus had already memorized the reporter's face. "A breakout star, Mike."
"I like him. He's a guy who dares to speak the truth, but we probably won't see him again for years," Raynor said. "He might be transferred to a back office to write articles, or he might just disappear from the scene altogether, who knows?"
"I will have the Pan-Terran Underground Party members in Tarsonis contact him; the new regime needs this kind of person."
"Welcome to Jones's Evening Program, Into the Marines —I'm host Philip, and this is the Daily Koprulu News Channel."
"Breaking news! After three months and one hundred standard days Tarsonis the conference table, there has been new progress! The Kel-Morian Combine government has agreed to cede four mining worlds, including Mond. The new trade agreement stipulates that Moria must grant Confederacy companies equal rights and will no longer impose 'unreasonable' additional tariffs."
"Please continue to follow the negotiation process between the Confederacy and the Kel-Morian Combine. UNN Global News Network provides you with the latest, most comprehensive, and most authoritative exclusive reports!"
"It sounds like the Kel-Morian people are about to collapse." Tychus played his cards and, smiling, collected all the chips on the table.
"After Korhal IV gained independence, the elders in the Confederate Congress and the Old Families clearly wanted to resolve the dispute with the Kel-Morian people as soon as possible. Before that, everyone tacitly took advantage of the negotiations to intensify their plunder of Kel-Morian mining companies and seize all the mines," Augustus.
"If they want to speed things up, the Confederate Congress has the final say on the progress of the meeting. The diplomats from Kel-Morian have no right to say no to the victor's spoils."
"Augustus, let's think about the worst-case scenario. How much time do we have to prepare?" Raynor shook his head and sighed.
"I've been thinking about this for the past few days," Augustus said calmly.
"Two weeks is the shortest time it has taken for Fleets from the edge of the star system to jump to Korhal. After that, the entire Fleets of the Terran Confederacy will swarm in."
Oh no! Ten days ago, I was passing through Nanjing Lukou Airport when I suddenly received a call telling me that a patient had been found there.
Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, I'm quarantined and I can't go out to play!