The sun shone high outside the window, while the office was pleasantly cool.
Jonas was in a good mood. After the beating they had taken over the Peacekeeping Forces affair, the major powers in District 25 had become much better behaved. Quite a few companies with guilty consciences had approached him of their own accord.
Free use of factories, land transferred at rock-bottom prices, raw materials supplied at generous discounts...
Perhaps to save face, these chairmen had even given their actions a noble name: "For the District 25 Alliance."
What a complete joke. If they had nothing to hide, would they have come knocking at a time like this?
Of course, Jonas had not made things excessively difficult for them. A wise man knew when to yield. Bowing their heads now did not necessarily prove their allegiance, but as long as the Federation army did not invade anytime soon, these companies would never dare make any rash moves.
District 25 was flourishing in other areas as well. Aside from the Slums, which had been completely abolished long ago, the gangs that terrorized their neighborhoods and did the companies' dirty work had also been all but wiped out.
The Arbitration Bureau had handled that task. After all, Carol had chosen to surrender, and Jonas had to give her something to do to prove her loyalty. He had simply asked them to clear out those weeds while they were at it.
The Arbitration Bureau had genuine Tactical Mecha at its disposal. Even if they were only previous-generation models, deploying them against gang members was a thoroughly one-sided slaughter. The gangs had been eliminated without even getting a chance to fight back.
"Mr. Jonas, Miss Yucas, Deputy Director of the Peacekeeping Forces, requests a meeting."
While he was pondering things, a subordinate brought