Chapter Summaries

Jonas and Chelsea shared dinner, teased each other about Jonas meeting Yucas, and reminisced about their first business meeting. Chelsea suggested they relive that first encounter, hinting at what they planned to do afterward.

• Chelsea teased Jonas about being caught meeting Yucas and asked how the Peacekeeping Forces' legendary operative had felt.
• Chelsea asked whether Jonas needed her help with the Federation's attack on an Alt Conglomerate hospital, and Jonas said he could handle the minor matters himself.
• Jonas and Chelsea discussed how Chelsea's support might be needed when the Alt Conglomerate made a major move against the Federation.
• Chelsea asked Jonas what he had thought when they first discussed business, and Jonas admitted he had mainly thought she was beautiful.
• Chelsea suggested they relive their first meeting, saying that if Yucas could have that experience, so could she.

Chelsea recreated her first date with Jonas and turned the evening into an elaborate roleplay session using outfits modeled after his colleagues. She ended by asking Jonas if he was ready to stay up all night.

• Chelsea took Jonas to the restaurant from their first meeting and recreated their original meal.
• Chelsea brought Jonas to the same hotel room where they had stayed before and reenacted their earlier encounter.
• Chelsea dressed as Eiffel and roleplayed scenes involving the Alt Conglomerate's secretary and CEO.
• Chelsea changed into an outfit modeled after Esnie's battle-damaged attire and imitated some of Esnie's fighting moves.
• Chelsea pressed her forehead against Jonas's and asked whether he was ready to stay up all night.

After spending a sleepless night with Chelsea, Jonas woke to find she had returned to work and headed to the Alt Conglomerate. Beigong Ling asked whether District 25 had a way to deal with the Federation, and Jonas summoned her to his office.

• Chelsea and Jonas kept each other awake all night, then fell asleep together after she asked him to massage her temples.
• Jonas woke in the afternoon and found that Chelsea had left for work, taking the two outfits from the sofa.
• Jonas changed into a suit from an Alt-owned clothing store before going to the Alt Conglomerate, wary that Esnie or Eiffel might discover his connection to Yucas.
• Beigong Ling messaged Jonas to ask whether District 25 had found a way to deal with the Federation, and Jonas told her to come to his office.

Jonas met with Beigong Ling, discussed how the Alt Conglomerate’s influence protected the Star of Dawn in District 25, and learned she had come to check on him after an attack. He invited her to drink with him, leaving her to respond.

• Jonas welcomed Beigong Ling to his office and asked how the Star of Dawn was doing.
• Beigong Ling said clients had accepted compensation for botched jobs after hearing the Alt Conglomerate’s name, and Jonas explained the conglomerate’s power in District 25.
• Beigong Ling joked that she had come to ask for a map to the Federation and mentioned Dorothy, but Jonas dismissed her talk of leaving.
• Beigong Ling asked whether Jonas was all right after hearing his office had been attacked, and he said his injuries were minor.
• Beigong Ling offered to help the Star of Dawn, and Jonas invited her to have a few drinks with him.

Beigong Ling questioned Jonas about the Federation’s rescue of Noel and District 25’s response, but Jonas kept his plan classified and invited her to unwind at a bar. After Beigong Ling drank too much, she clung to Jonas in the car and asked him to repeat what had happened last time, while the car changed its destination to the Alt Hotel.

• Beigong Ling asked Jonas how the Federation had rescued Noel from the Alt Conglomerate hospital, and Jonas explained that his forces had been occupied elsewhere.
• Beigong Ling asked how District 25 would respond to a possible Federation attack, and Jonas said he had a classified plan and had sent people to pursue Noel.
• Jonas invited Beigong Ling to the bar, where they ordered matching cocktails and she began venting her stress.
• Beigong Ling finished her drink and tried to take Jonas’s, prompting him to photograph and record her drunken behavior.
• Beigong Ling embraced Jonas in the car, rubbed against him, and asked, “Like last time, Jonas... please,” as the navigation changed their destination to the Alt Hotel.

Beigong Ling woke beside Jonas and recalled getting drunk, initiating their intimacy, and being made to apologize, then left in embarrassment. Jonas returned to the Alt Conglomerate and remembered that Zero was still inside the dream, where the room was damp with moisture.

• Beigong Ling woke in a hotel room beside Jonas and pieced together what had happened after she got drunk.
• Beigong Ling blamed Jonas for the night, but Jonas reminded her that she had initiated things and that he had resisted.
• Beigong Ling left Jonas and told him not to bother her for a while.
• Jonas changed clothes, returned to the Alt Conglomerate, and went to his office.
• Jonas remembered Zero was still in the dream, locked his office door, and entered it to find every object coated with moisture.

Jonas found Zero trapped in an intensely sensitive state after forgetting about her for two days, then used her discomfort to intimidate and humiliate her. He reduced her sensitivity slightly and demanded she apologize to the Alt Conglomerate, leaving Zero kneeling in a posture from her dream.

• Jonas found Zero trembling on a soaked bed after she had endured two days in the dreamlike state.
• He apologized for forgetting her, then admitted he wanted to make her fear him and unable to fight for the Federation.
• Jonas lowered Zero's sensitivity slightly and told her that ice cream was being made for her.
• When Zero begged him to stop, Jonas demanded she apologize for attacking the Alt Conglomerate.
• Zero knelt and bowed with her forehead against the floor, repeating the posture from her dream.

Dorothy watched an antiwar protest in the Federation and ordered Lin Gong to find out who was directing it. As she waited for word that Noel had escaped District 25, Lin Gong discovered the protest was being organized by their own people.

• Dorothy watched protesters condemn the Federation, war, and the conglomerates from her car.
• Dorothy told Lin Gong to investigate who was directing the protesters, and Lin Gong resented Dorothy's repeated comparisons to Noel.
• Dorothy recalled the rescue operation in District 25, the communication blackout, and the preparations she had made for Noel's escape.
• Lin Gong called Dorothy and reported that their own people were behind the protest.

Dorothy learned that two Federation officials were suspected of taking money from District 25 and ordered them taken to the usual place. She also arranged for gangs to provoke clashes near the protests, leaving the protesters scattering as her car departed.

• Dorothy considered the protests evidence that someone was stirring up opposition to the Federation's war with District 25.
• Lin Gong reported that Publicity Department head Goodwin Noah and Logistics Department head Rien Chacon had suspicious deposits in their bank accounts.
• Dorothy ordered Lin Gong to take the two suspected traitors to the usual place and use their punishment to warn others.
• Dorothy told Lin Gong to have nearby gangs start clashes around protests instead of deploying the Security Force.
• Lin Gong ended the call, and gunshots and screams erupted shortly after Dorothy's car left the block.

Dorothy confronted Goodwin and Rien, who denied taking money from District 25, and explained that their unexplained transfers were enough to make them useful as scapegoats. She left their fate tied to whether others believed they were traitors.

• Dorothy arrived at the Misen Family property where prisoners and traitors were interrogated.
• Lin Gong told Dorothy that Goodwin and Rien denied colluding with outsiders and claimed the money had been planted.
• Dorothy ordered the interrogation staff to leave Goodwin and Rien in darkness and silence before questioning them.
• Dorothy entered the Interrogation Room and told Goodwin and Rien that their alleged District 25 payments were unacceptable.
• Dorothy said she did not need proof of their guilt, only unexplained transfers that would convince others they were traitors.

Arbitration Bureau Director Carol resented being forced into an alliance with the Alt Conglomerate after the bureau fought a Federation Psionic squad. She kept her staff working overtime to prepare for what came next and hoped Jonas would prove a safer ally than Dorothy.

• Arbitration Bureau clerks complained about the relentless overtime and learned that Director Carol's anger had started when the Federation attacked the Alt Conglomerate.
• Carol read reports portraying the bureau and the Alt Conglomerate as allies and discovered that one article had been published before the incident occurred.
• Carol recalled ordering the bureau's squads to intercept the Federation Psionic squad because refusing to act against it could provoke Jonas.
• Carol suspected Jonas had deliberately let two Federation Psionics escape and had used the incident to flood the internet with stories of an alliance.
• Carol avoided confronting Jonas, ordered her staff to prepare for further trouble, and accepted that the bureau would have to rely on the Alt Conglomerate.

After a demanding stretch of work on the Fourth-Generation Tactical Mecha, Jonas got a call from Chelsea and invited her to see the breakthrough. Their conversation turned into a flirtatious dress-up game, and Chelsea set off to visit him.

• Jonas rested after spending several days helping the research department develop the Fourth-Generation Tactical Mecha.
• Chelsea called Jonas, and he told her about the mecha's latest technological breakthrough.
• Chelsea offered to dress like Eiffel, but Jonas rejected the idea because he feared Eiffel might take vacation and leave him with office work.
• Chelsea invited Jonas to choose an outfit for her, and he picked a pale purple gauze dress.
• Chelsea changed into the dress, ended the call, and headed over to see Jonas.

Jonas showed Chelsea the improved Fourth-Generation Tactical Mecha and said he wanted to keep the breakthroughs secret while he pursued a larger plan for District 25. After explaining the upgrades, he returned to the office with Chelsea and fell asleep in her embrace.

• Chelsea joined Jonas and went with him to inspect the Fourth-Generation Tactical Mecha assembly facility.
• Jonas explained that the mecha's exterior materials and thrusters had been upgraded to improve durability, speed, and energy efficiency.
• Chelsea suggested using the improvements to boost the Alt Conglomerate, but Jonas said the news should remain secret because he had a plan.
• Jonas showed Chelsea the other mecha improvements, and she asked him to explain them so she could publicize them if needed later.
• Back in the office, Chelsea settled Jonas on her lap and stroked his forehead until he fell asleep.

A Media Agency boss revised a fabricated, inflammatory story about Federation refugees to stir hatred in District 25. When he learned his competitors had received similar orders, he realized war might be about to begin.

• A fictional District 25 resident gave food money to Federation refugees, then found his home burning and suspected them of setting it alight.
• The Media Agency boss ordered copywriters to exaggerate the story and blame Federation people while avoiding criticism of District 25's Peacekeeping Forces.
• The boss added fabricated details about the protagonist's family and hardship to make the story more emotionally provocative.
• The revised draft passed, and the boss prepared to send it to the client.
• The boss learned that his competitors had received similar orders and concluded that war might be about to begin.

After waking from a long nap, Jonas told Eiffel to use Alt Conglomerate agents and media to turn public opinion against the Federation over its war with District 25. He left the next step unstated, intending to use the resulting pretext to escalate the conflict.

• Jonas woke in the evening and listened to Chelsea's message saying she had returned to the company and that Eiffel had arrived.
• Eiffel teased Jonas about Chelsea, then asked whether his meeting with her concerned the Fourth-Generation Tactical Mecha.
• Jonas confirmed the Research Department had made progress and told Eiffel to check on their agents planted in the Federation.
• Jonas ordered Eiffel to have agents publicize District 25's suffering, stage property damage blamed on the Federation, and publicize Alt Conglomerate repairs or purchases.
• Jonas instructed Eiffel to fuel public anger in District 25 and war-weariness in the Federation so the Federation would lose the moral high ground.

Jonas used the Alt Conglomerate’s money and a coordinated online campaign to inflame District 25’s resentment toward Federation refugees. The hostility remained mostly online until a news story reported a coordinated street attack and suspected cyberpsychosis.

• Jonas placed attention-grabbing news in the gaps between subway and billboard advertisements.
• News stories and viral posts spread scandals about Federation refugees across District 25’s feeds.
• Paid trolls and marketing accounts intensified anger by spreading rumors and provoking arguments online.
• District 25 residents continued their daily lives while their resentment toward the refugees accumulated.
• A story titled [You] flooded platforms alongside news of a coordinated street attack by Federation refugees, with cyberpsychosis suspected.

Jonas and Yucas used fabricated stories and staged attacks to turn District 25 against Federation refugees and create a pretext for war. After the Peacekeeping Forces announced that infiltrating Federation troops had attacked them and the Alt Conglomerate, District 25 officially declared war on the Federation.

• Jonas orchestrated false reports and staged attacks to build public resentment toward Federation refugees.
• Jonas told Yucas that he had sent the refugees and their leader back to the Federation and said the attacks would justify formally declaring war.
• Yucas agreed to Jonas’s plan and contacted her subordinates in the Peacekeeping Forces.
• Three hours later, District 25 announced that Federation troops disguised as refugees had attacked the Peacekeeping Forces and the Alt Conglomerate.
• District 25 declared that it was officially at war with the Federation.

Jonas manipulated public opinion and events in District 25 to make war with the Federation inevitable and weaken the Misen Family. Rhein then told him that the family backing her wanted to cooperate with him to prevent Misen from taking control of the Federation.

• Jonas stirred up antiwar sentiment in the Federation and outrage in District 25 while preparing for war.
• Jonas rejected the Federation's diplomats and portrayed their request for peace talks as a sign of weakness.
• Rhein called Jonas and teased him with news about his plans against the Federation.
• Rhein told Jonas that her backers wanted to work with him against Misen's bid to control the Federation.

Jonas considered cooperating with Rhein’s family to counter the Misen Family, but demanded tangible benefits and a meaningful pledge before agreeing. Rhein offered to relay his demands, including what her family could provide and the resources she wanted for Rhein Industries, leaving negotiations open.

• Jonas realized Rhein’s family could help him oppose the Misen Family and reduce the burden of finding another ally.
• Jonas told Rhein he needed proof of what her family would contribute before he trusted them or agreed to cooperate.
• Rhein offered to place all of Rhein Industries’ resources at the Alt Conglomerate’s disposal, but Jonas rejected this as a pledge because those resources were already under his influence.
• Jonas argued that District 25’s companies should share the costs and risks of fighting the Federation instead of leaving the Alt Conglomerate to bear everything.
• Rhein agreed to relay Jonas’s demands, including a share of future profits, her family’s current resources and information on the Misen Family, along with resources for Rhein Industries.
• Jonas ended the call, accepting that Rhein could help him secure more resources as a reserve before the conflict with Dorothy.

Dorothy managed the Federation’s response to District 25’s attacks while using propaganda and threats to force the Federation’s families to support the Misen Family. At the front, Federation soldiers questioned why District 25 relied on Tactical Mecha and why their promised reinforcements had not arrived.

• District 25 attacked Federation border troops with Fourth-Generation Tactical Mecha, and Dorothy immediately organized defenses and suppressed antiwar voices.
• Lin Gong told Dorothy that several companies had refused to support the Misen Family, and Dorothy ordered her to create problems for them or remove their leaders.
• Dorothy learned that several families had agreed to send reinforcements and told Lin Gong to promise them rewards.
• Dorothy resolved to draw more families into the war and awaited the destruction of the Alt Conglomerate and District 25.
• Exhausted Federation soldiers at the front rationed cigarettes and wondered why District 25 used more Tactical Mecha and why Federation reinforcements had not arrived.