Amid the bitter cold winds, Qian Wendao's voice echoed above the outskirts of War Zone 1 through a voice transmission device, reaching William and the others.
William stopped toying with his cane. He slowly raised his head toward the voice, an elegant smile spreading across his face, and spoke in Chinese with a distinctly aristocratic air:
"Domain Master Qian. I believe that if you truly wish to begin serious diplomatic negotiations, relying solely on such cold electronic equipment to relay messages remotely seems somewhat... lacking in manners and sincerity."
"After all, I now hold the fate of more than two hundred thousand insignificant lives in my hands. As the supreme ruler of this Safe Zone, do you not even have the courage to show yourself and speak to me?"
"Wait." Qian Wendao's reply was curt and cold.
He turned to Kav, who sat at the main control console. "Minister Kav, take down the live footage of the battle in War Readiness Zone 931 and switch directly to my conversation with that bastard outside. I want everyone in the Safe Zone to see our exchange."
Kav froze for a moment, but quickly understood Qian Wendao's intent.
The entire Safe Zone had already plunged into extreme rage and fear of the unknown over the fall of War Zone 931.
If they abruptly cut the broadcast now, all manner of conspiracy theories and despair would erupt, breeding rumors that could very well trigger an internal mutiny.
They might as well lift the veil of secrecy surrounding the leadership and let the people see everything before them clearly, so they could decide which side to trust.
Since the United Government had decided to stand its ground to the bitter end and save the hundreds of thousands still left in Zone 931, they might as