Is the world crazy, or am I crazy?
Netizens from all the Federation were completely bewildered by the sudden reversal of the news.
The official accounts from both camps differ. All four Western Federation claim that the Central Federation deliberately designed this scheme with malicious intent, and that it was a wolf in sheep's clothing from the very beginning.
The Central Federation, on the other hand, spoke with righteous indignation, issuing an official statement. "We have repeatedly emphasized that the shutdown of West China was technical. All the talk of crisis from the outside world is just an excuse to attack them. This war was entirely orchestrated by the ambitious Western camp. We, the Central China, rose up to resist and defend our homeland. Some Westerners, their ambitions shattered, are now turning around and blaming us. Their shamelessness is outrageous."
On the public internet, the verbal attacks between the two sides have become increasingly intense.
"No matter how you look at it, it was you bunch of white pigs who started the war of aggression. Now you're turning around and saying it was our conspiracy? How dare you even say that?"
"Exactly, weren't there a lot of people clamoring to buy me off as a slave after they attacked? You know, that ID called 'Yellow-skinned Monkey Manor,' right? I've got my eye on you. You wait, I'm willing to pay any price. I just bought four new mining bots, named 'White-skinned Pig,' one for each of your family of four."
"Hey upstairs, his daughter is only seven years old. Our labor law doesn't seem to support that, does it?"
"Do slaves deserve labor laws?"
"Hahaha"
"It's disgusting. How are you any different from those who clamored to enslave us before?"
"There's no difference. The only difference is that we won."
"Exactly, we never said we were good people."
"Where did this saintly person come from upstairs? What are you doing jumping out to act all high and mighty now? Didn't you say anything righteous when the other side was yelling earlier?"
"Where did she get the audacity to speak so righteously? Didn't you see her ID? She has Western Europe Region green card."
"Oh, I knew it."
The screens of major online communities were filled with people from the Central Federation, while the racially extreme white people who were active online before the war seemed to have disappeared, as if they were afraid of being targeted.
In the digital age, the internet is very developed. It's difficult to remain anonymous, and it's very easy to find your information. Moreover, many Westerners who previously made extreme remarks in international communities did not hide their IDs because they were too arrogant, which made them appear arrogant.
At this point, they all wished they could delete all their previous statements, because many people discovered that people from the Central Federation were indeed asking about their addresses.
As the four Federation issued surrender statements one by one, a torrent of criticism swept through the country, nearly overwhelming the administrative center.
Meanwhile Central Federation was jubilant. Although the previous chaos had caused significant market turmoil, the authorities had issued a statement promising compensation to every citizen who had lost property, and that the Data City would be open for free for seven days.
The most important piece of news is that the new Virtual Realm will open in three days, and it will be open to all citizens of the Central Federation District!
This news was just as explosive as the announcement of the surrender of the four Federation.
While winning the national war is a source of pride, given the Central Federation's past practices, many people could have predicted that there wouldn't be any excessive demands. Ordinary citizens would simply be venting their frustrations, with limited real benefits to be gained.
But this time, the opening of the New World is different.
The virtual world has always been a place only the wealthy can go, something that many lower-class citizens would never even dare to dream of in their entire lives.
Most people spend their entire lives in mining areas or power plants, occasionally enjoying a trip to Data City, without even having the opportunity to have children.
Even for those who graduate from prestigious universities, possess high academic qualifications, and are able to move into the research zone of the Data City at a young age, living a life that appears respectable to outsiders, entering the virtual world is still extremely difficult.
The Virtual Realm is a world where you can experience real life, from childhood to adulthood. You can learn martial arts and literature, meet the girl you like, and pursue your own life story, instead of being a cog in a factory machine.
Riding a flying sword, dressed in flowing white robes, roaming the martial world with a sword in hand—that's a life many people dare not even dream of.
But today, the officials say that this virtual world is open to all citizens?
For a time, the discussions on this topic even surpassed those on the victory in this national war!
At this moment, not only are ordinary people dreaming about the future, but high-ranking officials are also envisioning a bright future.
"These Japanese devils are quite decisive."
In the high-level conference room, a familiar voice spoke. If the King of Qin were here, he would definitely recognize it as Hou Tianhua, the patriarch of the Hou Family!
The guy who was originally torn to pieces by the King of King of Qin's Divine Wind is now sitting unharmed in the conference room, and most of the people sitting in the conference room are the same group who greeted Chen Qing at the teleportation point.
These were prominent figures from various aristocratic families.
"They're not stupid, especially that guy Kaidi. He's a very shrewd politician with a keen sense of smell. Although he's young, his methods are more sophisticated than many of the older generation of politicians," Hou Tianhua said with a slight smile.
"Is Elder Zhang not coming back?" a middle-aged man asked.
"He probably won't be coming back for now." Hou Tianhua shook his head with a smile. "He never cared about any power here. For him, a New World he can start his journey anew, and a path to continue moving forward, is more important than anything else."
In fact, anyone who cultivates to a certain level will have this kind of obsession. In the Jade Dynasty World, both he and Zhang Zhengyuan have reached the end. Without new opportunities, they can only watch themselves grow old and eventually turn to dust no matter how much cultivation they have.
This is what people like them find most unbearable, especially a genius like Zhang Zhengyuan. Fifty years ago, he had already reached the pinnacle of the Jade Dynasty. The reason he hasn't made any further progress over the years is not because he hasn't tried, nor because he lacks talent, but because there is almost no way forward in that world.
"Is Chen Qing's technique truly inviolable?" another councilor asked, frowning.
When the plan was initially formulated, the most key figures in the Federation all signed a pact with the other side.
"It should be inviolable." Hou Tianhua shook his head. "Didn't you see that he didn't violate it?"
The crowd fell silent. No one liked being restrained. They wanted to restrain Chen Qing, but they didn't really want to be restrained by Chen Qing. The Central Federation's government was extremely powerful and used to holding the initiative. This was the first time they had ever been so passive.
"Let's talk about how to negotiate with those Westerners first."
"What's there to say?" one of the men in military uniform sneered. "They're surrendering; what right do they have to make demands?"
"Don't be so absolute," Hou Tianhua sighed. " Kaidi is a smart man. The fact that he was able to organize everyone to issue a surrender notice immediately means that the other side has seen through our weaknesses. Chen Qing won't help us annex the Four Federation. Without Chen Qing's help, we can't annex the Four Federation right now. Since we can't do it, what we can ask for is actually limited."
"We should use our best resources where they matter most. Our primary project remains Chen Qing's world, and all we need is energy from the Four Federation. This negotiation will mainly focus on energy compensation. As for other conditions, especially those that are superficial, if the other party offers a sufficient price, we can provide whatever concessions they want, as long as they are not matters of principle."
" Elder Hou is still as pragmatic as ever," the man in military uniform chuckled.
Everyone else nodded in agreement.
What about compensation?
Mentioning this, the atmosphere in the hall became somewhat oppressive. Indeed, this victory was thorough, almost completely annihilating most of the West's elite combat force. The wizard team that the Central Federation had always feared was also completely wiped out. The four Federation conservatively estimate that they will not be able to rebuild a military force that can rival the Central Federation for at least the next fifty years, and will not have the confidence to compete with the Central Federation in many matters in the future.
But the cost this time was also considerable. The internal chaos resulted in at least 300,000 deaths and injuries, and many officers were caught off guard and got into trouble.
For example, the Hou Family's originally most favored heir, and also the excellent commanders in the command center.
In order to capture the dangerous Number One, everyone, including Wu Xiaoli, was kept in the dark and died tragically as a result. There must be an explanation for the sacrifice of these people.
Just as the hall fell silent, a notification suddenly came from outside the conference room.
"A non- Federation person has requested access to the meeting room."
Everyone looked over, their expressions turning serious.
The meeting room was naturally encrypted, and the person waiting outside to enter was none other than Chen Qing!