Lord of Prayer

Chapter 467: Chapter 296: Public Opinion War Turmoil (2)

Be that as it may, the investigation and intelligence gathering had to continue. What if the Corrupters’ next target was a first-tier city?

So, the question was...

Who was the Special Agent closest to Red River City, powerful enough for the job, and able to flee at a moment’s notice if things went south?

The answer was Brady, an elite Special Agent from the Counter-Terrorism Department.

—It was the classic "our own investigating our own" scenario all over again.

Zhou Chen contacted Brady in secret, telling him to improvise and pin all the blame on the Sea Monster.

Brady held a high rank in the Counter-Terrorism Department and was a veteran Special Agent. Once he submitted his report, the matter would be essentially closed. Even if others came to investigate later, they would only do a perfunctory check.

And just like that, the Sea Monster took the fall.

·

「That night.」

The meeting in the safe house at the Black Rock City Government building concluded.

The Plague Doctor reviewed the resolutions from the meeting and nodded slightly. "Then that’s the plan."

"Uncle Ze, I’m counting on you to handle the Black Rock City Armory. Take plenty of men with you. You must produce the target number of Weapons within half a month. We need at least that many, not a single one less.

"Ted, Ah Man, you two train the new recruits as quickly as possible. We don’t have much time. I want to see results within a week. Oh, and make sure their ideological education is handled properly.

"Catherine, I’m leaving the public opinion front to you.

"Siegfried, you’re coming with me."

Zhou Chen paused for a moment. "Where are we going?"

The Plague Doctor glanced at the drowsy, dark-faced uncle, Bruce, who was sitting beside them. Zhou Chen immediately understood. ’We’re going to the Salvation Army’s territory!’

·

With Zhou Chen’s assistance, the Poisonous Sore Gang had taken over Black Rock City in just a few hours.

Afterward, following a brief meeting, the Poisonous Sore Gang finalized their next plan and swiftly put it into action.

—A media war.

Thanks to deliberate manipulation, rumors soon ran rampant throughout North Carolina: "The Crystal Disease is a deliberate plot by the North Carolina Government to purge the lower class," "The future for the lower class will only be more brutally suppressed," "The North Carolina Government is raising taxes again," "The North Carolina Government is about to pass an education law forbidding the lower class from getting an education"...

All sorts of rumors damaging to the North Carolina Government filled the air, converging into a tidal wave that stirred up fierce turmoil in every city. It even drew the attention of the international community, with many nations criticizing the North Carolina Government. As a result, the government was quickly thrust into the eye of a media storm, and its diplomats were forced to come forward with an explanation.

But in the face of what seemed like iron-clad facts, the diplomat’s explanation was pale and feeble. Everyone knew he was spewing bullshit. One hot-tempered reporter stood up and grilled him, leaving the diplomat unable to retort. He could only make an excuse and leave in a huff.

This incident caused the North Carolina Government’s international image to plummet.

What made things even more frustrating for the North Carolina Government was that they couldn’t refute the claims. All they could do was hire paid shills to control the online narrative and post positive news about North Carolina in an attempt to salvage their image.

Naturally, this tactic didn’t fool the netizens. In less than two hours, the internet in various countries was flooded with posts mocking and cursing them. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs had a collective meltdown and simply gave up on trying to salvage their image.

Besides, netizens have the memory of a goldfish. Most of them would forget about the whole thing in a few days anyway.

The North Carolina Government’s biggest headache, however, was domestic public opinion.

This would directly lead to more people from the lower class resenting the government, becoming potential terrorists, and even taking action.

In fact, it was already happening.

"Dammit, we should have just exterminated all of these dregs!"

In an office at the Ministry of Defense, the Minister of Defense, Jaslin Eve, angrily slammed a file onto her desk. Then, in a fit of rage, she swept her arm across the desk, sending teacups, ornaments, and other items crashing and shattering on the floor.

As if that wasn’t enough to vent her fury, she started punching and kicking her Secretary. She beat the Secretary until he was black and blue, yet he didn’t make a single sound, silently taking the abuse like a human punching bag.

After venting, Jaslin sat in her office chair, panting heavily. It took her a long while to calm down. She pulled a bottle of blood pressure medication from a drawer, washed the pills down with water, and wearily rubbed her throbbing temples.

—Just moments ago, a report had come in from the intelligence department. Riots had broken out in three cities on North Carolina’s southern border. Those dregs had spontaneously started a protest, which devolved into a rampage of burning, killing, and looting. They stormed the city centers, wreaking havoc, and lynched numerous farm and factory owners, hanging their bodies from streetlights. The mayor and other high-level officials had not escaped. Videos of the incident had even been uploaded online; the streetlights in front of the city hall were adorned with corpses, and countless people were shown clapping and cheering.

Subsequently, those three cities declared their independence, seceding from the rule of the North Carolina Government and establishing their own authority.

’Without a doubt, this is going to have a massive domestic impact!’

"They’re rebelling! This is outright rebellion!" The more Jaslin thought about it, the angrier she became. She slammed the table and roared, "Send in the Hand of the Empire! I don’t want a single person left alive in those three cities!"

"Minister, please calm down..."

The bald deputy minister wiped cold sweat from his forehead. "There were Ascenders among the rebels in those three cities. The Hand of the Empire squad stationed there has been completely wiped out. The Government Army suffered heavy casualties—the rest were captured, and all their Weapons and equipment have fallen into the hands of those terrorists. They’re extremely dangerous now."

"In my opinion, unless we dispatch at least three Hand of the Empire squads, retaking those cities will be very difficult. But this is a sensitive time. Our major cities are already severely short-staffed. Pulling Hand of the Empire squads away could give opportunists an opening."

"Then send the army! Raze those three cities to the ground!"

Jaslin was beside herself with rage. "If that’s not enough, then use the Extraordinary Artifacts of mass destruction! No matter what, I want those three cities wiped off the map today!"

"Do you have any idea what will happen if news of this rebellion is allowed to fester any longer?"

’Did she even need to ask? It would lead to a nationwide uprising. Another war.’

The deputy minister wasn’t an idiot; he knew exactly what would happen. But in his view, diverting forces to the border was not a wise move. The border was too far away. Just getting the army there and back would take a significant amount of time, let alone mounting an offensive. And if the Salvation Army decided to make a move in the meantime, things would get ugly.

’And as for using Extraordinary Artifacts of mass destruction...’

’To put it bluntly, the Star Association was just waiting for the North Carolina Government to use one. The moment they did, the Star Association would have the perfect excuse to intervene. There was no way the higher-ups would ever approve it.’

"Minister, the best course of action right now is to send a small legion, supported by aerial bombardment, to show our resolve. If we do nothing, more people will just join the rebellion," the deputy minister said. "I have faith in the strength of the Government Army. They’ve had the most rigorous training and the finest equipment. Those dregs are either unarmed or only have Weapons from the local government garrison. They’re no match for a real army."

"Then do it," Jaslin said through gritted teeth. "Ten hours... no, I want to see results within five hours!"

"Rest assured, Minister. The fighter jets have already taken off. The first bombing run will commence in ten minutes."

"I’m confident that a single Purgatory Fire Sea will be enough to give those dregs a lesson they’ll never forget. They won’t dare to even think of rebelling again."

The deputy minister swore with absolute confidence.

「Seven minutes later.」

The latest battle report came in. The deputy minister’s face fell as he looked at his phone.

"What is it?" Jaslin had a bad feeling. Seeing the deputy minister frozen in silence, she stood up and snatched the phone from his hand.

[Enemy Flying Element Tier Two Ascender spotted. Two fighter jets shot down. Pilots deceased.]

Jaslin’s vision went dark.

Each fighter jet was worth nearly a hundred million, and an excellent pilot was an even rarer asset. The loss of even one was immense.

This time, they had lost two jets and two pilots in one go.

’And North Carolina only had thirty-two fighter jets in its entire arsenal!’