"Is the New United States serious about this?!"
The senior officials of the Idaho government exchanged glances, each seeing the same intense dissatisfaction in the others' eyes. Yes, they had indeed handed that region over—but that had been done privately, behind closed doors.
To the people of Idaho, they had told a completely different story. They had simply claimed they requested assistance from the New United States, and so on. In short, Idaho was still their Idaho, and they would never hand it over to anyone else.
They had promised to safeguard the interests of every Idaho citizen—standard political rhetoric. Anyone with clear eyes could see Idaho's real situation, but at the very least, maintaining a certain level of public support on the surface was necessary.
But the New United States' latest decision would nail them directly to the pillar of shame. Every citizen of Idaho would remember this administration.
Why?
Because they had actually allowed the New United States to drop a nuclear bomb on Idaho's territory!!
"Barring any unexpected changes, yes. They've already decided to wipe out this PROJECT unit on our land. They're unwilling to commit more troops, so using nuclear weapons is the option that best serves their interests…"
"F**K! Absolutely not! Reject their request! We cannot allow them to drop a nuclear bomb on Idaho! If that happens, forget returning here—we might not even be able to stay anywhere within the New United States!"
"Exactly! We absolutely can't let them do this!!"
"You've got to be joking. What exactly do we have that could stop the New United States from launching a nuclear strike? Your mouths?"
The room immediately fell silent.
Several of them flushed red with embarrassment, but none spoke. They all knew he was right. From the day they handed over Idaho's main forces, they had already lost any standing to negotiate with the New United States.
"Instead of thinking about how to stop them, you should start thinking about your own escape routes. Worst case, you change your face and keep living."
The officials looked at one another again. In the end, they all chose silence.
Seeing the situation settled, the New United States envoy quietly nodded before explaining the arrangements their government had prepared for them.
After hearing the guarantees from the New United States, their expressions were still unpleasant, but they had already accepted reality.
As for the people of Idaho…
All they could do was say sorry. It wasn't that they didn't want to protect them.
They simply had no ability to do so.
...
BOOM—
A Sovereign-class fighter roared across the skies above Idaho before flying straight toward the territory of the New United States. The New United States' radar systems and satellites immediately detected its movement.
Without hesitation, the "Sky Shield" air defense system was activated.
The accompanying military units had no missiles capable of dealing with the Sovereign-class-class fighter, but the large-scale air defense installations within the New United States possessed missiles that could barely keep up with it.
Quetzalcoatl III missiles—specifically designed to intercept supersonic fighters. Ordinary aircraft wouldn't last two rounds against them.
Given the Sovereign-class-class fighter's performance, they took no chances. More than a dozen missiles launched simultaneously, closing in from every direction to intercept a single Sovereign-class-class fighter.
The targeted fighter showed no panic. It immediately activated energy overload mode and accelerated while reporting the situation.
After receiving the order to return, the fighter turned sharply in midair. With assistance from its comrades, the pursuing Quetzalcoatl missiles were destroyed.
Soon after, it returned to Idaho's airspace.
When Myers received the report, she finally let out a sigh of relief. She had genuinely worried that her forces might be unable to deal with those fighters. If that happened, launching nuclear missiles might end up backfiring on them.
Roland, on the other hand, wasn't particularly happy—but he wasn't too bothered either.
After all, the Sovereign-class-class fighter had only been sent out as a test. Success would have been ideal, but failure carried no real loss.
"Where is Oblivion now?"
"It's about to reach the troops inside Idaho."
"Good. Lucy, prepare things for me. I'm going to start piloting Oblivion. While I'm connected, you and Lissandra will handle anything that comes up. If it's something major, let Lissandra inform me."
"Understood."
Lucy nodded slowly and walked out to begin preparing PROJECT's internal security forces.
Roland walked to the other side of the office. After opening a hidden door, another concealed chamber appeared inside, along with an elevator. This facility had been built specifically for piloting Oblivion after its completion.
After passing a series of identity verifications, Roland stepped directly into the elevator.
Even if someone discovered this place and entered the cockpit, it wouldn't matter. No one except him could pilot Oblivion.
Anyone attempting to force control would likely have their brain overwhelmed and destroyed by Oblivion's massive data stream.
Soon, Roland arrived at the cockpit he had seen once before.
Without hesitation, he lay down inside.
After the neural link connected, Roland's vision flashed brightly before completely changing.
Inside a massive transport bay, Oblivion's body was connected to countless energy conduits. Nearby rested its weapon—the enormous Moon Blade.
"Hm… so these energy conduits can partially suppress Oblivion's rage…"
Viewing everything through Oblivion's perspective, Roland narrowed his eyes slightly. The sensation was different from when he had piloted it before.
After scanning the surroundings, he noticed that besides Oblivion, several top-tier mechanical combat units were also stored inside.
"Let's wait a little…"
Roland slowly closed his eyes and began waiting for the transport aircraft to reach its destination.
Meanwhile, inside Cyberspace, Garu and Rumes exchanged glances.
"I didn't expect the New United States to actually go this far."
"Looks like there's nothing for us to do."
"What a pity… we finally had such a good opportunity…"
"It doesn't matter. It was only a trial investment. Even if PROJECT corporation fails this time, they won't be wiped out. With their technology, it won't take long before they rise again."
"The New United States has merely bought itself some breathing room."
"True. Sooner or later, they'll use that data packet."
Garu nodded.
He had great confidence in President Myers of the New United States. Even if the data packet wasn't used this time, based on his understanding of her personality, she wouldn't be able to suppress her ambitions forever.
Eventually, she would start researching it.
Little NorthStar had already proven that point—the Blackwall AI inside it explained everything.
"If I remember correctly… the New United States has a child who can connect to the Blackwall?"
"Yes. That child is extremely talented. If this operation fails, that child could become a very good breakthrough point."
"Then we proceed on three fronts—the New United States battlefield, the Data Research Institute, and that child."
"Agreed."
...
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