“WhaAaT ArE yOu Doing?” Adolf asked, his voice trembling with panic. The fear in his voice was palpable as he questioned the intentions of the generals.
“Someone has ordered us to keep a close watch on you until their plans are complete, after which they will personally visit to have a talk with you,” General Ethan responded, a sinister smile forming on his face.
“Who is that person?” Adolf inquired, his mind racing to determine if he had unknowingly angered a powerful individual.
“You will find out when you meet him, so sit down or I’ll make you,” Nathan threatened Adolf, his tone laced with authority.
“Shit,” Adolf muttered, his body trembling as he reluctantly took a seat. He realized that regardless of what had done, he was in for a long and troubling night.
…….
Eden.
Gradually, one after another, governmental buildings and other strategic locations fell into the hands of the protestors, while in the capital city, the military continued to assert control.
As the night unfolded, the chaos intensified further, fueled by the growing awareness of government institutions being taken over in cities across the country. News of these developments spread rapidly, inspiring more and more people to take to the streets and join their fellow citizens in solidarity.
Not everything went smoothly for the members of the revolutionary group attempting to seize control of government buildings. Despite being an unpopular leader, there were still some individuals who held favorable views of him.
This could be attributed to those who had directly benefited from his policies or enjoyed preferential treatment, often due to having family members employed within the government and benefiting from their association. These loyalists posed a challenge to the revolutionary group’s efforts as they tried to defend the status quo and resisted the calls for change.
As a consequence, large-scale clashes erupted between these opposing groups in numerous cities, leading to a significant number of casualties. In response, Nova issued a directive for a portion of the military deployed in those areas to assume operational control over the police forces to effectively manage the situation and minimize the number of casualties resulting from the ongoing clashes.
By 10 o’clock at night, Adolf’s government had completely lost control over the country, yet the majority of the world remained unaware of the situation unfolding within its borders.
…..
“Why is it so quiet? At the very least, America should have already discovered what is going on through their satellites, as they should be monitoring the parade for intelligence,” Aron asked Nova, expressing his confusion.
[Either the timing of the shot being fired happened at the same time when the satellites they were using to monitor and collect intelligence lost line of sight due to their orbit, and when the line of sight was restored, they only saw the chaos that had already ensued. Alternatively, they might have discovered the ongoing coup, but since they are not sure if it will succeed or not, they are keeping it under wraps,] Nova explained to Aron.
“That makes sense. So, where do we stand with our plan?” he asked.
[Almost everything is about to be completed. I think you should start heading to the presidential palace now so that by the time you arrive, everything else will have been completed, and dealing with Adolf will be the only task remaining,] Nova said to Aron.
“Sure, see you later,” Aron said and logged out of the universal simulation.
Aron removed his virtual reality helmet and took a moment to stretch his body, feeling relief from sitting for an extended period. “Let’s go,” he said to John, as he opened the door and stepped out of the military truck. He carried the VR helmet in his hands as they prepared to proceed.
After disembarking from the truck, Aron began walking towards the presidential palace, which was approximately a kilometer away and visible to the naked eye. As he walked, an Eden soldier who had been assigned to lead a team and entrusted with driving and protecting Aron turned to him.
The soldier saluted Aron with the utmost respect he could afford and said, “Have a nice day, sir.”
“Yeah, you too,” Aron replied, waving at the soldier, before continuing his walk towards the palace alongside John.
Throughout the coup, John remained by Aron’s side, using the phone provided to him to stay updated with Nova’s continuous updates.
The information included details about the operations carried out by Ares members in taking over several minor, yet heavily armed, private force bases scattered across Edenia. Instead of resorting to bombing these bases, which would have been excessive, the planes were reserved for targeting the main base, making it easier for the soldiers to seize control, considering Ares was still short on manpower.
His walk continued until he reached a distance of about three hundred meters, at which point Aron cast the concealment rune on both himself and John.
They continued walking, passing through the gates guarded by unsuspecting sentries who remained unaware of the ongoing coup happening across the country, diligently carrying out their duties.
Without pausing, Aron and John strode towards the building, their steps unwavering. Once inside, they maintained their determined pace, heading directly towards the room where Adolf and the general were present, not showing that it was their first visit to the premises.
Aron canceled the concealment rune on both himself and John before knocking on the door. After a brief pause, General Ethan cautiously opened the door to see who was outside. As he recognized Aron, he immediately greeted him with respect, saying, “Welcome, sir,” while offering a slight bow as a sign of deference.
Aron and John entered the office without uttering a word. Ethan promptly closed the door behind them as they stepped into the room.
“Hello,” Aron greeted Adolf with a wave, his eyes briefly glancing at Nathan, who still had his gun trained on Adolf.
“whO ArE yOu?” Adolf asked, his fear still apparent but slightly reduced.
“I’ve come to convince you to hand over the country and make a public announcement of it,” Aron said calmly as he took a seat on the sofa, which Christopher had vacated for him.
Adolf, upon hearing Aron’s words, burst into uncontrollable laughter.
Observing Adolf’s reaction, Aron turned to Nathan and asked, “Did you do something to him, or has he gone crazy from fear or something?”
“Looks like I have the upper hand here. As long as I don’t make the announcement, my private forces will eventually realize that something is amiss and come looking for me,” he said amidst his laughter, before calming down and continuing, “Here’s a simple offer from me. I’ll give you 24 hours to run if you leave me alone. After that, I will search for you, and when I find you, I will personally be responsible for skinning you alive.” Adolf concealed his anxiety and acted serious in the hope that the longer he delays them the more the chance his private forces would notice his absence and take action.
Hearing what he said, Aron and the generals couldn’t help but burst into laughter, finding Adolf’s threats and attempts to intimidate them amusing. Adolf, bewildered by their reaction, asked, “You think I’m joking?” However, his question was interrupted as he saw Aron standing up and approaching him.
Nervously, Adolf exclaimed, “What are you going to do with that helmet? Are you trying to hit me with it? I’m warning you! Stop! Stop!” His voice grew more panicked as Aron drew closer.
“Reasoning with you is going to take too long,” Aron replied calmly. “Torturing you would make it difficult for you to deliver a speech shortly after. While I could create a CGI version of you, it would require eliminating everyone in this building to conceal it. So let’s make it easy for both of us.” With those words, Aron forcefully placed the headgear onto Adolf’s head.
Five minutes later, Aron removed the headgear and asked, “Are you going to make the announcement, or should I send you for another round?” He shook the headgear in his hand, indicating that he was prepared to use it again if needed.
“WAIT, WAIT, NO, NO, NO, NO, I’ll do anything you ask, just don’t put that thing on me again, please” Adolf pleaded, dropping to his knees in fear. He was terrified at the thought of having the headgear placed on his head once more to return to that place.
“What on earth did she do to him?” Aron tilted his head in curiosity, wondering what Nova had done to Adolf in the universal simulation.
“Okay, here’s the speech that you’re going to make,” Aron said, handing Adolf a piece of paper containing the speech from his pocket. “But first, call your secretary and instruct her to allow the military entry to the palace for them to increase the security in this place, citing your concerns about potential threats. Understand?”
“Yes, sir, I will do so,” Adolf wasted no time. He walked to his desk, picked up the phone, and immediately ordered his secretary to allow the military entry and increase the security of the palace upon their arrival.
Although his secretary questioned Adolf’s decision to call for the military instead of his private forces, nothing a yelling or two from Adolf couldn’t solve.