95: Reading before the trial

Ains stood on the podium and snapped his fingers. The holographic projection displayed the new face of Mandala in Emerald Principality: local children were receiving free treatment in modern hospitals; children were learning through holographic projections in brand-new schools; and a smart grid was providing clean energy to the entire city.

"In the past year," Ains's voice echoed through the venue, "Titan has built 37 tertiary-grade A hospitals, 158 holographic smart schools, and a modern power grid covering 85% of the country in Emerald Principality."

"And the investment record of your 'civilized nations' in Emerald Principality is - zero. Well, that's not entirely true; your funds are quite involved in the white powder industry chain."

Nova United States Secretary of State Johnson suddenly slammed the table, "A brilliant performance! But this doesn't change the fact that you are dictators!" He turned to the entire audience, "Gentlemen, Titan is nothing more than a company disguised as a—"

"Democracy." Ains sneered, interrupting him, "Democracy, oh democracy." His voice suddenly took on a sarcastic rhythm, "The representative of the Nova United States is about to start his democratic evangelism again."

The venue erupted in an uproar. Johnson's face turned ashen, "How dare you—"

"Let me tell you a fact." Ains's voice suddenly became as sharp as a knife, "These people don't need democracy, and they don't want democracy."

He snapped his fingers, and the screen switched to post-war scenes of Seleucid, Mesopotamian Federation, and Lanniga Pearl: "For nearly two centuries, the Nova United States has always tried to impose democracy on other countries." Years flashed across the projection, "1918, 1932, 1953, 1973, 2003..."

With each year announced, a scene of war and chaos flashed by.

"But it never succeeded once." Ains looked directly at Johnson, "Do you know why?"

The Foreign Minister of Champs Elysees Federation wanted to interject, but Ains suddenly raised his voice, "Because these countries simply don't have the soil for democracy to take root!" His voice boomed like thunder, "They cannot understand the things we take for granted—"

The projection showed scenes of the Emerald Principality countryside: "For example, we should accept differences in political views." The screen switched to a temple, "For example, we can tolerate differences in each other's beliefs." It then switched to a local newspaper office, "For example, journalists should dare to disagree with the president's ideas."

Ains suddenly walked off the podium, approaching Johnson step by step: "And you—" His voice carried a cold anger, "Carrying those fundamentalist ideas to attack other countries, dropping a few bombs, propping up a puppet, and thinking that will bring democracy?"

He stopped one step away from Johnson: "Stop your damn nonsense!"

The venue was dead silent. Johnson's Adam's apple bobbed, but no sound came out.

"Let me tell you what these people truly want." Ains turned and walked towards the projection. The screen switched to refugee camps on the border of Emerald Principality and the New City District of Mandala, "They don't want freedom; what they want is order, rules." The image changed to quiet streets at night, "Simple protection."

"Protect them from aggressors," Ains suddenly pointed at the Western representatives, "and from harm by you 'democratic missionaries.'"

The North Steel representative couldn't help but let out a chuckle, immediately pinned to his seat by Ains's sharp gaze.

"People need leaders." Ains's voice suddenly calmed, "Leaders who can both support them and maintain peace and stability." He walked to the center of the venue, "If you can do these things, they will follow you."

The projection switched to images of Titan Security Forces repelling armed militants and clearing local warlords on the border of Emerald Principality: "And this is what Titan is doing."

Johnson finally found his voice: "You are defending dictatorship!"

"I'm not here to debate doctrine with you." Ains sneered, "I am stating a fact that you will never admit: your democracy is nothing more than a fig leaf for neocolonialism."

He snapped his fingers, and the screen switched to a distribution map of Nova United States military bases in various countries: "78 countries, 759 military bases. This is the truth of your 'promotion of democracy.'"

The Fog City Islands representative couldn't help but interject, "At least we gave them the right to choose!"

"Choose?" Ains suddenly laughed, "Choose to starve to death or be bombed to death?" Photos of starving children in small countries on the Medieval Continent flashed across the projection, "Choose to be ruled by extremists or be mistakenly killed by drones?" A scene of a wedding in Seleucid being hit by an airstrike flashed by.

He walked towards Johnson, each step like a stomp on the other's heart: "Mr. Representative of the Nova United States, do you know what the people of Emerald Principality are most grateful to Titan for now?"

Without waiting for an answer, the projection switched to an interview with an old farmer from Emerald Principality: "They let us dare to turn on the lights at night for the first time, let our children dare to go out, let our women dare to walk alone on the streets..."

"This is reality." Ains's voice suddenly became calm, "What people want is never abstract democracy, but concrete things, even very simple things."

"Clean bread."

"Bright electric lights."

"A safe path home."

He looked at the entire audience one last time: "And Titan gave them these."

The venue fell into a long silence. Suddenly, Eastern Federation representative Zhou Zhengyang stood up, and his applause was exceptionally crisp in the quiet. Immediately after, representatives from Pakistan, Red Khmer State, Golden Buddha Federation, and other countries also stood up and applauded.

Johnson's face turned from green to white, finally slumping back into his seat.

The Fog City Islands representative feigned composure: "This doesn't change the fact that you murdered scientists!"

The Fog City Islands representative's voice still echoed in the venue, but Ains had already turned and walked towards the podium. His leather shoes tapped crisply on the marble floor, each step like stepping on the taut nerves of the Western representatives.

"Murder?" Ains suddenly laughed, a laugh that made the Champs Elysees Federation Foreign Minister involuntarily shrink his neck. "There's still some time, so why don't we look at real murder?"

He snapped his fingers, and the holographic projection switched to a document marked "Top Secret." The screen clearly displayed the detailed plan of Starlight Command's "Operation Prometheus": dispatching agents to infiltrate Titan Industrial City, kidnapping key technical personnel, and using lethal force when necessary.

"This is the action plan developed by the Nova United States within 12 hours after the press conference." Ains's voice was as precise as a surgeon's scalpel, "Do I need to continue showing other countries' 'friendly actions'?"

North Steel representative Zorin was about to speak, but the screen had already switched to the meeting minutes of Birch Palace in Five Ports City: the instruction to "acquire Starlight technology at all costs" was clearly visible, with the electronic seal of the President's Office as the signatory.

"And the Champs Elysees Federation DGSE's 'Blue Plan'," the screen showed surveillance footage of Champs Elysees Federation agents exchanging data at the Mandala Hotel. "The Fog City Archipelago Military Intelligence's 'Longbow Operation'…" Internal emails from the East Ocean Ministry of Defense's Special Research Department popped up one after another.

The hall was silent. Ains walked slowly towards the Fog City Archipelago representative and stopped in front of him: "You gave them the right to choose? How ironic. You think those poor people all had a choice…" He suddenly raised his voice, "But my employees didn't have a choice!"

The projection switched to surveillance footage: a Titan Engineer was kidnapped at gunpoint by three masked men on the streets of Yangon. The footage fast-forwarded twelve hours later, where he was dumped, covered in blood, at the Emerald Principality police station.

"This is a real incident that happened last week," Ains's voice wavered for the first time. "Our Engineer refused to disclose technical details to the SIA, and they broke seven of his ribs."

Eastern Federation representative Zhou Zhengyang suddenly stood up: "This is an act of blatant terrorism!"

"There's more to come," Ains sneered, switching the screen to show Champs Elysees Federation Directorate-General for External Security agents installing wiretaps in a Titan employee apartment. "The Rhine Empire BND bribed our janitor with five million alliance currency… and something even more despicable…" The screen then showed footage of East Ocean agents threatening a Titan researcher's family in a parking lot.

Nova United States Secretary of State Johnson's face was ashen: "These are all fakes!"

"Are they?" Ains suddenly pressed a button on his wristband. All representatives' electronic devices in the hall lit up simultaneously, automatically playing confidential documents related to Titan from their respective national intelligence agencies.

Champs Elysees Federation Foreign Minister Le Drian watched the DGSE internal report displayed on his tablet, his hands starting to tremble uncontrollably. North Steel representative Zorin tried to turn off his phone, but found a Russian Foreign Intelligence Service assassination plan playing on a loop.

"It seems your memories are not so good," Ains's voice was like ice. "Do I need to remind you what the 337 agents you sent to the Emerald Principality in the past six months were doing?"

The Fog City Archipelago representative suddenly slammed the table: "These are necessary measures for national security! Titan's technology threatens global strategic balance!"

"Balance?" Ains sounded as if he had heard a joke. "Are you referring to the Nova United States' nearly 800 military bases in 78 countries? Or the North Silver Shield Alliance's five eastward expansions right to North Steel's doorstep?" He turned to the Eastern Federation representative, "Or the decades-long technological blockade against the Eastern Federation?"

He walked back to the podium, resting his hands on either side: "When the Ten Thousand Nations Roundtable was founded, it was for balance, to solve world problems." The holographic projection switched to a real-time view of the Andaman Sea, where a seven-nation joint fleet was approaching the Emerald Principality coast. "But now, Titan believes—"

"—you are the problem."

The hall fell into a deathly silence. Eastern Federation representative Zhou Zhengyang's applause abruptly stopped, his hand suspended in mid-air, the color draining from his face. The Pakislan representative's water glass slipped from his fingers, crashing to the marble floor with a crisp shattering sound.

Ains's voice echoed under the dome of the Ten Thousand Nations Roundtable: "Now, Titan will end your boring balance."

Nova United States Secretary of State Johnson's lips trembled, but no sound came out. Fog City Archipelago representative Richard Anderson's gold-rimmed glasses slid down to the tip of his nose, the lenses reflecting the fleet gathering on the Emerald Atoll Sea in the holographic projection.

"Mr. Ains!" Zhou Zhengyang suddenly stood up, his voice slightly sharp with urgency. He had never expected that Lin Mo's judgment, as a 'conservative', was still too conservative.

Almost instinctively, Zhou Zhengyang intended to stop Ains from continuing: "Please allow me—"

"Representative Zhou," Ains turned to him, his gaze softening for a rare moment. "Titan expresses its greatest gratitude for the Eastern Federation's goodwill. But this time, it has nothing to do with you." He nodded slightly, "Please inform your superiors, for the sake of good cooperation, do not interfere."

This subtle change in expression was keenly caught by Champs Elysees Federation Foreign Minister Le Drian. He suddenly turned to Zhou Zhengyang: "You knew all along! This is a conspiracy! The Eastern Federation and Titan—"

"Enough," Ains's voice was not loud, but it cut through all the noise like an ice blade. He walked to the center of the podium, and twelve Xingtian Armors simultaneously activated their defensive arrays, the charging sound of electromagnetic rifles piercingly loud in the silence.

"People of the world, hello," Ains's voice, with the cooperation of Bronya and Silver Wolf, simultaneously appeared on all electronic devices globally. From the giant screen in New Village Times Square to the satellite TV in Black Continent tribes, from the Eastern Federation's Baiyu terminals to the European Union's smartwatches, billions of people looked up at the same time.

"I am Jonathan Ains."

Inside the Ten Thousand Nations Roundtable hall, representatives found with horror that all their communication devices were out of control, automatically playing this speech. North Steel representative Zorin tried to turn off his phone, but found it still lit up.

For the first time, he utterly hated smartphones that couldn't have their batteries removed.

"Today, I stand here on behalf of Titan, not to request or explain or understand, but to declare."

The projection behind Ains switched to a set of shocking data: an overlapping chart of global military expenditure curves and the growth of the impoverished population, a comparison of government corruption indices with public welfare investment, and statistics on civilian casualties caused by the War on Terror…

"For decades, governments have deceived you," the screen switched to confidential documents from Starlight Command, showing the Nova United States military deliberately exaggerating threats to secure budgets; then it switched to cabinet meeting minutes from the Fog City Archipelago Prime Minister's Office, confirming that the independence referendum in Bagpipe Highlands was deliberately manipulated. "They promised security, prosperity, and peace—"

The projection suddenly changed to images of ruins, famine, and refugees in the Medieval Continent region.

"—but gave you these."

Champs Elysees Federation Foreign Minister Le Drian suddenly rushed towards the podium, but was lifted by a single hand of a Xingtian Armor. The armor's voice system issued a mechanical warning: "Threat level: low. Recommendation: calm."

The entire hall was in an uproar. Ains didn't even turn his head, continuing his speech: "They spoke highly of democracy—" The screen showed irrefutable evidence of the Nova United States' SIA overthrowing foreign governments, "—but let the incompetent hold power; they proclaimed freedom—" It switched to photos of prisoner abuse at Guantanamo Bay prison, "—but let terror spread."

"Titan has decided to no longer tolerate any of this. The ineffective wars, have already—"

"Enough!"

The word struck like a judge's gavel. The real-time image of the Emerald Atoll Sea suddenly zoomed in, and the first batch of the allied fleet's F-34s were being catapulted for takeoff.