171: Chapter 171 A Declaration of Victory from the Town of Hadiliji

Beijing time, 9:00 AM.

Less than twelve hours had passed since Sudan issued its ultimatum.

Media outlets and netizens worldwide were still debating how the Cyber Freedom Republic would respond to this crisis.

The mainstream consensus leaned toward them choosing to retreat or seeking diplomatic mediation.

No one could have predicted that the outcome of this war would arrive so absurdly and swiftly.

Just then, the official social media account of the Cyber Freedom Republic, along with major global video platforms, simultaneously uploaded a video titled "Response from Heglig."

The video began with news footage of the Sudanese side issuing their ultimatum.

Immediately after, the scene cut to the pitch-black desert night.

Night-vision footage recorded the real-time destruction of twelve Sudanese rocket launchers, presented in its entirety without any editing.

As the missile volley descended from the sky, triggering a chain of secondary explosions, viewers in front of their screens held their breath.

Following that was the "target practice" scene where the tribal coalition launched an assault, only to be utterly shattered two kilometers away.

Hundreds of pickup trucks turned into piles of scrap metal amidst the dense explosions; the scene displayed a violent beauty born of technological crushing.

The climax of the video was that humiliating "cat-and-mouse game."

Thousands of routed soldiers were chased by a small armored unit, fleeing for their lives across the desert.

And what ignited global public opinion the most was the final part of the video.

The Cyber Freedom Republic's armored convoy brazenly crossed the border and drove into Sudan's Heglig.

Accompanied by stirring music, the blue and white hexagonal star flag slowly rose above the government building in the Sudanese town.

The camera finally froze on a single photograph.

A fully armed Cyber Freedom Republic soldier leaned against his infantry fighting vehicle; at his feet lay a pile of discarded AK rifles and RPG rocket launchers, and in the background was an Arabic road sign that read "Welcome to Heglig."

The video contained no narration, but every frame was a silent yet highly impactful declaration.

"We have received your ultimatum. This is our response."

Within ten minutes of the video's release, global online discourse was in an uproar!

"Holy shit! Holy shit! What did I just see? They counterattacked into Sudan?"

"Is this fucking a movie? The special effects are too realistic! Wait a minute... is this real?!"

"Rocket launchers instantly destroyed, the assault beaten like a dog, then chased and pummeled all night, and in the end, their home was stolen? Do the Sudanese have no shame left?"

"That flag-raising scene is absolutely soul-crushing! Raising my flag on your territory—the level of insult is just too high!"

"I counted; the Cyber Freedom Republic deployed at most a single company. A single company chasing two thousand people and even invading another country... My worldview has collapsed."

"Is this the difference between top-tier mercenaries and tribal militias? No, this is simply a dimensional reduction strike!"

If the reactions of netizens stopped at shock and venting, the responses from major global media and national governments were far more complex and profound.

Headlines at major news agencies were rapidly replaced within minutes.

CNN ran a striking headline: "African Powder Keg: How Did a Mysterious Armed Force Rewrite the Rules of War Overnight?" The host connected with a military expert, who repeatedly analyzed the missile's precise flight trajectory and terminal guidance footage in the video, finally concluding with a serious expression.

"This is the first combat use of micro-missiles, which means miniaturized weapons will have huge potential in future wars."

The BBC took a legal and humanitarian angle, publishing an opinion piece titled "Where Are the Boundaries of Sovereignty? — On the Heglig Incident," questioning the legitimacy of the Cyber Freedom Republic as a non-state actor and expressing "grave concern" over the impact of its armed forces on regional stability.

Al Jazeera interviewed several Middle East military commentators, whose views were intertwined with conflict and unease: "This is an open humiliation of Sudan's sovereignty, but... it also shows the whole world how vulnerable traditional armies are when the technological gap reaches an extreme."

At the national level, the reactions were even more distinct.

In Washington, at a White House press briefing, the spokesperson, facing a tidal wave of questions from reporters, could only repeatedly reiterate the diplomatic rhetoric: "We are closely monitoring the situation and urge both sides to exercise restraint and resolve the dispute through diplomatic channels."

But his shifty eyes said it all.

The Pentagon and Langley (CIA headquarters) were in total chaos, with emergency meetings held one after another.

All intelligence agencies were eagerly seeking the answer to the same question: How exactly did this "Cyber Freedom Republic" become so powerful?

In Brussels, the EU issued a toothless statement calling for adherence to international law, but privately, intelligence agencies from countries like France and Germany had initiated the highest level of response, attempting to analyze the equipment source and technical level of this force from every pixel of the video.

The frenzy of public opinion instantly overwhelmed everything, and the Sudanese government was no exception.

At the Presidential Palace in Khartoum, the atmosphere appeared unusually eerie.

The Minister of Defense stared at the flag-raising footage playing repeatedly on the screen, his facial muscles tense, but deep in his eyes there was not much anger, but rather a sense of expected oppression.

Just then, more important news arrived.

The Ministries of Foreign Affairs of China and Russia simultaneously issued "grave concerns" to the Sudanese embassies in their respective countries and proposed that China and Russia act as mediators, inviting the conflicting parties to Moscow for peace talks.

Once the diplomatic note arrived, the calm within the Presidential Palace was completely shattered.

"Negotiations? What are we supposed to negotiate with them? They invaded us! We must assemble the national army and make them pay in blood!" a young, hawkish officer shouted excitedly, his eyes full of unwillingness and anger.

He represented a group of hardliners who hoped to use this opportunity to completely break away from Western powers.

However, the Minister of Defense and several core high-ranking officials exchanged a knowing look, all secretly breathing a sigh of relief.

For them, this "mediation" came at just the right time.

The necessary gestures had been made, and they finally had an explanation for the American side that had incited them to send troops.

And this expected crushing defeat happened to give the central government a long-awaited opportunity—to take the chance to weaken or even co-opt these local tribal forces that were holding troops to threaten the government.

This was far more valuable than fighting a war they were destined to lose against the Cyber Freedom Republic.

"Shut up!" the Minister of Defense barked, cutting off the young officer. "Do you want to send another unit to throw their lives away and let those tribes laugh at us? Or are you saying you want American Daddy to send troops to help us?"

The young officer was silenced immediately.

Everyone present could see clearly that the Americans would only fan the flames; they would never personally intervene on their behalf. The "mediation" from China and Russia was called mediation, but in reality, it was handing them a step down that no one could refuse.

The President of Sudan waved his hand wearily, but a flash of shrewdness appeared in his eyes. "Prepare to go to Moscow."

He paused and added to the intelligence chief beside him: "Also, send people immediately to contact the leaders of the several major tribes in the coalition; they... should be in great need of our 'help' right now."

"It is time for this farce to end in a situation most favorable to us."

Meanwhile, at the temporary residence of the Cyber Freedom Republic in Beijing.

Qin Yue hung up the phone and smiled confidently.

She said to Chen Yuan and Zhang Zhe beside her: "You two Ministers, pack your luggage."

"The Lord has ordered that the three of us form a delegation and depart immediately for Moscow."

"To go and have a good chat with the Sudanese about 'post-war reparations' and 'future development.'"