What can one say?
Human history is an endlessly repeating cycle.
When the East Asian Alliance deployed the Goddess of Love for the first time in this world, on PLANT's home territory.
Its effects unexpectedly and profoundly influenced every aspect.
Overnight, as the people of the East Asian Alliance awoke from their slumber.
Merely one night had passed, yet those less informed felt as if epochs had changed.
Especially after waking up, when habitually preparing to surf the internet to learn something new.
Staring at their web pages, countless people found their minds flooded with question marks.
They voiced soul-deep doubts: Did I sleep too long? Am I no longer in the same world?
Why is the internet filled with such incomprehensible news?
"Shocking: ZAFT Forces Coordinators fled overnight, carrying their trains with them!"
"What exactly happened? Why didn't the Coordinators dare to stay a moment longer? Our frontline reporter will uncover the depths for you."
Vaguely reminiscent of the long-vanished "shock tactics" that once dominated the online world, they suddenly sprouted like mushrooms after rain.
Attracting hordes of clueless onlookers, who couldn't resist clicking in to uncover the truth.
Of course, what era is this now? The age of short videos reigns.
More and more people, itching for firsthand information, began altering their phone's GPS coordinates.
Weren't the Coordinators said to have fled?
Then the primary source of news naturally lies with our compatriots in the border regions!
Or those daredevils!
"Folks, come, come, take a look! Ahead is a ZAFT Forces Coordinator warship."
"This is a first-person, close-up view! Move those fingers—likes and favorites are a must!"
Wow! Inland compatriots casually clicked into a border compatriot's or a daredevil's live stream.
Any random room had viewership numbers in the millions.
This is promising!
Those watching the live stream or just joining in all perked up instantly.
What era is this? It's wartime!
Anyone bold enough to tail a ZAFT warship for a live stream is a true badass!
We must reward them generously; otherwise, we'd be ungrateful for such risks!
In no time, virtual gifts like rockets and yachts flooded the screen nonstop.
"Thank you, thank you."
The streamer beamed with joy, bowing repeatedly to the camera for his benefactors.
He also knew exactly what the audience wanted—no beating around the bush, he delivered the goods straight away.
Listen as he frantically urged his companions on screen to steer the boat closer to the ZAFT warship.
A zero-distance encounter would be perfect!
Bear in mind, ZAFT Forces and the East Asian Alliance are still enemies. Forget this highly tense moment.
Even in peacetime, a civilian vessel from another country daring to chase down a warship like this—
If not greeted with cannon fire, at the very least, they'd get a faceful from the ship's water cannons.
Yet, something bizarre occurred, thrilling the audience immensely.
In the video, the retreating ZAFT Forces warships didn't even issue a verbal warning, let alone a show of force.
Facing the streamer's rented yacht at close range, those typically arrogant Coordinators who usually looked down on everyone acted as if they were completely blind, pretending not to see it.
Not only did they ignore it, but the ZAFT Forces warships actually sped up a bit, desperately trying to shake off the yacht as if avoiding the plague.
"Did you see that, folks? This is what real guts look like!"
Thumbs up and pointing at himself, the streamer's smugness was beyond description.
"Let me break it down for you all. These ZAFT Forces warships usually patrol along our maritime borders for no reason. Rumor has it they even took part in the battle to besiege the Space Launch Port. After failing, they stubbornly stuck around without any shame. From what I've seen, our ships have clashed with them several times! But today? They're scared and running away! Hahaha!"
The streamer mercilessly mocked the massive ZAFT Forces warships nearby, spouting every insult and crude remark imaginable.
Later, perhaps because the warships ahead continued to ignore him, the streamer—likely for dramatic effect—went all out with reckless behavior, as if racing toward his own demise.
He even hauled a high-powered megaphone to the bow of the boat. While interacting with his viewers, his voice carried far ahead, reaching the warships.
Honestly, the streamer had a talent for stand-up comedy, keeping his live audience in stitches.
While the East Asian Alliance citizens were amused, the Coordinators were anything but.
If you talk behind someone's back and they don't hear it, that's one thing. But if someone openly disrespects you to your face, even spitting and slapping you, could any self-respecting person tolerate it? Absolutely not!
The civilized might call the authorities, but those with hot tempers and backing would surely respond with fists the size of sand pots right to the face.
If ordinary people react this way, imagine soldiers, especially proud Coordinators who've always held their heads high.
Finally pushed to their limit, several red-faced, furious Green Coat soldiers emerged on the retreating ZAFT Forces battleship. From the video, they were all armed.
"Hahaha, the streamer pissed them off! Look, they're about to teach him a lesson!" viewers egged on, flooding the comments with provocative messages.
Of course, some kind-hearted folks urged the streamer to back down, advising him to live to fight another day.
The appearance of the ZAFT Green Coats instantly skyrocketed the livestream's popularity.
"Scared? Me? Scared?" The streamer, grinning from ear to ear, watched his viewer count soar.
Whoosh! As if a rocket was strapped to his back, he dashed to the bow in full view of everyone.
"Come on, come on! If you've got the guts, shoot right here!" He slapped his own face, taunting the flushed Green Coat Coordinator soldiers across the way.
"He's done for, this streamer has lost his mind."
"Bullshit, what do you know? This streamer's the real deal—when there's trouble, he actually steps up!"
"You there, won't you be happy until something actually happens? This streamer too, really choosing money over his life!"
"Quick, does anyone know where our military is near the streamer? Notify them ASAP so they can go rescue him!"
"Rescue? More like collecting a corpse."
The live chat was scrolling so fast it was nearly illegible. Reactions to the streamer's death-defying antics varied—some expressed pity, others cried injustice.
But as the streamer watched the comments, some concerned for his safety, others eager to see how he'd die, he showed not a hint of fear. Instead, he seemed to thrive on the attention, shouting insults at the opposition even louder.
Just as all viewers were waiting to see how the streamer would meet his end, the Green Coat soldiers on the ZAFT warship cocked their rifles. But unexpectedly—
No shots were fired, and the streamer didn't die.
Instead, to the astonishment of countless viewers, several officers who rushed out from the warship slapped the enraged Green Coats—one slap per soldier—and literally kicked them out of the camera frame.
"What's this?"
How bizarre—a spectacle unlike anything they'd ever seen in their lives.
Countless viewers were left scratching their heads.
Could it be they didn't want to shoot the streamer on camera?
That shouldn't be the case—since when do Coordinators from PLANT care about that?
Don't they constantly rant online about killing all Naturals?
"Just wait, maybe the streamer will die soon."
Analytical viewers shared their perspectives, generally agreeing the streamer surely wouldn't survive.
Many other viewers shared similar thoughts.
So the audience waited patiently, watching as the streamer shouted himself hoarse during the livestream until he had to stop and drink water.
Yet the anticipated scene of the streamer being gunned down never materialized.
"Fake! Refund!"
Now things got interesting—when the streamer was about to be killed, viewers felt heartache and pity. When he survived despite all odds, they started shouting "refund" and calling it fake.
Claims of everything being scripted flooded the chat.
"Heh heh heh."
Facing the barrage of criticism on screen, the streamer neither grew angry nor offered explanations.
Only when impatient viewers began mass spamming did the streamer realize things were nearing the brink of chaos.
With a flick of his finger, he signaled his companion to point the camera behind their yacht.
Gasp!
Every single viewer drew a sharp breath.
Now they understood why the streamer could act so recklessly and still remain unharmed.
Because trailing behind the streamer's yacht were several Ten-Thousand-Ton Destroyers from the East Asian Navy.
"But that doesn't make sense!"
After the initial shock and confusion, critical viewers raised new questions.
"Are they exploiting the 'no-first-shot' loophole here?"
"But aren't we already hostile with ZAFT Forces? Those Coordinators have always been against us."
"What, did the Coordinators suddenly change their nature today? Even if they fear our warships, they shouldn't tolerate such humiliation."
"Those Coordinators didn't even dare to make a sound, right?"
"Exactly, exactly!"
Immediately, supporters jumped in:
"Not just here—I heard ZAFT Forces are conducting major withdrawals near all East Asian Federation territories."
"It was so fast, there wasn't even time to pack up. Lots of equipment was left scattered all over the ground."
"Our fellow countrymen picking up the spoils were absolutely delighted!"
"What!" Hearing this, more and more viewers grew interested.
"And that's not all! Many countries in the Earth Sphere sent people rushing to our homeland!"
"Folks in the capital are calling it 'all nations paying tribute'!"
"Moreover, they didn't just come empty-handed—they brought many of our nation's lost antiquities as gifts!"
Ordinary citizens, limited by information blackouts, mostly had no idea why such changes were occurring.
But among the upper echelons, whether domestic or foreign—
these well-informed individuals had already begun focusing on the emergency diplomatic summit of heads of state convened by the Allied Forces.
After all, that was the place where a nation's true status could be determined.
(End of Chapter)