Under cover of night, amid the smoke and fire of missiles and explosions, the rebel groups advanced through the hail of bullets that rained down on their bio-engineered creature defenses.
One by one, Cao Cao and Nicholas' Black Squad smashed through enemy lines, clearing a path towards the White House. The once pristine lawn was now littered with craters and the bodies of Confederate soldiers and bioengineered creatures.
The cacophony of gunfire, explosions, and screams continued for another fifteen minutes after Cao Cao and the Black Squad entered the White House, neutralizing all resistance. Then, silence fell, broken only by radio chatter and the heavy footsteps of power armor suits.
"We found something! Call the demolition team!" A member of the Black Squad shouted from the White House entrance.
The US Army soldiers and their demolition team entered, guided by the Black Squad member. They descended into the basement, where they discovered a large, sealed vault-like door.
"We haven't found General Moore. Mr. Cao believes he's hiding behind that vault," the Black Squad member informed the US Army power armor squad.
The power armor squad leader instructed the demolition team to get to work. They quickly determined that using explosives would not only destroy the vault door but also level the White House – an unacceptable outcome for the higher-ups at Liberty House.
Time passed as they attempted to blast and melt the lock, but nothing worked. The US Army had no authorization to purchase assistance from Astral Tech, as their contract only covered combat support, not cleanup operations.
Cao Cao then called upon Nicholas and his demolition expert. The expert swiftly placed several small, superheated charges around the vault door, focusing their blast radius on the door alone.
After everyone evacuated to the first floor, the basement echoed with explosions. Returning to assess the results, they found a large, man-sized hole neatly cut into the door, easily passable even in power armor.
Nicholas volunteered to enter first. A brief exchange of gunfire and a small scuffle ensued within the vault before silence fell once more. The way clear, Cao Cao entered the vault, accompanied by several US Army soldiers.
— A Week Later —
After a week of cleanup operations, the rebel leaders were nominated by the US Congress to temporarily oversee the reclaimed territory of the former Confederacy. This arrangement will last until the unification process, along with the necessary bureaucracy and formalities, is completed, which will take several months.
There is also a need to provide basic education about democracy and the voting process since they need to elect a new state governor for the reclaimed territory. The people in the Confederacy used a different method to elect their leaders compared to the US.
In the US, people elect their leaders to represent their interests in politics and governance. In contrast, the Confederacy allowed only individuals with a certain threshold of wealth and reputation to elect representatives. This was because they believed that ordinary people were too ignorant to make wise decisions and would always choose immediate benefits over long-term plans.
This belief has some basis in reality. For example, in some Southeast Asian countries, representatives are chosen because they come from parties with policies that promise direct monetary benefits if they are elected. This practice, although blatant, is not considered vote-buying but a "policy" by constitutional judges.
Even with this degree of blatant disrespect for people's intelligence, parties with such "policies" still win. Of course, their victories may not be landslides, but winning is still winning, regardless of the margin.
Therefore, it is crucial to have advertisements and educational campaigns in this regard.
General Moore's crimes were being judged in the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the Netherlands. The trial was broadcast live worldwide due to the infamy surrounding General Moore's declaration of nuclear war against the USA. This action had greatly angered the UN, especially the Qing Empire, the self-proclaimed current leader of the UN.
During the trial, General Moore showed no remorse and even laughed at the judge. When asked if he admitted to his guilt, he snorted and said:
"Guilty of what? Guilty of doing the things all of you wanted to do and failed!? Guilty of having the dream to unify the land like you did? The only thing I am guilty of is failing.
I don't know where my precious research on viruses and bio-engineered weapons will end up, but I believe it will eventually find its way into your hands very soon, you hypocrites!" General Moore roared before the court staff forced him to be silent.