[Unstable energy burst countdown: 14 hours]
[Points deducted for cross-world communication: 500]
[Current Technology Points: 14,500]
Leo's main consciousness had already transferred to the Cyberpunk world hours ago, but there was simply too much going on over here.
And he didn't want Little Octopus to handle certain matters in his place.
At Juya City's harbor, a battered, ragged cruiser slowly sailed into its berth. In this city of twelve thousand residents, with over a hundred thousand online residents, countless eyes were fixed on the ship's arrival.
Right there at the port, representatives from several African Union nations waited eagerly.
"…Haha, we're back!"
Abdi limped out of the captain's cabin. His left arm hung from his neck—clearly injured.
Running away hadn't been simple. This last cruiser had taken shelling as well; a malfunction occurred on the way, and they had even thought they wouldn't make it back.
But they did.
Breathing in the pure sea breeze of Juya City's harbor, the crew surged onto the deck and crowded to the rail—
And there, they saw the countless people watching them, craning their necks in anticipation.
Abdi froze.
This was the scene he had once imagined.
A day when he wouldn't have to live by piracy anymore. A day when there would be a port, and many people waiting for him to come home.
"Uh, boss… what are they doing?"
A burly Black man, a head taller than Abdi, nudged him with an elbow.
"No idea."
His brain still hadn't caught up. He disembarked, and King T'Chaka of Wakanda stood with a group of people lined up along the harbor walkway. Abdi brought his guys forward to stand before these older, middle-aged men and women.
"Today, we gather here to honor our heroes—those who advanced without fear against overwhelming force, who bravely defended our sovereignty and security, and prevented more people from being massacred."
Applause rose around them. King T'Chaka spoke solemnly. "Abdi, you defended the African Union's sovereignty and safety, and prevented more people from being slaughtered.
As the King of Wakanda, on behalf of the entire African Union—fifty-six nations—I offer you and your soldiers, our heroes, the highest respect.
This medal is yours by right, but a medal can never truly measure what you have done."
At his side, a bodyguard stepped forward holding an exquisite case. T'Chaka opened it and lifted the medal into the sunlight.
The main body of the medal was a deep-blue five-pointed star, handcrafted from pure sapphire and set into a solid gold base.
On the back was an inscription: "Fearless."
"Please accept this medal, as the African Union's highest honor and recognition of your heroic deeds."
The ribbon was placed around his neck. The heavy medal was fastened to his uniform. No one thought this battered uniform was unworthy of a medal worth a fortune—if anything, it made the medal more precious.
The applause continued.
Only then did Abdi's post-survival numbness finally thin out under the weight of the moment. He looked at the people below, and suddenly tears fell.
From pirate to Union hero. From the underground to the clouds.
They were no longer pirates cursed, spat on, and condemned by everyone. From now on, there would be many people waiting for them to come back alive.
Abdi wiped his tears, turned to face the crowd, and raised an imagined military salute. His companions, still dazed, saluted as well.
After it was over, Abdi headed toward the medical corps, who were transporting the wounded off the ship.
Leo's robot was there too. Seeing Abdi approach, it said, "How do you feel?"
"This is what I was chasing." Abdi thought of the eager eyes waiting for them, and in an instant it overlapped with the brothers from his old camp.
His dad had died early, and he had never seen his mother—more accurately, that man hadn't even been his biological father. The camp had been his home.
The feeling of having people waiting for you to return home was too good.
But he had cried because he had convinced so many brothers to follow his command. He had believed that one day he would become Somalia's greatest pirate—maybe even build a city, with even more family.
But many brothers would never see that day—
One destroyer had been sunk on the spot. Another had caught fire after escaping. Only a handful had managed to survive on speedboats.
Thinking about how so many who had believed in him died like that—died the night before seeing all of this—filled him with guilt.
Leo patted his shoulder. "Rest up. Take a look around this city. As long as we can keep the fighting pinned to the front, trade routes won't be completely severed.
To the world, you just pulled off something unbelievable."
Abdi wiped his tears again. "The whole world? I thought the whole world would still think we're pirates."
"The Pentagon can keep calling you terrorists, but the world will know the truth. As for what they'll think after seeing the truth—that's hard to say.
But I can tell you clearly: a lot of people see you as someone even more heroic than a hero."
"More heroic than a hero?"
"Yes." Leo nodded. "They call you… a superhero."
New York. The square was packed with protesters.
Crowds filled the entrances of state governments across the country— even the White House gates weren't spared.
"We can see protesters holding white banners reading 'Liberate Somalia' as they occupy the street outside the White House."
"Let's interview one of the demonstrators…"
"Fuck USA! You saw how they 'fought terrorists'—they bombed the city first! This isn't counterterrorism, this is slaughter! The Pentagon sent military units across the border and launched an attack—this is an act of war!
President Ellis should be tried for war crimes! They—hey!"
The camera suddenly shook. The interviewee looked up, and the lens swung with him—an officer in riot gear smashed the camera outright.
The broadcast cut.
[Little Octopus: Boss, these U.S. cops have kind of an NCPD vibe.]
Like Americans don't have that tradition in their blood.
Of course, Leo wasn't discriminating against Americans. It was just local custom. Nothing to be said about it.
Over the past few hours, a lot of people had been arrested nationwide. It was a very bad sign:
It meant Roxxon's control over the ruling class was still extremely strong—maybe stronger than ever.
A second wave of ground advance might arrive soon.
The popular vote was still a few days away, and Leo wished it would come sooner.
Right now, the Suez Canal and the Gulf of Aden were completely in Roxxon's grip. Cargo headed for Juya City could only detour around Africa's west coast, or come overland—both options brutally expensive.
At least there was good news: even now, European companies and states were still willing to work with Atlas Group—
Sinking a carrier really did inspire confidence.
Of course, major corporations didn't dare to bet at a time like this. Full-scale war looked imminent, the carrier kill might have been luck, and in the long run, very few people believed the African Union could survive.
Even AIs thought so.
[Little Octopus: But boss, does this really work?]
Backed by overwhelming industrial capacity. Monopoly control over ninety percent of the world's oil. Endless production of steel soldiers. Deployment through the most powerful military on Earth.
Even if the African Union's morale was sky-high, with the balance constantly shifting, how could flesh defeat steel?
Leo shook his head. "Industrial capacity needs a stable society to support it."
[Little Octopus: But what if they fully adopt AI for industrial processes?]
"Good question." Leo shrugged. "Then we'll have to do it ourselves. Maybe dealing with AI is more straightforward than dealing with humans."
Sometimes, when the malice is truly inhuman, you can finally stop holding back.
Knock knock.
A knock at the door. Leo's mom came in carrying a bag of steaming takeout boxes.
"Today was so terrifying…" Maya set the boxes of hot dishes on the table one by one. "You're exhausted, aren't you?"
Leo picked up his chopsticks and checked the time.
Half an hour left.
"A bit. But it was all worth it."
He ate as he spoke. Maya watched beside him with quiet satisfaction, but when she heard him say that, her expression suddenly tightened with worry.
She wanted Leo to feel less pressure. But she wasn't stupid. She had lived through war and famine.
You couldn't bear responsibility for so many lives without pressure.
As a mother, she was proud of Leo's sense of responsibility—but she was also afraid things would spiral out of control, that the pressure would become too much for her child to carry.
Leo understood her worry, but he just ate in silence, thinking of some harmless small talk.
Maya suddenly reached out and gently stroked Leo's back. "Eat slower. Don't choke. You're Mom's pride."
Leo paused, then nodded. He stopped thinking about everything else.
Sometimes grand visions come from small happiness.
That was one of the reasons he did all of this.