Chapter 406
2-in-1-chapter
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By leveraging the war, Yorinobu had forcefully unified the internal factions of Arasaka. And once the Hato faction was gradually purged, only a single voice would remain within Arasaka—that of Yorinobu himself.
So, with Arasaka providing aid, Leo was naturally pleased, and Yorinobu suffered no real loss.
It was a mutual victory, and in the truest sense, a win-win.
But as the saying goes—when some rejoice, others grieve. While Leo and Yorinobu were basking in success, there was one person consumed with worry.
That person was President Myers of the New United States.
Though she had anticipated the possibility that Arasaka's three internal factions might one day turn on each other, she had not expected the outcome to come so quickly.
The assassination of Hanako had, of course, not been carried out by Militech operatives. President Myers had never given such an order, nor did she have any reason to do so.
She could guess that it was most likely orchestrated by Yorinobu himself.
But what she hadn't expected was how feeble Hanako's defenses had been—how easily an assassin had breached her stronghold and succeeded in the kill.
She had originally planned to sit back and watch Arasaka consume itself through infighting. But that infighting had never materialized. Instead, the company had rapidly unified in the face of war.
Now Arasaka was tightly bound, pulling in the same direction with a singular will.
Militech's global intelligence reports confirmed that Arasaka had begun to mobilize significantly.
Across the world, Arasaka's security forces were being redeployed en masse.
They were converging in Japan.
It was clear that once their forces had finished assembling, they would cross the Pacific—heading straight for the New United States.
President Myers, realizing this immediately, made her own decisive move. She ordered Militech's security forces stationed around the world to return and prepare for homeland defense.
She didn't dare attempt to seize Arasaka's overseas territories while their security forces were away. Those holdings were trifling in comparison. To gain a few scraps while losing the homeland would be the very definition of sacrificing the core for the periphery.
While urgently mobilizing Militech's forces, President Myers also sent envoys to the Western States, the Republic of Texas, and the Pacific Confederation, seeking their support.
In her view, North America still belonged to Americans.
Though the United States had fractured, the Western States, Texas, and the Pacific Confederation were all formed by former Americans.
Yes, there were grudges among them—countless unresolved issues—but those were internal problems, weren't they?
Arasaka, after all, was not American. It was Japanese. Now that a great external threat loomed, internal differences should be set aside in favor of unity against the outside.
That was how President Myers saw it.
However—and this is important—people think differently, and truly putting oneself in another's position, to consider a problem from their point of view, is incredibly difficult—extremely so.
Consider the most basic example:
The African continent, even to this day, remains trapped in poverty, underdevelopment, conflict, and rampant disease.
For decades, the United Nations and various humanitarian organizations have sent enormous quantities of supplies and financial aid to Africa, yet the continent has not escaped its condition.
Much of the aid and supplies never reached those in need. Instead, they were seized by local warlords.
The well-known Black Hawk Down incident happened precisely because aid shipments intended for Somalia were hijacked by warlords, which led to widespread famine in the country. That in turn prompted the United States to launch Operation Code Irene. Everyone knows how it ended—Black Hawk down.
To most people, this is incomprehensible. They ask: how can people of the same nation constantly wage war against each other? Can't they just sit down and talk it out?
And all that aid—donated by the United Nations—how can they shamelessly seize it for themselves?
They hoard supplies, refuse to distribute them, and remain unmoved as civilians starve by the thousands.
That is the thinking of ordinary people.
But for the African warlords, the logic is simple: if the UN sends aid, that aid belongs to me. If I don't take it, someone else will. And if people starve—that's not my problem.
This is the divide between the mindset of a so-called normal person and that of a warlord.
Humans are like this. Everyone thinks differently. Truly understanding another's perspective is near impossible. Real empathy—genuine cognitive empathy—is rare.
President Myers is no exception.
She believed that Texas, the Western States, and the Pacific Alliance would support the New United States out of a sense of shared identity, that they would stand together against Arasaka because they had all once been Americans.
But she was completely wrong.
Yes, they had once been Americans—but the United States had fractured decades ago.
What does "decades" mean?
It's enough time for the Roman Republic to collapse into civil war, for Caesar to rise and fall, and for Augustus to establish the Empire. It's enough time for the Hundred Years' War to begin, drag on for generations, and finally come to an end with the rise of new European powers.
In the long arc of human history, decades may not be much—but for a nation, or for individuals, it is significant.
The Western States, Texas, and the Pacific Alliance had long since established independent governments. They had grown used to autonomy and self-rule.
Now President Myers was asking them to return—to come home to the fold of the New United States—because, supposedly, they were all "one family."
But the War of Unification had failed to achieve that. So how could a few words accomplish what armies could not?
Especially considering that the Unification War had only ended a few years ago. If not for Arasaka's strong support at the time, the Western States, Texas, and the Pacific Alliance would have ceased to exist.
Unless their leadership suffered from goldfish memory, how could they possibly forget the "generosity" of the New United States?
Of course, some might say that between nations, it's all about interests.
So what if Arasaka had helped them in the past? Now that Arasaka was invading North America, wouldn't it be in their best interest to band together?
True—between nations, there are no eternal friends, only eternal interests.
But even so…
The leadership of the Western States, Texas, and the Pacific Alliance were not fools.
Long before open conflict broke out between Arasaka and Militech, they had discussed this exact scenario—many times. Countless simulations, contingency plans, and war games had been drawn up.
While ordinary people may idly speculate about political affairs during their free time, those who truly hold power must prepare extensively in advance, carefully considering every possible outcome before it arrives.
And the conclusion of all those discussions was always the same:
Nonalignment. Strict neutrality.
Their countries lacked the strength of old Europe and couldn't afford the costs of war.
If the fighting reached their borders, they would defend themselves. But if the war stayed far away, there was no reason to pick a side.
Sure, they had once been Americans. On paper, the New United States was closer to them than Arasaka.
But that was only on paper.
It was laughable.
A few years ago, when the New United States attacked during the Unification War, did they treat their "brothers" with any respect?
Everyone remembered the conduct of the U.S. military—and the New United States military had inherited that conduct completely.
That wasn't so long ago.
And now President Myers wanted them to forget the blood, the scars, the betrayal—and join forces?
For what?
Arasaka came to attack the New United States. What did that have to do with them?
Even from a purely self-interested perspective, they had no alignment with the New United States.
North America was for Americans. If Arasaka won, they couldn't possibly consume the entire New United States. Eventually, vast territories would fall into the hands of Texas, the Western States, and the Pacific Alliance.
And if Arasaka lost, then so be it. At the very least, the fighting would have depleted the strength of both the New United States and Militech, ensuring that the New United States wouldn't be able to launch another Unification War for at least another twenty to thirty years.
In other words, no matter who won—Arasaka or the New United States and Militech—the Western States, Texas, and the Pacific Alliance would benefit.
So why take sides?
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