Vol-2: The End • Frost-Plated Lion

The End • Frost-Plated Lion

Twin Palace, Presidential Office.

"Hello everyone, indeed, even men remain on Frost-Plated."

The officials sat silently, watching the broadcast, as Du Zexin's impassioned electronic voice echoed through the hall:

"Long live the future, long live humanity, long live Azure Star!"

Crack!

The television was instantly smashed by a remote control, malfunctioning and repeatedly playing "Long live," making the officials appear even more incompetent and stale.

"It's over! It's all ruined! Everything's destroyed!"

Frost-Plated President Mai Dewei stood up, pacing by the conference table, growling:

"Look at what you've done! I told you to eliminate Li Aozi, not blow him up into space! Can you not understand simple orders? Blowing up into space and blowing someone up—are those the same thing?"

Governor Allison Ruiz of Law III quickly spoke up: "Madam President, this is my mistake. We mistakenly believed Du Zexin had a past encounter with Li Aozi and had been captured by him, so we sent him on the mission, hoping his desire for revenge would..."

"Revenge?" Mai Dewei sneered, her tone dripping with sarcasm: "Does this look like revenge to you? More like a stinking alliance between comrades—disgusting."

Allison's heart tightened, and she hurriedly stood up: "Madam President—"

Mai Dewei slowly walked behind her seat, placing a hand on Allison's shoulder, her tone suddenly becoming gentle:

"Allison, dear Allison, I trust you. For years you've worked diligently, helping Frost-Plated women establish a safe and stable living environment. You may not have great achievements, but you've certainly worked hard."

Allison's pupils trembled. As the head of the intelligence agency, she knew that all her power came from the president's trust.

The Law III Agency, originally under military control, had been heavily restructured under President Mai Dewei, cutting the benefits of male soldiers and diverting resources to Law IV.

However, intelligence gathering, overseas operations, maintaining armed forces, and cultivating warlords all consumed vast amounts of resources and networks. To keep things running smoothly, the Law III Agency had long since followed the president's every order without question.

By now, the Law III Agency was no longer the "National Security Guard" it once was, but a dagger aimed at the heart of the enemy, wielded by the president.

Hearing the president's ambiguous words, Allison's first fear was losing her position. But she had already gathered information about the situation in Triangle Town and just needed to explain—

"But Allison, you've truly disappointed me."

Mai Dewei's voice turned cold as she continued:

"You could have simply cut Li Aozi's livestream, used the funds I allocated to Law III to spread his black history, and ruin his image."

"His education is low, only a vocational degree. Spread that, and his reputation is in the gutter. Didn't they say lots of women died around Li Aozi? Find their families, pay them off, and have them cry about how he toyed with their emotions. And doesn't Li Aozi have sisters or something? Give them a house and have them smear him more—ruining a persona, how hard can that be? And if all else fails, you couldn't have just hired a hacker to cut his feed?"

Mai Dewei suddenly spun Allison's chair around, staring straight into her eyes, her gaze mocking:

"Now look what's happened. Streaming platforms, short videos, headlines—all of Azure Star knows Li Aozi is the first person to enter space! A month ago, he was a terrorist, and now just because he's in space, all humanity will see him as a hero!"

"Do you know what space means? An outsider, with a bunch of fringe misfits, went to space. Space that even the Four Nations fear to explore."

A technical officer timidly muttered:

"But, without a spacesuit, he's bound to die out there—"

"And? Are you stupid?"

Mai Dewei exploded, shouting at all the officials:

"Who cares if he dies? From today onward, humanity will no longer be fixated on our world. They'll no longer see the Four Nations as infallible, untouchable sanctuaries. And the key is those outsiders—Li Aozi has reignited their hope for the future and the will to fight! Do you know how much effort it will take to divide and dismantle them again?"

"You pig-brained fools, you incompetent leeches, tax-stealing stock traders—did you really think this world has no sun? When ordinary people realize there's light, a future, and stars beyond Azure Star, who the hell will want to stay here?"

"But where would they go?" an official asked.

"Oh, you're smart now? Where would they go? Today, Li Aozi and the Akaban Squad stole a nuclear bomb and went into space. Tomorrow, do you think the Trash Collectors and the Subway Brotherhood might team up to build their own nuke and go into space?"

Mai Dewei laughed in exasperation.

Though often extreme in her anti-male rhetoric, Mai Dewei was no fool when it came to governance.

"Listen carefully: Li Aozi is a symbol. His emergence shattered the outsiders' perception. From today, they'll see him as a hero, a legend. And because of him, those once-aimless wanderers will form communities, organizations, even nations."

Mai Dewei pressed her hand to her forehead and said slowly:

"Azure Star has at least a billion outsiders, and Li Aozi has become their role model, their spiritual anchor. And the ones who exiled this hero—it was fucking Frost-Plated!"

"Madam President, the traitor Du Zexin has lost signal—he's most likely dead," Allison quickly explained. "Right now, the priority should be to repair relations with Tianhuan. As for Li Aozi, we'll gradually silence the media and control the narrative..."

"I'm willing to believe you, Allison." Mai Dewei patted her on the shoulder. "Don't let me down. I still have a diplomatic meeting this afternoon—Warden Frost, how's the situation on Elf Island?"

"All is well, Madam," Frost replied coldly. "You needn't worry about him. David Lin has never contacted the outside world, not even his own children."

"I didn't even know David Lin had kids—oh, right, now I remember." Mai Dewei rubbed her temples, overwhelmed by the recent events. "What's her name again? Yavanna? I had Governor Liriel send her to the front lines at Grant. Ha, David Lin's so patriotic, surely he won't mind his daughter dying for the country, right?"

The officials felt a sense of discomfort at the way Mai Dewei sent her political rival's daughter to the front lines. Normally, in politics, they adhered to the principle of not involving family.

First, she threw David Lin in prison, then killed his wife, made his son jobless, and now sent his influential daughter to die. It was a complete annihilation of his family line.

"Enough about that." Mai Dewei didn't even glance at the room as she left. "Foreign Minister Liu Zhidong, come with me. You're better suited to handle the international reporters."

"Yes, Madam." Liu Zhidong nodded and quickly followed her out.

Halfway down the hall, Mai Dewei suddenly received a call. Not caring that Liu was nearby, she answered immediately:

"Hello?"

"It's me, Mom." The voice on the other end sounded excited. "The Arles Group has completed the transfer. The Grant battlefield compensation will be delayed by four or five months—enough time for us to move the funds, 14.8 billion Derbys..."

"Look at you, all thrilled."

Mai Dewei spoke nonchalantly, glancing at Liu Zhidong. He quickly said, "I'll arrange the vehicle, Madam. Please wait here."

Liu Zhidong left, his expression darkening as he walked away. After a few steps, he pressed a button on his earpiece and spoke in a low, private channel:

"It's me. Mr. Jose Rediaz, is your Zhenxu Assault Team ready?"

"Everything's set, Minister Liu Zhidong." A muscular man with bronze skin appeared in her retinal projection, wearing a cloak made of bullets and smoking a cigar. Behind him, a team of armed Zhenxu soldiers busily prepared.

"But isn't your move a bit too bold? Aren't you worried about causing a split in Frost-Plated?"

"Mai Dewei is gravely ill. Frost-Plated used to be gentle, a beautiful place. When I was young, people treated each other as equals, regardless of gender or wealth."

Liu Zhidong took a deep breath:

"Mai Dewei is the one who ruined it all. She's the cancer of this nation. On one hand, she claims to protect our girls, but on the other, she sends young women to die on the front lines. Her son profits from this immoral war, laundering money for the Dewei family... even if the people forgive her, the Twin Queens won't, and history won't either!"

"Wow, you've got quite the grudge, madam. I had no idea Mai Dewei was so hated."

Jose shrugged:

"So who will take over? Someone has to step up and deal with the mess."

"Thanks for the Zhenxu suggestion, but this is an internal Frost-Plated matter. Even so-called 'neutral' Zhenxu can't meddle in our elections."

Liu Zhidong smiled and said:

"As for the candidate, we've already chosen. The world will be shocked when the time comes."

"If you say so, it must be someone remarkable."

Jose tapped his leg:

"Alright, everything's ready on our end, Minister Liu Zhidong. Good luck."

"Stopping Law I is entirely up to you."

Liu Zhidong ended the call and spotted the president's vehicle—a D2000 'Snow Wolf,' capable of reaching 600 kilometers per hour. Even if someone severely injured it, it could rush the occupant to a hospital. After expert modification, it had become an airborne fortress.

The powerful combat AI controlled smart rockets, laser beams, a 40mm autocannon, and other weapon systems. It could even block warship-grade damage head-on. Its anti-electronic warfare capabilities were top-notch. Usually, there would be three identical floating vehicles in the convoy, constantly switching places while in motion.

However, there was no such thing as an invulnerable fortress—the more defense you piled on, the more likely internal problems would arise.

The floating car had one fatal flaw: it was so advanced that it didn't have a mechanical control system. This meant that if hit by a strong enough EMP, it would immediately lose all combat capabilities.

This was normal—after all, the car was designed for city use. Only a nuclear bomb could generate an EMP powerful enough to destroy it within city limits.

Liu Zhidong approached Mai Dewei, speaking respectfully:

"Madam President, the floating car is ready. The security detail has been fully deployed."

"Yes, I know."

Mai Dewei casually replied and affectionately spoke into her phone:

"I'll call you back later, sweetheart—don't worry, it's just a little money. The whole of Frost-Plated will be yours one day, trust me. Jimmy, I've arranged your future, and you'll be the greatest figure in Frost-Plated history, even greater than the Twin Queens—okay, bye now."

Feeling a bit better, she turned and stepped into the floating car. As Liu Zhidong was about to board, her terminal rang. She checked it briefly, then said seriously: "Apologies, Madam President, but GTB has raised another proposal against Frost-Plated. I must attend."

"How annoying." Mai Dewei waved her off, crossing her legs. "Go ahead. I can handle the press conference myself."

"Yes." Liu Zhidong bowed. The floating car took off, leaving the rooftop of the building and flying into the distance.

The wind lifted Liu Zhidong's hair. She raised her hand to shield herself from the cold sun, watching the president's vehicle disappear, and muttered:

"The real sun is still warmer."

Mai Dewei put down her terminal and sighed: "These people are always such a hassle. The delayed compensation payments from the Grant battlefield need to be managed, or else Parliament might give me trouble—but, whatever, as long as I'm still president, they can't touch me."

Jimmy was smart, knowing how to profit from the war. But he was too impatient. He should wait until he becomes a state senator before doing anything this blatant.

"Come to think of it, after all this chaos, I am a bit thirsty."

She casually opened the fridge, intending to grab a bottle of Zhenxu wine to quench her thirst. Once this was all over, she planned to move out of the Twin Palace and take a long vacation at a hot spring. Making money and suppressing the military was exhausting.

Creak—

The fridge detected her intent and slowly opened its door, sliding out a tray. However, the black bottles on the tray seemed a bit odd, with pointed tops and no caps, and fins at the bottom.

Without noticing anything strange, Mai Dewei picked up the cold, heavy "wine bottle," instinctively preparing to pour it into her glass.

Boom!

Explosive flames danced across the sky above the Twin Palace. The D2000 Snow Wolf's circuits were fried by an internal EMP, triggering a munitions explosion that sent it crashing into the ground, smashing directly into Mai Dewei's statue at the Heroine Memorial.

Bang!

The cell door was blown off by power armor, and the strike team stepped over the guards and into the room. They faced a man sitting with his back to them, quietly reading a newspaper.

"Mr. David Lin, you're free now."

David Lin stood, the newspaper falling from his hands. The front page headline read: "Humanity's Great Leap—Li Aozi Breaks Into Space."

He turned to face the soldiers, suddenly recognizing their uniforms.

"You are... the Rose Army? I never thought it would be Frost-Plated's opposition forces coming to rescue me."

"No, we aren't opposed to Frost-Plated. We oppose Mai Dewei's Frost-Plated because we are Frost-Plated."

The lead female soldier removed her helmet, revealing silver hair and light purple eyes. She smiled slightly, showing sharp teeth, and said:

"Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Demi Guesette. My brother is Anderson Guesette, leader of the Eastern Line Guerrilla Force."

"I know of him." David Lin nodded slightly. "The Nomi Hostage Crisis—it was a tragic event. My condolences for the loss of your niece."

"Nomi is in the past." Demi slung her gun over her shoulder, a hint of sorrow flashing in her eyes before quickly returning to normal. "Now, we're fighting for the future."

She extended her hand to David Lin:

"The old witch Mai Dewei is dead. Are you interested in bringing a new world into being?"

"President David Lin."