death of hope

Chapter 1043 "Psionic Storm" (116) Operation Day
Monday the 29th,

Operation Day of the 'Siegfried' (Dragon Slayer) Project.

Older people often say that important people need to have a grand entourage, and today is no exception.
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Six ring roads and twelve main roads are under full control. Thousands of checkpoints have been set up on major traffic routes. All drivers are required to get out of their vehicles for body searches and have their trunks opened for sniffing and scanning by police dogs.

The Shin-Sapporo Police Station, the National Guard, and the Colonial Riot Police canceled their holidays and went to the streets to maintain order. The most unfortunate were the local gangsters, who were subjected to a severe crackdown for no reason and many people were imprisoned. The gangsters lamented that life is unpredictable, and the last time the police mobilized in full force was many years ago when the Sanno-kai and Kyokushin-gumi clashed.

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In the power center of the Terra Federation, the struggle between the conservative D (Red D) led by Donald and the radical faction (Green D) led by Shino Tsunesaki has entered a heated stage. The two factions have lost their past tacit understanding and are undermining each other without giving each other any face.

The antagonistic sentiment spread rapidly from Terra's homeworld to the entire Federation. Elections in all sectors and colonies were filled with tension, and generals from both sides were eager to fight, secretly mobilizing fleets and procuring ammunition. A bloody civil war was imminent, and once this Pandora's box was opened, billions of Terrans would perish.

As the trade, finance, and banking center of the star sector, the neo-Sapporo, a place of dazzling lights and immense wealth, known as the 'Cyberpunk Capital,' has naturally not escaped the fate of becoming a two-dimensional arena. Both candidates in the governor election are embroiled in scandals, with the media uncovering countless negative stories about them, but under the current circumstances, it is impossible to change the candidates.

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With the major figures in complete opposition, the demands of ordinary people seem insignificant, and the threat of alien forces fails to alert the federal leadership. The struggle between the two factions and their affiliated capital groups seems inevitable, and key constituencies have become the front line of ideological and political conflict.

Whoever takes the governorship will control the sector's resources, gain more corporate support, more senator and representative seats, and gain an advantage in the internal power struggle. It's worth the stakes.

The Red Party dispatched a campaign team of more than ten bigwigs to cheer for their candidate, while the Green Party went even further, with its leader setting aside his busy schedule to personally lead a large campaign team to hold a grand parade to garner votes, seemingly determined to win the governorship.

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To create a lively atmosphere, the Green Party spent a lot of money decorating the venue, hiring hundreds of "shills" to mingle with the crowd of onlookers, waving flags and cheering, creating the illusion that their party's support rate was far ahead, and blatantly distributing free small gifts and fast food shopping vouchers to the Gray Deer voters, thereby shaking the centrists and gaining more votes.

All the above tricks are just minor tactics; D-Kui's personal appearance to create a friendly image is the biggest killer move.
According to polling agencies, even before the campaign started, support for the Democratic Party in New Sapporo had already surged by six percentage points in a month. If the campaign is successfully completed, the opposing candidate will have no chance.

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As night fell, the parade officially began.
The money was well spent; the visual feast created by the Hollywood 'Industrial Light & Magic' team attracted tens of thousands of people to watch, including those who usually stay at home and those who have no interest in the federal government's political ecology.

The numerous devices mounted on the hot air balloon began to operate, and the entire street seemed to be submerged in a pool of liquid neon water.
One gold and one silver; two enormous holographic dragonfish slowly swim between skyscrapers, their scales made up of countless neon-lit green D-shaped human heads.

The romantic sonic booms of retro synthesizers washed over the damp streets, the air thick with the mingled scents of cheap stimulants, pungent industrial fragrances, and the sweaty stench of the dense crowd.
With such a grand entrance, the main character's appearance was truly awe-inspiring.

The float carrying Senator Shino Tsuneaki, one of the most powerful figures in the current Terra Council and the leader of the Green D, resembles a throne moving in a boiling ocean.

This float was converted from a 'TS7' planetary heavy defense missile launcher. Its fifty pairs of road wheels, densely packed like the limbs of a centipede, support an enormous display platform.

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Shino Tsunesaki stood on a lotus-shaped platform woven from luminous fibers to cater to the aesthetics of the local residents.

To project a friendly image, the makeup artist gave the elderly woman a particularly gentle and kind look. Instead of an expensive gown, she wore a simple cotton and linen robe and "Sunset Red" brand walking shoes for seniors.
This outfit can be bought for around a hundred yuan on online shopping platforms. It's the same style worn by the elderly people who dance in the square in the neighborhood, giving off a very friendly vibe.

The planning team's work was undoubtedly very successful. Shino Tsunesaki did not seem like a sinister and ruthless Z-King who could decide the fate of millions of people with a single sentence. Instead, she seemed like the kind old lady next door who used to fry chicken wings and cook gingerbread for you when you were a child.

The old woman raised her arms high, a carefully calculated, exaggerated smile plastered on her weathered, wrinkled face, a smile so wide it could cover the entire media coverage.

This created an image of approachability, sharing joy with the people, and being unpretentious.

But in reality, the senator's security team was not lax at all; all four layers of defense were cleverly concealed.
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The first barrier is an invisible energy shield, a giant energy shield that consumes a large amount of electricity and is powered by a miniature nuclear-powered reactor built into the float.

The second layer of defense is a tangible but difficult-to-detect physical defense: the expensive 'NDL Flawless Bulletproof Glass' imported from the 'Lizardman Empire'. The senator is encased in glass that is completely transparent and non-reflective, and its surface automatically cleans itself of dust, making it impossible for laymen to detect its existence.

The third line of defense was a massive team of bodyguards. Cyber ​​warriors clad in tactical armor made of high-polymer materials were lurking around the floats. Their electronic pupils emitted a cold red light, and their cold cybernetic prosthetics were ready to fire guns or draw samurai swords for close combat at any moment.

The fourth line of defense, the last and the most solid.
Just as emperors in ancient times had imperial guards, today's senators have two personal bodyguards, each 'sponsored' or more accurately 'paid as tribute' by two technology companies.
The first was 'Zigfeld,' a top-tier genetically modified human developed by Rheinmetall.
This Germanic giant possesses towering muscles and a steel-like frame, earning him the nickname "Rock Giant." His fighting philosophy is based on simple, straightforward, and classic physics; with a single punch, he can take down even the most ferocious interstellar orc warriors.

The other is even more heavyweight: Alexandra, a top-tier cybernetic cyborg developed by the Ruby Marine Engineering Design Bureau in St. Petersburg, nicknamed "The Eye of Annihilation."
This stunning Slavic woman possesses both powerful psychic abilities and a cybernetically enhanced body. The psychic beams emitted from her eyes are amplified by technology, and a single fully charged laser beam is enough to destroy a Mark IV main battle tank.