Chapter 167: Plans

Step 3: The Bank Run: A Shocking Revelation!

Neo-Arcavian Credit Union Faces Liquidity Crisis!

“Just one rumor, one disappointing quarter, and their entire financial system crumbles like a house of cards,” Ethan remarked, leaning in with keen interest.

“I can have counterfeit currency circulating within just one to two months,” he added with a confident smirk.

Dravik’s brow furrowed with concern. “But what if they trace it back to us?”

Arthur, focused on his screen, replied nonchalantly, “They’ll be too preoccupied burning their own banks to care.”

“And then there’s Plan B: The Puppet Strings,” Vaul interjected as he summoned another holographic display.

The image shifted to reveal a dossier featuring a silver-haired statesman with piercing gray eyes.

“Meet Chancellor Aldric McGregor,” Vaul announced dramatically. “Neo-Arcavia’s so-called ’moderate’ face, though he’s hiding three secret families and battling a gambling addiction.”

Step 1: The Honey Trap: Surveillance footage revealed Aldric entering a lavish hotel alongside someone who wasn’t his wife.

“Ethan’s team has compiled twelve hours of compromising footage, enough to turn him into our most vocal supporter!”

Step 2: The Silent Coup: A list of Neo-Arcavian parliament members appeared on-screen, half marked in red.

“We can gain control over 30% of their legislature through blackmail and bribes, and with Aldric’s endorsement, we could push that number up to 51%!”

Step 3: The Policy Shift: Simulated legislation flashed across the screen: Military Spending Cuts, Open Borders With Varenya, Disbandment Of Intelligence Corps.

“In just six months, Neo-Arcavia will be unrecognizable!”

Petrovna, always the diplomat, looked visibly distressed. “This isn’t strategy; it’s…”

“Politics,” Arthur interjected coolly.

The display morphed into a real-time satellite feed showcasing Neo-Arcavia’s serene border regions, picturesque farmland and unguarded highways.

Vaul lowered his voice conspiratorially. “Or we remind them why peace is a luxury paid for by the strong.”

Phase 1: The False Flag: A simulated rebel broadcast blared ominously: Neo-Arcavian Death Squads Massacre Border Village.

“We’ll give them a war they didn’t start… but will soon wish they had finished.”

Phase 2: The Blitz :The hologram flickered to life, zooming in on five crucial infrastructure points that could change everything:

The Arcadia Fusion Reactor (Powering a staggering 60% of the nation)

The White River Dam (Providing fresh water to an astonishing 40 million people)

Three “Cultural Centers” (Disguised military bases hiding in plain sight)

“Nightshade teams will strike all at once, no occupation, just total annihilation.”

Phase 3: The Aftermath : Projected casualty estimates? Over 200,000 lives lost, and the economy left in shambles.

“They’ll spend a generation rebuilding. We’ll control the reconstruction contracts.”

A heavy silence filled the room. Then Dravik exhaled sharply, breaking the tension. “That’s…”

“War,” Arthur replied matter-of-factly. “It’s the language they pretend not to understand.”

As he spoke, three holograms pulsed side by side, golden webs of finance, silver threads of politics, and the crimson stain of outright war.

Each thread told a story; each color held power.

Arthur finally turned to Dravik and said with resolve, “Pick one.”

The three holographic plans loomed in the air like ghostly apparitions,golden strands of economic sabotage, silver threads of political manipulation, and the ominous crimson shadow of all-out war.

Dravik sat at the war table, his cybernetic eye flickering as it sifted through a torrent of data.

The men he had brought with him,his trusted advisors and war council,shifted uncomfortably in their seats.

The air was thick with tension, laced with the sharp scent of ozone and the unmistakable musk of sweat.

At the head of the table, Arthur watched them all intently, fingers steepled in contemplation.

He was waiting for someone to break the silence.

Finally, Defense Minister Koval took a breath and spoke up. “The financial approach is our cleanest option,”

He said, adjusting his spectacles as holographic light danced across his lenses. “No bloodshed, no messy retaliation,just… bankruptcy.”

Across from him sat General Orlov,a mountain of a man with knuckles that could crush steel,who snorted derisively.

“You think they’ll just roll over because their banks are quaking? These are the same people who orchestrated the Kholod Pass massacre.”

His finger jabbed toward the crimson projection like a weapon. “Respect is earned through strength.”

Petrovna, ever the diplomat in this stormy sea of opinions, cleared her throat. “There’s a middle ground we can explore.”

She gestured toward the political subversion plan glowing softly on display. “If we control their parliament, we can dictate their policies without resorting to…”

“Cowardice,” Orlov growled back.

Petrovna’s eyes sparked with determination. “It’s called strategy! You can’t occupy an idea,but you can reshape it.”

Dravik slammed his fist onto the table with authority. “Enough!”

Instantly, silence fell like a heavy curtain.

Ethan, who had been lounging casually with his boots on the table, finally chimed in. “Let me play devil’s advocate here…”

“When don’t you?” Gunnar muttered under his breath.

Ignoring him completely, Ethan continued, “…the financial plan is elegant but slow-moving. And as for Petrovna’s political gambit? Even slower.”

He twirled a dagger between his fingers nonchalantly.

“Meanwhile, Neo-Arcavia has agents embedded in six of our ministries right now. How long before they uncover Iron Haven’s blueprints?”

A ripple of unease swept through those gathered.

Vex’s cybernetic eye whirred as he interfaced directly with the table’s projections.

“He’s got a point,” he admitted grimly. “Our intel indicates they’ve already infiltrated our energy commission.”

Petrovna went pale at that revelation. “The fusion reactor schematics…”

“…are likely sitting on some Neo-Arcavian analyst’s desk right now,” Ethan finished cheerfully.

Arthur sat in silence, his eyes locked on Dravik, a storm brewing in the air. Orlov leaned forward, the old chair creaking under the weight of his urgency.

“You all seem to forget what happened at Veranis,” he said, his tone heavy with unspoken dread.

A hush enveloped the room. Even Ethan’s dagger stilled mid-air, caught in an unseen tension.

“My brother was stationed there,” Orlov continued, his voice gravelly and laced with grief. “Neo-Arcavia sent a so-called ’humanitarian convoy’ loaded with vaccines. The next morning? Every soldier at that outpost was dead..’tragic refrigeration failure,’ they called it.”

His fist clenched tightly. “They don’t play fair. Why should we?”

Koval adjusted his spectacles nervously, hands trembling slightly as he interjected, “So you want us to start a continental war?”

“I’d have us finish one!” Orlov roared back, passion igniting the air.

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