Certain promises he had made back then were merely expedient moves to secure votes. After all, the Riken were not an autocratic species. His authority as President wasn’t as substantial as one might imagine. Passing proposals that were contentious was far from simple.


    Take, for example, the Trinbrian District. This area was the most chaotic region on the entire Riken. Though it spanned only 300 square miles, it was teeming with violent elements.


    Gangs, drug dealers, mercenaries, and other dark professions thrived here. Petty thieves were practically upstanding citizens byparison. The owner of a corner store might very well be a retired gangster kingpin. Ordinary people had no way of surviving in this ce.


    In his bid to defeat hispetitor, he had recklessly promised certain conditions to the Trinbrian people. For instance, he had vowed to push for drug legalization reforms, reduce criminal penalties, and exempt low-value robberies from being considered crimes once he became President.


    This not only secured him votes from the Trinbrian District but also garnered support from professionals in rted fields, enabling him to ascend to his current position.


    Now, despite his desire to fulfill those promises, the proposals, no matter how he dressed them up, were too tant for the average Riken citizen to overlook.


    If he were to insist on pushing these agendas through, whether they seeded or not was uncertain, but in four years, his role in the election would likely be that of a mere spectator.


    A single-term President would surely be aughingstock in Riken history, and that was not a legacy he wanted.@@novelbin@@


    However, the Trinbrian people were no pushovers. They weren’t ordinary civilians but the kind who slept with a loaded gun under their pillow. Breaking promises to such individuals was no small matter. He had dyed for six years and had received countless death threats from unidentified sources.Just a few days ago, a military-grade bomb was discovered near his residence. Its origins were unknown, and although the bomb squad had been involved, the case ultimately went unresolved.


    The perpetrators had made their stance clear—it was the work of the Trinbrian District. But that area was a fortress of vice, so well-defended that even the regr army hesitated to intervene.


    If something were to happen to him, the culprits could easily slip back into the Trinbrian District, where no one would risk investigating for the sake of a dead man.


    Caught between his own life and career prospects, President Derlin was torn. Even his so-called team of elite advisors couldn’t offer a viable solution.


    Just as his recurring migraines began to surface again, the door to his office was pushed open.


    A robust middle-aged Riken man with a stern face strode in. His upright posture and vigorous stride revealed him to be a military man.


    “President Derlin, pardon my intrusion.”


    “General Monroe, what urgent matter brings you here today?” President Derlin thought to himself that someone who imed to understand etiquette would have made an appointment. But with someone like General Monroe, there was no need for excessive pleasantries. Getting straight to the point was more effective, which suited Monroe’s personality perfectly.


    True to form, General Monroe nodded. A slight smile appeared on his chiseled blue face, as he too disliked idle chit-chat. President Derlin’s straightforwardness earned his approval.


    General Monroe nced at the secretary, Ram, who had followed him into the room.


    “President, General, I’ll go prepare some refreshments for you,” Ram offered tactfully, using the excuse to leave the room and close the door behind him.


    “President Derlin, here’s a file for you to review,” General Monroe said, cing a folder on the President’s desk.


    President Derlin picked up the document and nced at it. “The ‘Cat’s Ear n’?”


    Flipping through it casually, he realized it was a n from nearly a century ago. His memories began to stir—he had been young then and vaguely recalled such a project.


    At the time, leveraging the Riken’s cutting-edge technology, a spaceship had beenunched toward a neighboring star system. Its exact mission had not been disclosed to the public, only that it was searching for potentially habitables.


    The crew aboard had beenuded as heroes by the media, celebrated as the first colonial pioneers to leave their home star system. Everyone dreamed of discovering a new habitable to expand the Riken territory.


    But as years passed, public interest waned. With the project managed by the military, no updates ever surfaced, and eventually, people forgot about it.


    Even he, the President, had not recalled it until seeing this file.


    “Energy bursts of non-natural origin detected?” As he continued reading, his expression grew increasingly grave.


    “Communication logs? Discovery of mysterious lifeforms capable of conducting nuclear fusion reactions within their bodies? Creatures that could unleash energy sts to trigger nuclear explosions?” Each question from him was more incredulous than thest. Finally, he looked up sharply. “General Monroe, are you trying to pitch me a movie script? Parliament doesn’t handle that. You should go to a film studio. They’d love this—it’s a great story. I waspletely engrossed.”


    General Monroe shook his head, his voice calm. “This is theplete record of the Cat’s Ear n from the past ny years. Every word is genuine.”


    “You’re not joking?” President Derlin remained skeptical. The ims in the file were utterly astonishing, and anyone would struggle to ept them at face value.


    “I wouldn’te all this way to waste your time. I’m busy too.” General Monroe’s tone was unwavering.


    President Derlin stared into General Monroe’s eyes, and Monroe returned the gaze without flinching. After several seconds, the President finally looked down again to review the file.


    He saw the seriousness in General Monroe’s demeanor. This was no joke.


    “If this is true, it’s a monumental discovery. But can we trust the data from the ship? It’s just fragments of a report.”


    General Monroe nodded, then produced a miniature storage device from his pocket and handed it over. “View this. It self-deletes after one viewing.”


    President Derlin chuckled and shook his head. “Is that necessary? This office has the highest level of security.”


    Seeing Monroe’s silence, he sighed and plugged the device into hisputer. Momentster, the device initiated yback.


    The footage showed Godzi emerging from the water, with Riken forces intercepting it. Conventional weapons were ineffective. A nuclear missile wasunched, but Godzi retaliated amidst the smoke and debris, unleashing energy sts that obliterated the artillery before retreating into the sea.