Meteor Fall Master in the 'Starry Abyss'
Chapter 392 - 035. Frost Plated January 28, 221

Chapter 392: 035. Frost Plated January 28, 221

[Name: Yavin Heskixin]

[Position: Elite Agent of the Fourth Rule Agency]

[Status: MIA (Missing In Action, disappeared in action)]

President David Lyn put down the tablet, and his secretary Prin Filby, seeing his calm and indifferent expression, couldn’t help saying:

"I’m sorry, but the unit she was in has already been disbanded. The battlefront at Grante is still at a standstill, but we will continue to search. We have contacted the 112th Infantry Division and requested assistance from the 74th Mecha Composite Brigade—"

"Search for what?" President David Lyn said calmly, "To use the forces of several divisions to search for one agent is not cost-effective."

"But she is still your daughter—"

"A daughter that needs to be exchanged back with the lives of thousands of farmers’ and workers’ children is not my daughter," President David Lyn’s response was cold-hearted, causing Prin to shudder deeply.

"Next, we will negotiate with Grante. After the inauguration oath, I will fly to Grante immediately. I will reach a consensus with President Xi Silong, including the issue of colonies."

President David Lyn’s mind was clear, and he looked towards the Commander-in-Chief of the Frost Plated Army—Marshal Ger Candice, and asked:

"The Fourth Rule Agency has a Gamma Rank named Blizzard. Is he still deployed at Grante?"

"It’s unclear—The head of the Fourth Rule Agency, Governor Lai Lier Nanhu, probably doesn’t know yet about the assassination of that old witch Madeleine. Even if he did know, he might not give up the armed forces."

Marshal Candice spoke in a heavy tone:

"Mr. David Lyn, the situation in Frostdale is terrible. There are only two Gamma Ranks left in the country, ’Blizzard’ has not yet declared a political stance, and ’Zero Point’ Frost has stated loyalty only to the President. That is to say, we only have one Gamma Rank available now. Should we thaw someone from deep freeze?"

"No, our Gamma Ranks are limited, and within ten years, we will not allow the strong to emerge from the civilian populace like the People of Sky Ring. Only in the direst of circumstances should they be brought out," President David Lyn shook his head and strolled casually around the conference room. The Frost Plated military officers and reformist bureaucrats present all cast their gazes to this man.

For them, things have reached this point where any action is better than the current situation.

Prolonged conflict, a melting economy, wars, and disasters, as well as external threats—the situation in Frostdale had reached its most severe since the era of the Twin Queens.

"On Azure Star, Gamma Ranks still cannot decide the direction of war, the people are our strength. First, we’ll aim to secure ’Zero Point’ Frost—there’s another matter, I want to summon the economic forces of the Second Rule to assemble at the Twin Palaces."

"However, you have not yet appointed a Prime Minister. Actively mobilizing agencies under the government that belong to the Second Rule, isn’t that..." Marshal Candice hesitated for a moment, but still decided to remind the man in front of him: "And by doing so, the elite faction won’t agree."

"I have a way to handle it. You all just go and do it, any pressure will only be directed at me."

President David Lyn leaned against the podium. He had a naturally handsome and striking appearance, not giving the impression of a soldier. To demonstrate that the new government advocated gender equality, and not patriarchal superiority, he had deliberately shaved off his beard, not giving away the fact that he was a fifty-two-year-old man.

Dressed in the deep blue formal attire of the President, he resembled more of an opera actor attending an event. However, when those green-gold eyes swept across the crowd and inadvertently met someone’s gaze, that’s when one could feel the oppressive weight of authoritarianism.

President David Lyn looked polite and mild-mannered, but his eyes were like steel and flame, resolute and fervent.

"But by doing this, you already have suspicions regarding the legitimacy of your ascension; such actions will surely provoke opposition—"

Before Candice could speak, he suddenly raised his hand, slung it over Marshal Candice’s shoulder, reassuringly patted him, and whispered:

"Marshal Candice, after the inauguration, I will immediately declare a state of emergency in the capital, under the pretext of ’searching for the assassin of the former president,’ and I will lock down the capital."

Candice’s pupils constricted, and he quickly realized something.

"At that time, you will need to lock down the trains, airports, and borders, preventing all Frostdale and Madeleine’s faction from fleeing abroad. This matter is crucial; even if it means offending half of Frostdale’s elite, it is worth it."

No sooner had President David Lyn finished speaking than Secretary Prin urgently called out:

"Mr. David Lyn, it is time."

President David Lyn cast an encouraging glance at Candice and the surrounding Frostdale reformist bureaucrats and calmly said:

"Thank you for choosing me; thank you to the people for choosing David Lyn; thank you to history for choosing the Frost Plated People."

With that, he immediately turned and walked confidently into the venue, guarded by the heavily armed First Rule Guard. A mass of reporters was kept behind a security line. Seeing the first male President in two hundred years of Frostdale make an appearance, they immediately surged forward in a frenzy, flashlights flying, microphones and interviewers almost reaching the stage.

The guards were incredibly cautious, forming a tight human wall. Every camera could be a disguised gun barrel. For absolute security, Frostdale’s top Mechanics kept a constant vigil on mechanical equipment and network ports. Even with the super firewall protection of the Twin Palaces, they faced attacks at least 260,000 times a minute. If even one attack bypassed the defense, it could cause severe disruption to the venue.

"Mr. David Lyn! How do you see the sudden departure of the former President Madeleine?"

The reporters kept asking questions, almost roaring as they fought over the hotspot, but President David Lyn remained unflappably in answering the questions he intended to answer and completely ignored those who were impolite.

"I regret to say this."

"The D200 White Wolf hovercar is considered Frost Plated’s absolute pride, a pinnacle of technological craftsmanship. Now, there are rumors suggesting that the White Wolf crashed due to a hacker’s attack and not the terrorist attack as officially stated?"

"All information should be based on the official announcements. If there are doubts, please report them with your real identity."

"Li Aozi, who was once hunted by the Frost Plated Government for an astronomical bounty, has now become a hero to all humanity. What is your opinion on this?"

"What we are forming is an entirely new Frost Plated Government."

David Lyn almost never answered directly; instead, he deliberately gave ambiguous responses, leading people into endless speculation.

Frost Plated must avoid any external conflicts at this point. Any unnecessary clash could lead to the demise of the new regime from within.

However, given the exposé capabilities of modern media, they were bound to uncover hints of Madeleine’s murder sooner or later.

Better to guide opinions in a slanted direction intentionally than to deny it, focusing attention on the new government.

A message came through the earpiece from the First Rule Guard:

"Your Excellency, we have apprehended a group of radicals loyal to the Madeleine faction. They were planning to detonate a small plutonium bomb at the Twin Palaces. How should we proceed now?"

David Lyn gently pressed his throat and instructed quietly:

"Transfer them to the Third Rule Agency for interrogation. Be vigilant for suspicious objects that might be explosives going forward."

Around a bend, David Lyn’s guards stepped forward and opened the Council Hall’s grand doors. Taking advantage of this moment, he shook off the reporters and walked down the central passage in front of 2,000 representatives from various nations, journalists, media professionals, and national public officials. He ascended the podium steadily, with the guards of the First Rule spreading out behind him.

David Lyn stepped onto the podium; this was the fifth time he stood here. Before this, he served as the Minister of Defense for the Frost Plated Republic, but he hadn’t been in the role for long before being secretly detained by Madeleine.

Now, the fate of six hundred and thirty million Frost Plated People rested in his hands, filling him with a sense of gravity and a pressure unlike anything he had ever felt before, weighing heavily on his spine.

Lights flickered, and at this moment, countless eyes were focused on him. Television stations, social media, live streams— the entire world was watching to see how Frost Plated, one of the Four Nations, would change with its first male President.

’From now on, I am no longer myself, but the President of Frost Plated.’

Pressure was natural; David Lyn raised his hand to rest it on the table in front of him, facing the cameras and the audience below and offered a slight smile:

"Good morning, my dear friends."

Next, he glanced at the speech in his hand and began to read:

"On December 31st, 221 of the Galactic Era, Her Excellency the former President of the Frost Plated Republic, Madam Madeleine Austavia, was tragically killed during her routine travels by a terrorist attack and died on the spot. We are deeply grieved by this event. Madam Madeleine, a great protector of women, made significant contributions to the development of Frost Plated during her more than two decades of ruling and deserves to be honored with a state funeral. Today, we are gathered to mourn the loss of Madam Madeleine— in her memory, let’s observe a minute of silence."

A Modified Human from the First Rule Agency stepped forward, emitting a metallic, hoarse synthetic voice:

"Everyone, please stand!"

Officials from Frost Plated rose to their feet, and even the foreign guests attending the ceremony followed suit. Particularly moved was the representative from Red Arrow—Prince Han Bolin, who theatrically dabbed at the corner of his eyes with a handkerchief.

To outsiders, Prince Han Bolin’s behaviour seemed to suggest: ’Thank goodness for Madeleine. Red Arrow has never had such an easy adversary.’

But in reality, Prince Han Bolin’s grief was sincere: He had long been involved in under-the-table financial dealings with Madeleine and even held shares in her company, earning significant dividends each year.

Now that Madeleine, the old witch, was done for, so was the protection that sheltered his trading activities. At this rate, he thought, it wouldn’t be long before the Red Arrow Royalty began a thorough investigation into his affairs.

The representative from Zhengxu appeared indifferent, merely glancing inadvertently at the instigator beside him—Jose Rediaz.

This Gamma Rank powerhouse, who had participated in the assassination and personally set off the bomb, looked stricken with sorrow, showing no signs of guilt or regret.

’Just you wait, the committee will show you what’s what soon enough.’

The Zhengxu official quipped to himself.

Though he said this, he was actually quite pleased internally.

Removing the old witch was a boon for the Three Nations. Zhengxu had long faced immigration conflicts with Frost Plated, as an influx of male migrants from Frost Plated had raised Zhengxu’s unemployment rate by 5.5%. As an ostensibly permanent neutral country, Zhengxu couldn’t resort to war like Sky Ring to thin its population.

Unexpectedly, the Frost Plated People, unable to bear it any longer, took the initiative and orchestrated the plot themselves.

’It remains to be seen whether President David Lyn can change the issues of Frost Plated.’