Chapter 277: World War III Part 7

Just a few seconds after Arias had finished attacking the last of his targets and disappeared, news began to spread like wildfire. It first started with the incidents that occurred in areas near people like the Pentagon, where bystanders immediately began to record the wake of Arias's devastation.

From social media, they quickly caught the attention of news stations, both local and international. Reporters, like starving hyenas to meat, were quick to rush to the scenes, eager to report and distribute the stories first.

Much of the public, and the world, though for those first few minutes, were very much unaware of what had happened. Even the president had received the news with shock, unable to digest just how something of this magnitude could've occurred without them even being able to do so much as fight back. It was a complete and total failure in terms of national defense and security. Worse, the places targeted all meant an immense loss, both militarily and economically, for the US—a dominant military and economic giant.

The moment news broadcasts began to be sent to households, shock and fear were the emotions felt all around the world, especially from countries that had declared war against Markovia. Anyone with a functioning brain could've seen that this was a response to the attacks Markovia had suffered on the first day after the US, along with several other nations, declared war.

Even in Markovia, surprise, shock, and fear were felt throughout, especially for military officials. Those who had been publicly denouncing Princess Tara and calling for her stepping down now felt their lives were in danger, and were quick to make this known on social media platforms and via personal live interviews. However, these were drowned out by the immense consequences Arias's actions had on the world as a whole.

Starting with the gold he had destroyed in both Fort Knox and the Federal Reserve, it was no surprise that this action had immense consequences on the stock market. These consequences were only made worse with the attacks on the other targets, all military strongholds that added to the backing of the dollar. 

One had to also know that the government often took loans from mega-corporations and sometimes allowed investments and donations into their military. So, it wasn't a stretch to say that even the mega-corporations had a stake in some of the targets Arias hit. Consequently, with their destruction, the world stock market was in shambles, certain stocks experiencing astronomical rises, while others experienced the exact opposite. Millionaires and billionaires alike found they had either lost millions or gained millions in just a matter of minutes.

This brought mixed feelings but only on a minor scale because, collectively, everyone felt fear and intimidation towards Markovia.

The nations that led the attack against it were quick to call for a ceasefire, ironically stating that violence was not the way to go about things and that they could find a better solution in which both parties could benefit. This was, of course, old political sophistry, so that these very same leaders who had once pushed for the war could seem like they were against it. But people could only be fooled for so long.

Even everyday people, who weren't as educated as political figures, would hold anger if they suffered major losses in the war. And in this case, that was precisely the circumstances. Because in the same way millionaires and billionaires had gained and lost millions overnight, everyday people had also lost or gained thousands of dollars through their various investments. The majority, however, lost a lot of money, while others lost family and friends in the attacks.

Almost immediately, the government began to face backlash, and it wasn't the type they could easily ignore, as the losses were just simply far too astronomical. Currently, the president was in an emergency meeting at an undisclosed location, as he had been evacuated from the White House, fearful that it may also be a target.

Other nations were also holding emergency meetings following the attacks on the US, many of them reaching the weak decision to call for a ceasefire as they assessed the situation. But to do so, they needed the agreement of Markovia, and currently, Tara wasn't taking any messages because a wall of silence from a military council made this impossible, especially for the nations that were yet to be struck.

So now, a collective feeling of impending doom surrounded many of the leaders who didn't know whether or not they would be the next target.

Considering just how the US was unable to detect or defend against the threat, it was impossible for them to even try or assume they could be any different. Important figures were now taken to various undisclosed locations for their safety. However, even these locations didn't make them feel safe, considering how places like Fort Knox and the Federal Reserve were easily destroyed.

Arias had created such a scenario where almost no tactics could be effective against him. If the attacks had been minimal and possible to defend, most countries would have viewed this as a chance to attack the reputation of Markovia and perhaps say that their actions were brutal or far too large-scale. But this was different. They were dealing with a force they couldn't detect, couldn't defend against, and, as if that wasn't bad enough, it had the potential to devastate something the size of a small city in a simple flash.

If they dared to try to slander Markovia, weren't they simply inviting doom on themselves? And if they dared to attack back, weren't they simply saying they were ready to take even more attacks? It was a situation in which they couldn't win. 

Arias had thoroughly left them flabbergasted, and now, rather than immediately capitalizing on it, he let the fear marinate.