Reborn as a Mechanist with a God-Tier System-Chapter 210: Psychological Warfare [1]
BOOM!
Iron Reef exploded with loud cheers as the war transports and warships of the Federation Army ascended into the sky, retreating.
Some of the rebels couldn’t believe their eyes.
Before today, they blindly followed Ren Nora, their charismatic leader. Most of them blindly believed in him to lead them to freedom, but at the same time centuries of mental conditioning and propaganda ingrained an innate fear of the Federation Army in them.
To witness that same Federation Army retreat as a result of their efforts after an epic battle, these rebel soldiers felt like they were in wonderland.
"All hail the Freegrid Collective!"
Someone started it and the tens of thousands of soldiers who survived the battle in the city carried on from there.
"ALL HAIL THE FREEGRID COLLECTIVE!"
"ALL HAIL REN NORA!"
"ALL HAIL THE FREE FOLK!"
They laughed, they cried, they hurled curses at the Federation soldiers, calling them cowards as they retreated.
Safely hidden in the underground shelters, when the teenagers, the children, and the old fellows saw the footage of what was happening in the surface above them, they also broke down in tears of joy.
Passion, disbelief, and euphoria flowed through the people like a drug.
The collective atmosphere at the end was infectious and even Leon was affected by it as he felt his blood boil and his heart beat the drumbeats of freedom.
’Ah, I would follow Ren Nora too if I was born in Year 583 A.G’.
That evening, Leon lived one of the greatest legends of Ren Nora the leader of the Freegrid Collective whose details were now obscured in the annals of history by the Omnicore Federation in a bid to hide their shame.
He finally understood why the Omnicore Federation made it a priority to control news and information in the world, and he also finally understood the emphasis towards erasing the events of Year 583 A.G.
That was the year that the Omnicore Federation was humiliated and the myth of the Federation Army was demystified.
And it still didn’t end because shortly after the Federation Army retreated, with the live video still on, Ren Nora had another speech.
This time, he wasn’t just addressing Iron Reef, he addressed the entire world.
Floating in the sky, Ren Nora looked tired, he was covered in blood and sweat. His emerald eyes looked dim and less vibrant, but that removed nothing from his aura as he floated in the sky above the city and addressed the world.
He was like a man carrying the fate of millions on his shoulders.
He started.
"They never believed we could do it," he exhaled tiredly and grinned. "But here we are, we did it".
"YEAHHHHHHH!" The crowd below exploded in cheers.
He continued as his face became solemn. "Freedom is what we fight for".
"A lot of our brothers and friends died today, but we made sure that we took more of the tyrants to the grave!" He said loudly with passion.
"Their deaths were not in vain, their deaths is a testament to this moment that when we put our mind to something, we can do it".
"Free folk, look around you, look at one another".
"Look at the ones still standing, look at the empty spaces where fear used to live," he grinned again. "Now fear is no more".
"YEAHHHHH!" The crowd erupted.
Ren Nora continued. "They told us this moment was impossible".
"For centuries, the Omnicore Federation fed this world a myth that their army cannot be beaten, that their soldiers are flawless machines, that resistance is a statistical error erased sooner or later".
"They wrapped their banners in invincibility and called it destiny".
"And yet," he exhaled. "Here we are".
"We stood against their divisions with scavenged weapons and stubborn hearts, we faced warships that cost more than entire city blocks with fighters who grew up sleeping under those blocks".
"They had training and simulations," he slammed his right hand against his left chest. "But we had scars!"
"They had orders, we had reasons!"
"And reason won!"
"Not because we were stronger on paper, not because we were better equipped, but because their soldiers fight for contracts and we fight for our lives".
"Tonight, the Federation bleeds credibility".
He grinned. "Somewhere in their towers of glass and gold, executives are staring at red alerts, unable to comprehend what just happened".
"Their Colonels and Lieutenants are rewriting reports, their propagandists are scrambling to explain how the ’invincible’ was beaten by people they called irrelevant".
Ren Nora laughed. "Let them explain, let them panic".
"Because I will tell you something plainly with no theatrics and no lies, and that’s the fact that I am not afraid". He tapped his chest again in a defiant manner.
"I am not afraid!" He repeated loudly.
"I am not afraid of their armies, I am not afraid of their reprisals, and I am not afraid of the cost of this path".
"Fear is a luxury for those who still believe the system might save them," his face turned cold. "We crossed that line long ago".
"Both my parents died in the cold clutch of the world dictated by the Federation, I’m not about to let my children die the same meaningless deaths".
"This victory is not the end of the war, but it is the end of their illusion".
"Every civilian, soldier, and mercenary watching this stream today knows the truth now. Every conscript in a Federation uniform knows it too, even if they won’t say it out loud".
He raised his right hand and raised his fist high. "The machine can be broken!"
"So to those listening from the shadows... to the miners, the coders, the pilots, the medics, the farmers, the street kids with nothing left to lose, to those who live in the Wastes..."
"To the ones who whispered ’maybe someday’ because you thought today would never come..."
"I am here to tell you," he exhaled. "Today is here!"
"We are not an army of perfection, we are an army of the free". 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖
"We take anyone who will stand, anyone who will protect the person next to them, anyone who refuses to kneel again".
"You don’t need permission, you don’t need training manuals stamped by corporations. All you need is resolve".
"Come fight with us".
"Come build something that cannot be bought, licensed, or erased".
"Let the Federation send more troops, let them spend fortunes trying to rebuild their myth. Every battle they lose feeds us more allies, more courage, and more truth that tyranny can be defeated".
"This war will be long, it will be brutal, but for the first time in living memory," he grinned. "It is winnable".
"Stand tall, spread the news".
"Tell the world what happened today in Iron Reef".
"The free folk have taken their first true step and we are not stopping now".
"Also," his lips curled up into a taunting smile as he looked at one of the cameras. "Today, I couldn’t attempt it due to some buzzing mosquitoes".
"But tomorrow morning, I shall attempt the C Rank Ascended Trial!"
...
The moment Ren Nora said the final sentence of his speech and finally ended it, one sentence rang in Leon’s head.
’This is a war of psychological warfare!’
