"The ultimate art of war lies not only in deceiving the enemy but also in mastering the art of self-deception, for therein lies the true path to strategic supremacy."
It was a serene day in Eden as usual, with the sun gracefully rising over the horizon, painting the sky in the shades of pink and orange. And together with the tranquil appearance, the minds of the citizens were already preoccupied with two topics that also seemed to dominate every conversation in the state.
The First and foremost was the incessant buzz surrounding the ongoing construction worker recruitment.
Since January, the construction industry had been in a state of perpetual motion, with a single company being responsible for all of the activity, clamoring for labor to fuel their ambitious projects.
Eden seemed to have started its journey on the ladder leading to high-speed progress and development, and the demand for construction workers didn't seem to be showing any signs of abating even after several months had passed along with hundreds of thousands of people already being hired by them.
As the city's skyline morphed with each passing day, the construction sites stood as a testament to the nation's determination to push forward and start recovering from the brutal dictatorship of Adolf whose trial was still ongoing with more and more atrocities being revealed to the public with each day that passed.
The allure of steady employment and the promise of contributing to Eden's burgeoning infrastructure drew people from all corners of the country, seeking opportunities to better their lives.
Amidst the hum of construction machinery and the hustle of workers, the second topic of concern reverberated through the city's streets and town squares.
A growing number of young men and women were joining the army, with their ranks swelling in response to what they perceived as Esparias' provocative actions.
Thanks to these provocative actions of Esparia, including confiscating and blocking access to Eden citizens' cargo that had passed through their ports and increasing the number of soldiers on the borders the two nations shared with them, had ignited anger and a sense of patriotism among the citizens.
The allure of defending their homeland and protecting their recently hard-won peace which they just had tasted the sweetness of and have started cherishing it was a call that resonated deeply within many, prompting them to join the military.
With the government encouraging and supporting the recruitment drives to bolster its military forces, the once-peaceful society found itself at a crossroads.
The rhythmic cadence of construction works and the resolute footsteps of the new soldiers who were joining the ranks became the soundtrack of the nation that was on the brink of a change.
Yet, amidst this turmoil of hiring and militarization, an undercurrent of unease had also begun to pervade in the conversations. The internet, which had been the lifeblood of Eden's interconnectedness, thanks to the whole internet being owned by one company which had increased the number of investments into the infrastructure, began to falter, its slowdown perplexing and unnerving the people.
At first, the glitch was attributed to technical issues, but as the problem continued to persist, the government websites were the websites that were the most affected. It started with them becoming unresponsive, which was initially quickly solved without causing any harm, allowing the citizens to think that it really was just a technical issue…
However, at the same time, rumors of cyberattacks and clandestine interference from the external forces swept through the population like wildfire. The government's silence only acted as the required fanning of those rumors for those who always needed to find something or the other to talk about in order to keep themselves distracted about their own miserable lives. This worried the normal citizens who were concerned about preserving their recently gained freedom.
Thursday marked a turning point though, a seemingly ordinary day, which immediately turned into a not-so-ordinary day anymore as the residents of the country woke up and found themselves to be in the situation of middle ages since all the websites were showing the same error message: "404 not found" meaning that their access to the internet was no longer a right but was turned into a privilege for those who could circumvent the blockade.
When they turned on the TV to see if they could learn something or the other from the conventional media, however, their jaws dropped when they saw the ongoing emergency broadcast.
On the television, the military's spokesperson was making an announcement and the words coming from his mouth did nothing but only served to increase the worry of the viewers and listeners.
"As the spokesperson for our nation's armed forces, I am here to provide you with an objective update on the events that occurred last night. Eden has experienced an attack from our neighboring nation, Esparia."
This sentence alone caused the earth beneath many's feet to shake.
"Under the cover of darkness, Esparian forces breached our borders and targeted several strategic locations within our border bases."
The spokesperson then took a pause and then continued.
"As a result of this unprovoked aggression, we have incurred casualties and witnessed significant damage to our infrastructure on the border we share with them."
"However, our heroic soldiers responded swiftly and bravely to defend our homeland during this unexpected assault and are still engaged in a fire exchange with the enemies as we continue to keep our promise of protecting every inch of our nation's land."
There was anger and will to fight in his voice.
"At present, our military is actively engaged in implementing countermeasures to secure our borders and ensure the safety of our people. We are mobilizing additional resources to assess the extent of the damage caused by the attack."
The spokesperson spoke in a tone that conveyed the gravity of the situation, his face indicating that the fight against Esparia was going to be challenging, but their determination not to give up no matter was what helped in alleviating the previous hate the citizens had towards the military, realizing that this military was different and more committed towards the nation…
...
A few hours before the press conference.
[Sir, they have started their movements] Nova spoke through the house's speaker system waking Aron up from his sleep. It was the first time in a long while that he wasn't spending his time in VR.
"What is it?" Aron asked the moment he woke up and opened his eyes after Nova spoke to him, despite her voice being very calm when she first addressed him.
[Esparia has finally started mobilizing their military vehicles and will soon begin firing the first artillery shells at our bases on the border] Nova reported.
"Good, what is Athena doing?" Aron inquired about Athena's course of action.
