The people of Shenglan were incredibly enthusiastic, rushing toward Fang Yan at the speed of a 100-meter sprint. While running, they pulled out their mobile phones, eager to take a photo with Fang Yan.
However, everyone quickly realized that no matter how fast they ran, the distance between them and Fang Yan remained unchanged.
This revelation prompted exclamations from many people.
"Fang Yan, have we... returned to Shenglan?!" Lin Miaozhi's beautiful eyes were brimming with surprise.
If everything that had transpired in outer space had felt surreal and left her somewhat unconvinced, now, back in Shenglan Wangdu, a place she was intimately familiar with, Lin Miaozhi immediately comprehended the profound change Fang Yan had alluded to. It was undoubtedly far more potent than she had ever imagined!
"That's correct! The scene before you is that of Shenglan."
"To prevent interference, I introduced a spatial circulation state for the citizens who spotted us and were running towards us. Regardless of their speed or distance, they couldn't approach closer than ten meters."
Fang Yan gestured with his hands.
"It's too terrifying..."
The chiefs had observed the citizens' behavior. As Fang Yan described, they were running toward them, yet their positions remained unaltered. Their line of sight exhibited no deviation whatsoever!
"As you can witness, I unintentionally awakened during the Elkanza Empire conflict... Or, to be precise, I assumed a unique identity."
"This identity bestows upon me numerous powers beyond human imagination!"
"All that you've witnessed just occurred moments ago, crafted by me in accordance with various universal laws... The term 'laws of the universe' might sound distant and unfamiliar, but you need not delve too deeply. Simply grasp the fact that I, having mastered the laws of the universe, stand entirely distinct from my former self!"
"It's akin to this!"
With a snap of his fingers, Fang Yan swiftly darkened the sky, and within three seconds, night had descended.
This time, not only were the chiefs astonished, but people all over the world who had been basking in the sunshine gazed upwards in horror, their expressions suffused with panic. The abrupt darkness had instilled terror within them.
"Please, everyone, remain calm. I am Fang Yan, and what I performed was a minor experiment — extinguishing and rekindling the sun."
Fang Yan's voice swiftly propagated to everyone's minds.
"Fang Yan? Lord Lord! It's Lord Lord! He's communicating with me!"
"How is it possible for Lord Lord's voice to resonate in my head? What kind of new technology is this?!"
"My goodness... extinguishing the sun and then rekindling it? Has our technological civilization advanced to such a level?!"
While the world's populace excitedly absorbed the voice of Fang Yan, their great savior, they were equally staggered by his astonishing feat of extinguishing and reigniting the sun.
Though exceedingly implausible, the world's inhabitants steadfastly believed it, solely due to the fact that Fang Yan had accomplished it!
"Boom!"
Suddenly, Fang Yan materialized an old-fashioned pistol and directed it at the thigh of the new German President, Buzz.
"Why? Lord Lord!" Buzz clutched the wound, blood staining his clothes, his voice a mixture of agony and astonishment.
The other chiefs stood by, perspiring nervously, avoiding eye contact, unable to respond.
"Buzz, are you covertly exploiting your power as chief to support your private army?" Fang Yan withdrew his hand, and the gun vanished without a trace, his eyes narrowing.
"Lord Lord, surely this isn't a heinous crime, is it? Many generals are doing the same!"
Buzz glanced at the other chiefs, who averted their gaze, heads bowed, eyes evading his, silent in response.
"It's not about maintaining an army, that's of no concern to me."
"But maltreating your own troops like bandits — looting civilians, inflicting harm, causing destruction, pillaging, employing various sadistic punishments — using such methods to cultivate ruthless cruelty and coldness, molding them into killing machines, that is where the line is crossed!"
Fang Yan's tone remained unwavering. "Because you serve as Commander-in-Chief, in our unified plan, I bestowed upon you authority over the Iron Man Corps and the highest confidentiality privileges, impervious to external intelligence access. Your atrocities committed via your private army remain concealed from the outside world."
Following global unification, Fang Yan delegated command of the Iron Man Corps to each region's chiefs, entrusting them with one thousand Iron Man units for research, development, and personnel training.
To a large extent, Fang Yan had granted these chiefs a degree of personal privacy, even shielding their activities from Jarvis's scrutiny.
And that was how this tragedy unfolded.
Fang Yan had deduced this as he listened to the voices of the world.
"So what?!"
"You hypocritical scoundrel, do you believe you're all-powerful? I am the supreme ruler of Germany, I should lead the Earth Federation! What can a young upstart like you possibly comprehend?!"
Booth gritted his teeth, his eyes blazing.
His eyes betrayed fanatical zeal.
It was the zeal of faith. Remarkably, he had been brainwashed.
Remarkably, he was his own brainwasher, instilling concepts of "I am king" and "I should be king" day after day, until fantasy metamorphosed into reality.
Such an existence seemed utterly absurd, yet many people in history had managed to hypnotize themselves and eventually realize their objectives—much like individuals from the former R country!
"Very well, excellent."
A hint of a smile graced Fang Yan's lips, and this smile sent a shiver down Buzz's spine, though he couldn't quite pinpoint why.