On the highways of Pennsylvania, this bloodless war had been raging for two weeks.
The state police checkpoints were still there.
Although conscientious police officers like Officer David had let some vehicles pass, even more checkpoints had popped up everywhere.
The pretexts for the inspections were wildly varied.
Counter-terrorism checks.
Road weight capacity tests.
Even agricultural quarantines under the guise of "preventing the spread of invasive species."
Two weeks was enough time for a lot to change.
In Pittsburgh City Hall, Leo sat behind his desk, looking at the latest project progress report in his hand.
Every metric was in decline.
At the South District construction site, the pace of work had slowed by seventy percent due to a lack of steel.
The foundation for the Inland Port had just been laid, but work was forced to a halt due to an insufficient supply of cement.
"Mayor."
Ethan stood before the desk, a financial report in his hand, his expression anxious.
