But only now did he realize the truth. In the face of Washington's colossal war machine, his ten billion dollars in infrastructure, his Mutual Aid Alliance, and all his carefully laid schemes were nothing more than a sandbox game—one that could be crushed at any moment. When the gears of the state machine truly began to turn, a local warlord like him was less than an ant.
The Foreign Investment Committee's investigation was just the first step. A far more violent storm was likely on the horizon.
"Have I lost?" Leo began to tremble.
This trembling wasn't just fear for himself; it was the sheer terror of catching a glimpse of that massive state machine slowly grinding into motion. Between its turning gears, countless lives and immeasurable wealth were about to be fed into the grinder—along with everything he had painstakingly built in Pennsylvania.
War. The word echoed in his mind, carrying the weight of absolute destruction.
