The press conference hosted by Sky City was being broadcast live around the globe.

In China, the newly installed Luo Tianmin, in a state of high spirits, sat beside Luo Yufeng as they watched the Sky City press conference.

Upon hearing Liu Hui’s sharp retort to the belligerent Filipino reporter, Luo Tianmin pointed at the television and said to Luo Yufeng, "Heh heh, Liu Hui's tongue is getting sharper; he can actually say things like that." Luo Yufeng replied cautiously, "Sky City is extremely powerful now; a strong stance is somewhat understandable.

Remember, even the United States and Russia back in the day were less shameless than Liu Hui." Luo Tianmin chuckled, "Liu Hui’s actions are for the future well-being of China.

If he truly reclaims the South China Sea, our lives will be much easier down the line." Luo Yufeng agreed, "Indeed.

They are riding a wave of momentum now; I believe their confidence in reclaiming the South China Sea is very high." Luo Tianmin sighed, "The military might of the Philippines is pitifully weak.

We could crush them with just a tenth of our strength.

But for so many years, we hesitated because of the United States standing behind them, so we never dared to act.

I hope that with Liu Hui taking the lead, the American side might finally show some restraint!" “，、，“、，“、““，、，、““““““““““““” In the Philippines, the President was also watching the Sky City press conference.

When he heard Liu Hui openly declare that pirates had infiltrated the Philippine government and that Sky City intended to use military force against these pirates, he could no longer contain himself and hurled the cup in his hand at the television screen, instantly wrecking their domestically produced LCD television. "Contact the US Ambassador to the Philippines immediately; I demand a call with their Secretary of State," the Philippine President commanded.

Though furious internally, the Philippine President was one of the few who understood Sky City’s true strength.

If Sky City genuinely threatened military action against the Philippines, they truly had no defense.

After all, when four nations surrounded Sky City, not only did they fail to inflict any damage, but Sky City left them utterly routed—not only were the warships of their own nation and Japan completely destroyed, but the US and Russia also lost two cruisers.

Therefore, as soon as Liu Hui began threatening to initiate military sanctions against the Philippines, the President started to panic.

They had initially assumed that surrounding Sky City was a simple mission, easily completed for the promised benefits from the US.

Now, it seemed more like a suicide pact.

They had not only sacrificed the elite core of their navy but had also provoked the enemy to their doorstep.

In this desperation, he instinctively thought of appealing to his master, hoping for American protection.

，““““““““，“、，“““““““““““““” At the White House, the US President and his aides were also watching the Sky City press conference.

When they witnessed Liu Hui issue the threat of sanctions against the Philippines, the US President was equally enraged.

He exclaimed, "What in the world does Sky City think it is doing? We still haven't settled accounts with them, and now they dare to cause trouble for the Philippines? Don't they know the Philippines is our sphere of influence? Do they want an all-out war with us?" The Secretary of State responded, "Mr.

President, these are delicate times; we must proceed with caution.

Since the massive earthquake in our country, our domestic economy has suffered severe damage, and there is some political instability.

The deployment of our warships against Sky City was only agreed upon by the opposition party after we promised them substantial benefits.

Now that we haven't gained those benefits, the opposition party..." The US President’s initial anger quickly faded as he recalled America's current difficult situation, leaving him deeply frustrated.

The current state of affairs in the US could not tolerate any further missteps.

If their military power were further diminished, other nations, long suppressed by them, would perceive their weakness and rise to challenge their global hegemony—a fatal threat to the US.

This is why, upon receiving Sky City’s warning, they chose to pull their fleet back, positioning it outside Sky City’s 200-kilometer territorial waters, while ordering the support fleet to hold its position.

The US was acutely aware that Sky City possessed laser weaponry; if the support fleet had continued forward, they genuinely risked being attacked by Sky City.

Under current conditions, the US Navy could not guarantee victory in a war against Sky City.

Another major reason the US military opted for retreat was that the United States did not need a war right now; what they needed was to rapidly develop their economy and reassert their position as the world's sole superpower.

Initiating a conflict with Sky City did not align with America's fundamental interests; thus, no one would support an all-out war with Sky City. "Weren't they saying Liu Hui was already in Antarctica and about to be captured by us? How is Liu Hui suddenly appearing on Sky City? Was the target they captured in Antarctica not Liu Hui after all?" the US President asked, sounding vexed.

The CIA Director reported, "Mr.

President, intelligence from the front lines indicates that the person appearing on the Antarctic continent was not Liu Hui, but Zhou Tengyun, the leader of the famous Dragon’s Tooth Mercenary Group from Africa.

We were likely tricked by Sky City; they managed to use the distraction to resolve the Philippines matter..." The US President suddenly slumped onto the sofa as if deflated, saying, "So the intelligence from that side was false.

This damned intelligence has not only cost us heavy losses but has also threatened the safety of our allies." Just then, the outside line rang; it was the Philippine President requesting a conversation with the US Secretary of State. "Mr.

President, the Philippine President is likely coming to us for aid.

How should we respond?" the Secretary of State inquired.

The US President considered for a moment and replied, "Tell him to file a complaint about Sky City’s threat to the UN General Assembly.

We will then arrange for a resolution to be passed, condemning Sky City globally in the hope that Sky City will retract its decision.

If the Philippines mentions requesting our military protection, tell them we are currently short on forces and unable to provide them protection; they must rely on themselves." ，““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““““” In Russia, the two men who rotated between the roles of President and Premier were also watching the Sky City press conference.

The President asked, "Sky City is moving against the Philippines; what should we do?" The Premier replied, "Sky City is testing our stance and simultaneously demonstrating its military might.

However, their method of attack is utterly unpredictable; two of our destroyers were sunk, and we still don't know where the attack originated." The President mused, "I just don't understand how a company that primarily manufactures pharmaceuticals and some strange products could construct such a massive sea platform and possess such formidable military power." The Premier stated, "According to intelligence we’ve gathered, the US military had a brief exchange of fire with Sky City in the Gulf region, resulting in a complete defeat for the US military, while Sky City suffered almost no losses.

Clearly, the US military knows how powerful Sky City is, yet they didn't inform us and instead dragged us into confronting Sky City—it seems the Americans have ulterior motives!" The President countered, "But two of our warships were sunk by Sky City.

This hasn't happened in decades; how should we handle this situation?" The Premier advised, "Let's not rush to state our position.

We should wait and see how the situation develops.

After all, Sky City currently has no direct conflict of interest with us, and what we lost were merely two warships; the soldiers aboard those vessels were all evacuated." Other nations and organizations around the world were also paying close attention to Sky City’s press conference, engaging in various discussions and meetings, hoping to maximize their own gains from this incident.

““““““，“、“““““““，“、“““““““，“、 By issuing its firm demands at this press conference, Sky City instantly drew the attention of the entire world, with everyone speculating on how they would execute their sanctions.

Media commentary split into two distinct factions.

One side opposed Sky City’s sanctions against the Philippines, arguing that Sky City lacked the authority to impose any sanctions; any action against a sovereign nation required authorization from the United Nations.

The other faction supported Sky City’s sanctions, given the conclusive evidence that Philippine military personnel were impersonating pirates in an attempt to attack Sky City and steal their high-tech secrets.

As the victim of this hostile action, Sky City naturally possessed the right to impose sanctions on the perpetrator.

The Philippine side, having failed to secure military protection from the US, became uneasy.

They quickly lodged a complaint with the United Nations regarding Sky City’s threats, hoping the UN could halt Sky City’s planned punitive actions.

However, the United Nations inherently required adherence to procedure and could not immediately pass a resolution.

Thus, the Philippines could only pray that Sky City would not initiate their sanctions too soon.