Chapter 67: The Art of Puppeteering - Part 1

The next day, Arias woke up early to prepare for the second day of the three-day gathering. This day would focus on debates among various representatives about measures to take against future alien threats and addressing the global rise in superhuman crimes. Arias had already prepared his own points, but now that he had acquired a new ally in Diana, he needed to prepare a script for her, just as the U.S. government had initially planned.

Arias didn't know exactly what the government had intended for Diana to say or bring up during the debate, but he had a rough idea. Not only did he need to prepare a script for her to follow offensively, but he also needed to prepare her for defensive maneuvers. Politics was nothing more than a game between snakes who wouldn't hesitate to devour one another at a moment's notice.

Since Arias was now seen as Diana's representative, he needed to anticipate various questions that might come his way in an attempt to ruin his public image or undermine Diana's trust in him. Others would likely attack Diana directly, exploiting her limited knowledge of the outside world to drive her into a corner.

Arias had a surefire way to prevent many from taking this route: empty promises. A common weapon in politics, these promises could be used to gain support only to be forgotten once the desired outcome was achieved. Arias planned to delay any attempts to reach out to him, pretending to be interested but needing time to consider. By doing this, other representatives would hesitate to attack him or Diana, fearing they might jeopardize a potential deal. Some might even defend him or Diana in an attempt to curry favor.

Arias had the high ground and wasn't worried. He simply wanted to maximize his gain.

…

At around 8 a.m., Arias went to wake Diana and guided her through the script, pointing out what to do in various scenarios. Unlike the gala the previous night, the conference would start at 10 a.m., take a thirty-minute break at 2 p.m., and continue until 5 p.m.

After some intense last-minute preparations, the duo set off and arrived just 20 minutes before the start time. Upon arrival, Arias immediately noticed an attempt to undermine him. Since the U.S. was the host, they made sure the seating arrangements placed him and Diana far apart.

Despite this, Arias remained unfazed and accepted the arrangements without protest. By 10 a.m., all representatives were seated, and the live broadcast began to be televised globally.

Presiding over the event was the speaker of the United Nations, who opened the floor with a formal, long-winded speech about the importance of the gathering and its goals. "…and with that said, I will allow the host of this gathering to open the floor. President Pete Ross, the floor is yours."

"Thank you, your honor. I believe your speech has already given us a good introduction to the matter at hand, so I won't bore the viewers with more formalities and will skip straight to what needs to be discussed. The Earth is no longer as safe as it used to be."

"In the past ten years, we have seen an increase in superhuman and alien crimes of varying degrees. This rise has brought with it the loss of many lives and trillions of dollars' worth of damages. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it a global disaster, so I feel the first point of discussion should be: how do we combat this efficiently?"

After President Pete Ross raised this point, the speaker allowed various representatives to give their opinions. As expected, the sides were split, and many different suggestions were offered, such as:

- Banning aliens from Earth and introducing a new set of stricter rights for all superhumans, criminal or not.

- Granting governments power over superhuman and alien beings from an early age so they could be raised to be ideal citizens of their respective nations.

- Launching global programs to guide and teach young superhumans and aliens on better ways to use their powers and gifts.

- Introducing the death sentence for all superhuman and alien crimes.

In just twenty minutes, numerous suggestions were given—some kind and hopeful, others selfish and cruel. The floor was clearly divided. Finally, it was Arias's turn to speak.

"Thank you, your honor. Let me start by saying one thing: this entire charade is pointless."

Arias's opening statement immediately sparked outrage. Some representatives called for an end to his time, but the speaker allowed him to continue; after all, he wasn't the first to raise a controversial point.

"I say it's pointless because one problem will only breed another. Danger? The Earth has been in danger ever since humanity became the dominant race. We are a people fueled by ambition and greed—without that, we wouldn't be where we are today. This entire meeting isn't about making the world a better place…"

"…It's simply a way for the leaders of the world to capitalize on a disaster, just as they always have. Be honest with yourselves—had the secret experiments never been exposed, do you think this debate would be happening? The answer is no. You would all be unaware that a single country was raising its power to rival that of an alien powerhouse."

"Sure, we could say this president has good intentions, but he isn't immortal, and presidents change with the passage of time. What guarantee is there that a madman won't lie his way to power and attempt to abuse that which was created for defense? History has shown that this is possible multiple times."

"Ask yourselves before letting your greed blind your actions: if you had the power to make the world yours, would you use it only to defend? If the answer from all of you is yes, then my point is useless, and you can take it as nothing more than nonsensical ramblings. But if the answer is no, then you should all just hope you're the first to achieve that frightening power, lest you too become a victim and fall to the ambition of another, losing everything you've worked for until now. I end my point here, your honor."

Arias's plan was never to gain support from the global audience at this event; such a plan would be pointless given the numerous suggestions already on the table. Whether he took a stance for or against aliens, his voice would be drowned out by the more established powers.

Instead, Arias aimed to manipulate the minds of the representatives themselves.

It was human nature to forget risks when huge benefits or rewards were in sight. Many at this debate were like that, coming in only with thoughts of gaining wealth or power.

Arias gave them a reality check. Many knew they weren't the wealthiest, most powerful, or most popular, which made their odds against those greater than them low to begin with. Now, with the thought of losing everything they had worked for, fear began to creep in.

And if there was one thing Arias knew could fuel humans just as well as greed and ambition… it was fear.