110. The Second Riot

Several companies lost enormous amounts of market value within a matter of hours.

It wasn't just export companies that were affected.

Factories that had long relied on imported raw materials began receiving notices from overseas suppliers that their shipments had been delayed or temporarily suspended.

Containers that were supposed to be headed for Garuda's ports never arrived. Ships that were already en route changed course. Company warehouses began recalculating their inventories.

One week, two weeks, a month. No one knew how long the embargo would last. In industrial areas, factory managers began holding emergency meetings.

"How much raw material do we have left?"

"What if the next shipment is canceled?"

"What if it lasts two weeks?"

"What if it lasts a month?"

No one could provide a definite answer. Meanwhile, ordinary people began feeling the impact.

Some imported products disappeared from store shelves, and the prices of certain goods began rising. Then came reports that several major distributors had started stockpiling supplies.

Panic turned into panic buying.

People flocked to buy rice, cooking oil, medicine, fuel, canned food, and various other household necessities.

Long lines formed at supermarkets.

Shelves that were normally fully stocked became empty within just a few hours.

At one supermarket, a woman stood in front of a nearly empty shelf of cooking oil.

"Ma'am, they said there'll be more tomorrow?"

The supermarket employee shook his head.

"We haven't received any confirmation yet, ma'am."

"Then what are we supposed to do?"

"We're still waiting for word from the distributor too."

That simple exchange was recorded by someone and spread across social media.

A few hours later, other supermarkets began experiencing the same thing.

The panic grew even worse, and then new news arrived.

One of the country's major manufacturing companies announced that it was temporarily shutting down several of its production lines.

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Not long afterward, another company did the same then a third, a fourth, a fifth.

Workers began receiving notifications through text messages.

Workforce efficiency measures. A term that sounded far gentler than the reality behind it.

Layoffs.

Within days, thousands of workers lost their jobs.

Factories dependent on foreign raw materials were the first to be hit. Export companies that had lost their overseas markets followed soon after.

Outside one industrial area, dozens of workers gathered.

"They said it was only temporary!"

"If it's temporary, then why did they fire all of us?!"

"Where's the government?!"

Anger began mixing with fear.

In major cities, long lines formed at several gas stations after rumors spread that fuel supplies would be disrupted.

The rumor might not have been true, but when people were already panicking, the truth no longer traveled as quickly as false information.

A thirty-second video claiming that the national fuel supply would only last for a few days was shared millions of times.

People rushed to buy fuel, traffic jams formed, and disputes broke out.

In some places, people began fighting over goods. Stores closed their doors early out of fear that riots might break out. Security forces were deployed to guard several distribution facilities. And on the third day after the embargo was announced, something the government had feared finally happened.

Riots broke out in several cities.

At first, they were merely demonstrations. Then some of the crowds began damaging the fences surrounding industrial facilities.

Elsewhere, clashes broke out between groups of protesters and security forces.

A distributor's warehouse was looted after rumors spread that the facility was hoarding food supplies.

The rumor had not been proven, but the crowd had already arrived. On social media, people began referring to that day by a single name.

The Second Riot.

The name reminded everyone of the first few months after the Pioneer phenomenon emerged.

Back then, the world did not understand what was happening.

Garuda's citizens suddenly disappeared, with hundreds of people vanishing from their homes, workplaces, roads, and even from the vehicles they were driving.

Families panicked, cities descended into chaos, and demonstrations and riots broke out in various places because the government itself had no answers.

That had been the first riot.

Now, after the world had begun getting used to the existence of Pioneers, Garuda was once again facing massive turmoil.

The difference was that this time, it wasn't because its citizens had disappeared.

It was because the world had begun punishing the nation for the actions of its Pioneers.

Amid the chaos, the Garuda government held an emergency meeting.

Large screens in the meeting room displayed market graphs that continued to fall, trade reports showing increasing disruptions, and maps of distribution routes showing more and more obstacles.

An economic official stood with a tense expression.

"If this situation continues, the impact will become even greater."

General Suryo leaned back in his chair.

"How long can we hold out?"

The room fell silent, and no one answered immediately. Because everyone knew that the real question wasn't how long Garuda could hold out.

The question was how much damage would be done before the situation stabilized again.

Elsewhere, far from the meeting rooms and stock markets, on a tropical island that wasn't even marked on any map of Earth, Rangga had absolutely no idea that a single act by his Mechanical Hererasaurus had caused his country to face one of the biggest economic crises since the Pioneer phenomenon began.

For Rangga, the matter at hand was much simpler.

He was simply sitting beside a campfire, cleaning the blood off his weapon.

"Damn..."

Rangga examined his newest bow.

"If I polished you up a little, you'd probably look even more badass."

Rangga chuckled softly.

He had no idea that back on Earth, his name was becoming one of the most hotly debated names of the moment.

And even worse, the Garuda government hadn't even had a chance to tell him that his country had entered an embargo.