I was acting crazy in North America, and all the crazy people there took it seriously.

Chapter 60 Even if it's the end of the world, let's drink first (Please read on)

America will not back down!
Although isolationism prevailed in postwar America, isolation is not surrender.

With warships blocking our doorstep, what way out do we have?
Moreover, Britain's blatant support for smuggled alcohol has thoroughly enraged the massive prohibitionist faction within the country!

The Chicago Prohibition enforcement farce involved you British guys, and now the East Coast Prohibition enforcement is being orchestrated by you British guys again. You're the world's policeman, meddling in everything!
Driven by the Prohibitionists, the U.S. Navy issued a strongly worded statement: to ensure the security of its own waters and to conduct routine training, the main fleet of the U.S. Navy will immediately proceed to the relevant waters to conduct "large-scale combat-oriented exercises".

Although the statement did not explicitly state who the hypothetical enemy of this fleet was and where the exercise area was.

Meanwhile, spurred by the shadow of war, Capitol Hill once again brought the shelved 1916 Naval Act and its subsequent 1919 naval expansion plan to the forefront for heated debate.

If the plan is fully implemented, the U.S. Navy will have a massive fleet of up to 50 battleships.

This is going to be the death of me!
In the post-war era, countries were already embarking on a new arms race.

During last year's presidential election, the United States reverted to its pre-war policy of non-intervention and showed little enthusiasm for continuing naval expansion, which relieved the major naval powers.

Now, if the United States is truly spurred to join a fierce naval arms race, for countries that can no longer afford the high cost of building warships, it will not be a matter of tightening their belts once, but ten times over.

In a small island nation in the Far East, deer and horse manure began a new round of arguments.

In France, the navy began drafting a new large-scale shipbuilding plan, while the Ministry of Finance began preparing to commit suicide.

In Britain, adhering to the "two-strong standard"—that is, the British naval power must be equal to the combined power of the world's second and third naval powers—the Prime Minister has already stood on the rooftop after the Royal Navy's budget was updated.

But there's nothing we can do; the situation has now become a "game for cowards."

Whoever can't withstand the pressure first will completely admit defeat.

The Royal Navy, the dominant force that has ruled the seas for centuries, will not tolerate any defeat without a fight.

They immediately announced that they would send more capital ships, including battleships, to the "Atlantic Escort Fleet" to "ensure freedom of trade routes and demonstrate imperial resolve."

The U.S. Navy also announced that it would send additional capital ships to participate in the exercise.

If one side sends an additional battleship, the other side will send two more cruisers; the gears of the arms race are turning at an accelerated pace.

The two most powerful navies in the world, each leading their steel behemoths, are about to target each other in the narrow Atlantic shipping lanes.

Given the previous record of accidental clashes and mutual destruction, who can guarantee that the next accidental clash won't involve the battleship's 380mm guns?

The international public opinion shifted immediately.

European countries, which had previously adopted a somewhat spectator-like attitude, are now truly feeling the biting chill.

The headlines on the front pages of newspapers became alarming: "Are Britain and the United States on the Brink of War?" and "Will a Second Anglo-American War Trigger a New Global Catastrophe?"

Politicians and analysts are predicting that the world is once again teetering on the brink of world war and are calling on both Britain and the United States to remain calm.

Economic panic began to spread, and global stock markets plummeted in response.

The American public gradually sobered up from the initial fervor of "we must teach the British a bloody lesson." The possibility of a full-scale war with the world's leading navy was no longer a distant headline in the newspapers, but a real and tangible fear.

Panic buying began, especially in major cities on the east coast directly exposed to Royal Navy gunfire. Canned goods, flour, and sugar in supermarkets were emptied, and some people even began to flee their families to inland states.

In the Midwest and on the West Coast, voices supporting and opposing the war clashed fiercely.

On the streets, marches waving the Stars and Stripes and chanting "Teach the British a lesson" could appear simultaneously, along with anti-war demonstrators holding signs that read "No war."

The media was also completely divided, with hawks and doves arguing fiercely in newspapers and on the radio, plunging the whole country into a state of division and anxiety.

Hmm, something feels like it's missing right now.

Some people suddenly realized that the two instigators who could escape responsibility but not blame—the Chicago and the Sun—were unusually quiet.

What's going on? Are they scared now?

When curious reporters turned their cameras to Chicago, what they saw left the entire nation speechless once again.

“God said: ‘I am mad when others are afraid.’ It is never wrong to follow God’s guidance,” Logan said earnestly to Donald.

Donald said he had never heard God say that, but it was indeed true.

So, just as the whole nation was gripped by the fear of war, the Irish gang's underground pubs seized the opportunity to launch a spectacular promotion: "Even if the world ends tomorrow, drink this first! 30% off all drinks, buy ten get one free!"

The Mafia quickly followed suit.

Chicagoans were slightly taken aback by the overwhelming predictions of world war, but then showed their attitude through their actions: underground bars were packed with people drinking, dancing, and indulging in their usual revelry.

Chicagoans say, "War? We've had several wars around us, what's so scary about that?"

As long as there's alcohol to drink, everything will be alright.

His mental stability and fluent language left the entire United States speechless.

What about The Sun?

The Sun also announced a grand event: the newspaper had chartered a large luxury cruise ship, which would be filled with tourists to face the "World War" head-on!
"Want to witness the full-scale outbreak of World War I firsthand? Want to experience the awe-inspiring roar of battleship cannons? Voice of Freedom radio and the Chicago Sun-Times are launching a 'World War II Tour'!"

"We will charter the most luxurious cruise ship to the heart of the Atlantic Ocean confrontation, where we will drink the strongest liquor (scratch that), cheer for the giant ships and cannons, and celebrate the end of the world... Limited spots available, grab them now!"

"Damn it..." Everyone who still retained a shred of rationality, upon seeing this abstract advertisement, gritted their teeth and uttered the same words: "Only a fool would follow a Chicago lunatic to their death!"

Surprisingly, not only wealthy locals and adventurers from Chicago, but also many affluent and thrill-seeking individuals from all over the United States showed great interest in this activity! Ticket prices were driven ever higher!

Americans, who are being threatened by war, are deeply fascinated!

So, what strange switch did Chicagoans flip that made more and more people act abnormally?
……

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(End of this chapter)