Xu Le had trained his body for too long last night, so he woke up a little later than usual. He cooked a bowl of instant porridge and did not go for a morning jog in the park as planned. Instead, he subconsciously turned on the TV. Watching the news on TV had become his main job for the past few days. He originally wanted to see the progress of the demonstrations in the Federation, as well as the strike in the four states around the mountain. He also wanted to see if Medellin would walk out of the Justice Department building, but he did not expect the Federation News Channel to start broadcasting breaking news early in the morning.
The emergency hearing of the Parliament should be related to the matter he was concerned about, so he did not go out. He silently sensed the power flowing in his body while waiting for the hearing to start. However, when the beautiful girl appeared on the news screen, Xu Le knew that waiting was not the right thing to do.
The girl had cut her hair short. She was dressed more simply and her expression was calmer. She looked in the direction of the camera and smiled slightly. She walked into the hall and walked up to the rostrum. She placed her hand on the Magna Carta and began to swear the oath.
Xu Le thought that his eyes were playing tricks on him, or that it was an illusion. The most likely possibility was that the damn omnipotent Federation computer had invaded his brain again, causing him to have an epileptic hallucination. Otherwise, he should not have been able to see her.
However, his rationality gradually returned, telling him that all this was real and could scare him. Especially when the girl said her name, he gradually shook off his absent-minded state. He walked in front of the TV screen and gently touched the girl's face on the news with his finger. He did not hear what she was saying, but his body trembled from the cold touch.
After standing in front of the TV screen in silence for three seconds, Xu Le turned around and took a shirt from the closet behind the door. He put it on and went into the elevator to the underground parking lot.
He sat in the driver's seat of the black car, fastened his seat belt, and turned on the car's TV screen to watch the Federation's live broadcast. He started the car and drove away from the apartment as fast as he could. He rushed onto Highway 2 and drove towards the capital special district under the clouds in the distance.
"You mean the Bureau of Proclamation can also make mistakes?"
"The charter can't be wrong, but people can."
On the holographic screen in the car, the Senate hearing was still going on. Xu Le did not lower his head to look at it. He listened to every word that the girl said seriously. His expression did not change at all. He only looked a little pale, and occasionally, there would be a faint blush on his face.
"You were once a returnee, and according to your own account, you are now a spy for the anti-government army. I don't understand why you would risk being arrested and return to S1, and even request for this special hearing."
On the light screen, Senator Zion frowned and stopped Zhang Xiaomeng from replying. He continued, "A woman who has no loyalty to the Federation at all. How trustworthy is your testimony?"
"I am loyal to the Federation, but I am not loyal to the Federation government."
…
…
The anti-radar equipment on the car had already been turned on. All the sensors on the road were ineffective against the black car that passed by like a ghost. Xu Le did not know how much he exceeded the speed limit, and he did not have the extra energy to care about the cursing drivers on the highway. He narrowed his eyes and paid attention to the progress of the hearing. He drove into the capital special district, bypassed the empty Hawking Avenue, and turned towards Charter Square. However, he was blocked by the busy traffic near Parliament Hill.
Without any hesitation, Xu Le casually threw the car on the side of the street, slammed the door, and ran towards the Senate building in the distance. He ran as fast as he could while tidying up his clothes. Only then did he notice that he had randomly grabbed a military uniform without epaulets.
The traffic in the capital was usually not so busy. He did not know if it was the demonstration that blocked the traffic and hindered people's communication. Xu Le angrily squeezed through the young students holding signs. By the time he reached the stone steps of the Senate building, a long time had passed.
The front of the Senate building was crowded with news media. Only a few large television stations were allowed to broadcast the hearing live. As many as hundreds of reporters and cameramen were standing on one side of the lawn. In front of the chosen backdrop of Parliament Hill, they hurriedly reported the situation to the channel manager. They were making real-time news connections. The scene was chaotic.
Xu Le passed through the heavy cameras and quickly walked up the stone steps to the entrance of the Senate building. He was stopped by the police cordon and hundreds of military police. Outside the police cordon, other than the reporters, there were also some excited people who came for some unknown reason.
Everyone was excited. Xu Le wiped the sweat on his forehead. In this cold late autumn day, he was drenched in sweat from running. Through the shoulders and the brim of the hat in front of him, he looked at the tall and wide entrance of the Senate building. He listened to the discussions around him, but gradually calmed down.
Seeing that the girl was still alive, he did not know why, but he did not need a reason. His body seemed to be controlled by instinct and rushed out of the apartment to the place closest to her. But then he suddenly thought, what was he doing here?
Was it like in the movies, when the soldier who had gone on an expedition to the galaxy returned home in glory and was giving a speech at a special capital city meeting. Suddenly, his lover, whom he had not seen for three years, shouted his name from the other side of the lawn. So he was stunned, raised his head, looked into the distance, and was pleasantly surprised. He jumped off the stage and jumped into the pond, creating a trail of white splashes and startling a few lazy waterfowls. He ran away, and then hugged in the pond, lowered his head, and kissed her. There were tears.
Was this a reunion? But this was not a reunion. Xu Le felt a little cold, but he still stood stubbornly at the door, waiting for the girl to appear.
…
…
Under the escort of the Ministry of Justice, Zhang Xiaomeng walked out of the Senate building. A confident and steady smile appeared on her face. She shook hands with the councilor who had specially escorted her out and said a few words in a soft voice.
A news reporter handed over a microphone and asked a question loudly. Zhang Xiaomeng smiled gently and did not answer the actual question. But she used her calm and sincerity to perfectly portray the image of the anti-government army in the mountains.
Xu Le looked at the girl in the middle of the stone steps quietly through the crowd. It had been a long time since he had seen her so closely. In the past, he had only looked at her from a dining table away. In the past, he had never looked at her from such a distance. But now, separated by the crowd, it was as far as the Milky Way.
Zhang Xiaomeng had become a lot more mature. This maturity was not because the harsh environment of Green Dragon Mountain had left an indelible mark on the girl's face. She was still young and beautiful, but there was a trace of inexplicable determination in her temperament.
He did not know how many things had happened to her in the past year. The elf girl with the red devil horns had finally grown up. Xu Le looked at her quietly and thought about it quietly. He watched her smile sincerely at the reporters and thought about the snow and porridge in the girls' dormitory in the plum garden. He had never forgotten those memories. Instead, because of her death, they had become unforgettable. But for some reason, when he saw her appear alive in front of his eyes, those memories that often appeared in his dreams in the middle of the night suddenly faded away.
At this moment, Xu Le saw Zhang Xiaomeng turn her head to the side amidst the flashing lights. Her calm and steady eyes seemed to be wandering, as if she was looking for something in the crowd. Then, those eyes fell on his face.
On the stone steps of the highest authority in the Federation, separated by the crowd and noise, Xu Le and Zhang Xiaomeng's eyes met. At this moment, it was as if there was no existence other than them.
Zhang Xiaomeng's eyes flashed with a trace of surprise, a trace of helplessness, a trace of guilt, a trace of sadness, a trace of uneasiness, a trace of joy. Countless emotions eventually converged into a single teardrop that slowly flowed down from the corner of her eye.
Xu Le quietly watched her cry in the crowd. His incomparably complicated emotions suddenly became clear and calm.
A reporter in the crowd asked a question loudly. Zhang Xiaomeng, who was in a daze and crying, came to her senses and slowly turned her head. It was so difficult to turn her head back.
The flashing lights around her were so bright. Zhang Xiaomeng clenched her fists tightly. That was why she had seen the other person later than he had. At that moment, she thought she had seen wrongly.
…
…
The female anti-government soldier suddenly came to the capital special district and testified on Parliament Hill. This was the first time in the Federation's history that this had happened. The reporters and the public had been paying attention to the progress of the hearing. They were deeply impressed by the calmness and perseverance of the young girl on the stone steps. This girl had a temperament that was completely absent from her peers in the Federation. This temperament was extremely charming in front of this grand building.
However, at this moment, many reporters and the public noticed that the calm and determined girl suddenly had tears in her eyes.
"Miss Zhang Xiaomeng, may I ask why you are crying?" The reporter asked loudly, "Is it because you remember the unfair treatment you once suffered, or is it because you are angry at Senator Macklin's despicable actions?"
"The flashing lights are too bright," Zhang Xiaomeng replied with a smile. There was laughter all around. Amidst the laughter, the girl looked out of the corner of her eye. However, she sadly found that the boy had disappeared into the crowd.
The moment she turned her head, Xu Le did not hesitate anymore. He immediately turned and left. He had come, seen, and confirmed. That was enough.
He walked down the stone steps in loneliness. Then, he was blocked by a group of Justice Department officials wearing trench coats and holding black umbrellas.
The sky above the capital special district was cloudy and thick. However, the probability of rain in late autumn was very low, so the pedestrians on the streets and the reporters on the stone steps did not carry umbrellas. Therefore, these officials wearing trench coats and holding black umbrellas were particularly eye-catching.
Trench coats and black umbrellas were the standard equipment for Justice Department officials in autumn. Just like the heavy black commercial vehicles of the Federation Investigation Bureau, it clearly showed their identity.
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