Xu Le retracted his gaze from the phone screen.
The email was signed off with a familiar asterisk. A few days ago, he had received a similar email. The sender of the email had said, "I'm not dead, and asked him not to avenge me." The meaning of the email today was similar. It basically said that nothing bad had happened to him, and asked him not to worry.
Thinking about the most important news in the Federation in the past two days, he easily deduced that the sender of the email was the girl. The email from a few days ago was also sent by her, and not the uncle. Xu Le sat silently on the sofa in his apartment. He didn't understand. Since he didn't care before, why did he care whether he knew or not now?
The special hearing on the Macklin Project on Parliament Hill was temporarily suspended because of Zhang Xiaomeng's disappearance. Xu Le could guess what was behind this incident, but he no longer had the hot-blooded emotions he had in the past year. All he had was fatigue and numbness.
Zhang Xiaomeng was alive. She was still alive. This was good. He couldn't sort out his own emotions. Naturally, he couldn't figure out what was the relationship between the interests of the upper echelons of the Federation and himself, a fugitive. Good things and bad things didn't seem to have anything to do with him anymore.
He sat quietly in the building and looked at the first snow outside the window. He didn't move at all.
Snow fell in the Capital Special District. It gently fluttered like the sea of pear blossoms in the university in Linhai. When the snow fell on the streets and buildings, most of it melted instantly, leaving only the eerie color. Only a few spots of white remained, which was very eye-catching.
…
…
Beside the floor-to-ceiling window in the West Arch Hall of the President's Residence, President Sieg, who only had two months left in office, silently looked at the white snow on the lawn outside the window. He didn't speak for a long time. As the leader of the Federation, he left a violent and cowardly image in the society. However, only he knew and was satisfied. He had won ten years of stable development for the Federation. The war wounds caused by the previous war with the Empire were gradually healed during his presidency.
But was stability really the most important thing that overshadowed everything? President Sigurd narrowed his eyes and looked at the snowflakes on the grass. He thought of the lady who had left earlier and asked himself the question in his heart. He had always respected and relied on that lady's political wisdom. However, at a critical moment when the parliament was investigating Medellin, the Federation government made a sharp turn and gave in to that shameless politician in exchange for extinguishing the flames of protest that had burned throughout the Federation. At the same time, the strike in the four states around the mountains was quickly quelled. Did such a price really need to be paid?
"From a rational point of view, the government not investigating Medellin is indeed the best way to quell the Federation's internal strife in the shortest amount of time possible. If that old bastard doesn't personally make an appeal, the young people in the Federation won't be able to calm down."
The National Security Advisor walked behind the President and said in a slightly hoarse voice, "Khufu, the Madam and the people she can influence can bring fundamental changes to Parliament Hill. The one who needs to make the decision now is you."
Although President Sigurd had felt dissatisfied with his teacher and friends for the first time during the political turmoil some time ago, he now realized that standing at the pinnacle of power in the Federation, the only person he could trust was still this old man.
"Do I still need to make a decision? Hasn't Minister Ni already made his decision? "President Sigurd slammed his palm on the table and said with some anger.
The National Security Advisor fell silent.
The Minister Ni that President Sigurd had mentioned was the Minister of Justice who had single-handedly facilitated the Medellin case. Because of the disappearance of the key female witness of the anti-government army, the Minister of Justice had taken all the pressure and officially resigned three days ago. All the important people who had access to the President's official residence naturally knew that the Minister of Justice's resignation was just the opening act of a big move.
Someone in the government needed to be responsible for this matter, and the Minister of Justice was the most suitable candidate. The reason why Minister Ni was willing to be the scapegoat was, of course, because he must have received some kind of guarantee that when the new President came to power, a brighter and brighter future awaited him.
The National Security Advisor looked at the President's back with slight ridicule. He thought to himself, In this presidential election, since you chose to stand on the side of that woman, you should be very clear about the risks involved. There was an old saying in the Federation, "Borrow the fur of a tiger to make a coat." In the eyes of this political veteran, the calm and peaceful Madam of the Tai family was the real ferocious tigress. In the beginning, the reason why he didn't want to stand on the side of Senator Pabre, other than the lawsuit many years ago, was that he could never trust a woman like Lady Tai. He was even slightly afraid of her.
But now, Lady Tai and the old man of the Li family had reached an agreement to clean up the mess. She had made a suggestion to the President's Residence, and the National Security Advisor had expressed his agreement. The Federation needed a stable and harmonious society, and the President and himself needed a lot of respect and glory.
There were still two months left in the government's term, but they still had a long life ahead of them. The National Security Advisor believed that President Sieg would definitely understand this point and support this plan.
"Connect me to the Bureau of Proclamation," President Sieg suddenly said to the deputy director of the office, Brin, who was standing by the door.
The National Security Advisor frowned and said softly, "What's the problem?"
"If we want to pardon Macklin, I have to confirm with the Bureau of Proclamation whether or not that old bastard was involved in the two terrorist attacks. Also, in the past, there were many suspected masterpieces of the Green Dragon Mountain bandits and the security company … Could it be that he was the one who did it?"
The National Security Advisor glanced at President Sigurd with a half-smile, as if he had just heard something very funny.
In the secret connection, the old director of the Bureau of Proclamation once again confirmed with the President of the Federation that they had not found any direct evidence of Macklin's involvement in terrorist activities.
When President Sieg heard this report, his entire body visibly relaxed, and his movements when he put down the phone were much calmer. The arched hall of the President's Residence was silent for a long time. The leader of the Federation stood by the table expressionlessly. After thinking for a long time, he nodded slightly.
In the room, the National Security Advisor and Deputy Director Brin both noticed this small movement of the President at the same time. They both let out a sigh of relief and left the room.
In the current situation, in order to ensure the stability and unity of the Federation, some concessions had to be made. President Huff Sieg, who was about to step down, thought in his heart. He did not want to think about how much the Federation government's decision was related to the future benefits.
Dozens of kilometers away from the President's Residence, at the end of the one-way street, the building of the Bureau of Proclamation was covered in fluttering snow. The old director looked out of the window with eyes full of worry. Yes, until today, the Bureau of Proclamation still had not found any direct evidence that could be used against Macklin. Those people and the information had not come back, and today, the Federation and the President did not seem to want to hear the word "but". They were eager to end the chaotic situation in front of them and let the Federation return to the happy world of singing and dancing.
There had been many similar drama scenes in history. Betrayal, betrayal, compromise, and division. In a second, comrades became enemies, and enemies became partners. In front of the dark curtain, the people were comforted, and the society was no longer turbulent. After the dark curtain, the families equally divided the benefits, and everything was as before.
However, would the Federation be able to repeat such a boring cycle of fate this time?
…
…
It had been snowing for several days. No matter how easy it was to melt, it had accumulated into a vast expanse of white. The departure of autumn in the Capital Special District was actually this hurried, and the arrival of winter caught many people a little unprepared. On the streets, pedestrians could often be seen rubbing their hands as they walked quickly.
Bai Yulan in the driver's seat easily turned the steering wheel and avoided a middle-aged man in front of her. It was rare for him to drive a black car twice, and he had long fallen in love with this kind of steady and smooth driving feeling. Sometimes, he even wondered how deep the background of this little boss, Xu Le, was. According to his knowledge, there were not many of these special cars in the top level of the Federation government.
"The company's security department has brought forward the assessment by one day. They said that the employer over there suddenly has to leave." Bai Yulan did not look at Xu Le in the passenger's seat. Instead, she introduced, "Since they specifically asked us, the seventh group, to participate in the assessment, as the technical supervisor, you should go."
"Okay." Xu Le narrowed his eyes and looked at the winter snow trees on the side of the street. He nodded and did not say anything else. He was currently in a very listless state. His work at the Whitewater Company was done casually, as if it was just to pass the time.
As one of the three largest security companies in the Federation, Whitewater's daily work naturally included security planning, which was what most people would call a bodyguard. Bai Yulan had mentioned to him a few days ago that the company's management had received a very important order, and the seventh group had been asked to participate in the consultation. However, he had been too absent-minded recently, so he did not remember this at all.
Bai Yulan looked at him with slight worry. In this delicate man's eyes, Xu Le was his boss, his financial backer, and the person he had to risk his life for. He was never worried about the danger of risking his life for money. He was only concerned about his financial backer's mental state. Obviously, after returning from the Old Moon Base, Xu Le, who should have been in high spirits, suddenly became much more depressed.
The underground thermal protection system had been activated, and the snow on the street had already melted into a trickle and flowed into the sewer. The black car drove along the wet road in the direction of Charter Square. It happened to pass by the Ministry of Justice building.
Xu Le suddenly turned his head and stared at the crowd outside the Justice Department building. He narrowed his eyes and stared at the protesters who resisted the cold and refused to retreat. He realized that something seemed to be happening there.
"Stop the car," he said softly. "I want to take a look."
…
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