Leaning against the car, Xu Le rubbed the snow on his shoes on the tires. He coughed twice and straightened the collar of his military uniform to block the cold wind that was blowing through the streets.
He took out two cigarettes from the cardboard box, lit one and held it in his mouth. He passed the other to Magnolia. Magnolia lowered her head and looked at the front of the Ministry of Justice building through her black hair. She hesitated for a moment and took the cigarette but did not light it.
The snow that fell from the sky had stopped, but the cold wind was still blowing. It blew powdered snow from the corners of the undisturbed buildings and scattered in the air. The flashes in front of the Ministry of Justice building flashed quickly, making the snowflakes look even more holy. It looked like a well-designed stage in a concert.
Xu Le took a deep puff of the cigarette, and the line of fire instantly burned to the bottom of the first number 7. He squinted his eyes and looked over there. Although he could not see clearly what was happening inside, the television in the car was already turned on, and the scene was being broadcasted live.
The Federation Government officially suspended the investigation of the Macklin case. The spokesperson of Parliament Hill also regretfully said that the hearing had to be postponed indefinitely due to the lack of key witnesses and evidence. The Minister of Justice resigned, Congress was furious, but President Sieg did not say anything. Macklin finally walked out of the Ministry of Justice building.
Outside the building, Macklin hugged Governor Ross who came to greet him. He waved enthusiastically to the thousands of supporters around him. He looked like a victor. Then, this victor, surrounded by countless people, walked along the snow-covered street toward Parliament Hill in the west.
Xu Le did not move. He still stood silently beside the car, smoking one cigarette after another. Originally, this was no longer his problem, but he had put in so much effort that he wanted to see this absurd drama continue to play out.
Governor Ross very politely allowed Senator Macklin to walk at the front. This old man, who had just walked out of the Ministry of Justice building, had a calm and determined expression as he led countless supporters to the bottom of the parliament building. Along the way, only the people looked at him affectionately and applauded him enthusiastically. This old man was like a saint.
The front of the Parliament building had already been set up properly. The wind was stronger here, and the snow on the roof of the building was blown more densely. There were more flashes, and it was more like a stage.
Xu Le looked over there from afar, but he only thought of the stage in Linhai State Stadium, the stage that surrounded the four states.
In front of the Parliament Building, Senator Medellin, accompanied by Governor Ross and several respected bigwigs, announced a shocking decision to the entire Federation and his own supporters — he decided to withdraw from the Federation's presidential election.
After the news was released, all the media reporters seemed to have gone crazy and began to contact their respective departments. Those excited and even some excited supporters, however, could not react for a moment. With a confused expression, they stood there in a daze. The slogans loudly shouted disappeared, and the excited fists that were clenched were still suspended in the air.
Governor Ross stepped forward and patted Senator Macklin's slightly thin shoulder. He lowered his head and said a few words into the loudspeaker, indicating that he fully understood Senator Macklin's thoughts. He firmly stood on the side of the friend and announced the decision to withdraw together.
"Are you going to give up?" cried someone sadly.
"We can't give in to the government," said someone angrily in a loud voice.
Senator Medellin stretched out his hands and began his speech amidst the snowflakes with kindness and firmness.
…
…
He could not see clearly what was happening in front of the Parliament Building, but the holographic screen on the car beside him faithfully transmitted everything that was happening there to Xu Le's ears. He fiercely pulled out a puff of his cigarette. It burned to the line of the filter, emitting an unbearable burnt smell.
Bai Yulan glanced at him and did not say anything.
Just as he was about to be judged by the Federation's laws, he suddenly walked out of the Justice Department. When he was about to be defeated by the Federation, Macklin was still able to mobilize countless supporters to stand behind him. But now, he suddenly announced his withdrawal from the election!
Xu Le did not need to think to figure out how many benefits and shady deals were hidden behind the shocking change. As the final victor, Senator Pabre — no, to be precise, the big shots of the Federation represented by Lady Tai — must have given corresponding promises to Macklin's safety and Governor Ross's future position in the Federation's political life.
Senator Macklin's old voice came from the black car beside him.
"The threat of the Empire is right in front of us. The Federation needs to be united. As a veteran, I must sincerely ask everyone to unite around the Federation."
The senator's speech was always so sincere and moving. "The wind and sand of history can't hide the truth. The nights in the Justice Department building made me ponder for a long time. In the current situation, is my personal political honor more important, or is the unity and stability of the Federation more important? … "
"Today, I'm announcing my withdrawal in front of the Federation's parliament hill. It's not because I'm disappointed in the spirit of the Federation and chose to give up, but because I love this Federation, and my love is incomparably deep."
Sincere applause rang out.
…
…
"Look at the black hole over there. It's a bunch of disgusting people." Xu Le lit another cigarette and tried to maintain a calm appearance, but his slightly hoarse voice revealed some of his true emotions.
"When I was reading in the library of Hexi State, I discovered that there was no such thing as patriotism a few decades ago. With the invasion of the Empire, people remembered to love their country. Everyone loved the Federation, but now, the name of patriotism has become the last refuge of villains. "
Xu Le wanted to hear the voice of the old man in front of the parliament hill again. Although he knew that there was too much darkness in the Federation since he was young, he really did not expect that in a place like the capital ring, the dark things could be covered with such a bright and beautiful coat and then flaunt and swindle in the pure white snow.
Turning off the car TV, the black car drove silently on the road to the left of the parliament building. It only took a few minutes for it to arrive at Charter Square.
In the center of Charter Square, the statues of the five-person team stood tall. There was a thin layer of snow on the heads and shoulders of these predecessors. The imitation bronze material in the snow gave a sense of vicissitudes.
In front of this group of giant statues, there was a clumsy ancient clock. According to the early teaching materials of the Federation, this ancient clock represented the constant call of mankind to the universe. Countless years ago, when human society first appeared in Upper Forest, this ancient clock was placed here. Until today, no one knew how many years it had been maintained, but the sound of the clock had never stopped. It rang from time to time according to the date set by the Federation, peaceful and eternal.
Xu Le was an orphan of Donglin, and he came from Zhonglou Street. Looking at the quiet ancient clock through the drizzling window, he naturally thought of the joke about the 4th Military Region. That sentence was very familiar to the people of Donglin, lonelier than fireworks, that warship that crashed on the surface of Donglin, and that unusually sturdy clock.
It was said that when the 4th Military Region opened up Donglin, they carried a replica of this ancient clock in Charter Square.
"This year's election was really unexpected." Bai Yulan said while driving. She did not look at Xu Le's expression from the corner of her eyes, but this sentence was obviously testing something.
"It has nothing to do with me. I'm just a nobody." Xu Le was still looking at the square outside the window, and casually replied.
Bai Yulan did not think that Xu Le was a nobody. She believed that there were not many people in the Federation who still thought so. Especially when the news in front of Capitol Hill made Xu Le reveal some of his emotions, she vaguely caught something.
The wild birds in the square that were usually proud and free, and even dared to defecate on the heads of the statues of the Group of Five, had long flown to South Kezhou or even further south due to the cold weather. As the car drove past, only the fattened pigeons on the lawn were still eating. The people of the capital were not stingy with this little bit of food to show their love, but Xu Le looked at the pigeons that refused to fly away and did not have a good impression of them.
This was probably the portrayal of the Federation society. Only those who could not or did not want to fly could stay, and those who dared to defecate on the heads of big figures could only leave.
"I'm actually a wild animal that wants to defecate on the heads of big figures." Xu Le thought in his heart and sighed softly.
...
...
Due to the delay on the road, it was already late when they arrived at the outskirts of the Whitewater Company. However, under the personal guidance of the CEO's assistant, Xu Le and Bai Yulan walked directly into the audit room.
This was the business of the security decision-making department. Although the Seventh Combat Team was nominally under this department, everyone in the Whitewater Company knew that the Seventh Combat Team was involved in top-secret dangerous business. Xu Le understood why the Seventh Combat Team was chosen as bodyguards.
It was not until he saw the middle-aged woman called Sister Tong that he understood something. When he thought of the purple-haired little girl behind Sister Tong, he did not know why, but his feelings of helplessness and worry over the past few days suddenly became a lot better.
During the private conversation that followed, Xu Le said to Sister Tong very seriously, "If your intention of choosing the security team is mainly because of me, then I have to tell you very sincerely that I don't know how long I will be staying in the capital ring. Perhaps I will leave in two days."
"I won't hide it at all. You should know very well what happened to Miss in the past year. Although I believe that we have the ability to guarantee Miss's safety, Miss herself is very resistant to certain arrangements." Sister Tong did not explain what those arrangements were. She directly said to Xu Le, "Miss trusts your ability, which is why she agreed to the plan of the Whitewater Company's security planning department."
"But I might leave immediately." Xu Le lowered his head and thought of the scene in front of Parliament Hill. After a moment of silence, he said, "Maybe I have to do something, but no matter what decision I make, I won't be able to stay for long."
"This is a long-term cooperation, unless you don't come back." Sister Tong looked at him calmly. From the assassination last year to the inside story, she had absolute confidence in the strength of this young man in front of her. It was indeed a good decision to entrust Miss's safety to him.
"I really might not come back." Xu Le looked up and said with a smile.
"Miss wants me to remind you that you once said that you owe her a life," Sister Tong said.
...
...
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
