After a long time, Chief Editor Bob finally managed to control his coughing. His face was red, and his fingers trembled slightly as he crushed the remaining half of the cigarette into the ashtray. He said hoarsely, "Marshal, if you insist on putting this story in … I refuse to publish it. At least, I refuse to publish it."
The old man on the bed had reached the weakest period of his life. There should not be any smoke in the room, but Bob and Wood still could not hold back. They tore open the white box and began to smoke one cigarette after another as if they were burning their spirit.
The so-called final interview was for the old man on the bed to write a description of the military flag that covered the heavy black coffin. The two reporters could not bear the heavy burden of responsibility, especially after hearing this story.
This kind of thing had political risks, but for Bob, he rarely thought about such things. Otherwise, he would not have made such a strong accusation against Senator Macklin. However, he had to consider his own feelings. His feelings did not allow him to write about the abnormally dark things in the old man's final interview.
Li Pifu half leaned against the headboard tiredly. The dark brown spots on his face did not have much luster, like plants that were severely dehydrated. It gave people the feeling that they would turn into dust and be blown away by the wind at any moment. However, the old man's face always had a calm smile. He had probably already seen through matters between life and death, and had seen through things that were beyond life and death. He looked at the two reporters and said gently with a smile, "The Special District Daily News is a newspaper that can barely be read in the Federation. You two are good reporters."
Bob and Wood changed their sitting positions at the same time. It was inevitable that they would feel proud to be praised by the War God, but it was also inevitable that they would feel nervous.
"Isn't the responsibility of a good reporter to write about the story?" The old man laughed. His hoarse and hollow voice echoed in the quiet room, disturbing the smoke that filled the room. "The most famous mechanic who committed treason in the Federation's 37th constitutional history. He is indeed my blood brother. Why can't I write this down?"
Bob leaned to the left of the chair and rested his chin on his two fingers. After a long silence, he suddenly said, "You insist on recording this matter that no one knows about. Is it because you want to share the burden of Colonel Xu Le?"
The old man's hand, which was as old as the dry roots of a tree, rested on the snow-white bedding quietly. He could barely feel the flow of life in his veins. The old man smiled and replied softly, "I've been given too much honor by the people of the federation in my life, but I've been hiding many things from them. When I'm about to die, I always feel that I owe them something. Besides that, there's also the reason that you've guessed. A young man as good as Xu Le shouldn't be burdened by the vulgar stories of the seniors. The federation needs him. We — no, to be more precise, you will need him very much in the future.
"So, you're willing to pour dirty water on yourself to reduce the degree of distrust the entire Federation has for Colonel Xu Le?" Bob raised the pencil in his right hand and looked at the old man on the bed seriously.
Intense coughs burst out from the old body at the head of the bed, like a thousand-year-old clock that was blown by the wind of time and hummed nonstop.
The old man raised his arm with difficulty and wiped away the white foam on his lips. He continued, "I just want the Federation to understand one thing. The brother of a traitor is not necessarily a traitor. Then, as the student of a traitor, Xu Le is naturally not a traitor."
…
…
"But if the people become even more furious and fanatical because of this story and even vent their anger on Colonel Xu Le, won't your wish be realized?"
"I believe that the people of the Federation will believe me," the old man said.
Two simple words of "believe" represented the decades of history between him and this space zone that no one dared to doubt.
Bob was stunned for a moment. Then, he nodded slightly and stared at the pencil in his hand for a long time. Then, he raised his head and said seriously, "I promise you that I will include every word of your story and your brother's story in the interview."
"Thank you."
"Lord Marshal, regarding this interview, can you include some things that the people are very interested in?"
Chief Editor Bob lit up another white box of Sanqi and put the small square notebook on his knees. He asked, "For example, your hobbies, your personality, your retirement life, when were you the happiest and the saddest in all these years? You must know that for decades, the Federation's press has never dug up this part of the content. Tens of billions of people in East Forest, West Forest, and Upper Forest have been curious about it for their entire lives. "
"Me? I'm a boring guy who has nothing to write about. " The old man rubbed his chest and laughed hoarsely. "And I have a very bad temper. Just like right now, when I see you smoking and remember that I haven't smoked a single cigarette in ten years, I feel extremely angry."
Chief Editor Bob smiled, but he did not give up the rare opportunity to ask a question from an excellent news follower who had turned into an admirer. He asked curiously, "What is the most profound memory of your life? Is it the moment when you drove an M37 and killed the emperor of the Empire? "
"Of course not." Li Pifu narrowed his eyes and looked at the smoke floating in the air. He said, "That was just a battle, no different in essence from the countless battles I have participated in in my life."
The old man slowly lowered his head and looked at the two people who were constantly taking notes. His white eyebrows suddenly raised, and he said hoarsely, "The most profound memory of my life was in the Empire. When I held the baby in front of me, the wind just happened to disperse the smoke, and the sun came in and shone directly on the little girl's face. She was beautiful and weak … like a flower that had just opened its petals."
"Then what was the happiest moment?" Bob looked at the old man curiously and continued to ask, "Was it the final victory of the Second World War, or the day you took off the marshal's uniform and officially retired?"
"The Federation's marshal is a job that can't be happy at all." The old man rubbed his loose cheeks and said with deep regret, "I thought I would be happy when I retired, but in the end, I can't be happy. I just said that the medical team won't let you smoke, the security team won't let you mow the lawn, and the publicity team won't let you go to the casino."
"A retired marshal is still a marshal. It's not natural. Maybe in the future, I will be free forever …"
A self-deprecating smile appeared on the old face as the God of War Li Pifu said in a low voice. It was like he was talking to himself, but it was also like some kind of hypnotic spell. Gradually, his eyes closed.
The alarm sounded, and the glass wall on the side suddenly closed. The medical experts with serious expressions held the physiological data screen and rushed over at high speed. The senior military generals who reacted slower widened their eyes. The director of the Army general hospital who reacted the fastest rushed to the bedside with a face full of horror. He subconsciously reached out his hand to touch the old man's neck.
At this moment, the old and tired eyes suddenly opened. After a flash of light, it was full of calmness and faint mockery.
The people who rushed into the ward were instantly stunned. The director of the Army general hospital nervously scratched his head, looked at the normal lines on the surveillance equipment, and laughed foolishly.
"Did you see that? Although I, the marshal, am about to die, I am still under their control." Li Pifu looked at the two dumbfounded reporters and said with a smile, "They are the best at using all kinds of lies to deceive me. They clearly said that it was a one-way surveillance and that they were looking at me, but in the end? They have been watching me the entire time, and they have to pretend that they are not looking at me. It's really hard. "
Bob and Wood looked at each other, patted their chests, and stiffly sat back in their chairs. They felt that their mouths were dry, so they quickly took two big gulps of water.
"Sir, if we don't do a comprehensive surveillance, how do we know if you are asleep or …"
The director of the Army general hospital was the medical officer of the first battalion of the second regiment of the 17th division on the battlefield. He naturally saw that Li Pifu was different from the others, so he shrugged and replied. His tone was not very nervous.
"Bullshit." Li Pifu sternly scolded, then turned his head to look at Bob. He raised his right hand, separated his index finger and middle finger, coughed twice, and pretended to be calm and said, "Give me a cigarette."
The rest of the medical staff returned to their positions. When Chief Editor Bob heard this request, he was stunned. He naturally looked at the big boss of the medical field of the Federation for help.
The director looked at the calm face of the old man on the bed mixed with a trace of pleading. He didn't know why, but he felt like his heart was being cut by a sharp knife. He didn't dare to look at him again. He swallowed his sigh, forced a smile, and walked out of the ward with half of his body.
Wood quickly stood up and walked to the bedside as quickly as possible without making any noise. He took out a cigarette and carefully put it between the dry lips of the old man. Then he held a metal windproof lighter with both hands and lit it with a snap.
Wood didn't know whether it was because he was so close to the old man or because of some other reason, but he was very nervous when he lit the cigarette. His fingers, wrist, and even his whole body were slightly trembling.
Li Pifu seriously took a puff of the cigarette. He frowned for a moment, as if he was trying to distinguish the difference between this puff of smoke and the smoke on the battlefield ten years ago. In the end, the old man gave up and said with a smile, "Thank you."
Then, a light flashed in the old man's eyes. He said in a hoarse voice, "Cigarettes seem to really help humans think. I suddenly remember when I was happiest in my life."
Bob listened carefully and took notes.
"It was in the Empire. That year, the transport ship was ambushed by the Empire's fleet. The 17th Division was forced to land on an Empire administrative planet. According to the intelligence, the two most powerful armored brigades of the Empire's royal family were stationed on the surface of the Northeast Star System. The guys who fought the Yellow Flag … I didn't know how many of my young men would die, so I was in a bad mood. But when I came in contact with them, I realized … the 17th Division was really lucky. "
The old man on the bed narrowed his eyes. He was full of smiles, but he was also very sarcastic. "There were no imperial brigades on that planet. There were only 100,000 native troops stationed there. They were the famous Third Division of Lin who played in the mud in the Northeast Star System.
"What makes people happiest? Of course it's when you thought you were in a desperate situation, but you realized that the heavens took pity on you and made you meet a bunch of idiots. "
…
…
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.
