Bob watched the young students wearing black masks walk past the window. He smiled at Xu Le and said, "Although no one knows the truth of the incident, I think you should feel a little proud that so many people support you without asking for any reason."
Xu Le lowered his head and slowly and seriously stirred the black coffee in the cup until the burnt smell that he didn't like was completely removed. He said softly, "I'm a little touched, but it's hard for me to feel proud."
He raised his head, and his straight eyebrows under the shadow of his hat appeared particularly calm. "The reason lies in what you said about not asking for any reason. Now, the people in the Federation still believe that I'm a hero of the Federation, so they support me without any reason. But what if I'm really a criminal who uses the mask of a hero to hide his evil?"
Chief Editor Bob frowned. He didn't understand why he felt this way.
"The scene just now reminded me of the Macklin Project. When we were trying very hard to send that senator to court, the streets of the entire Federation were filled with angry young students."
Xu Le looked at the chief editor and said, "Wood should have already told you that the guy who sent the evidence to the newspaper was the attacker who broke into Parliament Hill a few days ago. He's also my best friend."
"I also know that this guy named Shi Qinghai participated in the assassination of Macklin with you. Of course, after that, he was tacitly approved by the Federation government, and the so-called assassination became a purge operation." Bob was still frowning and asked, "But why would you think of this?"
"The people on the streets may have misjudged and supported the wrong side, but I've always insisted that they don't need to be responsible for these things. Because the Federation government, the Parliament, and those big shots in the upper class have never given the people a chance to know the really important information, such as the evidence in the Macklin Project. In the end, it only became a bargaining chip between the government and those families to exchange benefits. "
"You're saying that this is the information of George Carlin..." Bob said.
"Information asymmetry will inevitably lead to social injustice." Xu Le was still slowly stirring the black coffee in his cup, but he had no intention of drinking it. He said, "I haven't read many articles in this area, but I know that there seems to be a saying in the intellectual world that people who easily fall into a collective unconscious frenzy are exposed to too much information that is too complicated to distinguish. It's not a good thing."
"Although I've always been considered a liberal gatekeeper, I agree with some sayings. There is no absolute freedom in the universe, and there is no absolute disclosure of information."
Bob picked up the porcelain cup in front of him, looked at Xu Le, and said seriously, "For example, what if the people of the Empire knows about confidential information that involves the security of the Federation?"
"The problem is that the power to determine whether or not this information endangers the security of the Federation has always been in the hands of a very small number of people. As long as they want to, they can even treat the details of the Federation's tax budget as important economic secrets."
Xu Le shrugged slightly and said, "Also, before the 37th constitutional calendar, the Federation had no enemies in the universe at all, so naturally, there was no information that could endanger the security of the Federation. But at that time, was there any real information that could be publicly disclosed?"
Bob tilted his head and thought for a moment, then shook his head with a smile. He took a sip of the slightly hot coffee, wiped the trace of sweat on his cheek, and said with a serious expression, "I took such a big risk today to meet with a wanted criminal of the Federation. Naturally, I don't want to relive the heated discussion on campus."
After a short pause, the chief editor looked at the rippling coffee in the cup and said thoughtfully, "Before the death of the Military God, it was the last interview that I did. The main purpose of that interview was not to create a monument or a statue for the old man, but to use that shocking fact to clear your name of being involved with treason. Obviously, the Military God did try to make you his successor, and Mr. President's admiration for you is known to the world. However, according to the information that we have, this time, it was Mr. President and General Lee Jae-do who were directly targeting you."
"The Military God trusted our newspaper and gave us the honor of the last interview. Plus, the Macklin case that we never met and worked together before, I think this should be enough to explain my professional reputation. Colonel Xu Le, regarding the case of the Ancient Clock Ship and the story that happened in the official residence that night, you can tell me directly without hesitation."
Xu Le did not hesitate. He took off the military watch on his wrist, entered the password, and started the relevant program. In a flash, the evidence that he and Mr. Shi had investigated for many years appeared on the screen in front of Chief Editor Bob.
The evidence in the form of videos, pictures, and documents directly pointed to the several ugly incidents that had happened in the Federation over the years, and even the truth of the explosion of the Ancient Clock Ship, to a secret organization that used the Trinity Association as a cover. The members of this organization included the current president and vice president of the Federation government, as well as countless powerful generals in the military …
…
…
In an ordinary coffee shop on the street, dusk shone on the ground, and the dark night gradually stretched its waist on the other side of the sky. The dim and psychedelic light shone through the floor-to-ceiling window on the seat in the corner, and the faint light reflected on the screen reflected on Chief Editor Bob's face.
The waiter and the customers at the next table did not notice the movement at the table. Naturally, they did not know what the faint light meant to the entire Federation.
Chief Editor Bob was silent for a long time. Occasionally, he opened his mouth in shock and looked at Xu Le. He wanted to say something or ask something, but in the end, he just lowered his head and looked at the screen again. Only the rapid change of expression on his face proved that the content had a strong mental impact on the best journalist in the Federation.
During this process, Xu Le also remained silent. He looked at the Chief Editor's expression and stirred the black coffee slowly and evenly with the metal spoon in his hand.
"Unbelievable."
Chief Editor held Xu Le's mobile phone tightly with his right hand. He frowned and let out the most normal sigh. The other side of the table remained silent. After a while, he laughed self-deprecatingly and muttered to himself, "But I can't not believe it."
After another long silence, Chief Editor Bob frowned. He seemed to be using a lot of effort to suppress some kind of impulse. He looked at Xu Le and said in a low voice, "At this time, I suddenly regret coming to see you. I regret seeing these things."
"Why?" Xu Le asked.
"I admire Mr. President very much. You can even say that I am one of his staunch supporters. In the confrontation between the government and those families, I stood by his side without hesitation and was willing to wave the flag and shout for him. In my opinion, the five years of President Pabre's first term were definitely the best five years in the history of the Federation. I know his ambitions and can feel his ideals … "
Chief Editor Bob's expression gradually calmed down. His eyes flashed with complex emotions. He said, "And this mobile phone you handed over destroyed the last trace of my imagination of a beautiful future. I even think that perhaps you will destroy all of the efforts of Mr. President and this government."
Xu Le could understand. To be more precise, he could more easily understand the Chief Editor's feelings of loss and frustration at this moment than anyone else.
Before that night, he and the Chief Editor had placed all of their imaginations and hopes for a beautiful future for the Federation on the dark-skinned middle-aged man in the official residence. When these imaginations and hopes suddenly turned into bubbles, the feeling of betrayal was very uncomfortable and even made people subconsciously refuse to accept it.
Even if it was Chief Editor Bob, after seeing this evidence, there would probably be countless fierce struggles and struggles in his heart. He would rather not see it or destroy all of this evidence and pretend that this had never happened.
Xu Le was willing for the Chief Editor across the table to make this choice because in the Federation society with tens of billions of people, he was already very lonely. Even if the students wearing black masks on the demonstration said that he would not be lonely, he was still lonely. He did not want his last companion to leave him.
Very suddenly, he stopped stirring the black coffee and raised his head to look across the table. In a low voice, he repeated a very famous speech in the Federation.
"This is a great era where vast fleets are on expeditions to the brilliant universe, where countless brave warriors step forward one after another, where the strong survival and the glorious sacrifice reflect each other, and thus appear to be incomparably magnificent. Behind this great era, there is a small life where the price of protein meat rises again, the uncle next door loses his job, the business of the underground casino deteriorates, the guard yawns more often, the aunt next door gets a raise, and the daughter is worried about her poor results in the spring exam and the small life where her pocket money is reduced.
"Whether it is a great era or a small life, it is actually full of brave people and timid people. They will be happy because of victory, sad because of failure, and angry because of many things. The only difference between the two is the attitude when facing difficulties and power. "
...
...
A low and calm voice slowly sounded in the corner of the coffee shop. Chief Editor Bob, who was listening carefully, gradually relaxed his deeply furrowed brows. He seemed to be deep in thought.
"This is the speech that you specially wrote for the Nebula Award. At that time, when I received the award, I felt very honored and have always remembered it in my heart."
Xu Le narrowed his eyes and said, "I will not doubt your firm belief in fighting against power, but what I want to say is, if power is dressed in the perfect clothes of idealism, or even idealism itself, we will still resist to the end."
"These five years may be the best five years in the history of the Federation, the best era, but for the waitresses in the Linhai State Gymnasium, for the West Woods soldiers on the Antique Bell, and for the families of the innocent victims, these five years are definitely the worst days they have ever lived."
Chief Editor Bob's face showed a calm smile again. He took a sip of the cold coffee and after a moment of silence, he asked, "Well, what do you want us to do? Wood and I will immediately start to do an in-depth report in this area, but... the gentleman in the official residence has countless pairs of white gloves, we can't accuse him. "
"No, you misunderstood me. I don't want the Capital Special District Daily Newspaper to risk the government's anger to report. Schiller said that the gun is always more powerful than the pen."
Chief Editor Bob slightly frowned and asked puzzledly, "Then why did you want to see me today and give me this evidence?"
Xu Le looked at the untouched black coffee in front of him. After a long silence, he said, "I just hope that even if I die, something like the truth can be left behind."
"If I really die this time, then whether it is five or ten years later, you and your newspaper will have the opportunity to tell this true story to everyone."
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