"In the spring of Year 67 of the Constitutional Calendar, during the Nebula Award ceremony for Senator Medellin, I heard President Pabre say this."
"A person dying is not as good as a lamp going out. A lamp has light, but the place it cannot illuminate is darkness. If one does something wrong, one must pay the price. Perhaps I am not a mature politician, but I am a firm believer of the Federation's laws. If I die, you can dig up my grave and see what color it is. I also have the same attitude towards some people who have died. "
"Back then, Senator Medellin had just died in an assassination. The people did not know that he would be the future seed of the infamous Empire. Back then, Mr. Pabre had just taken office as president, full of vitality and beautiful ideas to change this world. Without hiding anything, I was also one of his most loyal supporters back then, just like you all who are reading this newspaper right now."
"However, just like what Mr. Pabre once said, if one does something wrong, one must pay the price. As the Federation's president, every one of us has the right to ask him to stand on the side of the moral divide. Moreover, what he did already crossed the line of morality. We have no intention of supporting any political movement, but we insist that the people should have the right to know the truth."
"Will our accusation affect the war in the Left Sky Starfield? Will our demands make the soldiers on the frontlines shed more blood? I do not know the exact answer. I only know that in this war between the Federation and the Empire, if there is some kind of justice that can be said loudly, then it can only be that we have a better system than them. The people who live in this starfield believe in kindness, justice, conscience, and law. "
"If the Federation that the frontline soldiers protect loses these precious qualities, then what is worth their blood and sacrifice?"
"Vice President Byron is dead, Colonel Lake is dead, Colonel Ximen Jin is dead, Mr. Senator is dead, many people have already died. There is no way to confront them, because even if we dig up their graves, the only answer we can obtain is silence."
"However, there are even more people who are still alive. They did not accept the judgment of the law or anger. They coldly sit at the highest level of the Federation, high above, ruling this world, changing this world. I don't know what color their graves will be when they dig them up, but we know that if we don't stop them, then the entire Federation will be buried in an ice-cold grave. "
"Written by Bob and Wood in the autumn of the seventy-fifth year of the constitutional calendar."
…
…
The Capital Daily News had long since moved away from the Newspaper Street that was filled with the smell of ink in his imagination. Now, it was just a very ordinary building in the western part of the capital. However, the eye-catching sign of the eclipse of the moon still hung at the entrance of the news agency. Although it had been burned away by the fire, it still existed.
In the room behind the huge sign of the eclipse of the moon, reporter Wood rubbed his leg and concentrated on reading his report for the fourth time. After the traffic accident, although his leg had recovered very well, every time it was cold and gloomy like today, it would ache unbearably.
"I still think that the last paragraph shouldn't be added. The justice of this war cannot be questioned. No matter how vague you write it, it will give the other side a good excuse."
Chief Editor Bob sat behind his desk and smiled. He gently wiped his glasses and said, "This is very likely to be our last article in the news industry. I have to be willful for once."
At this moment, the black phone rang. Wood glanced at him worriedly, but his expression didn't change. He calmly picked up the phone and said, "What did the board of directors say?"
The chairman on the other end of the phone coughed twice and said in an even voice, "Mr. Li wants to talk to you."
On the other end of the phone, the president of the Sanlin Bank, Li Xiuzhu, said in an undisguised voice of praise, "Mr. Chief Editor, you don't have to worry. We will protect your safety. The special issue will be fully printed."
After hanging up the phone, Chief Editor Bob spread his hands and looked at Wood. He said, "The boss of the boss seems to have a lot of opinions about the government."
…
…
For Bob and Wood, the boss of the boss of the newspaper company, the giant Sanlin United Bank, had decided to fully support the newspaper company in its war against the Federation government. This was not a very difficult puzzle for them.
They didn't want the newspaper company to participate in the war between the government and the seven families. In fact, before publishing the news that shocked the Federation, they, who had independent editorial rights, didn't have any contact with the board of directors. Therefore, at the emergency hearing on Parliament Hill later, when faced with the aggressive questioning of a certain member of parliament, Chief Editor Bob smiled and didn't admit to any of the accusations.
"According to the News Information Confidentiality Act and the Citizen's Privacy Act, I refuse to explain the source of the evidence to the hearing. In addition, according to Article 4, Section 27 of the Charter, news reports are never required to bear the burden of proof. If the parties involved in the report believe that the report harms their rights and interests with false facts, they can file a lawsuit. Please note that this is a private prosecution case."
Chief Editor Bob's expression was serious. He looked around at the political bigwigs in the Parliament Hill and said, "If Mr. Pabre accuses the newspaper company of slander, even though he is a lawyer and I am a web novelist, I still welcome a lawsuit with him."
A radical member of the Pabre faction, who had just been elected to parliament, angrily took off his boots and slammed them on the table. He shouted at him from more than ten meters away, "According to the Patriotism Act, you must answer honestly and without restrictions. Otherwise, you will be severely accused."
"I want to know what you can accuse me of."
Chief Editor Bob pressed down on the shoulder of the enraged Wood, stared at the member of parliament, and asked in a harsh tone, "The Patriotism Act? From the first day this act was passed in Parliament Hill, I was not ready to accept it. In fact, as a citizen, I have filed a lawsuit with the Supreme Court. I think this act seriously violates the Charter and should be revoked immediately. "
The hearing was temporarily adjourned. Wood brought him a glass of water and looked at the members whispering around him. He said with a smile, "Tai Zhiyuan has also been trying to reverse the case for the Ancient Clock Ship. They have provided information to major newspapers, although not as detailed and reliable as ours. But no newspaper company dared to publish it. Why? Because they are afraid of death. But to be honest, I am also afraid. "
"When you are not afraid of death, you usually won't die. Because if you die at this time, then they have no way to explain this matter clearly."
Chief Editor Bob said, "But although you won't die, I think you will definitely be scolded."
…
…
In the cold late autumn, it was still rain instead of snow. When the rain fell on the long stone steps in front of Parliament Hill, it didn't take long for it to turn into pieces of round ice, making the stone steps extremely wet and slippery. Chief Editor Bob and Wood walked out of Parliament Hill with umbrellas. They supported each other as they walked down the stone steps. Their movements were extremely clumsy.
The two walked to the bottom of the stone steps with difficulty. What greeted them were countless flashing lights and microphones, as well as the insults of the agitated people, such as traitors, running dogs, and dog excrement.
"Chief Editor, I heard that the board of directors of the Capital Special District Daily has been secretly receiving financial support from the Sanlin United Bank. So, does your report today have anything to do with the government's investigation of those big families? "
After all, they were in the same profession, so the way they asked the question was relatively gentle. But the reaction of the surrounding crowd was even more intense. They crumpled the newspaper in their hands into paper balls, threw them in anger, and shouted loudly to beat the running dogs of the evil Li Family to death.
Under the protection of the police, Chief Editor Bob and reporter Wood withstood the attack of paper balls that were denser than the raindrops. They shrank their bodies behind the umbrella, looked at each other, and showed a bitter smile.
Amid the banging sounds, Wood angrily cursed, "Scold all you want. Just for my half-crippled leg in the rain, I will take Pabre down."
Chief Editor Bob let go of his hand that was supporting his elbow. With one hand holding the umbrella with difficulty, he put the other hand into his windbreaker and fumbled for a long time. He took out a thick cigarette and handed it over. He smiled and comforted, "I think the protesters in Nanke State will definitely not scold us. They love us very much."
Under the long stone steps of Parliament Hill, the cold rain in late autumn fell on the black umbrellas, making patter sounds. The angry crowd threw paper balls that fell on the umbrellas and bodies, making patter sounds. In such a miserable environment, the two reporters hunched their bodies and began to taste the high-quality coarse tobacco that was flown in from Naha State. The blue smoke and the aroma gradually filled the air.
The black umbrellas were suddenly opened by someone. Bob and Wood, whose mood was interrupted, frowned and looked at the several officials in black overalls in front of them. They asked, "What's the matter?"
"Let me introduce myself." The leader of the officials wiped the water droplets on his forehead and said slowly, "I'm Inspector Chen Yijiang from the Federation Government Joint Investigation Department. Please follow us back for investigation."
Chief Editor Bob looked at the man with a wooden expression and saw the raindrops on his glasses. After a moment of silence, he asked, "What's the reason?"
Chen Yijiang was slightly startled. He took out a document from his pocket and slowly read, "Your report promotes the Empire and destroys the Federation's preparations for war. You are suspected of treason."
…
…
The silent march had been going on for almost half a year. The protesters who opposed the Federation Government and demanded that President Pabre resign and be investigated gradually grew like weeds in every district of the Federation.
Because of the military control of the capital airport, the three thousand marchers from the four states around the mountain chose to walk from the port city to the capital. The crowd walked slowly and silently along the famous high-speed rail line. They gathered when they came across towns, held concerts when they came across mountains, cheered when they came across police, and whistled when they came across beautiful women.
On the road, there were always people who got lost. The silent march seemed absurd and relaxed, but in fact, it was extremely well-organized. It even asked the people who participated to not leave any garbage behind them.
The combination of the grand carnival and the strict political demands made many people choose to leave. However, on the way from the port city to the capital, there were many young people who were dissatisfied with the current situation of the Federation, or simply wanted to add a touch of absurdity to their life resume. The number of people didn't decrease. Instead, it snowballed more and more.
Late at night the day before yesterday, the parade entered the territory of South Kezhou. This morning, the total number of people was more than twenty thousand. They wore black masks and began to walk along the main road of South Kezhou's capital. Occasionally, they would dance silently. Except for the sound of their footsteps and rhythm, the silence was terrifying.
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