Chapter 653: This has nothing to do with right or wrong, it’s just their choice
Chapter 653 This has nothing to do with right or wrong, it’s just their choice
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In the studio of a certain TV station, House, dressed in a suit and leather shoes, sat at a long table, piled up a thick stack of press releases, and started broadcasting today’s news program.
”Dear viewers, welcome to House’s Daily Observation. I am your dearest Mr. House.”
”Just last night, the barbarians in Qingquan City shamelessly detained six law-abiding merchants from the Bughra Free State! There is no doubt that this is naked robbery… Look, they claim to be enemies with looters, but what is the difference between what they do and looters?”
”Just as they plundered the wealth of the residents of Boulder City, now they are extending their greedy claws to us who are honest and loyal.”
”It’s a pity that we didn’t establish diplomatic relations with them. Poor Mr. Cindyson can only pay for his carelessness… They should choose their trading partners carefully. Doing business with gangsters will never end well.”
”Here is a short message. Our beloved Mayor Odo said that at the request of the Chief of the Great Rift Valley, we will try to cooperate with the Alliance on issues related to mutant slime mold… What?!”
Looking at the press release in his hand, House, who was still reading the script a second ago, suddenly widened his eyes and almost fell off his chair.
Cooperate with the Alliance?
Are you kidding? !
…
Mr. House’s show is not popular in the Bugera Free State, and its ratings are not even ranked among countless similar shows.
Most citizens neither like their mayor nor the pedantic and dog-licking tone of this guy, so his show is only popular in the eyes of the inner city nobles of the Stone City who fled to the Free State.
Sometimes players of the Alliance will watch his show for fun, and occasionally share excerpts on the official website forum.
But what’s interesting is that only today, House’s reaction in the show is surprisingly consistent with the vast majority of Free State citizens who accidentally watched his show. Whether intentionally
or unintentionally, the Alliance has ruined the Free State’s good things more than once, and the authorities’ propaganda has portrayed the Alliance as an old enemy that “hinders them from getting rid of the rule of the Great Rift Valley” and a gangster that prevents their company from doing business in the Luoxia Province.
And now, they are actually going to cooperate with “gangsters”!
What a joke!
The scene of the press conference.
Facing the microphones stretched in front of him, Odo knew that he couldn’t explain to his supporters, so he could only bite the bullet and say it.
”…That’s the opinion of the Great Rift Valley. I understand your dissatisfaction, but I have no other choice.”
Hearing his explanation, the press conference was in an uproar, and people’s emotions were out of control for a time.
A man with a reporter’s badge on his chest squeezed through the crowd and tried to rush to the podium, but was stopped by a security guard wearing an exoskeleton.
Looking at the spineless mayor, the man shouted at him.
”Mr. Odo, do you know that just a few hours ago, the soldiers of the Alliance detained our merchants!”
Odo looked at the angry young man helplessly.
”I know-”
”You don’t know!” The man interrupted him angrily and pushed the guard who stopped him, “You are like a pug chasing after the Great Rift Valley! I am so ashamed of you!”
As soon as he finished speaking, he was handcuffed by the guards and was escorted away like a hero amid the cheers of the crowd.
Fearing that a water bottle would be thrown at him, the guards did not dare to use force on the guy.
Looking at the increasingly excited press conference, Odo sighed in his heart, but still patiently explained to these idiots.
”…Whether we succeed or not, we must try to talk to the people of the Alliance, otherwise the electricity bill will have to go up again next year.”
”Or let me put it another way. You don’t want the refrigerator door advertisement to go from 30 seconds to 45 seconds starting next year, do you?”
He said that casually, and no one knew whether it would turn out like this in the end.
After all, the chief didn’t tell him how much the energy price would rise, and how much the business owners would pass on the cost to the small leeks.
While Odo was busy dealing with the denunciations of the citizens, Sigma, who was sitting in the office on the top floor of the Firestone Group Building, was looking at the prosperous urban area outside the French window and the desolation carved on the skyline with a gloomy face.
Just yesterday, he had just met with the envoy of the Torch Church, but the instructions of the Great Rift Valley completely disrupted his plan.
Although the Free State is actually controlled by the Firestone Group, even so, it is not convenient for him to blatantly disobey the orders of the Great Rift Valley.
He knew it very well.
Although the Great Rift Valley settlement is far less prosperous than the Free State, the gap in military strength between the two sides is an insurmountable gap.
But at this moment, what he was more concerned about was actually another thing——
”… It is rumored that the Alliance managers have met with representatives from the Academy and the Enterprise in succession, and representatives from the Legion are also on their way to Dawn City.”
Standing in front of the desk, his confidant Xavier said respectfully.
Retracting his gaze from the French window, Sigma looked at Xavier.
”Academy?”
Xavier nodded seriously.
”Well… and I heard that the Academy contacted the Alliance before the Enterprise.”
Looking at Sigma with a frown, Xavier paused for a moment and continued.
”It’s also a rumor. I heard that… the Alliance is planning to form a cross-regional cooperation organization to solve the mutant slime mold nest that plagues all parts of the wasteland.”
”Combined with their relevant technology for manipulating slime mold fruiting bodies, I suspect they are planning to use this opportunity to expand their influence.”
This guess is indeed reasonable.
If the Alliance really has the ability to control the behavior of mutant slime molds, then the territory they govern will become their de facto jurisdiction.
Building a military base on the territory of the enterprise and the Academy.
They really dare to think.
Sigma sneered in his heart, but he did not take it lightly.
Those ancient survivors have an extraordinary obsession with mutant slime molds, after all, those guys once destroyed their world.
This is completely different from most survivors in the wasteland.
If the Alliance and enterprises and colleges establish closer cooperation, the living space of the Free State will be even smaller.
Not only that. What
if the Great Rift Valley is also won over by the Alliance, and then that old guy suddenly says, “Boulder City has joined the Alliance, you should join them too”, then it will really split!
He didn’t want to give away his years of hard work just because of someone’s words!
At this moment, the phone rang on the desk.
Guessing who was calling, Sigma reached out and touched his watch, and soon a light blue beam rose from the desk.
The man standing in the holographic beam was Oddo, who was at the press conference of the Free State authorities a few minutes ago.
”I’m sorry to bother you at this time, Mr. Sigma. I believe you should have heard that the chief of the Great Rift Valley hopes that we will cooperate with the Alliance on issues related to mutant slime mold… Just like before, they used energy as a bargaining chip to threaten him, and I could only agree to him.”
Looking at the respectful Mayor Oddo, Sigma said in a relaxed tone.
”Your choice is correct. We don’t have to stand on the opposite side of the Great Rift Valley.”
Seeing Sigma’s understanding, Oddo breathed a sigh of relief and continued to ask.
”What do you think?”
Sigma closed his eyes and thought for a long time, then opened his eyes after a moment and spoke slowly.
”I have no objection. Just follow the instructions of Mr. Chief and contact the Alliance in the name of the Free State.”
Although the several contacts between the Firestone Group and the Alliance ended in unpleasant results, the Free State has never had formal diplomatic contacts with the Alliance in an official capacity.
Odo hesitated and asked.
”Is this… really okay?”
Sigma said concisely.
”It’s not a bad thing to show a positive attitude in the things that Mr. Chief cares about, and we can grasp their movements by contacting them. If they refuse to cooperate, it doesn’t matter. At least we have done what we should do.”
”What about our citizens? There are many voices of opposition.” Odo said cautiously.
The candidate for the mayor of the Free State was nominated by the Great Rift Valley, but he was ultimately elected by the citizens. Because of the press conference just now, he has lost a large number of supporters. If he shows too much cooperation, his support rate will drop further.
His opponents even began to clamor to initiate impeachment procedures to drive him out of office.
Knowing what Odo was worried about, Sigma didn’t care and just said it lightly.
”Don’t worry about that. I will help you convince the opposition.”
Although it was just a light promise, after hearing this, Odo, who was originally nervous, suddenly showed a relieved smile on his face.
”I feel relieved with your words!”
Everyone in this settlement knows that the real owner of the Free State is Mr. Sigma.
The Firestone Group not only controls the most profitable business in the entire Free State, but also directly or indirectly controls more than 90% of the media in this settlement.
As long as this adult takes action, he doesn’t have to worry about the opposition at all. Those people will consciously shut up…
…
Just when all walks of life in the Bugera Free State were arguing over the “Cindyson case” and “Mayor Odo, the follower of the Great Rift Valley”, the “Industrial Zone Arson Case” opened in Dawn City also attracted widespread attention from all walks of life in the Alliance.
The case was opened at noon.
The audience seats in the Dawn City Court were full, and even the aisles in the last row were full of people, including people of different identities.
In fact, the original trial process would not be so fast, but because the parties pleaded guilty decisively and the chain of evidence was clear, the trial of the case was brought forward under the pressure of all parties.
At this moment, a young man in his early twenties stood in the dock. He had a resolute face and stood upright. He did not look like a bad guy, and he was a soldier at first glance.
This was indeed the case.
His name was Sun Yong, a soldier of the First Corps. He joined the army during the Luoxia Province War last year, and the reason for joining the army was also very simple, just to follow the footsteps of that adult.
Most of the soldiers in the First Corps were like this.
Most of them did not have a high level of education. They were either slaves rescued from the hands of plunderers by the Alliance or refugees sheltered by the Refugee Home.
He regarded the manager as something more important than life and honor, so when he heard that someone dared to insult his beloved leader, he was immediately overwhelmed by anger.
Now calm down and think about it, I really shouldn’t have been so impulsive at the time.
No matter what the reason, he shouldn’t vent his anger on the people he was supposed to protect.
Not only did he find the wrong target.
It almost led to more serious consequences…
Looking at the young man standing in the dock, the judge felt a little reluctant, but he still performed his duties conscientiously.
”Are you aware of the mistakes you made?”
Sun Yong nodded.
”I know.”
The defendant has pleaded guilty.
The next step is sentencing.
The judge sighed and continued.
”Then do you have anything else to add?”
Sun Yong shook his head.
”No.”
The lawyer sitting in the defense seat kept winking at him, trying to remind him to say something to seek leniency, but he didn’t even look over there.
Wrong is wrong.
He didn’t want to excuse his crime, he was willing to accept the judgment of the law.
Seeing that the defendant had no extra words to add, the judge was ready to announce the result of the trial.
At this moment, a voice suddenly came from the audience.
”Mr. Judge, I want to say a few words for my soldiers…”
Wrench, who originally didn’t intend to speak, couldn’t help but speak after all, but as soon as he stood up, a serious rebuke came from not far away from him.
”Mr. Commander of the First Corps, please pay attention to where you are standing now. This is the court of the Alliance, not your barracks! No one can say a word for the defendant except the defendant’s defense lawyer.”
Wrench immediately looked in the direction where the voice came from, and saw that the person who spoke was Old Charlie who was also standing in the audience.
Facing Wrench’s stunned and puzzled gaze, Old Charlie just looked at him calmly without frowning.
Others were afraid to speak because of his identity, but Old Charlie was not afraid of him.
”I – bah! I don’t mean what you said! I’m standing here as a citizen… I’m also a citizen of the Alliance, what’s wrong with me expressing my opinion?!”
Looking at Wrench who was arguing in a rough voice, Old Charlie continued expressionlessly.
”You are a citizen of the Alliance, and I am also a citizen of the Alliance! This is where my position is, and no one may interfere with the majesty of the law.”
Just when Wrench was scratching his head and couldn’t argue with the old man, the young man standing in the dock suddenly spoke.
”Captain, I have realized my mistakes. I have failed the trust of the management and everyone… I should be punished by the law. Please don’t plead for me anymore.”
Taking his eyes off the dumbfounded Wrench, Old Charlie looked at the young man standing in the dock and nodded approvingly.
This kid is a reasonable person.
Although he took some detours, if he reforms well in there, he may be a pillar of society when he comes out. There
was a whisper in the courtroom.
At this moment, another voice that made him frown suddenly sounded.
”Please wait a moment, Mr. Judge, I am the party involved… Although I don’t have any identity, I think I should be qualified to say a few words!”
A middle-aged man dressed well stood up from the bustling audience and walked to the aisle of the corridor.
Seeing that the bailiff who maintained order in the court did not stop him, he smiled and continued.
”To be honest, I was really scared that night, especially when I saw the warehouse on fire. I seemed to see your bravery on the battlefield in the flames.”
Sun Yong said embarrassedly with a red face.
”I’m sorry…”
”No, in fact, it’s me who should say sorry.”
Wang Tu sighed and turned to look at the people in the audience next to him.
”I am the director of Tujia Printing Factory. I’m sorry that I failed your trust. I didn’t check the newspapers sent out from the warehouse carefully, and some inexplicable things were mixed in. As a result, everyone has no newspapers to read today and can only come here to kill time… Later, I thought about it carefully for a long time, and this actually poses a huge safety hazard.”
”It only takes a few dozen coins to make three pieces of paper full of lies circulate in newsstands throughout the city. Fortunately, it’s just paper, not bombs or anything else.”
Looking at the whispering people, he paused and continued.
”I reflected all night. In the past year, I have been thinking about how to improve the productivity of the printing factory, how to improve production efficiency, save costs, and make more money…but I have always ignored the most important issue. My factory is not a pure machine, it is a part of this society. Its obligations should not only be production, but also the social responsibilities that belong to it.”
”Thank you for making me realize this. Before it causes bigger trouble, this lesson is not a very bad deal for me…besides, the insurance compensates me for my financial losses. Later, I will add an extra inspection process in the warehousing and outbound links to ensure that similar situations will not happen again.”
”In addition, I don’t think this is just my problem. I’m just a printing factory owner. I can check every order carefully, but you can’t expect me to check whether every order is true or false for you. At least we should have a media rating agency to give good people who tell the truth a higher rating! If no representative is willing to make this proposal, I will do it. If I am elected as a representative, this will be my first proposal!” Applause broke out
from the audience.
Looking at his supporters, Wang Tu smiled and nodded, then turned to look at the judge and said seriously.
”Mr. Judge, I know that there is no possibility of reconciliation in public prosecution cases, but can you please reduce his criminal responsibility appropriately because we all have an unshirkable responsibility and we are all aware of the problem… After all, the fire did not cause any casualties, it just burned some paper.”
”I think this is not just my idea. If because of my negligence, a young man who should have shed his blood for a greater cause sacrificed his youth, and I don’t have to bear any responsibility… This guilt will accompany me for the rest of my life.” There was even more enthusiastic
applause at the scene.
His words touched at least some people, and even the business owners who originally supported heavy sentences softened their attitudes.
There is no point in just heavy sentences.
This is not the Middle Ages where the gallows is needed to deter criminals, and who in the wasteland is really afraid of death?
If the rules are not improved, the things they are worried about will happen again and again, and the contradictions hidden under the water will become more and more acute, and this is just the beginning.
”Well said!” Wrench clapped his hands so hard that they turned red.
This guy is much better at talking nonsense than him!
He’s a talent!
Old Charlie didn’t clap, and his expression didn’t change at all, but when he looked at the guy who ran the printing factory, he showed a little surprise on his face.
He didn’t know if this guy was playing political speculation.
But at least just now, the guy won the favor of soldiers, citizens and other classes without offending other business owners with just a few words.
”Silence! Silence!”
The judge knocked the gavel twice, waited until the noise on the scene subsided, and continued to talk while looking at the man standing in the court.
”According to the existing law, I shouldn’t accept your suggestion.”
Wang Tu showed a regretful expression on his face.
Indeed.
All he could do was to plead for mercy.
But at this time, the judge paused and continued.
”But I have to admit that there are many details in the case that cannot be ignored, and these are not covered in our current legal provisions.”
As he said this, he cast his eyes on the crowded audience.
”I remember correctly that legislation is the work of the representative council. There should be representatives among you. I want to hear your opinions.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the audience immediately burst into a flurry of voices.
Some shouted that he was not guilty, some shouted that the sentence should be reduced, and some shouted that the sentence should be changed to social labor… The noisy scene did not look like a court, but a vegetable market.
Especially Wrench, who shouted the loudest and was so excited that his face was red.
Old Charlie looked at the old man with a frown, but he didn’t know what to say. After all, the laws of the alliance give judges a certain degree of autonomy in sentencing. If the judge allows the people in the court to speak, his behavior is reasonable in legal terms.
Although in theory judges should not be influenced by public opinion, how can they not be influenced at all in reality?
The laws of the alliance are formulated by the representative council, and the representatives are born from the citizens. Those clauses themselves are the projection of the citizens’ will.
Looking at the noisy audience, the judge had to knock the gavel again and speak loudly to the court.
”Innocence is impossible!”
”But I also agree that the defendant’s criminal responsibility should be appropriately reduced… This is in consideration of the active forgiveness of the injured party, the lack of casualties, and the defendant’s good attitude towards admitting guilt.”
Looking at the cheering audience, Sun Yong’s face was full of surprise.
When his eyes met the smiling Wang Tu, he couldn’t help but feel guilty, and he buried his eyes in shame. At
this moment, the guilt in his heart was much deeper than when he calmed down last night.
If that person had been more arrogant, scolded him, or even thrown things at him, he would have felt a little better.
However, that person was actually like him, longing for the alliance to become greater and better. His self-righteous justice did not punish any evil people who should be punished, but only hurt a compatriot…
Standing in the middle of the cheering crowd, looking at Wrench who raised his eyebrows at him, Old Charlie sighed, not knowing what to say, shook his head and turned around to walk out of the court.
He expected Wrench to come here, and was ready to play the black face to the end and maintain the dignity of the law, but he didn’t expect an unknown person to come out halfway.
He had nothing to say about this result.
After leaving the court, Old Charlie told Chu Guang the situation on the scene through VM, and hesitated to express his opinion.
”I don’t know if this is right.”
Looking at the slightly troubled old Charlie, Chu Guang, who had just reached a cooperation intention with the company, smiled and said in a good mood.
”It has nothing to do with whether it is right or not, it is just their choice.”
Looking at Chu Guang’s smile, Old Charlie misunderstood and asked after hesitating for a moment.
”Can I understand that… you are very satisfied with this result.”
Chu Guang said with a smile.
”I can’t say I am satisfied, but I am indeed very relieved. Of course, this has nothing to do with the result of the penalty… Do you still remember, the earliest rules on this land were the terms I wrote on the VM. There are only three short sentences on it, no killing, no robbery, and no stealing.”
Old Charlie nodded and said.
”Of course I remember, it was not a long time ago.”
Chu Guang continued in a relaxed tone.
”Yes, it didn’t take long before those clauses became so thick that they couldn’t even write a book. They began to propose solutions to our problems and took the initiative to take on more social responsibilities… I agree with what the small businessman said. This is not a losing business. We only used a small fire to exchange for social progress and avoid greater troubles in the future.”
”I am glad that it didn’t take them too long to realize that only self-disciplined people can gain true freedom.”
He knew very well that the omnipotent philosopher king described by Plato in “The Republic” was impossible to exist, but too many survivors in the alliance had too many unrealistic fantasies about him. Fortunately, he had a clear understanding of himself and knew that he was just an ordinary human being. In
fact, he has always been guiding the residents of the alliance to solve some problems spontaneously.
Whether it is selecting representatives from all walks of life and later all classes, or letting players initiate proposals on the forum, these are what he has been doing.
Even if some proposals are not mature, what does it matter?
There are some problems that he himself has no better solution.
With someone proposing and someone improving, things will always get better little by little.
Old Charlie said with a wry smile.
”Maybe my mindset hasn’t changed yet… maybe I should really retire.”
Looking at the self-deprecating old man on the screen, Chu Guang said with a smile.
”You don’t have to force yourself to change. Conservative voices are also indispensable.”
(End of this chapter)
