Chapter 653 This Has Nothing to Do with Whether It Is Correct or Not, It Is Just Their Choice (1/2)

Bugla Free State.

In the studio of a certain TV station, House, who was dressed in formal clothes, sat at a long table, piled up a thick stack of press releases, and started live broadcasting today's news program.

"Dear viewers, welcome to the House Daily Observation Program. I am your dearest Mr. House."

"Just last night, the barbarians in Qingquan City shamelessly detained six law-abiding traders from the Bugla Free State! There is no doubt that this is an act of banditry... Look, they claim to be with the plunderers. Enemies, but what’s the difference between what they do and predators?”

"Just as they plundered the wealth of the residents of Boulder City, now they have extended 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. Hindison can only pay for his carelessness... They should choose their trading partners carefully. Doing business with gangsters never ends well."

"A brief message is inserted below. 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... What?!"

Looking at the press release in his hand, House, who was just following the script a second ago, suddenly widened his eyes and almost fell off his chair.

Cooperate with the alliance?

Are you kidding me? !

…

Mr. House's show was not popular in the Bugla Free State and was not ranked among the countless similar shows in the ratings.

Most citizens neither like their mayor nor the guy's pedantic tone, so his show is only popular among the inner-city nobles of Stone City who have fled to the Free State.

Sometimes players in the alliance will watch his programs for fun, and occasionally share excerpts on the official forum.

But what's interesting is that today, House's reaction on the show was surprisingly consistent with the vast majority of citizens of the Free State who accidentally watched his show.

Whether intentionally or unintentionally, the Alliance has ruined the good things of the Free State more than once. The authorities' propaganda has even exaggerated the Alliance into an old enemy that "impedes them from getting rid of the rule of the Great Rift Valley" and hinders their company's development in Sunset Province. A gangster going about his business.

And now, they actually want to cooperate with "gangsters"!

What a joke!

The scene of the press conference.

Facing a microphone stretched out in front of him, Odo knew that he could not explain to his supporters, so he could only bite the bullet and speak.

"...This is the opinion of the Great Rift Valley. I understand your dissatisfaction, but I have no other choice."

After hearing his explanation, the press conference was in an uproar, and people's emotions were out of control.

A man with a press badge on his chest pushed 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 angrily yelled at him.

"Mr. Odo, do you know that just a few hours ago, Alliance soldiers seized our merchants!"

Otto looked helplessly at the angry young man.

"I know--"

"You don't know!" The man interrupted angrily, pushing the guard who stopped him, "You are like a pug chasing behind the Great Rift Valley! I am really ashamed of you!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the guards cut his hands behind his back and put them in handcuffs. He was escorted away like a hero amidst the cheers and applause of everyone.

Worried about having a water bottle thrown at him, the guard didn't dare to be violent with the guy.

Looking at the increasingly exciting press conference, Odo sighed inwardly but still patiently explained to these idiots.

"...Whether we can succeed or not, we must try to talk to people in the alliance, otherwise the electricity bill will increase again next year."

"Or let me put it another way, you don't want to change the advertisement for opening the refrigerator from 30 seconds to 45 seconds from next year."

That was what he said casually, and no one knows whether it will turn out like this in the end.

After all, the chief executive didn't tell him how much energy prices would rise specifically, and how much costs those business owners would pass on to those little leeks.

While Odo was tired of dealing with the reprimands of the citizens, Sigma, who was sitting in the office on the top floor of the Firestone Group Building, was staring gloomily at the prosperous urban area and the desolation carved on the skyline outside the floor-to-ceiling windows.

Just yesterday, he had just received the messenger from the Torch Church, but the instructions from the Great Rift Valley completely disrupted his plan.

Although the Free State is actually in the hands of the Firestone Group, even so, it is not convenient for him to blatantly disobey the orders of the Great Rift Valley.

He knows it very well.

Although the Great Rift Valley settlement is far less prosperous than the Free State, there is an insurmountable gap in the force gap between the two sides.

But at this moment, what concerned him more was actually another thing——

"...There are rumors that the alliance managers have met with representatives from the academy and the enterprise, and representatives from the legion are also on their way to Dawn City."

Standing in front of the desk, his confidant Xavier said respectfully.

Looking away from the floor-to-ceiling window, Sigma looked at Xavier.

"College?"

Xavier nodded seriously.

"Hmm... Moreover, I heard that the time when the academy came into contact with the alliance was before the enterprise."

Looking at Sigma who frowned, 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 dedicated to solving the mutant slime mold nests plaguing various parts of the wasteland."

"Combined with the fact that they have the relevant technology to manipulate slime mold fruiting bodies, I suspect that they intend to use this opportunity to expand their influence outwards."

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 becomes their de facto jurisdiction.

Build military bases on corporate and college grounds.

How dare they think.

Sigma sneered in his heart, but he did not take it lightly.

Those ancient survivor forces have an extraordinary obsession with mutant slime mold, after all, those guys once destroyed their world.

This is completely different from most survivors in the wasteland.

If the alliance establishes closer cooperation with enterprises and academies, the Free State will have even less room for survival.

It's not just that.

If the Great Rift Valley is also won over by the alliance, and the old guy suddenly says, "Boulder City has joined the alliance, you should join them too", then it will be a real rift!

He doesn't want to give away his years of hard work just because of someone's words!

Just then, a call rang on the desk.

Guessing who was calling, Sigma reached out and touched his watch, and soon a light blue beam of light rose from the desk.

The man standing in the holographic beam was Odo, who was at the press conference of the Free State authorities a few minutes ago.

"I'm sorry to disturb 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... As before, they used energy as a bargaining chip to threaten , I can only promise him.”

Looking at Mayor Odo who looked respectful, Sigma said in a relaxed tone.

"Your choice is correct. There is no need for us to stand against the Great Rift Valley."

Seeing Sigma's understanding, Odo breathed a sigh of relief and continued to ask.

"What's your opinion?"

Sigma closed his eyes and thought for a long time. After a while, he opened his eyes and spoke slowly.

"I have no objection. Just follow Mr. Chief's instructions and contact the alliance in the official name of the Free State."

Although several contacts between the Firestone Group and the Alliance ended in unhappy results, the Free State has never launched formal diplomatic contact with the Alliance in an official capacity.

Otto asked after a slight hesitation.

"Is this... really no problem?"

Sigma said concisely and concisely.

"It's not a bad thing to show a positive attitude on things that the chief cares about, and we can understand their trends by contacting them. It doesn't matter if they refuse to cooperate, at least we have done what we should do."

"What about our citizens? There are quite a few voices of opposition." Odo said cautiously.

The candidate for mayor of the Free State is nominated by the Rift Valley, but 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 approval rating will drop further.

His opponents even started clamoring for impeachment proceedings to oust him.

Knowing what Odo was worried about, Sigma didn't care and just said something lightly.

"Don't worry, I will help you convince the opposition."

Although it was just an understatement, after hearing this sentence, a relieved smile suddenly appeared on Odo's face, which was still nervous.

"With your words, I feel relieved!"

Everyone in this settlement knows that the true master 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 lord takes action, he doesn't need to worry about any opposition at all. Those people will consciously keep their mouths shut...

…

Just when all walks of life in the Bugra Free State were making a fuss about the "Sindison Case" and "Mayor Odo, the follower of the Rift Valley", the "Industrial Zone Arson Case" that opened in Dawn City also caused a stir in the Alliance society. wide attention from all walks of life.

The case begins at noon.

The auditorium of Dawn City Court was packed with people, and even the aisle in the last row was filled with people of different statuses.

In fact, the original trial process would not have been so fast, but due to the decisiveness of the parties in pleading guilty and the clear chain of evidence, the trial of the case was advanced due to pressure from all parties.

At this moment, a young man in his early twenties was standing in the dock. He had a resolute face and a straight posture. He did not look like a bad guy, and he looked like he was from the military.

that's the truth.

His name is Sun Yong, and he is a soldier of the First Corps. He joined the army during the Luoxia Province war last year, and the reason for joining the army is very simple, just to follow in the footsteps of that adult.

Most of the soldiers of the First Corps were like this.

Most of them do not have a high level of education. They are either slaves rescued by the Alliance from predators, or refugees who are sheltered by refugee homes.

He regards managers as something more important than life and honor, so when he heard that someone dared to insult his beloved leader, he was immediately overwhelmed with anger.

Now that I calm down and think about it, I really shouldn't have been so impulsive at the time.

No matter what the reason, he should not vent his anger on the people he is supposed to protect.

Not only did he find the wrong person.

It almost led to more serious consequences...

Looking at the young man standing in the dock, the judge felt quite unbearable, but he still performed his duties conscientiously.

"Are you aware of the mistake you made?"

Sun Yong nodded.

"I am clear."

The defendant has pleaded guilty.

The next step is sentencing.

The judge sighed and continued.

"Then is there anything else you'd like to add?"

Sun Yong shook his head.

"No."

The lawyer sitting at the defense table kept winking at him, trying to remind him what to say to win leniency, but he didn't even look there.

Wrong is wrong.

He does not want to excuse his crimes, he is willing to accept the trial of the law.

Seeing that the defendant had nothing to add, the judge was ready to announce the outcome of the trial.

At this moment, a voice suddenly came from the audience.

"Mr. Judge, I would like to say a few words on behalf of my soldiers..."

Wrench, who originally didn't intend to speak, couldn't help but speak. However, as soon as he stood up, a serious scolding came from not far away from him.

"Mr. Commander of the First Corps, pay attention to where you are standing now. This is the alliance's court, not your military camp! Except for the defendant's defense lawyer, no one can say a word for him."

Wrench immediately looked in the direction of the sound, and saw that the person speaking was old Charlie who was also standing in the audience.

Faced with Wrench's stunned and puzzled gaze, Old Charlie just looked at him calmly without frowning.

Others were intimidated by his identity and found it difficult to speak, but old Charlie was not afraid of him.

"I - bah! I didn't mean what you said! I am standing here as a citizen... I am also a citizen of the alliance, what's wrong with me expressing my opinion?!"

Looking at Wrench arguing with a rough voice, old Charlie continued expressionlessly.

"You are a citizen of the Union, and I am also a citizen of the Union! My position is here, no one is allowed to interfere with the majesty of the law."

Just when Wanwan was scratching his head and scratching his head anxiously but couldn't say anything to the old man, the young man standing in the dock suddenly spoke.

"Captain, I have realized my mistake. I have betrayed the trust of the managers and everyone... I should be punished by law. Please stop interceding on my behalf."

Looking away from the dumbfounded Wrench's face, Old Charlie looked at the young man standing in the dock and nodded approvingly.

This kid is a sensible person.

Although it has taken some detours, if it is properly renovated on the inside, it will be a pillar of strength when it comes out.

There were whispers in the court.

At this moment, there was another voice that made him frown.

"Please wait a moment, Mr. Judge, I am the client...Although I have no identity, I think I should be qualified to say a few words!"

A well-dressed middle-aged man stood up from the bustling auditorium and walked to the aisle of the nearby corridor.

Seeing that the bailiff maintaining 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 awkwardly with a red face.

"sorry……"

"No, in fact, the one who should say I'm sorry...is actually me."

Wang Tu sighed and turned to look at the people in the audience beside him.

"I am the director of Tujia Printing Factory. I am sorry that I have betrayed your trust. I did not carefully check the newspapers sent out from the warehouse, and some inexplicable things were mixed in. As a result, there is no newspaper for everyone to read today. Being able to come here to kill time...I thought about it for a long time and realized that this actually poses a huge safety risk."

"For just a few dozen coins, three pieces of paper filled with lies can be circulated on newsstands across the city. Fortunately, they are just pieces of paper, not bombs or anything else."

Looking at the people whispering, 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 thing that cannot be ignored. The problem is, my factory is not a pure machine, it is part of this society, and its obligations should not only be production, but also its own social responsibilities. "

"Thank you for making me realize this. Before it caused greater trouble, this lesson was not a very bad deal for me... Moreover, the insurance compensated me for my financial losses. I will go in and out later." An additional inspection process will be added to the library to ensure that a similar situation will not happen again.”

"In addition, I think this is not just my problem. I just run a printing factory. I can carefully check every order, but you can't expect me to check whether every order is true or false for you." Words. At least we should have a media rating agency where good people who tell the truth get a higher rating! If no representative is willing to do this proposal, I will do it and if I am elected as a representative, it will be my number one. A 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 settlement in the public prosecution case, but can you please consider that all of us bear unshirkable responsibilities and we are all aware of the problem, and appropriately reduce his criminal responsibility... …After all, the fire did not cause any casualties, it just burned some paper.”

"I think this is not just my opinion. If because of my negligence, a young man who should have devoted his blood to a greater cause sacrificed his youth, but I don't have to bear any responsibility... This guilt will Follow me throughout my life.”

There was even louder applause.

His remarks impressed at least some people, and even business owners who originally supported the harsh sentencing could not help but soften their attitudes.

Merely imposing a heavy sentence makes no sense.

This is not the Middle Ages where the gallows was needed to deter criminals. Besides, who in the wasteland is really afraid of death?

If the rules are not perfected, the things they worry about will happen again and again, and the conflicts hidden under the water will become more acute, and this is just the beginning.

"Well said!" Wrench clapped hard, his hands turning red.

This guy can talk a lot more nonsense than he can!

It's a talent!

Old Charlie didn't applaud, and his expression didn't change at all, but when he looked at the guy who ran the printing shop, there was a hint of surprise on his face.

He didn't know if this guy was playing political speculation.

But at least just now, with just a few words, that guy had won the favor of soldiers, citizens and other classes without offending other business owners.

"Quiet! Quiet!"

The judge banged his gavel twice, waited until the noise at the scene subsided, then looked at the man standing under the court and continued.

"Under the existing law, I should not take your advice."

Wang Tu had a regretful expression on his face.

really.

All he could do was plead for mercy.

But at this time, the judge paused and continued.

"However, I have to admit that there are many details in the case that cannot be ignored, which are not covered by our current legal provisions."

As he spoke, he turned his attention to the crowded auditorium.

"I remember correctly that legislation is the work of the representative assembly. There should be representatives among you. I want to hear your opinions."

As soon as he finished speaking, the audience immediately burst into chatter.

Some shouted not guilty, some shouted that the punishment 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 like a vegetable market.

Especially Wrench, he shouted loudest and his face turned red with excitement.

Old Charlie looked at this boss with black lines on his head, but it was difficult to say anything. After all, the laws of the alliance gave the judge a certain amount of autonomy in sentencing. If the judge lets the people in the courtroom speak, his behavior is reasonable from a legal perspective. of.

Although in theory judges should not be affected by public opinion, in practice it is impossible for them not to be affected at all.

The laws of the Union are formulated by the representatives, and the representatives are born from the citizens. The provisions themselves are the projection of the will of the citizens.

Looking at the noisy audience, the judge had to bang the gavel again and said loudly to the court.

"Innocence is impossible!"

"However, I also agree that part of the defendant's criminal liability should be appropriately reduced... This is taking into account the active understanding of the injured party, no casualties, and the defendant's good attitude in pleading guilty."

Looking at the cheering audience, Sun Yong's face was full of surprise.

And when his eyes came into contact with the smiling Wang Tu, a trace of guilt appeared on his face, and he buried his eyes in shame.

At this moment, the guilt in his heart was far more profound than after he calmed down last night.

If that person is more arrogant and domineering, or scolds him, or even throws things at him, he will feel slightly better.

However, that person actually, like him, longed for the alliance to become greater and better. His self-righteous justice did not punish any evildoers 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 walked out of the court.

He expected that Wrench would come here, and he made plans to maintain the dignity of the law even though he was a black face to the end, but he didn't expect that an unknown person would appear halfway through.

He had nothing to say about this outcome.

After leaving the court, Old Charlie told Chu Guang exactly what happened at the scene through VM, and hesitantly expressed his opinion.

"I don't know if that's right."

Looking at the slightly troubled old Charlie, Chu Guang, who had just reached a cooperation agreement with the company, smiled in a good mood and said.

"It has nothing to do with whether it's right or wrong, it's just their choice."

Seeing Chu Guang's smile, old Charlie felt a little misunderstood and hesitated for a moment and asked.

"Can I understand that... you are satisfied with the result?"

Chu Guang said with a smile.

"I can't say I am satisfied, but I am indeed very pleased. Of course, this has nothing to do with the result of the penalty... Do you still remember that the earliest rules in this land are the terms I wrote on VM. The content above is only a short Three words: don’t kill, don’t rob, don’t steal.”

Old Charlie nodded and said.

"Of course I remember, it wasn't actually that long ago."

Chu Guang continued in a relaxed tone.

"Yes, it didn't take long for those clauses to be thick enough to be written in a book. They began to propose solutions to our existing problems and took the initiative to assume more social responsibilities... I very much agree with that A small businessman said that this is not a loss-making business. We only used a small fire to achieve social progress and avoid greater troubles in the future. "

"I'm glad it didn't take them too long to realize that true freedom comes only to those who have self-discipline."

He knew very well that the omnipotent philosopher king described by Plato in "The Republic" could not exist, but too many survivors of the alliance had too many unrealistic illusions about him. Fortunately, he has a clear understanding of himself. He knows that he is just an ordinary human being.

In fact, he has 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 allowing players to initiate proposals on the forum, this is what he has been doing.

Even if some proposals are immature, what does it matter?

There are some problems that he himself has no better solution for.

Someone proposes, someone improves, and things will always get better little by little.

Old Charlie said with a bitter smile.

"Maybe my thinking hasn't changed yet... maybe I really should 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."