Chapter 699 Horse Racing·Gun of Morning Light II
Kurd's round face was immediately filled with smiles, and his cheeks became even more shiny due to the excessive smile. He rubbed his hands, appearing extremely attentive, and his voice He said eagerly:
"Sir Abraham, it is a great honor for you to come! Don't worry, I, Kurd, will personally supervise all the matters you mentioned, no matter how big or small, and I will never let you worry about it!" The government affairs of the New Alliance, especially the coordination with the Honkai Administration Bureau, have always been the focus of my Cultural Committee. I have always emphasized that the seamless connection between culture and government affairs can better promote the development of all parties. .”
Kurd then continued:
“Our Cultural Committee has also been committed to maintaining cultural exchanges among various ethnic groups and coordinating various conflicts of interest, especially when it comes to border areas. In terms of affairs, of course I fully support the work of the Administration!
You see, the strength of law enforcement of the Administration in the New World is obvious to all. Our Cultural Committee has always cooperated. Not only did it not obstruct, but we vigorously promoted the great achievements of the Administration through various channels. Look, which media has not included Honkai Management? The game is held in high esteem? "
He kept talking, with the usual slickness of bureaucrats, and every word showed his extreme "loyalty" and "efficiency."
"Of course, like It is the horse racing business you mentioned, and it is also a manifestation of our Cultural Committee's efforts to balance the interests of all parties. It involves the implementation of policies of the New Alliance and the Kingdom of Heaven. We have always followed the will of the Kingdom of Heaven, and are headed by the Administration. We have no other ideas. "
The fourth sword holder in the Kingdom of Heaven tilted his head slightly, listening to Kurd's tirade, a warm and bright smile flashed in his eyes.
His golden eyes had a different kind of luster. , his eyes seemed to penetrate Kurd's hypocritical smile.
When Kurd finally stopped talking incessantly, Xia Xiu spoke slowly, with a hint of teasing in his calm voice:
"Really? I didn't expect your Cultural Committee to be so supportive of the work of the Administration. . Unfortunately, that’s not what I heard.”
The smile on Kurd’s face froze.
“I heard that the Cultural Committee interfered too much in the logistics review at the junction. Not only did it line their own pockets, they also raised an extraordinary army privately and made profits secretly.”
“Not to mention , you have been making work more difficult for the horse racing industry.”
There was a moment of embarrassment on the face of the fat director Kurd. The corners of his mouth twitched, and the panic in his eyes almost overflowed, but he soon returned to his smile, and his face was still full of flattery. Zhu Xiaxiu said:
"Ahaha, sir, which bastard are you talking about who dares to gossip in front of you?! These rumors are simply shameless! Scum with ulterior motives, I assure you, We will never tolerate such nonsense!
The Honkai Administration Bureau is the cornerstone of the New Alliance, how can we, the Cultural Committee, obstruct it? It’s just those villains who are spreading random rumors and slandering us!”
He was smiling all over his face and tried his best to avoid responsibility in his words.
After Xia Xiu finished listening, he had a noncommittal look on his face and raised the corners of his mouth slightly. Then, he spoke slowly:
"Director Kurd, there is no need to say more about the situation."
The blond young man narrowed his eyes slightly and stared at the director in front of him:
"I am not here today to listen to your clichés. "
"The reason why I am here is because of the racing affairs of the New Era Racecourse. Commissioned by John K. Hanks, the Prime Minister of the Committee and the Arbitrator of the Mediation Court."
As he spoke, Xia Xiu still had his warm and bright smile on his face, like. It was as relaxed as chatting, but as every word came out of his mouth, the atmosphere in the entire room condensed, and the surrounding air began to become thick and depressing. The invisible pressure was like a mountain, shrouding the air. On the director's body.
Kurd faced this terrifying aura, cold sweat slid down his fat cheeks, and he subconsciously touched the [Financial Beast] card in his pocket.
As a senior official of the Federation and a member of a financial institution, he carries five [Financial Beast] cards from the Federation's fifty-four cards.
Although his proficiency in controlling these evil beast cards is very poor, these five cards are enough to make him confident in front of ordinary people.
However, facing the fourth sword holder in heaven, these cards are simply a joke.
But just knowing that, he still subconsciously held the card in his pocket tightly, his fingertips turned white, and his palms were already wet with cold sweat.
Xia Xiu glanced at his actions and didn't pay too much attention. His eyes were still focused. He stretched out his right hand and raised three fingers:
"I am here only to do three things - Fair, fair, and..."
"Fair!"
The golden eyes of the fourth sword holder in the Kingdom of Heaven are like sharp knives piercing Kurd's eyes at this moment, his smile is still bright, But the threat and coldness hidden in it shocked Kurd.
"I have seen the government documents of the Social and Cultural Committee, so I know what you, or the group behind you, are doing - whether it is cultural isolation policies or internal exploitation."
Kurd felt a chill spreading down his spine, his fingers were trembling slightly, his fat body tightened involuntarily, and the smile on his face seemed stiff.
He wanted to open his mouth to defend, but found that his throat was dry and he couldn't say a word at all.
And Xia Xiu’s words were still echoing in his ears:
“I didn’t care before, but now, all your department’s policies were immediately stopped by me—especially the reports under your department. Department, stop demonizing reports, and stop adding explosives to the powder keg.
At the same time, unblock the so-called cultural isolation zone for people with strange hooves, and unblock the censorship of cultural festivals and customary activities of infected people. Mechanism to unlock the licensing review system for cultural activities of infected people
If you can't do it, then I'll let you experience the Authority's own 'fairness'. "
Director Kurd felt an unprecedented humiliation and anger. This humiliation slowly fermented in his heart, burning his remaining pride like a corrosive.
His fat His face was full of smiles, but his heart was like a wild beast on the verge of breaking out.
The humiliation mixed with hatred made him almost breathless, but the fourth sword holder in the Kingdom of Heaven was golden. Under the eyes, he didn't dare to show anything strange.
He could only squeeze out a smile, suppress the shame in his heart, and agreed in a low voice:
"Definitely, definitely, everything will be done according to your instructions without any delay."
Xia Xiu stood up, stretched out his hand to raise the wine glass, and took a sip of Silver Moon Wine, as if he didn't notice at all. The director of the Social and Cultural Committee in front of him was feeling turbulent in his heart.
This wine is good, I can buy a few bottles in the future. He praised a few words in his heart.
Then, Xia Xiu picked up his top hat and silver cane, lowered his eyes slightly, and smiled indifferently:
"I hope that the unblocking notice will be released within today. About There is a green light to lift the domestic blockade. I don’t want to hear any excuses - you are more sneaky than anyone else in the blockade and unblocking.”
After that, he told the director that he was busy with work and wanted to leave first.
Immediately, the director could only see the back of the fourth sword holder in the Kingdom of Heaven who turned around and walked out of the room without hesitation.
*
*
When Xia Xiu's figure completely disappeared outside the door, only the director's gloomy face and the secretary's panicked figure were left in the room.
The entire space seemed to be enveloped by low air pressure, and the suffocating silence was disturbing.
Suddenly.
Bang——
A loud noise broke the dead silence. The director slapped the bottle of precious Silver Moon wine to the ground. The bottle shattered instantly and the wine splashed everywhere. , glass shards flew across the secretary's thighs, leaving several bright red gashes. Although the pain spread throughout his body, the secretary only dared to stand trembling, not daring to say a word.
The fat director showed a flash of anger on his face, gritted his teeth and ordered in a low voice:
"You just heard it. Do what he said and implement it immediately. Send a warning to those departments and ask them to be honest. Tell them that the 'wild dogs' have targeted them. If they dare to act recklessly again, they will be in danger. Looking for a dead end."
He sneered and continued: "Don't those guys always think that the Administration is a wild dog on the outside? Let them know now that this dog is no joke. "
The secretary nodded immediately, responded with a hint of trembling: "Yes, director" and quickly left the room.
After the secretary left, the director walked to the quaint telephone with a tired look, stretched out his hand and dialed a few numbers, and the call was quickly connected.
"In."
A hoarse response came from the other side, and he spoke coldly:
"About Mikhail and those infected people, let's stop for now - the biggest 'wild dog' has already set its sights on us. , tell your people to be honest... No, wait, the matter about Mikhail cannot be completely stopped."
A coldness flashed in the director's eyes, and he continued:< br>
"Although that monster has a huge appetite, cutting off half or even three-quarters of our years of hard work should be able to feed him temporarily. Looking at his acting style, you should understand that he and The Federation's Atlas, like the giants, is a "political animal" through and through. "
"Don't be too anxious. Let's look at the situation first. Let's shut down the blood network first and don't let the wild dogs. If you can't smell it, I'll scrap it if you can't cover it up. You should also pay attention to the Blood Branch people. If a guy like Mikhail can create a violent society on the scale of Jiefang Hoofsheng, there must be someone behind it. them.”
"Well... let's leave it like this for now."
After giving all the instructions, Kurd hung up the phone and slumped back in his chair, exhaustion flooding his body like a tide.
His eyes were dim and dull, and all his strength was drained away at this moment.
He unconsciously reached out his hand and touched an old photo on the table.
That was a photo of him and a little girl - in the photo, he was wearing casual clothes, with a long-lost smile on his face, holding the girl high with both hands, and the girl's face was also filled with innocence A bright smile.
His fingertips lightly traced the slightly yellowed edge of the photo. The touch was cold, taking away the last trace of warmth from him.
Looking at the bright smile in the photo, Kurd felt an uncontrollable heaviness in his heart, and some kind of depressive cloud enveloped his heart.
That carefree smile formed a sharp contrast with his mood at the moment, making him feel an indescribable loss.
Thinking of the undoubted golden eyes of the fourth sword holder in the Kingdom of Heaven and the lingering intimidation just now, Kurd felt that he was in a net that could collapse at any time and could not escape.
Looking again at the innocent smile of the girl in the photo, Kurd suddenly felt a stabbing pain in his chest - the emotion that had long been wiped out by politics seemed to well up from the deepest part of his heart.
But then, he quickly closed his eyes, suppressed the surging emotions, and took a deep breath.
“This is just a temporary difficulty, Kurd, isn’t it always like this along the way.”
*
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04:15PM .Weather/Overcast.
New York City, Manhattan's North End.
The weather was gloomy, with drizzle falling, and the gray clouds seemed to blend into the depressive atmosphere on the ground.
The Northern District of Manhattan in New York City was once an old industrial area, but after large-scale urban transformation, it has now become a high-tech entertainment and sports center in New York City.
Under the rain curtain, the splendor and desolation of the city present a sharp contrast. In the urban green space, a modern stadium with avant-garde shape and smooth lines has risen.
The New York High-Tech Park next to the stadium has become a landmark building in the city with its futuristic design.
Bright neon lights and floating holographic projections add endless vitality and sense of technology to this area, and rainwater slides down the surface of the giant building.
However, behind this luxurious arena, there is another forgotten world hidden.
Different from the prosperity of the green space, that area is tightly surrounded by high walls and has become a dark and isolated area in the city.
The buildings in the quarantine area form an extreme contrast with the gorgeous buildings in the stadium and high-tech park.
Residential buildings in disrepair, temporary shacks, and abandoned factory buildings are scattered here and there.
Every building looks bleak, with cracks and peeling paint on the brick walls, and broken windows that reveal the darkness inside.
These buildings do not have modern facilities, the power supply and water supply systems are often interrupted, and the corridors are filled with stagnant water and a musty smell.
In the small room, the infected people were barely crowded together, and the living area of each family was extremely limited.
The houses are simple, cold in winter and hot in summer. Rainwater drips through the damaged roof and forms cold water stains on the ground. Plastic sheets can even be seen swinging in the wind on the ground, acting as substitutes for broken windows.
And right between the quarantine area and the luxurious arena, a huge steampunk-style zeppelin slowly sailed through the sky.
The outer shell of the airship is covered with complex copper pipes and gear structures, enveloping it with a sense of mechanical and classical beauty.
These steampunk airships are equipped with a device that is contradictory to their style - a large virtual projector.
They cast huge virtual projections in the air, and the projections staggered in the dark space between the quarantine area and the playing field.
Several huge fonts flashed on the projection:
[Breaking through the limits, witnessing the unyielding will——]
Then the scene switched to the arena, where the contestants were fighting hard on the difficult track.
Every obstacle crossed and every cry made are presented as epic heroic feats through thaumaturgic special effects. Accompanied by the shocking background music, the pictures sparkle with brilliance, creating endless magnificence and heroism.
The brilliant scene in the stadium is spread to every corner of the quarantine area through virtual projection. However, these quarantined people can only look up at the untouchable picture through the dilapidated windows.
The rain slid down their hair and cheeks, reflecting the glory in the virtual world. The lives of the infected were still difficult, as if it had nothing to do with them.
This is not the hub, this is the real world - the status gap experienced by infected people between the hub and the real world is worse than anyone imagined.
In Level I quarantine area.
The drizzle fell from the gray sky, gently hitting the plastic roof of the old awning, making a subtle rustling sound.
Rainwater drips along the eaves of the shed and gathers into small streams, flowing slowly along the ground.
Lina huddled in the corner of the awning, holding a delicate card tightly in her hand.
Printed on the card is a horse and a girl with horse ears with a bright smile, from which a few lines of words can be vaguely seen - [Silver Moon Hoof·Alicia].
This is one of the horse racing girls that Lina admires most.
She raised her head and looked through the gap in the awning at the Zeppelin floating slowly not far away.
The huge projection cloth of the airship shone in the gray sky, projecting the ongoing horse racing competition.
Lina's eyes were fixed on the projection screen, and several children around her were also watching intently, with a trace of desire and envy shining in everyone's eyes.
They are all infected with strange hoof disease like Lena, a group of children who are excluded from the world.
On the projection screen, the racing girls are running hard, speeding along the complicated track.
The children watched the game with bated breath.
The same goes for Lina. She squeezed the card in her hand with a little force. The thin piece of paper carried all her hopes and fantasies.
If you ask her why she likes to watch games?
She had imagined more than once that she could be like Silver Moon Hooves, running on the track, facing the wind and sunshine, and becoming the focus of the audience.
But reality doesn’t shine as brightly as the racehorse chicks on the screen.
Lina looked down at her horse ears, and gently touched her fingers on the pair of ears that were always laughed at in school and always asked to be hidden in the market.
She remembered her mother's advice - "Be low-key, people outside don't understand us." - Her mother always asked her to wear a wide hat to cover her ears, but Lina didn't like it. That hat, because she thought her ears were cute and they made her feel special.
“Why can’t we be like them?”
Lina asked herself more than once. She looked at the racehorse girls on the screen, the girls who were loved and cheered for all over the world, who had ears just like hers and even had tails.
But why can they become heroes while I can only hide under this dilapidated awning to watch the game?
Not long ago, Lina naively thought that children like her who were infected with strange hoof disease were just different. People who were as different as Silver Moon Lightning could be admired.
However, as she grew older, she gradually realized that the outside world did not accept their "differences".
Every time she walked into the classroom, she could feel the curiosity and distant gazes of her classmates, as well as the low snickers and indifferent rejections.
She never played with other children, who would not sit with her and would stay away from her even during recess.
She has tried to join their games, but has always been gently rejected:
“You can’t play with us, your ears are too weird.”
The words confused her, but she didn't quite understand why.
Sometimes, Lina will think of the Wonder Hoof Festival that her mother told her, which is the "festival of the infected" for them.
It was a festival for those infected with horses. Everyone wore bright clothes, celebrated each other, and even sang and danced in the streets.
However, the Qi Hoof Festival was banned for several years.
She has been looking forward to this year’s Curious Hoof Festival, but when she asked her mother when she could celebrate again, her mother’s answer disappointed her: “It won’t be held this year, they won’t let us do it. ”
My mother told her that the outside world didn’t like their holiday and thought it was too “weird”.
Lina doesn’t understand why “they” don’t let everyone celebrate their holidays together.
She thinks the Hoof Festival is very happy, why don’t others like it?
Lina once asked her mother why, they were just different from others, but her mother’s answer was always the same: “People outside don’t understand us.”
“ Why don't they understand?" Lena asked herself softly, looking at the flickering projection on the Zeppelin with confusion.
There were too many doubts and puzzles in her heart. The world was like a closed door to her. A faint light shone through the crack of the door, but she could never push it open.
She likes her ears and thinks they are cute, and even often imitates a pony running in front of the mirror.
But whenever she runs freely at home, her mother's expression becomes serious: "It's OK at home, but not outside, remember?"
As time goes by, Lina begins to realize The outside world doesn't welcome people like her.
She has asked her mother countless times at home: "Why are we different from others? Can I go to the park to play and make friends with other children like them?"
Every time, Her mother would tell her gently:
“Because we are special, you have to learn to protect yourself and don’t let others hurt you.”
However, this gentle protection confused Lena. She didn't understand why she had to be hurt, why the world was so different just because she had horse ears.
She looked out the window, eager to play with other children, but afraid of being rejected again.
She has too many questions about the world, but not enough answers yet.
For example, she likes horse racing girls.
Because of them, those classmates who had not communicated with her in the past began to surround her, ask her questions, and began to be willing to make friends with her.
But my father was very annoying, even disgusted.
He did not allow himself to watch the game, and told himself sternly that when he grew up, he would never be like them, and he was not allowed to collect those cards about horse racing girls...
Lina remembered The only time her father scolded her was because she had a large collection of horse racing cards.
Those cards... were all burned by my father.
She cried in pain and even cursed at her father: "You are the most annoying and incompetent father in the world!!!"
She still remembers the look in her father's eyes.
numbness, helplessness, pain, and...indescribable sadness.
(End of this chapter)