Chapter 1087: Chapter 1086: The Best Is Yet to Come
Night fell.
The entire Governor’s Office of Area 11 had lost the daytime hustle and bustle, and those protesters had dispersed early. Only fully armed soldiers remained guarding the perimeter to prevent any unexpected incidents.
At this moment, a man in a black coat, hat, and scarf sneaked towards the Governor’s Office from the back.
"Stop!"
Despite his efforts to conceal himself, he was immediately discovered by patrolling soldiers when he reached the back door of the Governor’s Office. Several soldiers quickly raised their guns, aiming at him.
"Hands up, don’t move, who are you?"
"I’m Tamase Shinichiro from the Liberal Faction! I have something very important to report to Governor Clovis!"
Faced with the soldiers’ questioning, the man quickly raised his hands, speaking in a lowered voice.
"It concerns tomorrow’s signing. Someone plans to harm the Governor!"
"......"
Hearing Tamase Shinichiro’s words, the soldiers exchanged glances and nodded.
"Lower your hands and come with us, no tricks!"
"Alright, alright......"
Seeing them lower their guns, Tamase let out a sigh of relief and followed a few soldiers into the Governor’s Office. Before long, Clovis and a few of his confidants appeared in front of Tamase.
"You say......someone wants to harm me?"
"Yes, Governor."
Tamase nodded.
"Who are you?"
"I am a subordinate of Mr. Ougi, Tamase Shinichiro."
"Oh......a representative of the people of Area 11......"
Hearing the name "Ougi," a cold light flashed in Clovis’s eyes.
"Well, let’s hear it, what’s going on?"
"Here’s the thing......just yesterday, members of the Japanese Liberation Front approached Mr. Ougi, expressing their desire to join his negotiation delegation, intending to take advantage of the signing moment to kidnap you!"
"Oh? Is that so?!"
Upon hearing this, Clovis immediately sat up straight, and the people behind him turned serious.
"Is this true? What do they hope to achieve by kidnapping me?"
"I’m not quite sure, but the Japanese Liberation Front seems to be planning to use you as a hostage to negotiate with the Britannian Empire......"
"Quite interesting..."
In response to Tamase’s words, Clovis let out a cold laugh.
"So, why are you telling me this?"
"Mr. Ougi believes the Liberation Front’s actions are incredibly foolish. We simply wish to live in peace without further conflicts with Britannia! However, the Liberation Front’s method puts us in a very passive position. Hence, Mr. Ougi sent me to report this to you, Governor, hoping you’ll be cautious. This also represents our sincerity in negotiations."
"Hmm......you indeed have shown sincerity."
Hearing this, Clovis nodded, then whispered a few words to those beside him before speaking.
"Let’s proceed as planned. Tomorrow’s signing ceremony will go as scheduled. Mr. Ougi will be in the first car, and as for the members of the Liberation Front you’re talking about, let them take the second car, and we’ll lead them away midway. The signing will proceed as normal, is that alright?"
"Yes, that’s fine, thank you, Governor."
"Heh, you may leave now."
Clovis chuckled at Tamase’s response and gestured for him to leave.
After this, Tamase left the Governor’s Office under the cover of several soldiers. Once he confirmed no one was around, he immediately took out his phone, and soon, Mr. Ougi’s voice came from the other end.
"How did it go, Tamase?"
"Governor Clovis said the signing will proceed, so we just need to..."
In a low voice, Tamase repeated Clovis’s words to Ougi.
"......That’s how it is."
"......I understand."
After listening to Tamase’s report, Ougi was silent for a moment before responding.
"But Mr. Ougi, should we really do this? Betraying our allies in the Liberation Front......"
"We’re not betraying them; we’re securing our future! We are ordinary people, not soldiers!"
However, before Tamase could finish, Ougi cut him off.
"We rose up hoping to live a peaceful life free from Britannians’ oppression. Now, victory is within reach, but these soldiers plan to disrupt it. I absolutely won’t allow them to ruin our progress! They couldn’t protect us from Britannian domination back then, yet now they speak of resistance! It’s utterly foolish! I won’t allow them to destroy our peace process—it’s our only chance!"
"......Yes, Mr. Ougi."
Hearing this, Tamase’s expression became serious.
"I know what to do now."
Meanwhile, in the hotel, the little girls were dumbfounded by the scene before them, momentarily speechless.
Ougi probably never expected that everything they did would be "live broadcasted" by Fang Zheng and shown clearly to others.
"He......he actually sent someone to betray us?"
Yuki stared in shock at the scene, unable to comprehend why this was happening.
"But, why? Isn’t he supposed to resist the Britannian Empire?"
"This is what I meant by the petty-bourgeois compromise."
Fang Zheng adjusted his non-prescription glasses, then picked up a teaching pointer, tapping the screen.
"Alright, I think you’ve all learned a deep message today. So, you must be wondering why, despite their initial goal to overthrow Britannia, they’re now willing to collude with an enemy they once wished to defeat, even risking their lives?"
At this point, the girls, watching the live stream from their seats, nodded.
"It’s simple. Overthrowing Britannia’s rule was only a means, not the goal for them."
Fang Zheng snapped his fingers, and the screen changed back to scenes from the Shinjuku Concentration Camp.
"You’ve seen it; ever since Britannia occupied this land, the residents of Area 11 have suffered brutal oppression and atrocities. Under such circumstances, they are deprived of basic life guarantees, prompting their resistance. From their perspective, Britannia won’t negotiate, so only by banishing Britannia and regaining control over this land can they secure their lives and interests. But now, things have changed..."
As he spoke, Fang Zheng pointed to the screen again.
"......See, their interests have been met or are about to be met. At least they see hope. In this situation, they won’t choose resistance. For them, driving out Britannia, reclaiming the territory is just a slogan, a means to achieve better living conditions, but once their personal interests are satisfied, they’ll abandon this slogan because it was just a means, not the goal. In other words......as long as their goal is achieved, they don’t care about the means, nor do they care who’s in control."
Saying this, Fang Zheng looked at the girls again.
"So, you must understand the situation, conduct thorough investigations, research, and make judgments before deciding. Don’t make the wrong choice out of momentary excitement......Alright, let me ask: do you think tomorrow’s signing will proceed smoothly?"
"It should, I guess..."
Asuna blinked, hesitantly speaking.
"After all, the people of Area 11 have shown their sincerity, so Britannia should sign with them......plus, they’ve already informed them, haven’t they?"
"I don’t think it’ll be that simple......"
But Eiriri shook her head.
"Asuna, you saw it too, there’s no friendly exchange between them; Britannia might just refuse to sign tomorrow."
"I think......"
Watching the two sides beginning to argue, Fang Zheng smiled slightly.
The real show is yet to come.
In fact, he has already seen the ending.