Chapter 1769: A Qualified Politician
Xu Huo knew they had arrived. The place they found happened to be exactly one kilometer away from him—a distance he could traverse through the Spiritual Realm.
Without leaving the rooftop of the building himself, Xu Huo used his Spiritual Power to interfere with Matri Dolote, making him see his own image.
Such Spiritual Interference was bound to alert the surrounding players, but Matri raised his hand to stop them from acting, as he had specifically instructed before coming.
This was deliberately making things convenient for Xu Huo, and of course, it was also to secure a better resolution.
"You can sit down." Matri examined the young man before him, his attitude relatively calm. He didn't immediately press Xu Huo about Xixi Dolote.
Xu Huo glanced at the table and chairs, then stood behind them.
"A prop table that only works on living people. The children set it up to protect my safety. If you find it uncomfortable, you can remove it," Matri added.
"No need." Xu Huo refused immediately. After a pause, he said, "If you have something to say, just say it directly."
"I came to hear what's truly in your heart." Matri fixed his gaze on him. "You're not from District 019, yet you're willing to stand up for the deceased of District 019. I know you're different from other players—you're definitely not just doing this to clear the instance, nor to negotiate terms with us. I really want to know your reason for doing this."
The flattery was well delivered. Xu Huo accepted it, remaining silent for a moment before speaking. "I want to ask you a question first."
Matri gestured for him to go ahead.
"A hundred years ago, you had veto power. Did you oppose the Human Bone Gem plan back then?" Xu Huo stared into his eyes, as if he wouldn't tolerate a single word of falsehood.
Matri sighed softly. "No."
Xu Huo's expression turned somewhat grim, but quickly returned to calm, though his words were less pleasant. "Most of those who died were people with weak social connections—they didn't even have families or descendants. The gems exchanged for their bones had nothing to do with them."
Matri's eyelids drooped, then lifted again in less than a second. "The sin has already been committed. For those who died, anything the living say is futile."
"But if we hadn't done that, more people in District 019 would have died at that time. It happened to coincide with a baby boom—thirty million newborns every year. Most families couldn't afford to raise those children. If the district government didn't provide child support, many of those kids might not have lived to see school."
"Children don't understand anything. Why should they bear the sins of adults?"
"And if the government went bankrupt, how many more than just those children would be beyond saving?"
"So we chose to sacrifice a small number to save the majority."
"For those who died, our sins can never be washed away for eternity. But for those who lived, we did our best."
"At that time, we also wanted to find a better way. Unfortunately, heaven was unwilling to help us. As mere mortals, we could only knowingly commit the wrong."
Xu Huo listened quietly, his expression seeming to soften slightly. "Because this matter cost you your daughter—do you regret it?"
Boundless sorrow surged in Matri's expression. He didn't speak, but it seemed to convey countless pains.
Xu Huo pulled out a chair and sat down. "Can you tell me in detail what District 019 was like back then?"
Matri, like a kindly old neighbor full of desire to confide, began to recount District 019 a hundred years ago.
The content was largely the same as what was on the Message Collection Terminal. He didn't deliberately exaggerate the difficulties the district faced or the government's predicament. Regarding the man-made mining disaster, he believed the district government absolutely could not shirk responsibility—which was why he later tried his best to take care of the victims' families and posthumously recognize the dead as martyrs. But because they had to rely on the benefits brought by the mining groups at the time, they had to cede some power.
Of course, he didn't directly say the district government was unaware of the rotten things the mining groups did behind the scenes—it was just a certain degree of helplessness. This was common in any game district. Even in societies without players, governments couldn't guarantee complete control over ordinary people.
Matri's performance disappointed Xu Huo, but it was also expected. The other party was a qualified old politician.
Master Solan might have left behind the "Ember Maiden" with a higher purpose, but District 019, like any other district, would absolutely not let bygones be bygones and seal this matter away in history forever.
"Do you know why Old Lady Mei and Ember chose Xixi Dolote as their target?" Xu Huo asked.
Matri paused, refusing to respond to this question.
"Because Xixi Dolote, like the nameless ones who died in the mines back then, was a weakling."
After saying this, he turned to look outside. "It's almost time for our agreed meeting. I hope the government can show a bit more sincerity. Think it over before coming to talk to me."
He didn't leave immediately, leaving some buffer time. Matri indeed dropped his previous gentleness and said sternly, "You're a very smart person. From the information we tracked later, you changed at least forty faces. After each face change, you had to disguise your height, body shape, and behavior all over again. That's why the Armed Robots and surveillance devices couldn't catch you."
"You don't sympathize with the people of District 019. You're not exposing this out of righteous indignation. You can state your purpose."
This was a direct negotiation.
Xu Huo smiled. "How can you say I don't sympathize with those who died? Any normal person with feelings would sympathize with them upon learning this, and would hate the district government and those mining groups."
"But I also understand what the district government did back then. After all, anyone else might not have come up with a better solution."
"You're the former Grand Archon, still holding power. From District 019's reaction over the past two days, you should understand that even if the truth of the mining disaster is made public, it can't truly affect the entire district. The only possible loss is breaking the illusion of harmony and joy."
"Since it's an illusion, it was bound to be shattered sooner or later."
"After making the mining groups take the blame, you don't even want to pay that much cost, do you?"
Matri Dolote stared at him silently. No more emotion could be read from this veteran politician's eyes, but Xu Huo understood that no matter how today's matter ended, the district government had no intention of letting him leave District 019 alive.
"As for the purpose you mentioned, I'll think about it." Xu Huo said this before leaving the small building.
"He's stalling for time," Matri's expression shifted slightly. "Activate the protective barrier, cut off the Message Collection Terminal signal..."
Before he could finish speaking, the player who entered suddenly pointed at something beside the table.
It was a piece of artificial amber. In the transparent resin, a girl with her hands and feet pinned was covered by a square towel over her face, standing upright beside the long table.
But in the moment they were stunned, Xu Huo had already publicly announced that he would reveal all the truth and the "Ember Maiden" in front of the district government building. By the time they looked out again, they only felt the sky and earth shaking. A violent shockwave erupted from the center of the blockade, and simultaneously, a giant mushroom-shaped cloud burst forth!
This instance should be wrapping up in the next couple of days. If it feels choppy to read, everyone can wait until it's finished to read it all at once~ No help for it, I can only squeeze out two chapters a day... o(╥﹏╥)o