Chapter 1772: Acknowledging the Painting's Authenticity
This public conversation took place right in front of the main building of the District Government. Besides the players who had arrived one after another, Zheng Shijiu kept his word, clearing out the entire square along with the outer streets to accommodate the ordinary people who had specifically come to witness this public talk firsthand.
The aircraft used for live broadcasting, after being scanned and confirmed to be unarmed, were all allowed into the square, recording every detail of all participants from all angles without any blind spots.
To reduce the ordinary citizens' aversion toward them, the District Government did not dispatch more government members. Since Xu Huo requested a face-to-face meeting with Matri Dolaiti, the main subject of the conversation was naturally this former Grand Archon who had already stepped down. Additionally, he was also a party involved in the mining disaster incident.
He and the current Grand Archon represented two generations of the District Government. In other words, if Matri Dolaiti messed things up, the current Grand Archon wouldn't be left without a way to salvage the situation.
Also accompanying them was Zheng Shijiu, this seemingly neutral hero figure. His presence implied to others that he was a trustworthy person, and he likewise represented the government.
Before the conversation began, the government side dispatched four A-Class players again. They protected both Matri Dolaiti and Xu Huo, so they stood in pairs at a certain distance on both sides.
Under countless "eyes," government staff brought over a small table and three chairs.
The three of them sat down. Xu Huo and Matri faced each other, one on the right and one on the left. Zheng Shijiu sat with his back to the main government building, keeping a slight distance from the two.
"The more urgent the meeting, the less room there is for lengthy, pointless formalities. Let's begin properly." Xu Huo didn't bring up their previous conversation, and Matri Dolaiti, as if meeting him for the first time, nodded to him with the demeanor of an elder.
Xu Huo placed a photograph on the table. "You must have already seen Master Solan's painting. I am an outsider, but before seeing the 'Ember Maiden,' I had admired many of the master's works by reputation. I believe Master Solan is a forward-thinker who is both compassionate toward humanity and driven by a sense of mission. Apart from the first twenty years of her life, she spent the following hundred years doing one thing: expressing and awakening the emotions of viewers through her paintings."
"Her success in Zone 019 confirmed that she was on the right path. Before we delve into deeper topics, I want to first clarify: does the District Government acknowledge the authenticity of this painting?"
Many people on the Message Collection Terminal had already seen this painting, and even the identities of the people within it had been identified one by one. Not only the faces of the big shots facing "Fragrance," but also the suffering people that "Xiaxi Dolaiti" was looking at were gradually recognized by some elderly individuals. They even produced some photos and video evidence, supplementing the related stories of these characters. Most of these people had already passed away, some even dying a hundred years ago. Xu Huu absolutely had no way to have met these people, so there was no need to see the original painting. However, these circumstantial pieces of evidence were enough to prove the painting was real.
And Xu Huo was asking Matri Dolaiti.
Matri Dolaiti had already retrieved his youngest daughter's body. The identity of Xiaxi Dolaiti could no longer be concealed. He nodded silently, casually took a paper document from Zheng Shijiu, and placed it on the table. "The government has tallied up the identities of everyone in the painting. The identities of nine of them have not been confirmed, but the other eighty-one are very clear."
Xu Huo glanced over it briefly. "This means the speculations on the Message Collection Terminal are true. They are all individuals related to the mining disaster incident, and some were warned, threatened, and suppressed during the process of seeking the truth, with some even losing their lives. Is that correct?"
"The information currently held by the District Government is insufficient to support your inference," Matri said. "In the period from one hundred and thirty years ago to one hundred years ago, the environment of Zone 019 was incomparable to now. Just from accidental car accidents and falling object incidents, a considerable number of people died every year. The situation you describe may exist, but the possibility of them encountering accidents cannot be ruled out either."
This answer wasn't particularly skillful; it merely stated objective facts. The "truths" revealed by those involved on the Message Collection Terminal weren't necessarily real. Without sufficient evidence, neither the government nor any other institution could make a definitive judgment. For matters of doubt, one could naturally speak ambiguously.
Xu Huo smiled faintly, didn't continue to press the issue, and returned to the previous question. "Since the District Government acknowledges that 'Ember Maiden' is authentic, you should understand some of Master Solan's creative background. Regarding the process of tracing this painting, I haven't formed a complete chain of clues. I hope the government can help me fill in this part."
"Can I ask the first question?"
He was polite for a moment before directly asking his first question. "Is Master Solan's father's death the same as Old Lady Mei's two sons—killed because they accidentally witnessed the process of faking the mining disaster or encountered the involved parties?"
As he spoke, he played a holographic recording of Pu Hui's confession while he worked at the Hells Group, allowing the viewers to revisit this piece of evidence. Then he added, "I believe Mr. Pu, who has suffered for many years, would be very willing to cooperate with the District Government in investigating the Hells Group. Additionally, Mr. Pu Hui should still be alive, right?"
Xu Huo had already released the video when he deployed the puppet Amber earlier. Although it was just some fragmentary clips, Zone 019's intelligent systems were so advanced that it didn't take long to identify these people's identities. However, either the people were dead or they had disappeared. In the end, only a small boss who talked nonsense was caught... Needless to say, it was the work of players from other zones. Now this blame was being pinned on the District Government.
Other players were involved in investigating the Hells Group's related personnel. Anyone Shen Fei and his group had met might not have survived. Of course, Xu Huo had previously deliberately revealed that there was a cemetery inside the Hells Group, which somewhat diverted attention. It was unknown whether the government had accepted this cemetery now. If so, those Instance players would most likely be unable to clear the Instance.
"Government players are already searching for Mr. Pu's whereabouts," Matri said. "But it cannot be ruled out that he spoke these words under coercion or mental control."
"That makes sense," Xu Huo nodded. "The young master of the Everyday Happy Group should still be in Zone 019. He definitely knows the truth about Old Lady Mei's descendants' deaths. He is just an ordinary person. I believe the technology Zone 019 possesses is sufficient to make him tell the truth."
"I still have that question. What was the cause of Solan's father's death?"
"An accident," Matri said calmly. "At that time, a landslide happened to occur. Solan's father was not the only one buried under the mountain. At the same time, one hundred and thirty-seven workers in the mine were killed or injured. Afterwards, the Monitoring Bureau issued a complete report, proving that the landslide was caused by an earthquake."
(Chapter End)