Twenty Seven Years

  Chapter 517 An Unimportant Victory

   A few minutes later, Auston, the interim president of the Bresci government, arrived at the reception room of the North District Prison under the **** of many guards.

   "Mr. President." Selt and several subordinates saluted beside him.

  Verak sat leisurely on the sofa, just keeping a smile on his face, watching Auston.

  Oston shook hands with Celt in satisfaction, and patted his arm at the same time: "It's been a hard time, and I've seen your performance."

   "It's nothing." Celt could no longer see the suspicion and guard against him from Auston's eyes. He knew that this trick was successful, and he dispelled all of Celt's doubts with the greatest gains.

   "Most Verak." Then, Auston walked in front of Verak in an unhurried manner.

   "I didn't expect that a little person like me would be able to meet the president one day." Verak seemed flattered in his words, but his body didn't have any intention of getting up.

Orston didn't mind this little thing, he glanced at Celt, and sat opposite Veraker himself: "You are not a small person, the vice-chairman of the dignified International Equality Alliance, aren't you just as high-ranking? ?”

  Verak became more and more calm: "There is no distinction between high and low in the International League of Equality."

   "How could it not be. No matter who you look at, you are completely different from an ordinary member of the International Equality Alliance." Alston said.

   "Okay, let's talk straight." Verac didn't bother to chat with Oston.

"The International League for Equality is bound to fail. I hope you can act as an intermediary between our government and the International League for Equality, and persuade them to stop their meaningless resistance." Alston was stunned for a moment, and immediately got to the point, "Of course, I can also ask you Guaranteed. After the disbandment of the International Equality League, the past can be ignored. The most important thing for Bresci now is to restore stability so that people can start to live well again and everything will prosper.”

   "I refuse." Verac said.

   "Hmm." Alston was not surprised. For such a long time, they have persuaded them to surrender countless times. If it is true that a few words and a few promises can disband the International Equality League, then the situation in Bresci will not be reduced to this. "Can you tell me the reason for your refusal?"

  Villac looked directly at Orston: "Because we will win in the end."

"Hehe..." Auston only thought it was amused, "I always thought that you International Equality Alliance is a pragmatic group, but now it seems that you are only fantasizing. Otherwise, how could you be defeated by us? , telling the unrealistic dream that you will win in the end."

   "This sentence can also be applied to you." Verak shot back, "Those of you who are still immersed in the old world, it's time to open your eyes and see where the next step of mankind will go."

   "I don't know where to go, but the decision-making power must not be in your hands."

"It's not in your hands. This is not a matter that can be controlled by a single individual, but the spontaneous choice of all human beings. The awakened minority will become the majority, and the awakened majority will defeat your minority. This day will not be too long, maybe you I can witness it in my lifetime." Veraker is confident and vowed, "In other words, we may not be clear about what is right, but we have deeply realized that it is wrong now. Then, can human beings start from The Stone Age has come to this day, can conquer those seemingly invincible things, can analyze ourselves and understand nature more objectively and rationally, why do we not believe that human beings will eventually liberate themselves and realize true freedom, equality, What about unity and beauty?"

  The conference room ushered in a few seconds of silence.

  Oston suddenly smiled and asked: "Are you promoting the idea of ​​the International Equality Alliance to me? Just like you deceive ordinary people?"

   "Coaxing? What is the basis?" Verak asked seriously.

"According to intelligence, you secretly carried out a factory test earlier. Judging from this behavior alone, you are worthy of admiration, because this is a real exploration of the future. But... this matter failed Right?" Alston said.

   "Yes, failed."

"Have you ever told the people about this matter? I don't think so. Your words are still the same. Weave a very beautiful future and let every desperate person fall into it. For this illusory Things cost your life." Alston questioned Veraker, "You only talk nicely, but you never reveal the truth, telling the public that if you work and get more pay and more vacations, the factory will lose money It will go bankrupt, and the end result is that you will lose your job and not even earn the original money. You never told them what the cost of breaking the balance is, and whether you have the ability to break the balance and build a new balance.”

   "You think this is a knot."

"It will be a deadlock for quite some time in the future. Don't think that the government will only be a lackey of the powerful, helping them exploit and oppress, and that the suffering of the people is caused by us alone. No, this is a problem for all mankind. We still have a long way to go, and making everyone's life better and better is not what you want from the International Equality Alliance, but what we want to achieve." Alston said very grandly.

Verac's eyes became softer. He looked at Alston for a long time and asked a question: "You must have seen the most luxurious things, drank the most expensive wine, enjoyed the best service, and lived in the best place. mansion."

   "I don't deny this." Alston raised his head and chest, he wanted to be as frank as Veraker.

   "Then do you know that there is a profession called a chimney sweep?" Verac then asked.

"certainly."

   "It's winter, and such a cold winter is not common, so as long as there is a fireplace installed in the home, it must be inspected and cleaned by chimney sweepers to ensure that the chimney is not blocked by soot and fly ash."

  Oston spread his hands: "Is there any problem with this? Failure to clean up in time will lead to poor ventilation and fires."

"Yes, clearing blockages is a very normal thing, and chimney sweeps are very necessary. It is also worth mentioning that the number of chimney sweeps is also limited, and each block has a fixed staff. Generally only clearing Only when the job can't be done anymore will I find an apprentice to replace me slowly." Verak added the information.

"and then?"

"Such a job that requires risking to climb to the roof of the building to clean up the dirtiest black ash on the coldest day is already an excellent job in the eyes of the poor. Because it is stable and can be done without accidents until old."

   "Well..." Alston murmured, "There are always different jobs, and someone has to do this dirty and dangerous job, what do you think?"

"However, poor people can't afford to burn coal. For them, the only way to deal with the cold is to boil." Willac said, "Can you imagine? The poor can't afford to burn coal, but they are scrambling to build chimneys Cleaners, clean the chimneys for the rich... Look out the window, the sky is always gray, because the burning coal produces a lot of smoke, covering the sky. It's ridiculous, not only the poor can't enjoy the warm benefits, but you have to bear the price of not seeing the blue sky with the rich.”

  The conference room was once again silent.

   This time the silence was a little longer than before.

   "Have you ever seen a disabled person?" Verak broke the silence.

   "...Of course." Auston's momentum was no longer so aggressive.

   "I mean the disabled at the bottom." Verak emphasized.

   "...You continue." Alston did not answer.

Veraker learned the answer from Alston's evasive behavior: "The disabled at the bottom often live in darkness and pain. Most of them have no jobs, so they have no financial resources, and because of Mobility and all kinds of troubles, restricted basic social interaction. So you know, why I said, the vast majority are unemployed, not all?"

Auston rarely felt his ignorance from Veraker's continuous questions. This was not something he wanted to admit and face: "It's not difficult to guess, right? Not all disabled people have broken arms and legs. Can't see?" If you can’t hear things, can’t hear, can’t speak, there will always be some people who still have the ability to work.”

   "You should have been to the circus." Verac seemed to change the topic.

   "What is the connection between this...?" Auston didn't keep up with Verak's thinking.

"In recent years, there seems to be a trend of watching 'freaks' all over the world. Therefore, circus owners and managers of various performances will search for disabled people on a large scale, and hire the most curious ones to perform to satisfy the audience. Our curiosity." Verac spread out a real world for Oston bit by bit, "We can't really understand what it's like to be watched like an animal when there are problems with the body. But that's the only chance these disabled people have to get money and survive."

   Alston swallowed.

"Even..." Verak smiled helplessly, "Even when I chat with the disabled people I know, they will be very envious of those who can go out to perform and make money, wishing that their bodies are also strange and can be begged by the audience to watch. They I haven't thought about the problem of the government, I haven't thought that human beings are a community of destiny, and when I'm pitiful, I can only complain that I'm not pitiful enough—"

"What you said..." Auston interrupted Verak impatiently. He was afraid that Verak would go on, and he couldn't even respond with a word, "It exists, and it is something we need to improve. Then —”

"No." Soon it was Veraker's turn to interrupt Auston, "You, him, and them, as well as most of the powerful, will not notice these problems in this life, so there is no way to improve them. What's more What's more, what I mentioned is only one ten-thousandth of the miserable situation, and there are still many, many hardships, which are too weak to be noticed by others, but they really exist."

Auston, who was eager to regain the upper hand, found the omission in Verac's words: "As you said, there are ten thousand ways of presenting tragedies in this world, and no one can guarantee that he can feel everything and take all It is inevitable that most of the rich and powerful will not notice, but I think there will be fewer and fewer problems in the end."

Verac raised the corner of his mouth: "And those very few are those who betrayed the camp of vested interests, the bourgeoisie, and you, established the Equality Association, the International Equality Alliance, and fought for the proletariat without complaint or regret. People. Among them is Thomas Chris, who looks similar to me and is more young than me."

   Sweat dripped from Alston's forehead.

   "I don't expect you to really realize the crux of the problem, but at the very least, don't whitewash yourself in such a high-sounding way, whitewashing this wrong and backward era." Verac didn't show a mocking expression in the end, but only gave suggestions peacefully.

   "Mr. President, do you want to go to rest first?" Seeing this, Celt quickly gave Auston a chance to go down the steps.

   "Just a little tired, let's go." Auston got up and was sent to the lounge by Celt.

   Watching several people leave, only two jailers were left to monitor him, Verak still didn't have much mood swings.

  So what if the president is speechless?

  The world will not change because of this.

   It wasn't a victory much to be celebrated with joy.

  More than ten minutes later, Selt returned to the reception room, and sincerely praised: "I can talk about Mr. President to this point, and I feel balanced."

"Wrong views are already unstable, so how can they win against the truth and my truest feelings?" Verak also stood up, "Is the questioning over? I should answer what I should be waiting for." place."

   "Are you in such a hurry to stay in that smelly and cold place?" Celt pressed his hand, signaling Verak not to leave in a hurry.

   "For me, this is the most filthy and smelly place." Verak walked towards the reception room by himself.

  Selter had to order the jailer: "Put him in a cell alone."

"yes."

"yes."

   After the two jailers responded, they took Verak out the door.

  A dozen or so soldiers outside the gate followed suit.

   After going all the way, Verak finally came to the prison and was locked in a cell alone.

  A harsh, cramped, depressing cell.

   On the way here, he looked around, but he didn't see Murphy, Connie and other comrades. He asked the jailer, but the jailer didn't respond.

   After all, he himself has been tempered by so many things and is already tenacious enough, but he is still worried about other comrades.

   Not afraid of death and not afraid of torture are two different things.

  Selter is rare to be right, that life is worse than death is the greatest test. To keep a person dying without fear, it is better to destroy his psychological defense first and make him fear death.

   Regarding this, the only thing Verak can think of is to persevere.

  As indomitable as in Daymans Prison, it gradually brings confidence, courage, and hope to the prisoners.

   Fortunately, there is no Keating in this prison, but there is Verak.

  He wants to regroup a force here.

  (end of this chapter)