13 Mingke Street

Chapter 33: The Sinful Dinner Table

Perhaps, we are very young;Perhaps, we are very small;Perhaps, in the eyes of adults, they still see us as children, and only as children.But,The selfish thoughts that fill the minds of adults do not mean maturity!When we gather together and unite, we are no longer small!Adults will eventually grow old, carrying their decay, their selfishness, and their cruelty to nature, and will be swept into the garbage dump together!And we,

"We will eventually become the masters of this city, and even this world!""Daisy! Daisy! Daisy!"The young students cheered in unison, their young faces flushed with excitement in the cold wind.Daisy took two steps back and bowed deeply.Then, amidst the continued cheers from her supporters, she left the stage with the protection of two bodyguards.Passing through the curtains backstage,she got into a black "Dixie" car, known for its powerful engine and large displacement;A female bodyguard brought her a brown fur coat and draped it over her shoulders.

"Are you cold?"Daisy shook her head and glanced indifferently at the fur on her body."Change it.""Yes, miss."The female bodyguard brought another white fox fur and said, "Mr. Oka is hosting a banquet for Mr. Fude. He instructed you to make an appearance after finishing up here.""Mr. Fude?""He is the mayoral candidate for Luo Jia City. Mr. Oka values him highly and hopes to help him defeat the incumbent mayor.""Okay.""You can rest for a while now, I will call for you when it's time."

Daisy closed her eyes.Twenty minutes later, the black Lexus drove into the underground parking lot of the luxurious Rujia Grand Hotel. After being awakened by a female bodyguard, Daisy got out of the car and walked into the elevator.Shortly after,She entered a VIP box on the thirteenth floor."Wow, look, our angel is here."Mr. Oka, who was pot-bellied, raised his glass and said to the people at the table:"Come, let's have a drink for our environmental angel!""Cheers!""Cheers!"There were not many people at the table, only five including Mr. Oka.

One is the mayoral candidate, Fude,One is the editor-in-chief of the "Luo Jia Daily", Humir,One is the old councilor of Luo Jia City, Haggart,And the last one is Mr. Morv.Mr. Morv is the spokesperson of the "Morv Consortium", which has risen in Luo Jia and now has a significant influence in the entire Rulan.Nowadays, the most popular and preferred cigarette among smokers in Luo Jia City is the "Morv Cigarette". At the same time, the Morv family also focuses on investing in the medical industry, with a well-known chain hospital brand in Rulan and several privately owned hospitals with different names but the same controlling party in Luo Jia City."Nice to meet you all."Daisy greeted the "distinguished guests" present, her expression gentle and looking like a well-behaved little girl, without any trace of the resolute demeanor she had when facing her supporters on the street.Mr. Oka waved his hand and said:"Daisy is tired, let her rest first."

Daisy walked to the neighboring rest area, where there were tea and snacks as well as a cozy bed. Inside, there was a man in a red robe, wearing a pure white mask on his face. Daisy took off her coat and threw herself onto the bed, spreading her arms. The man sat down next to her and gently massaged her temples with his hands. "You must be tired," he said. Daisy replied, "Yes." "I know you don't want to work so hard, but the Church of Berry and the God of Nature need your contribution." "Yes..." "I also don't like talking to those people outside, but the development of the church cannot do without them." Daisy opened her eyes slightly and smiled.

*："I know."...At the dinner table, Senator Haggart spoke up:"The parade today stormed the power plant, causing a half afternoon power outage in the East District. It could easily provoke the citizens' resentment."Mr. Oka waved his hand and said:"There's nothing we can do about it. Young kids are the easiest to incite, but they're also the hardest to control.Cheap things always come with various shortcomings, don't they?Besides, I already know about this. It's just a group of overly excited kids who did something excessive.Chief Editor Humir, the newspaper needs your help to suppress this matter."

"The editor-in-chief of the "Luojia Daily", Hu Mir, smiled and said, "No problem, the issue of power outage in the East District will not be widely reported. In addition, I plan to guide public opinion by focusing on the previously laid out issues such as aging urban infrastructure, and make the people in the East District believe that the power outage was caused by neglect and mismanagement of the power grid, and the responsibility lies entirely with the former mayor."Mr. Morf also spoke up at this time, "I will talk to the other newspapers and radio stations in Luojia City. They won't be unwise when it comes to the annual advertising fees.""This is perfect, isn't it?" Mr. Oka patted his stomach and looked at the mayoral candidate, Fude. "Fude, look, the whole city of Luojia is on your side. What reason do you have not to win?"Fude nodded vigorously, but still hesitated, "The former mayor has a lot of support from the industrial district. He was elected as a district councilor from the industrial district and gradually rose to the position of mayor. The workers and their families in the industrial district have always been his loyal supporters. In previous elections, their votes didn't even need to be counted, they were automatically counted for the former mayor.""Mr. Fude, you don't have to worry about this. We have a solution. The wheels of time are moving forward, and those old stubborn and annoying rust will be crushed by the wheels. As for how to deal with the former mayor's loyal supporters, we have already discussed a complete plan. First of all, starting the day after tomorrow, students from several universities and vocational schools in Luojia City will be mobilized to take to the streets for an environmental protection parade, with the main target being the city government and other major institutions. According to the plan, they will surround the area and stage a sit-in protest, temporarily paralyzing the operation of the city government."Hearing this, Fude asked, "I admit that Delis's influence is great, but these are college students, not high school students. It might be difficult to mobilize them."

"Difficult? I don't think so. I have already privately signed an agreement with the heads of the student organizations at those universities. As long as they can contribute to the cause of environmental protection, then several universities in Wayne will allow them to directly enroll for further studies because of their outstanding and impressive resumes.Wayne's universities,for Luo Jia,no,for all students in Rulan, it is an irresistible temptation.""Then what?" Ford asked, "Just this is not enough, I think.""This is just the first step, a kind of warm-up. The city court is about to hear the case of workers with pneumoconiosis suing the factory. It is expected that they will lose the case.We have already contacted them, and not only them, but also ten other workers who have become disabled or injured while working in the factory.After the city court loses the case, they will be united and organize a new round of protest marches. The union leaders, including Mr. Morf, have already arranged everything."Ford looked at Morf, who nodded.

Fude said, "The former mayor has a great reputation in the industrial area, they won't directly target him. And with his intervention, the protest should be quickly quelled.""I know this, I trust the abilities of the former mayor. Otherwise, how could he have made it so difficult for our Mr. Fude to run for election?""So, at the right time, for example, when the former mayor makes a promise to the workers' protest group and they disperse, there will be a protester who will choose to commit suicide out of despair and frustration for not being able to seek justice.""This..." Fude was taken aback, "Will that really happen?"Oka's eyes showed disdain and contempt for this candidate, but there was nothing he could do. After all, he was the easiest to control. If he were too clever, it would be the other people present who would worry."They will be willing. Hu Mir, the editor-in-chief, and I have already chosen. The protester we chose has a disabled husband who will choose to drink poison. His mother will hang herself and his wife, with a child, will jump off a building. Hu Mir believes that only in this way can we fully ignite the anger of the people."

"We will choose a funeral home to hold a grand funeral for this poor family, making it the catalyst for a storm!" Chief Editor Humir reminded, "The funeral home should not be too big or extravagant, otherwise it will backfire. Choose a medium-sized funeral home, which will also make it easier and more relaxed for reporters to take photos and choose backgrounds.""Yes, yes, you are right. In short, after the funeral begins, all emotions will be ignited! As a staunch supporter of the former industrial district, the former mayor will be the most despised by the industrial district voters. With the help of newspaper, radio, and flyers, this event will once again ignite the students' protest enthusiasm. With the experience from the first time, they will quickly organize on a larger scale. The flames of justice burning in their chests will help us heat up the iron pot of the political arena in Luo Jia City. At that time, Mr. Haggart will call on a group of city councilors to support you, and you should take over the demonstration activities from the former mayor to calm them down. I believe that in that situation, there will be no need for elections, and the former mayor will probably resign early due to the overwhelming pressure."

Oka thought to himself: At that time, even if it was a pig running against the old mayor, that pig would have won for sure."Oh, right, Mr. Morf will provide reimbursement for food, water, costumes, banners, and other props for the parade teams. Here, we must thank the great and generous Mr. Morf again.""Cheers to Mr. Morf!""Cheers to Mr. Morf!"Fude stood up and raised his glass to Morf: "Thank you for your support."Morf didn't rush to drink, but instead said:"The tobacco control regulations and medical device laws in Luo Jia City...""You can rest assured about that." Fude promised solemnly, "Smokers have the freedom to make their own choices, and the medical industry should also have fair competition. I have always believed in this.""Good." Morf clinked glasses with Fude.Finally,

Okka stood up, his fat belly bumped against the table, causing it to shake:"Cheers to our new mayor of Fude City!""Cheers!""Cheers!"The dinner party ended and everyone left, leaving only Okka sitting there alone.The man in the red robe and mask walked out from the break room and sighed:"What a gathering of the filthy."Okka chuckled and pointed to his own face, then to the empty tables.

* (Dào):"In the eyes of the world, we represent light.""Unfortunately, the Church of Light has long since disappeared, otherwise they would have surely recruited you."In myths and legends, the God of Light was once the "awakening" deity of order;A true god of a church would be incorporated into the mythological narrative of another major church, showing just how powerful the Church of Light was back then.However, a thousand years ago, the Church of Light suffered a great calamity and was ultimately destroyed due to being suppressed and encroached upon by other major churches.And that calamity was said to be related to the "descent of the evil god."Oka patted his stomach and joked, "The light will always exist, it just turned into money."With that,Oka stood up,

To the man in the red robe mask, he ordered:"Let the family we have chosen end their lives peacefully, we will need your help, Alotota sacrifice.""I believe you are fully capable of hiring a killer to do this.""No, no, no, the Berry religion advocates nature. I believe it is more natural for a Berry priest to personally carry out this task.""I understand.""Thank you, I believe that as long as we continue to cooperate sincerely, the preaching ban of the Berry religion in Vien will soon be lifted.""I trust that Mr. Oka will keep his promise."Upon hearing this, Oka placed his hands on his chest and said:"Praise nature."

Alotata turned around to leave the ceremony, but Okka stepped forward and asked:"I heard that you will be meeting a distinguished guest later, could you please introduce me to him?""He is not my follower, his wife is.""It's the same, I just need to be introduced.""Okay."...In the reception room."Sir, please come this way.""Okay, thank you."Piajie entered the reception room and the red-robed masked Alotata who was sitting there stood up to greet him.

"Praise nature, the god of nature, let us meet, Mr. Adams.""Hello, you can call me Piajie, the worshipper.""Okay.""Oh my god, Mr. Adams, no, Piajie, my friend, I never thought I would see you here." Mr. Oka walked in.This is the son of the Minister of Energy and Industry Development of the Kingdom of Rulan!"Hello, do we know each other?" Piajie asked in confusion."I know your wife, we are both believers of the Berry religion, we have the same goal, which is to praise nature. Oh, why didn't your wife come today?""My wife passed away over a month ago.""..." Oka.Alotta, the priest, placed her hands on her chest and said in a deep voice:

"It's returning to the embrace of nature."Due to the awkward opening, for a long time, Mr. Oka could only sit on the side and listen obediently to the conversation between Piajie and Arotota, without interrupting.When both sides finished talking and Piajie was about to leave, Oka stood up and said, "Mr. Piajie, shall I have my driver take you back?""No need, I drove here myself.""Is that so? Well, that's good. Oh, by the way, Mr. Piajie, where is your wife's grave? I would like to pay my respects.""It's in the Oakwood Cemetery in the East District.""Okay, I see. By the way, how was the funeral for your wife? Did everything go smoothly? I'm sorry, I didn't receive any news so I couldn't come to mourn. It's a pity."Piajie looked at Oka and said, "The followers of the Berry religion believe in keeping funerals simple."

"......" Okka.The brief awkwardness was quickly overcome by the thick layer of fat on Mr. Okka's face, and he immediately said:"I know this, what I mean is, I have an uncle who lives in Luo Jia City and is currently on his deathbed. So I wanted to ask if you know which funeral home in Luo Jia City provides more formal services?As someone who was raised and loved by my uncle, I hope to give him a dignified funeral.""Your uncle hasn't passed away yet?""Um... he's almost there. According to our Vienese customs, some things can be prepared in advance, which can make our loved ones feel more at ease before they pass away.""Oh, I see. I hope your uncle can recover from his illness.""Thank you, thank you.""As for the funeral home, I know a very good one, but it may not be suitable for someone of Mr. Okka's status.""No, no, my uncle is a simple person. He is half a follower of the Berry religion, so what is the name of that funeral home?"

"The Yimorais Funeral Home located on Mingke Street.""May the merciful Lord guide her into the kingdom of heaven, free from sickness, disaster, and suffering. May His light forever shine upon her and all of us." Dressed in priestly robes, Dis led the group of family and friends in prayer. Then, Paul and Ron picked up shovels and began filling the grave with soil, while flowers were planted around the tombstone. The little girl's mother walked up to Aunt Mary and thanked her, "Thank you, thank you." The little girl's father bowed to Uncle Mason. It was a very delicate and perfect funeral. Having attended other funerals, they could see the difference in the level of care and attention, especially when considering the price. The little girl's parents could only express their gratitude in this way.

In addition, there is a child named Rent who accompanied them and bowed all day during the funeral reception. When they were sprinkling salt on the deceased, the child couldn't help but cry. He is truly a kind child. Aunt Mary and Uncle Mason comforted the parents separately; Karen went to help Dis pack up. At this time, a man in a black suit walked over and asked, "Excuse me, is this the Inmores Funeral Home?" Dis pointed to Karen and left with the scriptures. Generally, grandpa is not responsible for business operations and management. Karen smiled and said, "Yes, hello." This kind of proactive business consultation always makes people feel at ease, much happier and safer than sitting on a bench outside the hospital operating room, well, much safer.

"I would like to inquire about your menu.""Sure, here is a brochure and price list." Karen took them out of her bag and handed them to the other person, while asking, "May I know who the funeral is for?""It will be a few days.""Oh, I hope we won't be needed.""A few days means it must be for a critically ill family member. Karen could only politely reply, "Hopefully we won't be needed.""No, we will need your services." The man asked, "By the way, can your company handle funerals for multiple people at once?""Could you please be more specific?""I mean, like when a whole family dies in a car accident and their funerals are held together. Have you ever done that before?""We have done that before." Karen actually didn't know.

"Okay, I understand. I hope we can reserve a rough date, is that possible?""A family, a rough date, reserve?""Yes." Karen replied, "But we will need a deposit.""Okay, don't worry about the money, what we need is your service. Today is the 9th, we want to book from the 14th to the 17th, can we? During these four days, I don't want your family to have any other arrangements. Just tell me the amount for the deposit.""No problem." Karen answered."There are no other arrangements during these four days.""Okay, I understand. Let's sign the agreement later.""Sure, but I'm still curious, is it a funeral for a family member who has passed away?"

"If it's a critical condition, it's not possible for the whole family to be in critical condition together, right?"The man shrugged his shoulders,smiled,and said,"Their family has a strong bond."