death of hope

Chapter 41 "Flying Windfall" (41) Confused

The two sat in a pizzeria near the supermarket,
The jukebox plays soft retro music, the seafood cheese pizza on the table is almost cooling, and the shiny knife and fork is placed on a clean white napkin, and no one takes it.

Roy's eyes wandered, staring vigilantly at every customer around him, worried about potential killers among them, worried about bullets that might fly at any time.

Anna scooped up a spoonful of creamy soup, put it to her mouth, and put it down slowly.

"Why, it smells bad?"

"The taste of this store is very good, I just have no appetite."

"Eat something, I'm hungry too, I'll take you back after eating."

"What the hell happened? You came here in a hurry, and you're still so angry... Beating someone, you scared me, Roy."

"I'm sorry, I... I'm just... worried about you."

"worry about what?
Worried about someone killing me? "

"take it easy."

After observing all the customers, Roy finally confirmed the safety of the restaurant and withdrew his wandering gaze:

"Since we are about to leave this planet, you and I should be more careful. The law and order is not very good recently, try to go out as little as possible."

"You yourself are more nervous than anyone else, and your nose is full of sweat."

"Really..." Roy raised his sleeve and rubbed his nose.

Anna sighed: "There is something important that I have to ask, and I feel uncomfortable in my heart."

"Ask." Roy picked up the knife and fork.

"The collector, the generous collector who bought your painting..."

"how?"

"He doesn't exist at all, does he?"

Roy almost choked on the half-chewed pizza, and said calmly, "What are you talking about, eat quickly."

"I won't blame you, dear,
I know that your lies are all in good faith. Where did your money... come from?I want you to be honest. "

"Don't ask, you won't want to know."

Anna took his hand: "I love you, Roy,
No matter what happens, I will stay by your side unswervingly, tell me, what troubles you have caused, let's face it together. "

Roy took a deep breath: "Let's eat first, the partition wall has ears here, let's talk about it when we get back to the car."

In the car, Roy told the whole story,
Although she already had an ominous premonition and was mentally prepared, Ana still couldn't accept it when she heard that the shooting had killed someone.

Tears were shining in the big blue eyes, and the nails were pulling at the hair: "God, my dear, what have you done...those people...we can't afford to mess with them!"

"I'm obsessed, who can't be tempted to see that money." Roy lay on the steering wheel, looking at the muddy pedals, very regretful:

"That day, I should have gone home earlier. I shouldn't have taken a shortcut, and I shouldn't have taken that box of money. It's a pity that there is no medicine for regret in this world. It's too late."

"I can't imagine what a terrible thing will happen next..."

"If you think about it, the other party may not know about our immigration. After these few days, we will be free."

"Beep, beep..." Roy picked up the communicator; "No message, no call... Oh, yes, it's your communicator ringing, I brought it here, in the glove box .”

Anna picked up the phone and talked about Albert in her words. As she spoke, her expression became more dignified:
"Thank you for telling me this, thank you so much!"

"What happened to your brother?"

"Brother Albert...he took part in the strike march, and his fellow workers told me about it."

"It's too dangerous! What is he thinking?"

"Without the daughter who is dependent on each other, the already depressed elder brother is even more gloomy."

"It's not surprising. If you lose a lovely child like Lisa, everyone will be depressed. The question is why he participated in the strike. There is no sign of it."

"His co-worker said on the phone that because of the unfair treatment in the factory and the accumulation of all kinds of negative emotions, Albert's brother suddenly became irritable and irritable. Friends worried that he would do something stupid. I couldn’t stop it, so I called my younger sister.”

"Well, I hope he's all right."

Anna clutched the communicator, fidgeting, her palms were sweaty: "No, I can't just sit here and wait, I have to persuade him to come back."

"Wait a minute, I'll come up with a solution." Roy called the VIP customer service line of Norton Security Company. After some negotiations, he got a disappointing answer:

"Sure enough, it still doesn't work. The security company is only responsible for protecting the safety of the customers themselves.
Although black gold card customers have additional privileges and can customize services, security companies are reluctant to get involved in union-related incidents because peaceful demonstrations may turn into bloody conflicts at any time. "

"There is no other way. I will go to the scene, find my brother, and persuade him to come back."

"Are you crazy, it's too dangerous!"

"I'll just go by myself, take me to the station."

"Look at what you said...how can I ignore it! Sit still, let's go together."

Roy knew that he couldn't persuade her, so he could only bite the bullet and drive to the scene of the incident. With countless similar cases as a lesson, he knew the danger of this trip very well.
This is what he thought, if he put himself in a dangerous situation, the security company would send someone to rescue him in order to fulfill the contract, and he happened to be rescued together with Anna's brother.

The scene of the parade was broadcast on the car TV.
The scale of this parade is extraordinary, with tens of thousands of people participating, and workers from the Spike dye battery factory where Anna and Roy belonged also joined in.

What these people who participated in the strike march had in common was that the factories they were in were all owned by the Sakura Co., Ltd. group, and the venue for the demonstration was naturally chosen near the headquarters of the Sakura Group.

"My God... I saw our old colleagues in the picture."

Anna covered her mouth in shock: "Mr. Jimmy Brown, the president of the Automobile Industry Federation, the city's largest trade union, personally led this event. The morale of the workers has been greatly boosted. This is going to make a big fuss."

As the nearby roads were blocked, Roy could only park the car on the side of the street and walk there holding Anna's little hand.

A large number of police cars, armored vehicles, and helicopters are coming. Police officers, National Guards, journalists, and spectators are all gathering in the same direction.

The two held hands, pushed aside the guardrail, got through the barbed wire, and overcame many obstacles, finally arrived at the scene.
That pure white towering building was the headquarters of Sakura Co., Ltd., and the building was surrounded by a turbulent crowd. It seemed that there were far more than 1 people.

The participants were mostly auto industry workers in blue uniforms, but also construction workers in fluorescent yellow vests and yellow hard hats.

The Federation of Automobile Industries was not the only trade union involved. People held various union flags, held signs full of angry slogans, and shouted slogans:

"Return my hard-earned money!"

"Working 15 hours a day, still let people live!"

Anna stepped on the overturned trash can and shouted loudly, "Brother Albert! Where are you?"

Her voice was instantly swallowed up by the clamor of thousands of people. In the vast sea of ​​people, the goal of one person is really too small.

Anna wiped away her tears anxiously, and wanted to rush into the parade to find her brother, but was stopped by Roy: "If you squeeze in, you won't be able to find him, first find a place with a good view."

The corporate fighters of Sakura Co., Ltd. lined up in several dense columns, guarding the fence in the yard of the building. These people who have undergone strict military training are strong and strong, and their equipment is better than that of the York City police.
Wearing a black full-face steel helmet and black plastic-steel armor, with a swing stick, pepper spray and a stun gun attached to his armed belt, he is holding up an explosion-proof shield to resist the thrown stones.

"Boom!" A fragment of a brick happened to pass through a gap in the shield wall and hit a company employee without a helmet.

The split scalp was bleeding, and the white shirt was stained red. The unlucky guy was quickly carried into the company's infirmary on a stretcher.

"Okay! Smash these bastards to death!"

The demonstrators cheered, and more stones were thrown, raining down on the shield.

(These people are not righteous,) thought Roy;
(They are not kind and pure, but one thing is certain, they are angry and willing to exchange their own death for a small scar on the enemy.)
"If it weren't for this windfall, maybe we would be among this group of angry people." He said to Anna.

(End of this chapter)