36: Charles the Reporter and Jacob the Red

After meeting Wang Jinlu, Fang Le suddenly said, "Ouyang, bring the other two prisoners in custody over to me."

Soon after, two blindfolded men appeared in the same dark room.

Fang Le, along with Yan Ruyu and Ouyang, sat down opposite the interrogation table.

"Take off their blindfolds."

Fang Le instructed Ouyang, who, after a moment of hesitation, complied.

When their blindfolds were removed, they saw three Masked Men across the table. The one in the middle sat on a chair, seemingly the leader.

The man in the middle calmly said, "Reporter Charles, Mr. Jacob, I hear you two know each other?"

The two brought into the interrogation room were precisely the ones Fang Le had paid special attention to earlier.

Charles, a reporter and editor for the City Daily, was arrested on charges of colluding and spreading intelligence among the city's rebels.

Jacob, on the other hand, was the man who led thousands of people to the City Hall to petition Mayor Cohen. He was usually a freelance writer.

The two indeed knew each other, but they didn't know why they were brought together to this ghost-like secret room after being arrested.

They exchanged glances, then Charles asked, "We do know each other... Who are you?"

Fang Le calmly said,

"The one who has the power to decide your fates."

Instantly, the atmosphere in the room became oppressive.

Jacob, evidently more passionate, stated,

"I know that after the U.S. Military airstrike that night, you arrested many people, and many of those arrested were subsequently taken out, probably executed by you."

"But I will not yield."

Fang Le clapped, approvingly, "Very good, that's the spirit."

"Next time you give a speech, just do it like that."

The two were bewildered.

"What exactly do you mean?"

Fang Le: "It's simple. I plan to 'recruit' you. Uh, you don't understand that term. It means to persuade you to surrender, to incorporate you, to make you work for me."

"Reporter Charles, you can join the public propaganda department at City Hall."

"Jacob, use your strengths to give street speeches and refute those surrenderists!"

Before Charles could speak, Jacob twisted his neck and said, "What if I don't agree?"

Fang Le: "Jacob, do you think we are evil?"

Jacob was extremely agitated: "You've kidnapped an entire city, over a hundred thousand people, onto your war chariot. You are evil!"

Fang Le: "I understand what you mean. You think the Self-Defense Forces are overestimating themselves by trying to take on something too big, and that they've implicated the entire city."

"So I tell you, if the Self-Defense Forces can successfully defend the city and prevent ordinary residents from suffering too much harm, what would you say then?"

Jacob's voice instantly became sharp: "That's impossible! That's a pipe dream!"

"Darwin City's military strength is simply no match for the powerful U.S. Military!"

Fang Le: "Don't always say 'you think'. I mean, if I achieve this, will you pledge your allegiance to me? How about that?"

Jacob sneered: "Then I look forward to seeing that day."

Fang Le turned to Charles: "Reporter Charles, what about you?"

Charles thought for a moment, much calmer.

"I am a reporter. A reporter's duty is to record, not to stand with any specific faction."

"If you can truly control the entire city, then I can only observe and record."

Fang Le: "Very good, you two may leave."

The two were again blindfolded with black hoods and sent away.

During their escort, Charles suddenly was startled.

No, that person had such a grand demeanor, his words could decide life and death.

Could he be Mazhaha's successor?

Did the Indigenous Party have a new leader so quickly?

Or, another possibility.

Behind the Indigenous Party, were there puppeteers?

A chill ran down Charles's spine.