Outside the Yokosuka Military Base, police cars lined up in a row, and police officers in explosion-proof suits pulled up yellow police line on the road at the entrance of the base, armed with batons and explosion-proof shields. The sheriff of the city personally stood at the very front as he shouted to the emotional demonstrators, urged people to stay calm, and stopped the protesting crowd from marching forward.
“Citizens of Yokosuka, please remain calm! Don’t believe the rumors on the Internet! Our Prime Minister has contacted the UA Ambassador and asked the UA to give a reasonable explanation on this matter! Please trust us, trust the Prime Minister! He will definitely give you a satisfactory answer…”
Sheriff Fujiyama shouted into the speaker. As he watched the indignant crowd, he started to feel the heat of the situation.
He had been in the police force for more than twenty years, and he had encountered crowds gathered around military bases many times, but rarely did the number of demonstrators exceed 500. After all, the military base in Yokosuka was close to Yoto, and only naval units were stationed here. Most of the disturbing aircrafts such as the Osprey were generally deployed in Yokota and Okinawa.
And the scene in front of him was an endless crowd. Based on his own estimate, there were more than 10,000 protesters at the entrance. It was the first time in his two decades of working that he had encountered a situation like this.
Sheriff Fujiyama almost lost his voice from shouting into the speaker, but the protesters obviously didn’t buy it.
“Anyway, you only speak for the UA, right?”
“Kneel down! Apologize!”
“Get out of Yokosuka! Get out with your virus! The citizens of Yokosuka are not your white rats!”
As Sheriff Fujiyama looked anxiously at the people who began to push the police, the checkpoint at the gate of the military base finally raised its bar. A Hummer slowly drove out and stopped behind the human wall, he took the speaker from an officer and shouted to the crowd.
“Please be quiet!”
The ear-piercing sound shook the eardrums of the protesters in the very front, and for a moment it actually overpowered the slogans chanted by the protesting crowd. Many people stopped talking, put down their fists, stared at the man at the front, and waited for his next sentence.
“I am Thomas, Commander of the Seventh Fleet. You may recognize my face, or you may know nothing about me. But these are not important. What is important is that I stand here on behalf of the entire Yokosuka Military Base to respond sincerely to the citizens of Yokosuka.” While he said everything in his not-so-fluent speech, Thomas glanced at the speech written in phonetics in his hand and continued.
“Some photos and irresponsible reports circulating on the Internet may have caused your misunderstanding. Here, I’m issuing a statement on behalf of the UA that those are all unwarranted accusations. We will hold those who spread rumors accountable through legal means!”
There was a boo in the crowd.
Obviously, the citizens were not satisfied with the arrogant response. They demanded an explanation, not another diplomatic message.
Thomas coughed slightly, turned the speech to the next page, and continued.
“I declare once again that the UA Army stationed in Nippon absolutely did not receive Takeda Pharmaceutical’s servers, nor did it assist the CIB in collecting information about T-virus.
“In order to prove our innocence, we are willing to open our military base to the media, and the process of investigation and evidence collection will be broadcasted live in real-time. Whether you believe us or not, you should always trust your eyes…”
The boos outside the military base gradually died down.
Weird expressions appeared on everyone’s faces, wondering if they had heard it wrong.
Open their military base?
Real-time live broadcast investigation and evidence collection process?
Is this still the Yankee’s way of doing things?
This is too abnormal…
Many people hesitantly put down their raised fists and slowly lowered the sign in their hands. Thomas’s speech had made them question themselves. If they had really hidden the servers with T-virus data, would they dare to open the military base?
“Who can guarantee that the servers we see are the same as the ones that appeared in the photo?” At this moment, a loud voice appeared in the crowd, “Who can guarantee that you did not switch the servers?”
“We can guarantee that not a single server you see in that room has been replaced, and even the orientation of the servers has not changed.” Thomas immediately responded to that voice, “After we discovered the rumors on the Internet, we immediately secured the room, and no one has moved the servers inside. Our surveillance video can prove this. Anyone who doubts this point is welcome to check our footage.”
At this point, many people were moved by Thomas’s “sincerity”.
To be honest, many of the people had already suffered from Stockholm syndrome. All the UA soldiers who committed crimes in the country had been sent back to the UA and tried in military courts, but they were soon acquitted.
Now, the UA was willing to open up their military base to prove their innocence, which made them feel like their opinion actually mattered. Since it was the first time they openly expressed their willingness to allow the media to investigate and collect evidence!
Of course, the premise of all trust here was based on the fact that everything Thomas said was true, and that the servers were not associated with Takeda Pharmaceutical and the T-virus. But if the results did prove that the UA was collecting T-virus data, then their stance would not change the slightest.
Except before the investigation began, most of the protesters had already believed Thomas’s confident statement…
The Yankees were not joking.
After Thomas finished his speech, two officials, escorted by UA soldiers, came to the media’s broadcast vehicle and began to arrange the investigation process.
After all, it was a military facility, and it was definitely impossible for a large group of people to enter, so only ten news agencies were granted permission to enter.
In this case, the question of who to choose became very important.
If they chose all UA-based news agencies, no one would be convinced by the result.
Perhaps because of their absolute confidence, only two news agencies named were based in the UA, and even two news agencies from Hua were selected despite the opposing views.
After the list was announced, all representatives present no longer expressed objections.
In addition to the four major news agencies of Reuters, AFP, Xinhua, and the Associated Press, there were also broadcasting companies that were equally influential, such as BBC, NHK, and CTV. As far as the list was concerned, it was fair and square.
As to whether the investigation process was truly transparent…
It would be determined once the result was released.
The unusual cooperative attitude of the UA made the crowd, especially those who wished to see the downfall of the UA, feel hesitant. Including Sumitomo Kenichi and all representatives of anti-UA garrison organizations, everyone did not expect the UA to cooperate in this unprecedented manner. Because usually, even if they were amid controversies, they often had a strong stance.
But this time, they just…cooperated?
Sumitomo Kenichi picked up the phone anxiously and dialed Jiang Chen’s number.
As soon as the call was connected, he hurriedly said.
“They opened their military base…”
“I know, so what?”
So what?
Jiang Chen’s nonchalant response made Sumitomo Kenichi confused.
“Do you think I am betting that they will never compromise? They will never open their military base and carry this bowl of dirty water from Yokosuka back to their own home soil?”
“…Are you not?”
When Jiang Chen said this, Sumitomo Kenichi had a strange expression on his face, because Jiang Chen had already said what he wanted to say.
“Use your mind to think about it,” Jiang Chen sighed softly; he was about to say something, but he quickly changed the topic and laughed, “Forget it, why am I explaining this to you. Just enjoy the show.”
After he left the bewildered Sumitomo Kenichi with this sentence, he hung up the phone.
