The Round Table Conference represented the highest level, largest attendance, and grandest scale of meetings in the country.
Many years had passed since such a conference was held; the last time a Round Table Conference convened was to decide the identity of Dragon War King Ye Longlin.
Barring any surprises, the Supreme would personally attend this meeting.
On the first day of the conference, discussions were held, but the Supreme did not appear. However, several future directions were decided.
First, would General Wen’s retreat to the background signify a transfer of power? After all, a vast nation could not be ruled solely by military officials.
Second, a group of people would be officially promoted to the forefront. Who would these people be?
Third, should the Dragon Pavilion, as an external force, participate in this promotion? After all, the Dragon Pavilion currently had a acting pavilion master, not a Dragon Lord.
In reality, these were not the only issues; there were other matters that required resolution one by one.
Of course, Ye Longlin was not concerned with the specifics of this matter. He would wait to see the outcome; sometimes the process was not as important as the result.
To him, these matters were inconsequential.
Ye Longlin and Mu Hanqi planned to visit Zhang Chunxiu’s home today. Since they had nothing else to do, they decided to visit and, incidentally, understand the specifics of this affair.
They could not rely solely on Zhang Chunxiu’s account.
The darkness of human nature sometimes exceeded imagination.
Zhang Chunxiu’s family was not from the capital city but had moved there for work. Because their daughter was admitted to Capital University, they relocated their entire family to the capital, wanting their daughter to focus on her studies. Even if she pursued postgraduate studies later, they would fully support her, even selling their house back home.
This was the extent of what most families could do for their children.
They hoped their children would have a better life in the future. Parents never wanted their children to follow the same path as them, and they were willing to sacrifice everything.
Parental love was always selfless. They gave their children the best of everything while adopting a nonchalant attitude towards themselves, living in the shabbiest houses and eating plain steamed buns and pickles. This was perhaps the reality for many parents.
A row of dilapidated houses in the west of the city.
These houses were situated adjacent to a railway line, with the tracks on one side and a major city road on the other, sandwiching the houses like a walnut.
Ideally, from a safety perspective, there should be fences separating the railway from residential areas, with guards posted to prevent unauthorized passage.
However, this location was unique. If fences were erected, it would be extremely inconvenient for the residents of the houses to travel. They would have to follow the small village paths for about a kilometer to reach the main road, then follow the main road in a curve, looping around to reach the city’s main thoroughfare and then travel normally.
The railway was an old line, and the whistle of the green-skinned trains was deafening. Anyone with neurasthenia living here would be driven mad. Moreover, the environment was far from pleasant, with the stench of feces and urine, and piles of white trash.
A gust of strong wind could even be seen carrying plastic bags and white garbage flying through the air. On the ground, rats and cockroaches were countless, and stray cats and dogs had set up camp.
The larger a city, the larger its base of the pyramid. A larger base meant more common people, but it was precisely these vast bases that prevented the pyramid from collapsing.
The pyramid’s structure was determined from birth, and climbing it required the effort of one generation, or even several generations.
It was clear that Zhang Chunxiu understood this principle, which was why she sold her house back home to let her daughter study. They knew that for common people, education was the best way out!
Many who dropped out of school early regretted it.
"To think that Capital City has such a place!"
Mu Hanqi seemed disbelieving that this was Capital City. How could the capital have such a dilapidated place? It completely shattered her perception!
Such neglected areas were hidden beneath the always glamorous facade of the capital.
This...
Ye Longlin sighed helplessly, "Yes, I didn't expect it either. It's surprising that even Capital City, an international metropolis, would have such places."
Mu Hanqi nodded, feeling that the air here was filled with a pungent, unpleasant odor.
"Where there is light, there will be darkness. Light and darkness exist eternally. No matter which city, no matter where, where there is light, there is darkness."
This was an eternal truth.
If, one day, only light remained in the world without darkness, then law enforcement departments would no longer be needed.
They would even become sinecures.
The law of the dark forest.
"If you're uncomfortable, wait for me here."
Ye Longlin was accustomed to such environments; he had been in all sorts of places. The smell of sewers was no better than this. During operations, sewers were a common refuge to evade enemy pursuit.
In such situations, the primary consideration was survival.
"It's fine."
Mu Hanqi shook her head and walked in.
Upon entering, stray cats and dogs were everywhere by the roadside, completely unafraid of people. Piles of garbage on the roadside had formed small mountains, yet no one cleaned them up.
It was not that migrant workers were unclean; on the contrary, most migrant workers were very clean. But there was no place to dispose of garbage here. Even if there were designated spots, no one came to clean them, so they could only dump it here.
When the situation became unbearable, the urban management would report it, and the city hall would pay to clear the area.
This vicious cycle continued without end, with no solution in sight.
Zhang Chunxiu lived in the building closest to the railway. The closer to the tracks, the cheaper the rent, and the further away, the more expensive.
Building seventy-two, apartment 301.
"Knock, knock, knock."
No one opened the door.
"Knock, knock, knock."
Still no answer. The door opposite opened, and a woman looked at them warily. "Who are you?"
"Auntie, it's like this, we're here to help Aunt Zhang. Aunt Zhang also gave us the address, but she's not opening the door. Is she not at home?"
Mu Hanqi spoke first, afraid that if Ye Longlin spoke, they might be mistaken for bad people.
Upon hearing Mu Hanqi's words, the woman's wariness subsided.
"You can come and sit in my house for a while. Old Zhang told me about yesterday's events. She said if a young couple came looking for her, I should entertain them first."
This family was very polite, and the house was kept very neat.
Although the decoration was shabby, the room barely carried the odor from outside.
"Old Zhang is attending his daughter's funeral today. He should be back in about an hour. Here, have some water."
Being able to drink bottled mineral water here was already considered quite good.
Ye Longlin, as a physician, could tell at a glance that the woman in front of him was ill. Although her complexion looked good, it was only superficial. The underlying sickly paleness could not be hidden.
"Auntie, could you tell us about Aunt Zhang's family situation? We've only heard that her family's situation is very difficult."
Mu Hanqi asked softly, trying to make her voice sound as gentle as possible.
The woman nodded and began to speak.
Zhang Chunxiu's family situation was largely as they had heard, with one discrepancy: Zhang Chunxiu's husband was already ill and had been hiding it from his daughter. He had worked while in critical condition just to save a little money.
"Do you know what Aunt Zhang went to do today?" Mu Hanqi asked.
Ye Longlin took out a pen and wrote something, but it looked like gibberish.
"Old Zhang is attending her daughter's funeral today. She said that a prominent figure was willing to seek justice for her, so she couldn't let her daughter act foolishly. The prominent figure she mentioned must be you. Don't disappoint her, otherwise, I fear Old Zhang won't be able to bear the blow."
Mu Hanqi assured, "Don't worry, we won't disappoint her."
The woman nodded and then said, "One kilometer west of here is a mass grave. She's there. She said that once justice is served, their family will return to their hometown, and Old Wang will also be buried there."
The two nodded and prepared to leave. Before they departed, Ye Longlin paused and handed her a piece of paper: "Your illness is incurable with Western medicine; it only treats symptoms, not the root cause. You could try traditional Chinese medicine."
After saying this, the two left. But the woman's eyes were filled with shock!
No one, except her husband, had ever known about her illness, and now a stranger had seen through it!
This...
"An expert, a true expert!"
Mass grave.
Logically, there should be no mass graves anymore, especially in a prime location like Capital City.
"My daughter, Mom won't be with you anymore. In that world, there's Dad, and Dad will accompany you, along with Grandma and Grandpa... Daughter, my daughter! How could you bear to leave me alone?"
Her solitary voice almost drowned out everyone else's.
Ye Longlin and Mu Hanqi watched from the side and sighed.
Who would wish to encounter such a situation?
No one wanted to experience this.
"Perhaps this is how people are; only after experiencing it themselves do they know how comfortable their current life is. If they just looked down, these people wouldn't do such things.
They destroy a family for their own selfish gain. For them, this is typical egoism; they never consider others, or rather, they themselves disdain it, completely disregarding the lives of those at the bottom."
Ye Longlin shook his head slightly, his tone tinged with melancholy.
In fact, he was the same, but unlike them, he had a heart.
He also wanted to change all this, but this was something the civil officials needed to consider, not him.
His concern was how to win battles.
"Do more good deeds, and accumulate some merit for our daughters or sons."
Mu Hanqi also felt a sense of melancholy.
"You're not even married yet, and you're already thinking about these things?"