WeTried Translations
Translator: Coughing Baby
Editor: Coughing Baby
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
Chapter 456: Stuffed Paradise (18)
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The White House spokesperson's statement began with remarks on the Philadelphia unrest. It expressed regret for the harm suffered by innocent citizens and praised the efforts of officials at every level who had quickly stabilized the city. It was somewhat disappointing that the statement did not mention anti-Chinese sentiment as a root cause, but given the leanings of the Kramer administration, it was hard to expect more moderation than that.
So at that point, Gyeoul and the other officers of the Independent Battalion were still watching TV in a relaxed mood. Their expressions said, looking back on it, that they had pulled off another job. Seeing their work reported across various media could only make them feel proud and satisfied.
In that atmosphere, Yura quietly brought up a subject.
"Sir. Would it be all right to apply for decorations over this incident? There are a few people I really want to make sure are recognized..."
Yura might be affectionate, but she did not confuse personal feelings with official business. If Yura said she wanted to look after them, it meant the platoon leaders who had taken part in this operation had carried out their duties that well.
Judging by the glances she stole in their direction, she also seemed to be considering harmony between Companies.
In principle, every decoration awarded within the Independent Battalion had to be applied for by Gyeoul, its commander.
Gyeoul nodded readily.
"Fill out the forms and send them to me by today... no, sometime this week. It will not be anything major, but I will try to get them something like the Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal. Even if it does not add to their service time, it should help with promotion evaluations."
The reason it did not add to their service time was that the medal was low-ranking. In other words, it would not immediately raise their pay grade or anything like that. But even the lowest-grade medal, once received, would continue to affect future promotions. Every time they were reviewed, they would begin with a certain number of points already on the board.
'That is why the other refugee-born officers are so stingy with decoration recommendations.'
To them, an outstanding subordinate was no different from a potential rival. This was not mere guesswork. The personnel receiving instruction here at the War College had complained about it, directly and indirectly, to the officers of the Independent Battalion. In that sense, they said, the people who belonged to the Independent Battalion were so, so enviable. All those laments reached Gyeoul's ears one way or another.
According to Wang Kechai, some had even expressed resentment toward Gyeoul. Because Gyeoul existed, the threshold for what American citizens considered a "heroic feat" had risen far too high. It was a latecomer's perspective Gyeoul had never thought of before.
Yura smiled brightly.
"Thank you. If the commander says that, it is as good as settled."
In fact, the higher-ups had never rejected one of Gyeoul's decoration applications so far.
Overflowing pride could easily cross the line into arrogance. Gyeoul gave a light warning.
"It is fine to think that, but do not go around saying it openly."
"Of course. I will be careful so no bad rumors start for no reason. You all understand too, right?"
Yura knew Gyeoul's concern had not been aimed at her. The way she naturally drew the other platoon leaders' attention to it made that clear. The platoon leaders accepted it without resistance as well. It was recognition Yura had earned through ability, achievement, and character. Gyeoul felt certain once again. Even as senior Company commander, she would carry out her role well.
While he was thinking that, the White House spokesperson had, at some point, moved on to the terrorist attack that had sparked the unrest. But the direction felt a little strange.
「In the course of tracking illegal weapons transactions that could be abused for antisocial terrorism, investigative authorities confirmed that some refugee-born officers diverted supplies from their own units.」
Those words sent a loud stir through the press corps. That was how shocking the content was.
Before the statement had even ended, one reporter hurriedly asked a question.
「Wait, Spokesperson. Are you saying the bomb used in this terrorist attack was also one of the military supplies leaked that way?」
「That has not yet been confirmed. Please wait for the results of the investigation.」
It was an ambiguous denial. The reporter dug into that ambiguity.
「But the possibility exists, correct?」
「We will only know for certain once the investigation results are out, but yes. The investigation is proceeding with that possibility in mind as well.」
A homemade explosive had been used in the terrorist attack, but the key question was where the gunpowder packed inside it had come from. There had been incidents in the past where gunpowder scraped from bullets was used in terrorist attacks. Depending on the source, the possibility raised by the reporter was entirely plausible.
At the spokesperson's answer, other reporters poured out questions.
「Can we take your statement that you are keeping the possibility in mind to mean there is some basis for it? That at least some circumstantial evidence linking the separate incidents exists?」
「Spokesperson! Is the officer who leaked the weapons perhaps ethnic Chinese? And what about the background of the organization involved in the weapons trafficking? Are there ethnic Chinese among them as well? Please answer!」
「When exactly did the weapons trafficking begin? Was it just before this terrorist attack occurred?」
The spokesperson raised a hand to calm the reporters.
「Please keep order. This is not the question-and-answer period. Still, I will answer the questions already asked first.」
The reporters quieted. The officers of the Independent Battalion also held their breath and listened.
「Most of the officers involved in the leakage of military supplies were people recognized as qualified refugee leaders. In addition to weapons trafficking, they are suspected of habitually overstepping their authority and taking illegal unilateral actions. Some ethnic Chinese officers are among them. It is highly likely that the transaction partner they chose was a criminal organization of the same ethnic Chinese background. The closed nature of Chinese communities is hardly a new issue. And the point at which these transactions became active was-」
The spokesperson paused and took a sip from the bottled water set nearby.
「The point at which these transactions became active coincides with the height of the civilian live-ammunition donation campaign. That was when shortages of rifle ammunition in the civilian market were worsening. They abused the goodwill of citizens who were trying to help the military.」
Gyeoul pressed a hand to his temple without realizing it. There had certainly been such an incident. Civilians had gathered hundreds of millions of rounds of rifle ammunition and delivered them to the military authorities. It was a movement that could only happen in America.
'Good lord. They tied it together like this...'
It was so perfectly done that he had nothing to say.
It was probably true that the refugee leaders had committed corruption around that time. More accurately, they had committed corruption "even around that time." Weapons trafficking was only one of their countless corrupt acts, but the problem was that no one could rule out the possibility that the leaked weapons had flowed into potential terrorist groups.
Whether there had truly been a unified purpose behind it was not very important right now. At least, not from the perspective of angry citizens.
That was how cunning the spokesperson's wording was. The spokesperson had said the transactions became active, not that they had definitely begun around that time. But the reporters and citizens would not focus on that distinction.
Beyond that, the spokesperson had not lied. Saying something might be true was the same as saying it might not be.
In this way, the attention and public anger focused on the terrorist attack could be shifted naturally toward the corruption committed by the refugee leaders.
'Now, if the investigation into the refugee leaders expands, then the more new corruption is exposed, the more people will gradually forget what triggered the investigation in the first place. Only the emotion will carry on... Even if it is later revealed that there was no direct connection between the weapons trafficking and the terrorist attack, the citizens' anger will remain.'
The White House staff's skill at handling the emotions of the crowd surpassed Gyeoul's imagination.
Gyeoul had expected this incident to delay the exposure or leave it drifting indefinitely, but to competent administrators, it was instead an unparalleled opportunity to maximize the impact of that exposure.
Stirring up hostility toward ethnic Chinese people in the process would be easy.
Perhaps even approving Gyeoul's request to intervene had been part of a larger calculation. Surely at least one person in the White House was capable of making that calculation in an instant. Including President Kramer, everyone who entered and left the White House deserved to be seen as a monster of political skill.
Wang Kechai groaned.
"This is... serious."
Ailing answered calmly.
"It has nothing to do with us."
Ailing truly seemed unconcerned. She was certain that, as someone under Gyeoul, she could not possibly be harmed by something like this. When her eyes met Gyeoul's, she looked puzzled for a moment, then smiled and gave a small nod. It was an expression of affection and respect that had become familiar after she had fully settled into her place under Gyeoul.
Gyeoul remembered the story he had heard from Wang Kechai.
'They said she flew into a rage at the phrase same ethnic Chinese...'
It had happened yesterday, outside Gyeoul's sight, when the cleanup of Chinatown was nearly finished. Apparently, some resident had repeatedly thanked the ethnic Chinese officers of Bravo Company in their mother tongue. In times like these, he had said, the only people they could trust were blood-sharing compatriots after all. Again and again.
Wang Kechai testified that it was the first time Ailing had ever looked so frighteningly sharp.
"If you say one more word about compatriots in front of me, I will slit your throat and pickle you into salted flesh."
That was the warning she had spat while slapping the man who was thanking her and grabbing him by the collar. Turning a person into salted flesh was a threat that came from an old Chinese punishment. Since she had belonged to the Triad, there was even a chance she had actually seen it or helped with it. Even if they did not necessarily kill someone, there were cases where a hand was cut off and salted as punishment. The pickled hand would become a display piece used to maintain discipline.
In other words, her threat had to be taken as half sincere.
At the same time, Wang Kechai's attitude while telling the story did not show much pity for the man who had been hit. Wang Kechai had only expressed concern over Ailing's disposition.
In the end, these people were not following Gyeoul because they deeply empathized with his goodwill. They were simply doing what Gyeoul wanted. Many of the officers in other Companies and the people of the Gyeoul Alliance probably had similar thoughts. The virtues they had internalized from Gyeoul were only the other side of their affection and loyalty toward him. Gyeoul felt a fresh sense of regret.
'They will change once more time passes...'
What he wanted was a truth that began as a lie. But for now, it was a virtue that would collapse without Gyeoul.
"For the time being, everyone needs to watch what they say and do."
At Gyeoul's words, the officers' gazes gathered on him.
"This is a sensitive period. Even a minor remark can become material for major fallout, depending on how it is processed. We need to be especially careful in our interactions with outsiders."
As the representative of the subordinate officers, Yura nodded.
"Please do not worry. I will keep everyone under control so you do not have to concern yourself with it."
"...I will trust you."
After giving that warning, Gyeoul stared at the spokesperson on the screen. Having finished the statement, the spokesperson had just begun the question-and-answer session. His calm, composed attitude seemed to reflect the White House's coldness toward the current situation.
After that day, anti-Chinese sentiment, which had softened for a short while, erupted with even more explosive force than before. America was racked by protests breaking out one after another across the country.
In that situation, the investigative authorities exposed new corruption by refugee leaders almost daily, making the flames of anger burn even hotter. Naturally, the central targets were ethnic Chinese refugee leaders.
In the end, on June 1, President Kramer announced a new executive order concerning the segregated internment of citizens of Chinese descent.
「Despite the tireless efforts of law enforcement authorities, many citizens feel that their personal safety is under threat. As President of the United States of America, I intend to make a grave decision for the sake of national security and social stability.」
...
「From today onward, citizens of Chinese descent who wish to do so will be granted the right to move to new residences and settlements prepared for them. In such cases, their existing assets will be managed in trust by the state, and all profits generated in the course of operation will be used in full to improve the treatment of citizens of Chinese descent.」
...
「In addition, groups designated by the government among Chinese refugees will likewise move to new residences, settlements, and other such locations. They will acquire the resources needed to sustain their lives as fair compensation for legitimate labor.」
...
「This is also a means of expanding the domain of humanity. I hope the spirit of our ancestors who pioneered the wasteland will become a new key to solving the tasks of this age. To all brave people who will bear the mission of the era and advance toward the new frontier, the sons and daughters of great fathers and mothers pay their respects in advance...」
It was an excellent speech, packaging the ethical problems of the segregation policy in the spirit of America and the mission of the age.
Gyeoul pictured the near future of citizens of Chinese descent in his mind.
'Even if it is limited to those who wish to go, most of them will end up being pushed out.'
Once empty houses began increasing on any street, it turned into a slum in no time. All the more so in a Chinatown where every kind of hostility was concentrated. The worse the living environment became, the more people would have no choice but to leave.
And once they left, would hostility deepen between citizens of Chinese descent and refugees this time? The citizens would still enjoy various institutional benefits first as American citizens, and they would also have financial support as compensation for the seizure of their assets. The refugees had none of that. Even in the settlements, social class would be divided according to whether one had citizenship. It was an effective strategy for keeping their dissatisfaction from being directed outward.
On the day the executive order was announced, Gyeoul found this post while browsing the web. It was an anonymous opinion someone had left on an image board community.
「...In this way, the mass issuance of wartime bonds promises rapid postwar inflation. With overseas markets gone, this will be difficult to handle. Therefore, the government's decision in this executive order to collectively take custody of the assets of citizens of Chinese descent can be interpreted as an attempt to induce investment in those assets, minimize the side effects of wartime bond repayment, and bring economic indicators to a soft landing. It is a means of tying bonds down with bonds.」
No mainstream media outlet had offered this analysis. But Gyeoul judged that the opinion was certainly persuasive. Kramer could do it. Kramer was competent and did the best possible job as president for America. It was just that there was no place for citizens of Chinese descent in the America Kramer imagined.
The muddy current rushing violently onward had now slipped completely beyond Gyeoul's hands.
Footnotes:
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