Chapter 82: Chapter 82, The Value of Living
Bradford decided to make a run for it.
Without delay, tonight was the night.
He didn’t dare take too much with him; despite his considerable wealth in Revival City, these tangible assets would obviously be a burden. Carrying them would hinder his escape.
His greatest asset was his own life, along with the connections he’d made over the years in business. As long as he made it out alive, lost wealth could be regained.
On the contrary, he took out a lot of money, giving it to his bodyguards and the skilled mercenaries he had hired, promising that if they could leave the city and get outside, there would be even more money waiting for them.
At night, Bradford headed to the northwest side of the city.
This wasn’t where the city gate was located, but it wasn’t impossible to leave.
His years of business experience, of course, had given him control over some special passages.
In the past, this route through the sewer, dug under the city walls to the outside, was used for smuggling. Special goods that needed to be secretly imported or exported, as well as for tax evasion, this route saved a lot of effort and money for these shady dealings. And now, this passage would save Bradford’s life.
After half an hour in the dark sewer and the secret tunnel that followed, they had arrived.
A group of bodyguards led the way, some climbing ladders upwards, forcefully pushing open the manhole cover above.
This wasn’t easy, as the manhole was sealed with dirt for camouflage. If it wouldn’t budge, they had to insert knives along the rim of the cover, loosening the soil above.
It was troublesome, but manageable.
After much effort, the cover was pushed aside, and three bodyguards emerged. They held their guns professionally, watching in three directions on high alert, and waited for the others to come up.
Before long, protected by the bodyguards in front and behind, Bradford reached the surface.
The sky was dim, the surrounding environment was very familiar to him, as he’d seen it many times before, but it was too quiet. In the past, after crawling out from here, the noise from the outer city could be heard. The poor in the night sometimes made a lot of noise, reflecting the nightlife.
But this was normal.
There had just been a battle, and it was customary to stay hidden in fear at night. Besides, for all he knew, the Governor might have imposed martial law outside the city.
While lost in thought, the bodyguards covering the rear also surfaced.
“Move, move, move!”
Bradford urged them.
Getting through the tunnel wasn’t too difficult; what came next was the most perilous part of the journey. They needed at least half an hour to completely leave the outer city.
Only then could they consider themselves safe.
Before setting out, they restored the manhole cover of the secret passage to its original state; otherwise, if spotted, it would reveal that someone had escaped.
After they finished these tasks, they were ready to depart.
‘Swoosh’!
Two white searchlights cast an extremely bright light upon them.
At the same time, a shouting voice carried over: “Drop your weapons! Kneel and surrender!”
Bradford, blinded and in pain, could not open his eyes. His heart was filled with despair.
He knew it was over.
He resigned himself to his fate, dropped his gun, and knelt on the ground obediently, daring not to move.
But his bodyguards, they reacted differently.
Some were attempting to flee, others were trying to fight back, squinting against the glaring light to aim at its source.
But the next moment, the distinctive ‘pop pop pop’ of the G9 rifle’s gunfire erupted.
Those who wanted to run, those who resisted, they all died.
…
On the way back to the camp, the commander of the Governor’s Infantry Regiment Second Battalion, Perbov, laughed out loud:
“Haha! I didn’t think there’d actually be a catch! That information about the tunnel was spot-on!”
His adjutant was also beaming with joy, “Yes, yes, sending someone to act as that political commissar was really useful. I was a bit reluctant when Kodi was picked, but to think we got this news about the smuggling tunnel the very next day. We just set up a blockade here on a whim, and we unexpectedly hit the jackpot!”
“Did that captured man say anything?”
“He did. He said he’s an Alliance Councilman and that he wants to meet the Governor himself.”
“Fuck. Can just anyone meet the Governor now? But… still, let’s report to the Governor, see if he’s willing to meet this man. If he is, we’ll send a squad to escort him over; if not… damn it, I don’t have anywhere to keep him anyway, might as well just execute him.”
The bound Bradford, following behind, was scared out of his wits.
“The Governor must see me! I know a lot of things! I will be very useful to him!”
…
Bradford had thought that his fate wouldn’t be decided until the next day, but unexpectedly, despite it being late at night, Gu Hang hadn’t rested and met with him in the early hours of the morning.
This gave Bradford a sigh of relief.
The Governor had shown willing to see him, so at least he wouldn’t be shot by the military officer who had caught him.
But now was far from the time to relax.
What came next was the real moment that would decide his fate.
Whether he could exhibit his worth was to be determined in the next few words.
To live, he had to demonstrate his value. He needed to tell the Governor that he was more useful alive than dead.
However, the conversation with the Governor was a bit beyond his expectations.
He was baffled from the very first sentence.
“Bradford, we met on the day I first landed on the surface. Back then, I felt that you would die at my hands, because I really hated the way you looked when you smiled. Now, it seems my feeling was right.”
Bradford panicked: Why the fuck did I have to smile that day?
If the reason for his death was that, it would be too unjust.
Without giving him a chance to speak, Gu Hang continued, “I know you want to convince me to let you live, to show your value. I’ll give you that chance, but let me first tell you the benefits of your death. This way, you can weigh in your mind what it is you’ll have to offer that could replace those.”
Nervously swallowing, Bradford listened as Gu Hang spoke slowly:
“I’m going to carry out a major purge within Revival City. The performance of the entire Alliance Government these past few months has utterly disappointed me. How can good politics arise with you vermin around? Therefore, I plan to arrest all the Alliance Councilmen, senior governmental officials, conduct public trials, and exclaim your crimes to the world…”
“I haven’t…” Bradford couldn’t help but try to explain, but Gu Hang interrupted him.
“I don’t care, you’ll be found guilty anyway. People inside Revival City not being able to live better lives, those outside the city struggling for food and warmth, the world in complete chaos, these are your original sins, and they will be woven into specific and outrageous crimes. In the end, you will pay the price on the gallows, the public will be satisfied, cathartic, maybe even scared, but ultimately they will respect me more. Don’t worry about being lonely, you’ll have plenty of company on your way up.”
“After a comprehensive purge, the political landscape within Revival City will be renewed. I’ll promote some new officials, people without solid foundations or deep connections. They came up from the lower ranks and will become a new stratum of interest. Their entire glory and shame will be tied to me; they might not perform well at first due to lack of experience and capability, but they’ll be utterly committed to executing my will. And I, I will control this city completely and thoroughly, implementing my determination to revive not just the city but the whole world.”
“Alright, I’ve had my say. Now it’s your turn, Mr. Bradford. Can that intelligent brain of yours think of a reason why you living is more valuable than your death? I’m quite looking forward to it.”