Chapter 137: Whose meat is that in the golden age?
Whose piece of meat is that?
In an instant, countless answers flashed through Bai Ling's mind. Finally, he fluttered his eyelids and asked:
"You talked to the curator. Has the curator left?"
My left shoulder felt heavy, and the mermaid's lower jaw came up to touch my ear. Her voice brushed against my ear and she said slowly, "He did something he shouldn't have done."
Bai Ling's body stiffened slightly: "He betrayed you?"
"Um."
"… Serious?"
"I ordered him to guard the things, but he handed them over to Cade without my permission."
Bai Ling turned his head and looked at the man's profile close to him: "What is that?"
The mermaid curled her lips, her expression calm, but her eyes dark: "Evidence that will ruin my reputation."
evidence. Bai Ling’s first reaction was that it must be something extraordinary.
As we all know, Isuparezo reigned for 127 years and received countless criticisms. He had already been nailed to the Devil's Pillar by interstellar history, yet there was still room for him to be disgraced. Bai Ling really couldn't imagine what kind of horrible evidence that was.
"Get it back for me, okay?" Yu Chen asked softly.
That is the tone of negotiation, and it also contains deeper requirements. The evening light shone down obliquely, and Bai Ling looked at the ground in a trance. The mermaid hugged him, and their shadows almost merged into one, so sticky that when he spoke, he felt his lips stuck together and his voice was hoarse:
"……good."
He was always hard to say no to.
The mermaid took a step back, grabbed something from the table, put it in his arms, and lowered her head to touch his forehead:
"Return it to you."
Bai Ling subconsciously hugged the kettle tightly, his ten fingers gripping it, and it felt cold to the touch.
The water is completely cold.
·
The clouds are thick tonight, and under the solid moonlight, an aircraft flies silently across the sky.
Bai Ling stared out the window, somewhat distracted.
AI asked with concern: "Are you okay?"
"fine……"
Bai Ling murmured, turned his head to look at the bionic body, hesitated for a while and asked: "Is he always like this?"
"Master?" the AI wanted to say, and it did always deal with traitors.
"Always betrayed." Bai Ling lowered her long eyelashes.
Even though it was AI, it couldn't help but be stunned for a moment, and instantly felt that the data flow in the background had accelerated. It leaned back in its chair, imitating humans, and sighed in the tone of someone who had experienced it:
"Yes, we are the only ones who will not betray him."
"We?" Bai Ling raised his gray eyes slightly.
"Yes, you and me." The AI pointed at him with its iron finger.
In its cognition, Bai Ling is a little robot. Otherwise, with its computing power, it would be impossible to figure out why the other party did not run away with the luggage overnight after seeing the true face of the owner.
You know, no sane person can live under the mental pressure of the master for a long time.
The only answer can only be that the mechanical bird is a loyal little robot.
Bai Ling looked at the hazy night scene outside, then turned back and said a little uncomfortably: "I heard that the curator was once one of his successors."
"It's hard to say." The AI consoled him, "The master will only hand over the scepter to the true heir. As for the curator and Cade, they are just backups."
Speaking of this, AI couldn't help but feel regretful.
If only the mechanical bird were human.
He is loyal and fit to inherit his master's power and wealth.
It was eight o'clock in the evening and the air routes in the city center were a bit congested, but they still hurried to reach the destination. Tonight, they are going to attend a charity dinner and take back the mermaid's "evidence" at the banquet.
This charity dinner is attended by many celebrities and has a long history. Each session has a unique theme.
The theme of this year's event happens to be "Hegemony Empire: The Golden Age".
The so-called "Golden Age of Interstellar" lasted for a hundred years from the reign of Isuparezo to the competition between the Federation and the Empire.
During this period, the empire did two things: first, it invested money to carry out reforms to provide free education and medical care.
The second is to raise taxes and strike hard at the aristocratic capitalist class.
The old nobles complained bitterly, but a group of new common people gradually emerged. People like Savoy I and Schloerland supported the backbone of the empire with their absolute strength.
Some historians say that this was the most successful monarchical reform in interstellar history - although a hundred years later, it still ended in failure.
But what is indisputable is that, whether directly or indirectly, the empire ruled by The One did greatly influence the development of interstellar humanity as a whole.
These include some of the most famous works of art from the 23rd century:
It is also an item for tonight's charity auction.
Inside, ladies waved lace mother-of-pearl fans, and the hems of their empire-style skirts swayed between the long tables. Gentlemen wearing white bow ties expertly raised bottles of Louis Roederer champagne to strangers.
Everything went on in perfect harmony.
Until a dog barking interrupted the atmosphere, "wer! werwerwer!"
The spotted dog with big ears came out from under the table covered with flowers, biting a corner of the tablecloth with its teeth, and cleverly pulled down a silver tray, picked up the sausages and ran away.
Its mistress followed behind, calling out in panic, "Xiaobi, Xiaobi."
"Pfft, who is that?" People laughed and talked in the background.
"It seems to be Mrs. Maine. Her husband is the Secretary General of the Interstellar Alliance."
The secretary general was a bald man with a big beard. When he saw his wife chasing the dog with her butt sticking up, he became furious:
"This stupid woman!"
Mrs. Maine chased to the door and saw that the beagle was about to get out of the gate. She hurriedly asked for help:
"Help me catch Xiaobi, don't let him get out!"
Xiaobi shook his ears and didn't listen at all. But the next second, a pair of short boots appeared on the road. The puppy raised its big head, and the man bent down, picked it up horizontally and returned it to its owner.
"Give."
Mrs. Maine did not answer. She was stunned for a moment, then pointed at him and said, "Aren't you the one in the garden this afternoon..."
When everyone saw the white-haired young man's face clearly, they were shocked and Mrs. Maine also began to stutter:
"No, you, you are an interstellar rebel—"
"Bai Ling?" Someone in the crowd shouted in surprise.
Everyone turned around subconsciously and saw the little prince of the new tuna country, Lanqi.
He and Commander Bai actually know each other?
Before they could ask any questions, Lan Qi couldn't control his steps and walked over to greet them.
He looked at Bai Ling's cold face almost greedily, and glanced at the door inadvertently. After confirming that Mr. D was not there, he curled his lips:
"Are you here alone? It's not traditional for an Omega to attend a dinner alone. You'll need a male companion."
As he said this, Lanqi extended his arm in a very gentlemanly manner.
The male companion he originally brought with him was left aside, with shock and confusion flashing across his face.
Damn, is this still the dandy little tuna prince?
Bai Ling looked indifferent: "No, I don't need it."
The female walked right past him without even a glance of concern.
After Lan Qi's reminder, everyone remembered Commander Bai's gender. They whispered to each other: An omega, a marked one at that, actually showed up alone? Please, do you understand the social etiquette? Not only do you not want to go out with the alpha, but you also reject the kind-hearted tuna?
Don't be too ungrateful.
People watched him walk into the hall. Although he has a cool and delicate face, he has a strong military style. The distance of his steps and the arc of his hand swings are all body reflexes formed in long-term actual combat.
He stood in the crowd like a solid island. Anyone with bad intentions would shudder and lower their head in panic if they met his cold gray eyes.
...Too straightforward, I dare not look at him.
Unfortunately, some alphas are just lacking, especially those in the military who pride themselves on their "orthodox bloodline".
Ever since Bai Ling came in, they started circling around him, holding their wine glasses. Sometimes she looked at his flat belly, sometimes she wondered with great interest how many eggs he had carried.
"At least six, I bet."
"Hey, you don't understand. Commander Bai is a bird of prey, and he doesn't give birth to many falcons. And it's only been six months since he was marked, so I'll just bet on three."
"Why call me Little Falcon? That's really ugly." The federal alpha colonel raised his eyebrows greasyly, walked in front of Bai Ling with a splayed step, and shook his legs:
"In my opinion, the white-haired cat should be called a pretty little Persian cat, a little cat——"
Not only did he tease her verbally, he also used his hands to hook Bai Ling's chin with his finger.
Bai Ling glanced coldly.
“Crack.”
The crisp sound of bones cracking made the whispers in the venue stop abruptly, and was replaced by: “Ahhhhh! You bitch O, let me go!”
Everyone looked inside the venue in confusion, and suddenly their scalps went numb. The omega, who was considered to be the most ferocious in the entire galaxy, actually broke off the alpha's finger with one hand. It was truly cruel.
This is not a Persian cat.
Instead, it is a bird of prey that eats raw meat and drinks blood and hunts ruthlessly.
Facing the alpha's screams, Bai Ling remained expressionless. Instead, he slowly retracted his strength and continued to press in the opposite direction.
He came from the military, so of course he was good at torturing his enemies.
Everyone watched as the alpha's fingers moved from a blunt angle to a right angle, and finally to a simple pinch, pressing against the back of the hand in a twisted posture.
In an instant, there were gasps in the venue one after another, and some of the timid ones were sobbing with fear.
At this point, Commander Bai calmly said his second sentence of the night:
"Isn't this a charity dinner? If you don't want your fingers, just donate them."
After saying that, he casually let go.
The alpha was tall and strong, but now he stumbled and shrank into the crowd like a pigeon. He held his injured hand, turned his head, and cursed with red eyes:
"Earth's little bastard!"
The senior officials present all have their own intelligence teams. A brief biography of Commander Bai had already been recorded and delivered to their desks.
Therefore, when they saw Bai Ling, they felt more or less contempt for him.
Everyone knows that good genes have long been selected and followed by the large group to immigrate to other planets. Only the lowest quality and most basic genes will remain on Earth, living in darkness like rats in a sewer.
Such a mixed-race immigrant, an albino with genetic defects, just relying on the support of Isuparaiso, wanted to establish a country and be on an equal footing with these old interstellar military and political families.
Why?
On the side leaning against the wall, the male companion looked at Bai Ling with doubt in his heart and asked Lan Qi:
"You like half-bloods? Wouldn't his mixed bloodline pollute your noble pure blood?"
Lan Qi took a sip of wine slowly, "I didn't know he was mixed-blood before."
Even though I know it now, I am still very interested.
An affluent upper-class aristocrat like him rarely has a lasting interest in anything. Whether it was sponsoring mecha competitions or playing extreme sports, he had little interest in them.
The faster you go up, the faster you go down.
But so far, nothing has been able to make him anxious and long for it day and night like Bai Ling.
In the past three months, he has watched the live broadcast of Yangshizi Country countless times.
I dream at night, and under the white clouds in my dreams, there is a touch of light fluff.
Lan Qi followed behind, only to see Bai Ling enter the corridor and push open the door of the auction.
In an instant, heads turned around like a school of sardines sensing the tide. Amidst gazes of confusion, surprise, or contempt, Bai Ling appeared in the front row of the auditorium.
The soles of his old leather boots were worn out, but he stepped on an expensive red velvet chair. He reached out suddenly, grabbed Cade's collar, and suppressed his threat:
"Where's the stuff you stole? Hand it over."
Everyone couldn't believe it and turned around to confirm several times - except for a bionic man, he didn't bring any more bodyguards.
He came almost alone.
When he came, he grabbed the emperor by the collar and interrogated him condescendingly.
Although he was clearly an intruder, the politicians and celebrities present had a feeling - this kid's attitude was solemn and powerful. He was a disabled bird, a half-blood, an omega, with piles of debuffs, and should have been in an absolutely disadvantaged position.
But his back was straight and his words were sonorous and firm. He must have strong spiritual backing and moral principles to support him——
Such people are the most terrifying and should never appear in the now corrupt interstellar world of fame and fortune.
Because he will be like a torrent, breaking down the precarious dam of power.
At the same time, someone in the corner stood up in surprise. If Bai Ling turned around, he would definitely be able to recognize the identities of these two people at a glance.
One was an impromptu guided tour of coral in the afternoon.
The other one is a little older, and it was the photographer who took the photo of Bai Ling saving the little girl.
These two people sat together, brought together by a strange chance -
The photographer took the picture "Handover" and unexpectedly won the Interstellar Photography Award. After receiving the bonus, he decided to hire a junior assistant.
And Coral was looking for a job. The empire's economy is not good, and employment opportunities for history graduate students are very poor.
So he is also willing to work as an assistant with a monthly salary of 3,000 yuan.
This time, they took the job and prepared to take some photos of the politicians at the dinner for them to take back for publicity. But those politicians can only put on a fake smile, as if they have a semi-permanent mask on their face that they can’t take off. It’s so boring.
For an aspiring photographer, shooting this kind of thing is the most draining way of artistic cells.
He simply didn't adjust the scene or care about the aperture. He just set up the tripod, framed the person, and dozed off with his head tilted.
However, from a moment ago, new scenery suddenly broke into his fixed viewfinder.
It’s Commander Bai! Oh my god, his artistic muse is here.
The photographer stood up excitedly. What is a tripod? Go away.
He immediately took out his sponge bag and pulled out his beloved EF 85mmf/1.2L lens, which has a golden focal length and is a must-have portrait tool for the old wizard, and is most suitable for showing the beauty of a person.
After installing the lens, he quickly ran to the front row and took the perfect shooting spot.
Adjusting the aperture, hey, why did it suddenly become one degree darker?
I looked back in confusion and found that a new round of items had arrived. The huge painting was mounted on a professional protective wheel axle and slowly pushed to the front of the stage.
The floating screen flashed, displaying its basic information——
Donated by the Palaiseau Arts Center for charity auction.
Its owner is Isoparaiso himself.
The photographer is familiar with this painting. It is 5 meters long and 7 meters high, and is named "The Back of the School". The picture is soft, with children in the background reading early in the morning. Newly piled books are placed at their feet, and little heads with colorful hair are huddled close to the desks, looking very focused.
The close-up is a silhouette.
Due to the backlighting, the details of the protagonist's back are missing. He stood by the door, leaning on his cane, staring silently into the classroom.
Although people could only see his back, they could guess one thing - at this moment, this man must have a look of relief on his face.
Such back views are common in every school and every parent open day.
But what makes it special is not the tender brushstrokes but the signature of the empire’s veteran painter – the one who also helped design the sculpture of the motherland.
Therefore, many people speculate that the back figure in this painting is not an idle parent of a student, but the old monarch himself.
Once such remarks were made, the painting took on a layer of horror.
Some say this is the gaze of hegemony.
Others say he is spying on the next generation.
Bai Ling turned around and saw the introduction on the screen - Free education in the golden age.
Starting price: 0 yuan.
In the eyes of capital, it is worthless.
There was the sound of guilty footsteps in my ears.
Bai Ling reacted extremely quickly. His speed was comparable to that of a falcon that kills a mallard duck. He instantly caught the octopus that was trying to escape and held it in his palm.
This is a political dinner and weapons are not allowed. So the two royal guards stood aside, ready for battle, but they had no way to do anything.
Bai Ling knew that the more important something was, the more likely it was to be carried with him.
"Hey, what are you doing? Don't dig around!" Cade screamed.
Bai Ling reached out and felt a whole hard object from the octopus's belly through its outer clothes. When I pulled it out, it turned out to be a package.
He lifted his jacket like a falcon raising its hindquarters. He put the thin package behind his waist like a gun, and looked sideways coldly:
"Don't let me catch you next time, you hear me?"
The same tone as teaching a fool a lesson.
Cade shook his tentacles, and for a moment, he had a vision of Isuparaiso looking down at him.
Bai Ling got the things and was about to leave, but was blocked by a loud explosion:
"I know you. You are an accomplice to evil. You are an accomplice of the devil Isupalaiso!"
Following the voice, I saw a middle-aged man who looked familiar. His sunken cheeks, an abnormal color on his face, and his prominent, swollen eyeballs indicated that his sleeping conditions and mental state were in a depressed state.
Someone nearby exclaimed, "Mr. William, don't get excited."
William stretched out his skinny fingers and pointed them in the direction of Bai Ling with trembling hands. Not only pointing at him, but also pointing at Isupareso's paintings. He said in a distorted voice:
"That old merman, he's quite a freak, isn't he?"
"My family has lost so much money because of those policies! I should have been rich enough to live on the top floor of a building, but now I live on the 10th floor and breathe the dirty air. You know, I breathe the same air as the poor."
He yelled nervously, "I can even smell the fumes from the poor people's cooking in the morning. It's floating over my head and makes me want to vomit all night long. My whole body is polluted. It's so disgusting!"
Bai Ling gradually searched for a face from his memory. When he compared it with the one in front of him, he curled his lips:
"I recognize you. Your mining business cut corners and killed a bunch of miners."
The tone of the statement was chillingly cold.
"So what if someone dies?"
William sneered, "I pay them wages, don't I? I support them, otherwise how would they get the money to buy cigarettes and alcohol, and send their children to school. Those poor people have to rely on us for generations, and they can only survive on our kindness and charity."
William pointed at himself forcefully, his bloodshot eyes almost popping out of their sockets.
Bai Ling didn't have any sympathy at all.
He had lived with his mother inside the earth since he was a child, in darkness and no one knew better than him how miserable those miners were. The intensity of interstellar mining is more than ten times that of ancient Earth. Some workers can only return to the ground once a year. Many people have contracted pneumoconiosis and died in pain.
Capital aristocrats like William made a fortune. Compared to greed and stinginess, even the devils in hell would give way to them.
Now you are acting like a victim with all your confidence?
Why?
Because they are afraid. Above them, there is an "exploiter" who is more terrifying than them. As long as the Iron Throne of Isupalaiso remains, they are no longer superiors and must be governed like commoners.
William kept complaining: "Those bird shelters were built with our money. He stole our tax money, blood money!"
Bai Ling stated indifferently: "The state apparatus is originally an apparatus of violence."
"Since you were once his subjects, you must accept his violence."
Nakedly defending Isupalaiso.
William's breath was choked, and he screamed, "Shut up!"
He went mad, broke the glass and snatched up a fragment, hurling it with vicious revenge.
Everyone only felt something flash by, and the next second, sharp fragments brushed past Bai Ling's neck and hit the canvas behind him.
The canvas was torn.
Bai Ling turned his head subconsciously. In his sight, the huge painting frame shook, and a hideous wound appeared in the center of the canvas.
According to the location, it happens to be the heart of "Back".
Bai Ling had a vague thought in his mind:
Many years later, he was still stabbed in the heart by a knife.
Someone suddenly screamed, and everyone covered their mouths in panic. Oh my God, look at his neck, it's bleeding!
The wound caused by the glass began to show, and a thin line of blood appeared on the white neck. But no matter how others exclaimed, Bai Ling didn't care at all and didn't even move away from his position.
Standing still.
He is right, why should he give in?
A cold and sharp gaze swept over him, and William trembled all over, as if he was being stared at by a predator. But then he thought, this is an omega and he is an alpha, what is there to be afraid of him?
A kind of bluffing vanity took over, he picked up the fragments again, showing the audience his masculine strength, and roared loudly:
"Kill you, you bastard bird!"
This time the throw was very accurate and would definitely pierce the crippled bird's eyeball.
William was so ecstatic that he almost raised his arms and cheered, but when the glass came in front of him, he suddenly stopped.
Two thin and powerful fingers clamped it precisely.
Commander Bai...actually caught the flying debris.
Everyone was shocked and felt their tongues tingling. So fast!
Bai Ling lowered his eyes, with an unclear expression. He played with the glass between his fingertips and said calmly:
"I'm not as good-tempered as Isoparaiso."
"I'll only tolerate it once."
Throw the glass up and throw it back!
Everyone felt a chill on their scalps, and a gust of cold wind cut through the air at an unimaginable speed, rushing towards the seats carrying the debris.
"Puff." A slight puncturing sound.
“Ahhhhhh! My eyes, my eyes hurt so much—”
Everyone looked in panic and saw that Mad William had fallen backwards, rolling on the ground with his eyes covered. A sticky white liquid continued to seep out from between his fingers.
A marine mollusk, it wouldn't kill him, but it would be enough to cause him some pain for a while.
This is the price of insulting Bai Ling.
AI found a hemostatic patch and put it on the side of Bai Ling's neck.
The young leader stood there in silence for a while, then suddenly made a decision, walked up to the auction table, and walked towards the tattered painting.
At this point, the photographer smelled an opportunity and quickly ran into position.
The auction room was relatively dark, like a tomb, with only the spotlight from the paintings displayed on the stage emitting light. The viewfinder was aligned and the ISO was set to 6400. The cold and hard light outlines the contours, absolutely amazing!
Some people are naturally infectious.
The young man stood in front of the huge oil painting, saying nothing. When dim light shines on the white hair, it has a strong sense of depth like an old photo.
The photographer held his breath, his heartbeat gradually accelerating until it exploded! Because he heard a "click" sound, the hemostatic patch was separated from the flesh, and the young man tore it off without thinking, took a step forward, and pressed it on the hole in the painting.
It was so fast and decisive that the shutter could hardly react.
All that was left were people's buzzing heads and gradually numb teeth.
He made up...
The rotten empire was repaired by him.
That kind of rough straightforwardness made the whole audience silent.
As the central air-conditioning blew, a silent sense of shock gradually spread throughout the venue. A painting so huge that it is suffocating, an education under hegemonic rule, a weird crack, and that extremely stubborn "band-aid"...
It is a painting.
But when he walked past it, it became history.
·
"The Back of School" was damaged and should have failed to be sold at the meeting.
But for some reason, after the white-haired young man left, the price of this painting kept getting higher and higher. The competition reached a fever pitch, and the highest auction record was incredibly broken, soaring all the way towards billions.
The final decision was 250 million.
Some people returned disappointed, while others peeked in curiously. Which big shot is willing to spend 200 million to buy a broken painting... Oh no, it's a broken painting and a Band-Aid stained with Commander Bai's blood.
The male companion climbed onto his shoulder softly and asked Lanqi:
"Your Highness, is that you?"
Lan Qi waved his hand away, his eyes darkened, and he crushed the unextinguished cigarette in the ashtray, "No."
He kept chasing prices and was already in the leading position, about to get the item. But halfway through, a mysterious man suddenly appeared and increased the money from 100 million to 200 million, completely putting an end to their hopes.
Lanqi has official connections with the auction, so I went out of my way to check that person’s account.
Account No. is a code name, concise and clear, but it also seemed like a loud slap in the face.
[Purchaser]: Mr. D.
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