After getting off the train, the three of them came to a very ordinary neighborhood in Zhongchao. As soon as they left the station, Hayes saw a station built by the Ministry of Military Affairs using temporary containers. Many people lined up here to use their enlistment notices and death notices.
Book and other information to obtain the qualifications to redeem the death pension, but it is only the qualification, because Hayes heard that the pension process is very long. The expedition commander seemed to have set very high standards, but many people thought it was too cumbersome.
Troublesome, it requires a lot of procedures to go through the Ministry of Military Affairs and the Interior Department, so many people would rather choose a cash pension with lower standards but that can be obtained immediately.
When Hayes walked through the crowd near the site, he saw a middle-aged couple communicating with a clerk from the Ministry of Military Affairs who kept yawning. When the man saw someone coming, he felt as if money had been stolen, and his whole face was shaking.
There was a foul smell.
"Is there a problem?"
His voice was as lazy as if he was shooing away flies.
The man in the worker's uniform nervously took off his hat, bent down slightly, and said with sadness:
"My son is fighting on the front lines."
"Well, what then?"
"He didn't come back."
"It seems that he lingered in a certain scenic spot."
"He died."
"oh?"
"We're here to collect the pension."
"Who is your son?"
"His name is Martinus Farr."
"Well, let's assume that he is indeed dead. How do you prove that he is your son?"
"He is my son. Please see the population registration form."
The clerk's mouth was almost in a straight line, but he still took out the data pad, pretended to flip it a few times, and then said:
"Your son is not listed in the military recruitment records?"
"how could be?"
"What about the enlistment notice? This is evidence. Have you brought it?"
"No, our son was almost taken away by force at that time. He left in a hurry and we didn't receive anything."
"Then I'm sorry, you can't receive pension."
"It shouldn't be like this."
The man's wife immediately begged, but the clerk showed no emotion at all.
"I'm telling you, I've seen a lot of liars like you. It's either a homeless man living on the street who stole an identity in order to defraud the empire of subsidies, or it's a lazy scumbag who has a son out of thin air."
"But he is indeed my son!"
"My son is a warrior loyal to the throne. You cannot insult him like this."
The man immediately became excited, which attracted the attention of the surrounding guards, who gradually walked over.
"Sir, we are in a very difficult situation now. We still have two daughters to raise. Please give us some pension. We must at least give our son a decent funeral."
"It is really shameful to use sacrificed martyrs to deceive people."
"You actually!"
Before the excited man could make a move, two guards armed with shock sticks appeared on both sides of the clerk. Their activated weapons made a crackling sound of electricity. The woman immediately pulled her husband and shook her head in tears.
"Get out of here! Otherwise we will arrest you as fraudsters!"
Looking at the whole process, Hayes was already furious, gnashing his teeth, and unconsciously holding down the hidden pistol on his lower back with his right hand, but Jialina held him down.
"Hayes, don't be impulsive"
However, the clerk's arrogant attitude also aroused public outrage, and people around him began to curse, creating a huge momentum, and even the two guards subconsciously stepped back.
Finally, under the huge pressure of public opinion, the clerk had to compromise.
"Nana, do you have a death notice?"
"some."
The man's trembling hands carefully took out a thin piece of paper from his pocket. The clerk took it and glanced at it, and then said helplessly:
"Without a notice of enlistment, you can only receive half of the standard pension at most. Here is the receipt. Go to Station 9 to apply for it."
After writing a line of words casually and stamping it, the clerk threw the small piece of paper into the man's hand.
"When you're done, hurry up and leave! Next one!"
The two couples just left in a hurry and had no choice but to leave. Hayes felt very uncomfortable when he saw it. Andina on the side also complained:
"These bastards, when you didn't come back a few days ago, I asked you several times. They said they were still counting, or they were 'currently missing' and other nonsense. Death notices were flying all over the sky.
I don’t know if you are dead or alive.”
The three of them then left. Hayes followed the address and after asking several people in succession, came to a three-story cement building. At this time, it was the most ordinary residence in the neighborhood, but in the eyes of the bottom chao, it already belonged to
A very luxurious building.
The mahogany door was closed tightly. Hayes walked to the window and looked inside. He saw a woman preparing lunch under the dim light. She looked to be in her forties, with a black shawl draped over her shoulders.
So peaceful and kind.
Then Hayes walked to the door and rang the doorbell.
"Wait a minute. It's——"
Soon, the door opened. The woman was stunned for a moment, then noticed the regular clothes that Hayes was wearing, and then looked at the two ladies behind him. They were all dressed more formally and looked like people of some status.
The woman's expression immediately became a little nervous, maybe she thought she was an employee of the empire.
"Hello, madam, my name is Hayes, and I am Jung's comrade-in-arms."
Upon hearing Jung's name, the woman's face instantly turned pale, and then her eyes began to turn red.
"Who?"
At this time, another man's voice came, and then a man in a sweater, with slightly gray hair, about fifty years old walked down the stairs.
The woman turned around and choked:
"He is Jung's comrade-in-arms."
"ah."
The man was stunned for a moment, then walked over and shook hands with Hayes.
"Hello, my name is Joffrey, are you really Jung's comrade?"
Hayes turned around, took an expedition manual from Galina, and handed it to the couple.
After they opened it and looked at it for a few seconds, their faces and hands trembled with sadness, and tears fell from their slightly closed eyes. Finally, the woman couldn't bear it anymore, and she knelt on the ground covering her face and burst into tears.
Jialina and Andina quickly went up to help each other, and the man kept wiping his tears. He didn't even have the courage to watch until the end. After closing it, he choked and asked Hayes:
"Jung at last."
"Jung, he died like a hero. He is my bravest, most sincere and most selfless comrade-in-arms."
Joffrey nodded, wiped away his tears with the back of his hand, and then hugged his wife.
"Liz, Jung is our pride."
The woman shook her head vigorously and cried:
"It was us who pushed him to the battlefield! It was us who killed him! Jung! Wuwuwu——"
Then, she reached out and grabbed Hayes' hand.
"Jung. Where is Jung's body?"
Hayes lowered his head slightly, and then took out a half-burnt nameplate from his pocket. Looking at the nameplate, Jung's mother was stunned for a moment. After realizing something, she stretched out her trembling hands,