In a VIP suite in the New World Bank Building in the central area, Elizabeth muttered as she looked at the sword in her hand.
This is Wednesday morning, the third day after the Kabukicho riots.
She thought that if such a big thing happened, the master would contact her in advance and give her some advice. But no, if things continued as usual, the master would not contact her until evening.
Only then did she understand why the master asked her to have a good rest this week. The master was obviously a prophet.
In the middle of the night on the night of the riot, Elizabeth received the latest treatment from the bank and Seth.
All affairs of the Hongyu Investigation Team have been suspended, her authority has been frozen, and Santo has applied for arbitration to the Joint District.
For Seth, what she did did not harm his interests. If Santo was unlucky, Seth would still benefit.
However, the rules set by the joint district do not allow such disruptive behavior.
Not only was her authority frozen, Elizabeth was taken away by people from the bank that night and placed under house arrest in this VIP suite. She was cut off from the outside world and could only wait for the outcome of the arbitration.
But this morning, what she was waiting for was an opportunity to speak directly to the United District.
She had already read the latest information about that night's events sent to her by the bank. Taro Hoto was dead, and someone exploded his personality Rubik's Cube in the psychic network. Santo Company accused her of vicious competition, and perhaps there was suspicion of assassination.
"The user's unhappiness has increased, and the teaser mode has been activated." At this time, Jianbao said: "What people should regret most is being born in the wrong child, and you have done an impeccable job in this regard."
"I have no regrets." Elizabeth couldn't help but smile, "If I choose it ten more times, I will do it again."
She really has no regrets. She could participate in such a night with the Kabukicho people and fight to save the children. How could she regret it? She would only regret not participating. She likes these two nicknames: Wicked Liz and Red-haired Liz.
"I'm afraid that I won't be able to participate in such things in the future." Elizabeth sighed, "I may not have been reborn in the wrong child."
"No matter what, Jianbao, thank you." She looked at Jianbao's slightly cracked sword body.
It hurts my heart just once to see it, but Jianbao said that it will recover slowly, but it will no longer be able to block bullets in the short term.
Elizabeth is still worried about this. The Sword in the Stone is good, but it carries a curse. The Sword in the Stone will be cut off.
Although the hero later got the more powerful Sword in the Lake, she loved the Sword in the Stone.
"I am a loyal sword." Jian Bao said, "It is not a bad idea to die in battle."
Elizabeth patted it. She was so lucky to have such a sword.
If a sword matches a hero, she should be a good hero. She made up her mind and said, "I can't stand how Santo endangers street children. Isn't this what a hero should do? Justice is the best interest."
"The user is too stupid and activates the loyalist mode." Jianbao said again, "If I slash you with my sword, you won't like me. But if my sword is to remove a tumor for you, you will thank me.
Already."
Elizabeth just smiled and didn't pay much attention, thinking that Jianbao was just making wisecracks again.
But after she took two steps, a flash of inspiration suddenly flashed across her face, her eyes widened slightly, and she figured out some of her messy thoughts.
Jian Bao is right...this is the angle at which she should draw her sword.
"Thank you, Jianbao!" Elizabeth said gratefully. In order to avoid possible eavesdropping, she only added in her heart: It's great that the master sent you to come to me. No wonder the master doesn't need to contact me in advance.
When the time was almost up, she walked out of the suite and followed the receptionist to take the elevator to the higher floors of the building.
The corridor on this floor is very quiet. The bamboo potted plants on the roadside are full of life, but there are not many people in sight.
Elizabeth walked into a communications conference room. The marble floor was clean and bright. There was no decoration in the room. There were only floor-to-ceiling visual screens all around that were connected into polygons. At this time, the New World Bank's LOGO was illuminated.
She is in the middle, with medium-short red hair and a windbreaker and jeans.
She felt a little majestic from the screens around her, but told herself, it was nothing. She had traveled through that strange super dimension many times and communicated with the masters who controlled the extraordinary mysteries.
What does this little thing in front of you mean?
"Next, you will communicate with the Union District." A female electronic synthesizer voice sounded, gentle but emotionless: "The Union District wants to hear your self-statement about your behavioral intentions on the night of the Kabukicho riots."
As soon as the electronic voice spoke, Elizabeth saw the visual screens surrounding her changing their images.
The screens displayed different electronically synthesized faces, most of which were male and some female.
Behind these faces are people who can make arbitration decisions in the United District, and there may even be an old blood-eater.
But Elizabeth couldn't recognize them. She only knew that these faces represented the will of the United District this time.
"You can start telling yourself." The female synthesized voice said again.
Elizabeth stood in the middle of the communication room, holding a sword and sword, without fear, and spoke in a clear voice:
"Santo accused me of vicious competition, which is a very ridiculous accusation.
"Because there is a premise that "Streaming City Talent Show" will be a successful product and bring tangible benefits to the bank. But is this really the case?"
She looked around at the expressionless synthetic faces on the communication screen, as if she was pressuring them.
"My on-the-spot investigation found that because of the crime prevention and cleaning operation carried out by Santo in conjunction with the Metropolitan Police Department for the purpose of the talent show, especially the large-scale arrest of 'street rats' street children, the people of Kabukicho were in turmoil.
"Before I went there, a storm was brewing there. Santo's talent show was actually unable to achieve the expected results. Not to mention generating profits, once a thunderstorm explodes, there will be heavy losses, and this mine will definitely explode.
.
"Whether I rushed forward or not, when there were so many people on the streets in the whole district, the matter was already done.
"It will explode whether I charge or not. If the Black Panther Gang or Yakuza are the first to charge forward and have a firefight with Santo or the Metropolitan Police Department, and several people die, it will be even more out of control, and even cause trouble in various districts.
The chain reaction, like the Bone Blood Movement fifteen years ago, caused huge economic losses to banks.
"The situation was so critical that there were only a few moments to consider.
"And I, Elizabeth Sterling, a bank hero, decided to lead the charge."
Elizabeth paused, her eyes constantly shifting between the screens, "I maintain the correctness of the bank's own system, and the bank can repair errors on its own.
"This is because my actions have given the streets another hope.
"People in this city need hope, hoping to make Streamer City operate more stably, and stable operation can bring greater benefits. This is the original intention of the bank to launch the commodity hero, talent show.
"But Santo has messed up, and there are riots in the streets. I cut down the banner of "Streaming City Talent Show", not because of the business competition between Seth and Santo, but because of the bank's profit or loss.
"If something is valuable, it would be vicious competition for me to destroy it. But if something has no value and is a negative asset for the bank, and I will create new benefits from it, how can this be vicious competition?"
"At a critical moment, I disregarded my own safety and recovered part of the bank's losses. I should take credit."
The more Elizabeth talked, the clearer her mind became. She didn't need to be afraid, apologize or admit her mistakes.
The bank needs new blood, and people like her are the new blood.
Not Sophia, Taro Hoto, or even people like Yosuke Harato. The bank does not belong to the Mitō family. The bank itself is a living entity. If Mitō becomes a tumor, Mitō can also be removed.
Seth, Gasboy, Metea, Long Teng, Lei Kuo, Snow Bear...
This is what Sophia told her, and it was also her winner today.
Elizabeth didn't care that the electronically synthesized faces were still expressionless and continued:
"The death of Taro Hoto has verified what I said.
"I was not the one who assassinated him, and I believe the attention paid to me by the Union District can prove this. Taro Hodo must have died that night. He was probably assassinated on the street, or it might have been an internal struggle within Santo.
"But he brought his own destruction. In order to compete with Yosuke Harado, he extended his poisonous hand to the street children, captured his blood slave factory, and caused disaster for his own selfishness. What is this?
Elizabeth couldn't help but feel a little angry when she said it, and wanted to question those old people in the Union District.
"You know, street rats will be street dogs from now on, and street dogs will be street rats before. If you really want to improve the relationship between banks and the streets, you should improve the living conditions of street rats.
"Not just in Kabukicho, according to my investigation, in the Ken District, the Walled City District, the San Manga District and other places, the rights and interests of street rats are the most likely to cause street counterattacks, because children are people's most intuitive hope and future.
.
"So, children have to be taboo, even banks don't cross the line.
"Even if municipal welfare does not plan to invest money in this area, it should not further oppress street children.
"This riot allows us to see that fifteen years after the end of the Bone Blood Movement, violence can still occur on the streets at any time. Santo's strategy of infiltrating Kabukicho was a failure, and Yakuza will not just disappear.
"It's time to change our strategy. Banks are not small stalls. They don't open today and run away tomorrow. Banks have existed for many years and will continue to exist for many years. So the best interests of the bank should be considered in the long run.
"I believe that the era must be advancing, and no one can stop the passage of time.
"Banks also need to develop and update their own systems with the times. If appropriate reforms are conducive to the development of banks, then reforms should be carried out. This is my opinion, maybe immature, but I will be a reformist.
"The efforts I am making now are all aimed at reaching a new balance among all parties in as peaceful a way as possible.
"I have heard a saying: Order is not exclusivity, but balance. That's why major consortiums formed the New World Bank."
Elizabeth finished speaking in one breath, took a deep breath, and then said:
"In light of these views, I will not apologize to Santo. I believe that on that night, I made a correct hedging choice. I safeguarded the interests of the bank and safeguarded the interests of Seth."
"My existence does not require a peaceful coexistence with Santo, as long as I benefit the overall interests of the bank. I even think it is necessary for the bank to intervene in the struggle for Santo's successor, so as not to let Yosuke Harato or anyone else continue to mess around.
"My self-narration is finished." She finally said.
Silence fell in the communications conference room, and the electronically synthesized faces remained calm.
After a long while, the female synthesized voice sounded again: "You can go out now. Please wait patiently for the arbitration result."
Elizabeth nodded slightly to everyone around her and strode outside holding the sword in her hand.
She returned all the way to the VIP suite and stood by the floor-to-ceiling glass window in the living room, quietly looking out at the central area.
The bustling scene was not affected by the Kabukicho riots at all, and people were coming and going on the streets.
From her position, she could also clearly see the people inside every office window in the building opposite who were busy working, these golden-collar workers in Flowing Light City.
About an hour later, new information came from the video phone in the living room, and Elizabeth opened it to check.
A male synthetic face representing the joint area was displayed on the small screen, and a calm electronic synthesized voice said:
"Elizabeth Sterling, the United District will arbitrate you as follows.
"Your authority in Seth Group's third-level special hero class will remain unchanged, your Red Rain Investigation Team can be retained, and your activity funds will be increased by 10%.
"The Union District hopes that you can come up with a plan that can not only improve the living conditions of street rats, but also benefit the bank, and use the activity funds for this matter. All information has been notified, goodbye."
At that moment, the bank's LOGO was restored on the screen of the video phone.
Elizabeth felt a little excited and couldn't help but hold the hilt of the sword tightly.
Instead of falling, it has risen. Hero products can continue to be sold. I have lived up to the master’s expectations...
I want to build a truly good shelter and teaching institution, and I want to spread the heroic fire to children.
"User satisfaction has increased, start the remonstrance mode." Jianbao suddenly said, "The United District indulges you, but it does not mean that Santo will stop here. You have changed from a street hero to a criminal who was caught by street dogs and guillotined. All you need is some rumor."
Remonstrance mode? This is the first time Elizabeth has heard that Jianbao has this mode, and there is another mode.
But it made sense, she thought: "I know, I still have a lot to do. I want to go to Kabukicho again."