Counterfeit Hero

January 20, 2064, arrived as scheduled.

It was a foggy day in the early morning. The entire Heidfield was shrouded in a thick milky fog. There is almost no dividing line between the sky and the ground, and it looks like just a hazy area.

When the line of sight exceeds a hundred meters, it is not very clear. The rising sun is just a red ball with little temperature, hanging on the top of a distant mountain. The early spring morning was still cold.

However, at six o'clock in the morning, many people had already gone out. They were either alone, or meeting up in small groups, or driving in cars with their children, or holding posters with the names of the candidates they supported, holding them high all the way to the polling places near their homes. This is a grand event for all people to participate. Everyone hopes that their vote can determine the future of this country.

The assassination of President Flavio and a war that has begun to profoundly affect the country's future have made people look forward to this presidential election with far more ardent expectations than usual.

They know that Feiyang's status as a superpower for thirty years is already on the verge of collapse. Their lives are precarious in the shadow of war that has approached Feiyang's homeland. They need a strong leadership!

Dawson, who is personable and has a very infectious speech; Perez, who is mature, serious and trustworthy; Zhao Xi, who is young, but stronger and more courageous than most of his peers, is qualified to aspire to the presidential throne. Those are the three. Now, they have to choose between them.

This is related to the fate of the country and the nation, to life, and to the future and survival of dozens of member states of the entire Fiji League!

All the major media outlets were already pouring out the news at four o'clock in the morning. In particular, the major polling stations set up at the Feyant National Victory Square in Heidfield, the capital, were crowded with people. The press area was filled with guns and cannons, and the flashlights made the pale morning sky white.

"I'm going to vote for Congressman Dawson." A young man riding a bicycle took off his helmet, stroking his wet hair after just finishing exercise, and told reporters: "When he won the nomination for Dalapea district candidate , I have been paying attention to him, he is my idol!"

"Me?" In front of the camera, an old man over sixty years old stopped and put his hands in his coat pockets: "Of course I will choose Mr. Perez. Over the years, his healthy style and his political Advocacy has always won our trust and respect." "What about you, this beautiful lady?" The reporter reached out to an elderly woman who was holding the old man's arm. "You are also going to vote for Pei. Mr. Reis?"

"My political views are different from his." The old woman smiled and glanced at the old man next to her. "I am going to vote for Zhao Xi. He is a beautiful little boy and a political genius. I can't wait to see it." It's like he's sitting in the Presidential Palace." All TV channels were broadcasting interviews with reporters.

Heidfeld, Dalapea, Al-Aqsa, Mema, Dolibilia, Afrikansta...", every district, every system, every city, there are countless crowds of people passing through the streets , flocking to polling places.

At nine-thirty in the morning, when the clouds and fog in the sky over Heidfield gradually dispersed, the bright sunshine finally revealed their figures in the gaps between the buildings, windows and tree branches. This golden light stretched the entire city into countless oblique projections. The contrast between shadow and light makes the world suddenly clear, three-dimensional and vivid.

A fleet of black flying cars, guided by police cars, drove to the steps of polling station No. 1 at the National Victory Square.

This is a giant voting hall set up in front of the Monument for Democracy and Freedom. It is made up of completely transparent glass components and can accommodate tens of thousands of people to vote at the same time. This polling point alone can complete the voting of millions of people within the twelve-hour voting time. The flying car circled the interview area and stopped where the yellow line was drawn.

Dawson, who was well-dressed and elegant, got out of the car first, walked around to the other side, and opened the door for his wife.

Dawson, who is forty-eight years old, has a pleasing and handsome face. Charming curly brown hair, deep blue eyes, a high bridge of nose and a slightly square and upturned chin. His wife Jin Chan is also a great beauty. Although he is over forty, his figure is still flawless, his temperament is noble, and he always has a generous and charming smile on his face.

The appearance of this most popular couple, suddenly! ! The voting venue was in a state of excitement.

Dawson's supporters waved placards, held up posters of him and chanted his name at the top of their lungs.

Dawson grabbed his wife and waved his arms gracefully to the crowd in response to the crowd's support. The bodyguards around him surrounded him with great vigilance.

"No matter what the result is, this is a victory for democracy." Dawson showed a charming smile to the female reporter of the Feiyang Democratic Daily who was allowed to approach: "This is Feiyang's strong foundation, and we will continue to follow this path. As the road goes on, no one can defeat us! Dawson's words brought loud applause and cheers from the square.

Amidst the cheers, he climbed up the stairs and finally stood at the door of the voting hall. He turned around with his wife, waved his arms to the supporters, and then walked into the voting hall.

Just at the moment when their figures disappeared, another motorcade came from a distance, passed through the broken sunlight of the square's tree-lined avenues, passed through the passages filled with people dancing with placards on both sides, and stopped at the voting hall. door.

The person who got out of the car this time was Perez, who had some gray hair on his temples, a Chinese character face, and the demeanor of a mature man.

The appearance of Perez and his wife also attracted cheers like roaring mountains. Compared with Dawson, this mature and prudent politician has not many fewer supporters.

Especially for many older people, Perez is more in line with their image of a president.

There was also the clicking sound of cameras and the shouts of supporters. An old man with a gentle and elegant appearance and demeanor walked into the voting hall with his crooked eyes and his unattractive wife.

People in the square were all looking forward to Zhao Xi's appearance.

However, as the leaders of various political parties, members of Congress and interim President Gambhir arrived one after another, and as the time approached ten o'clock, the person with a direct support rate of more than 28%, and 30% The presidential candidate with the second-highest approval rating of five has shown no sign of showing up. Even Swanson, who had lost his competitiveness, didn't come. In the past few days, as the propaganda offensive of Perez and Zhao Xi has come to an abrupt end, people have begun to express their opinions.

There has been no news about Zhao Xi for several days. It was a middle-aged man with black hair. He is not very tall and always has a gentle smile on his face. However, in terms of political opinions, he is clear-cut.

He was a hardliner who advocated going all out for the war. He strongly advocated the elimination of the privileges of some politicians and plutocrats during the war, promoted the economy, and was committed to solving the increasingly serious unemployment rate. He also firmly advocated fighting corruption, reforming the political system, and making the The government's management is more transparent, and the parliamentary proposal review process is more concise and effective.

This series of propositions was deeply welcomed by the public. In early January, his approval rating had been steadily improving, and by January 15th, his direct approval rating was even on par with Perez.

Unfortunately, the turbulent changes in the political arena caused him to fall silent in the final moments. Although in theory he still has the possibility of being elected, he wants to make a comeback in reality unless a miracle occurs. At this moment, no one knows that the distance between Zhao Xi’s first voting point is actually not that far.

He stood in front of a huge floor-to-ceiling window on the 126th floor of a blue space city south of the National Victory Plaza, looking at the crowded square in trance.

It's the Democratic and Fair Party's campaign, Flynn. The entire floor behind him is occupied by the offices of his campaign team. The busyness of the past has disappeared.

There are no more phone calls, no more frequent opening and closing of automatic doors, no more hurried footsteps, and no more rapid reports in my ears.

He stood quietly in front of the window, holding a cigarette in his hand. The straight body cast a slender shadow in the sunlight coming in through the window, and the curls of green smoke drifted and dispersed in the sunlight. Behind him, the team members stood together in silence.

From the day Zhao Xi was nominated, they have been fighting for today for half a year. As a small and medium-sized party, it cannot compare with those large parties in terms of funding, human resources, or other sources of communication. It’s hard for others to imagine how much hardship everyone has put in to get to where we are today.

Although there is support from the Shen family, in Feiyang, the Shen family is still not able to dominate the sky, let alone play a decisive role in matters such as the presidential election. Zhao Xi's approval rating at this moment was earned by everyone present working almost crazy hard.

The hardest person is Zhao Xi. In these days, he never slept for more than three hours on any day. He traveled to various administrative districts in Feiyang every day to canvass, give speeches, and meet with people. He took countless medicines to protect his throat and dropped many eye drops to eliminate red eyelids.

He is not a saint or a moral role model. He occasionally makes ambiguous jokes with the female employees in the team who admire him. However, his love for his ideals and this country can be deeply felt by everyone around him. He is an idealist. A fighter who refuses to compromise!

But now, he could only stand here, watching Dawson and Perez's flying car drive into the cheering crowd. The battle was lost before it even started. Some female staff couldn't help crying. There was a sense of sadness in the crowd.

They are the secretaries of this team, Zhao Xi’s right-hand man, his partner, his supporter, his image consultant, and his assistant. “But, after today, they will pour this out.” The years full of hope were swept into the corner of memory and sealed. They dispersed and watched the history that they could have participated in and changed, embarking on another track. They felt very wronged.

All the hard work, all the sweat and effort, but not even a chance to fight. The ten o'clock bell that they had been looking forward to and fighting for for a long time rang, and when the voting began, it was the end of this team.

A beautiful young woman wearing a red silk scarf walked through the crowd, walked to Zhao Xi, and said in a low voice: "My dear, let's go."

Zhao Xi turned around, looked at his dignified and beautiful wife, then looked around at the crowd, and smiled slightly: "No one is allowed to leave before the voting ends. I have been busy for so long, and I have to treat everyone to dinner tonight." , he and his wife smiled at each other and walked to the elevator.

When the elevator door closed, everyone in the huge open office area rushed to the window. They crowded together, pressed against the window, and looked at the street below the building. I don’t know how long it took before Zhao Xi and his wife appeared.

They did not have bodyguards to greet them, nor did they take a car. Instead, they held hands and walked leisurely to the polling place. They looked like an ordinary couple taking a walk. When they walked not far from the polling place, someone finally recognized them.

Many supporters held up Zhao Xi's posters and slogans, shouted his name loudly, waved to him, and cheered him on. Zhao Xi smiled and nodded in response with his wife.

The staff in the building couldn't help but feel a sense of sadness. This was perhaps Zhao Xi's most glorious time, and it was also at this time that they were extremely resentful of the Shen family, which they had once regarded as their pillar, and of the upper echelons who were difficult for them to reach.

Those who are high up will never know how many people on the upper floors are crying for the scene in front of them. The appearance of Zhao Xi made the whole square excited again.

Even among those who support Dawson and Perez, many gave their second choice to this youngest man, who is as elegant and eloquent as Dawson and as calm as Perez.

If he loses the election today, perhaps he can only blame his party for being too weak and the propaganda! The money is not strong enough, and it is his fault that his ideas have offended many people with vested interests.

Although many people know that he is right, in this "democratic" country, not being right can win everyone's votes.

In front of the ordinary people who support him, those media have greater influence, those consortiums have wealth that can influence more people, and those officials have greater power! When Zhao Xi walked into the voting hall, the ten o'clock bell rang exactly.

Except for the central voting hall where Dawson, Perez, Zhao Xi, interim President Gambhir, and Feiyang's senior officials are located, all surrounding voting channels have been opened. People walked into the passage one by one.

When the first person presses his fingerprint on the voting machine, selects the first and second candidates, and gets the immediately printed ballot and puts it into the counting register, voting in the presidential election officially begins. .

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