I Will Teach You How to Hunt Gods

Chapter 566 145: United as One (4,200 Words)_2

Likewise, this is also a two-way pledge.

If Mokaka agrees, the military will become her most powerful backing. In the future, she will be the military's spokesperson in politics, and she is likely to enter the council in a decade or so, gradually becoming the helm of the council, with a political career as brilliant as one could imagine...

But the young girl is still somewhat hesitant.

Although she is only in her early teens, she is engaged in politics, and a political person cannot be unaware of the dangers of the military-industrial complex.

Take military technology, for example. There have been a total of ten "corporate wars," and except for the tenth war, military technology has never directly participated in any of these wars.

But behind every corporate war, people can see the shadow of military technology.

It sows discord, instigates wars, and actively expands the scale of wars to sell its surplus-produced weapons like a glutton that is never satiated, constantly funneling gold and silver into its stomach.

What mortals fear as war is seen as a money-making opportunity by military technology, so they always want to provoke wars by any means, not caring about the disaster war brings to civilians. They don't care because, with their superior methods, the shells they produce almost never land on their own heads.

This is also why Mokaka cannot tolerate the military-industrial complex. She has never witnessed a war firsthand, but she has personally seen the Blood Pool on the Floating Island and the Karma Remnant Great Buddha born from it. Just the Corpse Lake formed by the death of millions can breed such a terrifying existence...

And such Corpse Lakes, in past corporate wars, were merely a drop in the bucket of casualties, possibly even ubiquitous.

So, after much contemplation, Mokaka took a deep breath, looked directly into Tang Yue's eyes, and solemnly said, "I'm sorry..."

"Despite the attractiveness of the conditions you propose, I cannot agree."

"Because this matter concerns the survival of ordinary people. If compromised, the consequences would be unimaginable."

"This is a matter of principle. No matter how much interest the military offers, I will not compromise."

"As for what the military can gain..."

Mokaka paused slightly, her eyes glancing at the guests below the stage.

At this moment, the eyes of everyone in the Welfare Institute hall, and countless citizens throughout Nest City, were focused on her.

Some were expectant, some resigned, and some were waiting to see her fail and reveal her weaknesses.

Every word she said carried great influence, and she had to weigh them carefully.

"Under my governance, the military will slowly return to its rightful position—standing with the majority."

"That's all I can say on the matter."

After leaving that sentence, Mokaka did not continue answering Tang Yue's questions.

And suddenly, the Starlight Welfare Institute was abuzz.

Most people could not understand what Mokaka meant. What did "rightful position" mean, and what does it mean to "stand with the majority"? Would such a powerful force as the military require such abstract rewards?

Many believed Mokaka had misspoken and would surely offend Tang Yue, given the notoriously short tempers of these soldiers.

But to everyone's surprise, upon hearing those two sentences, Tang Yue was not angry. Instead, he grinned.

"What a sly little girl."

He shook his head with some admiration and softly said, "However..."

"The answer is not bad."

"It seems you really did your homework. You're not just some puppet propped up by the conglomerates, but a leader with genuine skills."

"Since that's the case, then..."

Tang Yue straightened his posture and gave a standard military salute to Mokaka, who was several heads shorter than him.

"Starting today, you will have command and dispatch rights over the Lower City Guard. Everyone in my Second Army Corps, from me, Tang Yue, and Chief of Staff Huang Qing, down to every enlisted soldier, is willing to take orders from you."

"I hope Mayor Hugo will fulfill his promise."

With that, Tang Yue turned around and left the Welfare Institute without looking back, striding away energetically.

And at his departure, the Welfare Institute was immediately thrown into an uproar.

People couldn't understand why Mokaka, despite giving such a "perfunctory" answer with no cooperative attitude, still received an oath of allegiance from Tang Yue, and even gained command of the military.

No such thing had ever happened to any previous mayor!

Only a very few insightful people, including Mokaka, understood why this was the case.

Over the years, although the military and soldiers held a high status in name and were respected, they were in fact a source of scorn behind the scenes.

To prevent the military from winning public favor and gaining civilian support, the Nest City Council had openly and secretly issued dozens of decrees to limit military-civilian interactions and use various slanderous methods to defame the military.

Sometimes, these military tough guys did not help matters, mindlessly biting on the hooks thrown by the council during some manipulated conflicts, inadvertently oppressing civilians and using their military power to escape legal consequences.

Over time, the military's reputation among civilians soured, and the word "soldier" became associated with derogatory terms like "grunt." Joining the army became a curse word, and only a few starving poor or destitute mercenaries would enlist.

As such, the military even struggled to control its sources of recruits.

So, within Nest City No. 3, there appeared an unusual scene.

The Nest City Council continuously promoted the military's achievements, granting them various impressive-looking but practically useless privileges, such as exempting them from personal income taxes or mandatory service.

Yet the more they publicized and granted privileges, the worse the public's impression of the military and soldiers became.

"Yes, the military did make great contributions to the establishment of Nest City No. 3, but that was decades or even a century ago! Today's soldiers have accomplished nothing, so why should they receive so many privileges? It's simply unfair!"

This was the mindset of the civilians.

Indeed, the council's actions aimed at maintaining control were understood by everyone, but for the soldiers, such defamation was indeed quite unfair.

Thus, the condition Mokaka offered was that she would find a way to change this distorted political ecosystem, allowing the military to regain public support. However, it was not a matter of pure support but integration—a mutual relationship with interdependence.

The military should be one with the civilians. Civilians support the military, and the military protects the people, blurring any divisions. This is the healthy civilian-military relationship.

Conversely, if the military insists on acting like a military-industrial complex, they position themselves against civilians and cannot achieve public support.

For Tang Yue, although Mokaka still forbade them from starting businesses, leaving him somewhat disappointed, if she could truly dissolve the civilian prejudice against the military and unite them, the benefits might not fall short of what a military-industrial complex could bring.

Therefore, Tang Yue was quite satisfied. He promptly declared his allegiance to Mokaka, even granting her a genuine command authority.

With military support, even if the Nest City Council wanted to pressure her as mayor, they would have to consider whether they could contend with the military's Second Army Corps.

"Phew..."

Mokaka let out a long breath, her lips curling into a relaxed smile.

The most challenging times were now behind her.

Next, it was her turn to make her moves.

The inaugural speech concluded here, with the staff turning off the live broadcast and serving fine wines and delicacies.

The mayor's first banquet thus commenced.

Usually reluctant to drink, Mokaka now had no choice but to raise her glass and navigate the crowd with a thick skin.

There was no helping it; the mayor's banquet was also part of expanding social circles. Many deals and policies were agreed upon there, and Mokaka was no exception.

Fortunately, she had long installed prosthetic equipment to purify alcohol on her teeth, so she treated it as if she were drinking a soft drink...

She wore a smile, calculating in her heart how to administer her job in the future.

And just as Mokaka was clinking glasses...

An inconspicuous black figure emerged slowly from the crowd, inching closer to the young mayor.

His hand was tucked inside his pocket, fingers pinching a slender black needle...