Chapter 476: Chapter 318: A Life Fraught with Hardship
After the connection was made, the Borderland resident first exchanged New Year greetings with Sikinkov, and then said with a sigh, "Mr. Commissioner, I’ve always wanted to express my respect for the Public Security Bureau. Over the past few years, life for Borderland residents in the Inner City has been getting better and better!"
"Hey, Commissioner, look, there’s a sheriff over there. I’ll go say hi~"
On the screen, the Borderland resident ran to a sheriff patrolling the roadside, patted his left shoulder first, then circled to the right, patted his right shoulder, and circled to the left again, making the sheriff spin around in confusion.
The sheriff spun around several times before spotting the person responsible. He didn’t mind the Borderland Plaque on the other’s neck and laughed as he shook hands with him, "Great body technique, brother."
The Borderland resident raised his phone to capture himself and the sheriff in the frame, smiled happily, and exclaimed, "Every sheriff in New Moon City is a talent, and they speak so well. I really love the Inner City!"
Sikinkov thought: If you dared to do this in reality, your body would have at least ten bullet holes by now.
The "lucky audience" connected later were all stooges, each with a script arranged by the program team, full of New Year’s positive energy.
Sikinkov was just following the pre-arranged script, speaking appropriately to people and ghosts alike, but eventually became somewhat distracted.
The last round of connections ended, onto the next round.
The screen flickered, and a little girl appeared on screen. She looked about ten years old, wearing only ragged clothes in the cold winter, with a dirty face yet having a pair of bright black eyes.
Once the live connection was made, she visibly froze for a moment, staring blankly at the camera.
The little girl was stunned, and so was the program team’s staff.
Who is this?
The backstage director asked, "What’s going on?"
A staff member nervously said, "There was a database error that connected a passerby."
The little girl slightly opened her mouth, tried waving her hand, and cautiously asked, "I... was I chosen?"
The staff member operated for a while and said, "We can’t rollback, ask the Commissioner if we should cut to a commercial."
The stage director rushed to the position directly across from Sikinkov, shook his head repeatedly, and made a cutting gesture.
Sikinkov subtly raised his hand without showing any emotion, indicating that it was okay, then turned to the camera with a friendly smile, "Hello, little lucky star, yes, you were chosen."
The little girl let out a delightful laugh, her face flushed, feeling both surprised and shy, unable to say a word for a moment.
Sikinkov began to guide the conversation, "Hey, little lucky star, no need to be nervous, I won’t eat you. What’s your name?"
The little girl showed a sweet smile, "Mom and Dad call me Xiaotiancheng, you can call me that too."
Compared to the fake smiles on the stooge’s faces, this sweet smile made Sikinkov feel very comfortable. His demeanor and tone involuntarily became more affectionate, "Hello, Xiaotiancheng, very nice to meet you. Where are you currently?"
At this time, Xiaotiancheng was walking. She tilted her phone slightly, revealing the old and ruined streets behind her, "I’m in the Borderland, on Liuhexi Street."
Liuhexi Street, that is not a good place.
Even in a rundown place like the Borderland, Liuhexi Street is the most decrepit neighborhood, only the truly homeless gather there.
Sikinkov asked with concern, "Where are your mom and dad? Are they with you?"
Xiaotiancheng’s expression turned somewhat downcast, and she softly said, "They passed away a few years ago, it’s just me now."
"Oh, I’m very sorry..." Sikinkov apologized softly, "Did they die in a gang fight?"
Xiaotiancheng shook her head, "No, they were ordinary people, not involved with gangs."
"My mom died from an illness; she was always unhealthy. Later, she caught a severe cold and couldn’t afford treatment, coughed blood for several days, and soon she passed away."
"My dad worked at a bar, one night he tried to stop a hooligan from harassing a girl and ended up getting shot to death."
Xiaotiancheng spoke about her parents’ deaths with an unusually calm tone.
Perhaps the past had long scarred over in her heart, no longer painful.
Or perhaps these things were too common in the Borderland, so common that even when they happened to oneself, only numbness remained.
Xiaotiancheng spoke lightly, but the stage director broke out in a cold sweat listening.
This is a live broadcast! With hundreds of thousands or even millions watching, how can such negative things be shown?!
He gestured to Sikinkov again, asking if they should cut to a commercial.
Sikinkov refused with his eyes, continuing to talk with Xiaotiancheng, "I’m really sorry to hear such news. How do you live alone now?"
Xiaotiancheng laughed and said, "Of course by scavenging garbage."
Sikinkov: "Scavenging garbage?"
Xiaotiancheng: "Yes, haven’t you ever flipped through a trash can, Commissioner?"
Sikinkov was momentarily at a loss for words, "Um... I think... probably not..."
Xiaotiancheng became enthusiastic, starting to run, "Then you surely don’t know, trash cans have lots of good stuff! Come, let’s first go to the next neighborhood, there are plenty of supplies there, I’ll take you on a treasure hunt!"
She ran out of Liuhexi Street into a corner of the adjacent neighborhood. The ground was full of sewage, flies buzzing everywhere, and even through the screen, one could feel it was stinking.
She waded through the sewage and arrived in front of two trash cans, with a mischievous smile she said, "Commissioner, I’m going to test you, if I were very hungry now and wanted to find something to eat, which trash can do you think I should dig through?"
Even Sikinkov, who handles city crises methodically, seemed bewildered at this moment, looking at the two trash cans on the screen, scratching his head, "Um... I can’t see any difference between them..."
