Chapter 478: Chapter 319: The Rising Tide
The connection between Sikinkov and Xiaotiancheng ended with some extremely heart-wrenching words.
The high-ranking chief of the Public Security Bureau and the humble child from the frontier, their cross-class conversation not only set a new record for the live broadcast of "Dialogue with the Director," with real-time viewership breaking a billion across the internet.
And after the live broadcast concluded, the program ignited a massive sensation online.
In New Moon City, the term "frontier" is familiar to the residents of the Inner City; anyone you stop on the street can have a discussion about it with you.
However, the number of Inner City residents who truly understand the frontier is likely very few.
After all, no normal Inner City resident would climb over the rust wall to conduct an on-site investigation in the frontier. Their understanding of the frontier comes from the media, through news reports and marketing articles.
The media has always conveyed the notion to the public that the pitiable must have their hateful points, that frontier people live miserably because they don’t strive, that their poverty limits their aspirations, and that they inherently possess low worth.
But after this episode of "Dialogue with the Director" aired, Inner City residents suddenly realized that this wasn’t the case.
At least in the case of Xiaotiancheng, it wasn’t like that.
What does this have to do with effort?
A person who has to rely on rummaging through garbage cans every day to survive.
A person who, without any reason, is teased and lured to death by the authorities’ forces.
A ten-year-old who’s become numb to the point of feeling they have no future.
How can she possibly strive?
Xiaotiancheng’s experience not only touched Inner City residents but also resonated with countless frontier people.
More and more frontier individuals are recounting their experiences online, with some being similar to Xiaotiancheng’s, while others are even more tragic.
In the past, no one listened to these words, as everyone preconceived that frontier people intentionally seek sympathy.
Moreover, crucially, in the fast-paced internet age, people prefer quick information, and no one pays attention to these heartfelt cries, which are often drowned in the online frenzy.
But at this moment, leveraging the heat from the "Dialogue with the Director" program and having a vivid example like Xiaotiancheng, everyone’s attention was focused.
More and more people are calming down, bypassing those media and marketing accounts, directly listening to the various encounters shared by frontier people.
There’s no inherent discrimination in this world, nor is there hatred without cause.
When the prejudices promoted by mainstream media were pierced, people in the same city, separated by a wall, began to empathize again.
Countless people began reflecting, blaming the media for years of malicious guidance, and criticizing whether the authorities’ extreme policy towards the frontier is justified.
Some refer to history, bringing up the once brilliant Gold era, questioning why such mutual prosperity cannot continue.
An ideological wave surged from a database error during a live broadcast program, set off dramatically by the unintentional urging of a little girl.
Shortly after the "Dialogue with the Director" program concluded, the Public Security Bureau held a press conference where Chief Sikinkov expressed his heartfelt thoughts.
"About the ’Dialogue with the Director’ program a few days ago, I believe everyone either watched it personally or heard about it. Xiaotiancheng’s suffering saddens us and forces us to reflect on whether all of this is reasonable."
"Now, I can unequivocally tell you that it’s unreasonable. Each of us was once a child, and children represent the future of the world."
"If a child can be arbitrarily trampled, humiliated, and say things like ’I have no future,’ it is not only the disgrace of the authorities but also the sorrow of all humanity."
"I believe that Xiaotiancheng’s experience is not unique; such tragedy is a microcosm of the entire frontier, or rather a reflection of the vast frontier people within this city."
"In the past, in the minds of many, those frontier people living in the Inner City seemed to deserve to be bullied and humiliated, just like that unnamed Rust Wall Defense Team soldier treated Xiaotiancheng back then."
"I want to say that such absurd things must end, at least in the Public Security Bureau, within this law enforcement agency that symbolizes the city’s order, such matters should end."
"Starting today, the Public Security Bureau will initiate long-term, continuous disciplinary correction, strictly cracking down on any violations within subordinate institutions."
"The Public Security Bureau’s resolve to combat crime will not be diminished in the slightest, but anyone who uses the guise of law enforcement to commit illegal acts will face the most severe punishment!"
Sikinkov has always been a decisive and action-oriented person.
After the press conference, he immediately launched a discussion on related disciplinary correction.
As the Bureau Chief, Sikinkov is very familiar with the internal state of the Public Security Bureau.
It’s impossible to investigate past misdeeds completely.
The internal darkness of the Public Security Bureau is a historical issue.
Behaviors like taking bribes, violent law enforcement, dereliction of duty, and indiscriminate shooting are rampant, and apart from those exceptionally rare individuals with unexplainably high moral standards, the rest are not clean.
If this were to be thoroughly investigated, it would require arresting nearly everyone in the Public Security Bureau, which is unrealistic.
To this end, Sikinkov implemented a flexible plan, drawing a line.
Offenses before the disciplinary correction will not be pursued.
After the disciplinary correction, any violations will be severely punished.
This is a reluctant compromise but also a resolute determination.
Initially, within the Public Security Bureau, it was thought to be mere words since past similar so-called "disciplinary corrections" happened more than once, each time being much ado about nothing, only to hoodwink the common people—who would believe it?
