readytorunbook Chapter 278 Trip to Chicago
Chapter 278 Trip to Chicago
The thirty-day deadline soon arrived, and the District of Columbia discovered that neither the North nor the South showed any signs of disbanding. On the contrary, they continued to expand their paramilitary forces. Inside and outside the Steel Belt, red and black gear flags fluttered in the wind, and the Second Army, relying on the surging industrial power of the Steel Belt, continued to expand its strength.
At the Chicago coastal base, several small boats were approaching the dock, red and black flags fluttering in the wind, and militiamen stood guard holding various types of firearms they had been issued.
Today's Chicago has long been the site of wave after wave of worker revolutions. People have smashed their chains, seized the means of production, and the entire Steel Belt is now under the leadership of revolutionary committees organized by workers. They have confiscated the property of capitalists and turned private gardens into public land.
Several M8 Greyhound armored vehicles were driving along the road. Where the Colombian Army insignia used to be painted, the symbol of the Colombian Union of Labour and Indigenous (UNCITRAL) – a gear, hammer, and torch – was now painted. The Second Army soldier, wearing an army helmet with a red star on it, sat on the armored vehicle.
This is the scene of Alice's first step into the New World, with red and black flags hanging from the tall buildings fluttering in the wind, the banners rippling like water.
The whole of Chicago is now a sea of red and black. The capitalists who used to strut around the streets with their heads held high have long been replaced by the busy figures of workers and militiamen. The workers can now walk on the streets with their heads held high.
"Welcome, welcome to Columbia—representatives of the stars of the universe, thank you for your support of the revolution."
To the surprise of the Columbia Union, representatives of the Universal Star Group approached the union, expressing their desire to return the union revolutionaries who had "occupied the Chicago" during the Philadelphia Movement.
The ships sailed into the Great Lakes, transporting these people, and also brought along the "observation team" from the Universal Star Group.
Several well-equipped armed guards, a woman dressed as a maid, and a short, mysterious figure whose face was hidden under a hood—this was the Alliance's initial impression of the Universal Star Group.
"Lafis Yao, Head of Defense, Starsun Corporation."
The group traveled by car, passing through the area controlled by the Alliance Labor Union, where the Universal Stars Group had an office. The Alliance Labor Union usually confiscated most company property, but the Universal Stars Group only had a small office in the area, with nothing worth confiscating. The Universal Stars Group office was still operating as usual. This multinational corporation's main business in the area was medical services, where people could access medical services at low prices.
This makes it difficult for the labor union to target them from the perspective of the masses—after all, there is a great demand for medical services in the steel belt, and the cheap medical care provided by the office is the workers' favorite service.
Four defense agents from the Universal Star Group stood apart, two of them dressed in distinct combat gear, in sand and black, using SPORT-1 handguards and Zenit B33 receiver covers, with AK105s with PT-1 stocks prominently hanging on their chests, a stark contrast to the M14 rifles carried by the syndicate militiamen.
The other two were in the classic "gray man" configuration. Their FCSK black combat vests had no obvious attachments on the front, except for a few 6L20 magazines inserted in the elastic side panels covered by the jacket, and an AK105 short assault rifle mounted on the other side using the Titan system.
Alice was among them, of course. The sight of red and black flags hanging all over the skyscrapers of Chicago was novel to her. The entire city was filled with them, and the Chicago Stadium in front of her was the headquarters of the Allied Labor Corps at that moment. Outside the stadium, there were Army M4 Sherman and M8 Greyhound armored vehicles, as well as some M45 trucks everywhere.
The rapid development of the past decade has led the world to completely forget about magicians. Magicians play a role in war that is comparable to that of elite infantry, and most armies have relegated this role to special forces.
The labor unions, which consist mainly of militia and national guard, naturally do not have many such units.
Water-cooled and air-cooled machine guns stood in rows. Alice watched all this in silence. The union's reception staff led them into the stadium, while the defense department agents were asked to stay outside.
"Ah."
Alice nodded, leaving the four defense officers outside. Alice and Rafis Yao walked into what was originally the "VIP box". Alice could see that the plaque with the word "VIP" written on it had been sprayed with red paint and then smashed by something. The metal plaque was lying on the ground, trampled on by people.
The new sign above reads "Open Meeting Room," it's that simple.
"Comrades! Calm down. Our brave worker comrades have indeed seized power in Northern Columbia, but I ask you to note that, given our current situation, the strength of our liberated areas is still not superior!"
"The revolutionary base area along the Great Lakes is the most industrialized region in all of Colombia, but it will take some time before we can apply industrial capacity to our revolution. Comrades, I ask some of you to recognize the current revolutionary situation. The future of the revolution is arduous, the road is tortuous, but the future is bright. Our work must be based on the reality of the revolution, that is, to consolidate the revolutionary base area, continue to mobilize the revolutionary forces of the labor unions, and strengthen the work of industrial capacity transformation!"
"Comrades, food and rifles don't come for free! Our production lines need the hard work of our workers, our front lines need the armed struggle of our workers, and our farms need the labor of our agricultural workers!"
"What I emphasize is that we should oppose two things—the theory of quick victory and the theory of defeat, opportunism and defeatism. The proletariat has only lost its shackles; what it will gain is the whole world!"
"Long live the Allied Labor Corps! Long live the proletariat!"
Alice listened to the voices of the man the workers surrounded. Amidst hard hats, towels, sweat and soot, banners and flags, Jack Reed stood, dressed simply, emphasizing the current situation to tens of thousands of worker representatives.
"How interesting~ The situation in Colombia is indeed not optimistic."
“That’s right. Although the labor union has control of the steel belt, they still lack weapons and personnel. The southern part of Colombia has a larger National Guard, and according to intelligence, the Texas Federation is secretly supporting their activities, which is their source of confidence.”
"Everyone is a king."
"Yes, Alice, that's their motto."
"Of course, everyone needs a slogan, whether it's them or them."
"Well, Mike Douglas controls the central region, as well as most of the remaining armed forces, except for the West Coast states.
"Therefore, our workers need to work even harder to cope with the current situation, you two..."
While the two were chatting, a simply dressed man wearing a casual hat walked into the conference room.
"Hello, I am Jack Reed, the legitimate president of the United States and a member of the Colombian Union Labor Corps. The Universal Stars Corporation, is that right? I've heard of you, but you shouldn't be involved in the Colombian civil war."