Starting from South America, speeding through the world

Chapter 207 My name is Zhou Yi
The constitution we inherited is merely an experimental design, barely managing to strike a balance between idealism and fear.

But it has never truly confronted the power structures of the modern state, nor has it ever prepared for a moment like today.

For example, electoral systems were originally developed in sparsely populated agricultural societies where information flowed slowly.

In those times, the Electoral College, multi-tiered representation, and party frameworks were effective means of avoiding tyranny and the risks of mobilization.

Times have changed.

Democracy remains trapped in that game of procedural supremacy.

The ballot exists, but the choice is hollow.

The Senate gives veto power over national affairs to densely populated states.

The House of Representatives is chronically paralyzed due to district control issues.

When the will of the majority is frozen by a minority of rules, the crisis cannot be resolved within the system and can only flow outside of it.

Our judicial system once prided itself on its "lifelong independence."

Today, however, it has become an irreplaceable ideological bastion, forever confining the power of constitutional interpretation to the world in which it was originally written.

Admittedly, these designs were dignified, logical, and creative in the era in which they were created.

But we've gone too far, and they've never caught up.

The most dangerous thing is not just falling behind, but also those deliberately blurred boundaries.

[Presidential war powers, national security exception, state of emergency.]

They were initially seen as exceptions, but increasingly became the norm, expanding indefinitely until administration swelled into a kind of unaccountable sovereign entity.

Next, I will present you with the account of a surviving witness.

He was originally an agent tasked with carrying out a purge, aimed at eliminating all the Democrats attending the meeting.

I survived by sheer luck.

[And he, after his defeat, chose to stand up and reveal the truth.]

—We are carrying out a secret mission codenamed 'Silence'.

—The targets include the president and vice president-elect, Democratic members of Congress, and some local electors.

—The order was verbally authorized by the then-president.

I will not offer any further emotional commentary.

These words are enough.

We cannot go back, nor should we.

Similarly, we cannot stay here, amidst these institutional ruins.

Therefore, I propose that the possibility of rebuilding the "United States of America" ​​be temporarily shelved.

I will not, and should not, become, any form of "successor head of state."

The most urgent task is to pull this turbulent nation back from the path of destruction and to create space for future development.

Therefore, I recommend that all states, territories, and all public areas still capable of organization focus on the following objectives.

First, ensure the flow of humanitarian resources across regions and safeguard rights to medical care, refuge, and basic survival.

Second, activate a multi-layered locking system for cross-regional nuclear weapons deployment to prevent the unilateral use of strategic weapons.

Third, establish necessary cross-regional clearing channels to prevent economic isolation and complete collapse.

I beg you, world.

Don't rush to acknowledge any "new version" of the United States.

Please give us time, observe patiently, and offer assistance, not intervention.

Finally, I want to say...

I will not miss a country that made us hate each other.

I will not quote its constitution, hymns, or monument inscriptions to whitewash its failures.

But I admit that it once had ideals, and I admit that we are unwilling to give up those ideals.

Therefore, this is not the end.

This is a pause.

We still believe that, with the right methods and conditions, a brand new collective will eventually start anew.

To complete that unfinished work, and to respond to the expectations placed upon us by our founding fathers.

[At that time, it will be a "Res Publica" truly shaped by the will of the people.]

"puff--"

The broadcast was cut off.

The radio waves fell silent.

The moon hangs above the treetops not far away.

A gentle breeze rustled through the palm trees, and the water plants along the lake swayed softly.

Zhou Yi leaned against a rock, shirtless, and lit a cigarette with his head down.

The firelight flashed by in an instant.

He took a deep breath and exhaled a thin mist.

Natalie lay beside her, her coat covering her shoulders, her hair disheveled. After struggling for a long time, she finally asked the question that had been lingering in her mind for so long:
"That day, after we left the police station, in the apartment, what were you thinking when you looked at me like that?"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yi shrugged and said, "You've misunderstood."

There was silence.

The radio was placed not far away.

Natalie remained silent for a while before speaking again:
"You spent three months plunging the entire country into the abyss."

"Every word you said at the bar that day has come true."

"It's like... it's like they're acting out a script you wrote."

She looked up at Zhou Yi's profile:

"Actually, what I really want to say is..."

"I don't know who you are, nor do I know where you're going."

"I don't know what you like or dislike, whether you have family or friends."

"I didn't even know that after tonight—"

Natalie paused for a moment, then uttered a few words with difficulty:

Will I ever see you again?

This time, Zhou Yi answered quickly: "No."

Natalie was stunned.

".What?"

Zhou Yi casually stubbed out his cigarette: "Mission accomplished, you won't see me."

After he finished speaking, he stood up, put on his shirt, and buttoned it up.

Natalie stared at him in disbelief.

"That's it?" she asked.

Zhou Yi nodded seriously.

Natalie stared at him, her lips moving, but in the end she only let out a long sigh.

“If it weren’t for Tamara, you would never have attacked the FBI.”

"If I hadn't happened to be in that cell."

Zhou Yi remained silent, and in a flash, he summoned the system.

Oh shit.

Why haven't I gone back yet?

At this moment, Natalie laughed self-deprecatingly.

"Where are you going after this?"

“Africa,” Zhou Yi said sincerely.

Natalie was stunned again, completely unprepared for such a dramatic shift in the topic.

"You are joking?"

"How could that be? Africa is a great place."

Natalie's breathing became heavy, as if she had finally been struck by some kind of reality.

She stopped looking at him and gazed at the blurred horizon in the night, murmuring:

"That's fucking ruthless."

"I don't even know your name."

"It's definitely not 'John'."

Zhou Yi did not deny it, took out a second cigarette, and lit it.

After a few seconds, as if he had a change of heart, or as if it was just a spur-of-the-moment decision, he suddenly said, "Zhou Yi."

Natalie turned her head in confusion: "What?"

“Didn’t you just say,” he looked at her, “that you didn’t even know my name?”

"Now you know."

"My name is Zhou Yi."

However, before Natalie could show any surprise, the man disappeared.

In the blink of an eye, it vanished into thin air.

Without a trace.

Only a wisp of smoke remained, swirling in place.

The wind blew and it scattered.

Not a trace was left.

After a long while, Natalie lay back down on the lawn.

The night sky was clear, and the moon and stars were few.

(End of this chapter)