"Hello, are you Ambassador Macron of France?"
"I am." Macron, who had just come ashore, answered briefly, then caught sight of the towering skyscrapers in the distance and stood there in a daze.
Were those really real, in all those photos? How could buildings possibly be that tall?
You'd be dead tired just from climbing them.
"Mr. Macron, I'm James. Let's head to the hotel first — I'll brief you on a few things on the way."
"James, you… are you French?"
"Yes, sir. Let's talk in the car."
"Very well."
Macron's delegation of several dozen people all rode in the latest Longcheng Series 3 vehicles.
Macron himself was in a specially outfitted Series 3 executive model — generously spacious, with a fold-out table and various other small amenities.
Macron climbed in and looked around with curiosity, then sighed admiringly. "You people are remarkable. This car is absolutely fantastic. Back in France I rode in your Longcheng Series 2."
James smiled. "Mr. Macron, let me give you a brief rundown of the conference agenda. The main issues on the table are as follows."
After a short exchange, Macron asked again, "James, you said you're French — would you mind telling me how that came about?"
"It's not a complicated story. Years ago I made certain mistakes and was taken prisoner by Longcheng."
"After several years of prison rehabilitation, I was released and worked for a time as a university lecturer. Now I serve as a diplomat."
James gave a concise account of his background.
Listening to James's story, Macron was struck with a mix of awe and disbelief. Then, when he heard news of James's family, he grew excited and reached out to grip James's hand.
"James, our country is in its most desperate hour. It needs your help! Come back to France — France needs you!"
James withdrew his hand. "I'm sorry, Mr. Macron. I was born in France, but I am a Longcheng citizen now."
"This is where I belong. That said, I do donate half my salary every month to France — it's the only thing I can still do for my homeland."
"Besides, I have already severed ties with my family."
"But let's set that aside. Now that the French delegation has arrived, all expenses will be covered by the Longcheng government."
"Please take this — it's for your daily expenses during your stay in Longcheng."
James conscientiously finished briefing Macron and the others, then took his leave, urging them to rest. He arranged to return the following day to take them on a tour of the city.
He was responsible for planning and looking after the delegation's entire itinerary during their stay.
Macron, unable to sit still, learned that ambassadors from allied nations had also arrived and went off to connect with his counterparts from the other countries.
Before long, the assembled group left the hotel together and set out to stroll the streets and get a feel for Longcheng.
The cleanliness of the streets and the dress of the passersby were both noticeably better than what they knew back home.
For people who had always prided themselves on being the standard-bearers of civilization, this was quietly humbling.
"Hey — Mr. Macron, look at that man over there. Isn't that Scholz?"
"Where, where? I can't see."
"Over there, that group of people — are those Germans? Is that their ambassador, Scholz?"
Macron craned his neck in a furtive, hunched way, like a man who'd already taken a beating.
"How many of them are there? Twenty? Thirty?"
"Shouldn't be more than thirty!"
"And we've got nearly a hundred people!"
They were ambassadors from several countries gathered together, so naturally their numbers were greater.
"We've got more people — what are we waiting for? Let's go — get them!" Macron glanced around, found nothing useful as a weapon, and resigned himself to going in bare-fisted.
The French government had been driven into exile by the Germans. With the wound of national humiliation festering inside him, Macron lost all reason and ordered his people to charge!
Had he really lost his mind?
Over a hundred people brawled in the middle of the street while a large crowd gathered around to watch.
"Kick him — kick him in the balls!"
"Oh come on, there are so many of you and you still can't beat the smaller group? Fight back! Fight back!"
Moments later, a dozen or so peace officers came sprinting over, whistles shrieking.
Both sides were deep in the thick of it, and the battle played out much like the situation on their actual frontlines back home.
The German side somehow absorbed the assault from multiple directions and appeared to be gaining the upper hand!
This was no time to stop!
The squad captain took one look at the continuing chaos and decided there was nothing left to say.
Rubber batons came down hard!
"The hell — you dare fight back? Where are Longcheng's men? Get in here and pin these foreigners down!"
"Coming!" One spectator, the moment he heard "Longcheng's men," dropped his bag on the spot and charged in, dress clothes and all.
Longcheng pride was no empty boast — the civic spirit was simply off the charts.
"Why only call for the men? What about us women? Sisters — the brave ones, follow me!"
The watching crowd surged forward en masse. Quite a few women kicked off their high heels and rushed in, leaving the hundred-odd foreigners utterly dumbfounded.
Longcheng people — are they always this fierce?
"You lot have got some nerve, I'll give you that — a brawl on this scale, you're all looking at fifteen days' detention. One day short and I'll take your surname!"
"And another thing — it was you French who threw the first punch? Sixty-odd people couldn't take down thirty? No wonder your homeland's been overrun. Absolutely pathetic!"
"Everyone, lend a hand — get these people's hands tied and march them down to the district station!"