CHAPTER 322: AFTER THE MODIFICATION: CHAPTER 322 SIGNING

Shire’s car slowly drove into Davaz Town amidst the cheers of the neighbors. If it weren’t for Lauren’s prior order to the guards to strictly forbid all strangers from entering, there would definitely be a large number of reporters flocking to interview him.

However, when Shire got out of the car, a few people still disregarded the guards’ obstruction and squeezed to Shire for an autograph.

One of them was Teddy. He had three notebooks in his hand, opening them one by one for Shire to sign.

Shire asked in puzzlement, "What’s the use of the autograph? When I was in school, every notebook had my name on it."

"It’s not for me." Teddy explained with an innocent look: "Someone hired me to do this. They think that since I’m your classmate, it would be easier to get an autograph."

"Hired you?" Shire quickly signed his name on the notebooks, while looking at Teddy in confusion.

"Yes." Teddy nodded, with a naive expression: "One franc for each book!"

Shire rolled his eyes, handed the signed notebooks back to Teddy one by one: "Then you should share half with me. I have an idea. Perhaps we can cooperate, I’ll sign, and you’ll contact the buyers. What do you think?"

Teddy’s eyes lit up: "Are you serious? That’s great, a very good idea!"

The neighbors burst into laughter. They all knew Shire was joking. With Shire’s current wealth and power, how could he possibly do something like selling autographs?

However, Shire thought inwardly, if writing a name could earn one franc, then he could easily make several hundred francs a day. This might be much better than fighting openly and covertly with capitalists in the capital and military-industrial fields.

...

When he walked into the house again, he suddenly had a feeling of both familiarity and strangeness for the home he had lived in for more than ten years.

It was indescribable with words.

At this moment, Shire unconsciously re-examined this world and felt the breath, taste, and meaning of life.

It was like the soul touching the body.

The past experiences were a nightmare. Even after emerging from the fear, he still could not completely erase them, thus the joy of survival burst out even more intensely.

In that moment of trance, Camille brought Shire a cup of hot milk and a plate of leftover cake from breakfast.

Shire was not hungry at all. His eating routine on the battlefield was completely disrupted. He only took a few bites of bread when he was really famished. But he still ate quietly, full of gratitude.

This is life, Shire thought.

"They said you landed at Gelibolu?" Camille asked with a hint of nervousness in her eyes.

"Yes." Shire nodded.

"How was it?" Camille asked with difficulty, seemingly worried about uncovering Shire’s unpleasant experiences.

"Don’t worry, Mom." Shire answered with a relaxed face: "It was by the seaside, and I was a staff officer. I was always fighting under the protection of others. It was just a change of place. I could even sunbathe on the beach and then sleep in a swaying basket. Look at me, I’m tanned."

Anyway, Camille didn’t know what the battlefield was like. She would believe whatever he said.

It seemed that Camille breathed a sigh of relief.

But Dejoka saw through Shire’s lie. If it was really as smooth as he said, there wouldn’t be that look of relief and retrospection in his eyes when he walked into the house.

However, Dejoka did not reveal it, just nodded slightly.

...

Shire’s lie was almost exposed. He slept for two days straight, getting up only once a day for a meal, and then going back to sleep.

He was completely exhausted. In the trenches, he could hardly sleep, and now it seemed he wanted to make up for all the lost sleep.

Sometimes Shire couldn’t help wondering, what about those soldiers who stayed in the trenches, facing the enemy?

Shire had stayed in the trenches for only two weeks, and the soldiers generally had to stay on the front line for three or four months. If they survived, they could get a rare vacation.

Shire thought they might have already become accustomed to the trenches.

On the morning of the third day, Shire was awakened by Dejoka: "Major Laurent is waiting downstairs. He said you have to attend a parliamentary inquiry today."

"Oh?" Shire opened his eyes groggily, dazed for a moment, then remembered the matter.

"What is it for?" Dejoka carefully closed the door after coming in, sat on the chair, and asked in a low voice: "Is it about your battlefield experience?"

"No, Father." Shire answered: "It should be about the military uniform. I hope to change the uniform."

Dejoka asked cautiously: "If you could, would you make some sort of compromise to avoid going to the battlefield? I mean, like some kind of exchange."

Shire fell silent.

He could understand Dejoka and Camille’s thoughts. They would rather give up everything and surrender to the capitalists for their own safety.

Shire got up, dressed in his military uniform, and answered: "We have no way back, Father. Even if I am willing to give up everything, do you think the capitalists will let me go?"

"No other way?" Dejoka still held a bit of hope.

Shire shook his head lightly.

Shire’s existence was a danger to the capitalists. They were not afraid of Shire’s factories, workers, and funds, but of the ideas in Shire’s head and the support of the French people.

How could Shire surrender?

By giving them his head? Or by destroying his image in front of the French people?

Shire finished dressing, and said to Dejoka: "Safety is something we create ourselves. Father, we can never rely on others’ mercy. That is handing over the decision of our life and death to the enemy!"

With that, Shire opened the door and went downstairs.

Dejoka stared blankly at Shire’s back, suddenly realizing that Shire was no longer the same person. He seemed to have grown up and become much stronger.

Even, there was a hint of killing intent and ruthlessness in his bones.

Then Dejoka understood, it was honed on the battlefield.

He was almost certain that the situation in Gelibolu was nothing like what Shire had described. On the contrary, it was a kind of cruelty, a kind of torture, and even a test of life and death!

...

On the way to the House of Representatives, Shire casually flipped through the documents handed by Colonel Laurent. They were the preparations made by Gallieni in the past two days for Shire’s inquiry.

Shire originally thought the parliamentary inquiry would consist of answering their questions or explaining the reasons for changing the uniform to the parliamentarians.

After reading the documents, he realized he should understand some basic knowledge, such as which parliamentarians opposed changing the uniform, why they opposed it, and what the various reasons were.

However, Shire only flipped through the documents, then put them aside, yawned, tightened his infantry coat, and closed his eyes for a nap.

"Are they useless?" Laurent asked curiously, "They were collected by Major Fernan at the order of the General."

"No, they’re very useful," Shire replied softly, "But they can’t change the outcome!"