[Chapter 671: When I Left, It Was a Total Mess]
In truth, William White really didn't care about these idiots. If you didn't provoke him and weren't being foolish, he would barely pay attention.
Some things just needed to exist; they had a certain reason for being. There was really no need to change anything. If you got rid of someone particularly annoying, you might find that the next person stepping in was even worse.
"Jason, I'm heading to Texas tomorrow. If you're free, come along. This place won't be resolved in less than a month."
Jason looked a bit stunned. The troops had arrived, the situation had been controlled, so why the rush to leave?
"Boss, is this considered fleeing?"
"Nonsense! Is there any reason to stay here? There's nothing to be done. If you want a complete recovery, don't even think about it in less than three to five months."
"Geez, destruction is easy, but these guys really don't understand that once chaos begins, they're going to have an even harder time finding work."
"Alright, enough whining. Hurry home and pack your things. You'll be gone for at least three months; if you don't come back, just let your wife and kids stay in Texas for now."
"Alright, I'll head home and pack."
The U.S. had really suffered a massive loss this time. The so-called American Dream had proven to have some serious flaws. At least, for the black community, that dream was incredibly hard to realize.
Now, if you looked back at Martin Luther King Jr.'s speech, you'd chuckle -- it had never changed.
Perhaps on the surface, there seemed to be equality. But when it came to a more comprehensive, deeper level, forget it. That was just impossible. Shouting till you lost your voice wouldn't help either.
...
Bush Sr. was feeling quite the headache. The losses in Los Angeles were stunning. At least a billion dollars' worth of property had gone up in flames. If you factored in the costs of rebuilding, the total easily exceeded ten billion.
Damn, when teaching a foolish giant a lesson, the Americans themselves barely had to pay a thing. Who was going to shoulder this tens of billions bill?
...
"Master, we've wrapped up things here. Heh, some guys ran off without knowing what they were worried about."
"Sigh, Tanner, it's normal for them to worry. Once this incident blows over, they'll take a detour. So, you see, making people love you is quite tough; if you can't do that, just let them be afraid."
"Master, it's just that the commotion is pretty loud. Some of those guys are going to be tossing and turning again."
"Doesn't matter; take those tapes and edit them. Just delete anything that shouldn't be there. Besides, if they're not sleeping, who cares? I'm exhausted as it is -- I'm heading for a nap."
William White's actions this time were essentially intimidation. He wanted to let those guys know that without rules, the world was going to be a very scary place.
...
"Headed back to Texas? Have you found Andy?"
"Can't find him. Along with him, the other leaders are missing as well. It's starting to look a lot like what happened in Detroit a few years ago. Sir, we might be in trouble."
"How's Andy's family?"
"No abnormalities."
"Hmm, let's wait a bit longer. He has CIA connections; he shouldn't easily get into trouble."
...
At that moment, the Andy they were talking about had probably wet himself in fear. He had never imagined that for him, death might become a luxury.
What did the CIA matter? Being alive was what counted. Once you'd kicked the bucket, you'd just be a star on a wall -- without even a name to be remembered by.
...
William White leaving Los Angeles at that time was deliberate. The chaos here would soon be noticed as odd. His roots here were nowhere near as solid as in Texas.
It was a common human flaw -- when faced with danger, people always wanted to return to familiar, controllable places.
"Darling, why are you back so late? The things on TV, are they really that serious?" Seeing that he was so nonchalant, the beautiful Michelle Reis was fuming. That jerk just couldn't make her worry less.
"Heh, it's actually nothing. Beverly Hills has been completely safe -- there wasn't even a single stray bullet. As for the rest of Los Angeles, I believe half of it needs to be rebuilt."
"Geez, those guys thought they could just steal stuff and be fine? What kind of mindset is that?"
William White actually wanted to say that everyone had their dark sides. When laws and order were no longer followed, there were very few who could control their actions.
Bottom line, if the time frame were longer, say a year or two, the order in that area wouldn't recover for good.
Later Detroit became that kind of sinful city. Anyone, at any time, wouldn't be able to recover.
"Alright, I'm going for a shower. You take care of Jason's family. They'll be staying at the farm for now."
"Okay, you go ahead. The water's all set."
...
Faced with the mess in Los Angeles, not to mention the American people, even other countries find it hard to understand.
"Hey, how strange! Didn't you guys say there was equality? Didn't you say it was democracy? Now it's a war zone, where is the so-called democracy?"
How about you come out and explain it? If those Black guys weren't living in extreme conditions, they probably wouldn't be so radical.
The Rodney King case was coming into play again. The official line was that if Mr. King felt the judgment was unfair, he could appeal to a higher court.
"Boss, is that it?"
William White and Jason were enjoying afternoon tea in the garden. As for the women, they were busy attending to the kids. The two guys who liked to smoke clearly weren't in favor.
"What did you expect? You can never wake up someone pretending to sleep. What they can say now, I'm afraid is just this."
"Holy cow, and only two cops are taking the blame for this huge mess?"
William White shook his head, chuckling. Those two had it rough; they might as well have been shot down.
"That's your problem; you need to look at the bigger picture."
"Pfft, boss, are you serious? Why does that sound so awkward?"
"Hah, no matter how awkward you feel, that's just how it is. Do you expect them to say, 'You're too darn lazy, always getting into trouble, and asking for raises -- it's no wonder no one wants to hire you'? Damn it, the day after payday, half of them are gone!"
"Fine, fine. You're the boss, but you definitely can't say it this way. Though it is the truth."
"Did you know, Jason? In Los Angeles, white people are actually the minority. The combination of African Americans and Latino Americans definitely surpasses half. If things really went haywire, these areas would end up back with Mexico."
That's just how cities developed. You needed an influx of people when expanding. But at a certain stage, many of these people actually became redundant. If there was no proper placement, problems were bound to happen.
The economy wasn't doing well in 1991; it was bad across the globe. But that didn't include California. In fact, California didn't have negative growth. The rebuilding in San Francisco, coupled with the rapid growth of the tech industry, meant California's growth rate was number one in the U.S.
Sadly, there were very few black people who could take on these jobs.
*****
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