"...I hereby declare that Academy City is a heresy! In the name of the Pope, I call on all children who believe in our Lord to resist this evil city together!"
The voice of the Roman Orthodox Pope echoed over the city through various audio facilities.
"Is it finally here?" Hitomi Shiranui said, she was not surprised by the content of the Pope's speech, only a feeling that her boots had finally landed.
Because these things, including the actions that the Orthodox Church may take, have long been analyzed and speculated by Ling Xingye and Shiranui Tong.
Moreover, similar remarks have been widely circulated in the past period of time. Now the Pope just summarizes these contents and releases them to the world as the "Pope".
Because during the previous duel between Accelerator and Kakine Teito, the "Angel of Science", a suspected man-made "angel" of Academy City, appeared, which immediately caused an uproar around the world.
Almost immediately, Christians came forward to appease people's hearts, and denounced the "angel of science" as a "false god", and Academy City was an evil existence that blasphemed the gods!
——Obviously a leader on the scientific side, but secretly engaged in "worship of false gods", it is really sinister and evil!
——"Scientific angels" are nothing but man-made fakes, with only a shape, and they are not in the same breath as real angels!
— This is a challenge to true Christian believers!
…
Rhetoric like this has already been rampant. At the same time, Christian believers from all over the world successively launched large demonstrations against Academy City.
Until just now, the Pope personally came forward to push this round of events to a new climax.
"It's terrible, this is a really big event..." Ling Xingye murmured.
The pope has used his greatest weapon—influence—to the limit.
Global live broadcast of speeches, even Academy City, an hostile force, made an exception to live broadcast simultaneously throughout the city-this is an intuitive display of the Pope's "influence".
"Is there?" Hitomi Shiranui asked, "The Pope is indeed a big man, but I feel... the response is a bit dull."
It's no wonder she said that, as soon as the pope's speech was over, people on the street put their heads down and went about their business.
At most, it's just a discussion with the people around me. By the way, it's really great to make fun of the Pope, and he can persuade Academy City to broadcast it in full coverage.
After all, anyone who cares a little bit about the international situation knows that the bad relationship between Academy City and the Roman Orthodox Church is no longer news.
There have been more than one or two demonstrations against Academy City, mainly initiated by Christian believers.
As for the content mentioned in the speech just now, many of them are things that have been repeatedly discussed and rotten these days. If it hadn’t come out suddenly, the enthusiasm might have faded away.
So, it's really not something that needs special attention.
But Ling Xingye knew that things were definitely not as simple as most people thought.
At this point in time, a voice made by such a character in this way...
"No matter how you look at it, it looks like a declaration of war!" Ling Xingye said.
Yuan Shanyao's "prophecy" suddenly flashed in his mind.
Christianity has two billion believers, and the pope also has world-level influence.
That is, having the ability to trigger wars on a "world" scale!
"The Third World War, did you mean this?" Ling Xingye whispered to himself.
Misaka Miqin was also startled by the speech just now, walked out of the bank again, and came to Ling Xingye's side.
"Then what should we do next?" Misaka Mikoto asked, "Xingye, how are you going to deal with it?"
Ling Xingye said helplessly: "How do I know this? Is it beyond the scope of what a bad group leader can handle?"
Ling Xingye was silent for a while, and just now he swore that the date would not be interrupted because of "such a trivial matter", and then the Pope's speech came, which was really unexpected.
Looking up again, to make sure there were no other problems, Ling Xingye nodded slowly: "No problem..."
Before the words fell, the screens that had been extinguished just now were lit up again.
This time, it was just a text message.
—Russia declares war on Academy City and its allies.
The real war has begun!
"..." Ling Xingye looked at the short two lines repeatedly, and sighed with a heavy heart, "Oh, it's really over..."
Just as the citizens all over the street were still thinking about the meaning conveyed by this text message, the shrill air defense sirens sounded, echoing over the city.
At the same time, everyone's mobile phones received emails simultaneously, announcing that Academy City had entered a state of emergency, so that people could return to their residences as soon as possible.
Only then did everyone realize the seriousness of the situation, and there were bursts of commotion in the crowd.
But it was quickly suppressed by the guards who received the latest order.
Ling Xingye also received related orders—the governing council asked the law enforcement team to cooperate with the security forces to maintain order, help the citizens stay calm, and avoid large-scale riots.
Not only that, the state of emergency also includes a strict curfew, which also requires the cooperation of law enforcement teams to patrol.
As the leader, Ling Xingye naturally couldn't continue his vacation, so he had to return to the headquarters immediately to take command and participate in the Academy City's general countermeasure meeting.
"So, that's it..." Ling Xingye said helplessly, "It seems that the date can only end here..."
Hitomi Shiranui just smiled and said: "It's okay, at least I had a good time in the morning. I really don't need to worry about it. There is no need to use dates to maintain our relationship between Xingye and me."
Ling Xingye felt even more guilty, but there was nothing he could do: "Then I'm leaving? Shall I send you back to the dormitory first?"
"Ah~www..com~ No need." Hitomi Shiranui waved his hand, "I'm still planning to go to the supermarket to buy things. It seems that I need to stock up on some supplies now."
Hearing that the law enforcement team had taken action, Misaka Mikoto next to her was eager to try for a moment, but she quickly turned off the fire and seemed dejected.
"I'm also going to buy some food to take back..."
Under the coercive force of the main Academy City official, this city composed of students quickly became quiet, as if a giant beast had fallen asleep.
All members of the law enforcement team were mobilized to cooperate with security teachers and discipline committee members to evacuate the crowd and patrol the streets.
The discipline committee, which is composed entirely of students, is only in charge of the school and related teaching areas. As for other public places, it is necessary to rely on the security forces to maintain order.
However, in order to cope with the war that may break out at any time, the guard force has been allocated a large number of manpower for war preparations. That is, from "guard" to "soldier".
The resulting personnel gap must be filled by the law enforcement team.
This is also the reason why the General Council strongly urged Ling Xingye to go back and take command.
At this special moment, the importance of this team of delinquent teenagers has once again increased.
Because of this, Ling Xingye was finally able to "get off work" after he was busy until late at night, and the situation basically stabilized.
Fortunately, the curfew was enforced, and there were basically no incidents at night. Otherwise, he might have to live in the headquarters.
When I got back to the apartment and opened the door, I saw that the house was brightly lit and a steaming dinner was prepared on the table.
— Shokuho Misaki? Can that girl cook?
"Welcome back, Xingye!" Hitomi Shiranui came out of the kitchen carrying a casserole.
Behind him, Shokuhou Misaki also came out with tableware: "You are back, Master Xingye~"