Chapter 145
[The city I lead will not abandon you - not a single person.]
Wow…
Didn’t they say his approval ratings were on the rise recently? It wasn’t for nothing.
D.D. McMillan had really sharpened his knife for this.
Honestly, I hadn’t expected much from his policies or his speech, but the quality was considerable.
El Valentine’s speech hadn’t sounded bad when I heard it, but after listening to McMillan’s, it felt several steps behind.
It wasn’t like he was hiding his true power, so I didn’t know why he had only put forward safe pledges until then and was only then using such a powerful weapon, but even I, who tended to judge anything related to politics negatively right off the bat, was momentarily tempted.
Completely Free Medical Insurance is for all citizens.
I would have really liked it if I weren’t an illegal immigrant using a fake ID.
It was just like those enthusiastic crowds cheering, applauding, and repeatedly shouting McMillan’s name on that Hologram Channel over there.
“I wonder if they like it a bit too much… but I suppose it makes sense.”
In my Previous World, I had lived in a country with one of the best public medical welfare systems in the world, and after crossing over to Dusk City, I hadn’t really felt it because I kept away from treatment centers and clinics due to my fake ID issue, but free insurance was a pledge that held great meaning to the people here.
That’s just how terrible Dusk City’s public medical welfare is.
D.D. McMillan’s story was no exaggeration. If anything, you could say he had downplayed the reality and had expressed it briefly for the sake of a clean speech.
To what extent, you ask… The medical system of the United States was backward despite its reputation as a superpower, where insurance and medical costs were nearly double those of other countries, and where bankruptcies due to medical bills in the 21st century accounted for more than half of the total in the Americas.
Make that situation about 1.5 times worse, and you get the current Dusk City.
Anyway, this was the future United States, and it had developed in a particularly bad direction, fitting for a dystopian world.
But free insurance?
Didn’t that mean he was going to fix Dusk City’s biggest and most chronic disease all at once?
It was a truly unconventional declaration and news that was worth people going wild over.
Even the rough customers of our bar, who generally leaned toward pessimistic and cynical tendencies, were nodding and applauding.
Seeing the people who had shown admiration flinch one by one at the fierce glare of Ms. Kim, an extreme Valentine supporter, and either turn their heads or avoid their seats, I let out a dry cough.
“Excuse me, Ms. Kim?”
“…Yes. What is it?”
“If you don’t like it, should I turn off the channel after all?”
“No, no. Not at all. There’s no need for that. It’s all just nonsense anyway. There won’t be any idiots falling for such superficially slick sweet talk.”
Given that statement, it seemed that quite a lot of people liked it.
“By any chance, do you have a reason for thinking so?”
I felt like I roughly knew, but when I asked just to confirm, Ms. Kim spoke with an attitude overflowing with confidence.
“As you know, the medical system has been a serious problem for a long time. It was so bad that during the End Pandemic Incident, there was a saying that what killed the most people wasn’t the infectious disease, but the murderous medical bills. As you can see, there’s no one who doesn’t know about this problem; therefore, there were people who naturally tried to fix it, just as McMillan did.”
The fact that the problem still hadn’t been solved meant there was an inevitable reason for it.
And as everyone knows by now, most of the various headaches in Dusk City were…
“Tech/Nano, BioShock, and Valheim Med International are the medical, insurance, and pharmaceutical megacorps called the Big 3. They are massive, ferocious dinosaur corporations that care about nothing but their own profits. There might be expensive medical bills for the citizens, but it’s a lucrative source of income for them, so why would they give it up easily?”
…Because of the megacorps.
Given the nature of a corporation that constantly pursues profit, it wasn’t just that it wouldn’t give it up easily; it would absolutely never give it up.
No wonder the people here hated megacorps.
Insurance, food, pollution… If you thought about it, all the atrocious things in Dusk City were created by the megacorps.
It wasn’t that people criticized them simply because a megacorp was involved; rather, it was that whenever something was criticized, it invariably turned out to be a megacorp’s doing.
“Anyone can make empty promises like that. Do you think my fiancée doesn’t do it because she can’t? She doesn’t do it because it’s a meaningless pledge even if she tried. It’s no different from deceiving the citizens.”
It’s obvious without even looking. He’ll just talk loudly about how he can do it, and if he actually gets elected, he’ll just show off by sprinkling a little medical support funding and leaving it at that. He won’t get elected in the first place, though.”
At Ms. Kim’s cold remark, spoken loudly as if for everyone to hear, the excited atmosphere subsided as if cold water had been poured over it.
The people who had harbored even a little expectation from the excellent speech shook their heads with expressions that seemed to say, “I knew it, what can you expect from a politician?”
On the other hand, I still had my doubts.
It was indeed a realistic analysis fitting her neat appearance and elite vibe, separate from her confusing sexual orientation, but…
Would people not know that?
As she said, there must have been more than one or two politicians who have overused empty promises about changing the medical system until now.
No matter how plausibly it was packaged on the outside, the citizens weren’t nice or stupid enough to fall for a trick they had already suffered dozens of times.
There had to be something else besides false pledges behind the sudden surge in McMillan’s approval ratings.
But even so, it didn’t make sense for that to be real either…
[Of course, there will be those who do not believe it.]
As if answering my question, D.D. McMillan on the Hologram Channel gave a light smile.
[I understand. I know how much disappointment the city, the corporations, and the politicians have brought you all this time.]
[But I am different.]
[Staking my political life, I intend to fulfill all my pledges faithfully.]
[I will show you the proof.]
Soon after, as McMillan gestured smoothly, the channel’s perspective changed to a drone view, and a massive screen was projected in the empty air behind his back.
Two documents were revealed.
[These are two statements. I received them myself.]
I could hear Ms. Kim letting out a groan next to me.
Something unusual was happening.
[One is from the chairman of BioShock Industry, L.K. Schiff. The other is from the chairman of Valheim Med International, Diane Caesar.]
[I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to the two giants of the industry. Without their statements, I would not have been able to stand before you all so proudly like this.]
[These statements outline the policies announced by the representatives of the two corporations, who have declared their full support for the free medical support service I promised you.]
[This is powerful proof revealing that I am not a man of mere words, but a man who absolutely keeps his promises.]
[I dare to declare; I will change the city. Only I can bring about change.]
[I will risk my life to make it happen.]
[Thank you. This concludes the first hope I promised.]
[The second hope will be revealed on this day next week, at the same time and in the same place.]
[Everyone, please do not lose hope.]
“…”
That was the end of the speech.
The reaction was explosive, not just on the Hologram Channel, but inside the real-life bar as well.
As if collectively intoxicated on drugs, they whistled, sprayed alcohol, and screamed…
Honestly, for us as bar staff, it was a good thing. The customers had become generous.
They were ordering several glasses of the expensive McMillan Election Edition Cocktails as a group, and giving hefty tips too.
The way they were completely pouring them down and drinking themselves to death made it seem as if they believed the new health insurance would cover everything even if they got alcohol poisoning.
Thanks to that, the workload suddenly increased, and after I had been working busily for a long time, someone ordered a drink right around the time the initial enthusiasm died down and I could slowly catch my breath.
The reason that order was unusual was probably that, while everyone else was ordering McMillan Cocktails, they stubbornly ordered a Valentine Cocktail.
This person, who looked noticeably down in the dumps, wasn’t drinking out of joy unlike the others.
I opened my mouth while carving an ice glass for the Valentine Cocktail in place of Tony, who had emptied his seat again.
“That’s surprising. I thought you’d be angry.”
“I suppose I look like someone who can’t even control one’s emotions to that extent? That’s not it. Well… it’s true that I’m not in a very good mood, though.”
Ms. Kim’s poor condition wasn’t just because McMillan’s pledge was real, but also because her own words asserting it would be fake were proven wrong.
“Hey, hey. There’s that woman.”
“Man, watch your mouth. First of all, she’s not a woman, and secondly, she’s the self-proclaimed fiancé of El Valentine. Talk recklessly and you might get your ass torn open. She was very enthusiastic.”
“Yeah. What was it again… “There won’t be any idiots falling for such superficially slick sweet talk.'? Puhahaha!”
“Who’s the real idiot who only looks plausible on the outside? I think I know.”
The McMillan supporters were mocking Ms. Kim loudly enough for everyone to hear. Even this was on the gentlemanly side.
Earlier, when everyone was drunk and causing a ruckus, there were even drunkards openly spraying alcohol or throwing things.
, though it was quickly suppressed thanks to me and the other bartenders stepping in.
What was certain was that it was a situation she couldn’t help but find unpleasant.