Yielding to old Eda was easy. It was part of my profession which I'd long mastered. But on a personal note, her opinions did strike at my nerves. I knew they'd also resonate with many across our homeland. If Lee was going to win, I was sure it wouldn't be by a major landslide. Lastly, Xen getting people to hover around with solar-storing backpacks was entirely different from asking them to leave the planet for an entire decade.

    After digesting Gail's mind-message, which teemed with instructions, I'd looked Mikey's way again. "Okay, so I've just been informed that the election result is in, and ready to be holovised to this vast crowd surrounding the mega holotron here in Tiānānmén Square! We can't forget the fact that this historic revelation could literally determine China's future and possibly even the world's! Honestly, I'm bursting to know the outcome! Viewers, I am Chon Lai, for BTV."

    What we'd captured was more than enough for Michelle and Dieng to analyze. So, with the opening of our brief completed, I joined the crowd as a spectator - as did Mikey and Sarah who were quick to dematerialize their equipment and follow me. Once we were as close as we were going to get, we looked skywards like the thousands of others who'd waited for the mega holotron to illuminate Tiānānmén Square.

    My eyes refused to blink and started to water awestruck tears when recycled air from The Filters wafted past my face.

    It was time.

    The mega holoscreen came alive and the CPC's official A.I.D.A appeared from a swarm of animated pixels. "Greetings, China," the avatar began. It was a Chinese, blond-haired female, who wore a maroon-colored military uniform. "The 2048 CPC election has ended, and the final vote count has been verified. The next person you will see is, the victor..."

    Nervously, everyone seemed to do something.

    Mikey flicked his ponytail.

    Sarah linked my arm with hers.

    And I bit at my lower lip.

    "Thank you, thank you," a familiar voice said. It was the man I'd hoped to hear! "Thank you for making me your winner!"

    Lee Mishina's face beamed over us. He'd done it!

    "First of all, I would like to thank Ming Du Han for a hard-fought election battle," the new president added. "You have earned even more of my respect than you had before."

    Slowly, Lee gritted at the nervousness in his throat. "Moving on, today marks the initiation of a new, presidential era within the People's Republic of China. But not only that. For me, it marks our first step towards worldwide prosperity and hope. For long, I have desired to be your President. For long, I have desired to be given an opportunity to battle not only local destabilization - but global destabilization as well. Also, I would not have any of these opportunities ahead of me without the support that my left-wing campaign team gave me. Nor would I have them without the support of the green-minded people of this great land that voted for me. But in earnest, I might not have triumphed at all, were it not for the sheer brilliance, ingenuity, and historic work of our Environment Secretary, Xen Lai. Rightly so, I am pleased to be able to publicly endorse The Solution Program Proposal, and my undying support of it. More importantly, I am thankful for the epic opportunity that Xen Lai has given Earth."

    Lee paused with a smile, before concluding his victory speech. "One day, when our children look back through history, I hope that my presidency would have helped to define not just this country, but the world, too. So, as we collectively move forward, I would like to share something with you that my father once shared with me - he said - 'The rise and fall of a nation rests on the shoulders of each individual'. I believe this to be true. Along our new journey, I will need everyone's help, just as much as you will need mine. I look forward to working hard for China, and you, the people who inhabit her. Thank you, thank you." As Lee's face fizzled from the huge viewing screen, a united, ferocious roar began at the center of Tiānānmén Square. Positively, half shouted Lee's name, while the others chanted Xen's.

    Once again, it was clear that we were experiencing history in the making!

    Despite the official focus being on Lee, Xen was the unofficial winner who'd taken it all.

    With the majority of China now behind them, I just wondered what on earth would actually happen next.

    Furthermore, I hoped my xiōngdi would have answers.

End of Chapter 14