"Oh, absolutely!" Liu Mo nodded like a pecking chicken. "You're the presiding councilor, so whatever you say goes."
"Show some respect! Past glory doesn't mean you can keep acting so arrogantly!" the councilor's secretary barked. He stepped forward twice, and fine scales began to appear on his skin.
"That's quite a rhyme, huh?" Liu Mo remained as flippant as ever. "What, can you sing, dance, rap, and play basketball too?"
"Liu Mo! I can overlook your disrespect, but this is the Federal Parliament! This isn't a place where you can throw a tantrum!" The presiding councilor spoke slowly, his voice deep and resonant, carrying a force that inspired belief.
At that, Liu Mo suddenly raised his head. His flippant manner vanished, and a flicker of fire stirred in his calm eyes.
"You said... this is the Federal Parliament? No!" Liu Mo spoke one word at a time. With every word, the fire in his eyes burned brighter. "This is Shenzhou! Shenzhou of the struggling masses! Shenzhou of the people at the bottom of society, whom you abandoned!"
"The Federation has never abandoned anyone. They simply couldn't keep up with the pace of development," the presiding councilor said coolly. "That's the price of progress."
"Progress? Hahahahaha..." Liu Mo threw back his head and laughed. "If the price of progress is sacrificing the interests of the vast majority, then we can do without that progress!"
