At the same time as the train incident, New Era Voice, a radio station under the Survivor Daily of Settlement No. 1, had invited settlement representative Gu Ning to its studio for an interview program.
Since the uproar over the siege of City Hall, Mr. Gu had been thrust into the center of public opinion.
Some radicals believed his actions betrayed the principle of "uniting all forces that can be united," while quite a few conservatives felt he was defending The Alliance's unity.
Faced with the host's questions, Gu Ning pondered for a moment before sharing his views.
"There are some comrades in our ranks with radical ideas. They believe love can reform everything and unite everyone... even groups whose values are utterly different from ours. I do not wish to judge whether they are right or wrong, but in my view, such self-righteous thinking is extremely naive, and that naivety will lead us into the abyss."
The host had not expected the representative to make such sharp remarks in public. Surprise appeared on his face, but he continued.
"But the Velanders' values are also completely opposed to ours. Why do you believe they are more worthy of unity?"
Hearing that, Gu Ning smiled and raised both hands.
"No, no, you have one thing wrong. Velanders whose values are utterly opposed to ours would never join us. Even if they stood at our doorstep, they would spit viciously in our faces."
"Those who chose to join us, without exception, had grown sick of evil militarism and colonialism. Not only do they share our values, but their courage, loyalty, faith, and all manner of other admirable qualities will become the strongest shield protecting our equality."
At that point, his tone shifted again. Looking at the host seated opposite him, he asked