In the past she had wanted to do this but never dared. She had no money, no power, no influence. Attacking someone rashly would easily invite retaliation.
But after joining the environmental group, she not only gained a large bunch of comrades who would back her up, more importantly she had seized the moral high ground. With this double buff, forget confronting a Tesla owner in Scandinavia. Even if she were sent to America to take on Trump himself, she wouldn’t be afraid in the slightest.
Just as Ji Xiaomeng was basking in the cheers and savouring her victory, an elderly Asian-faced lady pushed through the crowd and cautiously approached her fellow Asian, Ji Xiaomeng. “Young lady, you’re Chinese, aren’t you?”
Ji Xiaomeng nodded and asked, “Yes, what is it?”
Seeing her admit it, the old lady relaxed a little and pleaded desperately, “Here’s the thing, miss. My flight takes off in an hour. My husband is seriously ill in hospital back in China. I have to get back to see him. If I miss this flight, the next one isn’t until tomorrow. So I beg you, please be kind and let my taxi take me to the airport.”
“No way!” Ji Xiaomeng refused flatly. “Environmental protection is our mission. We treat everyone equally. No exceptions, no matter who you are or what special circumstances you have. If you’re in a hurry, run to the airport. We cannot give you special treatment.”
The old lady choked with sobs. “I’m eighty years old. You expect me to run to the airport? Forget one hour, I might not make it in two. Boarding starts half an hour before take-off. There’s no way to get there except by car…”
Ji Xiaomeng shrugged. “That’s not my problem. We’re working for the welfare of all humanity and all animals on the planet. We’re saving the Earth, saving the world. Your personal issue is just a drop in the ocean when it comes to these huge principles. You’ll have to manage somehow.”
She continued, “By the way, do you know why, out of all the roads in Oslo, we chose to block this one? I’ll tell you the truth. Aeroplanes are one of the biggest sources of greenhouse gas emissions! You people fly around the world just to save a bit of your own time, and every flight pumps masses of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere!”
The old lady was so angry she nearly had a heart attack. Clutching her chest, she demanded, “You accuse me of flying, but what about you? How did you get to Europe?! Whether you flew or came by ship, you’re just as guilty of emitting carbon dioxide!”
Ji Xiaomeng smiled, completely unfazed, and replied, “Sorry, grandma. I immigrated to Europe with my parents when I was little.”
Then she put on a remorseful expression and sighed, “Of course, you’re absolutely right. Even if I only flew as a child, I was still complicit in global warming. That’s exactly why I’ve had a change of heart and become a volunteer fighting global warming, at the same time atoning for my past mistakes!”
Once again the old lady was silenced by her verbal barrage, unable to respond, and could only stand there helplessly wiping away tears.
Charlie wade had originally planned to walk away and not stoop to the level of these radicals. But after hearing the others discuss Ji Xiaomeng and then watching her show absolutely no compassion toward an elderly woman, even lying through her teeth, he felt thoroughly disgusted.
He couldn’t help feeling astonished. Had European society really become this surreal? These monsters and demons could actually strut around and lord it over everyone on this soil. Hundreds, even thousands of people were trapped here, yet nobody could do anything about them?
