Ed climbed onto the stacked cargo boxes on the roof and sat down. The lighthouse in the distance was like a huge candle, tearing out a thin orange spot from the thick gray fog.
"The scenery here is nice and clean. It's a good place for chatting. I used to come here and sit when I wanted to be lazy. Refresh yourself?" Marvin on the side handed him a cheap cigarette.
"I quit." Ed took it and put it into his vest pocket. He doesn't have this habit, unless it's to cope with a situation.
"It's okay, I understand what you mean. It's true that no dog smokes this cigarette."
Marvin struck the match to light his own fire, flicked the match and extinguished it, puffing out a puff of smoke:
"What do you want to hear? Should you pick out the key points or start from the beginning?"
"Tell me slowly from the beginning. Anyway, no girl wants to go on a date with me tonight. It won't be until this moment and a half."
Marvin stared at the light of the lighthouse and thought for a while, then organized his words and said:
"Then I'm afraid I have to start with the dock strike. You should know that this time is a little different from the past, right?"
"Did it last too long?"
"Yes, the dock strike lasted for more than a week. In the past few times, many people had already run out of food at home and secretly went back to work - maybe the workers have a heart of steel. But after all, no one has a stomach of steel. It is better to eat less than to starve to death. This is the reality. But this time is different."
"you mean?"
"The union. Suddenly the union's funds are much more than before. We have enough funds to distribute relief food to the striking dock workers, which is why everyone can persist for so long."
"Do you know where this money comes from?" Ed asked.
"In addition to dues, the union's income mainly comes from unofficial charities and small donations from individuals. The problem is that the funds available this year are three times as much as in previous years. I asked Elijah Marsh and several people in the union Leader, they also showed me the union’s account books, and the source of funds is indeed legal. But I just always feel that something is wrong, something is very damn wrong..."
"So I focused on the new groups and fundraisers with the largest financial contributions, and took a few guys to inquire around, and found that these people all have some relationship with the West Coast Company."
"Given the size of the West Coast Company, those who want to do business will have to deal with it to some extent. Do you think there is something fishy about this?"
"It doesn't sound suspicious at first, but I can't bear to think about it carefully. Think about it, these businessmen want to give it to us coolies all of a sudden. If they really have such kindness, just give it to us." Wouldn't it be better for the people under my command to get a higher salary? Maybe someone wants to make the portage business in the dock area unviable, and then fish in troubled waters."
"...So I contacted a few friends who worked for West Coast Company. They said that West Coast Company's proprietary warehouses have been very strictly controlled recently, especially warehouse No. 6. I asked around again, and someone told me to go to No. 6 The goods shipped from warehouse No. 1 are all labeled with the West Coast Fruits trademark."
"So you came up with the idea of robbing the pineapple transport truck?" Ed asked with interest.
"That's right, because the terminal has stopped, the cargo ships can only unload and clear customs clearance from several small ports around it, and then find a way to transport it to the warehouse in Yinwu City by truck. Since it is an emergency, the goods do not need to be cleared locally. This It's easy to do some tricks in there - such as containing some contraband, but it's also easy to get robbed midway and suffer a loss."
After saying this, Marvin smiled triumphantly, not paying any attention to the fact that a person with an official background was sitting in front of him.
"So you found a box of ammunition in the car besides the canned pineapples, right?"
"That's right. There are ten brand-new self-loading rifles and hundreds of rounds of ammunition, wrapped in oil paper and shiny."
"Isn't this thing good for takeout?" Ed asked curiously.
Although underground trading is rampant in Silvermist City, it is far from easy for ordinary people to find a way to sell stolen goods.
"Selling out? No, no, no, you misunderstood. We never planned to sell these weapons from the beginning - we planned to use these weapons to arm the union."
Marvin Sinclair suddenly no longer showed that funny and obscene smile like a little gangster, but said seriously. An inexplicable courage suddenly appeared in his not-so-pretty eyes.
"Armed unions? This is a very dangerous idea, Mr. Sinclair."
Ed reminded calmly. The blatant presence of a violent institution outside the jurisdiction of the government at the social level is clearly not allowed.
"I never think strikes are useful. On the contrary, I think it is wrong to do so from the beginning. It is just like a group of sheep trying to starve themselves to resist the wolves. It is completely stupid. To fight against wolves, you should use their horns, not belly."
He drew a small horn on the ground with cigarette ashes.
"But what if this wolf is really powerful? Have you ever thought that even with ten spears, you and your friends may not be able to defeat me. What if I appear across from you one day? What are you going to do? Deal with me?"
Ed raised his cane and used the dust on the ground to draw a much larger wolf head.
"This is why we showed up in the warehouse tonight." Marvin said, "Ten guns are not enough to arm the entire union. We need more equipment. As long as we can cause enough trouble, they will understand sooner or later. 'Increasing remuneration is a much cheaper alternative."
"Okay... Anyway, all this equipment has been wiped out now." Ed changed the topic and continued to ask, "Speaking of which, since it was stealing, why did you bring a whole truckload of homemade explosives there?"
"Of course I have a backup plan. If it weren't for this truck of explosives, would the manager still come in and negotiate terms with me?"
As he spoke, Marvin himself laughed awkwardly:
"Okay, I admit that the plan is indeed a bit too radical. If I hadn't met you tonight, I might have blown myself up."
"That's what Marsh said about you—" Ed laughed. "'Going your own way is too extreme."
"Maybe. But I also don't agree with his approach. Peace for the sake of peace will only lead to more intense violence in the end. He is a good person, but just being a good person will not accomplish anything."
"He also said that you are on the same path, but with different ideas. What exactly do you want?"
Ed put his stick gently on the brim of his hat and asked with a slight tilt of his head.
"Bread, work, shares, weekends, love, dignity, and much more."
Marsh put out his cigarette and said after a moment of silence:
"In other words, those things that can be called 'hope.'"
