I was acting crazy in North America, and all the crazy people there took it seriously.

Chapter 16 Chicago Chaos (2) "The House of a Thousand Cockroaches"

The joys and sorrows of people are not connected.

On the same night, some people were committing murder and arson, some were terrified, and some were playing a "fishing" game.

After Donald placed several "uncles" in the gang under house arrest, he recruited the younger generation from various families in their names.

This is when the limitations of the Irish gang's original family-based organizational structure became apparent.

After losing their leaders, the families were essentially scattered and at Donald's mercy.

On Logan and Richard's advice, Donald placed his hopes for collaboration on the younger generation—their peers who were power-hungry old men who couldn't hold power unless they stepped down.

Unlike the older generation who scoffed at Donald's blueprint, the younger generation was deeply fascinated by Donald's ideas for modernizing gang organizations.

This meticulously organized, ambitious structure sounds far more promising than old-fashioned gangs.

Since they have no chance of gaining power anyway, they might as well stick with Donald.

Of course, there were also those who disagreed and even wanted to rise up in rebellion on the spot.

It's fine, just throw him in with the old guys and then replace him with the next young man from their family.

As long as there is a family representative, they are not excluded from the New Ireland gang, and it is easier for Donald to win people's hearts.

The meeting then concluded successfully in a hopeful atmosphere. Representatives from various families highly recognized Donald as the core leader of the new Irish gang and pledged to jointly maintain the hard-won harmonious situation and unite around Donald to create a new future.

Logan, beaming with excitement, witnessed this "historic moment" in Chicago's underworld and vowed to make a gangster movie that would fully showcase this "great beginning"!
Donald had high hopes for this idea and displayed an excellent demeanor throughout, even perfectly repeating the few difficult "modern phrases" that Logan had taught him.

Logan chuckled to himself as inspiration flowed freely, and he started posting—no, writing tomorrow's editorial (or rather, his rant).

[...This is not a natural disaster, but a man-made one, a catastrophe caused by gangs seeking ill-gotten gains!]

Was it just a few distilleries burning? No! I can almost hear the dangerous undercurrents of alcohol surging within countless bootleg distilleries beneath the city—if you see one American cockroach in a room, it means there are a thousand more lurking behind!

The fire revealed that Chicago had become a giant breeding ground for crime-ridden cockroaches! Beneath the city's fabric, nests of these insects lurked in the shadows, dragging our city towards the abyss of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871!

Why is our state government turning a blind eye? This must be a systemic problem, and I can't help but fall into deep thought: it's a paralysis of the entire governance structure, a corruption and incompetence of public authorities!

How many more such time bombs are lurking in Chicago?

Citizens, we must act immediately! Mobilize all resources to thoroughly search every suspicious corner of the city, digging three feet into the ground to find all American cockroach nests!

We must ensure that gangsters who threaten the lives of citizens, and every corrupt official who protects and condones them, are exposed to the flames of legal justice...

The whole article flows smoothly; it's so satisfying to learn how public intellectuals criticize others!

Richard, who happened to sneak by halfway through, was speechless.

If my estimation is correct, most of the Italians' larger private breweries have probably been burned down.

In Chicago, apart from the Italians' wineries which are somewhat successful, the rest are mostly small family-run breweries for personal consumption. Where would you find "a thousand hidden American cockroaches"?
Isn't this just spouting nonsense and openly spreading rumors?
Furthermore, you're pointing the finger at gangsters. Don't forget that you just came up with a plan to transform the gang, so you're practically a gangster yourself.

"I didn't do it, I didn't, don't talk nonsense!" Logan decisively denied it three times in a row.

He was just an ordinary newspaper owner who loved what he did. His connection with the O'Connor family was due to blood ties. What did the gangsters behind the O'Connor family have to do with him?

Donald, increasingly eager to recruit Logan and Richard to assist him: ...

……

The fire at the distillery was brought under control in the latter half of the night and did not spread.

After all, Chicago learned a lot from the fire of 1871 and invested heavily in fire safety. In addition, the lack of wind last night prevented a repeat of the city-wide fire that caused panic among citizens.

But while the fire was brought under control, the panicked public sentiment was not so easily controlled.

Especially on the second day, newspapers large and small all reported on the fire of the previous night: the front-page photos showed the charred and devastated ruins, the various zero-dollar shopping events caused by the chaos, and the endless list of casualties...

Then The Sun's extra edition came out!

The front page of The Sun was full of photos.

The first image is a panoramic composition. In the foreground are the boiling inferno and the twisted, collapsed factory skeletons, while in the background are the silhouettes of the city's tall buildings, their lights dim and swaying slightly in the heat, bringing back the terror of last night's city-wide fire.

Compared to other newspapers that could only photograph the ruins after the fire was extinguished, The Sun's photos were so "hot" that people wondered if the newspaper had sent someone to start the fire.

But in any case, the saying "a picture is worth a thousand words" makes the subsequent editorial extremely credible.

“Brewing companies,” “gangs,” “incompetent state governments”… everyone terrified by the fire found a target for accusation in Logan’s writing.

The phrase "a house full of cockroaches" carries a certain eerie and misleading quality, yet it is also very easy to understand. It instantly became etched into the minds of Chicagoans, igniting the pent-up panic and anger throughout the city.

The American people of this era are not the same as the American people with an iron will a hundred years from now.

One hundred years later in America, a city that ranks among the top three in the country was burned down without a trace. The federal government remained unmoved, the American people were indifferent, and the affected population remained calm. It was truly a testament to the fires of freedom, democracy, and civilization.

Modern Americans are no longer up to par.

However, the few fires that didn't spread in the dead of night left every corner of Chicago's streets, alleys, and streetcars burning with the same emotion—

"Investigate thoroughly! Expose those damned gangster liquor dealers and their protectors!"

"We need a mayor who can protect Chicago! A mayor who can eradicate the cockroaches in the shadows!"

At this point, it's time for shrewd individuals who have sensed the changing winds to step in.

Reverend Edward's withered body trembled slightly with anger, his fingers almost crushing The Sun!
This newspaper was the greatest humiliation of his life; the photo of him "fighting a prostitute" almost ended his life!
After being discharged from the hospital, Reverend Edward saw The Sun openly publishing obscene novels and photos, and that the criticism was growing even stronger. He once thought that God had abandoned his people.

How can such blasphemy against the Lord be allowed to continue?

He cursed, he prayed, he pondered... Finally, he understood that this was his lifelong enemy.

He must defeat this wicked newspaper in order to go to heaven without regrets; this is God's greatest test for him.

Therefore, after Reverend Edward recovered, he did not make any criticisms in the newspapers.

It wasn't about avoiding the limelight, but rather about accumulating strength to deliver a fatal blow to this shameless newspaper.

He is collecting public signatures to sue The Sun in federal court!
Unexpectedly, a fire revealed that the evil alcohol was making a comeback!

Every wrinkle on Reverend Edward's stern face was twisted with extreme anger.

If The Sun is the demon he will have to defeat in the second half of his life, then alcohol is the devil he has already defeated in the first half!

His honor and his reputation were elevated the moment Prohibition was passed.

Therefore, he absolutely would not allow this devil to rise again! As for the "thousand cockroaches" in The Sun, in the pastor's eyes it was just dogs fighting.

"Foolish lamb! Don't be deceived by the whispers of Satan!"

Fire?

What he saw was not incompetence in governance, but divine punishment from God to punish humanity's impure desires!

With this in mind, Pastor Edward decided to obey God's will and postpone his actions against The Sun, first guiding the Lambs' anger to judge this sinful city's indulgence of the devil in the cup!

Incidentally, he also aims to rebuild the prestige he lost during the last protest.

So, that afternoon, a large procession marched toward the ruins of the winery in the southern part of the city.

The marchers echoed Reverend Edward's cry: "Purify our city!"

"Let the sunlight shine into every corner that harbors devils!"

The march grew larger and larger, like a snowball rolling downhill.

Finally, upon arriving at the ruins of the distillery, a state senator candidate was already waiting there.

He shook hands with Reverend Edward, stood at the front of the procession, his face a mixture of compassion and determination—

"Citizens of Chicago! I deeply understand your concerns! Last night's fire has broken the hearts of every honest citizen!"

"It burned out a bloody truth—the very fabric of Chicago is being eroded and riddled with holes by the gangs that bootlegging poison and their protectors!"

He waved his arms as if commanding a battle he was certain to win: "If the citizens grant me power, I will wage a war unlike any other!"

"A total war against every drop of bootlegging, every distillery, and every American cockroach lurking in the shadows!"

When the candidates quoted the "house of a thousand cockroaches" phrase they had learned from The Sun, the cheers from the marchers nearly overturned the flags in the procession.

Pastor Edward then slapped his face hard.

That Sun newspaper deserves to go to hell!
……

Shortly after the march began, reporters from The Sun also arrived.

After receiving the latest news, Richard said to Logan with disgust, "Why is this priest everywhere? Why didn't he just die of anger last time!"

"I don't think it's necessary to give him any space in the news. Just mentioning him in the report is enough."

“That won’t do! The pastor represents the strong demands of the citizens of Chicago,” Logan said solemnly, his face serious despite Richard’s bewildered expression.

"We are a fair and objective media, the fourth estate, the conscience of society! Richard, you cannot let personal dislike affect our fairness and objectivity!"

You, the conscience of society?
Upon hearing this, Richard calmed down.

He watched Logan quietly, wondering what kind of trouble the guy was up to now.

"Even if they point their fingers at us and curse us, as long as it generates buzz, The Sun will report it!"

Logan's candor and openness highlight the integrity of a media professional.

"Of course, fairness and objectivity are the principles, but the way it is presented can be guided by a little bit of artistic skill."

Richard looked bewildered: "Artistic guidance?"

A strange smile appeared on Logan's face. "Or, could you call it a ghost filter?"

That's right, Logan was talking about the BBC's traditional skills!
Logan, who loves to teach others, can't let the Yankees be inferior to their cousins!
"For example, the angle."

"When filming the pastor, give him close-ups of his facial muscles! Make his neck covered with age spots and his nasolabial folds the first thing that catches your eye."

"And light!"

"Wait until he walks into the shadow of those tall buildings, or even better, until the sky darkens! Let the shadow just cover half of his face, ideally so that one eye is completely hidden in darkness, while the other glimmers with... well, that neurotic light unique to paranoia!"

"Also, the composition!"

"Don't photograph him like a protest leader!"

"Use a telephoto lens to compress the perspective elements, squeeze him into the corner of the lens, and let those old ladies holding signs and with enthusiastic expressions dominate the foreground!"

"The point is to emphasize his helpless and powerless state, being swept along by the monstrous waves he summoned..."

Logan slammed his hand on the table as he spoke, “Hey, I forgot to tell these reporters from the past, I don’t know if he can grasp the essence of it.”

"In the end, there are still too few people like this. Our newspaper is in dire need of such talent! Richard, you still need to think of a way!"

Richard was frozen in place!
"Fair and objective?"

He's almost forgotten what that word means!
What's this kid thinking about all day? He can't even be a decent person when taking a picture!

Please, have some decency sometimes!
Hearing his final lament, Richard's lips twitched as he said, "To be honest, there are very, very few people like you who have no humanity!"

Logan shrugged.

Look at him, he only learned a little bit of the BBC, and Richard said he was a complete idiot.

So, just how inhumane are the Onsa people?

Then, new information was delivered.

Logan took one look and laughed, "I think we can dedicate the main page to this congressional candidate."

"Why? Just because he has a nice way of speaking?"

Richard disagreed.

In his view, all American politicians are the same; you'd be better off believing a prostitute's morals than their promises.

Logan said unhurriedly, "Because he publicly announced that he had also read The Sun."

"Of course, we should give such insightful politicians fair and objective reporting!"

Richard nodded seriously. "You're right! Our The Sun is absolutely fair and objective!"

……

(End of this chapter)