Chapter 22: Swan Lake Broadcast Nationwide

Due to the time difference, when Zhou Ming and Kalleina arrived in the Soviet capital of Krisco, it was the early morning of the 25th local time. As Zhou Ming stepped out of the plane, the sky was pitch black; no stars or moon were visible, much like the current domestic situation in the Soviet Union.

Zhou Ming descended the plane steps and followed the ground crew's instructions towards the exit. Here, he noticed a detail: Kalleina seemed stunned by the dark sky above when she stepped off the plane, only reacting when Zhou Ming called her. Though she mentioned she was just tired, her obvious distraction suggested she was troubled but didn't want to talk about it.

For Zhou Ming, since Kalleina didn't want to share, he wasn't interested in pressing the matter. After all, their relationship was merely temporary cooperation, and some things didn't need to be dug into.

Upon reaching the exit, Zhou Ming stopped in his tracks. There was a television playing a ballet performance of Swan Lake.

"I didn't expect the country to be in such chaos, yet the TV station is airing Swan Lake? These damn bureaucrats!" Kalleina said through gritted teeth. She then turned to Zhou Ming and asked, "Mr. Zhou Ming, do you also like watching this ballet?"

"I'm indeed interested in this ballet," Zhou Ming replied. "Miss Kalleina, does your central TV station usually air this ballet at this time?"

"I'm not sure, as the TV programming is decided by the central bureaucrats," Kalleina said. Noting Zhou Ming's seriousness, she continued, "This time slot is usually for late-night programs, often interesting dramas or movies. Ballets are indeed good but rarely shown at this time."

Zhou Ming nodded but said nothing, directly calling over an airport staff member to change the channel. However, the staff member informed him that changing the channel was not possible.

Zhou Ming glanced at Kalleina, who then asked in Russian, "Why can't we change the channel? I've never heard of such a rule at the airport."

The staff member gave an unexpected answer: "It's not that you can't change the channel; it's that changing channels won't help, as all the TV stations are broadcasting Swan Lake."

Kalleina found this response absurd: "Then why not switch the TV or check the connections?"

"It's not that the TV is broken or there's a problem with the connections; it's that every channel is broadcasting the same thing," the staff member explained.

Kalleina couldn't understand and also didn't grasp what Zhou Ming was getting at. She reported back to Zhou Ming, who merely tipped the staff member and thanked him in Russian, something he had learned from Kalleina on the plane.

The staff member's eyes widened at the sight of the dollars Zhou Ming handed over. With a broad smile, he said, "You are a kind person. Although I don't know what you're here for in Krisco, I must tell you that you've arrived at an inopportune time. Our city has just entered a state of emergency. There are conspirators causing a coup, and it's very chaotic outside. I suggest you wait until morning to enter the city."

Zhou Ming patiently listened to Kalleina's translation, then thanked the staff member and left. Before departing, the staff member called out, "Good luck, sir! I hope to see you again!"

After the staff member left, Kalleina asked Zhou Ming, "Mr. Zhou Ming, you seem very concerned about this ballet. Is there something wrong?"

"There's no major problem, just curiosity. As you said, it seems unusual to air this ballet on a central channel at this hour," Zhou Ming said, omitting the part about it possibly being related to the coup.

Here's the thing: when Zhou Ming saw the ballet earlier, he recalled an interesting fact from his past life. According to declassified documents from later years, during the Soviet coup, the central committee, to prevent the public from getting information, ordered a nationwide television blackout and collectively broadcast Swan Lake.

This act was quite ridiculous, a classic case of "covering up by revealing," with no clear reasoning behind it.

For Zhou Ming, this wasn't about mocking anyone but rather thinking of another issue. If according to the previous timeline, it was already the early morning of the 25th, the coup should have ended two days ago. The Soviet president should have returned to Krisco, and the ruling party should have been disbanded.

So why was Swan Lake still being broadcast? Was the coup not over yet? Hadn't the North Russian leaders gone to the White House before his departure, leading the opposition in the final struggle against the coup officials? The coup shouldn't be dragging on, or was there a deviation from the previous timeline?

Zhou Ming's thoughts were reinforced by the airport staff's mention of chaos in the city.

"Let's go outside and have a look."

Zhou Ming said, leading Kalleina and ** out of the terminal. Just like the train stations in later years, the exit of Krisco Airport was crowded with taxi drivers vying for passengers. As soon as Zhou Ming and the others appeared, they were immediately surrounded by drivers.

"Sir and miss, you look very distinguished. You should ride with me. I guarantee to get you to your destination as quickly as possible."

"Are you here to tour Krisco? I know every place in Krisco and can take you to the most affordable or the best and safest hotel. I can be your guide here!"

"My car is the best because it's the cheapest!"

"Cheapest? That's because your car is illegal. How can your unsafe vehicle compare to ours? Get lost, or we won't spare you!"

…

Initially, the drivers argued among themselves, but as more illegal drivers joined, they started to fight. Although Zhou Ming couldn't understand their exact words, their behavior and his previous experience with train station drivers allowed him to guess the situation.

Kalleina felt ashamed of her fellow countrymen's actions. It was disgraceful to see them quarrel over a few fares in front of a Chinese person.

Zhou Ming thought for a moment and said, "Actually, I can take any of your cars, but I think the places I want to go might not be where you want to take me."

Hearing Kalleina's translation, the drivers laughed heartily, saying, "Are you joking? Unless you plan to have us drive you straight into the maximum-security prison or the presidential palace, there's nowhere we wouldn't dare to go!"

"You're right. I am indeed planning to go to your highest authority's place, the White House, which I believe you all know the way to?" Zhou Ming asked.

The drivers' faces immediately froze, with some unsure of how to respond and others saying, "Mr. Zhou Ming, why do you want to go there? Didn't you see the news? There's currently a war going on there. Anyone who goes there will be killed. Going there now is like going to your death!"

Others questioned, "Are you joking? If so, it's not a funny joke."

Zhou Ming replied, "I think I'm being quite reasonable and not joking. Which of you is willing to take me there?"

Hearing this request, the previously enthusiastic drivers immediately dispersed: "You're insane! We're not going to such a dangerous place. If you want to go, do it yourself. No car will take you there. Go on foot if you want!"

This situation confirmed Zhou Ming's suspicion: the coup had indeed not ended yet, and the situation seemed to be worsening.

In his previous life, during the coup, the army, KGB, and Krisco's citizens supported the opposition, and with the coup leaders' hesitation, the situation tilted quickly. Within just a day, North Russia turned the tables, and the Soviet high-ranking officials fell one by one.

But now, it seemed the situation was different. The standoff at the White House, with military, tanks, and KGB agents, along with the emergency alert, looked like an impending civil war. It was no wonder the ordinary Soviet citizens were panicking.

However, this standoff might also be a good thing, especially for Zhou Ming.

Zhou Ming thought this to himself, as some enterprising drivers approached him and said, "Sir, how about this? We really can't go to the White House because it's a war zone and dangerous. We can only take you to the outskirts, and you can walk from there."

Zhou Ming nodded. "No problem, but I need to see the White House."

"Alright, sir, but you'll need to give me a little extra tip," the driver said.

Zhou Ming smiled. "No problem."