Chapter 195 Strike Back (II)
On a bright morning in New York City, an event unfolded that shook the entire state. Governor Richard Dickson, a figure long regarded as honest and of integrity, suddenly found himself in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. What began as minor news about a controversial gubernatorial election evolved into a horrifying narrative.
It all started when an anonymous user uploaded the governor's photo and documents without any captions. From these files, some forum members began to draw conclusions that Governor Richard Dickson may have cheated in the election. These files included allegations of vote forgery, voter intimidation, and the involvement of illegal funds in his political campaign.
Of course, such matters wouldn't have gained much attention if not for the involvement of journalists. One by one, major media outlets began reporting on these allegations.
The news quickly spread, and soon, the public began questioning Governor Richard's integrity. What made matters worse was when news of bribery surfaced. Reliable sources claimed that Governor Richard had received a substantial amount of money in bribes from business groups with interests in New York.
Pressure came from all sides, but Governor Richard remained silent and reluctant to issue an official statement. Whenever reporters questioned him, he denied all allegations and insisted he was a victim of a malicious political conspiracy. However, the continuous flow of evidence made the public increasingly skeptical of him.
Wild rumors and gossip began circulating among the public, one of which claimed that the governor planned to eliminate government employees who might be witnesses to his criminal actions.
News of this assassination plot escalated tensions nationwide. Everyone wondered just how deeply Governor Richard was involved in the criminal underworld. And this was when an unexpected name surfaced in the news: Vincent Thomsen, the most powerful guild master and suspected mafia leader in New York.
However, people were skeptical. Some believed that these reports were merely an attempt to tarnish the governor's reputation. Until a highly credible media outlet sent one of its top journalists to conduct an exclusive interview with Vincent Thomsen.
"Mister Vincent," asked a female journalist, "while you were in prison, there have been numerous negative reports about Governor Richard. One of them alleges that you were involved in the governor's election fraud. Is that true?"
"Yeah, it's true," Vincent replied. "During the gubernatorial election, I worked for him."
"Can you provide more details?"
"About a month before the election, Richard invited me to a club. Since many candidates were seeking support at the time, I naturally assumed he wanted my endorsement. But my guess was wrong.
In the interview, Vincent revealed that Richard had blackmailed him. Richard wanted to attract public sympathy as a victim, so he needed experienced awakeners from Morning Star to carry out attacks while he was campaigning. Vincent admitted that the attackers in clown masks were his henchmen.
"So why did you comply with Richard's request? If we look at your background, you are far more influential than Richard. You are the leader of a guild that is part of Five Pillars. How could someone like Richard blackmail you?"
"If what you're saying is true, how could someone more powerful than me end up in jail? It wasn't Richard who was the threat. It was the person behind him."
"Wait, sorry, let me process that for a moment. You said there's 'someone' behind him? I didn't think there was any organization stronger than the Morning Star in New York."
"There is," Vincent replied, his face darkening. "That person controls everything. He has all my secrets, which could ruin my reputation. I swear, I'm not the person portrayed in the media. The accusations that I'm a mafia leader are an attempt to bring me down. Richard and that person deliberately sent me to prison to erase their criminal tracks."
After the interview went public, New York was in an uproar.
A guild master from the city's most powerful guild had become a victim of blackmail. It became headline news. Those who were already angry with the governor grew in number. It didn't take long for them to take to the streets, staging massive protests.
"Bring down Governor Richard! Bring down Governor Richard!"
"We don't need a cheater!"
"Richard is the mafia!"
Despite thousands of protesters demanding the city's leader to step down from his position, Richard remained the governor.
However, it was the beginning of his downfall.
In his office, Richard sat at a cluttered desk. The corners of his eyes twitched, and his temples throbbed with anger.
He felt like his world was falling apart. Various pieces of negative news surrounded him. Scattered documents and papers resembled the ruins of a civilization. Newspaper headlines criticizing him were plastered on the walls.
The scattered papers formed an irregular layer on the floor, symbolizing the chaos within him. Neatly organized stacks of documents were now like heaps of rubble after an earthquake. The large dark wooden desk, which was once filled with important documents and a laptop, was now stained with coffee. A broken pen lay in ruins on top of a damaged notebook.
"Damn it!" he yelled, his voice echoing in the room. He slammed his hand on the desk and shouted even louder. The crowd gathered outside the building could hear his thunderous outburst. The staff inside the building huddled together, trying to avoid their boss's wrath.
His secretary, Max, remained standing at the office entrance, looking terrified. It was challenging for him to speak to his boss in this state. Mustering courage, Max attempted to speak, "Mr. Richard, we need to remain calm in a situation like this."
Governor Richard turned deeply toward Max, his eyes still radiating anger. "How can I stay calm in this situation? Look at the people outside!" He pointed to the window. "They want to kick me out!"
Max grew even more anxious. "But the news isn't true, is it?" He frowned.
Richard widened his eyes. Then, he burst into laughter. It made Max raise his eyebrows in confusion. "How can I have such a clueless subordinate? If they've gone this far, it's not impossible that they've fabricated evidence. They'll do anything to bring me down! You idiot dogshit!"
Bam!
Richard pounded the desk, and papers flew everywhere. Max bowed his head, falling into silence.
As the governor sat back in his chair, a name escaped his lips.
"Klaus Lee..."
From the beginning, Richard knew who was behind all this chaos. He still vividly remembered the warning he had got a month ago. At the time, he thought Klaus was just making empty threats; it never crossed his mind that a 19-year-old could actually follow through.
He regretted not taking that threat seriously. Anything he said now would never be heard by the people. Everything that escaped his mouth only made him look more cornered. The citizens of New York were already too angry.
"Damn it. I should've taken care of that kid," he muttered.
Brrr! Brrr! Brrr!
Suddenly, the smartphone on the desk vibrated. Fear coursed through him as he saw the caller's name. He instructed Max to leave before picking up the call.
Richard cleared his throat. "Hello, Mr. Edward?"
"How's your situation?" The voice on the other end sounded sharp.
"Everything's under control. As long as they don't have concrete evidence, we can still turn this around. You just relax, Mr. Ed—"
"Stop bullshiting me," Edward cut him off.
Richard fell silent, bowing his head.
"Do you think I'm stupid? They clearly have concrete evidence of election fraud. And now, those idiots are demonstrating in front of your office. Do you think you can still escape them?"
"But most of the evidence circulating is fake—"
"Shut up, Richard!" Edward snapped. "Don't you understand the situation? No matter what you say, it sounds like nonsense. Sooner or later, the FBI will get involved. They don't care who's guilty. They just need a scapegoat."
"Let's drag Klaus Lee into this too."
"And me?"
Richard went silent.
"If Klaus could go this far, he'll do anything to drag me into the mud. Do you think he doesn't know what I'm up to? He's not foolish. Your mistake was underestimating him."
The room fell silent for a moment. The governor didn't know what else to say, but he knew how this would end.
"What should I do?" Richard asked, trembling.
"Resign from your position immediately and don't admit to any of the allegations."
Beep!
The call was disconnected.
Richard slumped into his chair, his shoulders feeling heavy. It was as if he had just received a death sentence. He didn't want to accept this decision, but his boss had made up his mind.
With a heavy heart, Richard called for Max.
"Yes, Mr. Richard?" Max appeared with a questioning look on his face.
"Call the media; we're going to hold a press conference."
Max furrowed his brow. "Do I need to gather the staff as well?"
"No, there's no need. I'll make a statement of apology in front of the media, putting an end to all this bullshit."
For a moment, Max was taken aback. He understood what the governor meant. Closing the door quietly, he left the office calmly.
Alone in silence, Richard began writing his resignation letter.
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