Darkstone Code
Chapter 195 - 0193 Script, Actors, and Best Actor

Chapter 195: 0193 Script, Actors, and Best Actor

Inside the President’s Mansion, somewhat distanced from Lynch and his group in Morton Special District, the President sat awkwardly at the edge of the conference table.

He tugged off his tie, tore open his collar, leaving it wide open to reveal some chest hair hidden beneath.

His left arm was pressed against the table, sleeve rolled high, his whole head rested on the dense arm hair of his forearm, tilted, brows knitted in worry, the cigarette in his other hand nearly burned out, with a long ash dangling.

He had maintained this posture for quite a while, feeling his mind had turned into a mush, losing the ability to think.

Beside the conference table sat some people, including his staff officers and members of the Cabinet.

Suddenly, as if almost asleep, the President shuddered violently, glancing at his right hand and at the cigarette butt slowly rolling off from the table, shooting out sparks—it had burned his hand.

The pain woke him up; he wiped his face, looking at the others, "Gentlemen, our situation is very perilous. Congress has accepted the impeachment; what should we do next?"

When there were rumors on the market that someone would impeach the President, the process had already begun; otherwise, such news wouldn’t circulate, akin to warning the President that someone was targeting him.

Only when things kicked off, when momentum needed to build, these secret whispers spread out.

From Congress, there’s news that the Progressive Party and Socialist Party have colluded, pulled many legislators of the House of Representatives to their side.

The act of canvassing votes in the Upper and Lower Houses has always existed, and people are accustomed to it. This also makes things more uncertain because even members of the Conservative Party might stand with the Progressive Party.

The reason is simple; if impeaching the President can guarantee the Conservative Party a positive image in the minds of the public, they wouldn’t hesitate to abandon the incumbent President, opting to side against him.

This sounds somewhat ridiculous, but it’s the truth; there can be many presidents, but states are limited, votes are limited—losing a vote today is akin to the opponents leading by two, widening the gap irreversibly, not worth binding oneself to any president.

The President’s staff officers were also very downcast; indeed, their policies had naturally taken effect internationally, with even those from the Defeated Country standing by them, attacking the shameless acts of the Victorious Nations Alliance.

This achieved certain outcomes, at least letting the Federation begin to have a voice internationally, though subsequent issues need further motivation.

However, the people within the Progressive Party likely wouldn’t give them this chance; they directly initiated an impeachment proposal intending for the President to leave his position in total disgrace!

Silence persisted until the President suddenly grabbed a cup and fiercely hurled it aside.

The cup bounced on the thick carpet, spilling its drink, but didn’t shatter, just soiling a section of the rug. He felt both angry and innocent now.

At this time, the Chief Staff Officer knew he must say something; as the core figure in this group, he had to make a stand.

Glancing at the expressionless faces of his colleagues around him, he softly cleared his throat, "Your Excellency, we should act immediately; we need more supporters..."

Before his words were finished, the President interrupted him, asking with some sarcasm, "We, now, have supporters?"

Once this question was asked, the room returned to silence; no one spoke, as everyone knew—they had lost their supporters.

Whether political allies or those capitalists—they had all departed.

In politics, it’s proven that isolationism bears evident value at certain times, but causes vast drawbacks for overall development. Surrounding the President now is clearly a foolish move, not even worth speculation.

Because he already lost; the outcome is very clear.

Economically, an unprecedented financial disaster has left many of the President’s supporters heavily devastated. These figures wouldn’t continue to support him.

They didn’t donate money to bankrupt themselves but to secure more returns. Obviously, the current President couldn’t offer them this; they wouldn’t waste even a penny on him anymore.

Perhaps some of the public still support the President, but as the impeachment proposal enters the process, these few soon melt into mainstream opinions under the crush of public opinion, joining many in the streets, raising flags opposing the President in protest.

They were already isolated, echoing the policies they implemented.

In truth, this foreseeability; when they couldn’t rapidly transform the current state of the Federation, they were destined to be abandoned.

The President sighed, waved, dismissing everyone, leaving only the Chief Staff Officer behind.

Once the door closed again, the President, holding a wine glass, drank deeply — this was the first time in these years he indulged his desires, "If I submit a resignation to Congress, would it be more dignified?"

After all, being driven out of this position by others and leaving voluntarily, might even garner some public sympathy, leaving behind part of a political legacy. Resignation seems a better choice.

At this moment, the chief of staff actually understood the President’s intention. He could leave this position, not resist, and proactively leave, but he wanted to exchange his departure for some value. This is a politician.

The next day, the President’s chief of staff appeared at the farm of the Progressive Party Committee Chairman.

Everyone has their own hobbies. Some enjoy playing golf on the lawn, though the ball never goes into the hole.

Others prefer planting things in the countryside and raising some livestock.

The Chairman of the Progressive Party is such an old man, a politician born from a farmer.

Standing beside the cowshed, watching this sixty-something-year-old man, nearly at the peak of his political career, personally holding a large heap of dry green fodder, stepping on cow dung to deliver the stuff into the trough, the chief of staff almost vomited.

Actually, cow dung does not stink as badly as human excrement. Of course, it doesn’t smell good either, but no matter what, it’s still excrement, and this old man casually steps on it. Just thinking about that soft feeling made the chief of staff feel a bit nauseous.

After watching the old man do farm work for more than ten minutes, the old man brushed off his rubber overalls and led the chief of staff into an old-fashioned little house on the edge of the farm.

"If you could lend a hand, we might actually get to the point quicker!" The old man sarcastically remarked on the chief of staff’s lack of respect for the elderly, as some people have this habit of being sarcastic when they speak, even if they mean no real harm.

The chief of staff smiled, "I’m allergic to cow dung."

This statement made the old man pause for a moment. He pointed at the chief of staff, "That’s not a good excuse, it’s ridiculous."

The chief of staff didn’t continue to argue, and the old man then said, "Tell me, what do you want from me?"

"His Excellency the President is willing to voluntarily submit his resignation!"

The straightforward question and answer did not overly surprise the old man. Such things had been seen countless times in history, and as the chairman of the Progress Party Committee, his position was second only to the leader of the Progressive Party, making him undoubtedly the second-in-command.

Sometimes, his position even surpassed the leader of the Progressive Party, as leaders often changed, but there was only one chairman.

His face showed no expression, merely looking at the chief of staff, "If you have never experienced a struggle, you will never know how touching and valuable the hard-earned success is."

"It can bring people together, regardless of you and me. Do you understand what I mean?"

The chief of staff nodded upon hearing this, "I understand what you mean..."

Before he could finish, the old man interrupted, "If you understand what I mean, you should tell him: dignity or benefits, he can only choose one, not both."

"The Federation now faces unprecedented enormous troubles, but it is also a great opportunity. He may now become a guilty person, but many years later, people will realize some of his merits."

The old man’s words instantly gave the chief of staff a kind of enlightenment, as if he had parted the clouds to see the bright moonlight.

Success is considered precious because it is so difficult to achieve and may include many failures, which is why people cherish it.

Now the simplest way for the Federation to be reborn is to create an enemy and then unite everyone to defeat this enemy, creating an excuse and reason for justification.

If His Excellency the President wants some benefits, then not only can he not submit his resignation, but he also needs to continue fighting with the Progressive Party, and the opposition sect, the fiercer the fight, the more united the Federation will be, and the easier it will be to achieve rebirth in the future.

But if he wants dignity, not only will he gain nothing, but he might also become the greatest blemish and scandal in history.

The old man was not surprised by the chief of staff’s quick understanding, as this was their line of work, "If you’ve understood, then go tell that guy, don’t waste your time with me!"

In the evening, after a deep conversation with the President for more than an hour, the President issued a presidential decree late at night, deciding to mobilize the National Security Committee to arrest some "rumor makers," causing an uproar across the entire Federation.

Some people even thought the President had gone mad, as there were merely rumors of his impeachment, and he actually deployed the Security Committee, which was persecution!

This is terror politics!

The secret police of the Security Committee were dispatched overnight, with many people being secretly arrested, and the entire Federation was on edge!

On that very night, the son of the Federation’s President, a not-so-famous member of the Conservative Party, was dispatched abroad to serve as a diplomat.

Everything unfolded in an orderly manner according to the script, and the audience was thoroughly engaged!