Super God-Level Top Student
Chapter 921 - 349: Twilight of the Empire (I)

Is leaking information important?

For Langley and even this country, of course, it's very important.

But for Christopher Brown, the most important thing is that it doesn't get exposed during his two- or three-month tenure.

As long as he believes that once he steps down, the next leader will definitely have the ability to deal with these messy issues, he won't feel any guilt.

People have to trust in the wisdom of their successors.

After all, experience isn't the cure for solving problems—wisdom is.

A low-profile investigation to first figure out exactly what leaked and temporarily seal the breach is enough.

At this stage, minimizing the impact and not offending either side is the most important thing.

This way, at least he can retire peacefully and ensure a serene old age. No one would go out of their way to ruin an old man who has no desires, or else who would still dare to work for them?

His two predecessors were too attached to power, and the outcome for them probably wasn't great. Even Romand Willi doesn't appear likely to fare much better in Christopher Brown's eyes.

For now, someone is shielding him because he's still somewhat useful.

When the dust settles and he loses his utility, people won't even have enough room for their own seats, let alone a space for him.

For someone like him, self-preservation is the ultimate principle.

As for national interests...

Don't be so naïve. Nowadays, does anyone really care about that stuff? People only care about the part without the first two words.

...

There's naturally a significant difference between a covert investigation and a direct one. For instance, the resources and personnel mobilized can't be too extensive due to confidentiality requirements; there's no way to make a big deal out of it.

The advantage is it doesn't panic the public, but the downside is inefficiency, and uncovering anything significant becomes exceedingly challenging.

However, when it comes to preventing further leaks, Christopher Brown acts decisively.

He directly cuts off the physical network connection of several servers storing top-secret information.

Not just isolated from the external network, but even disconnected from the internal network entirely.

In any case, there hasn't been anything urgent that needs processing recently, there are no performance evaluations, and everyone is in a semi-holiday state; temporarily severing the network isn't a big problem.

Under Christopher Brown's leadership, Langley finally achieves a semi-paralyzed state.

Of course, this temporary captain at Langley doesn't think this is a big deal. Once the new boss arrives, all the issues will inevitably be resolved. If they can't get resolved, then the blame lies with whoever at 1900 made the poor hiring decision—it has nothing to do with this acting leader.

Let's just say, these days, no one has it easy.

...

In a blink of an eye, a week passes, and time officially steps into late September, with October fast approaching.

The leaves in Washington begin to change color, and most importantly, the weather gradually becomes cooler. Especially in the mornings and evenings, people are already needing to wear a jacket to keep warm, but the heat in another dimension is starting to rise.

Regarding that globally watched major event, it has now entered its sprint stage.

Because the battle to determine who gets to occupy 1900 for the next four years is set to commence on the first Tuesday of October.

Yes, for the two competing sides, it's no less than a war without smoke, and things have reached their breaking point.

Even though there's no sound of gunfire here, the air is already thick with the smell of conflict.

Everyone in that 1900 building is in a mad rush, while on the city's boulevards, crowds gather every other day, waving various flags and shouting impassioned slogans to cheer for their favored side.

Security personnel remain on high alert.

There's no choice; supporters from both sides are evenly matched. A single disagreement could very well end in a clash.

After all, the law grants both sides the right to fight for their beliefs.

Whether each passionate display involves vested interests is a matter of perception.

Luckily, humans are incredibly adaptable—once everyone gets used to it, it's fine. Everything follows procedure, and even if something terrible happens, heavily armed security personnel are always ready to teach the troublemakers a lesson.

There are also many who keep cold eyes on the spectacle; though they were supposed to be the silent majority, they now seem to be the minority.

In this world of constant decline, all that's happening keeps overturning people's perceptions until they gradually grow numb.

Thankfully, none of this has much to do with Langley.

No one's reckless enough to come and stir up trouble here, so everything remains idyllic and peaceful in this corner.

Especially for those grassroots employees, the fate of 1900 has little to do with them. It doesn't affect their livelihood. As long as the federal government doesn't shut down due to a lack of funding and their paychecks remain intact, it's enough.

The more information they're exposed to, the more weary they feel about this whole farce.

Fortunately, they aren't the target demographic the big shots need to court. Still, this leisurely pace leaves many individuals eager to get things done feeling deeply uncomfortable.

There's nothing they can do except pray for November to settle everything. By next January, no matter who's sitting in 1900, it's time to replace the current boss who has no interest in governing.

For those at the very bottom, Christopher Brown is unequivocally a great guy.

Less work, unchanged pay—it's a way of slyly looking out for everyone's welfare.

When people can blatantly slack off without being bothered, their innate laziness inevitably explodes, and with it comes a sense of happiness and joy.