Shadow Empire

Chapter 1012 Intimidation
Senator Porter clenched his fist to hide the fact that his hand had just trembled.

The man sitting opposite him seemed oblivious to the fact that his hand trembled violently the moment the phone rang.

"I'll take this call," Senator Porter said, placing his hand on the receiver.

The man sitting opposite him stood up, holding onto the armrests of his chair. "I'm going to the restroom."

Then the butler, who had been standing by the door like an invisible man, opened the door for him, then bowed slightly and gestured for him to come out, saying, "Please come this way, sir."

He left the room quickly, leaving Senator Porter alone.

He picked up the phone and slowly brought it to his ear. "This is Potter."

"Senator, there was an accident just now during the march and demonstration at ... Street and ... Street. A truck hit them and ... took several people away."

The guy on the phone was slightly out of breath, and Senator Porter could hear the panic in his voice, which gave him an idea of ​​how bad the situation was!

"Where's the driver?"

"Caught?"

"Or did something unexpected happen?"

The person on the other end of the receiver was also his subordinate, whom he had assigned to keep an eye on the demonstration. If anything unexpected happened, they would report to him promptly, just like they were doing now.

His and three or four others' advocacy for a ceasefire in Congress had no effect whatsoever, nor could it persuade those in Dantra to continue investing in them.

Whether he was a politician who had reached the pinnacle of the federal government or a fallen politician, he was well aware of this.

If you want people to continue investing in you, you must make them feel that "if I invest a little more, I might get the results I want."

Only by continuously increasing sunk costs can he continue to gain benefits, profits, or anything else from these people.

So, with Senator Porter's help, the international broker, the middleman, contacted these social activists.

The protest began after they paid them a fee and promised that everything would be better.

The combination of public demonstrations and congressional pronouncements has created a multi-dimensional and comprehensive impetus for progress, which is more likely to provide positive feedback to those who want to see their efforts make a difference.

Senator Porter pays close attention to these social activists; he can use them to promote ideas that are difficult for him to do or express.

After all, one of the jobs of social activists is to talk nonsense and make wild claims, but no one will think they are bad because of that.

They were very useful tools, but now, those tools are broken.

He gave out several names in succession, and the person on the other end of the line confirmed with him that all the people he was concerned about had died in car accidents.

One woman did not die at the scene, but died in the ambulance on her way to the hospital.

The injuries were too severe; almost everyone who was knocked over suffered varying degrees of severe fractures, and some even experienced internal organ rupture and bleeding.

Many people think that a fracture is just a broken bone, a minor thing, and in some ways that is true.

For example, a radius fracture or a tibia fracture will only cause the sharp bone to tear the muscle and may cause a local hematoma, but it is unlikely to cause any other serious consequences.

It might be a bit troublesome to clean up, since there are still fragments after the bone is broken.

But what if the broken bone is a rib, a spine, or even a skull?

Such a fracture is fatal.

The female activist in her thirties, who was establishing herself as an independent and outstanding woman, died on her way to the hospital because a rib had pierced her organ.

The scene was terrible, and what's worse, there were many reporters at the time who took a lot of horrific photos. I'm afraid the entire city of New Jin City and even Jinzhou will be shocked by this incident tomorrow.

This could be one of the deadliest traffic accidents in the last decade!

Senator Porter couldn't resist opening the cigarette case, taking out a cigarette, and lighting it.

His desktop lighter is shaped like a flying saucer. Pushing open a hatch on the saucer will cause an alien to pop its head out and spew flames.

The designers of these desktop lighters must have really put their minds to it, and high-end desktop-themed lighters like the one Senator Porter uses are all handmade, and there's only one of each in the world.

The person on the other end of the line quickly replied, "The driver has been apprehended."

Senator Porter did not answer immediately; his thoughts seemed to drift away with the rising smoke to places he himself did not notice.

After about ten seconds, he came to his senses. "Remember to let me know if there is any further news. Also, go to the police station and keep an eye on things. See if someone is remotely controlling this traffic accident."

"I have a feeling that this is not a normal traffic accident."

Indeed, it was too much of a coincidence that we bumped into a specific group of people at a specific time and place.

Senator Porter was well aware of the organizational abilities of these social activists; once these people were dead, it would be very difficult for him to find others to organize such a large group of people to participate in demonstrations next time.

The purpose of this car accident was to stop the anti-war protests from taking place.

He had a feeling that this matter might be related to Senator Cleveland, though he had no evidence to prove it, he just had that feeling.

This is a perception ability that top politicians possess innately!
He put down the phone on the stand, then glanced at the butler outside the door. Shortly after, the international broker returned to the opposite side of the room.

“You don’t look too good,” he said after observing Senator Porter’s expression for a while.

In fact, a person's facial expressions can indeed change according to their inner emotions. Even with some training, it is difficult to perfectly control one's facial expressions and emotions, and some flaws will always be revealed.

Senator Porter shook his head. "I just received news that a demonstration in New Gold City was involved in a car accident with heavy casualties."

The international broker frowned. "You think this was done by someone?"

Senator Porter was somewhat surprised by the keen observation and logic of the international broker who looked much younger than himself, but he did not admit it. "The federal government is a country with a sound and complete legal system. Everything is based on the results of the police investigation and the law."

It was as if they said something, but also as if they said nothing at all.

The international broker smiled and didn't delve deeper into the issue. "Actually, in a way, they've done their job."

Senator Porter was somewhat surprised, but had to admit that he was absolutely right.

Today's car accident will surely draw the attention of New Jin City and even the entire Jinzhou, focusing on the driver and the dead.

When local media reports on this case and on them, people will know why they were there and what they were doing—anti-war protests.

Senator Porter thought it over and over, but still pushed the check back onto the table. "I can't promise you something I can't do. Let's leave it at that for now."

His actions and words imply that he cannot agree to the international broker's demands, at least not now.

He doesn't intend to become more proactive until he figures out exactly who took action against the demonstrators.

The international broker wasn't too disappointed. He packed all the materials and put them back in his bag. "I can't give you these materials. You know they're very valuable and important."

Senator Porter nodded repeatedly. "Of course, you should keep them safe. Maybe after some time, or even a few years, a decade, or several decades."

“People will find this problem somewhere in history and correct it. I believe that day will come.” After the two shook hands, Senator Porter was uneasy ever since he had the international broker’s child sent away. He knew, of course, how much his actions had made him hated.

After all, he's now doing what those people used to despise the most are doing—going against the grain.

Going against the tide is a foolish thing, he has always thought so, and in the past few decades, especially when he was at the height of his political power, he would have stood in the position of the current Senator of Cleveland and despised and ridiculed those who went against the tide.

Those who stand up to oppose a trend that everyone can clearly see are destined to be crushed by the tide of the times.

He used to mock the stubbornness and stupidity of those old politicians, but in the end, it turned out that he was mocking his own old age.

Perhaps, Senator Cleveland will have that day too, anyone will, as long as they are in Congress.

He was somewhat uneasy at this point. If Senator Cleveland really did this, what would he do next?
Senator Porter was a veteran politician who had lived through what could be described as a "bloody political" era, where politicians sent assassins and framed each other, and he still felt a sense of dread when he thought about it.

This is why politicians later established an unwritten but tacit rule—to reject politics of terror and severely punish all acts of killing politicians.

Of course, this is just one expression. If someone actually did that and it was in line with the trend of the times, probably no one would say anything.

Stones swept away by the tide have no right to speak.

This made him uneasy. Would they really do that?

Just as he was starting to feel a little panicked, the phone rang again. He answered it immediately and asked, "What is it now?"

"Aren't you going to see your son one last time?"

He was stunned for a moment, and just as he was about to ask something else, the phone was hung up.

He tried to reconnect the call by saying "hello," but unfortunately, that function is not available now.

He began to feel fear; he had only one son, his only son, and he would be his political successor.

This young man, who is not actually young, is almost forty years old and is a member of the state legislature. This is the path he has laid out for him.

Once he's more mature, he can try to run for key positions in the state government or even a seat in the House of Representatives; there are precedents for this.

Although members of the House of Representatives are not exactly high-ranking officials, they can serve as a stepping stone to becoming senators.

In the federal government, it is common for fathers and sons to have different political stances, so what he did would not have much impact on his son.

Even if his son stands up and clearly opposes him when necessary, he can gain the support of Congress—just think about it, if a smart and excellent son opposes his father's foolish views, how foolish will those views be in people's eyes?

Sacrificing oneself for the benefit of the next generation seems to have always been a tradition among federal politicians, or perhaps they want to pass on power as if it were wealth.

Whether it's Sidney, who rose from the bottom of society, or Senator Porter, or the gentlemen in the founding paintings and their descendants as senators and presidents, they have all been doing this all along.

What people don't know is that those voters ridiculously believe that the changes in the country's rulers and administrators are all due to the votes they cast.

This is a terrible fact!

If Senator Porter had many boys, he might not have been so flustered, but since he only had one, he immediately became anxious.

He put down the phone and, with trembling hands, dialed his son's office number, but no one answered.

He dialed his son's home phone again, but still no one answered.

When he tried to dial the phone to his son's secretary's office, his hands trembled with fear, and he dialed the wrong number twice.

With a loud swear word, he slammed the phone down!
Startled by the noise, the butler immediately pushed open the door and entered. "Master, what's wrong?"

His mood seemed to improve slightly upon seeing the butler's arrival. "Prepare the car, I'm going to the state legislature."

He couldn't get through on the phone, and he didn't know who to call. He could only go to the scene to see for himself, hoping that it wasn't real and that it was just a prank someone was playing to scare him.

Seeing that Senator Porter's expression had become uncontrollable, the butler immediately realized the seriousness of the situation. He replied as he jogged out of the room, calling for help as he went.

Senator Porter quickly got into his car, followed by his bodyguard in another vehicle.

He could have waited a while until more bodyguards gathered, but he couldn't wait any longer.

He knew he wouldn't die, because it was an ironclad rule, unless everyone in Congress except him and a few others reached a consensus.

Just like in one assassination attempt on the president, Congress remained silent. Without Congress's permission, the assassin wouldn't even know the president's itinerary or route, or where or when he would appear.

He didn't believe that the entire Congress was ostracizing him; he had only done something very ordinary, and he hadn't even substantially harmed the interests of other senators!
They couldn't, and shouldn't, do that!
At this moment, he felt remorse. He shouldn't have done such a foolish thing just because those people promised him benefits. He was filled with regret and hoped that God could forgive him this time!
The two cars were traveling very fast. There were two routes from where they were to the state legislature. When they passed the first route, they found that there was road construction going on, so they chose the second route.

The moment they turned onto the second road, at the street corner where there was inevitably some gap between the two cars, another car cut in.

The bodyguard in the second car honked the horn a few times, but the car in front seemed completely unaware that it had cut in line and continued driving steadily along its lane.

Meanwhile, Senator Porter's vehicle was rapidly moving away from them.

After entering another road, the driver in the cab seemed to realize something was wrong: "The car behind us has been following us."

Senator Porter turned and looked through the rear window of the vehicle. It was a car he didn't recognize, which made his heart race. "Where are our men?"

The driver shook his head. "I don't know. By the time I realized it, the car behind me had become a different one."

Senator Porter's expression grew even more uneasy. "Hurry up, get to the state legislature as soon as possible."

Once they get to the state legislature, they certainly won't dare to commit violence in front of it.

But the next second, the car in front suddenly braked hard, causing Senator Porter's car to crash into it. During the violent impact, Senator Porter felt a force penetrate deep into his chest, gripping his heart tightly!
He felt like his heart was about to stop beating!

Then, two people walked out from the roadside and splashed red paint on the vehicle.

The red paint instantly blinded them, plunging the entire interior of the car into darkness.

Then something suddenly fell from the sky and slammed hard onto the roof of the car, causing a loud thud and a large dent in the roof.

Then the glass window was smashed with a blunt object, and then two things were thrown in from outside.

Senator Porter screamed as he tried to throw away the two warm, damp objects, but because of the paint splatter, the lighting inside the car was poor, and he couldn't see what they were.

After a while, everything seemed to quiet down, and the voices of the bodyguards could be heard outside the car.

Only then did the driver open the car door and get out, letting out a sigh of relief. "Sir, they've already left."

As they spoke, the others opened their car doors, making the interior brighter. When Senator Porter saw the corpses of the two poodles beside him, he let out another sharp scream!

Unfortunately, this isn't an opera house; no one will cheer or applaud for his screams.

That's his pet.

His head was smashed by a hammer, and his fur was cut open with a knife, leaving him covered in blood, which he then threw into his arms.

He was on the verge of a mental breakdown!

　I forgot to upload it after I finished writing it.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)