Shadow Empire

Chapter 1170 Director Roland's Answers to Reporters' Questions
Public opinion fermented quickly, which may be related to the fact that Director Roland has recently been the focus of public attention. In successive reports, more of Director Roland's past was revealed, and a "hero" completely different from what people knew appeared in front of people.

Director Roland stood behind the office window, having already drawn the curtains. He peeked out through a crack and saw a large number of reporters gathered outside the FBI building.

Today's Federal Post, on its second page, reported that Director Rowland had gotten married and had children back in his hometown.

They obtained not only the priest's handwritten signature on the marriage register, but also the priest's testimony and witnesses.

The moment these news stories were published, they reignited public opinion and even overshadowed the election to some extent!

After all, Director Roland is a senior employee of the federal government, and a rather important and well-known one at that. Not long ago, he was recognized as a hero for eradicating the Perez family, a cancerous family.

Then some negative news about him broke out, which made Director Roland a hot topic.

The people of the Union have seen too many virtuous and righteous figures, especially during the election campaign, where every presidential candidate was portrayed as so outstanding that it was as if God himself had created them, which made people feel somewhat physically disgusted.

When a flawed and problematic news figure emerges, people's attention will begin to follow him.

The entire society was shocked when the Federal Post reported that Director Rowland had been married and had children.
More and more eyes were focused on him, and he could now feel the malice coming from Lance!
The phone on the table rang, causing him to frown and turn around to answer it. "This is Roland."

“I read the newspaper this morning, Roland. You always manage to give me some unexpected surprises.”

Mr. Potter's voice came through the receiver, sending a chill down his spine. "Mr. Potter, I can explain. This is Lance's... scheme to ruin my reputation."

“He felt threatened by me, which is why he was so shameless and despicable, trying every means to pull me down from this position. I put a lot of pressure on him and made him feel a sense of crisis.”

"I……"

"Enough!" Mr. Potter interrupted him abruptly. "Roland, you weren't like this when we first met..."

“You know I don’t like to say unpleasant things, but what you’ve done in the last six months has indeed been terrible. Not only have you failed to complete our original plan, but you’ve also been tormented by a gang leader to the point where you’re almost powerless to fight back.”

"What we need is a federal elite, a crime thief, a master of restraint, threat and eradication of gangs within federal society, not someone who always surprises me in the news."

"You need to get this sorted out as soon as possible. My patience is running out. If any other problems arise, I can only say 'sorry' to you."

"do you understand me?"

Director Roland's forehead was covered in sweat. He pursed his lips, nodded, and said, not caring whether Mr. Potter on the other end of the phone could see it or not, "I understand. I will handle this public opinion issue as soon as possible."

"I'll wait for your good news."

After hanging up the phone, he slumped into his chair. This series of failures finally drew Mr. Potter's public dissatisfaction, which made him feel terrified!

Yes, terror, not fear or unease, it was terror!
The shock and fear that came from within, from the very depths of his soul, made his hand holding the cigarette tremble slightly. In a moment of carelessness, just as he was about to take a puff, the cigarette slipped between his fingers, sending a few sparks flying onto his clothes. He immediately stood up in a panic, watching it fall to the floor, and then, as if finding a way to vent his anger, he stomped on the cigarette butt with all his might.

The tiny cigarette butt bore a burden it shouldn't have had to endure. The rough stomping sound made the people working downstairs look up curiously. They knew that was Director Roland's office.

There was a knock on the office door, and the secretary's voice came from outside, "What happened? Do you need my help?"

Director Roland, slightly out of breath, leaned against the table. "No, no need. I'm fine. The cigarette butt fell on the floor."

He didn't let his female secretary come in to see his disheveled appearance. He glanced down at his clothes, which had a noticeable burn mark, casually took off his coat and threw it on the sofa, then went to the inner room to change into another coat.

Fake!

He cursed under his breath, knowing perfectly well where his fear came from—

Everything he possesses now—power, influence, and the power of life and death over ordinary people—comes from Mr. Potter's trust and favor.

Once Mr. Potter begins to lose faith in him, he will lose not only visible things like power and influence, but also his security.

He is the director of the FBI and Mr. Porter's "right-hand man," so whoever wants to harm him or those around him should consider the potential consequences.

Being targeted by the federal president is not a good thing, especially since this president seems to be the kind of person who has a lot of ideas.

Given the suppression of the Liberal Party by the Socialist Party, it is foreseeable that the presidential office and Liberal senators in Parliament will be highly united during his term, which is the most frightening aspect.

If they can win more Senate seats and become the Senate majority, then they will be invincible in politics!

Even the top leaders of the Socialist Party don't want to be targeted by them, so he will have a better future, greater power, and be able to realize his idea of ​​achieving absolute justice.

But all of this comes with a prerequisite: he must gain Mr. Potter's long-term trust and favor.

Once he loses these things, he will have nothing, and someone like Lance can take revenge on him without restraint.

He knew very well that his compromises with powerful figures back home stemmed from his fear of the social resources and power they controlled, which allowed them to easily eliminate him without bearing any responsibility.

Lance also had this ability; he had the backing of important Socialist Senate members. As a bargaining chip in what might have been an insignificant deal, Director Roland's life was easily handed over like the smallest of chips.

It's no longer a question of whether he can realize his dream; it's a question of whether he can even survive.

The situation was serious, far more serious than he had imagined. He paced back and forth in his office, countless thoughts colliding and sparking a few ideas.

After a long time, about twenty minutes, he smoked a lot of cigarettes before sitting down again, picking up the phone, and pressing a button.

The secretary outside the door immediately answered his call, "Director, is there anything I can do for you?"

Director Roland sat there, seemingly lost in thought, for several seconds. "Just to let you know, I'm going to hold a press conference. Please invite all the reporters in and into the conference room."

The people inside the investigation bureau already knew about what happened with the reporters outside, and many of them had seen the news, so they knew what had happened.

Some people have raised questions about Director Roland, while others firmly believe that this is a slander against him. In any case, the best course of action is to stand up and confront the issue, rather than continuing to bury their heads in the sand like an ostrich in his office.

A dozen minutes later, in a large conference room at the FBI, the flashes of light were so intense that even Director Roland could barely open his eyes as he walked in from outside.

After about ten seconds, the flashing of the lights stopped slightly.

The reporters began bombarding him with questions. Director Roland, expressionless, waited for them to make a scene. After a minute or so, everyone seemed to realize that if they continued asking questions, Director Roland wouldn't say anything, and soon they spontaneously quieted down.

Director Roland then moved forward, closer to the microphone, and said, "First of all, thank you all for coming here to hear what I have to say. Secondly, I have also seen the news about the past few days, and I can say that it is a malicious slander and attack against me."

"As the director of the FBI, during my tenure I have accomplished the task of eradicating the Perez family, and I will continue to fight against gangsters."

“I know this has touched a lot of gangs, making them worry and fear. They are powerless against me, so they have started to use this method to slander me, hoping that I will be abandoned by society and the federal government.”

"I don't know if my successors will have the same determination to eradicate gangs. At least before me, I have never seen a director like me. Otherwise, they would not have allowed the five major federal families and the five major local families to exist for so long."

"This is a long and arduous struggle. We are facing a group of the most vicious, brutal, and cunning criminals. We cannot relax in the slightest, otherwise they will pounce on us and tear us apart like they are doing now."

“Even things that never happened will become targets for their attacks on me, and they will…” He looked at the reporters with a mocking gaze, “…I feel sad and heartbroken that so many people believe this.”

"When heroes are attacked, people don't choose to believe them, but rather to doubt them. This made me waver. Should I continue to uphold my ideals and career, even if it means enduring more harm that I shouldn't have to bear?"

He remained silent for a while after speaking, seemingly gathering his emotions. Some people even saw tears welling up in his eyes. In short, his performance in front of the reporters satisfied them.

Journalists are actually the group of people who care least about justice and evil. All they want is sensational news, influence and box office success, and a better future for themselves.

As for the rest?
What does that have to do with them?
At this moment, a reporter suddenly asked, "Director Roland, so you mean that the report that you got married in your hometown before is false?"

"You don't know the woman in the report, and you have no relation to those two children?"

This question immediately drew even more attention from the reporters. Director Roland had spent so much time in his office just now, thinking about how to answer this question.

This is a difficult question to answer. Although he didn't tell anyone that he was married at the time, some people knew about his wife. After all, during the honeymoon phase, the city wasn't that big, and they were bound to run into acquaintances.

If he cannot solve this problem, his explanation will seem ridiculous.

"This is fake news, but it's not entirely fake, because I do know this woman and we were in a relationship for a while."

"Later, we separated for some personal reasons. I heard that she married someone else, which is also a regret of my youth."

"If she could be my wife, I would truly be happy, but we cannot ruin someone else's happiness and peaceful life for my own personal reasons!"

He didn't hide his relationship with his wife; instead, he chose to be open about it. The federal government doesn't forbid two single men and women from dating. Even God can't, let alone the law!

This answer pleased some reporters; an ex-girlfriend was a good gimmick, but the news itself wasn't particularly sensational.

Then another reporter raised their hand, and Director Roland asked the reporter who looked rather simple-minded to stand up.

"Thank you for allowing me to ask a question, Director. My question is, did you have your current wife have an abortion because of your ex-girlfriend?"

“I’ve heard some rumors from the public that you… well, your ex-girlfriend’s child is actually yours, and you don’t allow your current wife to get pregnant and have children so as not to upset your ex-girlfriend and your child.”

"When you find out she's pregnant, you'd be willing to take huge moral and legal risks to find a place for her to have an abortion, is that right?"

Director Roland looked at the reporter with a mixture of shock and anger, his gaze lingering on the reporter's press pass. His eyes were sharp, like knives stabbing at one's heart.

But it was clear that he couldn't provoke the reporter, because the angrier he got, the happier the reporter was. They wanted Director Roland to lose his temper and start swearing, and then... to exhibit a hysterical tendency.

People want to see a hero fall from grace and get hurt, rather than see him become more and more glorious.

There are too many people who believe in the virtues of the Potter family. Mr. Potter started doing charity work and helping the poor when he was in elementary school. Although some reporters doubted that there were likely poor people in the area where he went to school, it did not stop the public from believing it.

Who wouldn't want their country's ruler to be a compassionate, merciful, and benevolent person?
The rumors surrounding Mr. Potter fulfilled most of people's fantasies about an ideal ruler, and although it always seemed the same old thing and was becoming somewhat uncomfortable, people were still willing to accept it.

Like the Virgin Mary, who wouldn't hope that a Virgin Mary would appear when they are in trouble and save them from suffering?
Although many people may not have a good impression of the Virgin Mary, finding her hypocritical, disgusting, and pretentious, that doesn't stop them from becoming beneficiaries of her influence.

Therefore, especially at times like these, people crave something opposite to provide a welcome contrast.

The reporter's question was indeed very tricky, and Director Roland snorted angrily, "It's utterly absurd!"

"What does her having another man's child have to do with me and my wife?"

"And as I have explained before, during her pregnancy, she took some hormone medications because of illness. The doctor told us that there was a high probability that our child would be deformed, so we took a great risk to let him leave this world prematurely."

"It's not that we don't welcome him, nor that we don't want him to come into this world to suffer and be discriminated against by everyone. We have also put in a lot of effort and courage. This is not an easy decision!"

"This kind of problem has seriously damaged the relationship between my wife and me, and I hope it will never happen again."

“Also…” He glanced back at the agents standing behind him, then pointed at the reporter, “Get this guy out of here, he has serious problems!”

The reporter didn't seem to have expected that this would enrage Chief Roland, but while smiling, he loudly cried for help and struggled while being held hostage by the detectives in a very exaggerated manner!

"You have no right to do this. I am a registered journalist, and you must respect my right to conduct interviews..."

The reporters' cameras turned to the man, who, in his struggle, exposed his white belly. People's faces were all smiling, which could be considered a small but attention-grabbing tidbit.

After the reporter was dragged out, Director Roland pursed his lips. "The annoying person is finally gone. I hope the questions to come won't be so annoying. At least before you ask your questions, you need to think about how you would feel if someone asked you the same questions."

“Well…”, he then pointed to a reporter, “this lady, you’ve been chosen.”

A female reporter with golden-brown hair stood up. There are still relatively few female reporters these days, after all, this is not yet an era of...equal rights, although they are working towards that goal.

"Thank you, Director Roland. May I ask why you haven't considered having any more children after having one?"

"Perhaps this question can help the public gain a better understanding of you and your family on this issue."

Director Roland considered it for a moment, and since it didn't seem to be a big problem, he replied, "Because God hasn't given us a new opportunity yet; perhaps we made him feel sad before."

The female reporter asked with a smile, "So, if you had the chance to get pregnant, would you keep the baby?"

Director Roland nodded. "Yes!"

"This is a gift from God, and we will not refuse it!"

(End of this chapter)