The Wolf of Los Angeles.

Century City, Beverly Business Club.

Hawke and Brian were talking about the situation in California, while Erica and Jennifer were discussing women's topics.

“I’ve been using contraception, and it’s not the right time for me to get pregnant,” Jennifer said softly. “California hasn’t really turned blue yet, and this position is very important. If I get pregnant, I’ll have to step down from the front lines very quickly.”

Erica glanced at Hawke and Brian and said, "Me too. My family wants me to try for the position of deputy director of the Special Operations Bureau."

Jennifer asked, "Aren't you trying to conceive?"

Erica smiled easily and said, "Let it be. You can't force these things."

Jennifer, driven by her gossipy nature, asked curiously, "His in that area?"

“It’s very strong; sometimes I even struggle to handle it,” Erica said cryptically. “And the quantity is huge.”

Jennifer wished him well, saying, "May he achieve his goal soon. He's no ordinary man now; countless women are eyeing him."

Erica thought for a moment and said, "It's alright, there are only those two outside."

Jennifer sighed, "Much better than that bastard Brian."

Brian then turned on the television.

Erica and Jennifer stopped whispering.

Hawke glanced at the time and reminded him, "The press conference is about to begin."

Brian switched to Fox News and waited a short while before the program turned into a live news broadcast.

At the Washington Convention Center, John Lucas, representing Hillary Clinton, officially announced to numerous media cameras that Clinton had decided to resign from her position as a New York State Senator due to health reasons, and would be taking a break from all work to recuperate.

The news had leaked beforehand, so the media reporters at the scene were not surprised.

There was no Q&A session; Lucas left immediately after announcing this important decision.

Many Cthulhu representatives present let out bursts of dissatisfied howls.

"This is a tragedy of our times, an oppression of us by the whole society!"

"Stand up, fight on, for Seraphim, and for ourselves!"

"The United States has never had a female president. Where is fairness and justice?"

The Cthulhus put on a show for the media, and Cilla's failure terrified the group.

Are the times and mainstream society abandoning them?
In a residence in the embassy district, Zipperton turned off the television.

Sillali remained expressionless, putting on a serious expression, as she watched the workers load the packed luggage onto trolleys and carry it out.

Chelsea, her daughter, looked aggrieved: "Mom, do we really have to move?"

Hillary nodded slowly. Since she had decided to resign, she would temporarily leave the vortex of Washington.

“My foundation is under investigation; those bastards have frozen the accounts.” Chelsea had never suffered such injustice since her father was elected governor.

Zipper remained unmoved, as if this daughter were not his own.

Sylvie took her daughter's hand: "Let's leave here for now, and all the problems will be solved."

Chelsea asked bitterly, "Mom, is our family failing?"

"Don't talk nonsense!" Sirali couldn't help but scold, "We're only leaving temporarily, we'll be back soon, and then we'll get back everything that belongs to us."

She patted Chelsea on the shoulder and said, "Go pack your bags."

Chelsea ran upstairs.

Sila turned to look at the ever-silent Zipperton: "Is this what you wanted to see?"

Zipperton finally spoke: "Just like you said, retreating now is so that we can move forward in the future."

He knew that Hillary harbored deep resentment about this, but even if the couple's feelings had faded, their interests were still closely intertwined.

Zipperton patiently continued, "The mutual attacks during the election have led to serious division and antagonism. Tom Emer is pressing forward, using a series of events to settle scores, completely breaking the rules that were previously accepted in elections."

He sat back on the sofa: "Originally, these things wouldn't have mattered. As long as we had enough support, we could have directly confronted each other and created a stalemate. But the ambitious people within the party have their eyes on you. The more fiercely you resist, the more attacks you will attract from them, because you are blocking their campaign path."

Knowing where this force came from, Sylvie said, "The group led by Black Watchman has actually chosen to cooperate with the enemy of the party."

“What do these things matter in the face of interests?” Zipperton continued the previous topic: “You were standing at the front, and now you have become the target of attacks from both the Donalds and the Elephants. Because of your existence, the two sides have reached a temporary cooperation. If you retreat, you will gain the support of the Donald Party, and the moderate faction of the Elephant Party will also soften their attitude. The two sides cannot continue to cooperate, and the so-called temporary alliance will collapse.”

Hillary Clinton, still clinging to her presidential dream, said, "It's easy to step down, but hard to come back."

His wife wouldn't listen to Zipperton's words unless she was absolutely desperate.

Zipperton sighed softly. Compared to the presidents of the 1980s and 90s, Hillary's political acumen was actually quite average.

The United States has never had a female president in its more than two hundred years of history, which is not just a social issue, but also a matter of competence.

"The Elephant Party is no different from the Donald Party. There are many factions and complex relationships. After you resign, the Elephant Party, which was united because of you, will soon split. For example, Tom Emmer has achieved his goal and will not spend too much energy and resources on you. He has too many international affairs to deal with, and his next opponent has already emerged."

In Zipperton's eyes, Sylvia taking a step back would open up a whole new world for her.

But he waited until today to say it so that it could have an effect.

If she says it too early, she will only be looked down upon, and if she lets Seraphim ignore this option, the situation will only get worse.

Sylvie said nothing more, as if she had tacitly agreed with Zipperton's words. After all, recent coordination and feedback from various parties showed that taking a step back had indeed been very effective.

The opposition within the Democratic Party immediately diminished significantly.

With all their luggage loaded into the car, the Loton family of three temporarily bid farewell to Washington.

……

In the Beverly Business Club, Brian turned off the television and said, "Sirius, that stubborn person, actually made such a choice."

Hawke speculated, "It must have been Lancelot who made the move. Throughout the election, Lancelot rarely expressed his own opinions except as a mascot. He must have been covering for Hillary."

Jennifer keenly realized: "The temporary alliance is about to break down."

Hawke said, "This temporary alliance was never going to last long anyway."

Brian asked, "Is the Birdball Project going to be stopped?"

"Complete the parts of the agreement that have already been signed as soon as possible." Hawke was very clear that the Birdball Project would not last long, and said, "We have already obtained a lot of what we were supposed to get, and we even kidnapped the First Lady."

Erica, who had also looked into it, said, "The interests involved are too great. She can't leave our ship. The President and the First Lady are one entity. Tom Emer, for the sake of reputation and practical benefits, will not divorce Claire." "Claire can't break free from that situation. Chicago shouldn't have any illusions." Hawke was very realistic in this regard: "Goods coming in from overseas will be prioritized for the reservoir area outside of California."

In Southern California, the Birdball Project has not yet been fully implemented due to the gradual arrival of supplies to many reservoirs.

However, Southern California is entirely under their control.

Jennifer raised a question: "Won't the reservoir cause problems in the long run?"

Hawke was prepared: "I've set up an environmental company. The reservoir is doing more harm than good, so the state government can hire this company to clean up the sphere."

Jennifer couldn't help but say, "To paraphrase the Soviet Union, all of us should be hung on lampposts."

Erica teased, "You might not know, but Hawk used to have a nickname: the Lighthouse God."

Hawke said in a serious tone, "That view is incorrect. We are contributing to the GDP of the United States so that the United States can continue to lead the world by a wide margin."

Several people laughed at the same time.

As expected, with Hillary Clinton's resignation as New York State Senator, most of the attacks from within the Democratic Party quickly subsided.

Some even changed their attitude dramatically and expressed goodwill towards the Richardtons.

So-called stances change according to the needs of political interests.

Birdball plans to halt ongoing negotiations in cities controlled by the Donkey Party, because Black Watchman quietly stopped the cooperation to help pave the way.

However, the parts of the agreement that have already been signed are still being implemented.

With the Birdball Project unable to expand further, Hawke ordered the signing of the agreement to be completed as soon as possible.

Even so, after deducting costs and profit sharing with partners, West Coast technology companies still made billions of dollars in profit from the massive project.

The salvage and restoration work will bring in another significant sum later.

Money from the US federal government is especially lucrative.

However, it is still far behind the military-industrial complexes.

Hawke also wanted to sell a bag of screws for $100,000.

West Coast tech companies, along with external lobbying teams, are still negotiating with the Pentagon to sell the more powerful three-wheeled motorcycle as a land-based personal transport vehicle.

Hawke also met with General Walker from the Army.

The two watched a simulated terrain test of a three-wheeled vehicle together in the exhibition hall of a West Coast technology company.

The driver demonstrated single-soldier loading of supplies, navigating complex terrain, and rapid unloading of cargo on simulated terrain.

The small three-wheeled vehicle is also equipped with a hydraulic lifting truck bed, which can quickly unload goods.

General Walker was fairly satisfied, as the U.S. military had such needs in the Middle East, and a racing company had even recommended another individual transport equipment under development to the Pentagon.

This is also the West Coast's biggest competitor.

Hawke walked up to the three-wheeled vehicle, patted the camouflage cargo bed, and said, "This kind of individual soldier transport vehicle has a large load capacity and low road requirements. From loading and unloading to driving, it can be operated by one or two people. The operation is simple and easy to learn, and the speed is guaranteed."

General Walker had the driver get out and personally tried operating the cart. Compared to the handcart recommended by another company, this one had a huge advantage.

Although the Pentagon generals have their flaws, they still possess basic professionalism. They do purchase weapons at exorbitant prices and have requirements for basic performance.

General Walker said, "It has one drawback: it's a bit noisy and not quiet enough."

Hawke laughed and said, "General, you can take a look at another version."

He clapped his hands, and a three-wheeled vehicle of the same model drove out from the safety passage.

On the other side of the Pacific, electric vehicles and electric tricycles are already ubiquitous. Countless manufacturers across the country can produce these things, and when they are imported from the West Coast, the price can increase by nearly tenfold.

The camouflage three-wheeled vehicle was demonstrated in the same way; its motor was so quiet that it was almost inaudible in the noisy environment of the exhibition hall.

General Walker then test-drove the car himself, nodded in satisfaction, and said, "The performance is good, and the noise level is also good."

Hawke knew that another company was developing and marketing individual soldier transport equipment, and said directly, "I know that NASCAR's push-assist vehicle project is also competing for individual soldier transport equipment orders."

This NASCAR company is not a member of the traditional military-industrial complex, but rather a manufacturer of racing cars and related parts.

This is the first time they have ventured into the military procurement industry.

Hawke's aggressive competition for orders was also due to the relatively weak competition from rivals.

He patted the cargo bed: "General, forgive my bluntness, but the handcart is completely crushed in front of it. Even with electric assistance, the terrain that this vehicle cannot pass through, can a single soldier's handcart pass through by electric propulsion?"

General Walker, a pragmatist, said, "Your vehicles are indeed more advantageous, and they are very mature products that can be directly applied to the battlefield."

Hawke said, "West Coast technology products have always been known for their reliability, and the Pentagon can completely trust the quality of this vehicle, which can undergo a series of tests."

To secure a Pentagon contract, one must participate in the Pentagon's routine procedures.

General Walker acknowledged the product's basic performance and asked, "What is the unit price of the product?"

Hawke, who was doing business with the Pentagon for the first time, was relatively conservative, saying, "$12."

Upon hearing this offer, General Walker pondered for a moment and said, "$12 is not competitive, how about $20?"

Hawke understood and said, "Okay."

This $12 will be the price of West Coast technology.

General Walker was very satisfied: "You prepare the prototype here, and I will push forward the functional testing program as soon as possible. The prototype cannot be worse than today's."

Hawke understood that it was normal for the Pentagon to have discrepancies between finished vehicles and prototypes, and between publicly available test data and actual data.

West Coast tech is just entering this industry, so it needs to be in line with mainstream standards and avoid being special.

As for the complaints that American soldiers might have during actual use, those are minor issues.

Hawke asked, "How many vehicles does the Pentagon plan to purchase in the first batch?"

He specifically mentioned, "The Indians purchased tens of thousands of base models."

General Walker thought for a moment and said, "It should be no less than 30,000 vehicles. We need to take into account the losses and the needs of military bases in various places, especially in the Middle East."

Hawke said, "I'll have someone prepare in advance." (End of Chapter)