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After a long battle between man and boar that lasted for an hour, the wild boar, riddled with hundreds of bullet holes, finally collapsed to the ground.

"Are you alright? You don't expect me to write your eulogy right now, do you?"

As soon as the wild boar breathed its last, Ernst rushed to Kevin's side in a flash.

Just now, as the wild boar was struggling in its death throes, it flew straight towards them like an out-of-control boar-shaped missile.

Ernst dodged with a flying leap and a roll, but Kevin wasn't so lucky.

Lying on the ground, breathing heavily, its chest heaving violently, it looked just like a husky that had just finished destroying the house and was exhausted.

"Fortunately, the wild boar was already exhausted, otherwise I would have lost my life here today."

Seeing Ernst make a safe gesture, the others in the distance also felt a sense of relief and stopped rushing over.

"Let's go and see our spoils."

They helped Kevin up and brought him to the wild boar. A close look revealed the boar's skin was clearly torn open, and blood was flowing everywhere. The scene was like something out of a horror movie.

"Ha, what a huge thing, it's a pity we can't get it out."

Paul, still excited, stood directly on the wild boar's body.

"It's okay, just set up the coordinates, and I'll have someone come and transport it later."

John had no intention of giving up this bragging right, and planned to have it shipped back to show off.

At first, Ernst thought it was only about 300 kilograms, but after observing it up close, he agreed with John's earlier assessment.

With that size, calling it the Schwarzenegger of the wild boar world wouldn't be an exaggeration; it's most likely over 350 kilograms.

"Let's rest for a bit, then we'll head back home."

The sun was already high in the sky, and I glanced at my watch; it was past eleven. We had been wandering around outside for over four hours.

However, Ernst knew that John didn't want to go back for lunch; he just wanted to find someone to transport the big guy back as soon as possible.

There were gunshots all around just now, and there are hardly any large creatures left nearby. These animals are much more sensitive than humans.

But things might change if it dragged on. John was afraid that if it dragged on too long, the trophy would be ruined by the gray wolves, whose noses were more sensitive than dogs'.

After resting for a while, eating some food and drinking some beer, the group returned the way they came.

Back at the farm, Ernst took a hot shower first, and when he arrived at the dining room, everyone was already there.

"Isn't anyone willing to wait for me?"

The table was set with a simple steak, pan-fried cod, vegetable salad, fruit, and soup.

"Ernst, this is your home. Making us wait for you is your problem."

Ernst found a seat at random, took a bite of cod, and drank a glass of beer.

"Tell me, what is it about that you asked me to come back this time?"

Ernst came back because Jason asked him to, when he and Siweini were asking about him.

Three days after their return, the younger generation of the Ernst family in Tulley County gathered at Whitney Farm, which would be strange if nothing had happened.

Paul put down his knife and fork, wiped his mouth, glanced at John, and then said, "I plan to run for mayor of Tulley County."

Ernst understood; they were there to attract investment.

In the United States, local government is divided into three levels: state, county, and city. The state government is the highest level of local government, responsible for enacting state laws, managing state affairs, and providing important services such as education, transportation, health, and healthcare.

County governments are responsible for managing specific areas, providing services such as infrastructure and public safety. They act like stewards of the area, with their primary task being the safety of the region.

The lowest level of municipal government is responsible for managing city affairs, such as road maintenance, waste disposal, and urban planning.

Paulo is now the mayor of Visalia. It sounds impressive, but he's really just a figurehead.

In cities like Visalia, or most cities in the United States, there is usually a city council of four or five people, from which a mayor is elected.

Then the absurd part comes: the person in charge of managing the city is not the mayor, but a professional hired by the mayor, just like a professional manager in a large company.

The decision-making power rests with the council, while the management is handled by paid agents; the mayor is essentially just a cardboard cutout.

It's not just at the city level, but also at the county level, the prefecture level, and even at the president level.

But that doesn't mean they're just mascots. One of their most important rights is the ability to issue policies, whether or not they pass through parliament is another matter.

You can also think of it this way: it's up to the majority of your friends whether or not you can decide which cake you like to buy and whether you can pay for it.

"Our Arlington family has always been a top family in Visalia, with members serving as councilors for a long time and several mayors."

"But things are different now. Because of you, I think our Arlington family can take another step forward and expand into the entire Tulley County."

Money and influence—that's the core essence of American elections, especially at lower administrative levels.

It's true that the United States has universal suffrage, but do you know how many times an American citizen votes and elects government officials over four years? The answer will surprise many people.

First and foremost is the president, that's for sure.

Then there are members of Congress, senators and representatives, as well as governors, state senators and state representatives.

Don't think that's the end; there are still counties and cities.

If you live in a big city like New York or Los Angeles, you also have to run for borough president and borough councilor.

The number of voters for just the senators and representatives exceeded six or seven hundred.

This is not the end, because there are still some positions that require direct election by citizens, such as the state attorney general, state treasurer, state judge, and county-level officials.

If all votes are counted, American citizens in a major city can vote more than a thousand times in four years.

But these are elected positions. If you want to read the candidates' reports one by one, even if you read three a day, you still wouldn't finish reading them in four years.

This leads to a situation where, apart from presidential elections and state-level elections, few voters in the United States pay attention to these events, and their votes are basically bought.

For example, Paul, when he was running for mayor, won people's hearts by giving out gifts, one gift for every vote.

And then there's the current county head of Tuleli County. During his election campaign, he would treat everyone to meals and speeches, saying, "I'll pay for you to eat and listen to my speech. Whether you listen or not doesn't matter, just leave your votes."

So, in city and county elections, it doesn't matter if you're a dog or not, as long as you have money you can get that position.

Of course, there are also laws in the United States to prevent such situations, so the amount of donations per person cannot exceed $5000.

Who benefits from this? Large business owners, of course.

Because they have employees, that's a manifestation of influence. That's why you can see why large corporations are so important in elections, and why labor unions are so important.

Businesses help individuals reach the top, and the president, in turn, benefits businesses—a true case of collusion between officials and businessmen.

Another option is self-raised funds, which are not subject to any restrictions.

But which wealthy person would be foolish enough to go bankrupt and use their wealth to support an insignificant person? It's all businesses, because businesses can get tax breaks, which is like making a free profit.

Previously, the Arlington family's influence was insufficient, but the situation changed after Ernst took over MGM.

Ernst could have easily brought Paul a large amount of campaign funds without spending a single extra penny, further enhancing the Arlington family's influence.