There was a very oppressive atmosphere in the mayor’s office. Sidney lit a cigarette. He leaned sideways in his chair, his right arm, holding the cigarette, resting on the armrest, supporting his body.
The smoke he exhaled was slightly puffed out, then drawn back in. The smoke exposed to the air seemed to undergo some strange chemical reaction, becoming a bit more intense.
He twisted his neck. This was indeed a difficult problem.
He had seen many dark or open and aboveboard schemes. He could find solutions to most problems, and the more complex the scheme, the easier it was to crack.
Whether it was a conspiracy or an open plot, it was like a machine. If this machine was very precise, with hundreds or thousands of parts, and each part could not be misplaced.
Then it was very easy to crack it. His purpose was not to dismantle this machine intact, but just to make it stop.
So as long as one link could be destroyed, the entire machine would stop turning.
On the contrary, those machines that were simple enough to have only two gears were simply impossible to destroy. Clumsy, simple, was precisely its advantage.
Just like this irrefutable extortion letter on the table.
He suddenly chuckled twice, picked up the extortion letter, and then looked at his personal secretary, “Do you believe it?”
“Perhaps many years later, this extortion letter will sell for a sky-high price like an antique!”
The young man couldn’t quite smile, “I don’t know if it will become an antique in the future, but I know we have to solve this problem.”
The mayor threw the letter back on the table, “Do you know why they dealt with the Red High Heels first?”
The young man nodded, “They were afraid that there was some leverage in the Red High Heels that we would get our hands on, putting them in a passive position.”
The mayor pointed at him, “Well said. Because these things are private, they are secret, they are secrets that cannot be discovered by people.”
“That’s why they are afraid, uneasy, and that’s why they are so eager to destroy the Red High Heels, even if it means sacrificing Charlie, that old dog!”
“I have to thank them. If they hadn’t sacrificed Charlie, I wouldn’t even have been able to get John promoted!”
The corner of the mayor’s mouth curled up slightly. This was a decision he was very proud of. They wanted Sam and Booker, so he gave them.
As long as they wanted to silence them, someone had to come out and take responsibility for it, and this person could only be Charlie.
If it were someone else, he would not approve, so no matter what, Charlie was doomed!
But if Sam and Booker hadn’t been silenced in the police station, then he wouldn’t have been able to get rid of Charlie. The reason was simple: even a mayor had to be reasonable.
This society, this world, is so f—king ridiculous!
The ruler actually has to be reasonable!
Perhaps this is the biggest restraint on the ruler, not the law!
But they did it, which also gave him an opportunity.
“What they are afraid of is making the secrets public, so they lose the initiative, but I am different from them.”
The mayor stood up, his hands on the armrests of the chair. He straightened his clothes, “Go and help me call the newspaper office. I want to hold a press conference myself.”
The young man was a little silent, “Then Eric…”
The mayor turned and walked to the window, looking at this city, “This is his mission.”
Soon, all the newspaper offices in the city knew that the mayor was going to hold a press conference himself and release a big piece of news.
The members of the Five Families who heard about this matter all showed smiles. They felt that their threat tactics had worked!
The mayor was scared. He was going to compromise. The rest was for them to set a time, sit together, and talk about the future development of the city. They could give the mayor some benefits and let him become a member of the “local” circle.
The Five Families all arranged for people to attend this press conference. They had press passes. That thing was actually just a small handwritten card that anyone could forge.
When a large number of reporters and people looking for information appeared at the press conference at City Hall, they saw a very haggard-looking man.
Some people even gasped in surprise, finding it hard to believe that this was the mayor!
He didn’t have his usual style at all: messy hair, a disheveled collar, a look of sorrow, and tired eyes.
When his personal secretary told him that most of the people had arrived, he tapped the microphone.
Then he was in a daze for a while, “I… don’t know how to start talking about this.”
“This morning, someone sent me some things, some special gifts.”
“I have this habit. I will receive mail sent by citizens. I want to know what they think and have opinions about some of my policies and management, but I didn’t expect to encounter this matter!”
Soon, a box containing a dead cat and a kraft paper bag were placed on the table one after the other. The City Hall guards showed these things to the reporters.
In an instant, the flashes of the magnesium lights went off like crazy, and puffs of smoke floated on the ceiling. People looked at the dead cat and the bullet, feeling a bit cold.
Of course they knew what this was. This was a threat from the Five Families!
But this news was very explosive, and they would not miss it.
“If these threats are not enough to shake my determination to make this city more prosperous, then now, I am hesitating.”
He picked up the kraft paper bag in front of him, opened it, took out a piece of paper from it, and showed it to everyone.
“It looks like a child of a few years old cut some fragmented pieces of paper from a newspaper and then casually pieced them together.”
“But, gentlemen, please read this passage carefully, and you will find that it is not cute at all, but rather terrifying!”
A reporter read it out loud. For a time, people found it hard to believe that all this had really happened!
Someone had kidnapped Eric to threaten the mayor and force him to resign voluntarily!
The reassembled magnesium lights completed their mission in an instant. The room was a bit choked.
But the reporters’ excitement made them ignore this.
“I know many people hate me because I tried to shake their interests.”
“They have always wanted to force me away, and now they are even using such despicable means. I can already imagine what they are going to do.”
“They will kill Eric and then tell people that I, because of my lust for power, sat by and watched Eric be killed.”
“For a mayor who wants to make people’s lives happier, this is a devastating blow.”
“They see their own interests as very important, above the interests of ordinary people!”
“Just because I want to build a new port district.”
“Once the new port district is completed, it will add at least 15,000 jobs to Golden Port. 15,000 families will be better off, the employment rate will rise, the unemployment rate will fall, and the public security problem will be alleviated.”
“We will become the world’s largest port city. We will become the core of world maritime transport!”
“This place will become more prosperous, and everyone will be able to live happily as if in a fairy tale.”
“You will have soft and fluffy bread, you will have whole pieces of beef, you will be able to afford fruit, and you will no longer need to rent an apartment, you will have your own house.”
“But now, they are trying to end all of this. I don’t know what to do, to be honest.”
“On one side is my relative, an innocent child, and on the other side are the 1.2 million citizens of Golden Port. You are also my relatives!”
“I am very conflicted!”
“I want to save my relative, but the price is to plunge 1.2 million citizens into darkness.”
“I know what to choose, but I don’t know what to choose!”
“Perhaps, this is their purpose.”
The mayor stood up, “I have thought for a long time, and I have made a decision.”
“I will declare war on the forces of crime. I will declare war on the evil forces that are preventing happiness from coming to Golden Port!”
“When I have fulfilled my promise, I will voluntarily resign from my post, no longer serve as the mayor of Golden Port, and not even hold other jobs. I will atone and repent for giving him up!”
He slammed his hands heavily on the table, “The interests of the people are above all else, including me, or Eric!”
The frantically flashing lights made the young man standing in the corner let out a heavy sigh of relief. He suddenly realized that no one could stop the mayor from moving forward!
Even if he really resigned from all his positions at that time, with his “legendary” experience and reputation, it would not be a problem at all for him to participate in various elections again!
He could even directly run for governor. As long as he left enough traces in Golden Port, he could run for governor, and even have a high chance of winning!
He sincerely admired this mayor. Perhaps he had the qualifications to become a truly great figure. The young man firmly believed this!
The news spread throughout the city in less than ten minutes, including the Five Families, Councilman Wade, and Councilman Williams. They all knew about this matter.
For a time, the minds of the two councilmen were… frozen!
They couldn’t understand what the Five Families were doing—
In their perception, besides the Five Families, it was impossible for others to do this, nor did they have the ability or the guts to do so!
That’s the mayor’s illegitimate son, and you f—kers not only kidnapped him, but you’re also going to kill him?
What made them feel even more terrified was that that madman, Sidney, had actually confronted them head-on!
Directly making this very troublesome matter public. Look at the citizens on the street heading to City Hall to support the mayor, and you’ll know how high his prestige is now!
These idiots have ruined their great plan!
And the Five Families were also dumbfounded. Countless phone calls flew back and forth between them. They even began to suspect each other. Who on earth had kidnapped Eric?
But asking wouldn’t get an answer, especially at this time. To be honest, even if they had kidnapped him themselves, it would be impossible for them to say it to the outside.
Whoever says it is the enemy of everyone!
Almost everyone had the same question.
Where is Eric?