Mr. Hoff vigorously rubbed his wrinkled face with both hands.
Interestingly, although his face had wrinkles, compared to the faces of the homeless people outside, it was still soft despite the lines.
Supplementing with enough nutrients every day kept his physical condition much better than that of ordinary people, but this didn’t make him any better than ordinary people when facing trouble.
He couldn’t even bring himself to curse. He wanted to pick up his coffee and take a sip to wet his throat, but the moment he picked it up, his trembling hands caused the coffee to spill, drenching and scalding his leg. It was then that he finally erupted in curses!
He forcefully threw the coffee cup to the ground, using every vicious word he could think of on the damned cup!
It was as if… its existence was the biggest mistake in the world!
The butler, who had been waiting outside the door, asked, “Sir, do you need me to come in?”
His words calmed Mr. Hoff down. Mr. Hoff flicked his hair, letting the messy strands fall back against his scalp, and then smoothed it with his hand. “No, thank you, the coffee cup fell on the floor.”
He still offered an explanation, then looked at his trembling right hand. After the anger subsided, only fear remained.
This was a very interesting thing.
When people think they have mentally prepared themselves to face disaster, most of the time they haven’t!
Just like what he was facing at this moment, his hand was trembling with fear!
With a trembling hand, he lit another cigarette, picked up the phone, and dialed Mr. Charles’s number.
The call was quickly answered. Before the other side could speak, he asked loudly, “Did you see this morning’s news?”
It took Mr. Charles about two or three seconds to realize who was on the other end of the line. He nodded. “Yes, I saw it. There’s a scandal about you on it.”
He didn’t ask any nonsense like, “Did you really do these things,” because he knew that not only had Mr. Hoff done them, but he had done them far more times than what had been exposed.
After all, Golden Port City didn’t just have one Red High Heels. Even now, there were still people engaged in the human trafficking business.
The human trafficking business wasn’t just about selling people from one region to another like commodities; that was the lowest level of the business.
It also included, but was not limited to, capturing and training various slaves, providing one-time emotional release consumables for some wealthy people, and secretly providing human experiment samples for medical groups without declaration…
There were too many and too broad categories in this. Ordinary people couldn’t get access to them, but the rich and powerful certainly could.
For the upper class of the Federation, it was like a… hobby.
Even if you didn’t like it, there would be people who did, who would bring you into it and let you find fun in it.
If these scandals weren’t exposed, then they were secrets that everyone knew and had a tacit understanding of. But once they were exposed, it was a huge trouble.
Mr. Hoff was calling at this time. Mr. Charles didn’t know how to reply either.
Neither of them knew what to say. The phone remained eerily silent.
After about… a minute or so, Mr. Hoff finally asked, “Do you have any good solutions?”
Mr. Charles sighed lightly. “I’d really like to tell you that this is just a small trouble, but you know, we can’t do that.”
He paused. “There are only two things you need to do now. First, finish our previous plan as soon as possible and get rid of Lance as soon as possible.”
“Second, after you’ve arranged everything, leave Golden Port City immediately. I’m afraid if you’re late, it will be too late!”
“Go directly to Manteno, or even directly to New Golden City. Find someone you have a good relationship with, someone who can protect you.”
“Then plead guilty, resign in disgrace, and actively make compensation…”
Mr. Hoff directly interrupted Mr. Charles. “Then I’ll be finished for the rest of my life!”
His voice was squeezed out from his throat, from between his teeth. Although Mr. Charles couldn’t see his appearance at this time, he could imagine his gritted teeth and the white foam at the corners of his mouth from his agitation.
Mr. Charles frowned. “What you should be considering now is how to save yourself, not your job.”
“You still have stocks, and the dividends from the foundation. Even if you lose your political things, at least you still have money.”
“For the sake of your life and money, I hope you can calm down quickly and then do as I say!”
What followed was another short silence. Mr. Hoff was panting heavily, like a wounded wild beast!
After a long while, the sound of heavy breathing from the receiver disappeared. He swallowed. “I see.”
Only then did Mr. Charles say “hmm” in a very satisfied tone, and at the same time comforted him, “After this matter is settled, we will find a way to take these hats off for you. At that time, you will still be your opinion leader.”
“But the premise is that we can get through this crisis safely, understand?”
Mr. Hoff gradually calmed down. “I see.”
“And!” Mr. Charles said after a while, “If you are caught…”
Mr. Hoff gritted his teeth. “I won’t confess anything.”
“Very good. Do as I say as soon as possible.”
After hanging up the phone, Mr. Charles looked at his several bodyguards. “How long have you been following me?”
One of them, who was considered the captain of the bodyguard team, said, “It’s been almost thirty years, sir.”
“Thirty years!” Mr. Charles repeated, followed by a sigh. “How many thirty years can a person have in their life? I didn’t expect we’ve already had thirty years…”
His tone was filled with a sense of helplessness and emotion for the long passage of time. After a period of low spirits, he looked at these people again. “You know Mr. Hoff. He might be in trouble. I’m worried that if he doesn’t listen, or if he’s unlucky and can’t leave Golden Port City smoothly and is caught by Williams’s men.”
“So… you guys arrange it.”
“Is anyone willing to go? Regardless of success or failure, 200,000 in cash, and as long as I don’t fall, I will treat his family as my own and give them the best of everything.”
“Wealth, status, everything!”
It wasn’t that he knew Mr. Hoff that well, but simply that he knew “people.”
Mr. Charles had heard of some horrifying interrogation methods. Even professionally trained military intelligence personnel couldn’t withstand the torture and would confess everything they knew.
Mr. Hoff, on what basis could he withstand the torture and not confess?
Once he was caught and measures were taken, it wouldn’t take long for him to say what he should and shouldn’t say.
So it was very important to ensure that they couldn’t catch a living Mr. Hoff.
The situation of the other two was a little better. They weren’t core members and knew limited things, but Mr. Hoff was different.
As long as he was caught, he could not be allowed to reveal what he knew. He had to die!
After arranging these things, Mr. Charles tidied up his appearance again and came to the living room.
The guy sitting there immediately stood up. Mr. Charles had a gentle smile on his face. “Mr. Hope, I have learned about some of your views. I have to say that it is very shocking!”
“The care you have for your nation, family, and friends makes me, and even many people in the Federation, feel ashamed!”
“I admit that there are indeed many problems in the Federation now. People don’t pay enough attention to the refugees, and abuse their cheap labor to make them do dangerous things. We urgently need to use some power to turn this around.”
“But this is not something that I alone, or you alone, can easily do. It requires many people, and even bloodshed, and sacrifice!”
“For the future of the refugee community, Mr. Hope, do you have the courage to face this?”
Mr. Hope’s eyes were shining. Anyway, the bloodshed and sacrifice were not his blood, not his sacrifice. What was there for him to be afraid of?
Although that was the case, politics was a public performance class.
He immediately became excited. “I thank you for your generosity and kindness on behalf of millions of refugees, Mr. Charles. The people of the New Port District will remember your goodness…”
It’s easy to defeat Mayor Williams, but what Mr. Charles wants is to completely crush him, leaving him no chance to plan for the future.
If a vicious, large-scale group conflict were to occur in Golden Port City, and a large group of people were to be killed or injured, including many refugees, the federal government, in order to appease the emotions of its allies and also to give an explanation to the domestic public, would it directly impeach Mayor Williams and have him step down early, and then finish him off with one blow?
Very likely!
Even if the federal government didn’t plan to finish him off with one blow, this group of people, Mr. Charles and his associates, would not let him live!
This Hope in front of him was just a clown in his eyes, but as long as he was used well, he could also become the sharpest dagger that stabbed into Mayor Williams’s heart!
The people who were shaken by this matter were definitely not just the parties involved. When Mayor Williams got up in the morning and saw this newspaper, he also took a sharp breath.
He knew about these notebooks, and he knew what was in them. He had almost forgotten about this matter before, until this moment!
He immediately picked up the phone and dialed the number of Chief Bruce’s office. Chief Bruce didn’t dare to go home and sleep now, for fear that if the mayor called at any time and he didn’t answer immediately, he would eventually be replaced.
Fortunately, there was a rest room in the office. He could rest in the rest room. At the same time, this place could be considered his turf. Living here temporarily gave him a strong sense of security.
The call was quickly answered. He didn’t even dare to sit in his chair. He held the receiver with both hands and carefully placed it to his ear. “This is the chief’s office. I’m Bruce.”
“Did you see today’s news?”
“Such a big thing happened, and you can still sit still?”
“I think you don’t want to do this anymore!”
When Mayor Williams opened his mouth, Chief Bruce was completely dumbfounded. What the hell was going on?
(End of a Chapter)