Chapter 701
The New Round of the Worst Competition
Even before the election began, Hawke and Brian had a clear division of labor: one was responsible for causing trouble, while the other was responsible for appearing virtuous and righteous on the surface.
Brian naturally belongs to the latter category.
After receiving Jennifer's message, he thought back carefully and remembered that he had a brief relationship with Jessica around 2003.
It will take at most a month and a half.
There was no further contact after that.
Brian confirmed this and, after a brief discussion with Hawke, decided to call the police.
Hawke handed the matter over to Caroline.
Jessica had worked in Hollywood, and with the capabilities of paparazzi studios that thrive on Twitter, they were able to uncover in detail everything about her playing around on the red sofa with the assistant casting director on set.
Hawke specifically reminded them, "The opponent is putting in more effort, so you need to be extra careful."
Brian said, "Don't worry, I've been very conservative all these years and haven't gone out to mess around. These kinds of things between men and women don't play a big role."
Related reports have already appeared on the internet.
"Bryan Ferguson is suspected of having an affair with Latina woman Jessica Lopez, resulting in her pregnancy, and then threatening to force Jessica to have an abortion!"
"Jennifer's displays of marital bliss are just as ridiculous as the lovey-dovey relationship between Tom and Claire Emerson."
"Shocking! Presidential candidate Brian is committing a crime, and Latina woman Jessica has filed a complaint!"
The Latino and Cthulhu identities were specifically brought up by the media from the blue camp.
These two groups, Cthulhu goes without saying, are large in number and have surpassed Black people in the American population to become the second largest ethnic group.
Whether the news is true or false is not important. Ordinary people's thinking is easily led by public opinion. As long as voters in these two groups dislike Brian because of this, the planners will have achieved their goal.
Jennifer personally called FBI headquarters to discuss the matter of reporting the incident to the police.
Brian met up with Steve, who had come from Los Angeles, and together they arrived at Pittsburgh Market Square to give a speech to the voters.
Hawke and Brian had originally planned to target monsters and Cthulhu-like beings, but due to certain unforeseen circumstances, they had to temporarily abandon the plan and continue to exploit these groups.
After all, the Cthulhu group is too powerful to be described even in writing.
This time, Clement, who served as campaign manager, had made preparations in advance.
However, an unexpected situation still occurred.
As Brian was about to go on stage, a senior detective from the Pittsburgh Police Department suddenly arrived at the back of the stage with a large group of his men and blocked their way.
Clement quickly stepped forward to negotiate: "Our event has been approved by the city hall."
“I apologize, Mr. Brian Ferguson.” The detective was outwardly polite, leaving no room for criticism in public: “We apologize for interrupting your lecture, but we received a report from a lady.”
Brian remained calm because he had been with his team the whole time, and the false accusations wouldn't have much effect.
But the detective wasn't targeting him.
Presidential candidates have many privileges, and local police departments have no authority to deal with them.
The detective looked at Clement and presented the necessary summons paperwork: "A woman reported to us that she was raped at the Four Seasons Hotel the night before last, and she showed us a video as evidence."
He winked at the detectives on either side and said, "Mr. Clement, you are suspected of rape. We are now summoning you to discuss the case according to procedure."
Clement carefully examined the subpoena in his hand. At that moment, the lawyer who served as the team's legal counsel came over and quickly glanced at it as well.
Brian's gaze fell on Clement's face. If he remembered correctly, Clement had met his girlfriend at the hotel the night before last.
Clement's face was very unpleasant. The woman from the night before last was clearly his girlfriend.
This is a meticulously planned frame-up.
"It's not the right time to make a scene," Clement said to Brian in a low voice. "They're setting me up."
Clement was the family's recommended candidate, and his abilities are beyond question.
When it comes to girlfriends, no one can predict the future.
Brian waved his hand: "If the paperwork is all set up, you can come with me first. I'll have my lawyer process your bail as soon as possible."
Clement added, "That woman has been with me for years, I never expected her to..."
Brian interrupted him: "Go ahead."
Clement had no choice but to follow the agents outside.
The team's lawyer and two assistants followed.
As soon as these people reached the outer perimeter, as if they had been notified in advance, media reporters swarmed over and surrounded them.
As the reporters continued to ask questions, the senior detective did not leave immediately but instead began to give interviews.
The camera flashes went off frequently, and Clement, who was facing the camera, could barely open his eyes and could only raise his hand to cover his face.
But his appearance, and the scene of him being forcibly summoned by the Pittsburgh police, have all been clearly captured by reporters.
Clement was filled with hatred. His girlfriend of several years had betrayed him so easily and even falsely accused him of rape.
Taking advantage of the chaos, the lawyer whispered to Clement from behind, "Don't say anything out of line."
Cases like this are very difficult to handle.
Clement knew very well that if he couldn't get acquitted, his career... no, his life would be completely over.
The detectives and reporters caused a brief commotion, but Brian regained his composure, exchanged a few words with the saint Steve, and took the lead on the stage to begin his campaign speech in Pittsburgh.
Steven then went on stage to support him.
Despite those unexpected events, Brian still received a thunderous applause from his supporters.
As soon as the event ended, he got into his car and instructed his assistant Sandra: "Report the situation to Los Angeles and make sure it gets back to Hawke's office."
Sandra handled the situation very decisively: "I've already notified them."
Brian asked, "What's Hawke's opinion?"
Sandra quickly replied, "They believe that even if Clement is acquitted by his girlfriend's accusations, it will take a considerable amount of time. In addition to sending lawyers and mobilizing funds to fully support him, Hawke thinks we need to replace him with a campaign manager."
Brian shared the same idea. After a moment's consideration, he decided to bring in reinforcements from their stronghold in Sacramento: "Tell Bacon to come to Pittsburgh and join us immediately."
He paused briefly, then said, "Contact Edward again and have him dispatched a business jet to bring him over today."
Sandra replied, "Yes." Brian thought for a moment and instructed, "Inform the entire team later that this is an unprecedentedly fierce war, and no one involved can remain uninvolved. Everyone should take care of their own tasks."
There's no way around it; human desires are endless and sometimes uncontrollable.
Sandra, remembering the male model she was planning to meet that evening, wisely canceled the appointment.
She's been working extremely hard and under a lot of pressure lately. She's focused all her energy on her career for the past few years and doesn't have a steady boyfriend. She's been feeling cooped up for months and is looking forward to relaxing.
Forget it. As long as you're successful in your career, what kind of male model can't you find?
Back at the hotel, taking advantage of the significant impact of the Clement incident, Sandra convened all the office staff and conveyed Brian's latest instructions.
Such a request is somewhat unreasonable in the United States.
Brian wasn't stupid either, and at the same time, he had Sandra tell the team that everyone's salary and benefits would be increased by 30%.
The allure of money is so great that it can make people endure for a while.
The lawyer then called back. Clement's case was very complicated. The girlfriend who accused him of rape had multiple bruises on her body, and there were traces of Clement on the underwear she provided.
Two hotel staff members said they heard a woman calling for help from the room that night, but assumed the guests were playing a peculiar game and did not go to disturb them.
This was an open incident, attracting a large number of media reporters, so Brian could only have his lawyer bail the person out first, and deal with the rest later.
The campaign cannot be interrupted by something like this.
With some people stirring up trouble, a lot of negative news about Brian appeared in the media.
"The two scandals in quick succession prove that Brian has serious problems with his judgment."
"How can someone who can't even manage a campaign team possibly manage a country?"
"Brian must be held accountable for these incidents!"
The final election has begun, and in addition to their own propaganda, both sides will naturally do their part in smearing their opponents.
Media outlets leaning towards the Democratic Party, such as Twitter and Fox News, have been relentlessly focusing on the Epstein and St. James Island incidents.
Despite being a veritable compilation of dirt on the Donald Party, the Oscar-winning film "Silaly" is still playing in theaters, its CD rental and sales prices are almost at cost, and it's prominently featured on Netflix and Twitter's streaming channels.
In his hotel suite, Brian finished his work and made a video call to Hawke via Starlink's dedicated communication channel.
The two quickly exchanged information about the two events that had occurred in quick succession.
Brian said to the display screen, "There's no doubt that this was done by Joseph's side."
Hawke said, "We can't expect everyone to be like you and me."
“What do you mean by ‘like you and me’? You’re clearly like me!” Brian curled his lip and reminded him, “Don’t forget, you have two mistresses, while I’m a good family man.”
Hawke retorted with a cold laugh: "Do you know what your nickname is now? It's not 'Curse Cult Leader,' the Donald Party media calls you 'Mobile Bio-Cyborg.'"
Brian was furious, but he couldn't do anything to the Donald Party right now, so he swallowed his anger and asked Hawke, "What are your plans for retaliating next?"
“Ignore the Donald Party’s actions for now and execute our established plan,” Hawke said quickly. “The media and the FBI will investigate Jessica Lopez and try to clear your name in the illegitimate child scandal, but the negative impact will not disappear. Those who believe you have been disgraced will think it’s all fabricated, no matter what the media does.”
Brian, having served as Governor of California for many years, has ample knowledge of these matters.
Hawke continued, "This is always a world where it's a race to the bottom. With only two candidates, it doesn't matter if you get smeared and ruined. As long as your opponent is worse than you, you still have the advantage. Joseph Group's little tricks can't shake our foundation. They can still fight their battles, and we can fight ours. As long as we beat them to a pulp, the matter will be resolved."
Brian trusted Hawke completely in this regard, and asked, "How are your preparations going?"
Hawke glanced at his watch and said, "The people from Africa will arrive in Los Angeles soon, and Washington is also looking for an opportunity to make a move. We should know the outcome this week."
Brian said, "Then I'll wait for your good news."
After the video call ended, Hawke called Edward, and together they left the Coast Building and headed straight for Butterfly Security Company. After meeting up with Henderson, they set sail for Katrina Island, where they planned to see their old friend Abhishek.
…………
Washington, Delaware Club.
After a busy day at work, Dillon asked his subordinates if Jack Jones had sent any new messages.
Three days have passed since our last contact.
Dillon wasn't in a hurry; unless there was an emergency, he would only contact Washington once every four or five days.
Washington will not proactively contact Jack Jones to avoid sending him a message that could expose him in a special situation.
As darkness fell, Dillon prepared to go back to rest, telling the staff on duty to call if anything happened, and then drove away from the club alone.
Arriving at the apartment building, which wasn't too far away, Dillon parked his car and went into his usual pizzeria.
"A roast meat pizza, please," he said to the cashier. "Beckel, the usual, extra onions and spices."
Becker tapped the electronic screen to place his order and said, "Please have a seat and wait a moment."
There weren't many people in the store at the moment. Dillon found an empty table near the cashier and sat down, asking Becker, who was now free, "Is business slow today?"
Becker pointed across the street: "A new restaurant opened over there, and they're having an opening sale. People from this neighborhood are all going there."
Dillon turned his head and looked through the glass door, and saw that a queue had formed in front of the restaurant across the street.
Becker said, "These newly opened restaurants aren't focusing on cooking and taste, they're engaging in this kind of cutthroat competition..."
Dillon laughed: "You've thought a lot through."
“I’ve been here for almost eight months. The boss is a very nice person and pays a high salary.” Becker said with some concern, “I don’t want the boss’s shop to go out of business.”
Over time, Dillon, a regular customer of pizza, had become quite familiar with Becker. He said, "I hope so, otherwise I won't find a pizza that suits my taste so well."
While the two were chatting, the barbecue pizza was finished, and the people in the kitchen brought over the packaging box.
Dillon picked up the box, said hello, and left the restaurant alone, heading towards a nearby apartment building.
Inside the pizzeria, a Latino kitchen worker quietly approached Becker and whispered, "The toppings are in."
Becker took out his phone and sent a message.
Dillon returned home, took a carton of milk from the refrigerator, and started eating pizza.
He had a lot to do during the day, and with the added pressure, he got sleepy earlier than usual and simply went to bed.
Dillon slept incredibly soundly that night. (End of Chapter)