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Chapter 112 The Quiet Act
Chapter 112 The Quiet Act
Pittsburgh City Council regular meeting Tuesday afternoon at 2 p.m.
A huge crystal chandelier hangs beneath the dome, illuminating the massive horseshoe-shaped oak conference table below.
According to the city council bylaws, the mayor is not obligated to attend such routine bill review meetings.
He could have simply sat in his office and waited for the results, just like Cartwright did.
But Leo still came.
He needs to face all of this.
He wanted to see with his own eyes how the key to power was passed from the hands of the citizens, through his hands, and into the hands of the oligarchs.
He must remember this feeling, remember the weight of this betrayal.
Leo sat in the mayor's seat.
His fever symptoms had not completely subsided.
Two strong cold pills suppressed the shivering, but couldn't suppress the chill seeping from the very marrow of my bones.
He wrapped his dark gray wool suit tighter around himself, his hands clasped together on the table, his fingertips icy cold.
Ethan sat on the bench behind him, a black briefcase on his lap.
The bag contained a document that had just come out of the printing press.
This is a 300-page executive bill filled with obscure technical jargon, complicated legal references, and sleep-inducing data tables.
Full title: Pittsburgh Strategic Logistics Unified Management and Regional Eco-Intensive Development Act.
Abbreviation: Strategic Logistics Unified Management Act.
This is a Trojan horse that Leo personally created to fulfill the promise he made at the mountaintop club.
"The current agenda is—"
The city council clerk was a plump woman in her sixties. She pushed up her glasses and read in a monotonous tone.
"Proposal regarding the consideration of the Strategic Logistics Unified Management Act. Proposer: Mayor's Office."
Leo stood up and bowed slightly in his seat.
"Mr. Speaker, fellow members of parliament."
"This bill aims to consolidate Pittsburgh's existing fragmented logistics resources and enhance the city's competitiveness in the Great Lakes supply chain by introducing unified, modern management standards. It also includes several supplementary provisions regarding the ecological protection of the Allegheny River basin."
"The specific details and technical parameters have been distributed to everyone's desks."
After saying that, Leo sat down.
He packaged this bill, which would determine the economic lifeline of Pittsburgh for the next fifty years, into an uninteresting administrative adjustment document.
That is the purpose.
Only boredom can cover up evil.
Only boredom can make those greedy eyes lose focus.
In the council chamber, nine members were flipping through a thick stack of papers in front of them.
In fact, the details of this bill had already been delivered to each of their desks several days ago.
At that time, they had already held several rounds of informal discussions and exchanges of benefits.
Although several members of Congress raised questions about certain provisions and even complained in private phone calls that the arrangement was too radical, the bill was still brought to today's meeting as scheduled, driven by various unseen forces.
The current review is merely completing the final step, or rather, using this seemingly serious act of review to calm myself down a little.
Gavin Stone sat in his seat; he was Morganfield's eyes and ears in Parliament.
His fingers flipped through the documents, skipping directly over the first two hundred pages of nonsense about "environmental protection" and "administrative restructuring".
His gaze lingered on page 214.
Under Section 12, Article 3 of Chapter 7, "Operational Franchises and Centralized Management," there is a densely packed section of small print.
"—To avoid the waste of public resources caused by disorderly competition, the municipal authorities are hereby authorized to implement a single-entity franchise system for core logistics nodes." The franchise term is set at fifty years, and is exclusive and irrevocable. —"
In the appendix on page 218, the clause on "Overall Developer Qualification" contains a strict requirement that the developer must own at least 500 acres of existing railway transfer stations. This requirement is quietly buried among a bunch of requirements for "environmental rating" and "fire safety".
Stone closed the file.
He looked up at Leo.
He blinked gently, a signal that only the two of them could understand.
Transaction confirmed.
Goods are correct.
"Mr. Speaker."
Stone was the first to press the speak button.
"I have carefully studied this bill."
"I think this is a very timely and professional document. Pittsburgh's logistics system has been chaotic for too long, and we need this kind of intensive management approach. This is in line with the trend of modern urban governance and is also a demonstration of responsibility to taxpayers."
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"I fully support it."
Stone is a voice in the business world, and his attitude represents the direction of capital.
Thomas Moretti, sitting in the middle seat, was idly tapping the table with his pen.
He couldn't even be bothered to look at the document.
As early as last night, he had already received a "hint" and a detailed funding plan for the renovation of the main road in his first constituency.
The $500 million bond is already on its way.
Now that he has already secured his position, he has no reason to obstruct this bill, which appears to be merely an administrative matter.
Moreover, he also noticed Morganfield's involvement.
In this city, offending both the new mayor and the old oligarch at the same time is definitely not a wise choice.
"Congressman Stone is right."
Moretti yawned.
"We must respect the opinions of the professional departments regarding these technical matters. Since the mayor's office and the planning bureau have already conducted their assessments, our council only needs to oversee the implementation."
He glanced around the conference table.
"Does anyone else have any objections?"
The meeting room was quiet.
Old Billy was looking down at his phone, preoccupied only with his multi-story parking garage.
Rodriguez was touching up her makeup; all she had to do was vote with the rest of the group.
Baker is checking stock quotes.
Elsa and Benji, the two progressive allies, were somewhat confused by the overly technical bill, but out of trust in Leo and the appealing rhetoric about "environment" and "ecology" in the first two hundred pages of the bill, they chose to support it.
It looks like everything will go smoothly.
Just then, a piercing sound rang out.
"etc."
Linda Rossi, who was sitting in the corner, raised her hand.
Cartwright’s former political ally and advocate for the interests of the old bureaucracy was now staring at Leo with suspicion.
"I have questions about the franchise clause on page 214."
Rossi's voice was shrill.
"Fifty years? Exclusivity? That sounds like a monopoly."
Leo's heart skipped a beat.
He didn't expect that among these nine people, there would actually be someone who would read those hundreds of pages of nonsense, and even actually get to the key points.
Rossi wasn't upholding justice; she was upholding the old power structure.
The small and medium-sized contractors and old logistics companies behind her will be completely wiped out because of this bill.
"This is certainly not a monopoly, Congressman Rossi," Leo replied without changing his expression. "It's for efficiency."
"You can go and see Singapore, Rotterdam, and all modern ports. Decentralized operations only lead to resource waste and environmental pollution."
"We need a strong leader to coordinate the overall situation."
"Efficiency?" Rossi sneered. "I only see the suspicion of bribery. I demand a public hearing on this clause and an independent third-party evaluation!"
Public hearing.
These four words were the last thing Leo wanted to hear.
Once the hearing process begins, it means endless wrangling, media involvement, and the possibility of Morganfield's name being leaked prematurely.
In that case, the whole plan would be doomed if it were exposed.
The atmosphere in the conference room instantly became tense.
Moretti frowned. He didn't want to cause trouble. If Rossi insisted, he would indeed need to arrange a hearing according to procedure.
Just as Moretti was about to speak.
"Buzz"
The sound of a cell phone vibrating was particularly clear in the quiet meeting room.
That was Linda Rossi's cell phone, which was on the table.
She initially didn't want to pay attention and was prepared to continue her attack.
But when she glanced at her phone screen out of the corner of her eye, her expression changed instantly.
The name displayed on the screen was someone she absolutely dared not disobey.
He was the biggest financial backer in her constituency and the behind-the-scenes boss who controlled the lifeline of dozens of construction companies in her constituency.
Rossi's hands trembled slightly.
She glanced at Leo, then at Gavin Stone, who sat opposite her with a calm expression.
She suddenly understood.
This is a net.
A vast network, long woven and covering the entire power structure of Pittsburgh.
Leo Wallace wasn't just making a deal with Morganfield; he was using Morganfield's power to crush all his opponents.
Rossi picked up her phone and pressed the reject button.
But she had already received the message conveyed in that phone call.
To shut up.
This is an order.
Rossi took a deep breath; she felt as if an invisible hand was gripping her throat tightly.
She looked at Leo, the sharpness in her eyes turning into resentment.
"----never mind."
Rossi's voice lowered and became weak.
"Since it's for efficiency—I can understand that, and I also hope Pittsburgh can develop."
I withdraw my request.
She slumped into the chair and stopped talking.
The crisis is over.
Moretti glanced at Rossi with some surprise, but he didn't ask any further questions.
"very good."
Moretti picked up the heavy wooden mallet.
"If there are no further objections, let's begin the vote."
"Those who agree to pass the Strategic Logistics Unified Management Act, please raise your hands."
Gavin Stone was the first to raise his hand.
Next up are Elsa, Benji, old Billy, Rodriguez, and Baker.
Moretti also raised his hand.
Linda Rossi hesitated for a moment; she neither raised her hand in opposition nor in favor.
She chose to abstain.
Even Pete Miller, who had always been at odds with Leo, raised his hand after hearing that the bill could increase taxes and potentially increase the police department's budget.
Eight votes in favor, one abstention.
"Bang!"
The gavel came down hard.
The crisp sound of the impact echoed in the empty council chamber.
"The bill has passed."
Moretti announced.
There were no flashes of light, no cheers, and no excited hugs.
The only sounds were the rustling of turning pages and a few suppressed coughs.
Pittsburgh's most important logistics asset for the next fifty years, the city's core economic lifeline, was legally and compliantly transferred in less than fifteen minutes of deliberation, in a drowsy atmosphere.
Leo sat in his chair, watching the mallet fall.
He felt a wave of exhaustion.
His back was soaked with cold sweat.
He reached into his pocket, found the bottle of cold medicine, and gently rubbed his fingertips against the plastic bottle.
"It's over," Leo thought to himself.
"Yes, it's over."
Roosevelt's voice echoed in his mind.
"This is the highest level of stealing a country, Leo."
"The real master thieves never wear masks or carry guns."
"They won't break into your house in the middle of the night and ransack it."
"They will wear their best suits and sit in the most solemn council chamber."
"They will use the most tedious procedures, the most obscure laws, and the most boring documents to hypnotize you and make you drowsy."
"Then, in the very instant you yawn."
"They took your house keys right in front of you."
"And you handed them to them yourself."
Leo stood up.
He straightened his suit, nodded to the members of parliament, and then turned and walked out of the chamber.
The corridor was empty.
He walked to the window and looked at the gloomy sky outside.
In the distance, the Mononga Hilla River flows quietly.
Morganfield's crane will soon be erected there, and it will soon become private property.
He won.
He obtained the final pass to the $500 million.
"Stop sighing, Mr. Mayor."
Roosevelt offered a reminder.
"Since you've already sold your soul, use the money to do something worthwhile."
"Now, all the roadblocks have been cleared."
"It's time to let that five hundred million dollars really flow into this parched land."
Leo took a deep breath and forcefully suppressed the guilt.
His gaze hardened again, and he turned to Ethan behind him, saying, "Notify Morganfield to prepare to receive his things."