novelnext Chapter 135 Pittsburgh Refuses Extortion
Chapter 135 Pittsburgh Refuses Extortion
Chapter 135 Pittsburgh Refuses Extortion (Bonus Chapter for 23000 Monthly Tickets)
After Murphy finished speaking, there was silence on the other end of the phone.
Leo held the phone.
He felt an unprecedented rage, an rage that burned in his chest, almost burning away his reason.
compromise.
Another compromise.
For the sake of the so-called "big picture," and to protect the positions of those key figures, Pittsburgh and all promises must be sacrificed.
That's their game.
"Leo?" Murphy called tentatively, "Are you listening?"
"I'm listening."
Leo's voice was frighteningly calm.
"So, John, what's your decision?"
Are you prepared to withdraw from the election?
Murphy remained silent for a moment.
"I—I don't know." Murphy's voice was filled with pain. "I don't want to withdraw from the race, I'm not willing to give up, but what else can I do? Without Sanders' support, I'm like standing naked in a blizzard."
"And if I don't back down, they're really going to kill you, Leo. That lawsuit will go on and on until you lose, Pittsburgh will go bankrupt, and you could go to jail."
"I can't drag you down with me."
"Let's withdraw from the election. We—we can at least survive."
As Leo listened to Murphy's voice on the other end of the phone, a ferocious expression slowly appeared on his face.
"Survive?"
"John, have you lost your mind?"
Leo jumped up, the chair scraping against the floor with a jarring sound.
Do you think withdrawing the lawsuit will solve the problem?
"For this damn port project, for that five hundred million dollars, I've staked my reputation, my political credibility, everything!"
"I've already paid the price!"
Leo's roar echoed through the office.
"I've earned a bad reputation, I've offended my base, and I've turned myself into a politician who'll stop at nothing for personal gain. Why did I do all this? To get you a seat in the Senate! To get that money to fulfill my promise!"
"I've even prepared a complete plan for the subsequent redevelopment of Pittsburgh after you're elected senator!"
"Now you're telling me, for the sake of the so-called bigger picture, to satisfy those who want to kill us, we're going to give up?"
"If we back out now, all the deals we made before will truly become dirty deals. Not only will we get nothing, but we'll also be nailed to the pillory of shame, becoming two complete clowns!"
Murphy was intimidated by Leo's imposing manner and stammered, "But—Sander—even Daniel compromised—"
"Then let him compromise!"
Leo interrupted him.
"Since Sanders has chosen to abandon us at this time, and since he has decided to sacrifice Pittsburgh for his own schemes in Washington."
"Then, from this moment on, he is no longer our partner."
A chilling light gleamed in Leo's eyes.
"John, we've come this far. The five hundred million dollars in bonds have been issued, the money is in the account, and the cranes at the port are up and running."
"This is a high-speed train with no brakes and no reverse gear."
"You either sit in the driver's seat and drive through, or you jump out and die."
"Continue the campaign."
"Never mind what Washington says, never mind what that damn committee threatens."
"You are a candidate in Pennsylvania, your name is printed on the ballot, and as long as you don't withdraw, God can't cross you out."
Even over the phone, Murphy could feel the young man's crazy gambling instincts.
This gambling spirit is so infectious that it made his heart, which had cooled down, start beating wildly again.
Yes.
We've come this far.
If he backs down now, he'll be nothing more than a spineless congressman for the rest of his life, and a coward with a reputation for "deserting in the face of battle."
"But, Leo—"
Murphy wavered, but the obstacles of reality still weighed on him like a mountain.
"The lawsuit is still ongoing, and they will fight it to the bitter end as long as I don't withdraw from the election."
"You know what this means."
"The core of my entire campaign platform is this inland port project. I told voters that I would bring jobs and revitalization."
"But now, the legitimacy of this project is being questioned."
"The previous lawsuit dragged on, but it didn't affect us much because the Democrats were still speaking up for us at that time."
Although voters had their doubts, seeing that senior figures within the party were endorsing us, they were willing to give us time and believe that this was just normal political smear.
"But things are different now!"
Murphy's voice was filled with despair.
"Now both Democrats and Republicans are against us! They're working together to strangle us! If I still have to travel the statewide giving speeches and face media outlets that are already hostile towards me, this lawsuit is my Achilles' heel!"
"As long as that antitrust lawsuit remains unresolved, Monroe and Warren will hold on to it relentlessly."
"They'll say: 'Look, Murphy's promised jobs are built on illegal monopolies! His projects could be shut down by the courts at any time! He's a complete fraud!'"
"If I cannot guarantee the legitimacy of the project, every promise I make will sound like a lie to voters. Public opinion will collapse quickly, and our approval rating will plummet like an avalanche."
"In this situation, what do I have to offer to win?"
"This is a deadlock. I can't run for office until the lawsuit is resolved, and the only condition for resolving the lawsuit is that I withdraw from the election."
Leo remained silent for a moment.
He opened the drawer of his desk, took out a pack of cigarettes, lit it, and took a deep drag.
The acrid smoke swirled in his lungs, calming his mind.
Leo exhaled a smoke ring and stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray.
"John."
"Leave the litigation to me."
Leo's voice was calm.
"I'll take care of it."
"And it was resolved very quickly."
"You don't need to concern yourself with court matters, nor do you need to concern yourself with any associations."
"You only have one task."
"Go call your campaign donors, call the union leaders, call every wealthy person you know."
"Tell them that you haven't withdrawn from the race, and you won't withdraw."
"Tell them we're going to run for president."
"Whether Washington provides funding or not, our campaign funds must be guaranteed."
Murphy paused for a moment: "You have a way? That's an antitrust lawsuit—"
"I have a way."
Leo's voice was filled with determination.
"Trust me, John."
"I am the mayor of Pittsburgh."
"This is my territory."
"Someone is trying to blackmail me and this city with a lawsuit on my own turf."
"They've miscalculated."
Leo's eyes turned icy cold.
"We need to tell Washington, Harrisburg, and Russell Warren."
"Pittsburgh does not accept any blackmail."
"Whether it's political or legal."
"Go, John. Go prepare your speech, go prepare your fundraising dinner."
Murphy held the phone, listening to Leo's resolute voice.
He didn't know where Leo got his confidence from.
He had heard from Karen that the top-tier legal team Morganfield had hired at great expense, when faced with this antitrust lawsuit, gave the first piece of advice: "delay it."
Even seasoned lawyers who have spent their entire lives navigating the legal maze are at a loss. What makes Leo, a young mayor, think he can solve this?
However, Leo's face reappeared in Murphy's mind.
That young face, yet with a flame burning in its eyes.
A few months ago, it was this very face that dragged him step by step out of the comfort zone of the House of Representatives and pushed him into the Senate, an arena full of swords and spears.
He recalled how, during the primaries, Leo had uncovered Cortez's dirty secrets and turned the tide of the election.
He recalled how, when facing Moretti's blockade, Leo had used such a crazy tactic to force open the city hall's doors.
Every time, when everyone thought it was a dead end, this young man could always find a path that no one dared to take.
Moreover, he always wins.
"What am I still hesitating about?" Murphy asked himself.
Sanders represents the past, the old order.
In that order, Murphy was always just a pawn that could be sacrificed.
Leo represents a wild, untamed force that refuses to die, refuses to be defined, and refuses to become a pawn on the chessboard of powerful figures.
Leo was already seated at the gambling table, with all his chips on the table.
His mayoral position, his political reputation, and even his freedom were all pushed to the center of the table.
Withdrawing from the election is tantamount to death.
That's a slow death, a gradual decay in humiliation, a life spent watching Aston Munro put on a show on television while one can only find a pitiful solace in confession in their memoir.
Moving forward might also mean death.
But at least, he died on the charge, in the glory of fighting for ideals and ambitions, and in the spectacular way that made everyone remember the name "John Murphy".
Besides, would we really die if we followed this young man?
No.
This young man will not lose.
He possessed a ruthlessness that even fate feared.
Murphy took a deep breath and exhaled the stale air from his lungs.
He felt his spine reconnect in that instant.
He was no longer the subservient congressman, nor Sanders' sidekick.
He was an ally of Leo Wallace.
"it is good."
Murphy's voice was deep and firm.
"Leo, I believe you."
"Fuck Sanders, fuck the National Committee, if they want a good baby, let them go to Philadelphia and find Monroe."
"I'm betting my old life, and all the meager political future I've built up over the years, on you today."
"As long as I don't withdraw, they can forget about removing this name from the ballot."
"As for that damn lawsuit—"
"It's up to you."
hang up the phone.
Leo breathed a sigh of relief; he had finally convinced Murphy to continue running for office.
The passion that had surged like magma just now cooled instantly as the current was cut off.
Leo sat in the chair, an overwhelming sense of emptiness washing over him like a tidal wave, instantly engulfing him.
His hands were still trembling slightly.
If Murphy had wavered even slightly, if he had chosen to succumb to pressure from Washington and withdraw from the race.
Then he would have truly lost completely.
"You won the bet, son."
Roosevelt's voice rang out.
"But you're walking a tightrope."
"You drove Murphy to a dead end, and you've also driven yourself to a dead end."
"Now, you must keep your promise."
"If you can't resolve that antitrust lawsuit, then Murphy's trust in you will instantly turn into something more terrifying than hatred."
Leo covered his face with both hands, rubbing his face vigorously with his palms.
"It's too difficult, Mr. President."
Leo's voice came through his fingers, muffled and tinged with vulnerability.
"With every step I take forward, I have to cut off a way back behind me. I feel like I'm not walking a tightrope, but running on a knife's edge."
"If I slip even slightly, even with the smallest mistake, I will be smashed to pieces."
"No one can help me; everyone is just waiting to see me die."
Roosevelt responded, "Real politics is a road that gets narrower and narrower."
"When you're a nobody, you have a lot of friends. You drink together, you swear together, you dream together. Back then, the world was warm."
"But when you start climbing up, when you start making decisions, when you start sacrificing the part for the so-called big picture, when you start trading your soul for the greater good..."
You'll find that there are fewer and fewer people around you.
Frank doesn't understand you; he thinks you've changed. Sarah is afraid of you; she thinks you're cold. Murphy depends on you, but he could break down from fear at any moment.
"They can share your victory and devour your prey."
But they can't share your fear.
"When you wake up in the middle of the night, when the building is about to collapse, when that button that decides life and death must be pressed."
There is always only one person in this room.
Roosevelt paused for a moment.
"That's you."
"This is the destiny of a leader."
"On the eve of Lincoln signing the Emancipation Proclamation, his cabinet members were against him, his generals were mocking him, and the whole South was cursing him."
At that moment, all he had was himself.
1
Me too.
"On the eve of deciding to go to war, I sat in my wheelchair, looking out at the Washington Monument. I knew that once I signed the papers, thousands of American children would die in a foreign land."
"At that moment, no one could help me share even an ounce of my weight."
"This is the ticket to power, and also its epitaph."
Leo listened to these words.
He felt an unprecedented cold, but he did not shiver.
On the contrary, his back straightened even more.
"I hate this feeling."
"passive."
"helpless."
"Like a drowning person waiting for rescue."
I hate weakness.
I hate leaving my fate to others.
"This kind of thing will never happen again."
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