Chapter 1162: A New License, Trouble, and Eliminating Trouble

"The Department of Defense approved twenty licenses this time. Yours is just one of them, number '1', with a quota of 5,000 people."

"If your subsequent business performance is good, satisfying both our side and Congress, then the DoD will increase your permitted number of employees."

"By the way, if you need more people in the short term, you can hire some... you know, employees who aren't veterans. They don't take up these slots."

The Federal Veterans Affairs has a dedicated office to manage them, creating a file for everyone, which is then sent down to state offices, city offices, and even regional or village/town levels.

It's called an office, but it's also a very tight organizational structure. There are rumors this office might become an independent department.

As for when that will happen, it's unclear, but based on the current situation, it's definitely possible.

However active they were in drafting millions of soldiers then, that's how much of a headache they have now. The trouble isn't just the veterans' trauma, stress, or battlefield syndromes, but also problems in daily life.

In short, the DoD really wants to try and see if there are other ways to solve these veteran problems without making things difficult for themselves.

Lance did not ask who the other nineteen licenses were given to. If those people and their companies were above board, he would naturally find out later.

If they weren't above board, knowing now wouldn't bring any benefits, and might instead attract trouble.

He wasn't afraid of trouble, but he didn't like to cause it.

It's like how people aren't afraid of their own excrement, but very few are willing to cup it in their hands.

You might not be afraid, but you'll hate it, dislike it.

"After the documents come down in a few days, you can form the new company you mentioned and start recruiting."

"I have a suggestion here. I can arrange some officers for you, to ensure they can keep these people in line."

Lance agreed. This was not a bad thing.

Major General Bruni clearly had other matters. After this call, their communication ended.

Lance put the phone down and looked at it for a moment before starting to consider his next arrangements.

The "benefit" Senator Cleveland gave him would be mostly settled just by sending the people over after the new president takes office.

Federal work efficiency is just like that. If you say it's fast, many people will make you feel they are incredibly slow.

But if you say it's slow, that's not always certain.

At the same time, something rather terrible was happening in New Golden City.

Mr. Potter walked quickly back into his office. As soon as he entered, he saw his son, Middle Potter, standing there (of the grandfather, father, and son, he was the one in the middle). The moment Middle Potter saw Mr. Potter enter, he immediately stood up.

Mr. Potter then had everyone leave the room and personally walked to the door to close and lock it.

He tugged at his tie, unfastening the one meant to be worn with a suit jacket, and sat on the sofa. "What exactly happened?"

Middle Potter's expression was a bit serious. "They've already traced it to Little Potter."

When speaking of his own son, Middle Potter sounded like he was talking about an ordinary person he had a mediocre relationship with.

This was mainly because he looked down on his son. If he thought highly of him, things probably wouldn't be this way.

Mr. Potter looked at him, not understanding. "Didn't I tell you to handle this cleanly?"

Middle Potter's expression was still just as terrible, and he gave up managing it.

"I did start to handle it. But this couple... they contacted a reporter."

"And this reporter has some ability and connections. He got the list of participants who were in line that night and has started contacting them."

"I'm very worried. It's highly likely he'll get what he wants to know from them."

Mr. Potter's gaze seemed calm, but beneath the calm was a grim ruthlessness. "Are you saying my fucking election, which is about to start, could be ruined?"

In reality, this no longer had anything to do with the election. Even if he won and became president, as long as this scandal was exposed, Congress might immediately impeach him.

Even if he escaped, if he wanted to serve another four years, it would be impossible. This would be a permanent stain on his political career.

In the Federation, if a person's family member commits a crime, people will condemn the criminal, but also generally believe the man of the house failed to manage his family.

A man who can't even manage a family of three or four... letting him manage the entire Federation? That's a joke!

So this matter is indeed very troublesome. If it explodes before the election, his probability of winning will drop, and it could be a landslide drop.

The Socialist Party might look like they've given up and are no longer competing with him for the presidency, but that doesn't mean they'll do nothing when they see an opportunity.

They will stab him in a vital spot through any crack that appears.

So, this is very tricky.

He looked at his son. "This is how you handled it?"

Middle Potter didn't try to argue. He had indeed failed, misjudging the couple's desire to chase the truth, and underestimating the reporter's power to dig into this.

Mr. Potter glared at his son and tossed the unfastened tie on the sofa. "Right now, nothing is allowed to threaten my campaign. Understand?"

"It is more important than anything!"

"If I wasn't in a position where I can't deal with that bastard right now, I'd definitely deal with him!"

The "bastard" he mentioned was obviously his grandson, Little Potter.

And "dealing with him" probably just meant sending him to trial and letting the law give him a "fair" judgment. Given that he (Mr. Potter) would be president, the law would likely give Little Potter some face.

But not now. He wasn't president yet. He still had one last hurdle.

After thinking for about twenty or thirty seconds, he slowly opened his mouth. "Then make them disappear."

"Do it meticulously. Don't screw it up again this time."

Middle Potter nodded, then got up to leave. As long as his father, Mr. Potter, became president, then under a presidential pardon, no crime or criminal could not be forgiven.

So he wasn't worried at all about the possibility of being exposed. Even if he was, and was arrested, as long as his father signed a pardon, he would be completely free.

"I guarantee, before the election, they will not threaten your status, reputation, or influence."

Mr. Potter was a bit tired. He raised his hand and waved, signaling his son to leave. Middle Potter then left his father's office.

After leaving the office, Middle Potter contacted someone he knew and trusted, who was also a distant relative of the Potter family.

In the Federation, these powerful people all face a similar problem: when their relatives find out they've suddenly become so powerful, they all want to suck them dry.

Some relatives are useful to the family's growth; after all, you can't have no family members.

But some are negative.

The guy he found was one who could bring positive value to the family's development.

He was also willing to work for the three generations of Potters, one of whom was about to become president. So this guy quickly brought some handguns with their serial numbers filed off and their rifling re-bored.

This is what gangs do to handguns that have been fired and hit someone, to obscure them from law enforcement.

The uncertainty of the murder weapon is also an important defense in court.

After the two got in the car, Middle Potter said while driving, "What we have to do this time is make three people shut their mouths forever."

"First, we start with the couple..."

As Middle Potter drove, he looked around, frequently glancing in the rearview mirror at the cars behind him.

Because of the light and angle, he couldn't see into the cars, whether someone was resting, or how many people there were. He could only see windows reflecting the streetscape.

He felt someone was following him. He always felt eyes on him. He'd had this feeling for a while.

But when he tried to find out who was staring, the feeling would subtly disappear. This feeling, frankly, was very uncomfortable, making him paranoid, as if he were in danger.

But because he couldn't see inside the cars, he couldn't judge which one was giving him this bad feeling.

His relative soon interrupted his constant checking of the rearview mirror. The relative asked a question: to what extent did they need to go.

At the same time, the parents who had lost their daughter were on their way home. They had been investigating many clues with the reporter, and had finally succeeded in finding a list of people directly related to their daughter's death.

Now, they were holding this list and rushing home. They had already communicated with the reporter. The clues and names both sides had gathered were now assembled into a final list.

Looking at the names on the list, the couple's hearts were bleeding. It seemed every person was directly related to their daughter's death.

After they got home, they were on the phone with the reporter, cross-referencing the new names on the list.

When they mentioned a "Kim Potter," the reporter's tone changed, taking on an excited edge. This made the couple immediately realize this person might be a big shot.

"Kim Potter... do you mean the Mr. Potter?"

"The one running for president!"

The husband's face showed shock. He looked at the list again in disbelief. If Little Potter was also at this event, it was bad news for the campaigning Mr. Potter, though not quite a scandal.

But... it wasn't a good sign.

The reporter continued on the other end, "I had someone look into what happened. There's some bad news I should let you know. Your daughter's death is very likely related to Little Potter."

"I have ways to make them tell the truth, but these people and their words can't be used in court."

"I'm just letting you know the progress. I'll keep working on the rest!"

"I'm telling you this just to make you understand one thing: getting justice for your daughter will be very difficult, there's a lot of resistance. But we can't give up. That was a living, breathing person."

"So... my thought is, we continue trying to find the truth. Maybe someone will be able to help us."

"Whatever she did, it's not a reason for them to kill her!"

The couple had been on the verge of despair and giving up, but after hearing the reporter, they decided to persevere.

After all, that was their daughter. Just as the reporter said, no matter what she did, it wasn't a reason for her to be murdered.

If she really committed a crime, it should be a court and a judge to try her, not some person!

Just as they were about to say something, the line suddenly went dead. The couple shouted into the receiver a few times with no response. They both felt it was strange.

The man seemed to think of something. He placed the receiver on the hook and picked it up again, trying to turn the rotary dial, but there was no sound.

"Maybe the phone line is down," he said to his wife. "Anyway, we need to rest. She still needs our help to bring the truth to light."

What they didn't know was that, a few dozen meters away, Middle Potter's men had already cut their family's phone line at the junction box.

Afterward, several men began to circle toward their residence. Middle Potter's order today was very simple: kill the couple and dispose of their bodies.

In this, they were professionals.

The couple in the room didn't even know danger was approaching. They were still thinking about their daughter, comforting each other, relying on each other.

After a few minutes, a sudden knock on the door made the couple, who were speaking in low voices, freeze. The man stood up. He patted his wife's hand. "Don't be sad. I'll go see who it is..."

(End of this chapter)