Chapter 736 - 343: 100 Billion Order

The energy companies had no patience to wait for the nuclear power plants to be built. They wanted to sell their existing natural gas overseas immediately to rake in exorbitant profits.

To protect the hundred-billion-dollar deal right in front of them, the energy giants decisively betrayed Leo.

Karen gripped the marker in her hand.

She fully understood the treacherous situation Leo was facing. He’d been ruthlessly double-crossed by this group of utterly selfish capitalists.

She immediately picked up the phone on her desk and dialed Ethan’s number.

The call connected in an instant.

"Ethan, I figured it out," Karen said, speaking rapidly.

"What the hell is going on?" Ethan asked anxiously from the other end.

"A super-deal in the hundreds of billions," Karen stated flatly. "The energy companies sold Pennsylvania’s natural gas to Europe and Asia. They signed a five-year, long-term export contract."

"To ensure the construction schedule for the export facilities, they had to halt the nuclear power plant project. It was to prevent you from pulling construction resources from within the state."

"They teamed up with the Republican Party and killed Leo’s proposal on Capitol Hill."

A brief silence fell on the other end of the line.

"Those ungrateful bastards!" Ethan swore.

"That’s capitalism for you," Karen pointed out coolly. "Get this intel to Leo right away. He needs to adjust his strategy immediately."

"Got it. Thanks, Karen."

Ethan hung up the phone.

Karen put down the receiver.

She stared at the shocking figures and clues on the whiteboard.

The waters in Washington run deep.

The battleship that was Leo Wallace had just sailed into deep waters, only to immediately collide head-on with the terrifying iceberg of capitalism.

She knew Leo would never take this lying down.

This Mayor, who had fought his way out of the Rust Belt, possessed the fanatical will to destroy the old order.

In a corner park, Leo had no idea how long he’d been sitting on a bench.

He stared at the leaves of an old oak tree above him, swaying in the wind.

Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting a dappled pattern of light and shadow on the ground.

He had fallen into a strange, almost meditative state.

He didn’t have to think about the complex power plays, nor calculate the cold poll numbers.

He just watched, and listened.

The rustle of the wind through the leaves, the laughter of distant children, and the constant hum of traffic that formed the city’s backdrop.

These sounds blended together, forming a strange sort of harmony.

’A thought suddenly came to him. When all this was over, when he no longer had to walk a razor’s edge every day, perhaps he should study Buddhism.’

’Go study that Eastern wisdom of emptiness and nothingness.’

’Learn how to let this heart, so full of power, desire, and anger, find a moment of peace again.’

BUZZ—

The vibration of the phone in his pocket shattered the brief moment of tranquility.

Ethan’s call pulled him back to reality.

"What’s the situation?"

"Leo, I found it."

Ethan’s voice was filled with shock.

"Just yesterday, a strategic agreement was secretly signed in Houston."

"Who were the parties to the agreement?" Leo asked.

"Several large natural gas producers from Pennsylvania and two multinational energy trading giants."

"The core of the agreement is this: over the next five years, they’ll export liquefied natural gas from Pennsylvania’s Marcellus Shale formation on a massive scale. They’ll use newly built export terminals along the Delaware River to ship it to Europe and Asia."

Ethan took a deep breath.

"This is a massive export plan, worth hundreds of billions. They found an overseas market that’s even larger and more profitable than the domestic Computing Power Special Zone."

"They’re going to sell Pennsylvania’s natural gas to Europe, which is desperately short on gas due to the geopolitical crisis."

Leo hung up the phone.

’Mr. President,’ Leo whispered in his mind. ’Sterling betrayed us. Those greedy bastards sold out the entire future of Pennsylvania for a quick profit.’

"Calm down, Leo," Roosevelt’s voice said. "This is only preliminary intelligence. Don’t jump to conclusions before you’ve met with Sterling himself. Perhaps things can still be turned around."

"Turn things around?" Leo scoffed. "I don’t believe those Vampires have a shred of credibility left."

"But you must meet with him," Roosevelt insisted. "We need to confirm if this was a collective decision by the board of directors behind him. If this is the consensus of the entire Energy Association, then we must prepare for a real war."

Leo closed his eyes, forcing himself to calm down.

’Before making a move, I have to figure out the enemy’s true intentions.’

He picked up the phone again and dialed Sterling’s number.

"Mr. Sterling, this is Leo Wallace." Leo’s voice betrayed no emotion. "I hear you’re in Washington. As it happens, I am as well. I have some new ideas about the Computing Power Special Zone that I’d like to discuss with you."

"Are you free this evening? How about the restaurant at the Jefferson Hotel?"

There were a few seconds of silence on the other end of the line, followed by Sterling’s laughter.

"Of course, Mr. Mayor. It would be my honor to have dinner with you. See you at seven."