Chapter 738 - 344: The Revolutionary

"I’m not responsible for some empty sentiment. My duty is to make the company’s financial reports look prettier."

"If the nation thinks this is wrong, you can go to Congress and pass a law to ban our exports. Since no law forbids it, my pursuit of profit is perfectly justified."

These words tore away all pretense of hypocrisy.

’This is capital’s most common talking point,’

Roosevelt said in Leo’s mind.

’It shifts all moral baggage onto the legislators.’

’Capitalists believe that if the state fails to close legal loopholes, that’s a failure of the state apparatus, not the shamelessness of capital.’

Roosevelt’s tone grew sterner.

’This rhetoric completely ignores externalities.’

’While they’re raking in global profits, they are wildly overdrawing on the invisible costs covered by their home country.’

’They trade using the global shipping lanes secured by the United States Navy. They rely on the United States legal system to enforce their contracts. They consume Pennsylvania’s natural resources and labor.’

’But when the nation needs them to make sacrifices for its long-term strategy, they immediately hide behind ’shareholder value’ to cut themselves off.’

Leo looked at Sterling, and the anger in his chest suddenly subsided.

He was reminded of what Roosevelt had done during World War II.

When the United States needed to transition to a full wartime economy, the auto tycoons and steel magnates had similarly refused to cut production of consumer goods.

They were unwilling to give up the immense profits from the consumer market to produce tanks and airplanes for a meager return.

But Roosevelt didn’t try to reason with them. He simply established the War Production Board.

He invoked the nation’s emergency powers to cut off the supply of raw materials for civilian auto production.

He gave capital no choice.

Either you produce the weapons the nation needs, or you shut down and go bankrupt.

Capital is a wild beast that must be tamed by force.

Reasoning and trading favors only work in times of peace.

In a strategic game of life and death, one must resort to the ultimate arbiter: brute force.

Leo stood up.

He looked at Sterling, his eyes devoid of their earlier sincerity and willingness to cooperate.

"Mr. Sterling, you’ve taught me a valuable lesson."

Leo fastened the buttons on his jacket.

"You think that just because the law doesn’t forbid it, you can do as you please."

"You think the fate of the nation has nothing to do with you, so you can brazenly sell out your country."

Leo looked down on him.

"I will show you that executive power is far more heavy-handed than you can imagine."

Sterling’s brow furrowed.

He sensed the dangerous air emanating from Leo.

"What do you think you’re doing?"

Leo’s voice was grim. "Since you insist on this path, I will show you the cost."

With that, Leo turned and walked away.

"Then I shall await your response."

Sterling’s voice drifted from far behind Leo.

"Mayor. Sir."

...

「Washington D.C. Hotel Suite.」

Leo sat at his desk, reviewing the briefing Ethan had just sent.

Scattered across the desk were production reports on Pennsylvania’s Marcellus Shale gas fields and the financial statements of several large, multinational energy corporations.

The energy giants had brazenly torn up the preliminary agreement to restart the nuclear power plants.

They had pivoted to the more immediately profitable business of exporting natural gas overseas. This purely profit-driven move completely disrupted the energy landscape Leo had planned for the Computing Power Special Zone.

Leo closed his eyes, trying to retrace the logical thread of the whole affair, but his mind was instantly overwhelmed by an uncontrollable torrent of information.

Countless fragmented images flashed wildly before his eyes.

Sterling’s face with its false apology, Sanders’ furious roar in his office, and William Saint Cloud’s absurd Crystal Gavel.

Meanwhile, the data on the reports seemed to take on a life of its own, twisting and tangling in his mind.

The candlestick chart of natural gas futures became a throbbing blood vessel. The electoral map of Pennsylvania looked like a collage of screaming mouths. And the technical specifications and environmental impact reports for the nuclear power plants transformed into countless invisible hands, gripping his nerves in a death lock.

The conspiracies in Washington, the protests in Harrisburg, the roar of Pittsburgh...

Every sound echoed inside his skull, overlapping into a maddening cacophony.

He felt as if he were standing at the center of a giant whirlpool, surrounded by countless spinning behemoths.

These colossal monsters—representing energy, finance, politics, and public opinion—were waging a bloody war within his consciousness.

A sharp, stabbing pain shot through his temples, as if someone were forcibly drilling into his brain.

’Stop, Leo.’

Roosevelt’s voice suddenly rang out in his mind.

In that instant, the data, faces, and conspiracies that had been roaring like monsters were forcibly suppressed by a much stronger will.

Leo gasped for air, his forehead drenched in cold sweat.

’Your thoughts are scattered. You’re facing too much information right now. All the threads are tangled together, and it’s draining your ability to think clearly.’

’You need to focus.’

Roosevelt’s voice calmed Leo.

’Help me, Mr. President.’

’Let’s take this one piece at a time. Right now, our greatest threat is the energy companies. Let’s start our analysis there.’

Roosevelt began his analysis. ’We need to fully understand the three dominant energy factions. These three forces form the very skeleton of industrial operations in the United States, and indeed, the entire world.’