This was an approach that completely upended traditional campaign logic.

Act first and report later. Hold the emperor hostage to command the nobles.

By exploiting Sanders’s desperation for the Rust Belt and the workers’ desperation for jobs, they would force the entire party machine to serve their cause.

Murphy was an old-school politician, and his instincts told him this was far too dangerous.

But his ambition—that dream of becoming a Senator, suppressed for twenty years—was now growing wildly, devouring his reason.

He looked at Leo.

A flame that both terrified and fascinated him burned in the young man’s eyes.

It was the flame of power.

"You..." Murphy’s voice was hoarse. "Do you really think Sanders will negotiate with Wall Street and the Union for us?"

"He will," Leo said confidently. "He has no other choice. He needs a showcase victory, and we’re the only card he has to play."

"And besides," Leo added, "don’t forget Morganfield."

Murphy frowned. "Morganfield? He’s a top donor for the Republican Party. Why would he ever support a Democrat like me?"

"John, I don’t know if you’re just nervous or if you take those party labels too seriously," Leo said with a small smile. "Morganfield is a businessman first and a Republican second."

"Have you ever seen a true oligarch who likes to put all his chips on a single bet?"

"What they excel at is hedging their bets, always siding with the winner—just like he did back then between me and Carter Wright."

Leo looked at Murphy. "The moment Sanders shows even a hint of support, Morganfield will immediately smell which way the wind is blowing."

"Besides, if you actually win, you’re going to launch infrastructure projects across the entire state. You’ll be building roads and bridges, boosting employment. And what does that mean? It means a flood of government contracts. It means enormous demand for steel, cement, and heavy machinery."

"This is exactly what Morganfield wants. For him, this is a business opportunity worth billions, maybe even tens of billions of dollars. As for whether you’re a Democrat or a Republican, or whether your policies lean left or right... those are just slogans on paper. They can be changed whenever it’s convenient."

"Once politics and capital align—once he realizes you’re the guy who can make him rich—these bonds will become the hottest commodity on the market."

"At that point, he can be a Democrat, too."

Murphy took a deep breath.

He walked to the window, looking out at the gray city below.

West of Philadelphia, there is only wasteland.

It is a forgotten land, a corner of the state despised by the elites.

But it is also a rich deposit of untapped political power.

The Vice Governor from Philadelphia would never understand the language spoken here.

Only he, John Murphy, an old politico who had spent his entire life in Pittsburgh, knew how to talk to the men with calluses on their hands.

Leo was right.

It was a dangerous path, but it was also the only one.

"Alright."

Murphy turned around, a look of grim determination on his face.

"I’m in."

Murphy reached out and slammed his hand down on the proposal on the table, his eyes locked on Leo.

"This five hundred million US Dollar bond proposal must be airtight. All the legal documents, all the financial projections—there can’t be a single loophole."

"Those guys on Wall Street will go over this with a magnifying glass. If we screw up on the technical side, not even God himself will be able to save us."

"Relax," Leo smiled. "Ethan’s already on it. He’s a top graduate of Harvard Law School. This kind of paperwork is a piece of cake for him. We’ll give you an ironclad proposal."

"One more thing," Murphy added, a hungry look in his eyes. "We need a flashpoint."

"Just issuing the bonds isn’t enough. Even the money arriving in the account isn’t enough. We need a kickoff event that will send the statewide media into a frenzy. A signal that will make that punk from Philadelphia tremble in front of his television."

"I want everyone to see that Pennsylvania’s revival, starting in Pittsburgh, isn’t just a slogan. It’s happening right now."

Leo nodded.

"I’ll give you your flashpoint."

"On the day the bonds are issued, I’ll get the whole city of Pittsburgh moving."

"I’ll have workers in bulldozers break ground on the Inland Port."

"Even if the money isn’t in the bank yet, we’re going to make the dust fly. We’ll show everyone in the state that your campaign *is* Pittsburgh’s future, and Pittsburgh’s development *is* your ticket to victory."

The two men’s hands clasped together, tightly.

Leo had successfully and irrevocably bound Murphy’s political fate to the steel and concrete of the city.

It was also a declaration of war on the political landscape of Pennsylvania.

From that moment on, Pittsburgh was no longer an isolated city.

It had become the fulcrum with which to move the entire state.

Watching Murphy’s determined expression, Leo spoke to Roosevelt in his mind.

’Mr. President, it looks like we’ve got another gambler on our hands.’

Roosevelt’s laughter echoed from the depths of Leo’s mind.

’Gamblers are good.’

’There’s nothing to be ashamed of, Leo. In fact, if you flip through this country’s history books and wipe away all the high-flown rhetoric, you’ll find two words written on every page: "Place bets."’

’This country was founded by a band of desperate gamblers.’

Roosevelt’s voice grew somber.

’Think about it. That rickety old ship, the Mayflower, filled with a group of Puritans cast out from Europe. Do you think they were on a scientific expedition?’

’No. They were betting their families’ lives on the chance that corn would grow in the unknown wilderness across the Atlantic Ocean.’

’That night Washington crossed the Delaware River, their gunpowder was so damp their muskets wouldn’t fire. Was he certain of victory?’

’Not at all.’

’He was simply betting the Continental Army’s last chips on that one Christmas night.’

’Lose, and it was the gallows. Win, and it was a new nation.’

’Even I...’

Roosevelt’s tone turned self-deprecating.

’In 1933, when I ordered every bank in the nation closed, when I declared a bank holiday, do you think I had some foolproof plan up my sleeve? My Secretary of the Treasury was white as a sheet. He told me it was unconstitutional, that it would trigger an even greater panic.’

’But I signed the order anyway.’

’I was making a bet. I was betting that the American people’s trust in me would outweigh their fear of losing their savings.’

’I was betting that if my voice over the microphone was steady enough, they would deposit their money, not withdraw it.’

’And in the end, I won.’

’Leo, you must understand that in this world, what people call ’caution’ and ’security’ are usually just shrouds the mediocre weave for themselves.’

’When your path is blocked, when the rules no longer apply, when the entire system is bearing down to crush you...’

’You have no other choice.’

’All you can do is push every chip you have to the center of the table, look fate square in the eye, and tell it: "I’ll take it all, or I’ll lose everything."’

’Murphy has finally understood this. And you, you’ve understood it for a long time.’

’Now, let us walk up to that gambling table and bet everything we have.’