The blinds in the Mayor’s Office were tightly shut.

Murphy picked up the hefty bond proposal, stood, and reached for the phone on his desk.

"Wait a minute, John."

Leo suddenly reached out and grabbed Murphy’s wrist.

"What’s wrong?" Murphy looked at him, confused. "Didn’t we agree? I’m going to call Sanders right now, tell him our entire plan, tell him we’re going to issue five hundred million US Dollars in bonds, and tell him we need his help to sway Wall Street."

"No." Leo shook his head, his gaze turning profound. "Now is not the time."

"What do you mean? We’re out of time. Every minute is precious." Murphy was getting anxious.

"That’s exactly why we can’t afford to make a mistake." Leo moved Murphy’s hand away from the phone and gestured for him to sit back down on the sofa.

"John, have you considered what Sanders’s reaction will be if you lay all this out for him right now?"

"He’ll support us, of course!" Murphy replied as if it were obvious. "He’s the leader of the Progressives, and he’s always wanted to make his mark in the Rust Belt. This plan perfectly aligns with his political agenda."

"That’s just wishful thinking."

Leo returned to his position behind the desk, his fingers tapping lightly on the surface.

"Politics isn’t a fairy tale, John. In this grand arena of fame and fortune, nothing is a given."

"You’re just going to drop a five-hundred-million-US-Dollar bill in front of him, tell him you need him to call in favors, to owe people, to foot the bill for our gamble. What do you think he’ll think?"

"He’ll see us as troublemakers."

"He’ll think we’re using him."

"He might even suspect we’re trying to push him into a pit of fire."

Murphy frowned, clearly unconvinced. "Leo, you’re too suspicious. Sanders isn’t that kind of person. We owe him."

"This isn’t suspicion. It’s game theory."

Leo leaned forward, his gaze burning as he stared at Murphy.

"We need to confirm what our dear Senator Sanders is truly thinking."

"We must first confirm his bottom line, his true attitude regarding the Philadelphia Vice Governor matter, and whether he truly sees Pittsburgh as a battlefield he cannot afford to lose."

Murphy hesitated. "Test Sanders directly? That’s too risky. He’s the leader of the Progressives, our backer in Washington."

"If he thinks we’re scheming against him, or that we’re a nuisance, he could cut off his support at any moment."

Murphy was a politician who was traditional to the point of being rigid.

In his view, a subordinate should maintain absolute loyalty and transparency with their superiors, especially with the big shots of their own faction.

This kind of calculated probing made him instinctively uneasy.

"John, you still don’t get it."

Leo looked at Murphy, a hint of exasperation in his voice.

"We’re not scheming against him. We’re protecting ourselves."

"When huge interests are at stake, there are no natural allies."

"We need to confirm whether he supports us."

"Of course he supports us!" Murphy retorted urgently. "Last time, with the VAN System issue, he even fell out with Montoya over you. Isn’t that proof enough?"

"Not enough."

Roosevelt’s voice echoed in Leo’s mind.

’That was about saving face, about the dignity of the faction.’

’But this time is different. This involves a seat in the Senate, the entire political landscape of Pennsylvania. With such massive interests on the line, there are no natural allies in politics.’

Leo repeated Roosevelt’s logic aloud.

"We need to confirm his true attitude regarding the Philadelphia Vice Governor matter."

Murphy was taken aback for a moment. "What do you mean?"

"The logic is simple." Leo stood up, walked to the whiteboard, and drew two lines with a pen.

"Scenario one, the worst-case scenario."

"Sanders may be a Progressive, but he’s also an old slickster who’s been navigating Congress for decades. Maybe he’s already made some kind of backroom deal with the party leadership in exchange for the Establishment Faction’s support on one of his key bills."

"Perhaps he’s already tacitly approved of that Vice Governor from Philadelphia taking power."

"If that’s the case, then you suddenly jumping in to run for Senator isn’t a pleasant surprise for him—it’s a shock, maybe even a betrayal."

"In that situation, our plea for help will only annoy him. He’ll find a way to crush you, to stop you from stirring up trouble."

Leo drew a large X after "Scenario One."

"In that case, Sanders is no longer our friend."

Murphy’s face turned pale.

He had clearly never dared to think in this direction.

Leo then drew a circle below it.

"Scenario two, the best-case scenario."

"Sanders despises that golden boy from the Philadelphia Establishment Faction. He’s even annoyed that he can’t meddle in the affairs of a key Swing State like Pennsylvania. He wants to plant his flag here, but he doesn’t have a suitable candidate."

"If that’s the case, then our appearance is like a godsend to him."

"We are his chance to turn the tables."

Leo put down the pen, turned, and stared at Murphy.

"So, before you bet your entire political future on those five hundred million US Dollars in bonds, we have to figure out if he wants you to be cannon fodder, or a general."

Murphy swallowed hard. "Then... how do we confirm it? Ask him directly?"

"Of course not." Leo sneered. "Politicians never tell the truth directly. So, we’re going to test him."