"Representative Stone is right."

Moretti yawned.

"For technical matters like this, we should defer to the professional departments. Since the Mayor’s Office and the planning bureau have already reviewed it, the council just needs to oversee its implementation."

He glanced around the conference table.

"Any other comments?"

The meeting room fell silent.

Old Billy was looking down at his phone, only concerned with his multi-story parking garage.

Rodriguez was touching up her makeup; she just needed to vote with the majority.

Beck was checking stock prices.

Aisha and Benji, his two Progressive allies, were somewhat confused by such an overly technical bill. But their trust in Leo, combined with the bill’s first two hundred pages of flattering language about "environmental protection" and "ecology," led them to support it.

It seemed everything would pass without a hitch.

Just then, a shrill voice cut in.

"Wait."

Linda Rossi, sitting in the corner, raised her hand.

This former political ally of Carter Wright, a mouthpiece for the interests of the old guard, was now staring at Leo with suspicion.

"I have a question about the ’franchise rights’ clause on page 214."

Rossi’s voice was sharp.

"Fifty years? Exclusive rights? This sounds like a monopoly."

Leo’s heart skipped a beat.

’He hadn’t expected that out of the nine of them, someone would actually read those hundreds of pages of nonsense and even manage to find the key point.’

Rossi wasn’t defending justice; she was defending the old guard’s interests.

The small and medium-sized contractors and old logistics companies she represented would be completely wiped out by this bill.

"Of course it’s not a monopoly, Representative Rossi," Leo replied, his expression unchanging. "This is for the sake of efficiency."

"You can look at Singapore, at Rotterdam, at all the modern ports. Decentralized operations only lead to internal resource drain and environmental pollution."

"We need a single, strong entity to coordinate the big picture."

"Efficiency?" Rossi scoffed. "All I see is the potential for illicit benefits transfers. I demand a public hearing on this clause and an evaluation by an independent third-party organization!"

A public hearing.

Those three words were the last thing Leo wanted to hear.

Once the hearing process began, it would mean endless bickering, media involvement, and the possibility of Morganfield’s name being exposed prematurely.

If that happened, the entire plan would be dead in the water.

The atmosphere in the meeting room instantly grew tense.

Moretti frowned. He didn’t want any trouble, but if Rossi insisted, procedure dictated that he would indeed have to schedule a hearing.

Just as Moretti was about to speak...

BZZZT—

The sound of a vibrating phone was exceptionally clear in the quiet council chamber.

It was Linda Rossi’s phone, which she had placed on the table.

She had originally intended to ignore it and press her attack.

But when her peripheral vision caught the phone’s screen, her expression changed in an instant.

The name on the screen belonged to someone she absolutely did not dare to ignore.

It was her district’s biggest donor, the behind-the-scenes boss who controlled the lifeblood of dozens of construction companies in her district.

Rossi’s hand trembled slightly.

She glanced at Leo, then at Gavin Stone, who sat opposite her with a nonchalant expression.

She suddenly understood.

This was a web.

A massive web, long since woven, that covered the entire Pittsburgh power structure.

Leo Wallace wasn’t just making a deal with Morganfield; he was using Morganfield’s power to crush all opposition.

Rossi picked up her phone and pressed the decline button.

But she had already received the message the call was meant to deliver.

Shut up.

It was a command.

Rossi took a deep breath. She felt as if an invisible hand was squeezing her throat shut.

She looked at Leo, the sharpness in her eyes turning to unwilling resignation.

"...Never mind."

Rossi’s voice trailed off, becoming weak and listless.

"Since it’s for the sake of efficiency... I suppose I can understand. I also want to see Pittsburgh grow."

"I withdraw my request."

She slumped back into her chair and said no more.

The crisis was averted.

Moretti gave Rossi a somewhat surprised glance, but he didn’t ask any questions.

"Very good."

Moretti picked up the heavy wooden gavel.

"If there are no other objections, we will now proceed to a vote."

"All in favor of passing the Strategic Logistics Unified Management Bill, please raise your hand." 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

Gavin Stone was the first to raise his hand.

He was followed by Aisha, Benji, Old Billy, Rodriguez, and Beck.

Moretti raised his hand as well.

Linda Rossi hesitated. She didn’t raise her hand to object, nor did she raise it to approve.

She chose to abstain.

Even Pete Miller, who usually opposed Leo, went with the flow and raised his hand after hearing that the bill would increase tax revenue, which could in turn increase the police department’s budget.

Eight votes in favor, one abstention.

BANG!

The gavel fell heavily.

Its sharp crack echoed through the spacious council chamber.

"The bill passes."

Moretti announced.

There were no camera flashes, no cheers, no emotional hugs.

Only the rustle of shuffling papers and a few suppressed coughs.

Pittsburgh’s most important logistics asset for the next fifty years, the very economic lifeblood of the city, had thus changed hands in under fifteen minutes of deliberation, legally and properly, amidst a drowsy atmosphere.

Leo sat in his chair, watching the fallen gavel.

He felt a wave of exhaustion.

His back was soaked with cold sweat.

He reached into his pocket and felt the bottle of cold medicine, his fingertips gently rubbing the plastic.

’It’s over,’ Leo said to himself.

"Yes, it’s over."

Roosevelt’s voice echoed in his mind.

"This, Leo, is the high art of stealing a nation."

"The greatest thieves never wear masks or carry guns."

"They don’t pick your locks in the middle of the night and ransack your home."

"They wear the most respectable suits and sit in the most solemn council chambers."

"They use the driest procedures, the most obscure laws, and the most boring documents to hypnotize you, to lull you to sleep."

"Then, in the instant you yawn,"

"right in front of your face, they take the keys to your house."

"And you’re the one who hands them over yourself."

Leo stood up.

He straightened his suit, nodded to the council members, and then turned and walked out of the chamber.

The hallway was empty.

He walked to a window and looked out at the gloomy sky.

In the distance, the waters of the Monongahela River flowed silently.

Soon, Morganfield’s cranes would rise there. Soon, it would become private territory.

He had won.

He had secured the final pass to the five hundred million US Dollars.

"Enough with the sentimentality, Mr. Mayor."

Roosevelt reminded him.

"Since you’ve already sold your soul, take the money you got for it and go do something decent."

"Now, all the roadblocks have been cleared."

"It’s time to let that five hundred million US Dollars truly flow into this parched land."

Leo took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the guilt.

His gaze became resolute again. He turned to Ethan, who was behind him, and said:

"Notify Morganfield. Tell him to get ready to receive what’s his."