The arrivals hall of Pittsburgh International Airport.

The automatic doors slid open, and a cold gust of wind carrying the unique smell of Pittsburgh’s industrial smog rushed in.

To an outsider, the smell might be pungent, even dirty.

But to Leo Wallace, it was the scent his lungs craved most. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

It was the smell of home.

He had been in the political meat grinder of Washington for less than twenty-four hours, yet it felt like a century.

There, he had gambled his entire political career and the future of Pittsburgh.

In the end, he won.

It had been a heart-pounding victory, and a cold sweat still clung to his back, but he had indeed walked out of there alive, ticket in hand.

It was afternoon, and the airport terminal was bustling with people, but he spotted the group in an instant.

They stood outside the arrivals gate railing, their faces a mixture of anxiety, anticipation, and a fear of confronting the truth.

Ethan Hawke stood at the very front, constantly checking his watch, scuffing his leather shoes against the floor.

Sarah Jenkins clutched her tablet, her eyes glued to every face emerging from the exit.

Karen Miller leaned against a pillar with her arms crossed. Although she tried to maintain the cool composure of a professional manager, the rapid fluttering of her eyelashes betrayed her inner turmoil.

And then there was John Murphy.

His tie hung loosely around his neck, his hair was a mess, and he looked both haggard and tense.

What surprised Leo most was the wheelchair behind the group.

Margaret sat in it, a thick woolen blanket covering her legs.

Pushing the wheelchair was Frank Kovalsky.

Frank wasn’t wearing his baseball cap, revealing his salt-and-pepper hair.

Leo stopped in his tracks.

He looked at these people.

This was his crew.

A worker left behind by the times, a student yearning for change, a few politicians struggling within the bureaucratic system, and an old woman in a wheelchair.

And this was the group that was about to turn the city upside down.

Leo took a deep breath and walked over.

The moment his figure came into view, everyone froze.

No one spoke. No one even dared to breathe too loudly.

All eyes were fixed on his face, trying to read the final verdict in his expression.

Survival or ruin?

Did he get the money, or had he brought back only despair?

Leo didn’t speak.

He simply walked up to the group and stopped.

Then, looking into their hopeful eyes, he gave a small nod.

THUD.

No sound was actually made, but everyone felt the massive boulder they’d been carrying in their hearts finally crash to the ground.

Sarah clapped a hand over her mouth as tears instantly welled up. She bit her lip hard, trying to control her emotions.

Ethan let out a long breath and leaned against the nearby railing, a smile of sheer exhaustion spreading across his face.

Karen turned her head away, seemingly to hide the moisture gathering in the corners of her eyes.

Murphy took a step forward. His hand was trembling as he reached for Leo’s, but he hesitated.

"Leo..." Murphy’s voice was hoarse. "Did... did you have to agree to any conditions?"

As a politician, Murphy knew the price of a deal.

He was afraid that in order to get the money, Leo had made a deal that would destroy their political foundation.

Leo looked at Murphy and shook his head.

"No, John."

Leo’s voice was soft.

"I didn’t give up anything."

"I just told the White House a fact: If Pittsburgh doesn’t survive, Pennsylvania will die. If Pennsylvania dies, they lose the Senate."

"They understood."

"So, they agreed."

Murphy was stunned.

A few seconds later, the legs of this old political veteran, who had spent twenty years navigating Capitol Hill, gave out, and he nearly collapsed to his knees.

Leo quickly caught him.

"Steady, Senator," Leo whispered in his ear. "Your campaign has only just begun. Don’t fall at the starting line."

Murphy gripped Leo’s arm and nodded vigorously.

"Attaboy..."

A rough voice boomed.

Frank pushed through the crowd and strode over.

He walked right up to Leo and raised a hand as big as a cattail fan.

SLAP!

Frank’s hand came down hard on Leo’s shoulder.

Leo felt like his shoulder was about to fall apart.

He looked at Frank.

Frank looked back at him.

"I knew it."

Frank’s voice seemed to rumble up from his chest.

"I knew you could fucking do it!"

"You little fox, you’re craftier and tougher than any one we’ve ever seen on the docks!"

With that, Frank opened his arms and gave Leo a rib-crushing bear hug.

It was the highest form of respect, unique to the working class—rough and sincere.

"Welcome home, Mayor."

Frank let go, a smile uglier than a crying face breaking out on his.

Leo rubbed his numb shoulder and smiled back.

"Yeah."

"I’m back."

...

For the next forty-eight hours, Pittsburgh City Hall transformed into a precision instrument running at full speed.

With a call from the White House Chief of Staff, the bureaucrats in Harrisburg had an instant change of heart.

The once-insurmountable administrative barriers melted away in an instant.

The approval notice from the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development was faxed to Ethan’s desk on the morning of the fourth day, stamped with two words: "Expedited Approval."