Darkstone Code-Chapter 819 - 817: The Final Moment

"The best way to get out of a predicament is to break through it. Currently, our economic recovery is outpacing most countries in the world."

"In some regions, the unemployment rate has dropped from over twenty percent the year before last to ten percent. In early January this year, the amount of relief food distributed across regions was about thirty percent less compared to the same period last year."

"All of this tells us that Bail Federal is rapidly emerging from economic recession. We are breaking through the predicament with our efforts, rebuilding a new glory."

"Mr. Lynch once said something that I find very true..." The President smiled, looking at Lynch seated in the front row below the podium.

Lynch also timely raised his hand and waved it twice, completing a small interaction with the President.

"...He said, the Federation will undoubtedly shine again..."

In the next moment, a wave of cheers and applause came unexpectedly, the President had not predicted that this sentence would have such a profound impact on the voters present.

People were instantly hit with a certain emotional point by this sentence, and indeed, it was a phrase that greatly boosted morale. Coupled with the previous buildup of the speech, people felt a fervent and enthusiastic emotion from the inside out.

Looking at the voters’ cooperation, the President could not stop smiling because the effect was so good. In a place unseen by the public, he drew two horizontal lines over the sentence in the speech with a pencil and wrote a prompt "say more" in the blank space.

As emotions calmed down, under the soothing of the President, people finally sat down again.

The President exhaled a long sigh, "One more week, ladies and gentlemen, we have one more week to count down to the arrival of a great era."

"Each of us is bound to become a witness, participant, and creator of history. We will create history, and the Federation will ascend to the peak of the world in our hands!"

The emotions just calmed down were stirred again, Lynch sitting below clapped his hands. Slightly tilting his head, he asked, "Did you write the script?"

Just returned from Gafura, Mr. Truman nodded imperceptibly, "I wrote it overnight. He needed a speech that could move hearts, so I had to stay up all night."

All regions have prepared for voting. Although they say a week, it’s actually only five days.

The official voting will start on Saturday, five days later, and it will last twenty-four hours. Afterward, counting will begin, and before January ends, the new President of the Federation will be elected.

The closer it is to the end, the more crucial it becomes. At this time, delivering some very powerful speeches can pull some undecided individuals to his side.

Lynch curled his lips, "I always feel there’s been a lot of trading between the Progressive Party and the Conservative Party. Could there be any surprises in this election?"

"I know it’s hard to hide from you..."

Mr. Truman didn’t find it strange that Lynch could see the concessions the Conservative Party made before the election.

The President made it too obvious. He said he wanted to face history, which essentially meant removing escapism from the Conservative Party and blaming individual responsibility.

The former President has officially been charged with crimes related to office misconduct like "dereliction of duty," "money for power trade," and this time, unlike previous investigations, the charges indicate prosecutors have enough evidence chain, largely able to convict the former President.

The purpose of the trial is not for him to argue his innocence but to strive for the minimum sentencing result.

With the President’s exoneration, the Conservative Party’s proactive performance of cooperating and admitting mistakes, and the former President being criticized twice again, voter attitudes have already shifted.

Some people openly burned the former President’s portraits, but they did not drag the Conservative Party along, reflecting the final results.

To thank the President for his cooperation in this aspect, the Conservative Party’s candidate has already lost without suspense in the debate session to the President. The candidate was rendered speechless several times.

He’s even called "the most foolish candidate of the Conservative Party in thirty years" in some media outlets!

But in any case, everyone’s goals were achieved, and it seems that there were no losers or victims this time.

The Conservative Party did not compete with the President, but he didn’t completely feel assured towards them. The event of being stabbed in the back in politics is not uncommon and often seen.

As long as the interest is sufficient, politicians can be as shameless as merchants, becoming devoid of any stance.

"How long do you plan to shove the former President inside?"

This is also the topic of frequent discussion among people these past days. Some say it might just be a formal procedure. Many hold this view, especially the grassroots populace.

They don’t believe that ordinary charges could legally punish the former President, despite everyone’s belief in law fairness and justice. Even sunlight cannot reach certain places, let alone the Federal Judiciary known for "out-of-court victories."

However, some also believe the former President is bound to go inside because the situation has changed so bizarrely.

The prosecutors who kept saying there was insufficient evidence and continued investigating suddenly presented various evidence. To claim there’s no secret here really raises questions.

Those with this view are mostly from the upper-middle class in society. They no longer look at issues superficially but analyze details to grasp the real development trajectory.

As for going further up... they are manipulators of everything.

"The sentencing would probably be around twelve years, but in reality, he might not serve a single day."

As he said this, Mr. Truman’s face was filled with a mocking expression.

Whether it was the political dealings between the Conservative Party and the Progressive Party, or the "result" of these dealings, the President himself represented the most shameless group in the Federation.

Of course, these were some of his inner thoughts. When the time comes, the President will use the excuse of physical unfitness for prison as the reason and will be confined to his house in a restricted manner.

Some people might think that if he can’t leave his home, it’s essentially no different from being in prison, after all, freedom is more important to Federates than life itself.

Those who think this way can only be said to be too naive. The President’s house is different from what ordinary people conceive of as a house.

He has an estate outside of Bupen, designed to mimic the Gafura Castle. The large estate even has a small hunting ground and a comprehensive private park, and even a lake.

This is not restricting movement for home arrest at all—it’s a damn early retirement!

But whatever the case, the President’s sentencing is, for the public, another victory for fairness and public opinion.

The two quietly chatted about topics that might not be very respectful to those bigwigs, and the speech, too, came to an end amid the passing of time bit by bit.

When the President shouted fiercely, "The Federation will win, long live freedom," the entire scene boiled over.

Lynch and Mr. Truman also stood up, pretending to be very excited but maintaining an air of composure as they clapped.

The President descended from the podium, "cordially" shook hands with those in the front row, and then left. Everything looked perfect.

In the following days, Lynch accompanied the President to various events multiple times. As a young leader of the Federation, the President believed that having him along could draw in a group of younger voters.

Truly getting involved, Lynch felt that every President had it rough.

For instance, this current President was already in his sixties, and by the standards of this era, he was almost an elderly man who could return to the Lord’s embrace at any time, any place.

Yet he still insisted on extremely high-intensity work every day, not canceling any events for health reasons.

A week of hard work finally brought them to the most critical moment.

Many who were invited gathered at the President’s Mansion, waiting for the vote count results.

The interns also felt the tense atmosphere, even trying to slow and lighten their breathing, holding their breath when entering the conference room, fearing that their slightly heavier breath would blow away the "President" within reach.

The President sat at the table with no regard for image, biting his nails like a child.

He was very irritable, a bit frightened, yet somewhat expectant, trying to find things to distract himself.

"We took... the state!"

The staff reported the vote count results in a timely manner. The President’s smile broadened, and he high-fived others. After a brief celebration, everyone fell back into a quiet wait.

The battle was much more intense than expected. The Progressive Party took five states, while the Conservative Party took three.

There are seventeen states in the entire Federation, with nine remaining. In other words, the Progressive Party needs to take four more states to maintain the situation. If they can take five more, they can secure victory.

The room quickly filled with various smoke smells, and someone even smoked mixed-color cigarettes!

"Open the windows; it’s too choking!" Mr. Truman instructed the staff to open all the windows. Although this would make everyone feel cold, it was better than the current situation.

Even the President had a cigarette between his fingers. He rarely smoked, and by this stage, no one could force him anymore.

Yet now, he had already smoked several, with several crushed cigarette butts strewn on the ground in front of him. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

The cold wind blew in, and the air was slightly better. Lynch had Catherine call the nearby café to send over as much aromatic coffee as possible.

Everyone seemed to want to do something, yet couldn’t do much.

The Conservative Party was catching up closely. When the Progressive Party took seven states, the Conservative Party had already taken five.

Five states remained. If they didn’t want to drag the competition into "overtime," the Progressive Party needed to secure at least three more states.

According to Bail Federal election law, only leading by more than two states could secure victory.

Leading by just one state left too much room for manipulation.

The President, having finished gnawing the nails on his left hand, started on his right. His expression twisted, filled with anger and a bit of grimace.