Darkstone Code

Everything that happened today was a perfect day for Mr. Pato!

Not only did he acquire oilfields worth hundreds of millions for free, but he also perfectly completed his own "task".

He destroyed the oilfield, delivering a significant blow to the Duncan Clan, and also put pressure on their liquid funds.

As for what he obtained... it was only what he deserved!

But no one expected that the destruction of the oilfield would be like a starting gun on the track; it was not the end, but the beginning!

Soon after, the Duncan Clan’s businesses in various industries encountered trouble, some due to breaches of contract by others, some because others found ways to make them breach contracts.

When the entire country is against you, only then can you feel the great power of the nation!

This kind of power cannot be resisted by any individual or family!

Perhaps in the past, the Duncan Clan could have managed because they hadn’t been exposed to so much scandalous material.

But now, they can’t, because the will of the whole nation is united against them, no matter what they do or don’t do, it is wrong!

Watching the legal procedures wrap up quickly, Mr. Pato gave Mr. Jeruno a well-meant warning —

"If I were you, I would come here now..."

On the way back, Mr. Jeruno pondered over this issue constantly. When the public opinion under his control could no longer fight against the Federation’s malice towards the Duncan Clan, he began to have a slight urge to escape.

He suppressed this thought because if he, and the Duncan Clan left, they would lose all their auras.

Given their current reputation in the Federation and even internationally, even if they safely left here, it would be very difficult to manage such a large-scale family again!

The Duncan Clan also has many assets overseas, but these assets cannot compare to these Federation industries.

The patriarch of the Duncan Clan probably never thought that one day they would become an unbearable mouse in the Federation!

They took no measures to prevent this, as long as they left, everything would end!

Sitting in the car, Mr. Jeruno looked at the surrounding streets; the weather today was actually nice, although cold, there was no snow and it was sunny.

Sunshine in winter is as precious as gold; even if the temperature is very low, sunlight on the body gives a warm feeling.

However, Mr. Jeruno did not feel this warmth; inside he felt only endless cold!

Coldness!

Endless cold surged around him, and the car he sat in was like an island on the cold sea; you did not know if it would reach the next land, nor when it might sink...

In the next two days, Mr. Jeruno continued his final attempts, while a senator finally broke under intense interrogation.

He began to confess to some terrifying things he was involved in.

Senators in Congress have their hierarchies; not all senators are considered "Congress lords" in the strict sense.

Understanding this is quite simple: whoever holds power is the lord.

But not everyone can hold power; only members of various committees are true Congress lords.

Many decisions of the Federation Government require these committee members’ small-scale votes, and financial allocations across regions need their approval.

Only those senators able to vote and influence can exert actual value and thus become true Congress lords.

If someone has not joined any committee, then they are merely voting machines belonging to a faction in Congress.

Indeed, even in open votes, what they express is often the party’s position behind them; such people are not Congress lords.

This particular senator was once one such person, without much real power; to gain power, he sought support from the Duncan Clan.

Subsequently, with the Duncan Clan’s backing, he hosted some very private internal parties.

He acquired some underaged boys and girls from the Duncan Clan; they had a good time at the parties, and soon the powerful senators were very pleased with his performance.

Thus, he gradually became a Congress lord.

From his first interaction with the Duncan Clan until now, roughly more than thirty underaged youths suffered abuse, and in the basement of his villa in a neighboring state were two girls held captive.

Whenever he needed to, he would unleash his urges in the next state.

When the senator lord’s confessions were exposed, the public outrage seemed to find a vent.

As officers from the neighboring state police found a girl in the basement of the targeted villa —

The other girl was already dead.

During that time, he dared not act rashly, fearing repercussions, and ultimately didn’t provide food for the two girls, thinking these affairs would soon end. He didn’t expect the investigation bureau to disregard his status as a Congress senator and detain him.

During this period, he also dared not speak out, resulting in one girl’s death due to hunger.

The other girl’s condition wasn’t good either; when the officers found her, her consciousness was already blurred.

The enraged public burned his villa in the neighboring state; posters of his surrender were burned near the investigation bureau, and there were death threats against him, stating someone would find a chance to kill him!

The Senator claimed to want repentance, but in reality, he aimed to lessen his own crimes, turning into a prosecution witness, willing to accuse individuals related to the Duncan Clan in court.

At the same time, he also exposed other Senators with whom he frequently held parties.

The situation became increasingly uncontrollable; at this moment, neither the Federation Government nor the Duncan Clan, in reality, had the capacity to control public opinion anymore.

This exactly illustrates how terrifying the power of the public can be; now that public opinion is being dominated by the popular will, no one dares to say anything stupid to change things at this point.

Seeing more and more important witnesses and evidence emerge, Mr. Jeruno also knew that this was the critical moment of life and death for the entire clan.

He tried calling the chairmen of the bipartisan committee, but neither answered; he also understood these people’s stance.

In the middle of a month, important core members of the Duncan Clan gathered together once again.

This meeting might be their last gathering within the Federation.

Mr. Jeruno had already made a decision; he decided to leave the Federation, which was to be spoken about at this meeting.

But not right now, it’s necessary to wait a little longer.

Under Mr. Jeruno’s chairmanship, everyone began discussing the troubles they recently encountered.

Or it might be said that everyone revealed a few more holes in this battleship that was about to sink!

Yes, it was about to sink!

One piece of bad news after another made it difficult to bring up any smile, which further deepened Mr. Jeruno’s determination to act immediately.

After everyone finished discussing various pieces of bad news recently, Mr. Jeruno took off his glasses.

With the muscles near his thumbs, he pressed and massaged his eyes; recently, he felt there were constantly things floating randomly in his field of vision.

Sometimes he would be distracted occasionally, those things looked like... something out of a science program, cells or something, anyway, unremovable.

He hadn’t sought a doctor; it didn’t affect his current life and work; rashly seeking a doctor would only bring worse impacts.

Once people thought he had health issues, those enemies wouldn’t miss this opportunity.

After a while, his gaze swept across everyone’s face one by one; he knew very clearly, there was a traitor here.

A traitor within the clan!

Yes, they could pay others to do things for them, so naturally, there were those who could use certain promises to pass on information outside.

But Mr. Jeruno didn’t hesitate too long; he first sighed and apologized for the current predicament of the clan.

The core industries of the clan attempting to transform or upgrade remained fruitless; this is the key to why the Duncan Clan is heading towards doomsday!

Subsequently, Mr. Jeruno put on his glasses again and looked at everyone in the room.

"During this time, we have already made many attempts, using media at hand to initiate some public opinion to try and retrieve these..."

As he spoke, he couldn’t help but shake his head; a newspaper office and a magazine office had been completely shut down by enraged crowds.

In fact, there must have been someone organizing people to do such things, just like the Workers’ Union helping workers to reasonably and legally demand benefits from capitalists.

They organized people and then attacked these industries, it was premeditated!

"I also attempted to approach it from political action, but these efforts aren’t very effective."

"People seem convinced we won’t get through this crisis; whether big figures or small ones, they’ve started to give us a hard time."

"I really don’t want to say this, but gentlemen, I have to say..."

"Facing these provocations and difficulties, we indeed don’t have too many methods left!"

"Horn turning himself in made us too passive; we never should have given him such a chance, it’s my decision-making mistake."

"Things have developed to this point; even maintaining the previous situation without thinking of winning is extremely difficult."

"Those capitalists who are our partners are the first to reach out to us; they wouldn’t miss such an opportunity; they’ve been eyeing us for a long time."

"Maybe, it’s time to leave..."

By the time he spoke to this point, many people in the room stood up!

In shock!

Leaving the Federation would mean the Duncan Clan would lose over half of their assets; they do have many overseas assets, but compared to the ones within the Federation, those scattered assets are far lacking.

"Is there... no other possibility?"

Someone asked, full of despair, "Perhaps there might be another chance?"

Mr. Jeruno no longer held any illusion, "We don’t have a single chance!"

"Besides, this isn’t a discussion with you, but a resolution."

"If someone wishes to stay, then please do so; I will take the others and leave!"