Darkstone Code

Mr. Jeruno brought down the current President, so if the successor is still from the Progressive Party, it’s akin to harboring a "blood feud."

The Progressive Party internally needs to maintain a unified stance in a certain overarching environment; whoever dares to disrupt that will find themselves opposing everyone.

Even if someone did it for money, they might not actually get the money.

In contrast, the Conservative Party, along with the Duncan Clan, not only lacks "hatred" but has had more collaboration in the past. Even though the chairman of the Conservative Party Committee isn’t thrilled about the proposal, it is indeed the best choice.

A sly smile appeared on the short elder’s face, yet upon closer inspection, it wasn’t all that complex.

"You’re absolutely right, and incidentally, we have other candidates lined up..."

Just as they were speaking, the President returned. He took his seat, and after a brief silence, the chairman of the Progress Party Committee proactively brought up the topic.

"We were just discussing the next presidential candidate; what do you think...?"

This was a matter of courtesy, as in reality, the President has no say in who the next President will be. The question was merely consoling in nature.

At least from the President’s perspective, it seemed like he was involved in planning for the next presidency, which would make him feel an important connection with the new President, thus avoiding many issues with the new tenure.

The candidate mentioned by the chairman of the Progress Party Committee was initially planned to replace the President within the party. He takes a more radical stance, with some of his ideas having received support from the military.

If it weren’t for Mr. Truman influencing the military to later support the President, he might not have won the election.

Regarding this former intra-party competitor, the President felt deeply conflicted.

He thought he’d become a successful President; at least, after the previous President’s resignation, he had been serving for two years. If he could get re-elected, that would total ten years!

A ten-year term would make him an inescapable part of Federation history, but who’d have thought the unexpected would come so swiftly.

Just one small incident involving a woman was enough for people to find a loophole and evidence against him. Beneath his calm surface, a stormy rage was brewing.

A betrayal by a woman caused his downfall.

He managed a smile, "Quite a good proposal. I don’t see any issues if it’s him."

For a fleeting moment, his mind conjured another figure, Truman, his best aide, his best assistant, his best partner!

Honestly, in the President’s view, Truman is perhaps one of the most capable people, with excellent planning and execution capabilities, and an outstanding work ethic.

Plus, he has a lot of supporters, like Lynch, and others in the military.

But he quickly brushed aside this thought, as Truman is simply "too young." He’s only in his forties, and if he were to run for President, it means he would have little to do past fifty.

The Federation Charter permits a President to skip a term before running again, but ultimately, that’s just a written rule in the charter.

In practice, no one does this because people will not allow anyone to do so.

Holding office for too long would lead a President to have a grip on the country that exceeds what politicians can tolerate.

The President’s Cabinet’s power will become infinitely magnified, and even Congress would turn into a mere decoration, a scenario the Federation citizens are most unwilling to witness.

The Federation is a free Federation, not a paradise for a dictator, so no matter how successful a President is, after his term ends, he will not continue to run.

Unless, essentially, he’s not a politician and doesn’t adhere to the rules politicians must follow, but similarly, he won’t garner additional support!

After turning fifty, Truman would become idle, which doesn’t conform to the rules of utilization.

In the Federation’s market-oriented social operation mechanism, a person’s maximum value is extracted. After Mr. Truman continues contributing his capabilities for another decade or more, running for President would then be appropriate.

This way, after the presidential term ends, his career within the Federation Government would essentially conclude, then he could pivot to roles like brokers or think tank groups similar to being a staff officer, continuing to shine.

The President remained silent, feeling it’s unfair to Truman. He should enjoy a longer career wielding power, not retire so early.

"It seems like no one disagrees?" said the chairman of the Progress Party Committee, smiling slightly. Although short and soft-spoken, his every word carried an unspeakable force!

"I’ll discuss it with him later. Now let’s steer the discussion back to the main topic..."

The discussion lasted until well past 3 AM. Though this discussion ended, the storm was only just forming.

The next day, Mr. Jeruno met with some people again. He didn’t meet with the real heights of both parties, as he knew the ones planning to act against him were these individuals.

He was desperately trying to win over mid-level politicians, and there were even rumors that Mr. Jeruno was attempting to form a new political group, fully supporting this group to play a more significant role in the Federation’s political scene!

This news, honestly, was shocking, making people realize his madness.

Meanwhile, Lynch sat in Mr. Truman’s office.

The atmosphere was slightly oppressive. In truth, Mr. Truman was very aware that he was on a path of rapid growth.

The Ministry of International Affairs provided him with enough of a platform to showcase himself; the President’s trust allowed him to do many things that seemed controversial to some, without facing any repercussions.

These were indispensable processes for his growth, allowing him to find his own path, distill the essence of his governance principles, and refine his political thoughts into a complete, core ideology.

But right at such a crucial moment, the President suddenly...

It’s really... fucking impossible to know what to say!

After some time, Mr. Truman sighed and said, "I’ve discussed with the President, and he essentially has no chance of re-election. The next presidential candidate is..."

He uttered that person’s name, and Lynch nodded slightly. He wanted to say something but ultimately chose to keep quiet.

Some words, if spoken, might not sound good and would make Lynch feel as if he were complaining.

However, Lynch was suited to say, "It seems your relationship with him isn’t as close as with the President."

This is to be expected; every top-level politician has their own entourage, from drivers to staff officers—they only employ people they trust, and while capable, outsiders won’t be allowed into this core group.

This is why the President’s Cabinet members are personally nominated by the President rather than voted on, unless someone deems the President’s Cabinet too idle or the country too powerful, needing weakening.

Otherwise, no one would attempt these changes.

Since this core no longer easily admits new members, it means that once the new President is inaugurated, Mr. Truman will have no more than half a year before leaving the Ministry of International Affairs.

He must step down as such a critical post cannot remain in the hands of the former President’s confidant, even if the two consecutive Presidents belong to the same political camp and have a reasonable relationship.

It’s impossible; once this position is lost, especially with his clear label, Mr. Truman’s chances of integrating into other small political groups plummet.

Unless he starts from scratch with a small group, or...

"Have you considered what I mentioned before?" Lynch tossed over a cigarette. "Why don’t you step up yourself?"

"I know, and I can see, you’re more suitable for that position than anyone else."

"War is on the brink of breaking out; we need someone who truly understands war, not someone who perceives war through others’ filters."

Mr. Truman, who was lighting a cigarette, paused, then quickly blew out a few puffs, igniting the cigarette.

The singeing cigarette appeared a bit unsightly in his hand; he casually extinguished it in the ashtray and took another from his own pack.

"Why bring this up suddenly?" he asked.

Lynch shrugged, "I just don’t want the Federation to miss an important opportunity; the upcoming war is crucial for the Federation."

"Our performance will determine our international standing and discourse power for at least the next twenty years."

"I don’t believe anyone could do better than you; your ties with the military are closer than anyone else’s; only you can achieve this!"

Politicians and the military have traditionally been separate entities; to avoid suspicion, each system operates differently, rendering political maneuvers ineffective within the military.

The military is inherently a closed, autocratic group, power emanating from its own lineage and succession.

A General is sure to have numerous colonel nephews, sons, or relatives, and when he retires, one of those will inevitably become a Major General.

Politicians can’t integrate unless they start from the bottom, but the military’s instinctive resistance to politicians leaves no chance to achieve this.

Mr. Truman is different; he’s an anomaly, capable of harmonizing the Federation Government and Federation Army closely together. He is the link, the bridge, the key to greater victories for the Federation!

Lynch’s words left Mr. Truman deep in thought; he didn’t respond immediately, as the ethereal smoke resembled his current thoughts, without any track or logic.

He pondered over many things, contemplating here and there, for roughly ten minutes; he came back to his senses.

The slight motion of his hand caused a long line of ash to fall onto the table. While blowing the ash onto the floor, he remarked, "You’ve made me really nervous."

"Can I genuinely, as you suggest, lead this country to greater horizons?"

Lynch smiled and countered, "Why don’t we give it a try?"