Chapter 512 - 237: Cabinet Dream Shattered
"This is absolute nonsense!"
Campbell shot to his feet, his body trembling with rage.
"That committee is to prevent corruption! To audit the flow of funds! What insurance company executives? The list hasn’t even been decided! These are slanderous rumors!"
"Governor, it’s too late for explanations now."
His secretary’s face was pale.
"The rumors have already spread. Those people... they believe them."
The secretary tapped his tablet, and the surveillance footage continued to play.
From the video, Campbell could hear the uproar, see the sea of angry faces, and spot the flags waving proudly in the wind among the crowd.
They were the city flags of Pittsburgh, bearing the face of Leo Wallace.
"Wallace..."
Campbell ground his teeth as he uttered the name.
"It’s him."
"It has to be him."
"He thinks my oversight is restricting his power, so he incited these people to force me into submission."
"That madman! That ungrateful bastard!"
A vicious glint flashed in Campbell’s eyes.
’If you want to play hardball, then I’ll play along.’
"Notify the state police," Campbell roared at his secretary.
"Get the riot squad over here."
"Secure the gates of the State Capitol Building."
"Don’t let them break through, no matter what!"
...
「State Capitol Building Plaza.」
The atmosphere was stretched to its breaking point.
Hank Miller stood at the very front of the crowd.
He had taken off his jacket, wearing only a T-shirt with the words "Pittsburgh Renaissance" printed on it, revealing his tattooed arms.
He held a large bullhorn in his hand and had a whistle hanging around his neck.
"Brothers!"
Hank turned and shouted to the protestors behind him.
Most of these so-called protestors were off-duty police officers he had recruited from the Philadelphia police union, along with some professional street thugs.
They knew the rules, how to coordinate, and more importantly, how to blow things out of proportion.
"See that building?"
Hank pointed at the magnificent State Capitol Building behind him.
"That hypocritical Governor is hiding inside!"
"He wants to steal our money! He wants to replace our medicine with fakes! He wants us to keep slaving away for the insurance companies!"
"Are we going to let him?"
"No!"
A unified roar erupted from the crowd.
The ordinary citizens who had been genuinely drawn to the protest were swept up in the frenzied mood and began to pump their fists as well.
"Charge!" Hank bellowed.
"Go ask that old bastard if a dog ate his conscience!"
Hank led the charge up the steps.
Hundreds of people followed close behind him.
The state police guarding the entrance were already in position.
They raised their shields, forming a human wall.
"Step back! This is a federal facility! Step back!" the state police commander warned them through a megaphone.
But the crowd didn’t stop.
Hank rushed to the front of the shield wall.
He didn’t throw a punch; he was a veteran at this.
He just slammed his body hard against a shield, then threw himself backward with an exaggerated, blood-curdling scream.
"Police brutality!"
"The Governor’s unleashed his dogs on us!"
That cry was the spark that lit the powder keg.
The crowd, which had been relatively restrained until now, instantly lost control.
Countless water bottles, rocks, and even burning newspapers rained down on the police line.
Shoving turned into charging.
Shouting turned into brawling.
The state police had no choice but to swing their batons and deploy pepper spray.
The scene descended into chaos.
Screams, cries, and police sirens echoed through the skies of Harrisburg.
Meanwhile, at the edge of the plaza, dozens of cameras faithfully recorded the scene.
Reporters faced their cameras, delivering rapid-fire live reports.
"We are live at the Harrisburg State Capitol Building."
"A peaceful demonstration regarding healthcare reform has just escalated into a violent conflict."
"As you can see, protestors are holding up flags of the Mayor of Pittsburgh, Leo Wallace, as they charge the State Government’s line of defense."
"They accuse Governor Campbell of betraying the reforms and attempting to control the medical fund through executive action."
"This is the most serious political riot in Pennsylvania in recent years."
All the cameras focused on those flags.
On the face of the young Mayor.
In the eyes of viewers all across America, this was Leo Wallace’s private army.
This was an armed rebellion, initiated by Pittsburgh, against the State Government.
The headlines on major news websites updated rapidly.
Each one more sensational than the last.
"Mob Besieges State Capitol: A Repeat of the Washington Nightmare?"
"Leo Wallace: Reformer or Dictator?"
And the most damning headline of all:
"Mayor Wallace’s Thugs Besiege State Capitol."
...
「Pittsburgh, City Hall.」
Leo sat in his office, watching the television screen on the wall.
On the screen, Hank Miller fell to the ground in an exaggerated fashion as the crowd frantically charged the police line.
The flags bearing his face were especially jarring amidst the chaos.
Roosevelt’s voice echoed in his mind.
’This Monroe kid’s methods are even dirtier than I imagined.’
’Not only did he throw Harrisburg into chaos, but he also managed to sling all the mud onto you.’
’Now, in everyone’s eyes, you’re the mastermind behind this riot.’
’Campbell is going to hate your guts.’
’You’ve become public enemy number one.’
Leo watched the screen, his expression impassive.
On the screen, red paint was slowly trickling down the white columns of the State Capitol Building.
The chaos, the screams, and the shoving failed to elicit any emotional response from him.
Leo calmly sat back down in his chair.
’This is just an appetizer, Mr. President.’
’Compared to what I truly want to accomplish, what happened in Harrisburg today was merely a slightly larger-scale dress rehearsal.’