Darkstone Code

Chapter 1233 - 1231: This Is Politics

Hicks barely slept all night; the main issue was being unable to sleep. He only managed to doze off just before dawn.

A little after eight, he got up. Right now, there are many rumors outside saying all sorts of things.

Some even say that he has already been restricted in his movements and could be thrown into jail at any moment.

Others claim he is involved in money laundering at a scale of tens of millions, using his identity as a cover to launder vast amounts of money and that he has solid connections with some Gangs.

Some even say he plans to make the state independent!

Of course, there are also claims that he has no problems at all, and the reason he’s silent now is just to draw out more clowns voluntarily.

In fact, the lack of further news up to now is not because Hicks is unwilling to defend himself; it’s simply that they need to find the "mastermind behind the scenes" and then make certain deals with them.

If he blindly cleans his name, and the mastermind quickly throws out more substantial evidence, it would only make people think he’s a fraud, a swindler, and completely ruin his political career.

But if he can reach an agreement with Lynch, then his clearing his name, without further negative material being exposed, would indeed clear his name.

Even if he eventually loses the election, he will have preserved his dignity and his political career at least!

Clearing one’s name, defending oneself, is not always that simple.

After waking up, he stayed by the phone and called Lynch a little after nine, this time Lynch didn’t hang up or ask him to call at another time.

He discussed a lot about his political program and governance philosophy over the phone, which are things every politician must possess and must be distinctly clear.

If it’s not distinct enough, then it will certainly not be liked by people, which is precisely very fatal.

This call seemed just like a very normal call, Hicks narrating his political stance as if hoping to gain some support from Lynch’s side. Even if this call is recorded and analyzed, they might not directly analyze anything unfavorable to Lynch.

Throughout, he only listened without expressing any of his own opinions until the end.

"Mr. Lynch, do you think there is anything that needs some supplementation in what I’ve said?"

"What are your thoughts on some of my ideas?"

Lynch, after seriously thinking for a while, said he indeed had a few thoughts and then added, "If given enough time, you’ll surely become an remarkable person, Mr. Hicks."

This sentence immediately grounded Hicks’ heart, as Federation people do not like to beat around the bush, but there are always some things that cannot be avoided.

He then cautiously probed by asking, "Recently, some opinions in society seem intent on smearing me, I hope these won’t affect your opinion of me."

Lynch’s response was still very "on point", "Outstanding people always have many enemies and rivals, Hicks, let me share this with you ’Sand can’t bury gold, when the sunlight rises directly overhead, the golden shine will always come forth’!"

"I believe people will, like me, come to realize that rumors are ultimately just rumors; they are far from truth and can only deceive people for a time, but cannot fool them forever!"

A very positive response, afterwards Hicks repeatedly thanked Lynch before hanging up.

Hicks nodded to the head of his campaign office; both of them breathed a sigh of relief.

Last night, the entire Conservative Party leadership was aware of this incident, and they did not blame Hicks for wasting the party’s resources.

In fact, during various elections, finding faults in others is far simpler and more effective than figuring out ways to improve oneself, and also very cost-effective!

Concocting certain facts or selecting and reworking some rumors from the past before releasing them, these tactics are malicious yet low cost, but the impact they achieve is indeed extraordinary!

There are not only issues with Hicks in the Federation; almost most politicians have skeletons in their closets, it is just that he is very unfortunate to have encountered an opponent he cannot counter.

If this time his opponent was not Ms. Tris, not Lynch, but a certain mid-level cadre from the Progressive Party, perhaps the situation would have been reversed.

Losing and admitting defeat is not a shameful act in politics; as long as one is alive, politics will continue.

Today’s failure doesn’t mean tomorrow will also be a failure; there’s still time, there will be a time for victory.

Hicks has a nice persona, very charismatic, though he lost this time it is not catastrophic, he can continue next time.

Isn’t it just two years?

And as they allowed this round to pass, by next time, Lynch ought to somewhat, give them some face, it could also be considered a form of repayment.

Lynch’s response reached the ears of the Conservative Party leadership, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief, or should say, resolved some troubling issues.

The Conservative Party chairman returned to the fairway, vigorously swinging the club.

In the whooshing wind, the golf ball was aggressively struck, flying far!

"Beautiful shot!", not far from him stood another elderly man, not tall, slightly balding.

He clapped his hands twice, very perfunctorily, and then walked to the striking position, waiting for the caddy to put the golf ball back.

They were not playing on the course, but hitting from a fixed fairway.

The weather is cooling down now, and keeping warm is a necessary condition for the elderly to live longer.

They avoid the strong winds and cold weather outside here and can exercise, which is fantastic!

"You seem more relaxed hitting the ball after answering the call just now; it looks like good news," said the elderly man preparing to swing, looking into the distance.

The Chairman of the Conservative Party Committee wiped his sweat, walked over to a chair, sat down, and took a sip of water.

He crossed his legs and nodded, "Hicks, you guys won!"

The elderly man who was hitting the ball paused for a moment, then burst into laughter, "It’s not me who won; it’s the young people who won!"

As he spoke, he swung the club vigorously, and the golf ball disappeared from their sight in an instant.

For them, the elderly, once the ball flies too far, they cannot see it at all, and the caddie would tell them how many meters it flew.

So as long as they don’t miss, every hit is a good shot.

The purpose of exercise has surpassed the desire for pursuing a "good shot"!

The short elderly man turned to look at the Chairman of the Conservative Party Committee, "You have to admit you’re getting old, you know?"

"The future belongs to the young people now."

The Chairman of the Conservative Party Committee snorted twice, "But I hear Lynch is unwilling to go into politics, which might be good news for us."

The short elderly man received the distance his ball flew from the caddie, and he was quite satisfied with his swing strength.

The caddie placed another golf ball, and he began to prepare for the shot again, saying at the same time, "But his girlfriend is going into politics..."

This elderly man was none other than the Chairman of the Progressive Party Committee; the two of them were once students at the same university and had a very good relationship during their time at school.

Later, due to differences in political beliefs, they joined different political parties, and after many years of effort, they ultimately stood at the top of the Federation!

If there’s anything in the Federation that can surpass capitalists or be on par with them, it’s certainly them!

On the other side, Hicks started rapidly organizing a press conference to dispel some rumors in society, and the local Tax Bureau proved that Mr. Hicks was not involved in any illegal case; on the contrary, he provided crucial evidence for solving the case!

Sometimes people have very complex thoughts; even simple phenomena can have them imagining some backstage manipulator frantically controlling everything in society!

They even believe that the high levels of the Federation are all aliens who have transformed, with the purpose of enslaving them!

But sometimes, they’re very naive; for instance, just a simple clarification, and they believe it!

Ms. Trish also obviously realized that Lynch had played his hand, and she stood up, looking very friendly as she expressed her supportive attitude towards Hicks.

In front of the media, she told reporters that the Mr. Hicks she knows is a gentleman with manners, not a criminal.

She was very happy that Hicks could clear his suspicions and clarify some issues, and she believed that Mr. Hicks should have stood out earlier.

A reporter asked Ms. Trish if she felt regretful due to Mr. Hicks’s clarification, as she had now lost her advantage.

Ms. Trish’s response was excellent; she stated that it doesn’t matter who wins the election; what’s important is what the winner can do for the people!

This is the most important thing. If the aim of running for election is merely to win, to the point of struggling and undermining, then they’ve lost their initial intention of going into politics—for the people’s livelihood!

These remarks quickly gave Ms. Trish a noticeable boost in support, although there’s still a way to go to match Hicks’s support rate.

Just when people thought there wouldn’t be any follow-up issues, in mid-to-late October, someone photographed Hicks going alone to the office of a renowned psychiatrist in the capital, where he stayed for two hours before coming out.

Subsequently, clinic staff revealed that Mr. Hicks was suffering from severe depression, which had already impacted his work and life.

This news was even more explosive than previous news, but people were more tolerant of the issues he’s facing, as he hadn’t made any mistakes, just suffered from depression.

Besides the previous criticisms, a part of the reason is also due to the years of hard work he has put in.

The military, lawyer, both are high-intensity jobs, and they often have to face many problems.

Facing this piece of news, Hicks bravely stood out and acknowledged to society that he was taking mental medications.

He admitted that being a lawyer brought him immense pressure; sometimes, he had to defend criminals because it was his job.

Behind every victory in court was a repeated mental blow, so severe that he began to question his own existence and purpose!

Now his mental condition has become more severe, and he plans to withdraw from this election and reconsider running again once some of his depression issues are resolved.

At the same time, he also announced that he plans to resign from his work as a lawyer to do something purer.

For instance...becoming a prosecutor!

Of course, that’s something for the future!