Chapter 353 353: Reputation.

Leo handled the call and leaned back in the chair. While he made a fatal impact on the enemy, he was also looking forward to another project. The system had rewarded him with a tech that would push the technological supremacy of the Cardinal Group to another level. The young man took a deep breath as he asked, "Snow, what do you think we would be doing after a couple of years?"Snow was surprised by the sudden question and said, "Probably giving the newborn potty training."

Leo was stunned and then he chuckled as he said, "Yes, that should be right."

He didn't tell her anything else that was going on her mind, but he made a plan and then sent it to the Utopia Research center, a small team was researching about the plausible paths of growth in terms of space travel, when they received the e-mail, they were shocked and then they picked a new scientist among them to head the project, Doctor A.P. Moon.

When the person received and offer he was confused but when he saw the hypothesis that Leo had sent them, he sat down in the chair calmly and said, "If we manage to practicalize this theory, then we will be immortals and Mister Cardinal will be the god."

The people nodded in agreement and then the project kicked off. The whole research center was locked off, no one was allowed to approach the inner gate, apart from the researchers part of the project, none could get close.

...

While the Utopia Research Center was getting all gung ho on the project, the international police had arrived at the ancestral house of the Primal Family. Bishop Primal had tried to call out for favors to suppress the news everywhere that he could but nothing worked. The people who were friends with him have all decided to draw a hard line between themselves and his family.

Primal Family had not only lost but they have been demonified by Leo Cardinal, only Stellar Primal was left untouched and the media only praised her for being unbothered by the fact that all the people she was exposing were her family members. all the hard work that she had done all these years was now surfacing and the worth of her channel, Stellar Media was also rising strongly.

...

One week passed, and while the surface of the populace had resumed their lives, the topic was still trending, small progressions and the demand for action against the corrupt people was rising slowly. The people have even threatened the government that they would boycott things which forced them to take action regardless of the status of the people.

The police force was humiliated, and the international agencies didn't fare nicely either. When the people in such departments were brought to light, the world seemed to have caught fire. Leo had kick started an operation to clean up the entire world and he leaned back in his chair to watch it all play.

Markus had told him that many of the rich families in the western world were trying to find out the person behind this but they could not get through the firewalls that Leo and his people have set up around the satellite servers and data banks.

Some people even wanted to approach him and wanted to buy the technology behind the firewalls, but Leo had no intention of entertaining them. He was the citizen of the Clover Nation and right now the government was willing to provide him with military security.

The people had no idea what happened within the military but this sudden offer from them caused the people to think that Leo Cardinal held a great reputation now. Many of the normal people thought it was a great honor to be protected by the military but Leo himself knew that it was a method to restrict his growing influence and control of over the aspects of the country.

The elites of the society knew what was going on. They all thought it was too pitiful that the growth of the Cardinal Family was being hindered like this, the reason was obvious, because Leo Cardinal didn't budge to any pressure applied by the government. He didn't give them the security clearance needed to deep search the data bank of the satellite, after all, that data could have been crucial in locating the person who caused all this turmoil in the nation.

The government officials were under great pressure now, the newly appointed ones had to work with great caution and it was as if they were walking on thin ice. Such a situation had caused many people to be wary and they held a dissatisfaction towards the Cardinal Family. However, the tides of public opinion were high, and none of them dared to mess with Leo, so they came up with such a method.

...

In the Cardinal Mansion, when Leo received the notice that he would be provided with military security he furrowed and then he called the number mentioned on the letter, and Leo asked, "Am I talking to Major Kirameki?"

A young voice replied from the other side, and confirmed the situation, then Leo asked, "Major, may I ask who is responsible for making all the decisions in this matter?"

Major Kirameki was surprised but then she thought that Leo was just generically curious and said, "That would be Lieutenant Colonel Armas."

Leo then asked her if he could have an appointment with the bespoked person to discuss the matter of the security. Kirameki nodded in agreement and said that the office will be calling him back in couple of hours to confirm the timing.

In the meantime, Leo mobilized Percie Hibiscal and asked her to call favors or the downfall of the company was imminent. How could Percie not understand that with such restraints, every thing that they have done till now would be for a naught. She got to work and called all the military officers that she knew about and also used the professors of the Utopia Research center to parry off the suppression.

The scientists who were going crazy for research and developing high level tech and defense equipment were shocked when they heard that the government wanted to suppress Leo Cardinal, were enraged, they knew it very well, that if Leo was suppressed the funding that he provides would be lessened and similarly the ideas behind the research all came from him as well.

So, the voice of the academic front began to rise. Followed by that, many social activists stepped up and criticized the people, because they knew how much Leo had spent for charity, and the fact that his company was involved in this clean up, it made his reputation soar even more.

Within the couple of hours, the huge pressure caused Colonel Armas to reply to Leo Cardinal personally, and as soon as the conversation started, Leo asked, "Colonel Armas, had I been a military officer, I would have felt honored to accept the security envelope from the best of the country, but may I ask you, does the military also think that my stand of not giving the security clearance to the higher ups of the political gallery so offensive that they wish to confine me?"

Colonel Armas shook his head and replied, "No, the military is not of this mind. On the contrary, we appreciate the things that you have done for the military and the veterans. However, you should understand that we are bound to follow the governmental orders."

Leo sighed and replied, "Colonel Armas, I am going to be frank with you here. I am a researcher, yes, I don't have any credentials but I am used to living freely to develop the things that we have presented. Till date, none other company in the nation or the world has come up with the tech that we have, do you think I would be able to keep going on with so much stress?

When I was a child my parents had asked me to enroll in many military courses, you can look for the information, I have always been respectful the military and even wanted to enlist until I was struck by the life altering tragedy. I am not trying to portray anything righteous here, but I seek your understanding and support on this concealed confinement Colonel Armas, in the ancient times, such moves would have caused the heart of the masses to turn cold.

We are a constitutional monarchy, and I am sure that this matter can be mediated. Otherwise, I might be forced to close down business and take an early retirement altogether. Even now I have enough money to spend the rest of my life without worrying about anything else."

The last line caused Colonel Armas to sweat, and she sighed before she said, "Master Cardinal, please give me half a day, I will bring this up to my superiors and try my best to get this situation resolved."

Leo thanked her and then said, "Recently we have managed to integrate the smart tech into an exoskeleton technology, I have already authorized the CEO of the company to bring that report to your superiors, please make sure to look at that project as well. The performance level of the troops can be improved by several multiple percent."

Colonel Armas realized that Leo was using the carrot and stick approach with them. She realized that this guy was rather scary to deal with. No wonder the government was willing to drag themselves through mud to handle him. After all, Leo was growing too strongly, and although he has no connection with the political lobby, the people were scared, because all it would take for him to ascend would be a word.

She confirmed that she would bring this matter up to the people above and the call was disconnected.

...

Bishop Primal was sitting in his house, and he was looking at the news outside and took a deep breath, he knew that the moment he called for peace with Leo Cardinal earlier, he had been ensnared by a trap. His families younger generation was so useless that everything he and his ancestors made was now crumbling away, and his son, he had been reduced to a desperate captain who was trying to save the sinking ship.

Even his partners have decided to back off after listening to the news, and boycotted them. Bishop looked at the walls of his mansion and said, "Well played, Leo Cardinal."