215: Chapter 215 Creating God

The screen froze on the exact second Julian plugged the USB drive into the computer.

A black dialog box popped up, and the communication was cut off.

Chen Feng toyed with the coin in his hand.

"Nicely done."

"She broke through the psychological defenses of a wealthy family's outcast, delivering a fatal blow in one strike."

"This woman definitely has a knack for intelligence gathering."

Sarah stood in front of the console, expressionless.

Her fingers clattered rapidly across the virtual keyboard, almost tearing the keys off.

Sarah didn't even look up.

"Her efficiency is decent, but she's too flashy."

"Firing a gun and shattering a window in a place like Geneva... with the resulting ballistics and eyewitness reports, I'll have to spend an hour clearing the online records."

"I also have to arrange for the field team to erase physical clues."

Chen Feng couldn't help but chuckle as he looked at Sarah's tense jawline.

He tossed the coin onto the desk.

"She went there specifically to be flashy."

"If she didn't make some noise, how would Julian believe she has a mysterious organization behind her that can rival Umbrella?"

"It's called bait."

Sarah's hands paused for a moment.

She didn't reply, only slamming an archived report heavily onto Chen Feng's desk.

Chen Feng swiped open a window on the other side of the screen.

It was broadcasting a live feed from the U Federation National News Network.

On the South Lawn of the White House, President Tanglangpu was surrounded by a dense crowd of reporters.

Her signature blonde hair was disheveled by the wind, and the foundation on her face could barely cover her flushed complexion.

The reporters' microphones were almost shoved right into her face.

"Madam President! The Israel front has completely collapsed, and a coalition force of six hundred thousand has crossed the border. Why hasn't The Pentagon deployed additional aircraft carrier strike groups?"

"Congress is drafting articles of impeachment. Are you considering resigning voluntarily?"

"The economic indices have plummeted for three consecutive weeks. What is the White House's response plan?"

President Tanglangpu cursed angrily into the microphones.

"Fake news! It's all fake news!"

"We did not fail in the Middle East! That was a strategic retreat!"

"The impeachment is just political persecution by a bunch of despicable politicians!"

"I will absolutely not resign!"

Chen Feng looked at the furious woman on the screen and casually pressed the mute button.

"The timing is just about right."

Chen Feng tapped the desk.

"Connect a secure line to The Pentagon."

The screen flickered, and Clark's face appeared.

The four-star general's brow was knit in a tight frown as he sat in a secret office inside The Pentagon.

Clark got straight to the point.

"Chen, I'm still waiting for your news."

"That crazy woman in the White House has completely lost her mind."

"This morning, she even wanted to order the use of tactical nuclear weapons to level Da Shi State's oil fields, but she was forcefully held back by the Joint Chiefs of Staff."

Chen Feng leaned back.

"General, your vacation is over."

"Are you ready to move into the White House?"

Clark suddenly leaned forward.

"You're ready on your end?"

"Chen, I must be completely honest with you."

"Those politicians in Washington only care about two things: money and votes."

"I have no party foundation, and campaign funds are a bottomless pit. I can't overthrow President Tanglangpu just with the grunts under my command."

Chen Feng's tone was relaxed.

"Money is the least of our problems."

"The money Alan harvested from Wall Street has already been laundered."

"I'll have him draw five billion dollars and wire it directly into your PAC account through offshore shell companies."

Clark sucked in a breath of cold air.

"Five billion dollars just for initial startup funds..."

In past presidential elections, candidates would sell everything to raise sponsorships, and they'd spend at most two or three billion over the entire campaign cycle.

Yet Chen Feng was throwing five billion in his face right off the bat.

This amount of money was enough to buy off half the politicians in Washington, D.C.

Chen Feng gave him no time to react.

"This is just pocket change. If it's not enough, we'll add more."

"As for political endorsements, you know Howard Grant, right?"

"He's one of ours now."

"He holds leverage over the FDA and several major conglomerates."

"Tomorrow morning, he will lead one-third of the swing-state lawmakers to Capitol Hill and publicly endorse your candidacy."

Clark could no longer sit still.

He paced back and forth anxiously behind his desk.

He had the money, and he had the politicians.

Clark's voice tightened slightly.

"And public opinion?"

"President Tanglangpu controls several mainstream media outlets. She will paint me as a traitor attempting to establish a military dictatorship!"

Chen Feng smiled.

"She won't have the chance."

"Edgar's media empire has already been fully mobilized."

"His algorithm will take over the entire social network of the U Federation tonight."

"First thing tomorrow morning, everyone's phone notifications, news headlines, and short-video platforms will only feature your voice."

Chen Feng looked directly at the screen.

"Take off your uniform and put on a suit."

"Go to Times Square and tell these people, who are half-dead from war and economic crisis, that you can save them."

Twelve hours later.

Times Square, New York.

More than a hundred thousand citizens who had gathered spontaneously packed several blocks to a standstill.

Over a dozen news helicopters hovered in the air.

Regular programming on all channels across the United States was cut off, switching uniformly to the live broadcast.

In the War Room.

Chen Feng held his coffee, watching the giant screen.

Clark had taken off his medal-laden uniform and put on a navy blue suit, with a small national flag pin pinned to his chest.

His upright posture, honed by years of military service, gave him an extremely imposing presence.

He walked up to the microphone behind the bulletproof glass, carrying no speech script.

"Look at the U Federation today!"

Clark's voice echoed across the entire square through the sound system.

"Our Soldiers are bleeding in the Middle Eastern deserts, and we can't even bring back a single intact body!"

"Our economy has been drained dry by those vampires on Wall Street, and ordinary people can't even afford next month's rent!"

He pointed at the camera.

"And what is that woman sitting in the White House doing?"

"She is cursing at people on Twitter!"

"She is covering up her own incompetence!"

"She is treating this nation's century-old foundation as her personal reality show stage!"

The square was dead silent.

"I, Clark, have fought in wars, bled, and sent off countless young lives."

"I will never allow this country to be dragged into the abyss by a bunch of fools and lunatics!"

Clark rested both hands on the podium.

"I formally announce my candidacy for this presidential election!"

"I will bring back the true spirit of the U Federation!"

"I will bring back your money and your dignity!"

After a brief, dead silence.

A mountain-collapsing wave of cheers erupted, the sound waves nearly knocking over the surrounding billboards.

Countless people pumped their fists, chanting Clark's name.

Sarah looked at the real-time data panel.

"Boss, the viewership ratings have broken historical records."

"Clark's approval rating has soared from zero to thirty-five percent in the past two hours."

"The algorithm is blocking comments from President Tanglangpu's internet trolls on a massive scale. Public opinion is completely one-sided."

Chen Feng took a sip of his coffee.

Forcing a savior into existence with money and technology—this is how capital is played.

"How is the White House reacting?"

Sarah tapped the keyboard a few times and pulled up an audio clip.

"Our insider intercepted the activity in the Oval Office. Listen for yourself."

The audio played.

Accompanied by the sound of smashing porcelain, President Tanglangpu's shriek rang out.

"Who does he think he is?!"

"A brute who only knows how to shoot a gun!"

"Who authorized him to speak in Times Square?!"

"Where are the police? Why didn't they pull his microphone?!"

The White House Chief of Staff's voice was meek and subservient.

"Madam President, the Mayor of New York personally approved the venue. We couldn't intervene."

"Furthermore, Howard Grant has just defected publicly along with forty-five lawmakers."

"Traitors! All of them are traitors!"

President Tanglangpu slammed her desk frantically.

"Have the FBI and CIA investigate!"

"Dig up all of Clark's dirty laundry from his time in the military! I want him utterly ruined!"

The Chief of Staff quickly tried to dissuade her.

"We can't do that, Madam President. Clark's prestige in the military is too high. A forced investigation could easily trigger a military backlash."

"It's better to try a different approach: cut off his funding."

"How?"

"Clark is a military man; his campaign funds must rely on those defense giants."

"As long as you personally call the CEOs of Lockheed and Boeing and forbid them from donating a single cent, Clark will go bankrupt within a week!"

Hearing this, Chen Feng laughed out loud.

"Cutting off defense sponsorships?"

"These politicians really never learn."

Sarah also sneered.

"Lockheed and Boeing just had a layer of skin flayed off by Alan a few days ago. Now they can't even pay their bank interest. How on earth are they going to sponsor Clark?"

Chen Feng stood up.

The deification movement had begun. With Clark played as a card, the political reshuffle of the U Federation was now a done deal.

Once Clark secured that position, Umbrella could completely step into the light and take over the state's apparatus of violence.

Just then, the main control screen in the War Room suddenly flickered.

A red warning light flashed.

A top-level encrypted communication box popped up.

Sarah's eyes narrowed, and her right hand instinctively reached for the sidearm at her lower back.

The communication connected.

Ada's face appeared on the screen.

The background noise was filled with the roar of helicopter rotors, and the gale-force wind blew her short hair into a mess.

"Boss, we have big trouble."

Ada didn't waste words and got straight to the point.

Chen Feng stopped smiling.

"Speak."

"To save his own skin, Julian opened up the DuPont Family's underlying database to me."

Ada transmitted an encrypted file to the main console.

"The old money families dare to flip the table on you not just because of their wealth."

The file decrypted, and several blurry black-and-white photos popped up.

In the photos were several massive incubation pods submerged in green nutrient fluid.

Inside, distorted biological outlines could be faintly seen.

"They also have B.O.W.s in their hands."