"No wonder General Chester thinks highly of you. Lynchburg needs brilliant young men like you to help rebuild our hometown,"
Patrick said warmly as he stood up and extended his hand.
As their hands clasped and their bodies drew near, Patrick suddenly lowered his voice and growled:
"Those twenty bodies at the lumber yard—you didn't do such a great job covering it up."
He focused all his attention on whether Leo's hand would tremble in guilt.
To his disappointment, Leo's grip didn't falter in the slightest.
Leo raised his brows with a confused look and asked,
"Lumber yard? Bodies? What are you talking about?"
Just yesterday, Jonathan didn't even bother investigating the obvious case with Carlo. Why would he trek deep into the woods looking for a few disfigured mob corpses?
Leo was anything but nervous.
"Oh, I remember now.
You mean those assassins I shot?
They were connected to the lumber yard?
Mr. Mayor, I have to complain—
I had no idea Lynchburg's public safety had deteriorated so much while I was gone."
Leo fired back casually.
Their eyes locked, and a single thought rose in both their minds:
"Old fox." / "Young fox."
"Have a seat, Leo. I'm truly sorry you were attacked.
I've ordered Jonathan to get to the bottom of it.
Now, let's get to the main topic.
Do you know a man named Ben?"
Leo shook his head. Though he could guess that Patrick was referring to the young man who made Rock Meyer open a car door for him that night.
"I don't know him. Why do you ask?"
Patrick pressed.
"I don't understand what you're saying. I'm just a soldier freshly discharged, returning home. I haven't targeted anyone."
Patrick clearly wasn't satisfied with the answer.
He gestured for Jonathan to leave the room.
Once the door closed, Patrick dragged a chair over and sat right beside Leo.
"Young man, stop wasting time. Just tell me—why are you targeting Ben?"
"Is that question really so important?"
"It is," Patrick answered seriously.
At that moment, Leo understood—
Every question Patrick had asked since he entered the room was essentially probing one thing:
Does Leo have someone powerful backing him?
Leo, a former major, wasn't without a political past.
Who's to say his supposed exile from New York wasn't just a clever ruse?
Politics is a game for the cautious.
Patrick, an old-school politician caught in the transitional period between the old and new governors, had to be extremely protective of his turf—Lynchburg.
He couldn't let any outsider plant their flag in his territory.
Leo was grateful for his sharp mind in this life. In his previous life, he would've never grasped the subtleties.
He considered playing the role of the typical novel protagonist—pretending to have a big shot backing him to keep Patrick in check.
But Leo knew this was the real world. Lies don't hold up.
"My girlfriend is Emily.
I hear you're her godfather.
Her birthday is coming up—surely you'll attend."
"I may not know Ben, but as your junior, I'd be happy to help you with certain... problems."
Leo carefully phrased his reply, avoiding the trap of answering directly.
Mentioning Emily subtly brought up Michael—
A way to explain his actions weren't politically motivated but personal, stemming from his relationship.
Calling Patrick her godfather reminded him of his old ties with the Brown family.
It also hinted that Michael had been duped into thinking he needed to side with the new governor.
Even Patrick's "Environmental Bill" may have been manipulated by Ben.
And mentioning Emily's birthday was Leo's way of testing whether Patrick wanted to be friends—or not.
Patrick's eyes lit up.
Ben's arrival had angered and cornered him.
What angered him more was realizing that Rock Meyer had long been a hidden agent of the Gurion family.
And worse, he himself hadn't seen through it in time and had unwittingly become someone else's tool—
Signing the "Lynchburg Environmental Protection Act" was the final straw that broke Michael's back.
Sure, Patrick had coveted Michael's wealth,
But being forced to take it and being the one to seize it were two very different things.
Patrick was a petty man—he held grudges.
Earlier, Ben seemed like the sure winner, so of course Patrick sided with him.
But now that the tides were turning, Patrick could bet based on his own judgment again.
Especially after Jonathan laid out the extent of Ben and Rock's unscrupulous behavior.
Patrick studied Leo carefully before saying:
"Michael got lucky.
Ben's got his eye on the Brown lumber yard—the most beautiful stretch of Blue Ridge.
Waterfalls, forests, lakes, even a hot spring. He wants to build a resort there."
"Tell me, Leo—why would Ben want to open a hotel in Lynchburg?"
Patrick's words reassured Leo—this was his signal that Patrick wasn't siding with Ben.
Leo glanced behind Patrick and spotted a map of the U.S. on the wall.
Inspiration struck, and he said:
"Lynchburg's about halfway between New York and D.C.
No, not just that—southerners heading north all pass through here.
It's a scenic transportation hub, perfect for a resort getaway for big-city elites."
Clap clap clap!
Patrick applauded.
"Leo, I actually have a daughter."
"Sir, I'm very much in love with Emily."
"Haha, just kidding.
I'll consider attending Emily's birthday.
I heard you're starting a real estate company—that's a waste of talent.
Come work for me.
Give me five years, I'll have you on the Seven-Person Council.
You can even get a college degree while you're at it.
From there, it's not far to becoming a state senator."
"Uh… sir, I don't think General MacArthur would approve,"
Leo replied calmly.
Even as Patrick gestured animatedly, Leo could tell—
the man was constantly analyzing his micro-expressions.
He was a cold-blooded, cunning politician through and through.
Leo couldn't afford to let his guard down for even a second.
Patrick slapped his forehead and said:
"Ah, I forgot!
You'd have made a perfect political successor."
"Ben's from the Gurion family—a Polish-Jewish family that migrated here in the late 19th century.
They made their fortune flipping promissory notes and speculating on grain futures.
They've got deep ties to Wall Street.
Just like how we Americans profited from both World Wars—
so did the Jews."
"Governor Clint won last year's election thanks to their funding.
It was a dirty win.
Now, as Clint pushes for reform, the Jews want a return on investment.
So they've turned their eyes on us—the conservative wing of the party."
"Ben is just their scout.
He wants the Brown family's land, yes, but also Michael's seat on the Seven-Person Council."
"That kid's got a sharp plan—he wants Rock Meyer to replace Michael.
And I'd bet anything that next year, he'll have Rock running against me."