Capítulo 1778: Chapter 789: Traitor!
When Victor returned to his office.
He went straight behind the broad mahogany desk, but didn’t sit down. Instead, he reached into the drawer for a pack of cigarettes and a lighter, his fingers a bit unsteady, failing to light up on the first try.
The subtle “click” sound was particularly clear in the silence.
On the second try, the fla finally flickered to life, illuminating a trace of undisguised fatigue deep in his eyes. He took a deep drag.
He thought of the mont he glanced at Galsae earlier, subconsciously scanning Galsae.
Ever since the plane was bombed…
He felt the human heart was too treacherous.
Goddamn it, the Golden Finger would never betray him, right?
In that “scan,” news about Galsae surged forth:
Date: January 15, 1994 (Saturday)
Location: xico State, Vastcard Ocampo City, San Miguel Manor. This manor is registered under a dining company but is often used for private business hospitality.
A small private dinner was held that night, attended mainly by representatives from construction, mining, and trading companies. Galsae and Hernandez engaged in close conversation. By the end of the dinner, on the terrace near the library, Hernandez handed a Dunhill cigar box to Galsae. The upper layer of the box contained ordinary cigars, but the bottom layer had been modified to hide $150,000 in cash and several industrial-grade diamonds weighing approximately 3 carats each.
…
Date: July 10, 1995 (Saturday)
Location: xico City, Coyoacan District, an upscale restaurant nad “El Lobo.”
Event details: At a small gallery preview held by Duwa in xico City, Paula “unexpectedly” t Duwa. A few weeks later, Duwa, under the pretext of appreciating the art, gifted Paula a canvas oil painting, sized 60 x 80 cm, titled “Stream in the Woods.” The painting had a vague signature, only showing the initials “J. S.,” but included a written opinion provided by a certain researcher from the Vienna Art History Research Institute (later found to be nonexistent), claiming it “might be the work of an unknown follower of France’s 19th-century Barbizon School, possessing potential collectible value.” The painting was sent to Galsae’s residence.
All goddamn news of him accepting bribes.
“How long has it been…” Victor exhaled a ring of smoke, the power in xico City only in his hands for a few years, yet the corruption had already beco so pervasive.
Is it that power inevitably leads to corruption, or is it a fundantal aspect of humanity, where just a bit of temptation and a crack can breed disgusting maggots?
He smoked one cigarette after another, and soon the study was engulfed in smoke.
The ashtray was piled with a mountain of cigarette butts.
At that mont, there ca a restrained but clear knock on the door, two light taps followed by a heavier one – Casare’s signature knock.
“Co in.” Victor’s voice was sowhat hoarse.
The door opened, and Casare walked in quickly, turning on the light as he did so.
The sudden brightness made Victor squint. Casare imdiately noticed the ashtray full of cigarette butts and the undisguised fatigue on the leader’s face, making his heart skip a beat.
He was too familiar with Victor; this expression often ant a storm.
“Boss, you called for ?” Casare stood firm in front of the desk.
Victor gestured to the chair opposite, finally sitting down himself, his body sinking deeply into the high-backed leather chair, as if trying to draw so support. “Sit.” He took another drag of his cigarette before speaking slowly, “I just ca from Bramo’s office.”
“I actually saw,” Victor flicked the ash and looked at Casare, “Galsae from the Equipnt Developnt Bureau, with his people, blocking in Bramo’s office, slamming on the table, questioning the nation’s budget decisions and the importance of the ‘Silicon Valley’ plan.” Every word was enunciated clearly, “Since when did the national strategic direction that I personally set need explanation to a director of the Equipnt Bureau? Since when did the decisions from above, get to a point where people below unite to ‘force a palace coup’ in opposition?”
Casare’s face instantly turned extrely ugly, a surge of anger rushing to the top of his head.
He was aware of resistance below, but didn’t expect anyone to be so bold as to cause a scene in Bramo’s office, and the leader caught it red-handed! This wasn’t just against Bramo or the ‘Silicon Valley’ plan; it was a challenge to the leader’s authority, testing the limits of the entire power system!
“Bastard!” Casare squeezed the words out through his teeth, “That Galsae is incredibly audacious!”
“He’s not being audacious,” Victor interrupted his angry outburst with a cold laugh, “He’s taking bribes, getting kickbacks, thinking that if he has so power in his hands, the chair beneath him is as firm as a rock!”
“You take care of it.”
“Send an internal communication to all departnt heads, directors of committees under the Presidential Palace, governors of various states, and senior officers above the division level in the military system. It doesn’t have to be long; just tell them: manage and understand your subordinates properly. The country’s direction has been set, and if there are opinions, they can be brought up through the proper channels, but anyone who publicly follows orders while secretly sabotaging, even openly obstructing, better weigh their own importance.”
He paused, “Make it clear: those who can’t manage, or don’t want to manage, can damn well get out! xico is no longer the old federal system filled with bickering and shirking! We fought our way out through blood and fire, and we can carve out the pustules from the root! Got it?”
“Got it!” Casare stood up with a whoosh, his back straight as an arrow, “Boss, rest assured, I’ll draft the note myself and issue it imdiately. Not just issuing it, but I’ll summon the heads of relevant departnts and knock so sense into them one by one! Scoundrels like Galsae cannot be allowed to remain!”
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