A Bumpy Road to Power

The officialdom, in a certain sense, is a stage for political games.

If you want to soar straight up on this road.

Emotional intelligence is very important.

But compared to emotional intelligence, there's another point that is indispensable.

And that is acting.

Obviously, Ezekiel Sawyer is a master in this respect.

From the very beginning, from the moment the two of them met on the plane, Ezekiel Sawyer had been observing Dirk Carter; he wanted to observe Dirk Carter at close range to find his weaknesses.

It had to be said, this move of Ezekiel Sawyer's was a success.

He just hadn't expected that Dirk Carter, who was in the midst of the fog, had already seen through the whole situation; even if he didn't have any evidence in his hand to convict him, he could still be sure that the new mayor in front of him was an important piece the Houseman Family had placed in Veridia City.

One person acting alone is no fun.

There should always be someone to play along.

Dirk Carter smiled faintly and said, "Mayor Sawyer, what kind of words are those? Go ahead and say it."

After getting Dirk Carter's consent.

Ezekiel Sawyer called toward the door, "Come in."

At his word.

A young man of about twenty-something appeared at the door.

The man was also wearing an administrative jacket, with a crew cut, looking bright and energetic, full of vigor.

"Hello, Mayor Carter."

As soon as the young man came in, he greeted politely.

Dirk Carter gave him a friendly smile.

Then he asked, "Mayor Sawyer, this is…?"

"This is the favor I wanted to ask of Mayor Carter. His name is Alaric Pace, he's the son of a comrade-in-arms of mine. That comrade of mine died back then on the front line of the anti-drug campaign, leaving such a son behind. Originally he wanted to follow in his father's footsteps and become a policeman. But you know, emotionally… I'm not too willing for him to go down this dangerous road. I hit it off with Mayor Carter at first sight; I don't feel at ease entrusting him to anyone else, so…"

At this point.

Ezekiel Sawyer paused for a moment, somewhat moved, and said, "Doesn't Mayor Carter still not have a secretary? Young Pace has been with me for a few years; he can handle some secretary's work. So, what do you think…"

In that moment.

Dirk Carter suddenly understood.

All that "entrusting an orphan," all that following in his father's footsteps, were just excuses.

Ezekiel Sawyer's real purpose should be to plant Alaric Pace at his side, to monitor his every move in these final critical few days. This is what's called anticipating the enemy. In this way, whatever he did would not escape Ezekiel Sawyer's eyes.

This was an open card.

If Dirk Carter refused, it would mean Dirk Carter had already found out something.

Next, Ezekiel Sawyer would inevitably adopt an iron-fisted approach.

If Dirk Carter did not refuse.

With such a burden in tow, many things simply couldn't be done with a free hand.

In a flash of lightning, Dirk Carter made his decision.

He nodded.

And said, "Since Mayor Sawyer has entrusted him to me, what reason do I have not to agree? Comrade Alaric Pace will stay. I happen to be short of people on my side."

"Then I really have to thank Mayor Carter."

Seeing Dirk Carter agree, Ezekiel Sawyer was overjoyed; he happily stood up, shook hands with Dirk Carter, and expressed his thanks.

After the two exchanged a few pleasantries, it was almost time for the meeting.

One after the other, they walked out the door and went into the conference room…

With Alaric Pace watching over him.

Over the next few days, Dirk Carter truly couldn't make any big moves.

However, streams of intelligence still kept converging on him in various ways.

After Rasco Shaw took office.

He didn't make any particularly big moves.

Including Terrence Hall's death case, he didn't ask about it either, giving the impression of gradually getting into working mode.

But beneath the calm surface, undercurrents were surging, especially in Veridia City, which had seen a lot of activity in the past few days.

First, on his very first day in office, the newly appointed Discipline Inspection Commission Secretary Cassius Ford took down Veridia Police Department's political commissar Charles Ford on charges of corruption, bribery, and abuse of power.

This move, in Dirk Carter's view.

Was meant to clear obstacles for the new police chief, Dawson Sinclair.

Of course.

Dawson Sinclair's work inside the police department hadn't stopped either.

Two days after taking office, he began a large-scale personnel reshuffle within the police department.

Some leaders in key departments were transferred or removed, and those who took their places were either transferred from the Kenning City Police Department or promoted up from below.

To outsiders, this move was a means for the new mayor, Ezekiel Sawyer, to maintain stability.

In reality, Dirk Carter could also see that the Houseman Family's restructuring of Veridia City's violent apparatus had begun.

The fact that they were moving so quickly and so precisely showed that they had already done a great deal of groundwork before coming.

These changes were something Dirk Carter could not stop.

After all, he was only a vice mayor, with little power or voice, and could only watch as the situation evolved toward an even worse outcome.

On top of that, Alaric Pace had been keeping a very close eye on him lately.

Wanting to do anything was even more impossible.

Four days went by very quickly.

December 18th.

A historic day finally arrived.

Early in the morning.

Dirk Carter, lying in bed, suddenly opened his eyes.

He sat up bolt upright.

A person's sixth sense is very accurate.

The panic deep in his heart seemed to be telling him that something big would happen today.

Along the way, he had experienced countless thrilling moments, but none had ever made him feel such unprecedented pressure as today.

Just as he was about to get out of bed.

A knocking sound, thump thump thump, came from the door.

Right after that, before he could respond, the bedroom door was directly pushed open.

A familiar scent wafted in.

Sure enough, when he looked toward the door, the person standing there was Dorothy Zechariah.

"What are you doing here? Didn't I tell you to stay at The Empyrean Palace? It's safe there!"

Dirk Carter said, somewhat reproachfully.

Dorothy Zechariah wore a look full of grievance and said, "I wanted to come and see you."

Hearing this.

A warmth rose from the depths of his heart.

Dirk Carter got out of bed, pulled Dorothy Zechariah into his arms, kissed her on the forehead, and said, "Don't worry, it'll be fine. With me here, any problem can be solved."

He had said the same thing more than once.

Every time he said it, Dorothy Zechariah believed in the magic of those words.

But today was different.

What they were about to face was like an ant trying to shake a giant tree; once they failed, the consequences would be unimaginable.

"We can actually just leave. We can just ask for sick leave. No matter what happens, it'll have nothing to do with us."

Nestled in Dirk Carter's arms, Dorothy Zechariah said.

Dirk Carter smiled and said, "And after that? If the Houseman Family wins, my career, your company, our family, and even those who once helped us—what will they go through? Have you thought about that?"

Dorothy Zechariah's eyes grew moist.

She lifted her head.

She looked at Dirk Carter very seriously for a while.

Then she wiped away her tears and said, "I knew there was no way I could talk you out of this."

With that.

She slipped out of Dirk Carter's embrace.

She took a step back.

Today she was wearing a long woolen overcoat that covered her body tightly.

He saw her fingers move to the buttons; with a light tug, several of the coat's buttons came undone.

Then, with a slight movement of her shoulders.

The coat slid down to the floor…

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