Darkstone Code

Chapter 1489: Chapter 1487: How I Helped the Enemy Frame Myself

The President of the National Bank had been staying home these past few days, not going in to work.

The assassination attempt on the Grand President had terrified him; he was convinced this had to be a conspiracy by the Federation people, yet he had no idea whom he should tell, and he didn’t dare tell anyone.

He had been in a constant state of panic; every time a truck passed in front of his house, the heavy noise of the tires would make him jolt like a conditioned reflex.

He would jump up, run to the window, and peer outside through the thick curtains; only when he saw nothing could he finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Just today, he had learned from a trusted confidant at the bank that the Lemar Grand President had set up an investigation team, which even included some Federation experts, to thoroughly investigate the Yares additional issuance case.

At the same time, they would conduct a comprehensive investigation of the Lemar National Bank, which made the President realize that the worst-case scenario had arrived.

Because the extra printing of that batch of banknotes had gone through a special channel—meaning it had not undergone more detailed and public review and approval—strictly speaking, it had indeed been wrong.

Just as Lynch had said, it had never been officially acknowledged; in the strictest sense, this batch of money did not exist within the series currently circulating in the Lemar Republic.

But it had circulated, which meant it was counterfeit!

A batch of genuine notes that had been defined as counterfeit—this was a criminal act!

Yet back then, circumstances truly hadn’t allowed them to go through normal channels; Lynch’s investment was imminent, and if they couldn’t produce cash, the investment couldn’t be implemented, and the anxiety caused by domestic unemployment could not be alleviated.

The President clutched his own hair; he was filled with bitter hatred, hatred for the people manipulating everything from behind the scenes.

Without a doubt, it was the Federation people, it was Lynch!

They had cooked all of this up, and now they were going to stand on the side of "justice" to come after him!

These people... were utterly despicable!

A trace of sorrow appeared on the President’s face; at that very moment, the door was knocked.

The pounding thud-thud-thud on the door sent the President’s heartbeat into arrhythmia; its less-than-accurate rhythm became somewhat chaotic.

His wife stood in the corner of the living room, looking at him with some worry and some fear.

After the couple stared at each other for a moment, the President let out a sigh.

He took a small comb out of his pocket, tidied his hair and clothes, then got up to open the door.

Standing outside were two local Lemar policemen, and behind them were three men in suits and sunglasses.

Although this was the first time the President had seen these three men and the way they dressed, he still vaguely felt that they must be serving the Federation Government.

They might be some sort of secret police, investigators, or Special Agents?

He didn’t know; in any case, that was what he thought. If he had been to the Federation and understood the Federation’s culture well enough, he would certainly have guessed that these three were investigators from some investigative agency.

"...Sir, we have been specially authorized by the Grand President to form an investigation team, dedicated to looking into certain crimes and negligent acts within the National Bank. We will need your cooperation."

The policeman curled his lip; he didn’t much like the style and attitude of these Federation people, who acted as if they were somehow nobler than everyone else.

Who the hell isn’t also a public servant working for their country?

But then, weren’t Federation people simply a bit nobler than Lemar people?

The President’s Adam’s apple bobbed up and down; he was somewhat nervous, his mouth dry. He turned sideways and gestured into the house. "I need to pack some things..."

In his view, this round of "cooperation" might... take a very long time; he needed to bring a few changes of clothes.

But it appeared the members of the investigation team from the Federation had no intention of letting him do that.

One of them smiled and shook his head. "No need, sir. Our people will help you pack whatever you need; you only have to give us a list."

"Right now, we need to go to the office and begin our work."

"We can afford to wait; Yares can’t!"

Listen to that—what a show of responsibility!

If such words had come from the mouth of a Lemar citizen, the President would have felt gratified; but coming from the mouth of a Federation man, they only filled people with fear.

After a few seconds of silence, he forced out a dry smile and nodded. "All right, all right... I’ll go get the car..."

"No, you’ll ride with us."

The President glanced at the pitch-black car behind them and made another request. "There are some things I’d like to explain to my wife. Could you give us a bit of time?"

Of course, if possible, he hoped he could explain certain things somewhere these people could neither see nor hear.

Only this time, again, he did not get what he wanted.

The Federation investigator continued to hint at him in an almost blunt way. "If you don’t want your wife dragged into trouble as well, the best thing you can do is leave with us immediately."

"If you insist on your own idea, we won’t force you; that choice is yours."

"To leave?"

"Or should we wait for you for a while?"

This was in fact no longer a mere hint; it was more like a threat. The President sighed and got into that pitch‑black car with them.

The car quickly arrived at the Lemar National Bank Headquarters, which surprised him a little. He had thought he would be taken to the Police Station or a prison; he hadn’t expected to be able to come back here.

Escorted by the Special Agents, he was brought to his own office. The moment the door was pushed open, he saw Lynch sitting in his chair.

Lynch was leafing through documents that only the President could read once he’d been granted authorization—and all those authorizations had been given to him by the Grand President.

In Lynch’s words, it was, "You’ve already taken your pants off and you’re still asking if we can stop—don’t you think that’s a bit redundant?" Since you’ve decided to cooperate, then don’t hold back.

Otherwise it won’t just be the people of Lemar who see you as a traitor—we’ll get sick of you too and start thinking about when to replace you!

With that one sentence, the Grand President behaved himself and gave him authorization.

These important materials were immediately laid out in front of Lynch, and he could read them as he pleased.

The President froze for a moment, then looked at the Investigator beside him. The Investigator gave a brief explanation: "Mr. Lynch is the deputy leader of the negotiation team and also our security consultant. The work from here on will be under Mr. Lynch’s charge..."

Once he’d finished speaking, they left, and only Lynch and the President remained in the room.

The President wore a wry smile. "I thought you were just a Merchant, a capitalist."

Lynch put the file in his hand back on the desk and spread his hands. "They don’t want things to be too easy for me." He paused as he spoke. "Please sit. Would you like something to drink?"

The President asked for liquor. A few minutes later, his secretary came in carrying a tray, looking slightly frightened.

Finest strong liquor from the Empire of Peng Jieao, and two glasses.

In terms of alcoholic drinks, the liquor from the Empire of Peng Jieao was indeed of better quality.

The brewing techniques, the recipe, and the special geography and water conditions all influenced the quality of the liquor.

Especially among the varieties brewed with Dragon Blood Wood, it was the most outstanding.

The bright red liquid looked like fresh blood, but not thick. It was divided into the two glasses.

Lynch picked up his glass and clinked it against the President’s. They each took a small sip—a wonderful experience, especially that distinctive taste brought by the Dragon Blood Wood.

Strong, but not scorching; it gave a sense of weight, yet wasn’t astringent.

"Good wine," Lynch remarked, glancing at his glass before setting it down.

By this point, the President already had some rough guesses about what kind of problems he was about to face.

He looked at Lynch, and Lynch glanced over the documents in front of him, then said with a smile, "I’m getting familiar with how this bank operates. It’s a bit healthier than I imagined—at least there aren’t that many holes that can’t be filled."

"I have to say, you’ve done a decent job at the core business of banking—much better than some people I’ve met."

The President felt a little proud, just a little.

To be praised by an "enemy"—and not just any enemy, but a terrifyingly capable one—was indeed something that could make a man happy.

Only recognition from an enemy is truly sincere.

He lowered his head slightly. "Thank you."

Lynch maintained his smile. "But for me, that’s a problem. With fewer holes, I have to spend more money if I want to acquire the National Bank. Fortunately, though, we seem to have some tacit understanding on certain issues."

Lynch pulled out the latest file, ignoring the President’s expression—his mouth hanging open in shock, his mind unable to function. "We’ll need to make a few small adjustments to some of these numbers. That way I can spend less money to take this bank down."

"And maybe we can even keep working together," he added, looking at the President, eyes narrowed in a smile.

The weather was nice today. Sunlight streamed in through the large side window, the slightly stained glass at the top scattering mottled patches of color that fell across Lynch, as if draping him in a fantastical cloak.

The warm sunlight lay flat upon his face; his skin was blindingly white in the light, and his good looks were such that one could hardly bear to look straight at him.

Anyone who saw him at this moment would have nothing left in their mind but endless praise!

A gentleman, elegant, with extraordinary presence!

He just sat there, smiling, and without any unnecessary words he could make people feel both a vitality emanating from him and a heavy, daunting power.

The President’s breathing grew rapid. He tore open his collar, heedless of his dignity, which made him look somewhat disheveled—at least, compared with Lynch he certainly did.

He stared fixedly at Lynch, wet his lips, and said, "You... want to acquire the National Bank?"

From the President’s perspective, this was not a simple matter at all—indeed, not something one man could possibly do!

Last year, Lemar National Bank’s total market value was a little over seventy billion Yares, which, at the exchange rate at the time, was roughly 1.8 billion Federation Sol.

And a considerable portion of that was actually foreign capital. After the foreign capital fled, the remaining assets had already been cut in half—but even that wasn’t enough!

Even halved, it was still worth several hundred million. Lynch had no intention of shelling out that much money, so the only way was to make it even more "shabby." Only then could he spend the least amount of money to get the most done.

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