The Tyrant Billionaire

Because of The Global Times' straightforward reporting, the newspaper's popularity continued to rise, and its reputation improved once again.

At the same time,

ABC News also broadcast the news, with content similar to that of The Global Times. Everyone knew that these two media outlets were owned by the same boss and shared information.

At the New York Governor's office,

Dewey was reading the newspaper, his face unusually grim. His aides and staff stood beside him, their faces showing concern.

The thing he feared most had happened.

He had sent people to bribe that reporter to cover up the truth, but it had spiraled out of   control.

The fact that he had accepted foreign political donations could no longer be hidden.

But that wasn't the worst part.

The worst part was that he was now suspected of attempting to kill someone who knew the truth, a far more heinous act than taking political donations.

Now that the FBI was involved,

Dewey was convinced that with the FBI's capabilities, the matter would be thoroughly investigated. His opponent, President Johnson, would not miss this rare opportunity to attack him.

What to do next?

This was Dewey's biggest worry.

He looked up at his two closest aides. "What do you think we should do now?"

One of the aides thought for a moment and said, "Governor, there's still room for maneuver. The people we sent are undercover investigators from the New York State Prosecutor's Office. When they investigate these people, we can say that we sent them because we were being blackmailed and that they were there to arrest the suspect, not to kill him.

"We absolutely cannot admit to murder, that's our bottom line."

"What about the political donations?" Dewey asked.

The aide shook his head and said helplessly, "That matter can no longer be concealed. It's easy for the FBI to trace the source of the funds. I think what you need to prepare for now is how to explain this to the public.

Admit there was a mistake in handling the situation at the time, that you only wanted to build a closer relationship with them, and had no intention of taking money or selling out the interests of the American people."

"Then return the money to them and minimize the impact of this matter."

"As for the reporter, we can still file a lawsuit against him, claiming he tried to extort you. The one million sent over was meant to lure him into a trap."

Dewey nodded solemnly.

"My worry now is that Johnson will seize this opportunity and won't let go. The FBI will surely use all its resources," Dewey said worriedly.

The aide replied, "I'm afraid so. But that's all we can do now, unless you secretly contact the other side and agree to withdraw from the election. Johnson might stop the investigation. Otherwise, they will certainly make a big deal out of this issue."

Withdraw from the election.

Dewey was unwilling.

He was in a strong position now, and although Johnson was gaining some ground, Dewey still had a great chance of winning.

If not for this incident, he would be out conducting a nationwide speaking tour, which would definitely suppress Johnson's rising support.

Thinking about the political donation that caused all this trouble,

Dewey wanted to curse.

"Damn you, stupid Chinese idiots! You really screwed me over!"

The four people arrested by the FBI finally spoke up because they received secret instructions allowing them to reveal their identities and explain that the incident was an arrest operation.

They had rehearsed their story beforehand, so their accounts were consistent.

The four were undercover detectives from the New York State Prosecutor's Office. As for the chase, it was an operation to arrest reporter Arnold. This explanation once again threw the whole incident into confusion.

When Hardy heard this news, he calmly said, "Dewey isn't a fool. He must have considered all possibilities before taking action. It would be nearly impossible to prove Dewey ordered a murder. Even if these four people turned against him and said they were instructed to kill, the person they would ultimately expose wouldn't be Dewey but a scapegoat he put forward."

"He could completely say that his subordinates acted on their own, without his knowledge. That's how it works in the world of the powerful."

Of course, Hardy's goal wasn't to destroy Dewey entirely.

Just to cripple him.

Now, all the focus was on Arnold, and Hardy felt it was time for Arnold to wake up.

Arnold finally regained consciousness.

The first thing he said when he opened his eyes was, "I want to meet with the media and talk about this matter in front of them. Otherwise, I feel my personal safety cannot be guaranteed."

The FBI sought approval, and it eventually reached President Johnson, who personally authorized allowing the media to get involved.

And so, Reporters from The Global Times, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, and ABC News, the five largest media outlets in the United States, gathered in Arnold's hospital room. Luckily, the room was spacious enough.

The newspaper reporters held up their cameras, and the ABC News reporters held up their video cameras. As they entered, they began to take a flurry of photos of Arnold.

Arnold leaned against the headboard, his shoulder bandaged, exposing his muscular upper body. Facing the media, Arnold said, "I know you're all very concerned about the chase incident that happened. I was chased by two cars, and they shot at me, shattering my car windows. A bullet hit my shoulder; I was lucky not to die."

The reporters thought to themselves, "We don't care about the chase. We care if this involves Dewey."

"Why did they chase you?" a reporter asked.

"This matter goes back to a few days ago. It involves a prominent figure, New York Governor Dewey," Arnold replied.

The reporters became excited they were finally getting to the point.

"A few days ago, I accidentally discovered something. Governor Dewey met with a foreign official at a golf course in the outskirts of New York. They talked for a long time, and shortly after, I found out through my contacts that Dewey's secret campaign account received an additional five million dollars, wired from São Paulo, Brazil."