Chapter 184 The Great Betrayal (II)
Since Richard officially became governor, he quickly took steps to create new policies.
One of the main problems that had undermined New York was the rampant criminality and corruption that had infiltrated various levels of government.
This happened due to the numerous awakenings within the gangs and mafia circles. The decline in people's interest in becoming police officers had allowed criminals to freely engage in criminal activities. As a result, many non-awakened individuals become victims.
As a first step to fight crime and eradicate corruption, Richard immediately formed a special team consisting of the best professionals in law, law enforcement, and investigation.
The team had a clear mandate: identify criminal networks, collect evidence, and bring the perpetrators to justice. However, Richard knew that this would be no easy task. The mafia had powerful influence and deep roots in various sectors. Hence, he filled the entire ranks of his members as awakeners.
Richard reorganized the police force and increased the salaries of the officers to attract awakeners to join the institution. He also worked with the Association to get some experienced certified awakeners, assisting the police force in training new recruits hired by the government.
He also established affiliations with the guilds in New York. These guilds would send their members out into the streets, fighting gangs and street criminals. In return, the guilds would get exclusive rights to raid dungeons. And some of the selected guilds were the Golden Hammer Company, Rays of Hope, and Sons of Thor.
In his first speech as governor, Richard firmly declared war on the mafia and gangs. He spoke with confidence that the time had come to uphold justice in New York. He called it the "Cleanup Project" - a comprehensive effort to rid the state of the damage caused by people hiding in the shadows.
It didn't take long for the "Cleanup Project" to start making a positive impact. Thanks to the hard work of the special teams formed by Richard, many mafia networks were uncovered and cracked down on, and several government officials involved in corrupt practices were sentenced accordingly. These stubborn measures showed everyone that Richard was serious in his determination to change the future of the state.
Of course, his struggle did not go smoothly. Richard and his team faced threats from various parties who felt threatened by these changes. One of them was Vincent Thomsen.
The Guild Master of Morning Star was the one who suffered the most. Many of his men were caught and imprisoned. All of his commodity goods were confiscated. And to make matters worse, he began to lose control of Queens.
The overhaul of the police force had a significant impact. Corrupt cops were removed and replaced with new officers borrowed from the Association. As a result, Vincent could no longer bribe the cops in Queen. At this time, Richard felt like his body was being stripped away one after another by an invisible hand.
Of course, this could not have happened by accident. Richard knew the ins and outs about Vincent, and he was after him from the start. He might not be able to attack Morning Star directly since this guild was a Five Pillars, but he could target its men.
Suffice it to say, Vincent was truly on the edge right now.
While big changes were happening in New York, Klaus was busy with his own problems.
Klaus couldn't take his eyes off the monitor screen as his hand rolled over the mouse. Glued to the screen, he was looking at dozens of resumes. The names that appeared were not random people. They have outstanding educational backgrounds and have a lot of experience.
"Huh, how come none of them fit me," he muttered, sighing.
With Richard in the governor's position, Klaus was at his peak. Mors Industries was guaranteed tenders from the government. Richard had given him many important future projects, related to the development of New York. His guild also benefited from their relationship.
Besides the affiliation with the government, Rays of Hope would get the priority of being the first guild called if a dungeon break occurred. It wasn't like dungeon exclusive rights, but at least the guild would get exposure from reporters.
Although everything was going well, there was one nagging rock that plagued everything. It was Alexa.
Since Klaus knew Alexa had no intention of renewing her contract, he had to find her replacement. Finding a new CEO who had experience in leading a company was easy. What was difficult was finding someone who was like-minded.
He was not worried about how Alexa would help his cousin in setting up a guild and raising it like Rays of Hope or maybe more. He was not afraid of that. It's just that, Klaus got annoyed if someone else took something he had.
Leaning back in his chair, Klaus looked up at the white ceiling above his head.
"I must find a way to hold Alexa."
He closed his eyes, trying to find an ideal solution to secure the CEO. In his head, there were several possibilities to cancel Alexa from joining Edward.
The first way was to erase her memories and rewrite them. It was the most efficient way but also posed a danger at the same time. Changing one's memories too often could affect the ability of human brains, and Klaus still wanted to use Alexa in her full capability.
The second way was to influence Robert's decision. It was not much different from the first way, except that it manipulated the grandfather's memory. Alexa was a very loyal person despite her bad personality. She would follow all of Robert's decisions no matter what he said. However, Klaus knew another problem would arise if he did so. William would question Robert's decision and demand something else. It could have been better or worse.
"Huft, why is everything becoming so troublesome like this? Should I change everyone's memories and have grandpa pass down his inheritance to me?" Klaus sighed. "It's so hard to live as an ordinary human."
In the end, his morals hampered his decision.
"I'll think about it later."
Taking his mind off the matter, Klaus opened a browser to read the news. Just as he opened the news portal, there was a thumbnail article that caught his attention.
A grin bloomed on his face.
"So, he took an early move, huh?"
[Another S-Class awakener who founded a guild in New York! Also, a member of a conglomerate family in the USA!]
Edward Lee was prominently displayed on the first page. The number of views of this news reached 300,495, and it had just been published a few hours ago. Naturally, Klaus was interested in reading the article about his cousin.
"Let's take a look."
As Klaus clicked on the thumbnail, a video played on his laptop monitor screen. n0vElusb.c0m
...
Three hours earlier.
The conference hall was filled with whispers. Journalists, government officials, and the general public were gathered in one room. They seemed to be impatiently waiting for the big announcement to be made by Edward Lee. As a man who was famous for conquering dungeons in various lands, the news of him creating a guild attracted the attention of the city.
Suddenly, the spotlight shone, and Edward Lee strode confidently to the center of the stage. Dressed in a neat business suit, his face bore a smile filled with confidence. He stood in front of the microphone, facing the attentive crowd.
"I am proud to welcome you all to this conference," Edward said in a firm voice. "Today, I come before you to announce the founding of a new guild that will change the fate of this city. A guild that will not only protect humanity from the threat of monsters, but also inspire awakeners."
A murmur ran through the crowd, it was evident that the statement was truly shocking and caught the attention of many.
"We are the 'Guardians of Unity', a guild composed of certified awakeners who have a lot of experience in conquering dungeons," Edward continued excitedly. "As you know, over the past few years, my small party and I have been raiding dungeons outside of the USA. We do that not just to gain popularity, but we also gain more experience. We're doing all this for New York."
Edward spoke with infectious confidence. He continued, "We, the Guardians of Unity, pledge to stand firmly at the forefront of defense. And today, I would like to pledge to this city, to New York, that we will fight with all our body and soul. We will protect every corner of this city, guard every citizen, and realize the peace we all dream of."
Edward Lee's gaze shone and radiated intense determination, blending in with the thunderous cheers of the supportive crowd. He raised his hand.
"By uniting, we will transcend our limitations. New York will be a place where people come together to create a better future. Thank you."
Applause echoed throughout the room. Clicks rumbled as white light poured down on Edward. After throwing a smile at the reporters, he stepped off the stage.
Backstage, the smile etched on his face was gone. He picked up a handkerchief and rubbed his temples.
"You look very tired, Mr. Edward."
"Yeah, I am. I can never stand them."
Standing by the wall, Richard Dickson smiled in welcome. He hung his hands together, and Edward gave him his wet handkerchief. Then, Richard followed the man.
"How was it? Did you do your job?" asked Edward.
"Yeah, I took care of Queens. For now, the Morning Star won't dare make a move."
"Good. So what about Klaus?"
"He's still not suspicious. I'm sure he's focused on Alexa at the moment. The decision you made at lunch was the right one."
"I know," Edward replied haughtily. "We will execute the next plan."
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