William spent some time chatting with little Emily, calming her nerves. Then, he took off his smart glasses and placed them on her. "Hey, why don't you let Sunday pick out some cartoons for you?"
But Emily grabbed his collar and protested, "No, I don't want to be away from you!"
"Alright, don't worry. I'll be right here," William replied with a smile, kissing her gently on the head. "I just need to have a grown-up talk with Mr. Benjamin. You can sit right here, and I promise I won't leave your sight."
"Promise?" Emily asked anxiously, gripping his collar tightly.
William chuckled and gently pinched her nose. "Of course. I wouldn't think of lying to a little one like you."
Turning to Benjamin, who was preparing to make a call, William said, "Hold on, Arthur."
"What?" Benjamin turned around, puzzled. "Is there a problem?"
"Yes, and it's a big one."
William knew all too well that whoever was pulling the strings here wasn't simply trying to take over the White House. The main plot was fairly obvious once he put the pieces together.
Amir Bakawi, a figure from the desert region, was already dead, eliminated by Carlos. Yet now, someone was using his name to stage this takeover of the White House. The attackers had also hacked servers to use America's own missiles to target Vice President Truman Bull and Air Force One. Regardless of whether it would escalate to the level of a nuclear crisis, as in the movie, the masterminds' goals were clear: an unavoidable war, from which certain military-industrial players stood to profit immensely.
The United States being hit repeatedly on its own soil would incite panic and anger among its citizens and Congress, who would demand a target. It didn't matter whether that target was truly guilty; the blame would likely fall on the desert elites the US had long disliked, accused of sheltering Bakawi.
And once war began, who would profit? Obviously, the military-industrial corporations. They were in dire straits after a global financial crisis and a decade without conflict. President Benjamin Arthur's attempts to cut defense spending and implement gun control only made things harder for these corporations. If any of Arthur's policies succeeded, some of these already struggling companies might go bankrupt. For people whose livelihood depended on war, they would do whatever it took to stay afloat, even fabricating a major crisis.
Once he finished explaining everything but Bakawi's death at his hands, Benjamin's face flushed with anger. He began pacing furiously, muttering, "How dare they? How dare they?"
After a few minutes, he shook his head, saying, "This can't be. If this came to light, the military-industrial complex would face complete destruction. Every citizen in the US would want them torn apart. No, not just torn apart—they'd be dismantled entirely, with every scrap of their assets divided among other companies. My God, I'd rather believe it's Bakawi himself seeking revenge. Could they really be that insane?"
"Stop fooling yourself, Arthur. You know Bakawi wouldn't have had enough men or money to pull this off," William retorted. "Especially since his followers were nearly wiped out by my bounty on him. Not to mention, his assets have been frozen by you and the British. He'd never be able to recruit this many disposable soldiers, and London's attack was only a month ago. It's too tight a timeline."
"No," Benjamin shook his head stubbornly. "This could very well be an old contingency plan from Bakawi's group, laid in place years ago. My chief of security, Martin Walker, wouldn't be so easily bought."
Seeing William's hesitation, Benjamin explained, "When Martin captured me, I asked why he did it. His answer? About two weeks ago, he received a video in the mail showing his son Kevin, whom he believed dead in the London attacks, asking for help. Kevin had been captured instead of killed, and Martin, facing terminal illness and needing money for treatment, had no choice but to obey the mastermind's demands. Only Bakawi's men could have abducted Kevin in London."
"Alright, then let's focus on getting out of here," William replied with a shrug, seeing Benjamin wouldn't be convinced. Whether or not the US went to war with the desert states didn't concern him. He knew that war was almost inevitable, considering how the US had waged a prolonged war after 9/11 in his past life.
And if war did break out, his bulletproof vest business would skyrocket, so long as the conflict didn't involve his own country. William had no reason to intervene.
Seeing William go silent, Benjamin sat heavily in his chair, a grim expression on his face. After a long pause, he murmured, "So, you're saying war is unavoidable?"
"Isn't it obvious?" William said. "Amir Bakawi and his Desert Vengeance group have claimed responsibility. The case for war has already been handed to those itching to start one. Military contractors, oil corporations, and every other war-hungry interest group won't miss this opportunity. All they need is a media push to spin the war as a matter of national security. And you, Mr. President, what can you do? Object?"
"Hah, if you dare to stand against them, they'll throw every possible obstacle your way. Re-election? Forget it. And they wouldn't hesitate to plot against you again."
"Instead, why not go along with them? Who knows, it might even help your re-election—"
"Hold on," Benjamin interrupted, narrowing his eyes at William. "How do you know Amir Bakawi is dead?"
"Did I say that?" William's heart skipped a beat, but he quickly put on his usual nonchalant act, feigning ignorance. After a moment, he said, "Oh, come on. Are you so scared of Bakawi that you're hearing things? I said 'dead man,' not 'dead body.' Sorry if my phrasing was off. I meant he's a ghost, a phantom. Understand?"
[Check out my Patreon for +200 additional chapters in all my fanfics! Only $5 per novel or $15 for all!!] [[email protected]/Mutter]
[+50 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter]
[+5 Reviews = +1 Extra Chapter]