The green light of Avada flashed through the office for just a moment.
The wails from before vanished instantly, never to be heard again.
Perhaps the souls of these wizards were still howling,
but our Mr. President had no way of hearing them.
He stood there helplessly, his raised hand slowly lowering.
His heart full of rage suddenly lost its target for venting, leaving him feeling somewhat detached.
Removing his finger from the tip of the nose of a short, stout blonde man dressed in traditional Ukrainian attire, the President confirmed one thing even more clearly:
The future foundation of his Ministry of Magic—his wizarding advisors—had all died at this very moment.
This made him shudder—
Audrey Astley, beneath that gentle exterior of a world-famous singer and a kind Ukrainian boss, was actually this brutal and decisive.
Her counterattack was as swift as a thunderbolt and as cold as an ice field.
The President was almost terrified out of his wits; he wished he could hide in the underground air-raid shelter of the Presidential Palace. Perhaps there, Audrey Astley's treacherous magic would not reach him.
"Mr. President, something terrible has happened!"
An assistant rushed in breathlessly.
"Our liaisons with the Tarantul, Popov, and Tymoshenko families have sent word. Members of those families died en masse just now! Several of our agents were also mysteriously struck by a green light and lost their lives."
The President swallowed hard.
He had navigated the political arena for so many years, advancing step by step. Even when the turmoil before the empire's collapse was as violent as a storm, it had not moved him.
But now, he was so frightened that even speaking had become an extremely difficult task.
The assistant withdrew.
At this moment, the President thought of his father, who had sacrificed his life in the battle against the German invasion.
He thought of his mother, the one who had raised him and given him her full support... Without her, he wouldn't have become an associate doctor, nor would he have had such a brilliant political career.
"No, Mama, I've messed everything up..." The fifty-nine-year-old President sobbed into his hands, looking like a completely different person from the one who had cursed the local wizards as useless just minutes ago.
The President buried himself in the sofa. It was a full hour later before he stood up again.
The bodies of the local wizards had long since been dragged out, and the broken glass windows were temporarily boarded up with plastic sheeting—the repairmen couldn't find suitable materials, as the AA Group had refused to sell any supplies to the government days ago.
Now, under the whistling wind and rain outside, the plastic on the window bulged and deflated like a punching bag.
He sat back at his desk, where stacks of official documents lay—petitions from various regions asking him to step down, reports of protests across the country, and requests from local troops to deploy forces to suppress the riots.
The country was in a complete mess.
Of course, it was already messy before, but at least with the efforts of the AA Group, the lives of the common people were still manageable. Now that the AA Group had walked away, the entire nation collapsed.
Compared to the AA Group, his own government seemed more like a makeshift operation, while they seemed more like the actual government...
"Something is wrong, Mr. President!"
The assistant rushed in again. "All of our personnel who participated in the attack on the AA Group's wizard strongholds have just dropped dead!"
The President seemed to have expected all this. Although his face showed pain, he leaned back quite calmly and waved his hand at the assistant. "Go, go..."
The assistant was about to leave when the President called him back.
"Wait, contact the First Missile Unit for me. I want to launch a missile."
The assistant was shocked. "Mr. President! You are..."
"Don't talk nonsense, carry out the order!"
"Yes, sir!"
...
...
Petro felt as if he were in a dream. He couldn't believe that the AA Group, which held immense power in Ukraine, intended to nominate him as the national leader!
"So, Petro, later I will sell the shares of industries closely related to the national economy and people's livelihood to the new Ukrainian government. I will only hold 49% myself,"
Audrey spoke with confidence, "This way, those industries can be considered state-controlled."
Ye-Ye stood behind Audrey, moved beyond words. Their great leader was truly moving forward step by step!
"However, let me emphasize once more: those shares are a transaction, not a gift. Your new government must pay!"
"Of course, Miss Astley," Petro nodded repeatedly. "You have helped our country so much. As our great benefactor, how could we possibly take your industries for nothing! Don't worry, we will slowly pay off the funds owed to you! I hope we can work together to build the country better and better!"
Audrey smiled and nodded. The most profitable industries naturally had to remain in her hands, while those with thin profit margins related to the people's livelihood wouldn't be held onto stubbornly—why not do something to win over the people?
Besides, they weren't getting them for free! With this transaction, she would make dozens of times the profit at least. If she didn't mark up the assets sold to the government by 50%, wouldn't that be looking down on the new government?
"Something is wrong, Boss!"
The door was pushed open. Audrey frowned slightly. "I am speaking with a distinguished guest. Can't this wait?"
"Missiles! There are missiles flying toward us right now!"
"What?"
Everyone in the room stood up.
"Our contact in the First Missile Unit notified us that the missile is equipped with a nuclear warhead!"
Petro looked at Audrey. "Miss Astley, do we need help evacuating the people?"
Audrey shook her head. "It's too late. Even if we drove away now, we wouldn't be able to escape the blast radius of a nuclear bomb."
She looked out the window. The heavy rain had been going on for several hours. The sun was still obscured by thick dark clouds, and the entire sky was gloomy.
"Everyone, do not panic. We will be fine,"
Audrey said, looking at Edmond. "Edmond, immediately have all our newspapers and radio stations release news that the President, driven by political struggle and perverse actions, has launched a nuclear missile at his own country's territory in an attempt to destroy the AA Group, which is dedicated to the people. It is an egregious crime!"
"Petro, does such an action by the President count as treason?"
"Of course, Miss Astley. We have long held evidence of the President's clandestine dealings with the United States and his betrayal of national interests. This time, there is no chance for him to recover."
Petro spoke firmly, but his heart was completely uncertain.
That was a nuclear bomb. Shouldn't they be discussing how to escape right now?
What was with the discussion on how to bring the President down?
"That's good,"
Audrey smiled.
"As the newest national leader, I need to introduce you to a brand-new department: the Ukrainian Ministry of Magic."
She pointed to Ye-Ye. "This is Comrade Evgeny Yegor; he will be the first Minister of Magic for this country."
"As for that nuclear missile in the air,"
Audrey laughed.
"A long-range nuclear missile poses no threat to a wizard."
Crack!
Audrey's smile before she vanished left Petro dazed.
Wizards!
Magic!
His worldview was shaken!
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