Chapter 583: The Secret to Top-Tier Traffic

"Damn it, this hellish life is finally almost over."
The current president of Country M, BD, an old man nearing retirement, was slumped in his chair, legs propped up on his expensive desk, utterly bored...
His eyes shone with a sense of "I'm finally going to be free!"
"This damned place, I can't stand it for another day!"
Only the final countdown to complete liberation remained.
BD simply became a master of "slacking off."
He'd grit his teeth and do his job half-heartedly;
As for anything outside his job description, he'd simply "not see, hear, or know."
Anyway, if the sky falls, the next unlucky guy will take care of it; it's none of his business.
However, in the world, you can't just retire whenever you want.
"Mr. President!"
People clearly weren't going to let BD enjoy his final days in peace.
The office door was flung open, and BD, without even lifting an eyelid, knew trouble was brewing.
Sure enough, the Democratic Party's distraught bunch, swarming around their presidential candidate Hillis...
swarmed in like a pack of groundhogs whose house had just been ransacked.
“Gentlemen, gentlemen,” BD said, barely bothering to put his feet down, just swaying slightly,
“I’m getting on in years, half my body is in the grave, can’t I at least have some peace and quiet before retirement?”
“Please don’t say that, Mr. President!” an aide rushed forward, showering him with flattery,
“You are still the symbol of this country, the most influential person in the world today…”
“Enough, enough, stop!” BD waved his hand, interrupting the clichéd speech, which he was thoroughly tired of hearing.
“Don’t flatter me. What influence do I, a guy who has personally made himself a ‘lame duck,’ have left?
So, what’s the matter this time, with all this fuss?”
Hillis handed over a document, her face grave:
"Mr. President, these are the poll results that just came out today."
The poll data had always been Hillis's advantage; she had been leading by a wide margin, like a rocket.
But this time, the sky had fallen.
The two intertwined curves on the data chart suddenly and dramatically intersected.
The curve representing the opponent CP's support rate was like a venomous snake that had been lying in wait.
It suddenly rose sharply, piercing Hillis's seemingly impenetrable defenses at an extremely ferocious angle!
A reversal! A complete and utter reversal!
BD glanced at it slowly, not even raising an eyelid:
"Is the data reliable? Is it some third-rate, shady organization's gimmick?"
"Absolutely true! Almost all authoritative polls show that CP's support rate has completely overwhelmed ours!"
"Oh, is that so?"
BD nodded, and then…
That was it.
"..."
A deathly silence fell over the office.
Jillis and her team gradually froze.
That's it? That's all the reaction?
The shock, anger, emergency meeting they had anticipated... none of it!
"Mr. President...?"
Jillis called out tentatively.
"What?"
BD finally put his feet down, sat up straight, and looked at them with a half-smile.
"What do you expect me to say? A rally, or to lead you in chanting slogans?"
"We...we must win this election! For the Democratic Party's ideals, for the future of the country!"
Upon hearing this, BD suddenly chuckled, a hint of pity in his eyes, as if looking at a group of clueless idiots.
"Looks like not a single word I said to those fools in the cabinet reached your ears."
His voice suddenly sharpened.
"If I really wanted the Democratic Party to win, do you think I would have let Hillis take the lead? I would have rolled up my sleeves and done it myself!"
"...What?"
A thunderbolt!
Those words struck like a bolt of lightning, leaving Hillis and her staff stunned and bewildered, their minds buzzing.
“You should all know that the earth-shattering upheaval in East Asia brought my and the Democratic Party’s prestige to its peak, right?
So, Hillis, you, a mere girl who hasn’t even firmly established yourself in politics, was able to snag such a huge windfall and be pushed into this position.”
“…”
Hillis’s lips moved, but she couldn’t utter a single word.
“But from the very beginning, I never intended for you to be elected.”
BD spoke each word slowly and deliberately, each syllable like a poisoned ice pick piercing Hillis’s heart.
“You’re nothing more than a mascot I put on the table to fill a quota, to go through the motions.”
“Mr…President…”
BD, who usually presented a gentle image, now revealed a sharp edge, her words so incisive that everyone present felt a chill run down their spines!
“Don’t misunderstand, child. I’m not saying this because I hate you.”
BD’s tone suddenly softened, tinged with pity.
“Quite the opposite, I’m telling you these heartfelt words because I genuinely care about you.
Because deep down… I don’t want the person I truly value to be in this damned position.”
Hilis abruptly looked up, a flash of understanding in her eyes:
“…It’s because of…Fang Huan’s investment?”
“That’s right. The presidency of the United States is no longer the pinnacle of power on this planet.”
BD’s gaze deepened and grew weary.
“It’s now…more like a curse;
A target being roasted over a fire;
A puppet manipulated by an invisible hand!
These past years, I've risked my life, exhausted every ounce of strength in this position!
I've tried everything to stop those damned bastards at 'Fanghuan Investment' from playing our country like puppets!
But what was the result? You all saw it!
The result was that he, the leader of the world's strongest nation, was crippled simply for trying to resist 'Fanghuan Investment'...
He was branded a "lame duck," a laughingstock to the world.
"You all just stood by and watched me get tortured like this, and you still coveted this pit of fire.
To be honest, I really don't understand."
BD shook his head.
"But, if someone from our Democratic Party is elected, they can inherit your will and steer the country back on track!"
Besides, that CP guy, he's a madman! Handing the country over to him would be…”
“A madman? Heh, young man, you're too naive.” BD sneered.
“That's not madness, that's a carefully crafted ‘persona,’ a top-tier traffic magnet!
If he were a normal, gentle person, would he be the center of attention he is today?
Would he have those rednecks so fanatical about him?
Remember, kid, what drives the masses crazy is always the most exciting, the most outrageous things.
That's why Fang Huan Investment chose him, why they orchestrated that ‘assassination’ drama, helping him defy fate and turn the tables!”