"It can’t be true! How can anything happen to him?"
Even as he watched the video feed, Piccolo was still left in disbelief. His entire body was trembling fiercely.
The reality was right before his eyes but he refused to believe it. How can Leo be dead? It was impossible!
He had wanted to et Leo and tell him that he had successfully completed the mission assigned to him. He had finished fishing like Leo wanted.
Unfortunately, ever since he returned, he hadn’t caught even a single glimpse of Leo.
He had thought that Leo was simply busy doing sothing important and they were definitely going to et him when he was free.
That’s why he was so against expansion, and only wanted to wait for Leo. According to him, they had to wait for Leo to return for such a drastic change.
If that wasn’t the case, why would he be so fiercely against expansion and the Alpha Bank’s decision. Why would he start a new front with the Alpha Labs, in opposition to Alpha Bank’s leadership.
Was it because he wanted power in the company? Was it because he wanted to take control of the company? No! He simply wanted to keep the statue quo until Leo returned.
Now that it beca clear that Leo was dead, was there any long in keeping this company? Was there any point in his resistance?
Piccolo looked like his soul had left his body in an instant as he rembered the mont Leo had appeared like an angel in front of him, offering him a job which changed his life.
Even he didn’t realize how much of an impact Leo had in his life. However, it was true that he had actually started thinking of Leo as a senior that he could only look up to, like a master.
He didn’t notice as tears stread down his eyes. Every voice in the background beca noise at the mont, as he sat silently.
"We need to issue a statent," the giant who was now leading the Alpha Bank exclaid, his face filled with panic.
Even though he was shocked that Leo was dead, he wasn’t as affected as Piccolo. Even now, he could think clearly and his first thought was to protect the company’s interest.
Even he didn’t understand his own emotions. They were complicated. Sohow he was relieved that Leo was dead and he could have a straight path to the top. At the sa ti, he felt horrified and regretful that Leo had died.
"We need to issue a denial. Let’s say it’s fake and all the forensic experts are paid by our enemies! We can use our influence to suppress this news, and force the dia sites!"
"What’s the point?" the woman who currently led the Alpha Labs asked, slamming her fist on the table. "We can’t suppress it anymore. It’s too late, and even if we suppress it, it’ll only be worse for us later."
"If we lie and get caught, we will be destroyed by public opinion. We can’t destroy our credibility for sothing that would co to light sooner or later."
"The Heroes... they’re already withdrawing. They are asking us for an explanation."
While the elites argued, the reality hit the common citizen. Alpha Corp didn’t just make phones or cars. They were much bigger than that.
Moreover, Leo wasn’t just the leader of a company. He was also soone that was handed control over earth. And now he was dead?
At this mont, it wasn’t just the company that was in ss but many politicians also saw it as an opportunity.
Didn’t they give control of earth to Leo because he managed to manipulate public opinion? Now that he was dead, so was the opinion.
The people weren’t going to suppress the leadership of earth being passed down to the company leadership, no matter who managed to beco the next leader of Alpha Corp.
If that was the case, wouldn’t they actually be considered a dictatorship. With Leo, there was at least a vague illusion of freedom and people’s will. But now, even that illusion was going to fall apart.
Many politicians that once controlled public opinion were grinning from ear to ear, their expressions filled with excitent.
Now that such a thing had happened, it was also ti for them to co out of retirent and enter active politics again.
Soon, they had started ssaging their supporters, and another subtle wave of manipulation was created.
Slowly, a little fla was being ignited in the form of an under current, asking for elections on earth.
With that, barely half a day had passed before the previous political leaders ca out of their hiding and addressed the public.
First, they expressed their grief over Leo’s death and praised his achievents and everything he did for earth.
It was only after that, they addressed the demand that was raised by their own supporters in secret.
One after another, all previous leaders of the nations announced a referendum that was going to decide if there should be elections like the past, or if the leadership of earth should stay with Alpha Corp.
It hadn’t even been twenty four hours since the announcent of Leo’s death and the vultures were already out of their hiding.
anwhile, the Hero Tower also watched everything silently, realising that earth was in for a period of turmoil just as everything looked like it was starting to settle down.
The Heroes had already sent a ssage to the Alpha Corp for an explanation, while they also had their own eting to decide what to do next.
Although they supported Alpha Corp, but it was mostly because of their support to Leo.
Now that they didn’t know who was going to beco the next leader of what company, could they still blindly support it?
So of them even worried that there was more to this situation than t the eyes. They even worried that soone in the company had sched against Leo to have him killed.
If a person like that beca the next leader of the company, and earth was handed over to him, wouldn’t that be a recipe for disaster?
The opinion in the eting was split about what to do next. So wanted to take a side in Alpha Corp’s battle of succession.
If they were worried that so black hearted board mber had sched against Leo, then they just had to support the other side.
anwhile, the other half were split in different opinions. They claid that it was ti to go separate ways from the Alpha Corp.
It was ti to establish a clear line between the two sides. After all, their declaration of support was to Leo, and not to so board mber that might take control of the company.
As the two sides started clashing their opinions, temperature in the eting room flared.
In the corner of the silent eting room, Piccolo finally moved. The tears hadn’t stopped, but his eyes, once wide with shock, had narrowed.
"You’re talking about denying it?" Piccolo’s voice cut through the frantic arguing of the Alpha Bank director like a sharp blade.
The giant man froze, his face flushing. He still didn’t know that Piccolo was the sa person who had once put everyone in his office to sleep, frightening him. After all, he was wearing a mask at that ti.
In his eyes, Piccolo was just an ordinary human who enjoyed the position because Leo favored him in the past.
Piccolo stood up, his chair screeching against the floor. The sound was like a dying animal.
"Leo is dead. The man who built the empire you’re sitting in, the man who gave you the power you’re so desperate to keep... he’s gone. And your first instinct is to turn his death into a PR strategy?"
"We have to survive!" the giant exclaid, regaining his bravado. "If Alpha Corp falls, this empire will fall! Do you have any idea how many hounds are waiting to pounce on us at a single sign of weakness?"
Outside, digital billboards that usually displayed Alpha Corp’s sleek advertisents were being hijacked by localized broadcasts. Faces of forr presidents and pri ministers, n and won who had been sidelined for so ti, appeared with fake expressions of concern.
"The era of the Individual is over," one broadcast proclaid. "We thank Leo for his service, but Earth belongs to its people, not a boardroom. We demand a return to the ballot. We demand our voice back."
The heat in the Hero Tower’s briefing room had reached a boiling point. On one side stood the Vanguardists, those who believed the Heroes should seize temporary control to prevent a global civil war.
On the other were the Neutralists, who feared that interfering would be the very starting point of a civil war. And they were also worried about the firepower of Alpha Corporation.
Even though Leo was dead, the company still had a massive fleet hovering around earth.
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