Chapter 1266: Chapter 1266: Believe (Long Chapter, Request for Monthly Pass)
January 31
At 9 a.m., just one day after the press conference in Dawn City, the long-silent Ains finally moved into action.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation headquarters unexpectedly held a press conference without any prior notice.
All reporters were inford only half an hour in advance, leading to more than one-third of journalists and dia personnel failing to arrive onsite due to traffic jams and other reasons.
This ti, however, the person hosting the conference was not the frequently featured spokesperson of the FBI, but the rarely-seen Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The content of the press conference was simple: the Director stated they were already aware of the matter concerning the Order Church. The FBI would not tolerate the presence of any cult organizations within the church, and an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the Order Church had already comnced.
The Director’s speaking speed was very rapid; the entire press conference lasted less than ten minutes from start to finish.
By the ti the late journalists arrived, the event was already concluded.
Yet, those brief ten minutes hit like a bombshell tossed into waters that were already roiling with unrest.
Afterward, Ains fell back into silence, but people no longer perceived it as peaceful, only as a deceptive quiet concealing turbulent undercurrents beneath the surface.
—
February 3
Dawn City publicly released portions of surveillance footage from the night of the incident in downtown Dawn City and announced increased sanctions against major conglorates implicated in previous events. The sanctions would extend to their subsidiaries and companies closely trading with them.
Stars Pharma held a press conference accusing Christos of “abusing governnt power” and “oppressing organized groups” through authoritative asures.
Other major conglorates also held press conferences, collectively condemning Christos.
—
February 4
The stocks of conglorates listed by Dawn City continued to plumt as several economic experts predicted that the market confidence in these groups would not recover under the current confrontational climate.
The Dawn City council began the first impeachnt vote against Christos, but it failed due to not reaching a two-thirds majority.
Sources indicated that the opposition was already preparing a second impeachnt attempt. This marked the greatest crisis for Christos since his overwhelming victory in the midterm elections, as nurous allies who should have supported him beca indecisive or openly joined the opposition.
The Dawn Daily published a special column with extensive coverage of the challenges Christos was facing and detailed the negative impacts his sanctions on the conglorates had exerted on Dawn City.
Several other outlets simultaneously published articles urging Christos to halt his “pointless capriciousness,” cautioning that reckless use of power to punish the conglorates could severely disrupt the order and structure of Dawn City. It could undermine employers’ willingness to hire, leading to mass unemploynt.
—
February 5
Ino dia released a piece titled “The New Employers of Dawn City.”
The article profiled newcors such as Qiming Hospital, Nolanka Group, and Winter City Industrial Group, detailing their investnts and hiring practices in Dawn City.
The piece included interviews with many employees working for these employers, offering firsthand insights.
According to the interviewees, the salary levels and employee benefits provided by these new employers far exceeded the average standards of forr Dawn City employers.
Moreover, these organizations did not employ dispatched workers or sign contracts through middlen. Instead, they directly signed long-term contracts, guaranteeing equal benefits for all employees.
Due to the previous Dawn City incidents generating widespread attention, Ino dia itself rose to prominence as a highly influential outlet across the Federation. This article quickly garnered significant circulation upon publication.
Many citizens who read the article followed its recomndations to locate recruitnt sites of Nolanka Group and others, personally verifying the claims in the report.
These individuals then shared their findings online, triggering even more widespread attention.
—
February 10
An increasing number of people secured jobs with Nolanka Group and its fellow new employers, including many who had been laid off by Stars Pharma and Wel dical Consortium due to “poor corporate managent.”
So of these individuals, who had worked on both sides, compared the employee benefits of the two, ultimately confirming that Nolanka Group’s offerings were significantly better.
“Respect—not just wages and benefits; I genuinely feel respected. Mr. Vian treats us not as disposable tools but as intelligent individuals. Nolanka Group is hands down the best employer I’ve encountered in all my working years,” one user with the nickna “Job-hunting Ennie” comnted.
Her remarks resonated deeply across social dia, causing widespread discussion.
Nolanka Group employees from Kaye City also started sharing glimpses of their lives, showcasing the city’s condition.
Very quickly, Nolanka Group’s interview phones in Dawn City beca overwheld, and cities with operations from Nolanka Group saw a flood of candidates seeking job opportunities.
Branches in nurous cities hung “Staff Full” signs to deter inquiries from hopeful applicants.
anwhile, residents in cities without Nolanka Group operations began clamoring on social networks, urging the company to expand its reach to their locations.
—
February 13
Amid surging popularity, Nolanka Group erged as the latest “viral company,” dragging Kaye City into the spotlight as a trendy locale.
Nolanka Group swiftly established a tourism departnt, leading to significant growth in Kaye City’s tourism sector.
In retaliation, major conglorates led by Stars Pharma announced sanctions against Nolanka Group and Kaye City.
—
February 15
After half a month of silence, rumors about Ains began to surface online.
Many residents in Ains claid that sightings of FBI vehicles on the streets had drastically increased. These vehicles were often seen pulling into villa and wealthy districts.
So witnesses said they heard fierce gunfire and combat sounds after these vehicles entered certain areas.
Most of the ti, the noises ceased quickly, followed by the exit of FBI vehicles.
However, other witnesses claid to have seen instances where FBI vehicles entered but did not erge, after which nearby regions were sealed off, with surrounding residents dispersed.
This series of events seed to suggest sothing was happening.
Nonetheless, Ains’ officials maintained complete silence.
—
February 17
A large number of negative reports suddenly appeared about the current FBI Director, alleging misconduct such as defiling young girls, accepting bribes, and nepotism.
These reports were quickly scrubbed from the internet.
Similarly, negative stories about the sitting President began to spread, including accusations of bribes received by the First Lady and President’s children holding high-paying positions as executives within conglorates.
—
February 23
The opposition leader in the Federal House of Representatives stated that they were considering launching impeachnt proceedings against the President due to the circulating allegations.
—
February 24
The FBI in Dawn City abruptly arrested several senior executives from conglorates like Stars Pharma who were lingering in Dawn City, alongside certain city governnt officials.
—
February 27
Ino dia published a trove of incriminating material about mbers of the Dawn City council.
The FBI and Dawn City Police Bureau announced investigations into council mbers suspected of collusion with conglorates and attempts to overthrow the city governnt.
Protests against Christos returned to the streets of Dawn City. Simultaneously, rallies in support of Christos also erged.
Supporters far outnumbered opponents, with supporter groups often encircling and blocking opposing gatherings, leaving them paralyzed.
—
“Christos, step down! Christos, step down!”
The narrow streets were packed with a roaring crowd.
A frail teenager in a fur coat leaned against a lamppost beside an outdoor café, biting into a small loaf of bread as he watched the crowd blocked in the street. He shoved the rest of the bread into his mouth, fiddled with the mask necklace around his neck, and muttered, “Idiots.”
“Why aren’t you out earning side cash today?”
A familiar voice spoke from behind him.
The teenager froze briefly upon hearing it. He clapped his hands and replied casually, “I’m getting ready to apply for college. No ti to play with these fools anymore.”
“You managed to get a student loan?”
The person behind him asked with a chuckle.
“Got it,”
The teenager removed his coat and laughed as he turned around to face the speaker sitting behind a café table.
He pulled out another chair at the table effortlessly, grinning,
“Thanks to you, I went to City Hall to check, and they actually had it—completely interest-free, believe it?”
As he spoke, he kept removing his coat, “I read that contract over four or five tis, and it’s really interest-free. The City Hall even offered us orphans so easy errand jobs. The pay’s not much, but it’s enough for to focus on studying again.”
He shifted his position and looked at the figure opposite him while sitting down, “Though you left too early that night; you missed all the good fun…”
Unlike the last encounter during nightti, the sunlight scattered down now. For the first ti, he clearly saw the appearance of the man opposite him.
Just as his backside touched the chair, there was a “pop” sound, and he bounced up.
“Was there a thorn on the chair?”
Christos looked at the frail teenager in amusent.
“No, no,”
The teenager hurriedly flung his coat onto the chair, “Mr. Mayor, I didn’t recognize greatness when I saw it. Whatever bad I said about you that day, just treat it like nonsense on my part,”
He waved dismissively, “Here’s your coat back; pretend I’m just so fart—let go!”
After speaking, he turned to flee.
“Wait,”
Christos chuckled behind him, “Am I so scary?”
The teenager paused awkwardly, turning back toward Christos, “Not…too scary.”
“Would you return a gift soone gave you?”
Christos motioned at the coat on the chair, smiling as he asked.
“No effort, no reward—your coat’s too expensive, and I’ve been looking for you these past few days,”
The teenager eyed the coat, hesitated, and shook his head resolutely, “I can’t accept it.”
Christos seed briefly surprised by his response but didn’t press the matter. His gaze fell on the mask necklace around the teenager’s neck—a black-and-white mask pendant adorned it.
Christos hesitated montarily, then asked softly, “I noticed you weren’t wearing that last ti?”
“It’s trending online lately,”
The teenager clutched the necklace and replied with an embarrassed grin, “Everyone’s buying one, so I scraped together so cash to get it. It’s not expensive. Except for the conglorates’ malls, these things are sold everywhere.”
“Many around you are buying them?”
Christos asked quietly, “Do you know what it represents?”
“Quite a few, it’s ‘K,’ super popular right now,”
The teenager said softly, “Us poor kids—any novelty trend, we flock to it just to scrape by…”
Under Christos’ steady gaze, his words trailed off before halting altogether. Finally, he paused and whispered, “I believe.”
A gust of wind carried chants of protest through the gap between the two, brushing past their disparate faces.
After a brief silence, Christos looked at the teenager and smiled, “You should know how to reach . Let know when you’ve got good news about university.”
The teenager glanced at the mayor in front of him and nodded firmly, “Will do!”
—
March 2
Ains broke its silence and held another press conference.
The FBI Director announced preliminary investigation results, confirming the existence of the Order Church and stating that the FBI had comnced a deeper investigation while arresting key personnel within the Order Church.
Additionally, the FBI released information about several conglorates linked to the Order Church, pledging further inquiries into the Dawn City incident.
The stocks of conglorates led by Stars Pharma plunged again that day.
—
March 5
The Federal House of Representatives opposition party initiated impeachnt proceedings against the Federation President, citing “abuse of power” and “involvent in violent cris.”
anwhile, Dawn City council launched a second impeachnt attempt against Mayor Christos.
Opposition protests erupted across every corner of Dawn City. On the sa day, Dawn City Police Bureau dealt with over thirty violent clashes between supporters and opponents of the mayor.
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