North American riot police: Start by arresting P. Diddy!

Chapter 189 Presidential Connection! (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
At the bottom of the Broadcasting Building, the roadside was lined with a dense array of bomb disposal vehicles.

Police, FBI, counterterrorism agency, and bomb disposal experts were almost all present.

The bombing at the CBS building has alarmed law enforcement throughout New York City.

However, the most crucial element was not just the explosion itself, but the "horror livestream" broadcast from upstairs to the entire United States.

"The president's order is clear: the signal must be cut off! We cannot allow the entire nation to stand by and watch a terrorist be executed indiscriminately on camera!"

"This is not only an insult to the judicial system, but also a provocation against our law enforcement authority!"

“I understand what you mean, but don’t forget Rorschach’s threat: if the live stream is interrupted, he will blow up another floor!”

"Has the population not been evacuated yet?"

"How are we supposed to evacuate?! You'd barely evacuate before he detonates it! This is Rorschach Butcher, not some ordinary criminal! You really think he wouldn't dare?!"

"Sang Ao Fu Bi Chi!!"

Downstairs in the lobby, several law enforcement officials were fiercely debating countermeasures.

Although the president ordered the live broadcast to be cut off, no one dared to actually make the decision.

After all, the chances of the president being impeached for this are extremely slim, but if the building really explodes and causes major casualties, they will be the ones to take the blame.

Their gazes turned simultaneously to the doorway—FBI Director Robert was anxiously making a phone call.

"Jack! I know you're not in New York, but only you can help me right now!"

He lowered his voice and roared, "You can't find Rorschach's location, but what about that damn warehouse?! Don't tell me your [machines] can't even track down the warehouse that's holding so many Upper East Side tycoons! They've been missing for two days; there can't be no trace of them!"

"Hurry up, man! Damn it, I'm so unlucky, why did it have to be me in New York today!"

A few minutes later, my phone vibrated, and an encrypted message popped up.

Robert stared at the screen, finally letting out a long sigh of relief, and strode back to the hall.

When Robert saw the group still huddled together doing nothing, he was furious: "You fucking have the nerve to chat? Evacuate the building immediately! Bomb disposal team, check for bombs! Most importantly, cut off the live broadcast! I will not allow that bastard Rorschach to continue swaggering around on national television. Does he think this is some Hollywood blockbuster?!"

"Are we really going to cut it off?"

The Midtown Police Chief looked troubled: "But what if Rorschach really detonates it again?"

"This is a direct order from the president!"

Robert interrupted sharply, “Execute it immediately! Don’t you know how many eyes across America are watching this? If Rorschach continues broadcasting, we will all become a laughing stock in America! No, a laughing stock in the whole world!”

The people present looked at each other, and finally stopped hesitating. They picked up their walkie-talkies and began to issue instructions to cut off the live broadcast signal of the entire building.

Just then, the elevator doors suddenly opened.

An elderly man in a sharp suit with gray hair strode out.

He had a distinctive large nose and typical Jewish features.

"Absolutely not! The live stream must not be interrupted!"

Upon seeing Robert and the others, the old man shouted angrily, "You're playing with the lives of over two thousand CBS employees! If something really happens, who among you can take responsibility?!"

Robert wiped the spittle off his face and did not respond immediately.

As a member of the CBS board, the elderly man's strong reaction is indeed understandable.

The local police chief explained awkwardly, "Mr. Director, this is an order from the President, we..."

"I will personally contact the president afterward to explain the situation! But the live broadcast must not be interrupted! I will not allow you to gamble with the lives of my company's employees!" the elderly Jewish man said resolutely, his attitude showing no sign of backing down.

"What the hell."

Robert glared at the old man, then turned and strode towards the gate with his men.

"Robert! Where are you going?" someone asked urgently.

"I've located the warehouse from the live stream. I'm going to rescue the hostages! You guys take care of this!"

Before he finished speaking, Robert had already jumped into the car, slammed on the gas, and sped away, as if afraid someone would follow.

"That old fox."

Those who remained behind couldn't help but curse under their breath; this slippery fellow had once again thrown a hot potato at them.

"First, check for bombs," the police chief ordered in a deep voice. "Disperse all personnel and find the explosives on other floors as soon as possible. Have the bomb disposal team analyze the bomb types immediately."

"clear."

After everyone hurriedly left, the anger on the Jewish director's face gradually faded.

He asked his assistant in a low voice, "What are the ratings now?"

"76.8%!" The assistant lowered his voice, barely able to contain his excitement. "It's broken the historical record! And it's still climbing!"

The Jewish director rubbed his fingers with satisfaction, a meaningful smile appearing on his face.

"Excellent, keep it up. When this live broadcast ends, CBS will create a ratings legend in North American television history!"

“We never expected that this terrorist Rorschach would actually do us a huge favor,” the assistant exclaimed. “We just don’t know how long this live stream will last.”

"As long as he doesn't intentionally stop, our TV station will continue broadcasting live!"

After the old man finished speaking decisively, he strode out of the building.

After all, there was still a bomb inside the building, so he had to quickly move to a safe location and remotely ensure the live broadcast went smoothly.

As for the safety of others
It doesn't matter, the company has already bought insurance for all employees!
As for whether or not he will pay compensation, that's none of his business!
----------

The White House, Oval Office.

An emergency meeting is underway.

The number of attendees was small, consisting only of the president, vice president, speaker, and a few key staff advisors.

At this moment, the conference room was completely silent, save for the cold, emotionless voice coming from the television:

"They wrote the policy terms in such an obscure and difficult-to-understand way that ordinary people cannot comprehend them."

“Using all sorts of excuses to refuse compensation, even for the most reasonable claims.”

"They have a dedicated team of lawyers who study how to default on debts."

"And most importantly, they pay huge protection fees to the city hall every year—or rather, political donations."

"This money is used for two purposes: first, to bribe regulatory agencies, and second..."

Rorschach paused abruptly, then asked Bill and Michael meaningfully, "Mayors, I'm afraid the compensation that should have been shared by the city hall and the insurance company after 9/11 is also included in this deal?"

Bill remained silent.

This matter has nothing to do with him. After all, he has only been in office for less than a week. Even if there are some historical issues, he can just pretend to be unaware of them.

But Michael couldn't sit still.

The former mayor frantically wiped away the sweat that wouldn't stop, shouting hoarsely, "This is slander! I never took a single penny from the insurance company during my tenure! The compensation has already been paid out; this was something I personally oversaw, there's absolutely no way it could have gone wrong!"

“I advise you to be careful with your words, Mr. Mayor,” Luo Xia replied calmly. “I’m giving you a chance: if you tell the truth about where the compensation money went, this director might still be able to keep his head.” On the tablet screen, the director, restrained by the jaw-splitting device, trembled violently, his chest heaving rapidly.

"I"

Michael's already pale face turned even more ashen.

Looking at his old friend's despairing face on the screen, the former mayor slowly closed his eyes.

“No! I absolutely did not embezzle a single penny of the compensation money!” he shouted hysterically at Rorschach behind the camera.

"OK," Luo Xia replied indifferently.

He then turned to the host, Ronion: "Mr. Ronion, it seems I'll have to trouble you again."

"."

Ronion silently looked down at the broadcasting station.

Sure enough, Rorschach instructed him to open a certain drawer again.

Just like last time, it was filled with documents and several CDs.

“Every document here records details of your secret meeting with the CEO of UnitedHealth Insurance ten years ago. After 9/11, multiple documents mentioned firefighter compensation in veiled language. You colluded to embezzle most of the $400,000 compensation originally allocated to each firefighter! You also lined your own pockets through falsifying accounts and other means! In the end, after layers of exploitation, all that ended up in the hands of the martyrs' widows was a worthless check that could not be cashed!”

"Fake Squid!"

Luo Xia finally lost his temper and unleashed a deafening curse at these parasites who even dared to embezzle the martyrs' pension.

Meanwhile, the citizens watching the live broadcast gradually changed their initial panic and fear.

They stared coldly at the former mayor on television, his face flushed and desperately trying to defend himself, their eyes filled with contempt and disgust.

"Now, because of your lies, our director has to pay the price!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than the bear-catching device attached to the head of the insurance company director suddenly lit up in red.

He looked around in terror, trying to find a way out, but this time there wasn't even a countdown.

"Pfft-"

Several jets of blood splattered onto the camera in an instant!
As the blood dripped down, a horrifying scene unfolded before the audience: the director's head had been torn in two, starting from his mouth, by the machine!
This time, in addition to shock, the citizens watching on television also felt a sense of satisfaction.

Michael, who was patting his chest in defense of himself, seemed to have a sudden snap when he saw the image of his old friend's tragic death on the screen.

His face changed drastically, cold sweat poured down his face, and he collapsed to the ground in full view of everyone, his body convulsing uncontrollably.

"Michael!"

Bill immediately went forward to help him up, but the mayor, who was over sixty years old, was already in shock, with his eyes bulging and foaming at the mouth.

"This is."

"It seems our mayor has fallen ill due to overwhelming shame," Luo Xia continued calmly.

At that moment, Bill in the studio suddenly realized something.

More than ten minutes earlier, Michael had shown signs of discomfort: his complexion was abnormal, he was sweating profusely, and he kept asking for water.

Is it
He stared at the empty water glass on the table, feeling as if he had fallen into an ice cave.

Rorschach had poisoned their drinking water long ago?
No, perhaps there's a bomb hidden under the sofa, and a trigger-activated explosive in the control room!
From the moment he stepped into the studio, his life was in the other party's hands.

Bill's heart sank, and despair spread wildly through his mind.

at the same time.

An angry slam of the table echoed in the Oval Office, right in front of the television!
"What does this damn terrorist take America for?!"

The Black president, enraged, stood up, paced back and forth, and roared at his staff, "Contact CBS immediately! I want to connect with Rorschach live!"

"no!"

The advisor immediately objected, saying, "If Rorschach presents you with conditions in public, President, you will be in a dilemma."

"Are we just going to let this terrorist run rampant?!"

The president said in a deep voice, "I'm not trying to negotiate with him, but to make it clear to him that his actions are completely meaningless! I will never compromise with him!"

“But doing so will do no good. The FBI is already on their way to rescue the hostages and may be able to end this live broadcast within ten minutes and bring Rorschach to justice!” The think tank strongly advised against it.

The president, having calmed down somewhat, stopped insisting and turned to look at the man who had remained silent.

Frank, what do you think?

Underwood shrugged: "The staff are right. It's not the right time for you to step in, no matter what you say, it's not going to work with terrorists.

Seeing that he said the same thing, the president did not insist.

But Frank then changed the subject: "However, there's one thing."

He looked at the president meaningfully: "Judging from the current situation, the insurance company and the city hall have indeed not given the firefighting heroes the compensation they deserve. It would have been better if this hadn't been exposed, but now that it has, it is indeed necessary for you, President, to make a commitment to the people of the whole country."

"But wouldn't that seem too weak?"

The president hesitated, saying, "Rorschach's actions are clearly forcing the government to compensate the firefighters. If I were to make a statement now, wouldn't that be like bowing down to terrorists?"

"Therefore, you must contact Rorschach at the last moment, when the FBI has confirmed their arrival at the hostage warehouse and is confident of a successful rescue. This will both express your apology to the firefighters and demonstrate your unwavering determination to combat terrorism."

Frank paused mid-sentence, then lowered his voice, "And don't forget about the [Healthcare Act]. Think about it, if the Healthcare Act you drafted had existed back then, would our firefighting heroes have worried about not being able to afford treatment? You could have just mentioned it during the call."

The Black president's expression immediately became fascinating.

The healthcare bill, however, is a key policy he intends to leave as a political legacy.

“Haha, Frank, you always manage to surprise me.” He pointed at Underwood and forcefully ordered his staff to immediately contact CBS to arrange a live call.

Watching the busy crowd, Underwood walked to the window alone and lit a cigar.

From an angle where no one was watching, he slightly raised the corners of his mouth, and a hint of disdain flashed in his eyes.

His suggestion was indeed correct.

Simply mentioning the healthcare bill in this kind of situation could have a sensational impact.

After all, according to Rorschach, hundreds of firefighters died because they couldn't get legal compensation and couldn't afford medical treatment.

But to confront terrorists in public?

Such naive tactics only exist in Hollywood scripts.

This young president is too naive, or rather, too impatient.

But it doesn't matter. When he is impeached and removed from office in the future, I will never repeat his mistakes.

Frank slowly exhaled a smoke ring, gazing thoughtfully at the American flag outside the window.

There was one thing he didn't say either—he simply didn't believe that Rorschach would be so easily subdued by this group of defeated underlings!

(End of this chapter)