Chapter 183: The Dump Truck Preparation

[Chapter 184: The Dump Truck Preparation]

In the office, Hawke flipped through the materials that Brian had brought.

The four-member team, led by Grant, all hailed from California's Governor Gray Davis's alma mater, the University of California, Berkeley. They had joined the scientific and innovation research club founded by Davis during their time at school.

Brian remarked, "The Bell Strategic Consulting Firm they belong to was founded by Davis's college classmates. They've been collaborating with him since his first election, and this time they came to Los Angeles primarily targeting me..."

Realizing they had initially targeted Hawke, Brian hastily added, "Oh, and you, too -- you're the primary target."

Hawke pulled out the photos of the four from the file and laid them on the whiteboard. "Based on the situations involving Hailey Field and Bella Sain, they're really into causing trouble. Wanting to take me out directly is not much different from wanting my head."

Brian's greatest concern was this: "Now that they've already targeted you, will I be next?"

Hawke wanted Brian to feel the danger. "If they get nothing out of me and raise my vigilance, the next target will definitely be you. According to the intel you obtained, their visit is not just about retribution for the Wagenen incident; their main goal is to assist the current mayor of Covina in his reelection."

Upon hearing this, Brian realized he was quite important, a core part of the operation. "Without me, the current mayor, Owen Nester, would have no competitor."

He had spent two million dollars hiring Hawke precisely to handle trouble and avoid being cornered: "Should we take them out first?"

Hawke recalled the recent incident that Hailey had orchestrated. Had it not been for his deep understanding of high-stakes business and his daily caution, if Bella Sain succeeded, he wouldn't even be able to explain himself.

"I agree we should deal with them first. If I constantly have to be on guard, it's just too stressful." After nearly becoming a victim of sexual assault, Hawke was more aggressive than ever: "Find out where they live and their schedule. Before they get fully involved in the Covina campaign, we send them where they belong."

Brian inquired, "What do you suggest we do?"

Hawke wanted to be a bit brutal, to express his stance: if they wanted to mess with him, they should think about the consequences.

He replied directly, "There are two plans."

Brian was a bit surprised. "You've already prepared two plans?"

Hawke nodded slightly. "The first one is the simplest and most direct. We use a dump truck and wait for a chance when all four of them ride in the same vehicle so we can ram it. The advantage is that we could take care of them all at once; the disadvantage is that crashing is easier than cleaning up afterward."

He had seen similar cases and already contemplated the possibilities. "There are many unemployed truck drivers turned homeless. For ten grand, someone would be willing to do it -- pay a bit more, ram the truck, and just dump them in Latin America to fend for themselves."

Brian paused for a moment before asking, "What's the second option?"

Hawke said, "We could get some substance, toss it into their car, office, or residence, and then call the cops. As long as the amount is substantial enough, the case will definitely get transferred to the detective bureau. We would gain the initiative. The problem is, the LAPD rarely gets involved in political conflicts, so taking out all four at once would be incredibly difficult. This isn't something that Erica or Milner could just handle quietly."

"That's a bit aggressive this time," Brian remarked.

Hawke replied softly, "If their scheme succeeds, do you know what kind of situation I'll be facing?"

Brian could easily imagine. "You'd be forced to resign from Twitter, face a drawn-out lawsuit, and have your reputation completely ruined, ending up a broke man."

"Not just that," Hawke said seriously. "Will you still work with me then? Will your family still cooperate with me? Will they pressure Erica to break up with me? Then our partnership could collapse completely, and the stock stakes in Twitter might ignite a rivalry between us, leading to a deadly standoff..."

Brian's expression grew serious as he understood his family's situation. If it came to that, Hawke's concerns could very likely come to pass.

He replied, "With your skills, causing trouble for the Ferguson family isn't difficult. They could sit back and profit while we tear each other apart."

Hawke stated coldly, "From the beginning, they intended to completely ruin me."

Brian nodded slightly, considering cautiously.

This matter couldn't be settled in rash anger between the two of them.

Hawke continued, "One more thing. Since these people have come after me, they must have studied my previous cases carefully. My way of handling client issues has primarily relied on strategy, not so much on violent methods."

He looked at Brian. "Or do you plan to wait for them to use similar methods to come after you? Once they take you out, Owen Nester would have no competitors."

Brian awkwardly chuckled, "I'm not as twisted as you are; I couldn't handle that."

Ultimately, Hawke had to see how Brian would choose.

Without Brian standing in front, Hawke definitely wouldn't act. The biggest risks had to fall upon Brian since he was the direct beneficiary.

Hawke simply stated, "Taking the initiative is a lot easier than being on the defense."

"This isn't a small matter," Brian remarked, unlike Hawke, he had more to consider. "Let me think it over."

Hawke reminded him, "Don't take too long. They could launch a second round at any moment."

Brian nodded. "I understand."

...

Hawke left him and walked to Caroline's room, noticing her new look.

Caroline had ditched her golden bangs, and her honey-blonde hair was pulled back into a ponytail. The outfit was no longer pastel but a dark business suit. Her usual red high heels had been swapped for more professional black ones.

Seeing Hawke sizing her up, Caroline stood up and smiled, revealing her little fangs. "How do you like my new look? It fits the operations director role perfectly, doesn't it?"

Hawke chuckled softly. "You've gone from a cute pink little sheep to a black sheep."

Caroline felt her smile freeze. Did her boss not like it?

Hawke continued, "I've been super busy lately; you're in charge of daily operations at the company. Frank's downstairs if you need to consult him."

Caroline instantly realized Hawke had something important to attend to. "Just call if you need anything in the media department."

Hawke waved his hand, turning to leave the director's office.

...

Caroline quickly rushed to the outfit mirror to check her new look, feeling great about it. Did her boss prefer the cute little sheep over the black sheep?

But she didn't have time to ponder, as the tech department called in with work that needed handling.

...

In Hawke's office, Brian still weighed the pros and cons when his assistant, Sandra, called in.

"Boss, check Twitter," Sandra said urgently. "Someone has exposed you there."

There was an entertainment computer in the office; it was the same one Brian had used before. He hurried over, quickly booting it up. "What specifically?"

Sandra revealed, "Your personal life."

Brian sighed in relief. He wasn't married, and even if he played around a bit, it wasn't a huge deal.

He opened Twitter and found that his name wasn't trending in the hot news section.

Compared to Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, and Paris Hilton, Brian was practically a nobody.

Typing his name in the search bar brought up several news articles related to him. They were all basically similar content.

"Covina mayoral candidate Brian Ferguson rumored to have AIDS!"

Along with the tweet was a photo of him embracing a woman, and a bill for his hospital test that clearly indicated it was for an AIDS test!

Further down were several hundred words of derogatory comments attacking him.

Brian felt unwell all over; it wasn't just a fear of AIDS, but it felt like he was stripped bare, with no privacy left exposed to the whole world.

"Damn it! Damn it!" Brian cursed, pulling out his phone to call Hawke. "Get back here quickly; something's gone wrong!"

...

Hawke rushed back to the office as quickly as he could, stepping in to see Brian's furious face. "What's going on?"

Brian pointed at the computer screen. "I've been set up, like a skinned pig waiting to be butchered!"

Hawke moved behind him, quickly scanning the screen's contents. "Someone from your doctor's clinic sold you out."

"That's right. They are the only ones with that bill."

"We'll discuss this later," Hawke picked up the phone, calling the tech department. "Kasim, activate the new algorithm to minimize the appearance of Brian Ferguson on Twitter."

Controlling the public opinion on Twitter was just a basic function of the new algorithm.

Hawke hung up and called Caroline. "Check with the mainstream media in Los Angeles and see if they plan to publish anything about Brian."

He looked at Brian. "Do you still have the test bill? Use it to clarify things with the media, although the result might not be favorable."

Brian fumed, "I don't have AIDS! Those bastards that got hold of the bill surely got the test results too!"

Hawke explained, "A mayoral candidate getting caught soliciting prostitutes and contracting AIDS fits public speculation perfectly. As for the clarifying test results, they'll probably think you faked it."

"It was Grant's team! It has to be them!" As Brian's anger grew, he said, "I know Owen Nester well; this isn't his style."

Hawke noted, "We haven't even struck yet, and now they're attacking."

Brian lamented, "It's my fault; you warned me, and I kept hesitating."

...

At that moment, the phone rang, and Hawke answered it.

Caroline was on the line. "Boss, I just checked with eight mainstream papers, including the Los Angeles Times. Three of them will publish news about Brian tomorrow."

Having taken part in the last party struggle, she understood the situation well. "All of them are considered deep blue; I can't handle them."

"I figured as much," Hawke hung up and told Brian. "The deep blue media will publish your story widely tomorrow, including the Los Angeles Times."

That was the largest circulating newspaper in the Los Angeles area, with a massive number of subscribers in Covina.

Having felt the heat, Brian fell silent for a moment before asserting, "We need to take them out!"

*****

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