Chapter 185: Strike First

[Chapter 186: Strike First]

Covina, Center Street.

In front of a two-story building that faced the street, a colorful arch was set up, while staff members handed out balloons to passersby.

At the main entrance of the building, a shiny brass plaque had been personally hung up by Brian. The plaque read: "Brian Ferguson Campaign Office."

After hanging the plaque, Brian took some balloons and headed out to the sidewalk, distributing them to pedestrians. He handed a balloon printed with "Support Brian" to a woman passing by. The woman initially reached for it, but when she looked up and saw it was Brian, she quickly withdrew her hand. "Do you have AIDS?" she asked.

"No, I don't!" Brian quickly explained, feeling more hatred for those four scoundrels who spread the rumors. Thankfully, Hawke had reminded him earlier. He pulled out two test results from his pocket and waved them in front of the woman. "This is from the Irvine Group medical test, and this is from the University of California Medical School. I do not have AIDS!"

The woman glanced at them and accepted the balloon. "You really don't have AIDS," she said, seeming convinced.

It was a silly tactic, but given Covina's small population and close-knit community, if one person believed him, it could encourage a dozen more to follow.

After over an hour, Brian had handed out more than thirty balloons. His mouth was nearly dried out from speaking.

...

Sitting on top of the church across the street were two men watching Brian with curiosity. One of them was Owen's younger brother, Fowler, who asked, "This idiot thinks he can compete with you?"

Owen remarked beside him, "Don't underestimate anyone. We may call the shots in Covina, but we can't compete with the Ferguson family in Los Angeles."

...

Edward was driving his armored Mercedes closer to Covina.

As they exited the highway and approached the intersection leading to Covina, Hawke spotted a giant orange sculpture. He hadn't seen it during his last visit and asked Edward, "Was this just built?"

Edward explained, "Owen commissioned this as part of his campaign stunt. It seems like the orange is Covina's biggest industry."

Hawke noticed the enormous orange statue with its shiny orange paint reflecting in the sun. Putting it simply, it was certainly memorable.

As they drove down Center Street, Hawke could see a hot air balloon soaring high in the sky, boldly saying: "Support Brian Ferguson for Mayor!" Now that was striking advertising.

The elections were a show in themselves.

Hawke had been pondering how to add more entertainment value to this political spectacle. Although he had suggested various strategies to help Brian recover his reputation, one fact was undeniable: after the media rumors about Brian's supposed AIDS diagnosis, his reputation had taken a serious hit, especially compared to Owen, who had served as Covina's mayor for two consecutive terms.

...

The Mercedes soon pulled up in front of the colorful arch, and Hawke stepped out. Brian rushed over and hugged him tightly. "Now that you're here, I feel grounded," he said.

Hawke glanced up at the hot air balloon. "That's a great idea -- everyone in Covina can see it."

"Come inside and chat," Brian replied.

They entered the office building, where about a dozen individuals were present, all members of a formal campaign team. The leaders were Beacon and Sandra. Beacon served as Brian's campaign manager.

The two greeted Hawke as they had collaborated with him during the Wagenen incident, knowing he was the key player.

With Brian's damaged reputation, normal promotional activities would have limited efficacy, so they had to explore alternative paths.

Suddenly, someone rushed in from outside. "Sir, Owen and his brother Fowler are here," he said in a low voice to Brian.

Brian quickly headed outside, and just as he reached the office door, he saw Owen's large belly.

Both men wore smiles as they shook hands and exchanged pleasantries. Owen's gaze drifted past Brian to Hawke, who he assessed quickly. Hawke wore a distinguishable designer casual outfit and rocked a gold Rolex on his wrist, while holding the latest Nokia phone in his hand.

His appearance is not outstanding, but his temperament is gentle and elegant.

Owen said to Brian, "Would you like to introduce us?"

"This is Hawke Osment, my good friend and the founder and CEO of Twitter," Brian said as he made the introductions. "This is Owen Nester, the mayor of Covina."

Hawke took a proactive step forward, shaking Owen's hand, "It's a pleasure, Mr. Mayor."

Owen smiled and responded, "I've heard a lot of good things about you." He gestured toward his brother, whose expression looked somewhat brutish. "Fowler is also a Twitter user."

Hawke nodded towards Fowler, "Thanks for supporting Twitter."

At that moment, Edward walked in, dragging a suitcase while carrying a bag.

Hawke turned to Beacon, "Can you assist him?"

Beacon quickly jumped in to help.

Owen turned his attention to Hawke, probing, "Is Mr. Osment planning to stay in Covina long-term?"

Hawke replied, "I really like oranges."

"I'll have someone send you some later," said Owen, achieving his goal and swiftly excusing himself.

...

Stepping out of the office building, he and Fowler walked away.

Fowler remarked, "That guy seems quite ordinary..."

Owen snapped back, "If you lack common sense, just keep quiet!" Knowing his brother was brave but foolish, he reminded him, "An ordinary person couldn't take Twitter where it is today. Use your brain."

He pulled out his phone and dialed a number. Once connected, he said, "Grant, it's me, Owen. I just saw Hawke Osment in Covina. He brought his luggage, clearly planning to stay for a while."

On the other end, Grant asked, "He's already there?"

Owen replied, "Not just him; he's also helping Brian combat the negative press." Owen urged, "When are you coming?"

Grant took a brief pause, pondering, "Since Hawke Osment has shown up, we'll head over to Covina right away. Get a place ready for us to move in."

Owen replied, "I've got a villa prepared for you."

...

In downtown Los Angeles, the financial district, Grant and his three associates quickly organized their office, grabbed computers and office supplies, then went to fetch their luggage from a hotel before getting into a Toyota Alphard.

As the car left the financial area, a number of vehicles, including Campos's, mixed in with the traffic and began tracking them discreetly.

The news traveled quickly back to Hawke.

...

In the second-floor office, Hawke noted, "They'll hit the highway in about ten minutes."

Brian didn't respond or hesitate, grabbing his backup phone.

This was a life-or-death political struggle. The last incident, involving the deaths of Wagenen and Redford, had opened his eyes to the brutal nature of political battles -- there was no room for mercy.

Otherwise, they would be the ones in peril.

Brian dialed a number. "Start the operation. Catch up to them at the highway entrance and handle it!"

Once he hung up, Hawke took the phone, removed the SIM card, grabbed scissors to shred it, tossed the pieces into the office toilet, and flushed. Then he wiped the phone's fingerprint and placed it in a plastic bag, tossing it to Brian. "Get rid of it."

Brian nodded, "I understand."

Noticing Brian's unease, Hawke said, "Gather the team; let's have a meeting. We need to unify our thoughts on some issues."

Brian notified Beacon, "You, Sandra, and Hubbard come to the second-floor conference room. We're having a meeting."

Hawke stepped out to call Edward, directing him to the conference room.

...

Meanwhile, as they neared the highway entrance, the Toyota Alphard slowed down slightly.

"Last time, our strategy failed; we couldn't take Hawke Osment down, and we lost Bella Sain as a pawn," Grant warmed up from the passenger seat. "From what we've gathered, Hawke excels in scheming, so we must be cautious. However, while being wary, we also need to completely dismantle him."

Hailey, still stung by their prior defeat, replied, "Honestly, I hope he meets the same fate as Wagenen and Redford."

Both had either been shot by the FBI or committed suicide in Nassau, transitioning straight to a heavenly fate.

Augusto proposed, "Let's come up with a solid plan to resolve everything in one go."

Madison had an idea: "Find his car, sabotage the brake lines, then create a situation that forces him to rush back to Los Angeles."

Grant nodded, "Come up with a solid plan."

The Toyota Alphard turned onto the highway, where at that moment, traffic was relatively light, allowing them to pick up speed.

...

This particular highway had been built a long time ago and had somewhat outdated facilities. The monitoring was scant.

A West Star truck, loaded down, also merged onto the highway and began chasing the Alphard in front of it.

The driver was an undocumented immigrant, experienced from years of driving a bus in Guatemala, displaying remarkable driving skills.

Under his maneuvers, the heavy-duty truck sped up dramatically.

Quickly, they spotted the Toyota Alphard up ahead.

The two vehicles in front began to slow down, causing the Alphard to veer off the fast lane and into the empty outer lane.

The West Star driver slammed the gas, the truck hurtling toward the Alphard.

...

Inside the Alphard, the four were still discussing ways to take down Hawke Osment.

Hailey Field came up with a solid plan: "Hawke places great importance on Twitter's operations director, Caroline Jones. I've heard she also had a hand in the Wagenen incident. We could help set up a car accident for Caroline, so she..."

Before she could finish, a colossal impact came from behind. Hailey, who had forgotten to buckle her seatbelt in the back seat, was flung from her seat and rolled through the air, landing painfully on the hard surface of the road.

The West Star truck collided with the Alphard at a specific angle, sending the latter flying as though it were made of paper. The A/B/C pillars crumpled entirely, the vehicle tumbling off the road, with one passenger becoming airborne.

The truck acted like a crumpled box, flipping and twisting in the collision, rendering it unrecognizable.

The three remaining passengers in the Alphard suffered dire injuries, their chances of survival now left to fate.

...

The West Star continued for a bit before coming to a halt.

On the roadside, a common Ford sedan in California opened its door.

The West Star driver jumped out, hopped into the Ford, and sped off.

The car tore through the streets before exiting the highway, turning down an underpass into a storage building, where he swapped cars and drove southward, crossing into Tijuana from Chula Vista.

Once delivered, the driver received cash for the remaining fare and was handed a ticket he had been waiting for, all set to board a flight to Argentina.

He then caught another flight later, heading off for a vacation in Japan and South Korea.

*****

https://www.patreon.com/Sayonara816.