Chapter 361: Crazy a.s.sa.s.sination Attempts
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
There was something that was very difficult to accomplish in a democratic type of country.
That thing was reform. If the public will was catered to with no restrictions and benefits were given excessively, it would be easy to overdraw the national treasury, leading to the country’s bankruptcy.
If adjustments and reforms were made, they would inevitably damage the interests of a portion of the public and interest groups. This would lead to dissatisfaction and even fierce opposition.
No matter how the reforms were carried out, there would always be opposing forces and voices. The only difference was the size and strength of those opposing.
The most difficult reform in Merica was probably the ban on guns. It was a task with a “h.e.l.lish” level of difficulty. It was impossible for the average person to do this, and it was often left unsettled. This was despite the fact that various kinds of shootings occurred frequently and tens of thousands of Mericans died every year from gunshot wounds.
Some politicians had even taken the opposite direction, supporting the idea that it would be safer for everyone to own a gun.
And Lanfelord was determined to do the hardest thing – to build a gun-free Merica.
When he announced his decision, Merican public opinion was very surprised. Most of them then clapped and praised the decision.
“The most courageous decision.”
“There are more gun shops in our country than there are supermarkets. On average, a person owns more guns than they do mobile phones. There are more people who die every year from gunshot wounds than traffic accidents and acute heart disease combined. Everyone is living in a dangerous situation; gunshots can be heard almost every day.”
“It is necessary to take measures that tackle and control our natural instincts. The safest environment is where everyone has no guns. The most dangerous environment is where everyone has a gun.”
“We have entered modern civilized society; we are not in an era where we hunt in the jungles. There are no prey and beasts in the city. Moreover, we belong to the same species and should not have to be wary of each other.”
“I support this! We can’t go on like this anymore.”
“I am willing to hand over the guns that I’ve bought, but only if others hand them over too.”
78%.
78% of online users supported the ban on guns. The rest were not entirely against the decision, but they hoped for a limited prohibition where one could not carry a gun in public; they could only hold guns privately. There were still many who love to play with guns in Merica.
So there was a paradox. If the ban was not thorough enough, an unclear situation would be the result. Most people would not have a gun, but a small portion of the population would still own one. What if one or two demons appeared within that small number of gun holders and went on a shooting spree? Wouldn’t that mean that those without guns had no means of self-protection?
Therefore, in order to be absolutely safe, the prohibition of guns had to be thorough and complete. It must be ensured that everyone had no guns.
This was just the beginning of the reform.
Lanfelord faced tremendous resistance. Even though the support from the public exceeded 80%, only 55% of the members of Congress expressed support for him. This did not meet the requirement of approval from two-thirds of Congress, which was needed as it involved amending several clauses in the Const.i.tution.
The ban on guns was not pa.s.sed.
Therefore, Lanfelord spent half a year and made countless speeches to persuade as many members of Congress as possible. Still, the support rate was less than 60%.
Seeing that the plan was going to be dead before it was even born, Chen Jin had to send 30 human replica robots to replace 30 important opposition representatives… The comprehensive ban on guns was finally pa.s.sed.
Finally, Lanleford could open his arms and commence the big job. Actual measures to carry out the ban started. In just two months, more than 10,000 gun shops were shut down, and more than 30 million private guns and countless ammunition were seized. Not only did they move fast, but the results were quite gratifying.
It was for real.
Lanfelord was for real!
The opposition and the special interest groups were taken aback. Then they immediately became anxious and launched a series of actions.
It was advice at the beginning. Then bone-chilling warnings started. After these came threats via envelope bombs. Threats were also made to family members.
In the end, the opposition could not bear it any longer. They could only undertake the most extreme action—a.s.sa.s.sination. They wanted to get rid of Lanfelord
After all, the Merican gun market was similar to the mobile phone market. The value of the market was more than hundreds of billions and even trillions of dollars.
This industry was disappearing. The number of unemployed was in the hundreds of thousands. The interests of countless arms suppliers were harmed.
Breaking one’s stream of income was akin to killing his parents. It was a hatred between irreconcilable enemies. In addition, they had countless firearms and ammunition in their hands.
“We can’t allow Lanfelord to live!”
“Get rid of this b*stard.”
“What else can we do besides the weapons trade? Is there a more profitable industry?”
“Lanfelord, I respect you very much, but you are blocking our way!”
The sound of grinding teeth could be heard from countless corners of the country.
In the next few months, the most insane a.s.sa.s.sination attempts came at Lanfelord like an unstoppable tide. There was an average of more than ten attempts a day.
The a.s.sa.s.sination attempts became more exaggerated and insane.
One person brought several Gatlings and began a shooting spree at Lanfelord’s team of escorting cars. Many cars were shot until they resembled nothing more than sieves. The attacker was quickly shot down and died.
There was another person who drove an old-fas.h.i.+oned tank into Lanfelord’s official residence. The tank ran rampant and the driver blasted anyone he saw. Later, the tank was blown up by anti-tank missiles.
Then, there were attackers who drove a helicopter or fighter jet to bomb the site where Lanfelord was working.
There was also an old-fas.h.i.+oned ballistic missile, which was shot straight at Lanfelord’s location at ten times the speed of sound.
The special interest groups launched a powerful money based offensive. They bought over the most trusted a.s.sistant of Lanfelord as well as his relatives and friends. Even the vice president had surrendered under the temptation of money. All of them took out their black market guns and shot at Lanfelord’s vital parts.
In the end, after hundreds and thousands of a.s.sa.s.sination attempts, Lanfelord remained unscathed. He was still alive and kicking.
Those special interest groups almost collapsed.
“Impossible, this is impossible!”
“How is he still alive even with all these attempts?”
“Is he human? Is he the G.o.d of death, or is he undead?”
Each failed a.s.sa.s.sination attempt caused them to have a mental breakdown and to question life itself.
Internet users from other countries also found this incredible.
“An average of ten a.s.sa.s.sination attempts a day; your family, colleagues, and friends have been bought over with money. Is it possible to stay alive?”
“Besides nuclear weapons and bomber aircraft, they’ve used all the high-tech weapons that can be could be used… Their capabilities are simply amazing.”
“If it was me, I’d have probably died dozens of times.”
“A c.o.c.kroach can’t be killed; a Lanfelord can’t be a.s.sa.s.sinated!”
“It’s creepy. They are people with money, guns, and manpower. Can an ordinary person fight against such interest groups? I think that if a motion opposing their interests had been proposed, their target would die the very next day even before their interests had actually been touched.”
“I am changing my views. This is such a bold reform; it is quite unlikely that our country to accomplish this.”
Chen Jin was also shocked.
But not because the special interest groups used Gatling, tanks, aircraft, ballistic missiles and other weapons in their a.s.sa.s.sination attempts.
He was shocked because he was seeing this great momentum that could not be stopped. The ban on guns was really possible. Desperate, the special interest groups had sent hundreds of attackers, carrying countless weapons and ammunition. They were scattered around the country to create shooting incidents and crazily slaughtered innocents. Tens of thousands were killed or injured.
It also angered all the people. Lanfelord’s support rate skyrocketed from a low of less than 40% to 80%.
Faced with the rage of the people, the special interest groups perished in their madness.