Chapter 404
Olivia’s command was executed immediately. The reverberating cries of Jack Benedict had abruptly come to an end, leaving him lifeless and limp while still in the grip of the blue giant. The dead man resembled a marionette whose cords had been cut. The giant had crushed him to death with brute force, then turned to find its next prey. It emitted a powerful light like a searchlight in the car that brightened the darkness.
The incident had stopped everything. A female politician who was sitting beside Jack remained motionless, barely blinking, even as his body was violently thrown onto her desk. She stiffened with fear, and the blue giant slammed its fist on her.
Crack!
When the giant pulled its wrist back, a b.l.o.o.d.y unrecognizable ma.s.s was left behind, stuck to the floor.
Then, people started running away in panic as if time had suddenly begun to flow again.
Aaaaaaah-!
Olivia was killing them, and the blue light emanating from the giant’s eyes sliced everything it touched. The only untouched area was the seat where Jonathan was sitting. Although chaos took place around him, he was staring at the dead body of Jack, the giant’s first target.
He then gritted his teeth and yelled at Olivia, “Do you think this is helping me? Sun would have warned you!”
Olivia turned her astonished, blood-covered face towards him.
“How did you figure that out? Already…”
Olivia’s expression quickly changed. Then, Jonathan stood up.
“The Olivia I know is not that stupid.”
She responded, “I hope your anger settles down a bit.”
“But you did that for your own motives,” Jonathan replied sharply.
“If I’m still p.i.s.sed…then should we change the scene?” she asked.
He huffed, “What difference does it make? This is all an illusion.”
She smiled wryly. “Yeah, you broke it too fast. I must have gotten rusty from just lying in bed. But don’t you feel better? You looked terrifying earlier, man.”
He responded sarcastically, “Wow. I’m honored that you even cared about how I felt. Do you want me to compliment you?”
“Jonathan, you are…you looked like you would do something terrible. Can you honestly say no? Then how about this? I will make sure the politicians f.u.c.king shut their traps.”
“I warn you, never cross the line ever again. Even if it’s you…” Jonathan swallowed the rest of what he was about to blurt out. “This is my business, Mary. Get out of my head. Right now.”
***
As soon as Jonathan blinked, his surroundings reverted to their original state. The filthy corpses that had been scattered around him were now resurrected.
“That is what people want, and the justice of this era.”
Jonathan looked away from Jack Benedict, who was chastising him, and turned his head to the left. The reporters were buzzing there.
He wondered when he had been exposed to Mary’s influence. Could it have been when the reporters crowded around his desk at the start of the hearing? He suspected that one of the reporters he had locked eyes with was Mary. Despite being aware of her presence, he couldn’t identify her specifically.
Meanwhile, his anger toward the a.s.semblymen had somehow subsided. Although it was an illusion, it worked because it was the scene he wanted to see. He was mad at Mary, but he conceded that if she had not intervened, his fury would have found a way to surface. It could have been expressed subtly, but still perceptible on his face as a display of power.
That wouldn’t have made the situation better. The hearing was a place to ease the public’s minds, not to fuel their anger further.
His furrowed brows relaxed, and he spoke to the buzzing stage.
“If you want a break…I am also willing to accommodate that.”
***
Jonathan returned to the waiting room and recalled Mary’s suggestion. However, he realized that the situation couldn’t be resolved by simply controlling one person’s thoughts. Furthermore, if all the politicians demonstrated a prejudiced stance favorable to the Jonathan Group, it could have adverse consequences.
In fact, he had antic.i.p.ated that he would encounter a figure like Jack Benedict during the hearing. In reality, he wasn’t truly upset with Mary. His reaction was merely a reflection of his self-reproach. He felt ashamed because Mary had intervened because he appeared too irritable.
After he reviewed the recorded footage, he was even more embarra.s.sed. His face was filled with extreme rage. Right when Jack Benedict claimed to establish the ‘Special Investigation Committee on the Monopoly of the Jonathan Investment Finance Group’ and just before Mary intervened.
The incident had been an illusion, but initially, it was hard to differentiate between what was real and what was illusory. He had actually tacitly allowed Olivia’s incursion. He should have refrained from allowing his emotions to overpower him, but he faltered.
However, if that incident were real, then he would have ruined Sun’s plan.
With my own hands…
He knew that he didn’t try to stop Olivia. It dawned on him that Mary might have a.s.sumed the guide of his closest aide as a wake-up call, to prompt him to understand the underlying motive. As he contemplated this, he felt a s.h.i.+ver run down his spine.
He was relieved that it wasn’t a reality, and what he realized was truly significant.
Soon, the door opened, and he heard Kim Cheong-Soo’s voice.
“The search and confiscation were dismissed as expected. However, they will persist in their efforts to obtain further evidence and try to manipulate the hearing in their favor. Perhaps it’s best to stop at this point? It’s not just my opinion, but the chairman apologized for Jack Benedict’s att.i.tude and asked for your willingness.”
“We will continue.”
Kim Cheong-Soo couldn’t respond immediately with a troubled face. Then, he soon came to his senses and lowered his head.
***
The hearing resumed late in the afternoon, and Jonathan entered with an indifferent face. He briefly scanned the reporters, and he could identify Mary this time. She appeared as an ordinary American female journalist to the live footage, but to him, she was Mary. He could tell from her attire.
- Jonathan: I see you there.
- Mary: Let me know if you change your mind. I will be waiting here for you.
- Jonathan: I won’t say thank you. You crossed the line. We should talk about this later today.
- Mary: Oh, but you still think the same? They speak nonsense without thinking much about it. I can st.i.tch up their mouths right now if you want.
- Jonathan: Wow, that helps a lot.
- Mary: I’m serious. You are not the only one holding in anger. I just want to be helpful no matter what.
- Jonathan: You helped me enough… Just know that if you do something more, it would only interfere with my business.
- Mary: Okay. Just don’t forget that I’m here. Give me a sign if things go too tough for you.
Jonathan sat down and shook off his worries about Mary. She was as enraged as he was, but she could control herself much better than he could. If she didn’t suppress her anger, then she would have messed up the politician’s head before getting into his mind.
Then, the chairman brought his face close to the microphone.
“I have carefully considered Mr. Jack Benedict’s proposal on establis.h.i.+ng the Special Investigation Committee on the Monopoly of the Jonathan Investment Finance Group. Our a.s.sembly’s opinion also coincides with the reason for the court’s dismissal of the search warrant. I ask you all not to forget why we have brought Mr. Hunter here today.”
However, the gazes of the a.s.semblymen had changed significantly. Sighs also flowed out from the citizens who partic.i.p.ated in the hearing as spectators. It could be seen as jeering.
Jonathan listened to the voices of the audience from the back while looking at the gazes of politicians in front of him as he opened his mouth, “I will do my best to correct misunderstandings and get rid of doubts.”
His voice was heavier despite his calm expression. From that point on, the chairman issued a strong warning to the audience and handed the floor over to the first speaker.
The details regarding the defense on the Day of Advent were discussed thoroughly. It was about what program was used for buying shares, who developed the system, and how many employees operated it.
Jonathan answered the questions with sincerity, and a problem arose when a House member took the floor.
「Jack Benedict, Democratic House Representative」
“Have you, Mr. Jonathan, ever directly exercised authority over all the companies, including those in the United States, in which you have secured a majority stake?”
He responded, “Of course, because I’m the owner of the Jonathan Group.”
“What authority did you exercise after returning from the Stage of Advent?” the congressman asked.
“None after the Stage of Advent was over.”
Jonathan wasn’t as sharp and cold as before.
“Then who has been in charge of this?”
“Brian Kim. He is the company’s Chief Financial Officer.”
Kim Cheong-Soo then took his place on the witness stand. From the onset of the hearing, there had been an empty table next to Jonathan, suggesting the committee’s plan to hold a joint hearing with Kim Cheong-Soo.
When Kim Cheong-Soo sat there, the sound of reporters pressing camera shutters immediately burst out again. Kim Cheong-Soo felt strange seeing Jonathan, whom he had just seen over the phone call and television earlier.
Jonathan’s eyes were once filled with anger, but now seemed to be full of determination. Kim Cheong-Soo calmed down after feeling the solid vibe from Jonathan. Therefore, he could easily get through the aggressive questions.
However, when he looked around the politicians, Jack Benedict opened his mouth.
“This is not a place to evaluate the morality of Jonathan Investment Finance Group. However, we should strictly a.s.sess how they could have grown rapidly in a short period of time. It’s truly surprising that no one has confirmed it yet.”
When he signaled the chairman, new figures were called to the witness stand. They were the executives leading the current social media market and Googol.
“Brian Kim.”
This time, Jack Benedict’s question was directed at Kim Cheong-Soo.
“Do you know Ethan? We wanted to bring the core figure of Jonathan Group, a person named Ethan to the hearing. However, he is…like a ghost for some reason. Do you know Ethan? Or is it another name for John Doe? Please answer, Mr. Kim.”