"FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!"
At the rally in Pennsylvania, the presidential candidate ignored the blood running from his ear. Surrounded by security personnel, he clenched his fist, raised his arm, and shouted at the top of his lungs.
Countless supporters roared in response, and the entire venue seemed to descend into a frenzy.
Below the stage, reporters and photographers snapped pictures wildly, watching the scene with excitement. This year's Pulitzer Prize for Photography would most likely come from among those countless photographs.
Supported by his security team, the presidential candidate was escorted to safety, but the frenzy at the scene did not subside.
People raised their arms and shouted his name as though declaring to the world that he was America's next president, chosen by God and destined to lead the nation.
At the same time, ambulance sirens approached from the distance while medical personnel at the scene provided emergency treatment in the audience area.
The gunman had not fired only once. He had fired several shots in succession. Some of the bullets struck the crowd, and several unfortunate supporters were hit in the chest. Blood was everywhere, and they looked as though they might die at any moment.
American doctors had extensive experience treating gunshot wounds, but even so, after examining two critically injured spectators, they could only shake their heads helplessly.
"Who was it? Who fired that shot? Who fired without my authorization?"
Acting Secret Service Director Rowe shouted furiously.
At that moment, his heart turned cold.
He knew that his acting appointment would never be made permanent because he had failed to complete the task assigned by his superiors.
And the person who had ruined everything was one of the Secret Service agents.
"It was Logan, Director. Logan fired the shot."
"Where is Logan?"
"Huh? He was just here. Where did he go?"
Several Secret Service agents were shocked to discover that Logan, who had just been stationed at the sniper position, had vanished without a trace, leaving only his weapon behind.
When Acting Director Rowe realized that the shooter could not be found, he gradually calmed down.
Would he be made the scapegoat? Would he be sent to prison over this?
After thinking about it, he decided that probably would not happen.
The powerful figures above him would never admit that the assassination had been organized and planned. Everyone would insist that the attack had been the work of a lone gunman.
Therefore, he did not need to fear for his life.
As long as he kept his mouth shut, those people would not do anything to him.
Otherwise, if the acting director of the Secret Service suddenly died, it would only give the media and political opportunists more material to investigate.
The only real problem was that his political career was over. He would never become the permanent director or finally lose the word "acting" from his title.
Was he really going to fail after coming this far?
At the same time, several senior American officials who had been closely watching the rally all showed disappointed expressions.
They understood perfectly well that once the presidential candidate survived this assassination attempt, he would become an idol in the eyes of the American people, a hero, even someone chosen by destiny.
His return to the presidency had now become almost inevitable.
Those senior officials immediately changed their approach.
They stopped thinking about how to oppose the future president and instead began considering how to minimize their own losses.
That was how every politician thought.
At the CIA, Director Spencer's expression was grim.
As a staunch supporter of the Democratic Party, he knew that he could no longer remain director. Once that man returned to office, Spencer would certainly be removed.
Of course, Spencer still did not realize that his political career was not the only thing nearing its end.
His life had also begun counting down.
Unable to contain himself, Spencer picked up the phone and called Burns.
"Burns, you idiot! Where did you find that man?"
"We created such a perfect opportunity, one that will never come again, and it failed just like that?"
Getting the acting director of the Secret Service to cooperate in something like this would be impossible a second time because the consequences for him would be enormous.
If Rowe had not been serving in an acting capacity and desperate to secure the permanent position, and if he had not been reckless enough to take the risk, such an opportunity could never have been created.
At home, Burns listened silently as Spencer berated him, accepting every curse and furious accusation.
"Burns, I can no longer remain director, and you've reached the end of your time as deputy director as well!"
Spencer angrily hung up.
After lowering his phone, Burns's expression became even more serious.
Spencer's reaction proved one thing.
It had not been Spencer who stole the USB drive.
Someone else had taken it.
Burns was probably already trapped in a spider's web, while a terrifying spider watched him with its fangs bared.
So who was it?
What kind of conspiracy was closing in on him?
...
News of the assassination attempt spread rapidly across the internet, and within days it became the most widely discussed topic online.
The presidential candidate rode the wave of overwhelming attention, gaining the support and admiration of countless people.
Many streamers and online analysts claimed that the presidential candidate's habit of turning his head while speaking had caused him to move at exactly the right moment and avoid the bullet.
But only a very small number of people knew the truth.
The presidential candidate had not dodged the bullet.
At the critical moment, a Secret Service agent had disobeyed orders and shot the gunman, causing the attacker's bullet to veer off course.
At Mar-a-Lago, Vance, the presidential candidate's most important adviser, arrived carrying a document with a serious expression.
"Mr. Donald, this is the Secret Service report."
"According to the report, the Secret Service agent named Logan who fired the shot never went to the rally that day. He was attacked at home and left unconscious."
"The Logan at the scene was an impostor. That person already knew someone intended to assassinate you and personally intervened to stop it."
"According to the investigation, the gunman was highly skilled and had extensive experience with firearms. At that distance, the possibility of him missing was almost nonexistent."
"If that unknown person had not fired, you would most likely have been in grave danger."
After a brief pause, Vance continued, "There is clearly a serious problem with Acting Director Rowe. What do you plan to do?"
In the past, the presidential candidate would have ignored everything else and immediately moved to destroy the acting director.
By now, how could he fail to understand that the assassination attempt had been part of a conspiracy against him?
However, losing the previous election had helped him mature.
He was no longer merely a businessman. He had also become a seasoned politician.
The presidential candidate understood very well that if he targeted Acting Director Rowe now and pursued the matter relentlessly, he would only fall into the trap set by his true enemies.
What he needed to do was pretend that he did not know the assassination had been part of a larger conspiracy.
He had to act as though it had been nothing more than an isolated incident.
As for retaliation, that could wait until he was truly back in office.
After hearing his plan, Vance felt relieved.
The man he followed had truly become a qualified politician.
In the past, Vance and the presidential candidate had often clashed and had even been considered enemies. But now they stood together, aiming to reach the highest office in America side by side.
Just then, the presidential candidate's personal assistant hurried over with a phone.
"Sir, a stranger is calling for you. He says he wants to discuss something related to the assassination attempt."
The presidential candidate's heart tightened.
He knew that the caller was most likely the mysterious person who had saved his life.
Under Vance's watchful gaze, he took the phone.
Toru's calm voice came through the receiver.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Donald. Your injury isn't serious, is it?"
"Oh, right. I should introduce myself."
"My name is Adam, and as you may have already guessed, I am the one who saved your life."
(To be continued.)
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