A dirty exchange of interests…
Yusaku Kudo didn't want to get involved in the filthy political dealings of the United States. But the physical existence of Human Malice was like a Sword of Damocles hanging directly over his head.
So, Yusaku scrutinized the dossiers of the powerful figures involved in the Longleaf Pine Forest commercial project with great disgust.
There were some people he simply couldn't touch. The US conglomerates and shadow billionaires were far more ruthless and entrenched than those in Japan. He couldn't assassinate them or blackmail them all. So, he could only use overwhelming, undeniable public force to make the powerful figures weigh the pros and cons. He had to make them decide that the financial benefits of sweeping through the Longleaf Pine Forest were not worth the catastrophic PR nightmare.
"Please stop your ill-considered actions, Greta! We need green nature, and we need the Longleaf Pine!"
"I hope the famous environmental activist is just being misled by corporate greed, and not doing that damned, stupid evil on purpose!"
"No one can stop us from breathing fresh air! Tear off the hypocritical mask of the fake activist! She is clear-cutting our ancient forest!"
"I can't help but ask, what's wrong with our country? Why is such a heinous act happening under the guise of 'sustainability'?"
Yusaku Kudo and Chief Gray's extensive, high-level connections came into play. They leaked the corporate land-grab documents to the right journalists.
The three men finally smiled slightly as they sat in Yusaku's living room, looking at the news screen. Numerous famous celebrities, respected scholars, and even police unions had publicly criticized the "Environmental Girl."
For a moment… online and in the mainstream news alone, the environmental activist suddenly became universally condemned.
After all, putting aside other political factors, Hollywood stars have massive fan bases. That massive number of fans could be weaponized to unleash a devastating online attack. It was a feast of digital traffic. Perhaps these celebrities wouldn't dare criticize the US government or the financial elite directly. But if you gave them the moral high ground to "beat up" a hypocritical teenage environmental activist? They not only had the guts, but they reveled in it. They wanted to make a notoriously flawed public figure their prized traffic piñata.
So what were they waiting for? They pushed her directly into the unforgiving limelight!
And the reason for this was incredibly clever: Yes! We want to protect the environment! We want to protect nature! This trend grew bigger and faster than Yusaku had even imagined. It just goes to show that in the US, anything framed as "politically correct" can always create a massive, unstoppable uproar. Unfortunately for the puppet masters, the Environmental Girl—who was always positioned as the "correct" voice—was now forced to stand on the opposite side of "correctness."
Yusaku showed absolutely no shame for destroying the reputation of a teenage girl. On the contrary, he was quite pleased.
"Let's still be careful," Chief Gray warned, pouring himself a cup of coffee. As a native-born American cop, he knew the character of these political grifters well. "She calls herself an environmentalist, but in reality, she was just an extreme thug. And a thug manipulated by much smarter people. You can't expect a muddle-headed, uneducated puppet to become a genuine guide on the path of conservation."
Gray guessed that the Environmental Girl would suffer a brief "backlash," after which she would be forcibly dragged away from the cameras by the corporate forces behind her to let the heat die down. This wasn't the first time they had sacrificed a pawn.
"That's right," Yusaku pondered for a moment, feeling he needed to prepare some tactical backup plans just in case. The girl's counterattack might still be—
Suddenly, the three of them stared blankly at the news screen.
It was a live broadcast of the Environmental Girl. She was standing at a podium, actually solemnly apologizing to the public?
This is impossible… Everyone in that room knew exactly what kind of narcissistic scoundrel she was. She was the kind of zealot who would rather be forcibly dragged away by security than admit the slightest mistake.
"I'm sorry, ladies and gentlemen," the girl said into the microphones. "But this is a war that was decided long ago. Well, since you don't want to see the future being built, then I will take some... remedial measures..."
'What does that mean?' Yusaku stared intently at the girl on the screen, his brow furrowing deeply.
He analyzed the girl's micro-expressions and psychological state from a master detective's perspective.
She was angry. Her jaw was tight, as if a group of online troublemakers had dared to challenge her divine authority.
But she was also smug. Her eyes gleamed with a fanatic, secret superiority, as if the actions of these online critics couldn't stop her from doing something drastic.
What? '"Remedial measures..." What does she want to remediate?'
His expression faltered. Yusaku suddenly thought of certain clandestine, scorched-earth tactics employed by the Zaibatsu in Japan. Was it possible that the Environmental Girl was merely feigning remorse on live television? Was she actually stalling for time, so that when public attention was no longer focused on the Longleaf Pine Forest, she could strike?
It seems... it's not impossible... or rather...
Yusaku's secure phone buzzed. He read the incoming text from a contact inside the forestry department.
"What a damn bitch!!" Gray roared, reading over Yusaku's shoulder.
Instantly, even the usually even-tempered Police Chief was filled with absolute, murderous rage.
'Damn it! This bitch deserves to die!! Does she even know what she's doing!?'
Yusaku, who had quickly contacted several old friends in the FBI to confirm the intelligence, was also consumed by a cold, terrifying rage.
'How dare she!?' Yusaku thought, his fists clenched. Her corporate backers had clearly given the order to stand down, but her fanatic ego couldn't handle the loss. How dare she act alone!?
And today! At this critical juncture, while the media was watching her apology, she had secretly organized five hundred armed radical thugs to march directly into the woods!
'Damn it! Is this woman out of her fucking mind?!'
Similarly, Cliff couldn't sit still either. He grabbed his Colt revolver. All three knew that clear-cutting the Longleaf Pine Forest would trigger the God's wrath and likely lead to a catastrophic manifestation of Human Evil. Naturally, they wouldn't just sit in the living room and wait to die.
"Yusaku, I need to go back to the precinct. I need to mobilize the SWAT teams and riot police," Gray spoke quickly, already strapping on his Kevlar vest. He rushed out to his patrol car.
Yusaku wasn't idle either. He grabbed his keys, shoved Cliff into the passenger seat, and headed straight for the Longleaf Pine Forest.
He slammed on the gas pedal.
Yusaku's face was so dark it seemed like it was about to drip water.
Quick! We have to be quick! During this critical window, nothing could go wrong. If an irreparable supernatural disaster really occurred...
A cold, lethal glint flashed in Yusaku Kudo's eyes. He had indeed been a good, lawful person before. But that didn't mean he had no temper. If that Environmental Girl breached the God's domain... he would put a bullet in her himself.
The Longleaf Pine Forest
"Listen to me! This is a great revival! We will create enormous value for the US! We will cleanse this dead wood!"
Old Bert didn't listen carefully to the rest of the fanatic speech blaring from the megaphone. It was just a show. A pathetic, noisy justification for destruction. Old Bert had seen corporate greed many times before.
As the primary caretaker of the Longleaf Pine Forest, he had guarded these woods for decades.
Decades… He knew every blade of grass, every hidden stream, and every towering tree here. Many of the younger pines at the edge of the reserve were planted by his own calloused hands. He didn't just have feelings for this place; this forest was his very soul.
Old Bert's cloudy eyes reflected the mob of more than five hundred radicals in the distance, armed with chainsaws, bulldozers, and torches, whipped into a frenzy of self-righteous indignation. Standing on a makeshift platform above them was the infamous Environmental Girl.
He didn't want to see the Longleaf Pine Forest being pushed over. Because his name was Old Bert, not Old Dog. He wasn't going to roll over.
Besides, who would stand by and watch their home, where they had lived peacefully for most of their life, being directly trampled by a mob of brainwashed thugs?
Of course, no one would.
But what if someone insisted on breaking into and destroying their home anyway?
"Ptooey…"
Old Bert looked at the approaching mob with a grim, humorless smile. He spat a wad of chewing tobacco onto the dirt and rubbed his calloused old hands together, gripping the cold steel of his hunting rifle.
'If they cross that tree line...' Old Bert thought, racking a shell into the chamber. 'I'll kill 'em all.'
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