Contradictory and Complex

"Your Excellency, Frank has been killed!"

Outside the press Conference Hall inside the Presidential Palace, a Chief Security Officer dressed in a somber suit whispered a report to the president, who was reading a prepared statement.

The president slowly put down his manuscript, glanced at his Chief Security Officer, and wiped his face. "This is truly terrible news. But are the hostages safe?"

The Chief Security Officer nodded solemnly. "According to reports from the scene, Frank refused to communicate and attempted to harm the hostages. Our men were forced to fire under duress. The hostages are safe."

The president nodded in satisfaction. "That's good. Protecting the safety of Federal citizens is my duty..." After he finished speaking, he picked up his notes again, glanced at them a few times, nodded to the Chief Security Officer and the Chief of Staff, and stepped into the conference room.

The moment he stepped into the conference room, the flashbulbs practically turned the room into a silver world. Even the president, who was used to the media, was somewhat taken aback by the sudden burst of light.

He squinted slightly, walked to the podium, and lowered his gaze, which made him feel a little better.

Twenty-four hours have passed since the incident broke out yesterday morning. Regardless of what others think, the media will go crazy first, followed by public opinion.

The news has already spread, and trying to cover it up is obviously impractical. It would only make people think that the president and his cabinet are incompetent. They can only try to find a solution, at least to calm down the ordinary investors who are blocking the bank or stock exchange.

A few seconds later, the flashes subsided, but all the reporters had their arms raised high. The president's chief of Chief of Staff's voice came through his headset, "The lady in the fourth row, second row, wearing a blue scarf..."

The president looked up and indeed saw a lady wearing a blue scarf in the second row. He pointed casually, "The lady wearing the blue scarf..."

When the Female Reporter stood up, the others immediately lowered their raised hands, grabbed their pens, and prepared to write something at any moment.

After the meeting room quieted down a bit, the Female Reporter who had been called upon by the president asked, "Mr. President, since yesterday, people have discovered that War Bonds issued abroad cannot be redeemed. What can we do? What can you do?"

Some reporters frowned. The question wasn't pointed enough; it was so ordinary that it was practically worthless, because even if they didn't ask it, the president or his Press Officer would eventually say it anyway, which was a waste of an opportunity to ask a question.

But since you've asked, I'll write it down.

The president displayed his composure and calmness, speaking almost immediately, "We have urgently contacted the bond-issuing countries, and the Federal embassies abroad are also in urgent consultation with the local governments."

"So far we have not come up with any effective solutions, but I can assure the public that we have not wasted a single minute. Our ambassador and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have not rested for a moment since yesterday."

"Any new developments will be made public as soon as possible!"

The answer was standard and unremarkable, lacking any highlights. Some reporters gave up taking notes halfway through, and this answer could have been used directly in the press release.

Generally, press conferences like presidential speeches have a press release, which contains official answers and core ideas. Mainstream media will respect the content of this press release and make some modifications without changing the core.

However, some less mainstream media outlets are quite outspoken. They often turn a serious press conference into something resembling a conspiracy, and they gain more readers and subscriptions through this method.

Then a few more lucky reporters were called upon to ask questions, but the questions they asked were all too conventional, which disappointed many reporters, as the Q&A session of the press conference once again became a one-man show by the president.

This situation is becoming increasingly common. When the president first took office, he wouldn't have used such old-fashioned methods to arrange for reporters to ensure the smooth running of press conferences. Back then, he was much more enthusiastic. But look at him now.

Almost every press conference he personally attended was like this: full of official questions and official answers, and there wasn't the slightest surprise during the entire press conference.

Don't those "official media" themselves feel disgusted? Actually, whether they feel disgusted or not is not important. What is important is how to avoid some awkward situations when the current situation is unclear.

Half an hour later, the press conference ended, and the president quickly left, while his Press Officer took over his duties.

Reporters still don't need to expect valuable answers from the Press Officer, because when the questions become pointed, he will say that he is just a Press Officer and can only give pre-prepared answers, leaving reporters helpless and feeling deeply frustrated.

After leaving the press conference room, the president removed some electronic devices that made him feel uncomfortable. These devices weighed several kilograms and were not a pleasant experience to have on his body.

He returned to his office and summoned his Chief of Staff and Think Tank; he needed advice and solutions to the current problems.

Some things simply can't be put off.

"Mr. President, we discussed this all day yesterday and finally came to a conclusion, but..." He looked at the others, then at the President, "But you may not like it."

The president frowned. "What kind of answer?" he asked, then added jokingly, in a serious tone, "Like, me submitting my resignation to Congress?"

This was clearly not a funny joke. The Chief of Staff chuckled twice. "We think the best thing to do now is to let things develop naturally and give some simple answers when necessary. This is more in line with our current situation and our position."

The president's brow furrowed even more, and he picked at his ear. "Excuse me, I don't quite understand what you're saying. Could you elaborate?"

The Chief of Staff began to explain in more detail, "We will do nothing for the time being, because no matter what we do, it will be difficult to change the attitude of those countries. They are unlikely to deliver on their promises, especially the Victorious Country."

The unredeemable War Bonds mainly came from the Victorious Country. The Defeated Country were willing to redeem these bonds and made a public announcement in the name of the state. They postponed the redemption of bonds issued before the war in the International Community for one year and increased the redemption rate by 15 percent on top of the original rate.

However, everyone knows that by the time they can cash out, the money and currency they gave will have already become worthless.

The president nodded; he knew that. "So your solution is to do nothing?" He leaned back, his expression unreadable. "Then how am I supposed to explain this to the citizens?"

The Chief of Staff promptly corrected some minor errors in his statement, saying, "It's not about you explaining to the public, it's about how those countries that refuse to honor their promises explain themselves to the ordinary people of the International Community!"

"In fact, the Think Tank unanimously agreed that this was a good thing, because we inadvertently resolved some very critical issues, shifting the conflict from the different positions of the two governments to the relationship between a single government and ordinary people in the International Community."

"Before this, it could be said that the Victorious Country nations' failure to honor their bonds was a national act, and their targets were the individual nation of the Bayer Federation. But now their opponents have become ordinary people, and it's become shameless of them to do this."

"We can unite some countries that face the same problems as us, or even Defeated Country, and create momentum in international public opinion. If we can privately persuade one or two small countries to redeem some of their bonds, this can undermine the trust among the Victorious Country allies."

"More importantly, we can use 'protecting the legitimate rights and interests of the people' as an excuse to unite a portion of the International Community. Facts have proven that complete isolation is not advisable!"

As the president listened, he thought carefully. He had to admit that what the Chief of Staff said did have merit. As the biggest supporter of the isolation policy, the president had already realized the drawbacks of the policy.

When the Bayer Federation encountered trouble, no one stood up to help it. Due to its isolation in the International Community, it had no standing whatsoever, which was why the Victorious Country could manipulate the Bayer Federation at will.

His thoughts ran deep and fast, and his fingers unconsciously tapped on the table. "Neutral Nations Alliance?"

The Chief of Staff nodded slightly. This was his underlying idea: since isolationism was clearly not going to work, they would try to change the current position of the Bayer Federation in the International Community in a more moderate way.

Considering that the president came to power through this policy, they united some neutral countries without changing their neutral stance. This would not make the public feel that isolationism had failed, but at the same time, they could use the power of the people to solve some problems. It can be said to be a perfect solution.

"So what about those people causing trouble outside? How do we deal with them?" The president quickly made a decision and then asked a very pointed question.

The Chief of Staff said meaningfully, "Some people definitely have to take responsibility for this..."

Scapegoats and scapegoats have been used for countless years. They're so simple that almost everyone knows about them, yet people still fall for them.

The president nodded. "If there's no other way, let's do it this way. Hopefully, we'll see results soon."