Defeating a Hero Takes a Villain
Healthy Federal People is a Private Equity Fund dedicated to improving the physical fitness of Federal citizens.
There are almost no such foundations in Bu Peien. With so many members of Congress, even if each person only has ties to two foundations, there are probably thousands of foundations here.
But how can a member of Congress only be associated with two foundations? Some people have stakes in more than a dozen different foundations. Two... that's mocking their influence.
The issues involved were extremely complex, but before Mr. Truman took action, he did not believe he would be stumped, because he had the support of the current president, the military, and good personal relationships with some big capitalists.
But he underestimated the foundation and those associated with it; he became complacent.
This is the best feedback on his growing arrogance and conceit over this period of time—a good punch to the face.
Starting in the afternoon, he received a constant stream of calls asking about his purpose and ideas in investigating the Healthy Federal People Foundation, and people wanted to probe deeper into the matter.
He initially thought it was just a reactive response from Councilor Welsh who was aware of the crisis, but he was wrong.
For several years now, Federal healthcare groups have been trying to promote the commercialization of Medical Insurance. They have touted that commercial Medical Insurance is more effective than social security insurance, and have even misled the public's understanding of the role of drugs, especially chemically synthesized drugs, in diseases.
For example, they always tell the public that cheap things are not good things, and that medicines are sold so cheaply because they have no value or efficacy. Only those expensive drugs that are not covered by the Medical Security System can better help patients recover from their illnesses.
The government's refusal to include truly effective drugs in the list of insured medications is an attempt to prevent excessive Medical Insurance costs for the public, as the government is unwilling to bear the heavy burden of medical expenses.
They also have a very famous slogan. "No one loves you more than yourself, not even the Federal Government!"
Television commercials, newspapers, Social Activist...
They have used every means to push for the complete withdrawal of Medical Insurance from Social Insurance, and they are steadily moving toward success.
Although Congress has not yet passed the reform proposal, compared to the staunch opposition of members of Congress during the first and second votes, many people's attitudes have now softened, from "absolutely not" to "maybe," and some have even simply sided with the healthcare group.
All of this is inextricably linked to lobbying groups within healthcare corporations and their transfer of benefits.
No one knows how much money they've spent on this, but one thing is certain: most of Bu Peien's lobbying groups and Broker have made a good living over the years.
Besides Welsh, several other members of parliament also hold shares in this Healthy Federal People Foundation, and these are members of parliament who are being lobbied by the healthcare group or have already sided with it.
In other words, Mr. Truman's investigation into the Healthy Federal People has alarmed the medical community, which has both surprised and terrified them.
Once these transfers of benefits are exposed, all their efforts over the years will vanish in an instant.
Even under the pressure of public opinion, the Federal Government will inevitably be affected and will have no choice but to launch an investigation.
Of course, these things have no real meaning to them. Sacrificing a few scapegoats can divert public attention, but all their efforts will be wasted, and they will not allow that to happen.
People kept coming to inquire about Mr. Truman's purpose in doing this, what he wanted, and even warned him to abandon the investigation into the Healthy Federal People as soon as possible. This matter was different from those he had dealt with before, and it was not something that the highest- Chief in the Presidential Palace Office could handle.
The people calling him became increasingly famous, putting more and more pressure on Mr. Truman. When even the Minister of Ministry of Scientific Development called him, he finally realized that he had to explain things clearly, or more trouble would follow.
This was not a seemingly simple neurotic reaction; in reality, he was facing a far more terrifying and massive interest group than he had imagined, with annual profits of billions or even tens of billions, enough to drive these people to take risks.
Until... the president also called him.
"Before making this call, I was considering whether or not to call you..." The president's tone was not much different from before, but if you listened carefully, you might be able to detect a slight... weariness in his voice.
Whether it's the collusion from Councilor Welsh putting him at a disadvantage in Parliament and in the media, or today's unexpected situation, his mind is about to explode.
He couldn't help but laugh, a laugh tinged with helplessness, "I really want to tell you, like a hero, Truman, just go for it, no difficulty can defeat us..."
"But I am not a hero."
"I was just a failed president. What happened today has made me somewhat discouraged. It has become clear that even if I were president, we wouldn't be able to do things the way we want."
"But I will pull myself together, and I hope you can pull yourself together too. Today's defeat has made us realize more clearly that we are still very weak and we are no match for those people."
"We will continue to grow, we still have opportunities, and one day we will be able to face them, confront difficulties like true heroes, and defeat them."
"..."
"I'm sorry to disappoint you. I couldn't handle the pressure."
Truman remained silent for a long time, four or five minutes, or even longer, keeping the microphone to his ear. Neither of them spoke, but they could hear the other person breathing through the receiver.
After a moment of silence, Mr. Truman spoke, his voice a little hoarse, "I also need to apologize, Mr. President, my arrogance caused me to overlook some issues."
"Because of our mistakes, we have put ourselves in a passive position. In fact, we could have done better."
"However, what happened today has also made me realize a new problem: we not only have enemies outside, but also hidden enemies inside that we could not have imagined before."
"However, they were careless. They made us notice them. What we are facing now is only a temporary retreat. We still have a lot of time, and we will definitely win!"
Early the next morning, Truman, the top Chief of the Presidential Cabinet's International Policy/Affairs Research Office, offered his resignation to the President, stating that he felt he was not capable of handling such an important job, but the President politely declined.
Subsequently, a Middle Class official of the Federal National Security Committee was arrested for "dereliction of duty," and the investigation into the Healthy Federal People was fully concluded, yielding a satisfactory result for everyone.
All financial transactions of the Healthy Federal People Foundation comply with the requirements of the Federal Charter and relevant Federal Law. All business operations are legal, all beneficiaries are legal, and all funds are legal. The investigation into the Healthy Federal People Foundation is now concluded.
This matter didn't even make the news, and no news outlet dared to report on it. Whether it was the Progressive Party, the Conservative Party, or the Socialist Party, no one dared to touch this minefield.
This was, of course, another great victory for the capitalists, to the point that even the president had to bow to them.
Mr. Truman was granted a three-day leave by the president to refresh his mind and face new things and work. As soon as he returned home, he saw a truck parked outside his house.
His work-related instincts made Mr. Truman immediately put his hands in his coat pockets. He walked around the truck and saw his wife and children handing over to two men in Blue Vests, scribbling on a whiteboard.
In fact, the Great Recession that the Federal is experiencing is not all bad; at least people are starting to consider the feelings of consumers.
In the past, these freight companies were not as humane as they are now. They would ask customers to fill out forms, and they would just leave their goods anywhere or even leave without notifying the shipper. Now, none of that happens.
They are more gentle, more considerate, and more careful than ever before, because every negative review a customer leaves will cost them a penny less in revenue, and too many negative reviews could even cost them their jobs.
This may be one of the few steps forward during an economic recession.
"What are these?" Mr. Truman asked as he walked over.
His wife immediately explained, "Some new things, didn't you have them delivered?" Her face was full of smiles. "This is such a huge surprise, were you trying to hide it from me?"
She mistakenly took these as surprises from Mr. Truman, but she didn't know that the man in front of her was just like her at this moment, but only surprised, not happy.
Just as Mr. Truman was about to say something more, the telephone in the room rang.
He stood outside the door, glanced inside, patted his wife's hand, and went into the room.
The moment he answered the phone, a slightly familiar voice rang out. He should have spoken to this voice yesterday, but he had been on too many calls and had forgotten who it was.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Truman, I have learned some more details. I apologize for our overreaction yesterday. What you have seen is from my heart, and I hope you can accept it."
Mr. Truman frowned and replied, "What if I don't accept?"
The guy on the other end of the phone burst out laughing, "You'd better accept it!"
There was no real threat, and his words didn't even sound like a threat, but Mr. Truman still sensed a confident threat in them.
He glanced back at his wife and children standing at the door, saying goodbye to the freight workers. "What's your name?"
The person on the phone didn't seem to be a hero, which is understandable, since it's usually the villains who defeat heroes. "When we have a need, we'll meet, and you'll know who I am."
"But not now..."
Looking at the receiver that had just been hung up, a surge of anger was quietly growing and spreading within Truman. He knew that he had gained another opponent!