Chapter 743 - 346: I Only Have Two Years

Many years later, as the United States of America faced the silent, abandoned blast furnace of Pittsburgh in the setting sun, it would recall that distant afternoon when William Penn led a group of Quakers into the hallowed woods.

At first, it was a silent wasteland, with only the whispers of the Delaware River and the breath of the Appalachian Mountains.

Until the arrival of William Penn.

The name Pennsylvania, in Latin, means "Penn’s Woods."

From then on, the name of Penn’s family was etched into this land, and in turn, this land recorded the deepest memories and wildest dreams of the United States of America.

While the European continent was still struggling in the fires of religious fanaticism and the tyranny of absolute monarchy, this land already carried the seeds of freedom and tolerance.

It was a sacred experiment, humanity’s first attempt to build a utopia based on conscience and contract, free from the shadow of kings and bishops.

Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love.

There, in a sweltering assembly hall, a group of rebels signed a document that declared a new era for humanity.

The ink of the Declaration of Independence was not yet dry when the peal of the Liberty Bell thundered through the sky.

Pennsylvania became the cradle of this new nation, the first proving ground for Lady Liberty.

As the great waves of time surged forward, when the nation was plunged into the bitter civil war of brother against brother and the very survival of the Federation hung by a thread, Pennsylvania transformed into an unbreakable shield.

The smoke of Gettysburg blotted out the sun, and blood stained the wheat fields red.

This land devoured the last ambitions of the Southern States, and the speech given upon that scorched earth by that tall, thin man from Illinois redefined the course of this great vessel.

A government of the people, by the people, for the people.

With its loyalty and sacrifice, Pennsylvania stitched the torn nation back together.

When the United States sprinted toward global hegemony, when the juggernaut of industrial civilization rolled over the wreckage of the old world, Pennsylvania transformed yet again, this time into a roaring heart.

The blast furnaces of Pittsburgh burned day and night, their light, like the fires of the underworld, illuminating the night sky of the entire Western Hemisphere.

Here, the black blood of coal and the silver skeleton of steel intertwined, forging the railways that spanned the continent and raising the skyscrapers that pierced the clouds.

Andrew Carnegie’s steel empire and Rockefeller’s oil dynasty erupted from the very veins of this land.

In those days, Pennsylvania was the workshop of the world, the muscle and will of the United States. With the sweat of countless workers and the hardness of steel, it formed the backbone of the American Century.

However, when the tide of globalization washed in, when capital began to flow toward cheaper shores, the once-clamorous factories fell silent one by one.

The reddish-brown of the Rust Belt spread over the body of this industrial titan like the mottled patches on an aging beast.

The furnaces went out, the smokestacks collapsed, and its former glory seemed forgotten in the dust of history.

But Pennsylvania did not sink.

Like a wounded beast, it lay dormant in the depths, undergoing a magnificent transformation.

Shale gas fields deep in the Allegheny Mountains are spouting blue flames, data centers are rising from the ground on the sites of Pittsburgh’s abandoned steel mills, and the cooling towers of Three Mile Island are about to be refilled with the lifeblood of nuclear energy.

Pennsylvania is becoming the heart that drives the future. This land is still the bellwether of the United States.

Whenever the bell tolls for a major election, the eyes of All of America turn here.

Because every pulse of this land still decides where that great vessel is ultimately headed.

It is the center of the swing, the balance of power, the ultimate battleground that defines what the United States is.

Leo Wallace sat by the airplane window, his gaze piercing the clouds to watch the weathered, great land below.

The plane began its descent, passing through a thick layer of clouds, and the outline of Pittsburgh gradually came into view.

Below, the Monongahela and Allegheny Rivers converged to form the Ohio River, which flowed westward.

The city of steel lay quietly in the river valley, like a lion preparing to roar once more.

Leo looked at the familiar streets, the smokestacks puffing white smoke, and the City Hall that belonged to him.

Nuclear power would be ignited in this land.

AI data centers would run here.

Pennsylvania would continue its journey.

And this time, he was the one at the helm.

The plane landed hard on the runway, its tires screeching against the tarmac.

Leo adjusted his collar and stepped out of the cabin.

The wind was strong, but he didn’t feel the cold.

Because he had brought back the fire.

...

Pittsburgh City Hall, Strategy Room.

On the large screen was a high-resolution satellite map. At its center was a complex with massive cooling towers—the Three Mile Island Nuclear Power Plant.

Leo stood before the screen, his gaze fixed like a knife on the site of the former nuclear accident.

Ethan, Evelyn, and Sarah sat at the conference table, their expressions varied.

"Sterling and his gang of energy traders are only thinking about profiting from the natural gas price difference between Europe and Asia. They’ll push the Republican Party to do everything they can to delay our nuclear restart plan," Leo said. "We can’t wait. Time is not on our side."

Leo turned to face the others at the table.

"Ethan, Evelyn, I need you to mobilize everyone you can and get me a complete execution plan within two weeks."

Leo held up two fingers.

"Within two years, I want to see Three Mile Island’s Unit 1 restarted and running at full capacity."

A brief silence fell over the room, followed by the sound of Ethan sucking in a sharp breath.

"Two years?!" Ethan shot to his feet as if he’d just heard a fairy tale. "Leo, have you lost your mind?"

"Under the current approval process of the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the environmental assessment and safety reviews alone would take three to five years!"

"Add to that equipment procurement, personnel training, and the actual construction... even with sufficient funding, it would take ten years at the absolute fastest!"

"You’re fighting against physics and bureaucracy at the same time!"

Evelyn also frowned slightly. Although she was used to Leo’s madness, this truly went beyond conventional business sense.

"Ethan is right. It’s not realistic," Evelyn said calmly. "And the most critical issue is funding."

"Even if your Alliance Trust can handle internal settlements within the state using Alliance Notes, the nuclear-grade materials, core control equipment, and patented technologies needed to restart the plant must be paid for in US Dollars."

"That’s a shortfall of several billion US Dollars."

Faced with their strong objections, Leo didn’t back down an inch.

"Let the experts solve the physics problems," Leo said, staring at Ethan with a fierce fire in his eyes. "I’ll solve the bureaucratic ones."

He turned his gaze to Evelyn.

"As for the money, you figure it out. At the same time, mobilize all the think tank resources and academic connections of the Saint Claude Family."

Leo gave a direct order.

"Find me every nuclear power expert in All of America, even the world. Find every nuclear engineering veteran who was retired due to budget cuts. If they’re still breathing, get them to Pittsburgh."

"I also need the top legal experts and the most skilled government relations specialists—the kind who know how to work the system."

"Within two weeks, I want to see an executable plan that bypasses all conventional obstacles."

"That timeline is non-negotiable."

Evelyn looked at Leo’s almost paranoid fervor and took a deep breath.

She knew this was another high-stakes gamble, but if they won, the Saint Claude Family would be glorious again for at least forty years.

Ethan and Evelyn exchanged a look.

Leo’s attitude meant they had no room to refuse.

"Alright." Evelyn nodded. "I’ll get the headhunting firms on it immediately, and I’ll accelerate the operations of the capital pool."

Leo turned his head to look at Sarah.

"Sarah, your task is just as difficult."

Sarah immediately sat up straight.

"Take full control of Pennsylvania’s propaganda and media."

"Starting tomorrow, leak the news and begin an intense campaign of public opinion manipulation," Leo said, speaking quickly. "The core narrative is simple: only nuclear power can bring endless cheap energy, and only cheap energy can protect the workers’ jobs and keep the factories from ever closing."

"Brand all opposition as a Washington conspiracy to destroy the livelihoods of the Rust Belt."

"Public sentiment is crucial to us," Leo stressed. "Even though the Democratic Party supports us now, we must hold the cards."

"Understood," Sarah nodded. "I’ll have the media center go full throttle."

Finally, Leo looked back at Ethan.

"Ethan, go summon all the mayors of the Industrial Revival Alliance. We’re holding an emergency meeting at City Hall tomorrow morning."

"They’ve taken my orders, used my notes, and enjoyed the political dividends I brought them."

"Now, it’s time for them to work for me."

After arranging everything, Leo straightened up and looked at the satellite image of Three Mile Island on the screen.

It was an insane timetable, a madman’s plan.

But he had no other choice.

The world was hurtling forward at an uncontrollable speed, and the fire of the people’s hope could not burn for long.

He had to be faster.

For the first time, he was trying to floor the accelerator, to drive the great machine of Pennsylvania at full power.

The gears began to turn, grinding with a harsh screech.

The pistons began to roar, spewing scalding steam.

Once it started, he would have no chance to hit the brakes.

On these tracks called reform, there was no turning back—only forward, only acceleration.

He had to be faster than everyone.

Faster than the bureaucrats’ approvals, faster than capital’s betrayal, faster than the voters’ forgetting.

He would use a speed great enough to warp time itself to smash open that narrow gate to the future.