Chapter 773 The Most Terrifying Thing Is Silence

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania State Senate.

Voting day.

Today’s vote was on the Pennsylvania Energy Security Act. This bill would grant the Pennsylvania Energy Administration emergency powers of eminent domain under specific conditions, allowing it to take over land prior to the resolution of compensation disputes.

It was a sledgehammer meant to smash through legal barriers.

Leo had prepared to fight a tough battle.

He had anticipated that the Republicans would launch a filibuster. He had expected the senators representing energy oligarchs to propose various amendments to stall for time. He had even predicted that organized protests might erupt outside the venue.

He had prepared ample contingency plans. However, nothing happened.

The voting process went surprisingly smoothly.

Although a few red “Nay” votes appeared on the tally board, no one stood up to deliver lengthy tirades, nor did anyone make an issue out of the procedures.

“BANG!”

The gavel fell.

The bill passed with ease.

The conservative senators who had voted against it simply packed up the documents on their desks with expressionless faces and calmly walked out of the chamber, as if they had just completed an inconsequential routine task.

Watching the broadcast on the television in his office, Leo frowned deeply instead.

“This isn’t right,” Leo said to Roosevelt in his mind.

“The Energy Association isn’t running a charity.

“This involves hundreds of acres of their land and their control over the nuclear power plant. Did they just give up their resistance in the State Assembly like this?

“This calmness is too bizarre.”

Leo felt the hollow disappointment of swinging at empty air, followed by a profound sense of unease.

Roosevelt’s voice rang out right on cue.

“When things are this abnormal, there must be a catch, Leo. In this circle, no one gives up their interests for nothing,” Roosevelt offered his judgment.

“When the enemy gives up their resistance on the low ground and even actively retreats, it only means one thing.

“They have already set up machine guns on the high ground, waiting for you to charge right into them.”

Before Leo could ponder this for too long, the phone in his pocket rang.

It was Evelyn Saint Cloud.

“Leo, the acquisition of Three Mile Island has hit a wall,” Evelyn’s voice came through the receiver.

“Constellation Energy refused to negotiate. They won’t even answer my calls, and the acquisition team I sent over was kicked out by their legal department.”

“As expected,” Leo responded calmly.

He knew those people wouldn’t easily hand over the goose that laid golden eggs.

“It’s not just that,” Evelyn’s tone turned even more serious. “Even though the State Government injected start-up capital into the Energy Administration Bureau, and I was preparing to issue the Pennsylvania Nuclear Energy Transition Bonds to raise the acquisition funds as originally planned…

“However, just this morning, representatives from JPMorgan Chase and Citibank suddenly informed me that they were withdrawing from the underwriting syndicate. They refused to provide any liquidity support for this bond.”

“Their reason?” Leo asked.

“They said their compliance departments believe this bond carries uncontrollable, systemic political risks,” Evelyn replied. “You know how it is. On Wall Street, compliance is just a catch-all bin for any excuse they want to use.”

“Maintain the status quo for now. Don’t act rashly. I feel like something is wrong.”

After giving his instructions, Leo hung up the phone.

The enemy had abandoned the trench warfare in Harrisburg and instead cut off his supply lines in New York.

Merely withdrawing their capital couldn’t completely stop Leo.

As long as he held the power of eminent domain, he could still secure the land, even if he had to forcibly exchange Alliance notes for US Dollars and settle the transaction through the State Government’s capital injection.

There had to be a more lethal killing move.

The office door flew open as Ethan rushed in, waving a document stamped with a red “Classified” label.

“Sir! I found out why they didn’t resist!” Ethan slammed an internal briefing from Washington onto the desk.

“They never planned to tangle with us in the State Assembly. They went straight to Washington.” Ethan pointed at a few acronyms on the briefing.

“The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the Foreign Investment Committee.”

Leo picked up the briefing, his eyes scanning the text quickly.

“The energy companies mobilized their lobbying power in Washington. They teamed up with several right-wing hawkish senators to submit a joint accusation to these two top regulatory agencies of the Federation.”

Ethan was breathing heavily.

“They accused the Pennsylvania Energy Administration of attempting to monopolize core nuclear power facilities through coercive means. More fatally, they latched onto Evelyn and wouldn’t let go.

“They reported to the Foreign Investment Committee, claiming that the Energy Administration Bureau’s source of funds is extremely opaque, and that the Saint Cloud Trust behind it involves massive offshore capital and a complex international background.

“They insinuated that capital from hostile nations is trying to use the Energy Administration Bureau to steal the United States’ nuclear technology and control the vital power grid of the East Coast of the United States.”

Ethan looked at Leo.

“The accusation demands that the Federal Government fully take over the review and freeze all of the Energy Administration Bureau’s asset acquisitions and bond issuances until the joint investigation by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the Foreign Investment Committee is concluded.”

Leo stared at the briefing.

He finally understood why the Republican senators had been so compliant in Harrisburg.

They knew they couldn’t stop the bill from passing at the state level, so they turned to Washington instead.

“What should we do?” Ethan asked.

“Let me think for a minute,” Leo replied.

…

Pittsburgh City Hall, Mayor’s Office.

The briefing stamped with the words “Special National Security Review” lay quietly on the desk.