The Wolf of Los Angeles.

Houston, Golden Square.

McKindy, the security assistant for Dong Zong's campaign office, stood behind Dong Zong, his wary gaze quickly sweeping over the hundreds of people gathered below.

Under normal circumstances, these people would not pose much of a danger.

Because many of them are hired.

Dong Zong's campaign for this election has just begun, and it lacks sufficient popularity and supporters.

On the other side of the stage, campaign assistant Ennie was whispering with her assistant, discussing how to hire more people for the next stop in Dallas with less money.

Influenced by the cluster effect, people came one after another to receive gifts from the campaign team and stand in the square to make up the numbers.

Facing a crowd that was gradually approaching a thousand people, Mr. Dong's subsequent speech was full of passion.

Compared to the average politician, he is far more adept at verbal sparring, after all, he used to be a talk show host and judge on variety shows.

"I stand here with immense honor and hope in my heart. Thank you all for your support, which has given me the opportunity to run for President of the United States... And I will fight tirelessly for the prosperity of America, for your rights, and for the safety of society!"

"What I want to say is that I love this country, I love this land, and I love everyone who lives on this land. I am willing to dedicate everything to this..."

A minivan hurriedly drove up from the side of the road where no one was paying attention.

As soon as the car came to a stop, Weissell, the investment director of the board group, got out and almost ran to the side of the podium.

Ini stopped him.

Weisel said, "It's a very urgent matter."

Inee gestured to the clapping crowd: "Wait until he finishes his speech."

Weisel nodded, but couldn't hide the anxiety on his face.

After waiting for a full half hour, Mr. Dong, who had been the center of attention, happily ended his speech and stepped off the stage amidst extremely enthusiastic applause.

He was so excited that he ignored Weisser's sour face and asked, slightly agitated, "How was it? My speech was very inspiring, wasn't it? Look at them, they'll definitely vote for me!"

Melanie went up to her husband and gave him a hug: "You did a fantastic job!"

Everyone dreams of being a First Lady, she encouraged him, "Darling, you'll definitely succeed this time."

The cheers and applause from those listening to the speech were so evocative that Ini was also affected, and she had the illusion that Mr. Dong was very popular.

Amidst the lively atmosphere, only Weisser, with a cold face, spoke in an inappropriate voice: "Boss, something's happened in India."

Having spent many years navigating the business and entertainment industries, Mr. Dong quickly composed himself and asked, "What's going on?"

“Something’s not right here,” Weissell said, suggesting, “We should get in the car and talk.”

Mr. Dong strode forward: "Let's talk in the car."

Important figures such as Ini, Melanie, and McKindy all got into the same van with Mr. Dong and Weisser.

The car started slowly, and even at this moment, President Dong did not forget to roll down the window and wave to the supporters on the roadside.

Whether they are true supporters or not is not important, because most people are driven by emotions, and he is confident that he can influence their emotions.

Only after the car had driven far from Golden Square did Mr. Dong roll up the window and ask Weisser, "What's the situation in India?"

Weissell quickly composed himself and said, "The governments of Mumbai and Maharashtra conducted surprise inspections of the One World construction site. The steel used by the contractor was found to be seriously substandard, the concrete of the main support columns was substandard, electrical facilities were haphazardly connected, and safety regulations were practically ignored..."

Having worked in real estate projects for many years, Mr. Dong was not surprised at all and said, "Isn't this normal?"

Weisel shook his head: "The problem with substandard steel is too big, and the cement grade is too low. These two issues are completely beyond our acceptable limits."

He emphasized slightly: "We found the person in charge of the cement issue. The problems within the company were nothing more than kickbacks and embezzlement. But there's something strange about the steel issue."

Mr. Dong waited for him to continue.

Weisel said, "The problem lies with that batch of steel. This batch of steel arrived on site the day before the sampling inspection, and all the relevant procedures were in place. However, the person in charge of handling the entry procedures disappeared, as did the security personnel and supervisors on duty at the time. They were all out of contact."

"It's very obvious that someone is pulling the strings behind the scenes." Faced with these troubles, President Dong remained calm: "What did Luoda Group and Hafiz say? Didn't they contact the local government?"

Weisel replied, "I've already contacted them. Hafiz used his connections in Mumbai, and the current response is to temporarily halt construction until the issues are resolved. The steel and cement grades are far too different, and as the regulatory body, they dare not allow the contractor to start work. However, the news hasn't spread yet..."

Mr. Dong did not have much hope for this, saying, "If someone were behind this, the news would have already spread. You just haven't seen it because the Indian media is inefficient."

Upon hearing this, Ini quickly opened her smartphone, searched on Twitter, and turned the screen around to show Mr. Dong: "Several Indian media outlets have reported this."

Mr. Dong and Weisser leaned closer and quickly glanced through it.

"The scandal surrounding the World One Tower project revealed that the steel used was seriously substandard, with some of the rebar breaking directly when it was dropped onto the concrete floor."

The news report also included photos of the scene, showing the broken rebar that looked outrageous.

Another news item featured a picture of a large building's thick main support pillars, which were pitted and uneven, resembling weathered rocks in the western wilderness.

"We have serious doubts about whether the World One Tower can withstand two years of construction without collapsing."

Even though President Dong maintained a calm demeanor, his expression was not pleasant. The apartments in this building had been pre-sold to too many wealthy people, and if not handled properly, it could escalate into a huge crisis.

This situation cannot be allowed to deteriorate further.

Mr. Dong looked at Weisser and said, “You go to Mumbai immediately and deal with this matter with Hafiz. Immediately carry out crisis public relations, bribe the media, and let them muddy the waters and report that this is a slanderous act by a small group of people.”

Weisel continued, "I've already sent people to deal with the steel and cement pillars, but the authorities in Mumbai and Maharashtra have people guarding them, so we may have to pay a hefty price."

“Money is not a problem.” President Dong knew very well that now was not the time to save money. If they didn’t spend these small amounts, the more than one billion US dollars that the Dong Group had invested would be lost even more: “Bribe those who need to be bribed, buy those who need to be bought off, and find out as soon as possible who is behind this.”

Weisel nodded slightly and said, "According to Hafiz, the Loda Group has many competitors in Mumbai. There are quite a few individuals and companies that are jealous and want to sabotage the project. In addition, during the land acquisition and demolition process, there have been conflicts of interest with some Mumbai residents. They may all be up to no good behind the scenes."

Dong Zong expressed his concern: "This is not a minor action, but a destructive activity. We need to leverage our connections with the Ministry of Commerce and the Chinese Embassy in India to get them involved as soon as possible to prevent further damage."

Weisel replied, "I'll contact them right away." At this point, Inie interjected, "Could it be that it wasn't done by Indians?"

Everyone fell silent.

In the past, they probably wouldn't have made this connection.

But now that Dong Zong has stepped forward and publicly announced its candidacy for president, based on past experience, it's normal for any kind of mess to happen.

If so, who did it?
Anyone involved in the presidential election could be a candidate.

President Dong first reassured the troops, saying, "Don't panic. The situation is still unclear. Let's wait for news from Mumbai."

The van stopped in front of the hotel.

Mr. Dong said to Weisser, "Go to Mumbai as soon as possible."

He then looked at McKindy: "Strengthen security in the surrounding area."

Weissell and McKendy got out of the car one after the other.

Mr. Dong then told the campaign manager, "You are responsible for contacting the media and suppressing related reports, making them as obscure as possible."

These are all negotiable. After all, Indian media always likes to exaggerate, and the North American media can easily whitewash the situation.

Mr. Dong said to his eldest daughter, Yini, "You are responsible for contacting the clients of World One Tower and reassuring their confidence. There will be no problem with World One Tower!"

"Okay, we should be able to keep them calm for now." Ini was confident about that.

Mr. Dong got out of the car and, seeing reporters nearby, smiled confidently, waving and nodding at them, with an expression that suggested he had everything under control.

…………

As Gilberto stepped out of the VIP entrance in New Delhi, he was overwhelmed by the stench of excrement and urine, forcing him to cover his mouth and nose.

His assistant, who accompanied him, couldn't help but say, "This is the capital of a country, and the airport is the face of the capital. Don't they pay attention to this?"

"You'll get used to it." Gilberto saw his car and quickly got in.

The car quickly drove away from the airport. The assistant looked out and saw that in many places on both sides of the road, many Indians were taking off their pants wherever they happened to be.

The driver, from the Flower Butterfly Company, laughed and said, "It's normal, they've always done it this way."

The assistant asked, "Don't the elites in New Delhi care?"

"The elite? Many of them are just as unreliable." The driver picked up a newspaper and handed it to his assistant: "Take a look. In the past year, how many accidents have occurred in the cutting-edge weapons programs that India's elite have been developing?"

This was an English newspaper, and it didn't contain any traditional Indian studies reports. The assistant quickly flipped through it, and it contained reports of a test firing of an Indian-made howitzer that exploded, the Arjun tank being forcibly delivered to the army without an engine, the navy being ambushed while pursuing pirates, and a series of air force plane crashes.

All plane crashes can be traced back to the Indian Military Space and Aviation Command.

All the crashed aircraft had been maintained or repaired by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), which is under the Ministry of Defence and controlled by the Military Space and Aviation Command.

The assistant took out a pen, circled a section on the newspaper page, handed it to Gilberto, and said, "Boss, take a look here."

Gilberto quickly scanned the screen and immediately grasped the key point: "In the past year, as many as 14 warplanes have crashed after taking off from Mumbai's military airfield, far exceeding the level of the same period in previous years."

The assistant took out his phone and quickly searched, saying, "Boss, it should be correct. The only question is that some Indian media reports say the number is 12."

Gilberto's heart skipped a beat: "What about before?"

The assistant searched the database and said, "Going back two years, the numbers were 3 and 2 respectively."

Gilberto closed the newspaper: "This discovery is very useful."

More than half an hour later, the car arrived near the Ministry of Defense in New Delhi and entered the upscale club that the two sides had agreed upon.

Gilberto waited a moment, and then Sanil, the head of the Military Space and Aviation Command, arrived, accompanied by Abhishek.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Gilberto got straight to the point, saying, "Last month, I witnessed a MiG-29 fighter jet crash on the outskirts of Mumbai. The brave Indian pilot was so focused on saving the aircraft that he missed the best opportunity to bail out..."

Sanil looked rather grim. While crashing planes is a common occurrence for the Indian Air Force, crashing too many times is certainly embarrassing.

Abhishek, who works at the Military Space and Aviation Command and is also an executive at Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, quickly added, "It was an accident."

Gilberto, however, said, "I don't think this was an accident, but a man-made disaster."

"Why is it a man-made disaster?" Sanil interrupted Gilberto directly.

If it weren't for the orders for communication and survey satellites, he would have fired them immediately.

Gilberto, interrupted by Sanil and Abhishek, quickly sped up his speech: "The tallest building near Mumbai's military airport is World One."

He waved behind him.

The assistant placed the tablet in front of everyone.

This is an aerial view of the World One skyscraper, which has been completed and is over 60 stories high, standing out among the many buildings in Mumbai.

Gilberto continued, “After the building was completed last year and exceeded 100 meters in height, the valiant Indian Air Force has been experiencing a series of accidents in Mumbai, with the number of crashes increasing from 3 and 2 in the previous two years to more than 10! I have seen many Western media reports claiming that this is a problem with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).

With his interests at stake, Sanil couldn't help but interject again: "Hindustan Airlines has never had any problems with maintenance and repairs."

Abhishek then added, "That's right, those were all accidents."

“The sudden increase in accidents is not accidental,” Gilberto said, pointing to the World One building in the tablet image. “This suddenly appearing skyscraper is not particularly far from the military airport. Its appearance disrupted the airflow and seriously interfered with the takeoff and landing of pilots. Therefore, after its height exceeded 100 meters, flight accidents occurred frequently.”

Sunil has also been troubled by this issue recently, and many people have even pinned the blame on Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and the Military Space and Aviation Command (MSA).

This is simply unreasonable!
Isn't it normal to have a few extra screws left after maintenance? (End of Chapter)