The Wolf of Los Angeles.

The World One Tower project had been progressing smoothly until Dong Zong announced his candidacy for the general election.

Although there were some disagreements between the design firm and the construction company, these were all minor issues that were easily resolved.

As for issues such as low cement grade and substandard steel, these are common problems in the construction industry. Although the World One Tower project also has these problems, previous spot checks have never revealed any issues.

It's not hard for Dong Zong to figure out that everything that happened in Mumbai is related to the United States and closely connected to his announcement of his candidacy for president.

McKindy then asked, "Which of our competitors has close ties with India?"

Inie continued, "It's said that the chief prosecutor from San Francisco joined the Joseph Group as the Newson family declined. That woman seems to have Indian ancestry."

McKindy shook his head slightly: "Joseph, he's in a lot of trouble. His biggest rivals are Tom Emmanuel and Obama, who's also a member of the Donald Party. Does he still have the energy to attack us?"

“No, you’re all wrong.” Mr. Dong looked at the people on the live stream and said, “I know that Indian woman named Kamala. She doesn’t have the ability to mobilize the Indian Ministry of Defense. I think only one person, besides the Washington authorities, can really exert such influence on India.”

He stood up, put his hands behind his back, and paced back and forth a few steps: "What does it mean that Twitter broadcast this press conference live across the entire United States? Hawke Osment knows the situation, and he didn't interfere."

Upon hearing the name, McKindy felt a throbbing in his forehead veins, and his heart felt as if it were being gripped by an inexplicable force, as if it might be crushed at any moment.

He was a bastard who could influence national power, a ruthless and extremely wealthy villain.

Inee, who had lived in Los Angeles for a period of time and had some understanding of Hawke's related businesses, said: "Hawk's investment fund partnered with Indian billionaire Anil Ambani on the US-India International School project, investing billions of dollars. More notably, his West Coast Technology Company has reached a series of military project cooperation agreements with the Indian government, including individual soldier transport vehicles and satellite deals, etc."

Mr. Dong concluded: "It couldn't have been done by anyone other than Hawke and his Twitter network."

He frowned and pointed to the live stream on Twitter: "You should have sensed it, Hawke didn't hide anything, he told us almost directly that he did it."

McKindy instinctively touched his chest and said, "Given the current situation, Hawke Osmond is on Tom Emona's side. If we want to get the party nomination, we first need to take down Tom Emona."

Mr. Dong said, “From the moment I announced my candidacy for the presidential election, I automatically stood on the opposite side of Tom Emmer and became Hawke’s enemy.”

At this point, he glanced at his daughter, Enni. If Enni had put in a little more effort and managed to hook up with Hawke Osment, the situation would definitely be different.

As if thinking of the same thing, Yini said to President Dong, "Didn't you make preparations?"

After a moment of silence, Mr. Dong slowly said, "I didn't expect Hawke Osment to target us from the Indian side."

McKindy suggested, "Let's contact the Indian side and see if we can get them to..."

“Weisel is working on it.” Mr. Dong is a man who likes to make empty promises, but he is quite realistic in his actions: “But I don’t have any hope. Hawke Osmond’s West Coast Technologies has satellite orders worth tens of billions of dollars from India. The technologies involved in these orders are exactly what India urgently needs to develop its space military.”

"That's why the Indian Ministry of Defence is cooperating with him so much," Ini said.

McKindy added, "In that case, it will be very difficult for the World One project to proceed normally."

Mr. Dong had already foreseen this: "The Dong Group will face a huge financial crisis. Those customers who made pre-orders will demand refunds and compensation for breach of contract. They will turn from our friends into our enemies. Our supporters, the New Tea Party, Pence, Perry, and others, will all stand against us."

Ini turned pale. Accustomed to a life of luxury, who would want to face this situation?
She murmured, "Those bloodsucking banks will definitely withdraw their loans, and our cash flow will break down."

Melanie, who hadn't said a word from beginning to end, glanced at her stepdaughter, then at her husband, secretly calculating in her mind how she should divorce him to maximize her benefits should the Dong Group face a crisis.

Mr. Dong said, “I want to talk to Hawke personally. This is not only about the election, but also about the fate of the group. What Tom Emer can give Hawke, we can give him as well.”

He looked at his daughter, Eni: "Come with me to Los Angeles."

Inee cautioned, "It's almost New Year's, Hawke might not be in Los Angeles."

Mr. Dong said, "I will call him personally."

After discussing for a while, everyone left one after another to get busy.

Mr. Dong first called Weisser, who was in Mumbai.

Weisser communicated with the Indian military and showed great sincerity, but there was no progress in public relations.

To resolve this issue, we must start with the United States.

…………

Construction site of One World Tower, Mumbai.

Accompanied by Hafiz, Weisser arrived at the main entrance of the construction site in a van.

Before the car even got close, armed Indian soldiers were already watching. One of them waved his arm, signaling the car to move forward and not stop there.

A huge iron lock secured the construction site gate, and then military police affixed a seal.

The soldiers did not go far, but stood guard here, watching every passing car warily.

The van circled the site, and all the other side gates were sealed off.

Hafiz's hands were trembling, and his voice was shaking as well: "I asked someone to investigate. This matter is related to the Americans. The Dong Group has a huge influence in the United States. The Dong Group needs to resolve this crisis as soon as possible."

He looked up at the building, which had already reached over 60 stories, and said, "Due to the restrictions imposed by the Ministry of National Defense, not only can we not continue building upwards, but even the part that has been built will have to be demolished, and the cost..."

Weisel patted him on the shoulder: "Don't panic, the Loda Group needs to stay stable. You'll still need to handle things in India. We're already working on a solution for the US."

Hafiz forced a smile that looked more like a grimace: "We've invested nearly $30 billion."

If the project fails, he will go bankrupt, and the Dong Group will also suffer.

Weisel reassured him, "Don't worry, the difficulties are only temporary and will be resolved soon."

What can Hafiz do? He has no say in America, so he can only pin his hopes on the Dong Group.

…………

Jeffrey City, Wyoming.

After a heavy snowfall, the rising sun made the snow sparkle.

Mr. Dong sat in the off-road vehicle equipped with snow chains, wearing sunglasses to avoid being dazzled by the snow.

Edward, sitting in the passenger seat, remained silent, as if Mr. Dong didn't exist in the car.

Dong Zong has very mixed feelings. Since the Indian military held a press conference yesterday, more than fifty people have called him.

This includes his biggest supporters within the Republican Party, Pence and Palin.

The families of these two individuals had invested heavily in high-rise apartments in the World One Tower, hoping for future appreciation, only to be met with this unexpected turn of events.

Not only will the investment fail to generate profit, but it may also result in a complete loss.

Even though Mr. Dong promised to refund all the purchase price and even pay interest at the bank rate, the other party was still dissatisfied and demanded compensation for breach of contract. However, Mr. Dong dared not agree. With so many homebuyers, if he agreed to pay compensation for breach of contract to all of them, the project would inevitably be completely ruined.

Incidentally, the Tung Group will also suffer a severe setback.

The loans used by Mr. Dong to operate the projects were secured by the Dong Buildings across the United States.

The best way is to win over Hawke Osment's support.

"Are we almost there?" he asked the black man in the passenger seat.

Edward pointed to the reeds: "On the edge of the frozen lake."

Mr. Dong vaguely saw someone over there.

A few minutes later, the two cars stopped by the roadside. Edward beckoned Mr. Dong to get out of the car and walk forward through the thick snow.

Mr. Dong is getting on in years and it was difficult for him to walk through the snow.

Edward said, "Erica loves hunting, and Hawke has been here with her..."

Mr. Dong, a man of flexibility, quickly replied, "I understand. I also enjoyed hunting when I was young."

As he got closer, he could see Hawke, Erica, and a few others standing behind the snowdrifts topped by bushes ahead.

Several hunting dogs, their collars removed, kicked up countless snowflakes and rushed into the reeds.

The barking of dogs was incessant.

A flock of birds took flight and soared into the sky.

Hawke and Erica each raised their shotguns and fired repeatedly at the flock of birds.

Gunshots rang out one after another.

With each gunshot, at least one bird fell to the ground.

Smoking shell casings kept falling onto the snow, sending up plumes of white smoke.

When the gunfire stopped, Hawke opened the magazine and reloaded.

Erica, who was also loading bullets, excitedly said, "I shot down nine."

Hawke shrugged and said deliberately, "I think I took down ten."

Erica frowned: "Impossible."

Hawke laughed and said, "We'll see what happens after we get the prey."

The trainer then whistled, and the hunting dogs all ran back with their prey in their mouths.

American wild ducks were placed on the snow.

Mr. Dong came over from behind, greeted Erica first, and then said to Hawke, "Good marksmanship."

Hawke handed the hunting rifle to Raul and said, "It's a good season for hunting. I'll treat you to crispy roast duck later."

Mr. Dong acted as if nothing had happened, joking with Hawke as usual: "If those environmentalists and animal rights activists knew, they would block our car and make a scene."

Hawke casually remarked, "Isn't the protection and frugality of ordinary people meant to allow us to be extravagant and wasteful?"

Mr. Dong paused for a moment, then praised, "What you said makes perfect sense. The world's resources are limited. If ordinary people use more, we will have less."

He crouched down, stroked the head of a Labrador Retriever, and said, "Shall we talk alone?"

Hawke nodded, said something to Erica, and walked towards the hunter's cabin in the distance: "The place is a bit simple, don't mind it."

“It’s alright.” Mr. Dong followed, and once they were a little further away, he said directly, “The One World Tower project in Mumbai has encountered some difficulties and has now been forced to stop construction. It may even have to be demolished.”

Guti and Raul followed at a distance that was neither too close nor too far.

Hawke stepped onto the cleared stone path, stomped the snow off his boots, and said, "I saw the press conference from the Indian Ministry of Defence; they crashed a Tejas fighter jet before."

Mr. Dong wasn't the type to hold his tongue, so he asked, "Did you give him a push from behind?"

Hawke was blunt: "Since you're not on my side, you're on my opposite side. Showing mercy to your enemy is the cruelest thing you can do to yourself."

Of course, Mr. Dong, an old capitalist, understood this principle. He retorted, "Hawk, we have never been enemies, and I have never regarded you as an enemy."

Hawke laughed: "If you run for next year's election, you'll first need to secure the party's nomination, which will seriously harm my interests."

He turned to look at Dong Zong: "Don't tell me you're just trying to attract attention and generate buzz through the presidential election, like last time. That kind of joke isn't funny."

Mr. Dong's temperament is that "if you are not on my side, you are my enemy," but he cannot say this, nor does he dare to say it.

From personal connections to social influence and, most importantly, the amount of wealth, I am far behind this person.

It's not that Mr. Dong is underestimating himself, but rather that the opponent is too strong.

The wealth you control may not even amount to a fraction of what the other person has.

Dong Zong took the initiative to show weakness, just like when he faced the Richards and Hillary Clinton couple back then, and said with a smile: "I do intend to run for president, not to attract attention. Next year is the best opportunity, maybe it's me... how should I put it."

He hesitated for a moment, then said, "We are friends, longtime best friends, and our interests are basically aligned. I thought you would support me."

Hawke laughed and replied, "Don, I also hope we can be friends and share common interests, but you didn't just decide to run for office on a whim, did you? We've been in close contact for the past few years, but you've never informed me beforehand or given me any hints. How am I supposed to think or do anything?"

Dong Zong knew where the problem lay. Originally, they had no intention of participating in this election, but were preparing for the future. At that time, their biggest competitor within the party would most likely be Brian Ferguson.

His approach to Hawke was partly motivated by a desire to get involved and gain insight into his competitors' movements.

On the other hand, he also wanted to win Hawke over to his side, for example, he once used his daughter to seduce him.

Who could have imagined that the opposition between the Donald Party and the Elephant Party would become increasingly serious, and a series of problems would break out within the Elephant Party, with Tom Emer's reputation being ruined and his approval ratings continuing to decline, seemingly falling below freezing point.

How could Mr. Dong possibly miss such a great opportunity?

In the end, he stepped forward ahead of time.

Unable to explain further, President Dong could only say, "It was my oversight, but I can make amends." (End of Chapter)