Invasion of America

Chapter 113 Minister
"At a press conference this afternoon, the White House officially announced that Oliver Harden will take over as Secretary of Government Efficiency, with his term beginning next month."

According to well-informed sources, the appointment was personally made by the Vice President, taking everyone by surprise.

During prime-time evening news, major U.S. media outlets suddenly broadcast a particularly eye-catching personnel appointment.

The vice president, who comes from a rural background, is only in his early forties and has a strong drive to make progress.

He ultimately failed to heed Fauci's advice and instead brought the equally young and already quite famous Harden into his fold.

This news immediately stirred up a storm. The spotlight once again fell on this controversial figure.

In the eyes of many senior bureaucrats, Harden's name is almost synonymous with 'butcher,' 'executioner,' and 'inhuman.'

The fact that such a controversial figure has risen so rapidly to a key position in the efficiency department has undoubtedly caused a huge uproar in both political circles and public opinion.

It is widely believed that Harden's future is fraught with difficulties, and there is a pessimistic view of his career prospects.

On the television screen, the news anchor contacted several guests to comment on Harden's rise to prominence.

"I'm not optimistic about Harden's new term. Someone like him, who breaks the existing rules and brings a huge shock to the political arena, is bound to suffer backlash from all sides. His predecessor is a typical example."

Moreover, in terms of connections, financial resources, and ability, Harden is far inferior to his predecessor. He's more like a monkey that wandered into a china shop, jumping around wildly until it was finally restrained.

"Let's speculate whether the groups and individuals that Harden helped during the pandemic will lend a helping hand when he encounters trouble?"
I dare say the chances are extremely slim. Politics is pragmatic; favors are often the most fragile bargaining chip.

"If Harden continues to pursue the same aggressive policies as during the pandemic, then he will not have a good ending."

Washington, D.C. has its own rules that operate on their own, and he has already broken them once; there will be no second time.

The news was filled with pessimistic predictions about Oliver Harden's future career, and many viewers watched the screen with sighs, as if they had already foreseen the coming political storm.

Although the internet has returned to normal, a large number of voices supporting Oliver Harden have emerged.

However, these words of support seemed somewhat pale and powerless through the cold screen, unable to shake the pessimistic tone of mainstream public opinion.
-
At this moment, Zhou Qingfeng was also completely bewildered in the office of the Assistant Minister of Health.

Just half an hour ago, the White House Chief of Staff called to ask about political leanings, opinions on key figures, and strategies for addressing difficult issues.

Finally, the other party suddenly changed the subject, "Harden, would you be interested in working at the 'White House'? To become a key aide to the Vice President?"

Zhou Qingfeng was stunned, truly stunned—I haven't even warmed my seat in the Ministry of Health yet, and you want me to go to the White House? I don't know that vice president at all!
In an instant, dozens of thoughts raced through his mind. His first reaction was to refuse; he couldn't do something that put him in such a precarious position.

He couldn't just say he didn't want to do it, so he had to be tactful. He could only say something vague to buy himself some time: "This is a very challenging job."

But the other party interpreted this 'answer' as agreement, and laughed loudly, "That's right, being the head of the Efficiency Department is extremely challenging."

Harden, the Vice President made this appointment because he valued your unique role in responding to the pandemic.

"You previously held a low-ranking position, didn't belong to any political circle, and haven't been in Washington, D.C. for very long, yet you are extremely decisive when it comes to making decisions."

On the phone, the chief of staff praised Harden extensively, and the more he praised him, the more uneasy Zhou Qingfeng felt—he wasn't decisive at all, but rather detached and indifferent.

Faced with the choice between saving the elderly or the children, he chose the option that offered more hope for the future.

But it's clear that when the chief of staff called, he was already assuming that Harden would agree, and unless he vehemently opposed it in person, the appointment was already decided.

"Harden, go relax, you'll have a week off. You'll be super busy after that."

After hanging up the phone, Zhou Qingfeng stood by the window of his office, completely baffled. After standing there for a long time, he suddenly cursed, "Damn it, is he sick in the head? How could he have chosen me?"

He was yelling so loudly that Shani, who was working outside the room, had to come in to see what was going on.

“I might be going to work at the White House.” Zhou Qingfeng said blankly.

Shani smiled first, casually said "Congratulations," and then asked, "What position will you be holding?"

"The Minister of Government Efficiency."

The smile on Xia Ni's face vanished instantly. "You?"
-
Half an hour later, Professor Hart, who had given the bad advice that propelled Zhou Qingfeng to the position, rushed to 'Harden's' office.

As soon as the door opened, he walked in with a beaming smile, took a few steps forward, opened his arms, and wanted to give Zhou Qingfeng a warm hug.

"Don't give me that." Zhou Qingfeng glanced at the open door and winked at his assistant Xia Ni, who was standing at the door, signaling her to close the door and not let anyone in to disturb them.

Then his face darkened, and he complained to the professor, "I'm in big trouble now. Heaven knows why the 'White House' would take a liking to me."

The professor, unfazed by Zhou Qingfeng's coldness, walked with a smile to the large desk, casually pulled up a chair, sat down, and said in a low voice:

“Victor, congratulations. If you’re a spy, this is a successful infiltration into the heart of the American bureaucracy.”

Zhou Qingfeng scoffed, "Don't talk nonsense, and don't try to blackmail me with anything. I might as well run away right now and get out of this godforsaken place completely."

Once I leave, who will remember who Oliver Harden is? His origins and whereabouts will become an unsolved mystery in history.

Professor Hart immediately broke down and quickly reassured him, "No, don't go. What will I do if you leave?"
My initial thought was simply to save as many people as possible, so I decided to have you replace Harden.

I didn't expect you to do such a good job that it attracted the attention of the 'White House'. If you leave, the higher-ups will definitely investigate me, and I won't be able to cover it up."

At this point, the professor scratched his head in distress and sighed, "Something must have gone wrong with the vice president, to the point that he has to promote a complete stranger like you to such an important position."

Zhou Qingfeng suddenly remembered the business card that Admiral Alvin, the Chief of Naval Staff, had given him—before giving him the card, the admiral obviously didn't know him, but he certainly knew his name.

The fact that Zhou Qingfeng could be given special consideration by a high-ranking admiral is definitely not because he is handsome. It is most likely that the admiral already knew that "Harden" would be promoted, so he extended an olive branch before the appointment was made.

The old man and the young man stared at each other, neither knowing what to do. The professor could only help check the layer of latex on Zhou Qingfeng's face to make sure it wouldn't be discovered.

"Is this thing any good to carry?"

"It must be uncomfortable."

"I'll get a more breathable material and make you a better camouflage mask. Hang in there, at worst you'll be on stage for a month or two and then have to step down in a sorry state. Just don't disappear."

Professor Hart was also apprehensive—telling one lie is easy, but covering up a bunch of lies is difficult. He couldn't understand why Zhou Qingfeng had been promoted to the White House so quickly, but he couldn't afford to be exposed now. "Sigh, the Vice President probably has no one else to rely on, otherwise why would he choose the worst option out of a bunch of choices?"
-
Professor Hart failed to solve Zhou Qingfeng's problem, and didn't even offer him any psychological comfort.

At 3 p.m., the White House announced Harden's new appointment at its regular press conference, essentially testing the waters and gauging public reaction.

Suddenly, Zhou Qingfeng's office phone became incredibly busy. People he knew, people he didn't know, and people he had absolutely no connection with called to offer their 'congratulations'.

The Department of Efficiency, originally intended to reduce wasteful spending and eliminate unnecessary red tape, ended up causing chaos throughout the American government after its first minister took office.

Tens of thousands of government employees have been laid off due to efficiency issues alone, budgets for various departments have been drastically cut, and one shameful scandal after another has been exposed.

How did such a high-ranking and powerful position fall into the hands of 'Oliver Harden'? Various media outlets have already launched heated discussions and speculations.

Almost everyone believes that the vice president nominated him because Harden's recent bailout policy sent four or five thousand elderly bureaucrats to their doom.

This kind of physical harm is more direct and ruthless than cutting budgets and personnel.

Some media figures are loudly proclaiming – do not underestimate 'Harden,' he may be the most dangerous person in the entire bureaucracy.

He spent hours answering phone calls, exchanging polite greetings and small talk, receiving hundreds of party invitations, and also had to appease the newcomers he had promoted to the Ministry of Health.
Working until dark, Zhou Qingfeng felt like he had run a marathon, and slumped in his chair with a throbbing headache.

Xia Ni was one of only two people who knew his identity. She carefully stayed by his side, watching the cold coffee on the table. She picked up the cup, wanting to pour herself a hot one.
"No, I don't need coffee. I'm full of energy and not sleepy; I just don't know what to do next."

"With such immense power in the government's efficiency department, America is in big trouble."

Xia Ni initially thought the boy was confused and at a loss, but judging from the meaning of his next sentence, he clearly wanted to cause trouble.

"Victor, don't you have any friends? No advisors, no think tank, no trustworthy subordinates?"

Zhou Qingfeng pursed his lips and said, "How can such a thing be leaked so easily?" But as soon as he said it, he changed his mind, "Maybe I really should talk to my friends about it."
-
Inside the decommissioned Delta-9 nuclear missile silo in the desert northwest of Great Falls, Montana.

Aside from eating, sleeping, and using the toilet, 'Grey Shark' spends all his time in his wheelchair, surrounded by electronic devices and monitors.

The White House press conference immediately became the focus of the entire United States, and the Grey Shark also paid close attention, even habitually digging into the inside story of this bureaucrat online.

Then he received an encrypted call from Zhou Qingfeng: "Porter, I have a bit of trouble and need your advice."

"Speak," 'Grey Shark' said with a hint of smugness. Although he was unfortunately physically disabled, he was intellectually superior to 99.9% of the people in the world.

"What I'm about to say might be a bit too challenging for common sense, so be prepared and don't be too surprised," Zhou Qingfeng added as a special reminder.

“Go ahead and say it,” 'Grey Shark' said impatiently, drawing out his words. “Ever since I guessed your background, I’m not surprised at all by what you do.”

"No, no, no, what I'm about to say is surprising even to myself."

"Are you going to tell me or not? If not, I'm going to eat."

"Okay, calm down. I'm about to take up the post of Minister of Government Efficiency."

'Grey Shark' was silent for a moment, trying to appear calm. But after a few seconds, he still felt he hadn't heard him clearly, "Say it again."

"I'm going to be the Minister of Government Efficiency."

"You? Are you kidding me!" 'Grey Shark' hurriedly clicked a few times on the monitor, bringing up the headline he had just seen: "The new minister isn't Oliver Ha."

'Grey Shark's' voice stopped abruptly. He stared at the news photo, and after a moment of silence, he shouted at the top of his lungs: "Harden? When did you change your identity, you damn bastard?"

What the hell? How did you do that? Are you not human at all, but a liquid metal robot sent by Skynet?
How did you manage to get into the government's efficiency department? And even become a minister?

"God, America is doomed, humanity is doomed."

Listening to 'Grey Shark's' rambling nonsense, Zhou Qingfeng on the other end of the phone rolled his eyes.

After the other person had been shouting frantically for several minutes, he finally said in a deep voice, "Do you still want to hear what I have to say?"

"Listen, listen, keep going!" 'Grey Shark' was inexplicably excited. "Tell us how you did it!"

"Never mind how I did it. I want to ask your opinion: should I take this ministerial position?" Zhou Qingfeng asked.

"Why not? We have to do it!" 'Grey Shark' was so excited he almost jumped out of his wheelchair.

"If you become the minister, immediately hire me as a 'dog' agent. I want to access the government's internal database and dig out and expose all the shady dealings and scandals of those bureaucrats."

"So, you support me taking this position?"

"Of course I support it, I absolutely support it." 'Grey Shark' already had countless ideas popping into his mind, just waiting to be put into practice.

After the call ended, 'Grey Shark' excitedly ran to find his mother, shouting, "Mom, Mom, Victor is a liquid metal robot!"
-
The phone call with 'Grey Shark' didn't cover anything substantial, but it's always good to have a friend's support.

After thinking for a moment, Zhou Qingfeng used encrypted satellite communication to make a phone call to Kelly, who was far away at 'Dongda'.

Kelly has a cold exterior but a warm heart; outwardly cautious and aloof, she is wild and daring at heart. If it weren't for her timely decision, Zhou Qingfeng wouldn't have received the billions of dollars in lottery funds.

After hearing about the appointment to the 'Government Efficiency Department', Kelly didn't shout like 'Grey Shark'. She simply hummed in agreement and asked, "Victor, what do you need me to do?"

“Uh, I don’t know what I need you to do either. We’re in this together, so I’m sharing this with you,” Zhou Qingfeng said.

Kelly was truly decisive. "You know I can do anything for you. I think you need me, and I'll book a flight back to the US right away, or take a private jet back."

The University of Tokyo is currently under lockdown, which greatly reduces the flow of people to and from the outside world, but the movement of people for study, work, and diplomacy has not been interrupted.

"Well, the pandemic isn't completely over in the US yet."

I know, but I want to be by your side.

After hanging up Kelly's call, Zhou Qingfeng thought for a moment and then dialed Xiao Jinlang's number.

(End of this chapter)