Chapter 1442: An Expected Surprise
“Oh, God, Virgin Mary, tell me this is not true. I bet that people all over the world are waiting to make fun of us…” A man in a suit clasped his head emotionally in the lobby of the Javits Convention and Exhibition Center as he stood in front of the results.
When the votes of the last state were released, the victory was a foregone conclusion. Although it had been determined a long time ago, many people still chose to believe that the results could change and everything would not be so bad.
“Thank you, thank you for choosing me, and I will lead this country to greatness again,” Trump said loudly, uttering his signature gesture in front of his supporters, “I will deliver on my campaign promise! I promise to all of you again. Xin will be the first stop of my diplomatic visit after taking office. I will have a good talk with that man, in a man’s way!”
The thunderous applause and deafening cheers reverberated inside the center.
Under the star-spangled flag, there were enthusiastic and zealous faces, as if the great dream had been rekindled, as if everything had gone back to forty years ago, back to that great era.
Of course, not everyone was happy with this result.
On the day after the election results were announced, an atmosphere of disappointment and anger shrouded the entire Silicon Valley.
In many technology companies, the working atmosphere was extremely down and gloomy. Many people were depressed, with red and swollen eye sockets, especially some female employees. When they saw Joseph Kennedy deliver his concession speech on their mobile phones, many even shed tears.
On the other side, on the streets of metropolitans in CA State, hundreds of people took to the streets for two consecutive nights to protest the election of Trump. They chanted “He is not our president”, “We don’t want racists”, and threw cans or even stones at Trump supporters.
In some areas, the protests even went out of control and turned into violent rioting and looting, as well as flag burning. The police had to arrest some radical protesters, and Hill, who had not yet transferred power, had to call on all parties to maintain rationality and calmness.
In G State, a militia called “Guardian” assembled in the suburbs. Under the leadership of a 50-year-old white veteran, they began military training. The organization claimed that it would use bullets to defend the Constitution and suppress those traitors who attempt to divide the country…
The election of Trump made CA State’s left-leaning white population, black population, and Mexican population completely irrational. They went to the streets for three consecutive days to vent their dissatisfaction. Because Asians generally supported Trump, the Asian communities were the hardest-hit areas of riots and they suffered the most from riots and arsons.
…
“We lost.”
“Yes, we lost.”
“…Why do I feel that you don’t seem disappointed?” After Loki hesitated for a moment, he said in a subtle way with a dissatisfied tone.
“No! I’m quite disappointed, but…I just don’t know what to say. Everything happened so suddenly and we have prepared for so long…”
I can’t, I can’t resist any longer.
After he finished his sentence, just as Loki began to speak, Jiang Chen quickly pressed the mute button on the holographic screen. He put his head on the table and his shoulders started to shake violently.
Although he lost, for some reason, he just couldn’t stop himself from laughing at this moment.
Maybe this could be described as gloating.
After he laughed for about half a minute and finally got it out of his system, Jiang Chen sat up straight again, cleared his throat, and pressed the button to turn on the microphone again.
“Ahem, sorry, the signal on my side was not so stable…what did you just say?”
“I’m saying what are you going to do?” Loki repeated it patiently.
“I haven’t thought about it yet, you know, all this is too sudden, it’s too sudden,” As he said “too sudden” twice, Jiang Chen leaned back against the chair and tapped the armrest with his finger. After he deliberated for a moment, he adjusted his wording, “To be honest, I don’t know very much about Trump… But considering his campaign declaration, I am worried about the prospect of the UA joining the Earth Defense Alliance. ”
“Worried?” Loki shook his head and smiled wryly, “You don’t need to worry, you can basically give up. He will never agree to join the Earth Defense Alliance, even nominally.”
This was what made Loki the most heartbroken.
If the UA could not join the Earth Defense Alliance, it meant the next step of cooperation between the B City Consortium and Celestial Trade could not move forward, and the investment of the First National Bank in the space industry would still be subject to policy restrictions.
This kind of feeling was similar to seeing a giant cake in front of him and not being able to take a bite of it despite how hard he tried. This made Loki and other shareholders of the First National Bank feel suffocated.
“Then dear Mr. Loki, for the sake of our friendship, I kindly remind you,” Jiang Chen said softly, “It doesn’t matter if we lose, we are outsiders. However, as a citizen of the UA, and as someone who went all-in on the loser.”
After a pause, Jiang Chen continued, “Should you consider leaving a path for yourself?”
After a long silence, Loki spoke slowly.
“You are right, but… I have to ask other partners for their opinions.”
Jiang Chen leaned back on the chair, then smiled.
“Better hurry up.”
…
Wall Street despised Trump. Many people had suffered heavy losses because Trump was elected. If Joseph Kennedy was elected and the UA joined the Earth Defense Alliance as expected, the UA space industry would undoubtedly usher in a period of rapid growth.
But now, all this seemed like a distant dream.
Even if Trump promised to increase the federal investment in the aerospace sector, no matter the size of the investment, would it compare to a space elevator with its doors open to the UA? The answer was obviously no.
Ironically, it was the two Wall Street leaders who pushed this candidate hated by countless Wall Street investors to the throne of the president…
On the second day of the election, when Joseph Kennedy made his concession speech, there was a private banquet held in a five-star restaurant in the center of Nouveau York City. The size of the banquet was very small, with only two participants.
One represented the Morgan family and the other represented Rockefeller.
“Cheers to our victory!” Morgan raised his glass and smiled, “and also for the coming Christmas.”
“Haha, cheers!” Rockefeller also smiled and raised his glass.
The crisp sound of clinking glasses echoed on the wine table, and the two finished the red wine in their glass.
The wine glasses returned to the table, and the two looked at each other, then burst into laughter simultaneously.
The dining table was full of joyful atmosphere, which formed a sharp contrast with the gloomy clouds outside the window. For Nouveau York, for Wall Street, today was definitely the darkest day of 2020. But for the two around the table, the opposite was true.
Trump’s rise to power meant that the Iron Curtain over the Pacific Ocean was inevitable, and an arms race comparable to the Cold War era would ensue. It was almost foreseeable that in the next four years, military orders from the Department of Defense would double.
The direct beneficiaries of all this were here.
If it weren’t for the fact that extravagant celebrations could result in a poor image, Morgan even planned to hold a grand banquet to celebrate this day.
“Those old folks in B City are getting more and more out of line,” Rockefeller said casually while he cut the steak with a knife and fork.
“Yes.” Morgan sighed, but his tone was quite relaxed, “We almost let them win.”
“What’s your opinion?”
“Do you still have to ask? My opinion is the same as yours.”
While he said this nonchalantly and seemed focused on cutting the steak with his knife, a hint of viciousness suddenly flashed across his dark green pupils…