Chapter 181: Dynasty of Power
"Vegas? I haven't been there yet, have you?"
"Me neither."
"I can't believe you guys haven't been there. For men, it's paradise. Of course, that's if you have money."
"It should be awesome. Anyway, the weekend is free now." At this point, Howard began to sob again. Leonard could only toss tissues to him and let him cry it out.
"Let's do it this way. Let's go to Las Vegas." Leonard made the final decision: "Everyone does what they want. Now go back and pack your bags. We're spontaneous people too."
"What do you think, Howard? Does this make you feel better?" Ron turned his inquiring gaze to Howard, but he just spread his hands and laugh-cried simultaneously.
"Then let's go to Vegas, baby!"
Raj knew Howard had a very controlling mother. "So, how are you going to tell your mom?"
"Aquarium convention, baby~"
"Sheldon, are you coming?" Leonard came out after changing and found Sheldon still sitting on the sofa, slowly eating, showing no sign of preparing.
"Leonard," Ron said, spreading his hands. "He'd rather have termites eating his comic books than come with us."
Sheldon's eyes widened. Leonard said, "Okay, I'll get you a T-shirt. Ron, what about you? Don't you want to come?"
"Are you kidding? Vegas? Of course I'm going. It's been a while since I last cut loose." Ron nodded matter-of-factly. After all the action, it was time for him to unwind.
...
The Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, across the Potomac River from Washington D.C., serves as headquarters for the U.S. Department of Defense, the highest military command in the United States.
At this moment, in a highly classified briefing room, the CIA's station chief, known as "Phantom," was presenting recent intelligence to several high-ranking generals before yielding the floor.
In the very center of the room, a television was oddly placed. Even stranger, it was playing an old Western.
"This is a film that the higher-ups have ordered you to watch and analyze, gentlemen."
On the TV, a distinguished, middle-aged sheriff in a tan uniform—someone they would call the Marshal—gave his deputies a stern look. Phantom provided commentary on what the character was saying.
"There are five senior deputies in this department, and I have to dismiss four of them. Of the six captains, I have to dismiss three. Look at these seven men! Which one of them isn't a veteran? Which one of them isn't a pillar of this force? Which one of them isn't like a son to me?"
"They're corrupt, and my heart is broken. The citizens handed this badge to me, but it turned out like this. I am heartbroken. I have failed this town, I am ashamed before my predecessors, and I am ashamed before God and country. I wish I could turn in my own badge!"
The generals began to wonder what was going on. If they didn't want to work, they could just submit their resignations and leave. Was there really such drama as this?
"And you, even though you all act so righteous and stand on dry ground, are you really that clean?! I know some of you are even more corrupt than these seven. I advise you to turn your hearts, souls, and consciences inside out, air them in the sunlight, wash them clean, and set them straight!"
"When I first took this job, I thought our biggest enemy was the Dalton gang. After we eliminated the Daltons, I thought the biggest enemy was the James brothers. After we defeated them... Now I know more and more clearly that the main threat to law and order is not outside, but within our own ranks!"
The marshal's voice was stern, and Phantom delivered the commentary with perfect inflection, but in return, all he got was the generals' eye rolls. They realized he was still harping on the corruption discovered at overseas military installations some time ago.
It all started when someone suddenly had the bright idea to audit US military bases overseas. The results were predictable: no base was clean, except the one Commander Hayes oversaw.
Of course, Hayes wasn't clean either, but it just so happened that Ron was operating in his territory. An explosion wiped out all the old books, leaving him the only lucky winner.
Ron's name once again loomed large in the minds of the generals.
"If we're a little corrupt here, the whole system will be corrupt. If you're all corrupt, every citizen in America will rise up and leave us without a place to hide!"
This was alarmist. As long as they kept sowing racial and political division, Americans would fight among themselves. Why would they bother to mess with the military brass? Hadn't that been the reason for America's internal stability over the years? Wouldn't it be better for the top brass to continue playing nice with each other, deceiving their superiors and pocketing military funds? Why must they be so blunt?
Now it was time to find the next suitable operative, but first, it was necessary to find a way to clean house. Everyone unanimously thought of Ron, the agent who had cleared Hayes' record:
Phantom, perceptive to the generals' thoughts, nodded in understanding, and decided to assign all major operations of this nature to Ron. Unknowingly, Ron had become a formidable figure in the US military, a status he was oblivious to, as he and three nerdy scientists had arrived at one of Vegas' most prestigious hotels:
Caesars Palace, a casino, entertainment venue, and restaurant complex.
Concerned about saving money, the three scientists had initially avoided such a lavish destination, but Ron's offer to cover expenses immediately changed their minds.
Ron wasn't being extravagant; he genuinely wanted to reward these three brilliant nerds. Howard and Raj had contributed significantly to his drone development, and they deserved a proper vacation.
As for Leonard, he helped Ron deal with Sheldon, didn't he deserve a wonderful getaway?
However, they couldn't check in immediately because the counter was occupied by a strange heavy-set man with a beard wearing a T-shirt tucked into his cargo shorts. Next to him were three guys who looked more normal.
The heavy-set man was still arguing with the front desk: "Can I ask you another question?"
"Of course." It was clear that the receptionist was very annoyed by this man, but out of professionalism, she still answered politely.
"Maybe many people have asked you this, but this isn't the real Caesar's Palace, right? Did Caesar ever actually live here?"
(End of Chapter)
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