NOVEL WEB Chapter 221: Overhauling.
It was not just James who interpreted it as a war call but every other criminal in the city, in the country, and outside of it. Yeah, because well it was a direct call for war against them, and all of them hiding in the shadows, hiding behind corrupted politics, were now just realizing that they are no longer just criminals… no, they are animals that are being hunted down.
Just like how James, Hector, and Linda thought at the moment she said that word, the criminal underworld shook, not in a literal way, but all of them were glued to the television, waiting for the speeches to be delivered, waiting for what action they were going to take so they could adapt to it as fast as possible and try to save whatever they could, try to operate in that way… but some of them actually, at the moment Linda finished her speech, already started to pack up.
Because the key word for some people was that they will also hunt down the corrupted politicians and high-ranking servants. That was the most important for them, because if they really do that, all the masks are going to fall, all the businesses are going to be out there, because one thing was sure, these bribed officials weren't that hard. No, they buckle under pressure and will snitch about every little detail… so yes, some of the criminals were already dipping from the capital to the countryside or even out of the country as soon as they heard it.
The best thing about it was actually that it wasn't just the criminals like gangsters, gangs, or mafias that got scared by it, but these corrupted officials and, most importantly, the users of the drugs… yeah, because shit, in the underworld everybody was a rat, and most important, if they are really going to give out death sentences and shoot them like dogs, it means everybody's just going to snitch even more to try to save themselves, which also meant they were going to snitch out the biggest buyers of the drugs… and those people are influential people, actors, influencers, politicians, rich people, entrepreneurs. Yeah, if that happens, a lot of graves will be dug.
In short, the whole country was fucking shaking, even James's mother and Bella too.
They were still at the embassy, because they had some problem with the new house, it was basically empty and they needed to get furniture and the necessary things. They also actually got the full visa without any problem… but now they were too watching the broadcast as they were speaking about the criminals, as they were speaking about James.
Erika immediately started crying, but it wasn't that type of hysterical crying or anything. No, it was a silent one, just the tears rolling down her cheeks, because she knew one thing… she was a hundred percent sure that a lot of evidence was there against James… a lot.
On the other hand, Bella wasn't that scared or worried about it, because she knew that they are working together with the government, and if it would betray James, that would be an utter disaster to everybody… still, that speech was too impactful.
The only thing that she was concerned about was the snitches… like, James is a known figure in the underworld, a lot of people know his name, at least those people who saw him at the funerals, they saw he was beating the shit out of Takoi, the officer at the police station. If they ever get called in and snitch, it's not about what the government will do, because probably nothing because of the deal between them, but the bad thing was what would happen if it leaked out to the public that one of the most influential gangsters is still roaming free?
That's when Bella realized another thing… the fucking social media… yeah, because there are pictures of Ferucci, Hector, and even her too, and people will, a hundred percent, bring up their names on social media. Where are they, why haven't they been arrested or investigated?
Something that actually only she thought about, because James, Hector, and every other member were only thinking about the future, their plans, and the government deal, not even a bit about the social media, and their footprint is already there.
Even the convoy was photographed multiple times, that James used to go everywhere…
"What is happening?" Charlotte's voice suddenly came as she stepped into the room with a plush teddy bear that was bought by James when they went on the shopping spree.
She just stood there on the doorstep, looking at Erika's teary face, at Bella's confused expression, and she hugged the teddy bear even more because she understood something was happening.
"Nothing, darling." Bella said as she stepped to her and grabbed her. "Look, we might be going back, they are closing the roads, so the country will be safer." she said to her, even though it was a lie… or who knows, they need to wait until they see what the government will do… well, the answer came fast because Benjamin himself stood at the microphone.
"Brothers, sisters, patriots, and those who still believe in the strength of justice over the seduction of power, I come before you today not to deliver comfort or ceremony, but to speak plainly and directly about the dark truths that have festered beneath the surface of our great nation and the measures we must now take to reclaim it from the decay that has spread from within."
The first section they wrote for him was enough to get everybody's attention, because Benjamin's voice had the power, and authority.
"With the full and explicit authority of President William Jasper, and with the legal framework and operational mandate granted by Minister of Justice Linda Orwin, I hereby announce that as of this day, this very hour, and under my direct leadership, the National Security Bureau of Investigation is initiating a series of uncompromising and nationwide investigations into every level of government, law enforcement, and intelligence operations within our borders.These are not symbolic measures. These are not selective pursuits. This is a systemic cleansing, a hard, relentless, and necessary purge of those who have used their positions of power not to serve, but to steal, to deceive, and to rot this nation from within its very bones."
His voice dropped a little at the end because what the fuck was this section, like, systemic cleansing? It exactly sounded like how a dictator regime begins, but he knew he needed to continue it with more power, so he did.
"Beginning immediately, under emergency security authorization, the NSBI and its field personnel will execute sweeping searches of private properties directly tied to corruption related investigations, seize personal devices suspected of containing classified leaks, and launch full spectrum surveillance and data reviews where intelligence warrants allow it. We will be conducting internal investigations into the heart of government itself, cabinet ministers, regional governors, senior advisors, and sitting members of Congress, because the disease we are now confronting has not spared the powerful, in fact, it has nested in power, thrived under influence, and flourished in the blind spots of bureaucracy and privilege." As he said it, people just got more stunned by it, like it really is happening, they're overhauling the whole government, searching for the disease that nested deep within for years.
It was too much information to even understand there, like it was what they had waited for years…
"For those still asking "against whom?" I will give you the answer now. We are formally launching criminal investigations against 325 high-level government officials spread across every sector of the political machine, we are detaining and prosecuting 114 of our own NSBI agents who were caught red-handed in conspiracy, bribery, and the selling of classified materials, we are indicting 34 agents of the Internal Security Bureau and 4 officers within the Intelligence Force for collaborating with criminal networks and foreign interests; and across the country, from coast to coast, 11,674 police officers, many of whom once bore the trust of their communities, are being investigated for illegal protection rackets, data tampering, and targeted violence.This is not a scandal, this is an infestation and we will deal with it not with apologies or warnings, but with legal precision, operational force, and zero tolerance."
He was surprised and stunned but kept up the image that he was actually the one that did it, but shit 114 of his own agents? He already fired so many, who the fuck did they fire without him even knowing it? There were so many questions for him, like ten thousand police officers, who is going to replace them?
"Let it be known that this campaign is not born out of vengeance, nor out of political ambition, it is born from the solemn duty of this Bureau to defend the nation not only from gangsters, and any other organized crime, but from those wearing polished shoes, expensive suits, and official pins who have exploited their office for gold, influence, and protection. These are not servants of the people, they are traitors to the people and they will be treated as such under the full power of the new judicial reform system crafted by Minister Linda and ratified by President William, which strips immunity, expedites sentencing, and ensures that no one, regardless of status or title, can buy their way out of accountability ever again. And I do not exempt myself from this standard, because I know, as does every honest man and woman in uniform, that corruption does not fear borders, and it does not skip agencies, even mine.
There are rotters within the NSBI, men and women who once swore an oath under my command and now twist it for profit, and I say to the people tonight, not with shame but with resolve, I will personally lead the investigations into these individuals, I will unearth them from their posts, and I will see them brought before the same laws they once thought they stood above.
So let the rats run, if they still can, let them hear the sound of the people rising.. because from this day forward, with the trust of the people and the authority of the state, the NSBI will act not as a shield for the powerful but as the sword of the people and we will cut deep."
As he finished his speech, not even a single cheer was heard, not even a single shout. Everybody was just frozen, looking at him, as he was looking at them.
It was really a fucking overhauling of the nation.