Chapter 590: Flipping the Table! (2/4)

Chapter 590: Flipping the Table! (2/4)

Yet, this sensation made Cullen extremely uncomfortable.

Any other youth might have believed their department chief was intentionally granting them an opportunity to bask in the limelight, perhaps even relishing it, but within Cullen’s heart lay nothing but a sense of helplessness.

Cullen used the periphery of his vision to glance downward, toward Director Harry, toward Chief Bernie…

But down below, both Director Harry and Chief Bernie directly averted their gazes from Cullen.

They understood perfectly well that to accumulate political capital, one had to act; and yet, actions that brought benefits inevitably brought trouble, so how to master this balance was the true demonstration of one's caliber.

By casting the entire affair under a high-profile spotlight, they could deflect all negative repercussions onto that youth, treating him like a stalk of sugarcane, chewing vigorously to extract the last remaining drop of sweetness before spitting out the pulp.

Thus, the objective would be achieved, the political capital and systemic credit secured, while they themselves retained an image of steady, formidable control.

When you scheme to utilize others to elevate your own exposure, others are simultaneously utilizing you.

Director Harry had long made preparations to vacate his seat for a promotion to the Dingge Greater Region; one could say this was the strenuous leap of his life's ladder, considering the Whiplash of Order in local regions had previously borne a thoroughly decadent reputation.

Even if he were going to the Dingge Greater Region to "retire," the retirement conditions at the same rank differed like heaven and earth; he had no desire to enter looking like an "irascible tiger," as that would easily land him in an idle post assigned by some headquarters department. After all, the Dingge Greater Region was different from other places; any transgressive move would produce tremendous ripples, and no department wished to welcome a powder keg.

As for Chief Bernie, his goal was to succeed Harry, becoming the wielder of the Whiplash of Order for the York City Greater Region, but he was acutely aware of one fact: in the eyes of the higher-ups, there were indeed times when they needed someone daring enough to light a fire, but what

This was no longer just placing oneself under a flawless spotlight to be scorched; it was throwing oneself directly into the pyre, to be roasted alive.

He had already envisioned the scenes that might unfold next. In this most high-profile of manners, he had unleashed this great purge of York City.

Once the purge concluded... no, to be precise, the hallmark of its end would likely be his own freezing out, serving as a concession to all opposing factions.

It was a form of the "dirty art" known as compromise.

Not long ago, he and Neo had even joked about finding some corrupt minister to slice open during the tail end of the purge, offering a token balance to the other factions while giving Neo a stepping stone for promotion.

He had never imagined that he himself was the "balancing point" they had engineered all along.

Ah, the clown, as it turned out, was me.

He had initially believed they would only use him to drum up exposure, smoothing the path for the operation, and he was already pondering how to mitigate the negative fallout afterward.

Yet they had decided his fate directly, and on the very stage of his own commendation ceremony.

At this juncture, Karen could no longer regret reading that card, for even if he had refused, the moment he stood beside Bishop Yeder, the chains would have fallen regardless, binding the bishop and forcing him to his knees.

He had lost.

...

"Oh..." Madam Tangli put down her small tweezers and asked with a hint of doubt, "Isn't this going a bit too far?"

Kaixi nodded and said, "It does seem a bit much. Looking at this momentum, they aren't just trying to snare another Naton family; they are dragging the entire regional management office's dignity into the mud."

Madam Tangli complained, "Why didn't Karen's superior stop him!"

By now, even Madam Tangli and Kaixi realized that something seemed amiss.

A bishop... was a bishop, after all. It was not merely a title, but the embodiment of the Church of Order's respectability.

One could use methods permitted by the rules to trace clues from his grandson or those around him, bringing him down step by step, but one could not trample upon his status and dignity directly before a formal verdict or proper procedures.

These two approaches were completely different concepts.

Even with Dolph, whose cause was already lost, all factions tacitly agreed to grant him a dignified end by letting him commit suicide, rather than letting him be bound like a dog, kneeling on the ground.

"Contact your father and ask for his opinion. We might not be seeing the full picture."

"But Father entered the lockdown period with the project team and won't be back until tomorrow. Mother, did you forget?"

"Bah, that old man can never be counted on at critical moments!"

Madam Tangli sat on the sofa in a huff, and after a long silence, squeezed out another curse:

"That old bastard Worfulen is the absolute worst!"

...

"Ahem..."

Worfulen coughed, placing the teacup in his hand onto the coffee table before him, and spoke:

"Isn't this a bit too far?"

Director Harry looked toward Worfulen and replied, "This is to cooperate with you. The great purge you wish to unleash will have a massive scope and impact. We must make a definitive start to ensure this plan can be pushed through. We need to signal our stance to the outside world, please understand."