Chapter 964: Activate 6664

“Mr. Lans!”

“Delighted to meet you!”

On the dock, a forty-something member of the House of Representatives walked forward with a broad smile—an act of equal standing, even slightly humble.

After reaching Lans’s side and shaking the hand he extended, he gave it two additional pumps.

You can’t say House members are useless; the Speaker and several senior members have served in the House for a long time.

But no matter what, their influence and political status will never match that of Senators in the Senate.

The Federation has a very clear “trait”: nearly all elected Presidents who take the oath of office come from the Senate; only a few rise from state governorships.

No President has ever emerged from the House of Representatives.

Add to that the fact that House members serve only two-year terms; aside from a tiny few who remain long-term, most leave after two years and vanish.

Once they leave the House and lose their title, their status can’t be compared to that of governors or secretaries of state—some aren’t even as powerful as a mayor!

The best post-House path for them is the state legislature or a local mayoral post—but even that isn’t easy to secure.

Their glory lasts only two or four years; once it’s over, life becomes far less comfortable.

Lans, though merely a crime boss, has been closely watched as he transforms his enterprise—he’s unlike those old-school gangsters who thought lying passively on the chopping block counted as redemption.

He might become the first to succeed in such a transformation.

Perhaps this House member will one day work with Lans professionally.

So he had no reason to act arrogant—this kind of attitude has zero effect on men like Lans and only makes him look cheap. He didn’t do it; he was warm.

“Senator Cleveland and the others are waiting for you—please follow me!”

Lans didn’t insist on using his own motorcade; he’d seen the car the House member had brought—it was Senator Cleveland’s personal vehicle.

From the dock in New Jin City to Senator Cleveland’s estate wasn’t far—it took thirty-five minutes, mostly due to light traffic; otherwise, it could’ve been faster.

Computer Guy Lans handed his coat and felt hat to the maid waiting by the door to take them, then followed the House member into the building.

This wasn’t the main hall or the primary structure—it was a smaller building beside it, only two stories tall, with a spacious foyer upon entry.

A corridor encircled the upper floor along the walls, so if an important figure spoke here, and the first floor couldn’t hold everyone, guests could move upstairs.

There weren’t many people inside; when they saw Lans arrive, Senator Cleveland stood, and the other Senators slowly rose after him.

Senator Cleveland looked delighted—he waited for Lans to approach and shake his hand, then turned and wrapped an arm around Lans’s elbow. “You all know him.”

Someone chimed in loudly, nodding. “Yes, Mr. Lans White—I don’t know if you recognize him, but I certainly do!”

Lans smiled warmly at the speaker.

Senator Cleveland laughed. “That’s right—this is Lans.”

“The young, astonishing Lans—the architect of the Awakening Plan.”

He patted Lans’s shoulder, gesturing for him to sit beside him; everyone then resumed their seats.

“We were just discussing your professional achievements—how was your time in Lapa?”

Senator Cleveland seated Lans beside him purely because the Awakening Plan had exceptional feasibility.

It required no invasion, no public condemnation, yet promised vast tracts of land and abundant untapped resources—all of them showed interest.

When a person’s value reaches a certain level, people selectively ignore their background.

Even though Lans was, in their eyes, a lowly crime boss, right now they treated him as Senator Cleveland’s friend—a strategist offering a viable plan.

Lans appeared relaxed, unbothered by the wealth and status of the men in the room.

He’d faced execution—he could handle this small gathering?

After sitting, Lans casually crossed his leg, arms wrapped around his knee. “Fine.”

“While observing Lapa, I found their situation matches our expectations: grossly unequal distribution of social resources, extreme wealth disparity.”

“Most crucially, many cannot feed themselves through local agriculture—yet until last year, they were still exporting grain.”

“Though the export volume was small, it shows the local regime doesn’t care about ordinary people’s survival.”

Senator Cleveland nodded. “Our intelligence operatives embedded in other nations gave us the same answer.”

“Including the Jede Republic—they’re always short on food. Jede imports grain, but other nations are glad just to stop exporting.”

“This aligns closely with the prerequisites you outlined in the Awakening Plan—can we begin execution?”

Everyone here had read the Awakening Plan—they were stunned that a gangster like Lans had conceived it!

The Speaker of the House, after reading it, called Lans “a force equivalent to an entire army!”

Lans gave a slight nod. “I believe we can.”

Senator Cleveland nodded approvingly, looking around. “Then let’s begin execution as planned.”

Around him, these respectable gentlemen showed varying degrees of excitement—some faces twisted with delight!

The deepest pleasure of the powerful lies in controlling others’ fates—that is the core of power.

The greatest joy for these Senators comes from their work: crafting federal laws and rules. A handful of raised hands can decide the futures of tens of thousands.

This pleasure doesn’t strike the body like an orgasm, but works continuously on the spirit, on the soul!

Now, Lans gave them an even stronger climax—they will decide the fates of eleven nations, simply because those nations rejected the Senate’s “generosity”: military occupation and annexation.

The thought of all of Yalan descending into hell made these civilized, polite, refined gentlemen’s eyes gleam with demonic fire!

Awesome!

Unutterably awesome!

Perhaps they’ll soon need young girls to violently release this inner euphoria through carnal means!

Today, they are terrifyingly strong!

Lans drafted the entire plan; these gentlemen here are the ones filling in the details—they must feel some sense of participation.

When, in the future, they stand on Yalan’s soil to read the “Voluntary Joining the Federation Declaration,” they’ll have earned credit—not just claimed a position.

They discussed the next steps for hours.

Only after confirming every critical step did the discussion end.

Lans spoke little—he’d done enough. If the plan succeeded and Yalan was annexed, he’d be the Federation’s greatest hero.

His honors wouldn’t be lacking, so he had no need to compete with these gentlemen for the remaining glory.

He was the strategist who drafted the plan; the others here were merely its tactical implementers. No matter how brilliant their tactics, they could never overshadow the glory and gains brought by a successful strategy!

After the discussion ended, Senator Cleveland saw everyone out; only Lans, Tang Mu, and his chief advisor remained.

Senator Cleveland, after hours of talk, was tired—but his spirit was electric.

“How do you plan to handle the spiritual leaders?” He lit a cigarette.

Since it’s “Awakening,” there must be a few leaders.

For the adults, they only need the concept of “spiritual leaders”—they don’t care who they are, because their subordinates will find them.

“I originally favored Ambassador Cassia, but then I realized—he lives in poverty in Lapa, yet he’s still part of the privileged class; the common people can’t see themselves in him.”

“Gomez won’t work either—he’s a classic wealthy privileged class member, directly responsible for exploiting and oppressing the lower classes.”

“People can’t see him as one of their own—we need to find people from the social bottom.”

“Lapa’s population isn’t highly educated, but they still respect those with culture—like schoolteachers.”

“They know how to impart knowledge, and naturally, how to spread their ideas to more people.”

“Making them the first Awakened would be a good choice.”

“I’ve also been observing other roles recently.”

Senator Cleveland nodded approvingly. “Good. Harvest season is coming—before the Holy Harvest Festival, we’ll launch the entire plan…”

Then Senator Cleveland invited Lans to relax—but Lans declined. Not out of unwavering loyalty, but because he knew to restrain his desires.

If the Senator had invited him along, he wouldn’t have minded—it’s a way to strengthen ties.

But clearly, he wasn’t yet on that level with the Senator. Or perhaps the Senator had unusual tastes—he’d need to work harder.

(End of Chapter)