Chapter 276: Chapter 138: A Strategic Confession

Morganfield leaned forward slightly.

He was waiting for that moment.

However, a hand pressed down on the table.

Leo stood up.

Bennett froze, staring at Leo in stunned disbelief.

’This wasn’t in the script.’

Ethan was stunned too. He subconsciously tugged on the corner of Leo’s jacket, his eyes filled with terror.

"Leo, don’t be rash. Let the professionals handle this..."

Leo paid him no mind.

He pulled free from Ethan’s grasp, straightened the hem of his suit jacket, and walked directly to the lectern in the center of the courtroom.

He stood there, all alone.

Facing the judge, facing the aggressive plaintiff’s attorney, facing an entire world that seemed filled with hostility toward him.

The smile on Morganfield’s face vanished.

He frowned, a foreboding premonition rising in his heart.

’What is this madman thinking? Does he plan to defend himself? In a Federal Court? Against an antitrust charge of this magnitude? He’ll send himself to prison!’

The judge scrutinized the young Mayor.

"Mr. Wallace, do you intend to make a statement yourself? Where is your legal counsel?"

"Your Honor."

Leo began to speak, his voice unusually steady.

"My legal director is ill. As for the other lawyers..."

Leo glanced at Bennett and his group.

"They’re too expensive. The taxpayers of Pittsburgh can’t afford them."

A low wave of chuckles rippled through the courtroom.

Leo gripped the edges of the lectern with both hands.

"I am not standing here to rebut the accusations just made by Lawyer Baker."

The entire courtroom was in an uproar.

’Not rebutting them? Does that mean he’s pleading guilty?’

A look of ecstasy spread across Lawyer Baker’s face. He hadn’t expected victory to come so easily.

Leo continued, "Because that would be pointless."

"Your Honor, to save the court’s precious time, and to save the taxpayers’ money."

"I have a statement to make."

Leo took a folded document from the inner pocket of his jacket.

He slowly unfolded the paper.

In that instant, Morganfield, sitting in the front row of the gallery, suddenly felt his heart lurch.

He saw the look in Leo’s eyes clearly.

He had seen that look before.

It was the same look Leo had when he rejected his blackmail at the Allegany Mountain Summit Club, saying he would "blow this whole mountain flat."

It was the look of mutual destruction.

’Stop him!’

Morganfield roared inwardly. He wanted to stand up, to signal Lawyer Bennett to interrupt the proceedings.

But this was a courtroom, and the judge held the gavel.

Leo gave no one time to react. His voice filled every corner of the courtroom.

"As the Mayor of Pittsburgh, I stand here not only to answer to legal charges, but more importantly, to be accountable to the three hundred thousand citizens of this city."

"Over the past while, the controversy surrounding the Inland Port project has been raging."

Leo continued.

"I have heard the voices from the community, the doubts from the business world, and the professional criticism from the legal community."

He paused for a moment.

"I must admit that in the process of advancing the Inland Port project, I made a serious error in administrative judgment."

The courtroom erupted again.

The reporters’ fingers were practically smoking as they hammered on their keyboards.

The lawyers at the plaintiff’s table stared at each other in dismay. They had prepared tons of ammunition, evidence ready to strip the Mayor bare.

And yet, the defendant had come up and admitted his mistake right away.

"Out of an eager desire to revitalize Pittsburgh’s economy, and out of a desperate need to create jobs, I placed excessive emphasis on corporate strength."

Leo slowed his speech. Every word he now spoke had been carefully weighed.

"I set overly stringent technical thresholds in the bidding documents. My original intention was to ensure the project’s quality, to guarantee the port could be operational as quickly as possible."

He was downplaying corruption and collusion, reframing them as urgency and stringent requirements.

It was a perfect piece of political rhetoric.

He admitted to the action but beautified the motive.

"However, I now realize that this approach, in terms of objective procedure, did indeed undermine the principle of fair market competition."

"It made other potential investors feel excluded. It caused widespread public misunderstanding. It made citizens worry about the privatization of public assets."

"This is my responsibility."

"As Mayor, I have an obligation to correct this mistake."

Roosevelt’s voice echoed in Leo’s mind.

’Now, Leo.’

’Draw your sword.’

’Cut it down.’

Leo took a deep breath.

His gaze became incredibly sharp.

"Therefore, to uphold the dignity of the law, to protect the public interest, and to ensure that Pittsburgh’s revival is built on a foundation of absolute fairness and transparency."

Leo’s voice resounded under the dome.

"I hereby formally announce."

"The Pittsburgh City Government will exercise the administrative discretion granted to it by the City Charter."

"We will immediately repeal the ’Inland Port Concession Agreement’ signed with the Morganfield Industrial Group."

"Furthermore, we will abolish all exclusive technical clauses in the project’s bidding documents."

An irrepressible gasp erupted within the courtroom.

The judge had to pick up his gavel and strike it down hard.

"Order!"

Leo ignored the commotion around him and continued.

"We will restart the bidding process for this project."

"This time, it will be open, transparent, and global."

"Whether it’s a company from Philadelphia, from New York, or even from overseas, as long as they can bring the best technology and the lowest cost to Pittsburgh, they are welcome."

"We will truly return this port to the market."

With that, Leo gave a slight bow to the judge and then returned to his seat.

The lawyers at the plaintiff’s table were completely dumbfounded.

They had accused him of monopoly, and now the defendant had abolished the monopoly himself.

They had accused him of unconstitutionality, and now the defendant had deleted the unconstitutional clauses himself.

The basis for the lawsuit no longer existed.

It was like a boxer winding up for a powerful punch, only to find his opponent had already jumped out of the ring and dismantled it on his way out.

And in the front row of the gallery, Morganfield’s body was as stiff as a stone statue.

The priceless, silver-headed cane in his hand was currently withstanding immense pressure.

Morganfield felt an unprecedented rage—the rage of being betrayed, played for a fool, and publicly humiliated.

He had thought Leo was a cornered dog, coming to him for help.

But the dog had snapped its own chains and turned around to bite off his hand.

The concession was gone.

The exclusive clauses were gone.

The five hundred acres of railway land he held had lost their greatest strategic value.

In a near-suicidal move, Leo had resolved the antitrust crisis while also completely tearing up the pact between them.

This was flipping the table.

The judge’s gaze swept back and forth between Leo and the plaintiff’s attorneys.

"To the plaintiff," the judge’s voice was devoid of any emotion, "since the defendant has formally announced the repeal of the agreement in question and has promised to restart an open bidding process, the core point of contention in this case no longer exists."

"Under these circumstances, this court no longer has substantive jurisdiction over this case, as the Federal Court does not adjudicate resolved disputes, nor does it answer hypothetical questions."

Beck’s mouth opened and closed, as if someone had suddenly grabbed him by the throat.

’Continue the case? A case about a contract that no longer exists? That would be a misuse of judicial resources.’

’Don’t continue? That would mean their meticulously planned killing blow had landed on a wad of cotton.’

"Your Honor... we..." Beck stammered, "We need... we need time to assess the authenticity and legal validity of the defendant’s statement. Perhaps this is just a delaying tactic..."

"It’s not a delay. It’s an executive order."

Leo added from the defendant’s table.

"The document has been signed and is effective immediately. If I break my promise, you are welcome to sue me again at any time."

The judge nodded, seemingly satisfied with Leo’s attitude.

"In that case."

The judge picked up his gavel again.

"Given that the subject of the dispute has been extinguished, this court, in accordance with the doctrine of mootness, hereby formally rules:"

"The plaintiff’s case is dismissed."

"This case is closed."

"BANG!"