Blackstone Code-Chapter 668: The Ship Is Gone

The senator declined the offer from Lynch and Mr. Truman to see him off and left alone.

Just as he had said at the dinner table, the current political climate was delicate. With the election approaching, public attention was sharply focused, and any minor issue could be magnified into a major problem.

It was also a good time to bring down political rivals before the new president took office. Public opinion, once stirred during this period, carried immense weight. All politicians needed to tread carefully.

He would not grant special treatment to the project just because his son, who had designed the aircraft, was now Lynch’s partner. His judgment had to be based on actual circumstances—a fair, neutral, and interest-free assessment.

This was his principle and bottom line as a congressman—admirable and unwavering.

After watching the senator leave, Truman and Lynch stood on the balcony of the restaurant, overlooking the entire city of Eminence. Both were silently reflective for a while.

After several minutes, Mr. Truman sighed. “You’re really okay with this?” he said with a chuckle. “That’s fifteen million Sol!”

Lynch replied, “Isn’t it a bit late to ask me that now?”

They exchanged glances and laughed.

The company Lynch had funded with that fifteen million wasn’t just to grease political wheels—it was also meant to satisfy the interests of the military’s top brass.

Military officers are still human. Generals, even more so. They’re not just soldiers—they’re also sons, husbands, fathers.

Everyone wants the best not only for themselves, but for their families too. Some of those families had been placed in various defense companies or military-related sectors.

Some had voiced discontent, but due to the military’s special status, those complaints had no outlet.

If you were really dissatisfied, you could try taking those officers to a military court.

If Lynch wanted everyone involved to be satisfied, he couldn’t afford to be stingy with equity—in other words, with money.

Handing out fifteen million in shares left even Mr. Truman stunned, hence his question.

“When we oppose a system, everyone within that system becomes our enemy. That’s not a smart move.”

Lynch started discussing his thoughts in earnest. The core of their group was just him and Mr. Truman. There could be no misunderstandings between them—otherwise, their alliance wouldn’t last.

Mr. Truman lit a cigarette and passed one to Lynch. As their heads leaned in to light up, Lynch continued, “It’s like going after a corrupt official. Your enemy should be that individual—not the entire bureaucracy.”

“If you take on the whole system, you’ll become everyone’s enemy. Just like what you experienced—nearly every consortium opposed your actions. Even if you beat one or two of them, there will be a third, a fourth, and many more.”

“Our goal isn’t to fight the entire system—we need to hollow it out from within, quietly.”

“In that process, we can’t stay aloof. We need to become part of it—look like them. That way, they’ll watch us fight each other like dogs, rather than uniting against a common external threat.”

“The military will be our greatest ally. And frankly, they do need more political friends.”

Whether it was the military or politicians, both sides often deliberately avoided each other. Military-political collusion was never good press—but they still needed each other.

Lynch’s operation wasn’t the first, the last, or the only one. He simply made things easier for both the military and the politicians.

Mr. Truman leaned over the balcony railing, gazing at the glittering cityscape of Eminence. After a long silence, he asked, “Can we win this war?”

“We have to.”

In the days that followed, young federal citizens began appearing in the press, suddenly recognized for exceptional abilities—in engine design, materials research, and more. Their names showed up in the corners of newspapers.

Federal media could be bold enough to expose the president, yet cautious when it came to anything involving senators or the military. That content rarely made it to print.

While the public celebrated a new wave of federal scientists, a freighter equipped with the latest engines had already departed. The first batch of twelve generator units was set to cross the Upperil Strait and reach the Amellian region.

Over in Amellia, the bidding had concluded. Unsurprisingly, Lynch and his fellow federal businessmen lost entirely to the Gephran merchants.

To most people, this was just another routine news story. Every bid has winners and losers.

But those involved knew exactly what this meant.

Federal businesses, once active, began to pull back. Gephran businessmen became arrogant again, even seeking to undermine Lynch’s influence.

They were actively courting militarily powerful nations, hoping to secure aid—whether through politics or private contracting.

The Governor of Amellia, Sedel, had a bold strategy. If it worked, the region—and the nation—could shake off Lynch’s influence. His power in the region was built on quickly crushing anti-government forces.

Before that, the Gephrans had refused to admit their army was useless, even in the face of failure.

Now, they acknowledged it and looked to allied forces—better to bring in outsiders than let Lynch’s people dominate.

Ultimately, this was just their way of venting rage after losing the naval war against the Federation.

Just when it seemed Lynch’s momentum was about to be curbed, Governor Sedel didn’t get the expected update about the generator shipment arriving—he got news that the ship had vanished.

“What do you mean?” Governor Sedel couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “It’s a one-day journey. Two, at most, if it’s slow. Why is there still no word?”

Two full days passed, and no freighter from the Federation had arrived. It had vanished into thin air.

The Federation was just as puzzled. Normally, a ship docking in Amellia would send confirmation. But after waiting two days with no message, confusion spread.

Sedel’s subordinates had no answers. Desperate, he turned to his son, hoping he might know something.

He made a call, and two minutes later, Soren picked up.

“Where’s the ship?” he asked directly.

“I’m not sure,” Soren replied. “An investigation is underway. It might be… related to pirates.”

“Pirates?” Governor Sedel immediately burst into laughter, but it was laced with the fury of someone who felt mocked. “Are you an idiot, or do you think I am?”

“There’s no way pirates are operating on this route. Every pirate in the world knows to stay far away from the Federation’s waters, and you’re telling me it was pirates?”

Ever since the Federation defeated Gephra in the naval war, piracy in the western part of the Eastern Ocean had all but vanished. No one would risk offending both Gephra and the Federation by making trouble along this route.

So the moment Sedel heard pirates were involved, he flew into a rage—did they think he was a child to be fooled?

Soren gave a nervous chuckle. “Search and rescue ships from the Federation are already on the move. If all goes well, we’ll have news soon.”

“How soon is soon?”

“…I don’t know.”

After hanging up, Governor Sedel quickly regained his composure. His first thought was of Lynch—which immediately made things more complicated. He didn’t know how Lynch might have done it, but he was certain Lynch was involved.

But the missing ship wasn’t even the most pressing problem—the real headache was the penalty clause in the contract. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

The nine hundred million Federal Sol penalty was not something he could pay. That amount could even threaten his position.

It sounded ridiculous, but it was the truth. If he lost both the money and his reputation, the Emperor would be furious. Right now, the priority wasn’t to find the ship—it was to shift the blame.

He picked up the phone again and called Soren. As soon as the call connected, he lowered his voice slightly. “Listen carefully. You must make your position absolutely clear to everyone. We signed an installation contract with the Federation. Transportation was not our responsibility. We don’t acknowledge any issues with the shipping process.”

Soren responded quickly. “You mean… the Federation might try to pin the blame on us?”

“Use your head. I’m even starting to suspect that the ship was taken by the Federation themselves. They could get a nine hundred million payout without lifting a finger. It’s entirely possible—even likely—that Lynch helped them set this trap.”

“Don’t use a Gephran’s mindset to judge those profit-driven Federals. They’d impeach their own president for profit. Mark my words—under no circumstances should we accept responsibility we don’t need to.”

“This has nothing to do with us. You can follow the situation, but don’t make any statements.”

The disappearance of a single freighter quickly drew the attention of both major powers—even the Emperor of Gephra inquired about it personally.

If not for the fear of causing an incident, they would’ve already dispatched warships to the Upperil Strait to search for the missing vessel.

It was important to note that the advanced thermal power generator units onboard hadn’t yet been sealed with protective casings. This meant they could be disassembled without damage, allowing anyone to study and reverse-engineer the Federation’s technology.

Governor Sedel sat in his study, frowning as he stared into the distance. Shadows were gathering on the horizon—it was about to rain.