I'm Trying To Go Broke, So Why Do I Keep Getting Richer?!-Chapter 245: Cracks

"It can’t be true! How can anything happen to him?"

Even as he watched the video feed, Piccolo was still left in disbelief. His entire body was trembling fiercely.

The reality was right before his eyes but he refused to believe it. How can Leo be dead? It was impossible!

He had wanted to meet Leo and tell him that he had successfully completed the mission assigned to him. He had finished fishing like Leo wanted.

Unfortunately, ever since he returned, he hadn’t caught even a single glimpse of Leo.

He had thought that Leo was simply busy doing something important and they were definitely going to meet him when he was free.

That’s why he was so against expansion, and only wanted to wait for Leo. According to him, they had to wait for Leo to return for such a drastic change.

If that wasn’t the case, why would he be so fiercely against expansion and the Alpha Bank’s decision. Why would he start a new front with the Alpha Labs, in opposition to Alpha Bank’s leadership.

Was it because he wanted power in the company? Was it because he wanted to take control of the company? No! He simply wanted to keep the statue quo until Leo returned.

Now that it became clear that Leo was dead, was there any long in keeping this company? Was there any point in his resistance?

Piccolo looked like his soul had left his body in an instant as he remembered the moment Leo had appeared like an angel in front of him, offering him a job which changed his life.

Even he didn’t realize how much of an impact Leo had in his life. However, it was true that he had actually started thinking of Leo as a senior that he could only look up to, like a master.

He didn’t notice as tears streamed down his eyes. Every voice in the background became noise at the moment, as he sat silently.

"We need to issue a statement," the giant who was now leading the Alpha Bank exclaimed, his face filled with panic.

Even though he was shocked that Leo was dead, he wasn’t as affected as Piccolo. Even now, he could think clearly and his first thought was to protect the company’s interest.

Even he didn’t understand his own emotions. They were complicated. Somehow he was relieved that Leo was dead and he could have a straight path to the top. At the same time, he felt horrified and regretful that Leo had died.

"We need to issue a denial. Let’s say it’s fake and all the forensic experts are paid by our enemies! We can use our influence to suppress this news, and force the media sites!"

"What’s the point?" the woman who currently led the Alpha Labs asked, slamming her fist on the table. "We can’t suppress it anymore. It’s too late, and even if we suppress it, it’ll only be worse for us later."

"If we lie and get caught, we will be destroyed by public opinion. We can’t destroy our credibility for something that would come to light sooner or later."

"The Heroes... they’re already withdrawing. They are asking us for an explanation."

While the elites argued, the reality hit the common citizen. Alpha Corp didn’t just make phones or cars. They were much bigger than that.

Moreover, Leo wasn’t just the leader of a company. He was also someone that was handed control over earth. And now he was dead?

At this moment, it wasn’t just the company that was in mess but many politicians also saw it as an opportunity.

Didn’t they give control of earth to Leo because he managed to manipulate public opinion? Now that he was dead, so was the opinion.

The people weren’t going to suppress the leadership of earth being passed down to the company leadership, no matter who managed to become the next leader of Alpha Corp.

If that was the case, wouldn’t they actually be considered a dictatorship. With Leo, there was at least a vague illusion of freedom and people’s will. But now, even that illusion was going to fall apart.

Many politicians that once controlled public opinion were grinning from ear to ear, their expressions filled with excitement.

Now that such a thing had happened, it was also time for them to come out of retirement and enter active politics again.

Soon, they had started messaging their supporters, and another subtle wave of manipulation was created.

Slowly, a little flame was being ignited in the form of an under current, asking for elections on earth.

With that, barely half a day had passed before the previous political leaders came out of their hiding and addressed the public.

First, they expressed their grief over Leo’s death and praised his achievements and everything he did for earth. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

It was only after that, they addressed the demand that was raised by their own supporters in secret.

One after another, all previous leaders of the nations announced a referendum that was going to decide if there should be elections like the past, or if the leadership of earth should stay with Alpha Corp.

It hadn’t even been twenty four hours since the announcement of Leo’s death and the vultures were already out of their hiding.

Meanwhile, the Hero Tower also watched everything silently, realising that earth was in for a period of turmoil just as everything looked like it was starting to settle down.

The Heroes had already sent a message to the Alpha Corp for an explanation, while they also had their own meeting to decide what to do next.

Although they supported Alpha Corp, but it was mostly because of their support to Leo.

Now that they didn’t know who was going to become the next leader of what company, could they still blindly support it?

Some of them even worried that there was more to this situation than met the eyes. They even worried that someone in the company had schemed against Leo to have him killed.

If a person like that became the next leader of the company, and earth was handed over to him, wouldn’t that be a recipe for disaster?

The opinion in the meeting was split about what to do next. Some wanted to take a side in Alpha Corp’s battle of succession.

If they were worried that some black hearted board member had schemed against Leo, then they just had to support the other side.

Meanwhile, the other half were split in different opinions. They claimed that it was time to go separate ways from the Alpha Corp.

It was time to establish a clear line between the two sides. After all, their declaration of support was to Leo, and not to some board member that might take control of the company.

As the two sides started clashing their opinions, temperature in the meeting room flared.

In the corner of the silent meeting room, Piccolo finally moved. The tears hadn’t stopped, but his eyes, once wide with shock, had narrowed.

"You’re talking about denying it?" Piccolo’s voice cut through the frantic arguing of the Alpha Bank director like a sharp blade.

The giant man froze, his face flushing. He still didn’t know that Piccolo was the same person who had once put everyone in his office to sleep, frightening him. After all, he was wearing a mask at that time.

In his eyes, Piccolo was just an ordinary human who enjoyed the position because Leo favored him in the past.

Piccolo stood up, his chair screeching against the floor. The sound was like a dying animal.

"Leo is dead. The man who built the empire you’re sitting in, the man who gave you the power you’re so desperate to keep... he’s gone. And your first instinct is to turn his death into a PR strategy?"

"We have to survive!" the giant exclaimed, regaining his bravado. "If Alpha Corp falls, this empire will fall! Do you have any idea how many hounds are waiting to pounce on us at a single sign of weakness?"

Outside, digital billboards that usually displayed Alpha Corp’s sleek advertisements were being hijacked by localized broadcasts. Faces of former presidents and prime ministers, men and women who had been sidelined for some time, appeared with fake expressions of concern.

"The era of the Individual is over," one broadcast proclaimed. "We thank Leo for his service, but Earth belongs to its people, not a boardroom. We demand a return to the ballot. We demand our voice back."

The heat in the Hero Tower’s briefing room had reached a boiling point. On one side stood the Vanguardists, those who believed the Heroes should seize temporary control to prevent a global civil war.

On the other were the Neutralists, who feared that interfering would be the very starting point of a civil war. And they were also worried about the firepower of Alpha Corporation.

Even though Leo was dead, the company still had a massive fleet hovering around earth.