Chapter 358: Chapter 358

In the brightly lit corridor, Arakawa Reina thrashed her limbs, but the gentle face before her suddenly transformed into a ferocious wolf, its eyes gleaming with a green light. It leaped, pinning her to the ground, its sharp fangs tearing into her flesh. The pain of her ravaged body pierced her very soul.

Crying out, Reina jolted awake. She stared at the blurry ceiling, the air cool and fresh around her. The floor was tatami, and a thin blanket covered her. The room was bare, devoid of any furniture. Surveying her surroundings, Arakawa Reina wiped the sweat from her forehead. It was just a dream.

It was terribly rude of me to even imagine Mr. Aozawa doing such a thing to me. She picked up her black-framed glasses, pulled a tissue from her school bag to wipe the lenses, and put them on. Her previously blurry vision cleared.

Reina exhaled deeply, then became aware of a strange sensation in her body. Her cheeks grew redder. How shameless I am, she scolded herself inwardly. She pulled out a few more tissues, cleaned herself, rolled them up, stuffed them into her bag, then stood and opened the sliding door.

Aozawa's voice drifted from the open living room into the corridor; he seemed to be chatting with someone.

Arakawa Reina stood there. Should I go in, or just leave quietly? The latter feels so guilty, as if I have something to hide. Nothing even happened between us, I should be more open about it. I can't just leave without saying anything; that would be too impolite.

Arakawa Reina walked into the living room. Aozawa was standing at the pass-through counter, using a blender to mix apples, bananas, and mangoes. His phone lay beside him, a mature voice emanating from it. "Are you sure you can finish that much all by yourself?"

"No worries," Aozawa replied. Noticing Reina in the corridor, he waved. "Class President, you're awake. There's a cup you can use to rinse your mouth, and just use your hands to wash your face."

"Did you bring a classmate home?" the voice on the phone asked.

"Yes," Aozawa confirmed, turning his phone to show Reina as she approached.

She had just woken up, her hair still down, fluffy and slightly curly. She wore large, black-framed glasses, and with her fair complexion and well-endowed figure, her appearance had a certain languid charm. If she wore one of those oversized tops that hide the pants, she'd look even prettier.

Morimoto Chiyoda surveyed the girl before her with an appraising gaze and said with a smile, "Hello, I'm Morimoto Chiyoda, Aozawa's guardian."

"Good morning. I'm Arakawa Reina." She bowed quickly and awkwardly adjusted her glasses. "You're very beautiful, Miss Morimoto."

"Thank you for the compliment." Morimoto Chiyoda smiled, then suddenly asked, "Are you and Aozawa dating?"

"Huh? N-no, not at all!" Reina waved her hands frantically, her face flushing red. "Mr. Aozawa and I are just friends."

"Class President, you only see us as ordinary friends? I'm heartbroken."

"Huh?!" Reina's face grew even redder as she hurriedly explained, "It's not like that, Mr. Aozawa! We're very good friends!"

"But you just said 'friends,' not 'good friends.' Such distant words. It seems my feelings were misplaced after all." Aozawa clutched his chest with his right hand, feigning injury.

Reina was so flustered that every fiber of her being wanted to speak, yet she couldn't find the words, stomping her foot in agitation.

Seeing her distress, Morimoto Chiyoda interjected, "Aozawa, stop teasing Classmate Arakawa."

Aozawa quickly composed himself and smiled. "Class President, sorry, I was just joking with you."

"Oh, really?" Reina breathed a sigh of relief. "I'll go wash my face and rinse my mouth then."

"Sure, go ahead." Aozawa waved.

Reina left the living room. Sigh, she thought, now it's even harder to say I was planning to leave.

As she left, Aozawa turned the camera back to himself and asked curiously, "I brought a girl home for the night, why aren't you jealous?"

"If there was actually something going on between you and that girl, you wouldn't be so brazen about showing her to me." Morimoto Chiyoda rolled her eyes at him, about to say a few cautionary words, when a thunderous sonic boom echoed through the sky, interrupting their conversation. Even Aozawa could hear it clearly.

"I don't know," Morimoto Chiyoda responded, turning the camera skyward. Dozens of helicopters and fighter jets flew in formation from the distant sky, heading in their direction, as if part of a large airshow. It looked like a scene from a big-budget Hollywood modern warfare movie.

"Wow, that's quite a spectacle. Is there some event in Washington D.C. today?"

"No!" Morimoto Chiyoda's expression turned grave, and even her usually melodious voice became heavy. She didn't think helicopters and fighter jets appearing over Washington D.C. without any warning could be anything good.

Just my luck. I'm only in Washington D.C. to wait for an audience with the Secretary of State and report face-to-face on Dio's situation. Why does it feel like I've been dragged into something terrible? Am I about to witness history in the making? I don't want to be just another bystander who disappears in a major event.

「A few minutes earlier.」

At the Pentagon Building, a corpse lay in Vincent's residence.

"The plan must be advanced," he said gravely.

Jida, who had been hastily summoned, had a panicked expression as he asked, "Vincent, isn't this too rushed?"

"The White House has long been aware of our movements, yet they've hesitated to order our arrests and have even allowed news of the staff reductions to continue leaking. Why is that? There's only one answer: in The White House, our names are already on the rebels' death list."

Vincent not only explained this to Jida but also used a special intercom channel to clarify the situation to other officers. "The White House sent an assassin to kill me. This means my proposed plan is extremely dangerous to them. They don't want to make a big scene, so they want to eliminate me first and then deal with you slowly. In this situation, it's either The White House dies, or we die. Cast aside your doubts and execute the plan with all your might. The more chaos we create, the more confused they'll be."

"But none of us are ready."

"Don't panic, Your Excellency." Vincent's cold voice carried a peculiar charm at that moment, capable of calming hearts. "My people infiltrated Andrews Air Force Base long ago. They will proceed according to plan, bombing all major transportation arteries leading out of Washington D.C. and cutting off communications. You just need to cross the Potomac River as quickly as possible and rush to The White House and the Capitol Building. Don't let a single target escape your control."

"Vincent, how did Andrews Air Force Base fall under your control?"

"Your Excellency, did you think I went there every week merely to inspect fighter jets? The upper echelons hold power through the support of the middle ranks. Once the middle ranks switch allegiance, power naturally transfers."

Vincent had long ago gathered a group of like-minded individuals and secured cooperation from a major financial backer. For a long time, he had been planning how to conquer Washington D.C. He had made all the preparations, waiting only for the opportune moment. If that moment never came, he would live out his life in mediocrity. But once it arrived, he would seize the chance to soar.

"Very well, advance the plan!" General Isam agreed, his decision solidifying the officers' resolve.

Vincent pulled two submachine guns from a wardrobe, handed one to Jida, and kept one for himself. "Let's move out!"

"Mm." Jida looked somewhat dazed, but he still quickly followed Vincent out.

"Hey, why is the power out?"

"There's no signal either! What happened?"

People in the nearby offices sensed something was wrong.

Vincent fired a burst from his submachine gun into the wall and bellowed, "Just received orders from General Isam! There's been a mutiny! We're heading to the scene to quell the rebellion! Everyone stay in your offices! Don't wander around, or you'll be treated as rebels!"

His resolute expression and voice terrified them. Coupled with the panic caused by the Pentagon Building's personnel downsizing, no one dared to question him and obediently returned to their offices. Vincent led a dozen men and hurried to the second floor, intending to seize control of the Golden Hall and issue orders under the authority of the Secretary of Defense.

The second floor of the Pentagon Building is known as the Golden Hall because the offices there have gold-colored carpeting.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff were meeting in a spacious conference room, personally presided over by the Secretary of Defense. All the top generals, except for the recently downsized General Isam, were present. They were discussing the personnel reduction plan mentioned by The White House. Although no formal order had been issued, it was already a matter requiring urgent discussion within the Pentagon Building. They had to reach a conclusion by Thursday about who would be let go and who would remain.

"Next up is the Navy." A senior staff officer pointed to the screen, about to outline the next step of the plan when the screen suddenly went black.

The Secretary of Defense frowned slightly. "Who procured this equipment?"

The senior staff officer pulled out his phone, checked it, and his face paled. "Your Excellency, my phone has no signal."

"What?!" The Secretary of Defense was greatly alarmed. His first thought was that the downsized officers had acted prematurely—no, impossible, they wouldn't have the guts. The plan is supposed to be for tomorrow! For more chapters visıt 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵•𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮•𝓷𝓮𝓽

"It's Vincent. He's behind this."

"He's still alive?" The Secretary of Defense was shocked. What happened to the so-called top-tier assassins?

"Quick! Organize the soldiers! Prepare to suppress the rebellion!"

Just then, a general seated beside him drew his gun and shot the Secretary of Defense dead.

BANG! The gunshot echoed within the conference room. The Secretary of Defense stared at the man before him. "You..." He slumped back in his chair, lifeless.

"Please do not panic. As long as you stay here, you'll be safe. But if you defy me, don't blame me for being ruthless."

"Hill Adams, you're actually part of this rebellion!"

"Don't be so surprised. We can't just downsize those below. The financial syndicates need to be streamlined too. Otherwise, the nation's strength cannot be centrally managed."

"The Rockefeller Family."

Vincent pushed open the door and entered. Hill Adams stepped aside, his expression reverent as he said, "Welcome, President Vincent."

And so, the Pentagon Building fell.