Then the mayor personally called Mu Lin to discuss, hoping to reschedule the afternoon press conference to the next day. The reason was that the crackdown involved five states, requiring consultation and coordination with the leaders of these states. Holding a press conference too early might leak the information, causing the local criminal organizations to escape and compromising the effectiveness of the operation.
Mu Lin thought about it, unafraid of what the mayor might do, and temporarily agreed to postpone the press conference.
To prevent any unexpected incidents, Mu Lin decided to personally go to city hall to keep an eye on them. These people, for political reasons, could sometimes act against their conscience and do anything.
Mu Lin lay in the bedroom, instructing Finney to handle things outside, claiming he was unwell and needed rest, refusing to see anyone. Even the two young female officers were sent to city hall and the police station. Then he summoned a butler sent from Boston, someone whose mind had already been altered by Mu Lin, treating Mu Lin’s orders as commands. In front of Finney and the others, Mu Lin used his disguise technique, transforming the butler into his own likeness, while he changed into the butler’s appearance, then drove off with Sara toward city hall.
In front of city hall, police had already set up a perimeter. Seeing it was a clinic vehicle, they checked the identification and let them through. Mu Lin parked far away in the parking lot, then used his telepathic ability to follow Sara toward city hall.
Of course, under Sara’s identity, she couldn’t meet the mayor directly. The mayor’s assistant greeted her instead, placing her in a small lounge next to the secretary’s office. The secretary’s office was now bustling with activity, constantly sending and receiving faxes and answering calls.
To save time, Mu Lin only needed Sara to guide him to the specific location; the rest he could handle himself. His telepathy transmitted the content of some faxes from the secretary’s room into his mind. They were mostly related to Mu Lin, though the details were vague—mainly about foiling a dangerous incident targeting him, stating that Mu Lin had been threatened by criminal gangs and his life was in danger.
Switching his telepathy to the mayor’s office, there he found the mayor and some supportive council members in a meeting, discussing how to handle the aftermath of the Mu Lin incident. Inside the meeting room, there were three factions engaged in a heated debate.
“Mayor, I believe we should hold the press conference as Mr. Daniel suggested, telling the media and the public the truth!” Mu Lin recognized this man, someone he had treated before, who still had a sense of gratitude and justice.
“Mr. Sosby, do you really think it appropriate to disclose everything without restraint? Remember, the Japanese are our allies! And Daniel is just an ordinary doctor, an Asian immigrant! Do you really think these two carry equal weight?” This man, looking strong and healthy, apparently didn’t think he would ever need Mu Lin’s help, so he emphasized the bigger picture.
“Mr. Sarin, please calm down! I think we should still release the information with some reservations. Only show the media the limited footage of Daniel being hypnotized. As for the second tape, I personally believe it should remain confidential to a certain extent.” An older mediator spoke up, clearly someone who feared needing Mu Lin’s help in the future.
The mayor was frowning, still deep in thought, obviously undecided.
I’ve seen shameless people before, but never someone this shameless! Mu Lin’s anger flared up instantly. Without waiting for Sara, he immediately drove back to the clinic.
After returning to the clinic and removing his disguise, Mu Lin directly instructed Finney and the others to immediately notify all affiliated clinics under his command to completely halt all treatment activities starting today and temporarily close down. This order had to be unconditionally followed by all clinics nationwide, with reopening dates to be determined and announced later. The reason was that the clinic’s headquarters staff and founder had received threats to their lives and suffered reputational damage. If evidence was needed, designated personnel from the clinic would deliver it.
Mu Lin’s idea was: You still have illusions? Then I’ll make sure you abandon them completely. Don’t think just because you’re in your own little territory, you can manipulate me! Let’s see how you handle it when the upper echelons across the country start taking action.
Upon receiving the order, Finney and the others immediately sprang into action. Now, everything in their hearts revolved around Mu Lin. The threats against Mu Lin’s life had ignited their anger. If Mu Lin decided to emigrate, they would follow without hesitation.
After lunch, the two young female officers returned, clearly indicating that the plans from the police department and city hall hadn’t been announced yet. Mu Lin gave them the afternoon off for free activities. At the same time, he ordered everyone from this moment on not to answer any calls from city hall or the police department, nor to receive any visitors from New York City. Anyone who forcibly entered could be met with gunfire warnings according to U.S. law. Anyone who contacted them without authorization would be immediately fired and face legal consequences.
Mu Lin wanted to create a deterrent effect. Otherwise, if they compromised once, these people would take advantage of the situation, bullying them endlessly until eventually swallowing up the clinic completely.
In the afternoon, Mu Lin began inspecting Finney and the others’ progress in martial arts. Recently, they had spent little time together. Although dual cultivation could enhance their abilities, they still couldn’t perform any Taoist techniques yet. Martial arts were their lifeline.
While Mu Lin and his people were relaxed and at ease, the big shots in New York City were in a panic. Their original intention was to quietly cover up the incident, just like how foreigners usually only report good news and hide the bad.
Unexpectedly, right after work resumed in the afternoon, calls kept coming in from senators and representatives in Congress, asking what exactly had happened and why Dr. Daniel’s clinic had temporarily closed. If they couldn’t effectively resolve this issue, the federal government wouldn’t mind intervening in the investigation.
Then calls came from leaders in other states. These people were far less polite—they first gave a scolding, then issued threats, saying that if they couldn’t guarantee the clinic’s safety and the clinic ended up closing, they would impose economic blockades and refuse cooperation with New York City in the future.
These people hadn’t expected that before they had even finalized their decision internally, chaos had already erupted outside. Realizing it must be Mu Lin’s doing, they sent people to contact the clinic, only to find it had already shut itself off from the outside world. They had no choice but to accept Mu Lin’s conditions and hurriedly contacted various parties.
Eventually, these people ran out of options. At the press conference held at the police department’s media center, the New York City police played two edited video tapes for the media, with Mu Lin’s real facial features having been digitally altered.
The next day, media reports caused public outrage. Then the media exposed secret dealings between certain government officials and the Japanese, creating a nationwide uproar reminiscent of the World War II era. The dark clouds hanging over the Chinese people in Chinatown finally dissipated.
The nine criminal gangs and their closely associated allies were targeted by government crackdowns. Without their leaders, these nine gangs quickly disintegrated.
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