Chapter 701 326: Taming Capital

"This kind of lawsuit will be fought all the way to the Supreme Court. In the meantime, your administrative team will have to deal with mountains of legal paperwork, and drafting every single document will drain your budget."

Vance continued to lay out his leverage.

"During the detailed rule-making phase, we will organize thousands of affiliated organizations to submit objections. By law, the State Government must provide a substantive response to every single submission, or the rules will be ruled invalid."

"We'll also leverage the traceability requirements of the Drug Supply Chain Security Act. The slightest, most minuscule flaw in your warehousing, logistics, or temperature control records will trigger immediate and frequent investigations from the FDA or state health departments."

Finally, Vance leaned back in his chair, his expression impassive.

"We'll also lobby our people in the Senate to demand indefinite administrative hearings for your Pharmacy Benefit Managers, forcing you to disclose all your operating costs."

"But don't you worry. It's all just for show—a performance for outsiders."

"As long as we coordinate the timing beforehand and we each take a step back at critical junctures, we can let you save face while ensuring the entire industry continues to operate on the same old business logic."

Leo's expression remained unchanged as he listened to these detailed methods of administrative attack.

He knew exactly what these big corporations were like. Of course he didn't fully trust Vance.

This so-called 'show' could turn into a real noose at any moment.

If Leo showed the slightest hint of weakness, these people would turn their act into reality and strangle his Mutual Aid Alliance to death.

But he had no way out.

He extended his right hand to Vance.

Vance looked at the pale hand, hesitated for a moment, then reached out and took it.

Leo felt the warmth of Vance's palm, but his own heart was ice-cold.

'He had just committed a great betrayal.'

'He had betrayed the twilight years of an entire generation of Americans.'

'He had forced the elderly—people who should have been fishing or playing with their grandchildren—to keep working for several more years on assembly lines and in offices, just to be bled dry by these pharmaceutical giants.'

'But in return, he had secured the legitimacy of the Mutual Aid Alliance—the foundation he needed to lay in advance to change the United States in the future.'

"Good."

Leo withdrew his hand.

"Go back and get ready."

"As for the retirement age, I'll find the right opportunity to bring it up in Washington."

Vance nodded, picked up his briefcase, and left the hospital room.

The door closed.

Leo collapsed onto the bed.

He stared at the ceiling, and his wound seemed to throb with even more pain.

'He was certain, deep down, that the decision he had made was perfectly self-consistent.'

'There was no such thing as absolute right or wrong in this world.'

'Everything was merely a compromise, made at a specific time and a specific place, for a specific goal.'

'Because that was just how the system in the United States worked.'

'The power struggle between the Federation and the states, the fracturing of political parties, the infighting between different interest groups—all this meant that any reform aimed at changing the status quo required countless compromises and trade-offs.'

'Even Roosevelt had sacrificed the interests of Black Americans to pass the Social Security Act, all to win the support of the Southern Democrats.'

'This was politics.'

'He couldn't save everyone.'

'He could only choose to save some, and sacrifice others.'

'At least today, in this very moment, he had saved Pittsburgh. He had saved Pennsylvania.'

'And that was a victory.'

Leo stared silently at the ceiling. Roosevelt could feel the turmoil in Leo's heart, but he chose to remain silent.

Leo closed his eyes.

A single tear slid from the corner of his eye, seeping into the pillow.