The state government publicly demanded that the federal government initiate questioning of the president through a televised speech, which was the first such instance since the formation of the federation.

Since this incident, the phone in the Public Relations Department had been ringing incessantly, giving everyone a headache.

The person in charge unplugged the phone line and rushed to report the situation to superiors, only to find a long line of officials waiting outside the presidential office to make reports.

Most of them were seriously making and taking calls, while the secretaries shuttled among them, delivering and retrieving stacks of documents, looking frazzled.

It seemed that the situation was even worse than she had initially grasped.

However, she hadn’t heard of any measures being taken by the parliament, so the situation hadn’t completely spun out of control yet.

Taking advantage of the moment, the head of the News Department called Danga State again, but the line was still busy with no one answering.

She didn’t give up and called a good friend from there, although the call was automatically disconnected, she received a message from the friend afterward.

—Sorry, old friend, we’ve been given strict orders from above.

Seeing this message, the head of the department felt her heart sink halfway.

Before she could put away her phone, the president’s secretary hurried over and notified her of an emergency meeting.

A large round table was surrounded by people, discussing strategies back and forth. In the end, they drafted a statement, to be delivered by the president’s spokesperson at a press conference to respond to Danga’s accusations.

In such matters, speed was crucial. If they waited for public opinion to solidify, any response would be ineffective.

The federal government claimed that the audio recordings were maliciously edited and not of President McPherson Reinis himself. Mo Qi’s actions were deemed malicious framing, and Danga was ordered to immediately remove Mo Qi from all positions and clarify the incident.

The wording of the statement was harsh, and the spokesperson appeared resolute, leaving public opinion momentarily unable to discern right from wrong.

However, before the press conference convened by the federal government could conclude, Danga released a video.

It was a recording of Wancha confessing to the entire process of the crime while in prison.

He detailed how Ernest found him, bribed him, and persuaded him, leaving nothing out, and also provided his bank account where he received commissions.

The video ended with the bank account transaction details, and one of the large sums of money was transferred from none other than a jewelry store under Mrs. Reinis’s name.

The timing coincided with the incident involving Mo Zhenghong’s assassination attempt.

This confession footage could be said to be Danga’s slap in the face to the federal government after delivering a blow, without giving them a chance to respond.

Before the federal side could make any response, another important suspect in the assassination attempt, Ernest, who was also the victim in last night’s news headlines, surrendered to the Department of Justice with his lawyer and media reporters, and confessed his guilt.

Under the camera, he briefly and clearly explained the entire process of the assassination attempt.

Not only did he confirm all the details mentioned in Wancha’s confession, but he also admitted orally that all those recordings vehemently denied by the federal government came from him.

Ernest could be considered as Reinis’s former disciple, and his identity and testimony held significant meaning.

Additionally, he mentioned the assassination of the former Deputy Minister of Defense, Liang Yi, ordered by Reinis.

However, before he could detail the incident, the police arrived and arrested him, escorting him into a police car.

In less than ten minutes, this incident had been wildly exposed by major media outlets, spreading even beyond the borders to the international community.

At another emergency roundtable meeting, there was dead silence. Members of President McPherson Reinis’s leadership team looked bleak, and no one was willing to speak up.

At this point, how could they respond?

Simply stubbornly denying the authenticity of the recordings and attributing Ernest’s confession to the manipulation of malicious individuals might buy them some time and allow them to pressure the Danga government further, possibly leading to a breakthrough.

However, Danga was as tight-lipped as a drum. Not only did they sever normal communication with the federal government, but even the negotiation representatives sent by the federation were sent back to San Lorenzo at the airport.

The stance they took was unexpectedly tough for everyone.

But at the same time, it was understandable.

Mo Zhenghong had impressive achievements and was widely admired. Most of the key members of the Danga government were promoted by him. With such an outstanding leader being assassinated, Danga naturally wouldn’t brush it off lightly.

Several representatives sent consecutively by the federation were rebuffed, which was quite embarrassing.

They had shown sincerity in negotiations, but Danga showed no mercy, showing no face.

Helplessly, the president’s secretary personally visited Mo Xin, attempting to establish communication with him and Mo Qi, who was thousands of miles away.

No one wanted to take on this task, simply because Mo Xin was like a stone-faced Yama, impervious to persuasion.

In exaggerated terms, they would rather go to war with Danga than face Mo Xin.

Indeed, despite talking until their mouths were sore, Mo Xin just kept a cold expression and didn’t react much. Being stared at by him with such an expressionless face made the president’s secretary’s scalp tingle, limbs stiff, fearing he might suddenly pull out a gun and blast them to pieces.

So when Mo Xin’s deputy, Vincent, solemnly issued the order to leave, the president’s secretary breathed a sigh of relief, grabbed the briefcase, and hurriedly left without looking back.

“General, should we go to Parliament?” Vincent asked in a low voice.

Mo Xin shook his head.

“It’s been two days, and there’s still no movement in Parliament.”

Danga’s demand was for Parliament to initiate an inquiry into the president, which, once in motion, would lead to an impeachment vote against the president.

Vincent was a little worried. “I’m afraid there will be mistakes.”

Mo Xin remained calm and unmoved.

The lack of movement in Parliament indicated that they were still observing the situation, and Reinis’s side was trying to maneuver. If there was no follow-up, Reinis could still hope for a “dragging” resolution, gradually removing the turmoil from the public eye.

“How’s the progress with the petition?” Mo Xin asked.

Vincent replied, “Very smooth. There are nearly seventy thousand signatures now, and the number is increasing rapidly. It’s expected to surpass two hundred thousand by tomorrow night.”

Mo Xin nodded.

There was a petition section on the federal government’s website, touted as a platform for democratic expression open to the public. If a petition received over two hundred thousand signatures within a month, the government must respond to it.

Although most responses were superficial, petitions undoubtedly represented the direction of public opinion.

Even if it didn’t have a substantial impact, it couldn’t be ignored.

After Mo Qi’s televised speech, Danga immediately mobilized state residents to petition, and with the development of the incident, more and more people joined in.

Things progressed even faster than Vincent had anticipated.

On the evening when the president’s secretary visited, two petitions on the federal government’s website had silently climbed to the top with over two hundred thousand signatures each.

The first one demanded that Parliament exercise its right to inquire into President McPherson Reinis and provide a reasonable explanation for Governor Mo Zhenghong’s assassination.

The second one demanded that the federal government establish a task force to reopen the investigation into the suspected treason case of former Deputy Minister of Defense, Liang Yi.

Scrolling down a few more lines, there was even a petition demanding the federal release of Liang Qiuchi.

Mo Xin propped up his chin, staring at Liang Qiuchi’s name, feeling somewhat distracted.

It had been two days since he was placed in solitary confinement, and he didn’t know how he was doing.

Should he find a reason to go and check on him?

Just as he was thinking, Vincent hurried over with his phone, reporting, “Just got a call, Reinis collapsed in the presidential office.”