The Tyrant Billionaire

"Investigate them. I want them to feel fear, to tremble. Just hearing my name should make these companies and celebrities shudder."

" No Solid evidence! No, evidence isn't necessary. Just comb through their usual materials—books, TV shows, movie scripts, articles. Find anything that even remotely suggests support for the labor party or sympathetic sentiments. Even if they didn't explicitly say it, as long as it can be interpreted that way, it's enough. With this, we can accuse them of being communists. They won't be able to defend themselves because we're the ones who are politically correct. Anyone who refutes me or try to help them is a communist."

"We can also investigate Secretary of State Acheson. He was once Roosevelt's assistant secretary of state. I recall he made some supportive remarks back then."

"We can accuse Defense Secretary Marshall. During the war, he didn't take tougher measures against the Soviets to secure U.S. interests, allowing the Soviets to benefit. As for China, his policies were similarly disastrous and foolish."

"Marshall is part of a communist conspiracy. On the surface, he appears to work for America, but behind the scenes, he's betraying the country."

"We can even accuse Roosevelt. The New Deal was practically a copy of the Communist Manifesto. Every government official and congressman who supported the New Deal during Roosevelt's era has suspicions of being communist."

"And President Johnson? I'll force him to take a stand and fully support us. If he doesn't, he's enabling the labor party's free development."

After listening to the recordings, Hardy felt that McCarthy was utterly absurd.

He was using this ideology to position himself as a pseudo-emperor of the United States.

However, Hardy couldn't deny that McCarthy wasn't acting alone. There was a faction behind him, and their true goal was party rivalry—raw political struggle.

As for who they were, it was unclear. It could be the Republican Party or some other faction.

If Hardy openly opposed McCarthy, he would inevitably face the forces backing him. However, Hardy also saw potential gains—support from opposing factions.

As Hardy continued reviewing the files, he came across some interesting details. Publicly, McCarthy portrayed himself as a moral guardian, but privately, he was a cesspool of corruption—indulging in vice, colluding with others to manipulate stocks.

For instance, when he targeted a company, its stock would inevitably plummet. The more he attacked, the harder it fell. His collaborators, forewarned, would short-sell and profit handsomely, giving McCarthy a hefty cut of the earnings.

Hardy pondered.

He needed a well-thought-out plan to extract benefits from the situation while mitigating risks.

The Next Day
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Hardy flew to Washington, D.C., aboard his private jet.

Instead of going directly to President Johnson, he first sought out Nixon. Since aligning with Hardy, Nixon had risen swiftly with Hardy's backing and was now a senator, serving as Hardy's staunch ally.

The two spent an entire afternoon discussing matters before Nixon left.

Hardy then met with General Marshall. When Marshall saw the list and heard the recordings, his expression darkened.

Historically, McCarthy's attacks on Marshall had led to his resignation months later, and he never held another position thereafter.

"How did you get these materials? Are they authentic?" Marshall asked.

"A reporter from theGlobal Timesobtained them after thorough investigation. A great deal of effort was involved. They are entirely reliable," Hardy replied.

Using a reporter as the source was logical and justified, given their rights to investigative journalism.

Next, Hardy met with Secretary of State Acheson. After listening to the recordings, Acheson cursed McCarthy, as the two had clashed in the past, with Acheson vehemently opposing McCarthy's antics.

Finally, Hardy met with President Johnson.

At the White House

Johnson had tacitly allowed some of McCarthy's actions, as they had helped curb the labor party to some extent. However, he had not expected McCarthy to go to such extremes.

McCarthy now sought to investigate Acheson and Marshall—two key members of Johnson's governing team. Johnson was already politically isolated. Marshall's military presence saved him from countless troubles, while Acheson's political expertise made the State Department manageable.

Johnson could not allow McCarthy to dismantle his inner circle.

"That bastard has completely lost his mind. He's using a pretext as a weapon to attack everything. He's nothing more than a politically clueless lunatic," Johnson fumed.

"Whom the gods would destroy, they first make mad."

McCarthy was already quite mad.

Thus, it was time for his destruction.

As for Hardy's involvement in stirring things up, everyone understood why—because McCarthy was encroaching on Hardy's interests.

A battle over interests is always a fight to the death.

There's nothing to negotiate.

Hardy wanted to deal with McCarthy, and no one would think Hardy was acting on behalf of the labor movement. After all, he was one of America's largest capitalists and a former gangster, with no connection to labor.

Meanwhile, McCarthy...

...was still pondering whom to target next and what fabricated charges could further enhance his influence. However, his secretary suddenly rushed in and placed a newspaper on his desk.

"Congressman, there's a negative news article about you in theGlobal Times," the secretary said anxiously.

McCarthy remained indifferent.

In recent days, many had attacked him, but he had retaliated each time, leaving his opponents in tatters.

Picking up the newspaper, McCarthy spoke casually, "TheGlobal Timesdares to publish an article attacking me? I'll investigate them next."

He glanced at the newspaper.

The front page.

Today'sGlobal Timesfront-page headline was about McCarthy:

"Political Thug McCarthy Creates a White Terror in America. It's Time to Kick This Scum Out of Politics!"

McCarthy froze at the headline.

It was the first time he had seen such a vicious critique of himself. The article opened with a fierce salvo, signaling a battle to the end.

He quickly continued reading.

The article laid out accusations of McCarthy using his so-called ideology as a pretext to fabricate charges. Without any evidence, he labeled people as Communist sympathizers. Those targeted included politicians, high-ranking officials, business leaders, academics, scientists, journalists, entertainers, and artists.

Under his persecution, some lost their jobs, others saw their families destroyed, some fled the country, and others committed suicide, unable to endure the harassment.

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