Chapter 91

The Bear Country is Now Mine Chapter 91

091 Trapped in a Dead End / Clinton / He has to sign, but instead...

Bush was flustered. This was the first time he had encountered such a situation.

He knew that the man had made a lot of money, but he never expected him to offer a blank check.

Exchanging glances with his chief of staff, Bush hesitated to pick up the pen.

How much should I write...

Nicola read the expressions on their faces, stood up, and said,

"I'll be right back from the restroom."

"Oh, take your time."

"Sure."

As Nicola left the room, Bush marveled.

"Wow, what kind of person has such composure..."

"I told you. He's made astronomical amounts of money. He's not an ordinary person."

"This seems to go beyond being just not ordinary."

At first, he was drawn to Nicola's appearance and mysterious aura, but now he was captivated by his actions.

'That confident and unhesitant behavior...'

It was the image he had always dreamed of.

In his younger days, Bush had been cautious about everything, fearing his father's disapproval.

He was very different from Nicola.

Where does such confidence come from at such a young age?

This isn't just because he has a lot of money.

He has met some of the richest people in the world, but they were very different from Nicola.

'I never got this feeling from my father either.'

He was lost in thought for a moment before the chief of staff's words brought him back to reality.

"You need to write it down before he comes back from the restroom..."

"Right. How much should I write?"

"By offering a blank check, Nicola is saying he'll accept whatever amount you write. Write as much as you can."

"How much, then?"

"The decision should be yours, candidate."

"Hmm..."

How much should he write? Even with a blank check, there's a reasonable limit.

Not too little, but not too much either.

Bush thought hard about the line that both sides could accept.

Then he moved the pen.

A short while later, Nicola returned from the restroom and saw the number written on the paper on the table.

"This seems about right. Is it okay?"

"What does it matter if it's okay or not? Since I offered, I'll give you what you want."

"...!"

"Then that's all settled."

As Nicola got up as if it were nothing, Bush blinked and asked,

"Wait, you're just going to leave after offering such a large amount of support without a word?"

"What do you mean?"

"You must have had something in mind when you offered the blank check, right?"

"There's nothing like that. I just wanted to support you with a pure heart."

His smooth words left Bush looking at the chief of staff.

How should he take this?

The chief of staff was equally puzzled.

Regardless of their reactions, Nicola said his goodbyes.

"I'll contact you within this week. See you next time."

"...Alright."

Bush watched Nicola's back with a complicated expression.

As he walked out, Nicola smiled.

'Such money is even more terrifying because you don't know what they'll ask for later.'

On his way to the Black Hole office, Nicola called Dennis.

-Did you meet him?

"Yeah, I just met him and am on my way out."

-How much did you agree on?

"I'll tell you when I get there."

-I understand. Come quickly.

Nicola chuckled, thinking of the amount Bush had written, and asked the security team leader,

"Did they follow us?"

"Yes, just as you said. They disappeared as soon as you came out."

"I see."

A short while later, Nicola arrived at the Black Hole office.

"You were tailed? Who tailed you?"

"Who else? The White House, of course."

"...The White House?"

"Right. I warned the security team, and they followed."

"Wow, I thought Clinton was different, but sure enough. So, he knows you met Bush?"

"I intentionally let him see it."

"Intentionally? Why?"

"To force him to approve the end-of-war declaration as quickly as possible."

After some thought, waiting over a year seemed like a waste of time.

During that period, doing nothing but waiting would mean being dragged along by Clinton, so he used a strategy to make him decide quickly.

"Meeting Bush alone could lead to such results?"

"At the end of his term, he has a lot of free time and many thoughts. Especially when the two candidates are neck and neck, like now. I just played on Clinton's anxiety."

"You're really a scary person. How do you do all this...?"

Dennis was glad Nicola was his brother.

"By the way, how much did Bush write?"

"50 million dollars."

"Wow. He wrote a lot."

"I thought it was quite modest? The amount seems small."

"By your standards, maybe, but by the standards of historical presidential campaign funds, it's a huge amount."

In the original history, Bush received a total of 106 million dollars in donations at this time.

So, 50 million dollars was almost half of that.

Considering that Bush received significantly more donations than other candidates, 50 million dollars was still a huge amount.

"I'll have it sent by Friday morning since we agreed to do it this week."

"Alright. Then President Clinton might want to see you again?"

"If my judgment is correct, he'll contact me soon."

"At times like this, it's amazing that we came from the same mother. Maybe we're not brothers after all."

"I'll tell Mom."

"..."

Nicola decided to plan his next move and got up.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to Russia."

"What do you mean? You said Clinton would contact you, so why go?"

"Do I have to come when he calls and go when he tells me to? If he wants to see me, he should come himself."

"Ha. I really lost."

Nicola immediately boarded his private jet and headed to Russia.

* * *

In the Oval Office at the White House.

Wrinkles appeared on Clinton's forehead as he listened to the CIA director's report.

"He met with Bush?"

"Yes, we just received confirmation that they met."

"Why Bush?"

"It seems he chose Bush over Gore."

"Does that mean he thinks Bush will win?"

"Based on Nicola's actions, that's the only conclusion we can draw."

"...Wasn't Nicola the campaign manager for Zahir during the Russian presidential election?"

"That's correct."

"Hmm. The person who made the Russian president chose Bush... This means..."

With the two candidates neck and neck, no one knows who will win.

Clinton himself was anxious, and now Russia has chosen Bush.

Nicola's judgment is Russia's judgment.

But Russia chose a Republican candidate over a Democratic one?

This is significant.

Clinton swallowed hard and asked,

"How can you be so sure? He knows he'll face disadvantages if Gore wins."

"Nicola doesn't act unless he's certain. You need to make a good decision."

"What are you trying to say?"

"We shouldn't give either candidate a reason to act."

"What reason?"

"The one we discussed when Nicola came to see us. It could end your term dishonorably."

The CIA director's words reminded Clinton of the sexual scandal, and his expression twisted.

"Ahem. As I said before, I intended to approve it anyway. I just chose a later time."

"What should we do?"

"Tell him to come see me."

"Understood. I'll contact him immediately."

The CIA director sighed inwardly.

Thank goodness.

He immediately called Black Hole Investments and received a shocking response.

-He left for Russia on his private jet two hours ago.

"Russia?"

-Yes, if you have anything to say, go ahead. I'll pass it on.

"Ha. No, I'll contact you later."

After hanging up, the CIA director felt a chill and quickly informed Clinton.

"He left for Russia two hours ago."

"What?"

"The situation is getting strange. We need to meet Nicola. We can't discuss the end-of-war declaration over the phone."

"What is he thinking...?"

"We can't ask him to come back."

"We can't. Even as the president, how can I ask someone who came on behalf of the Russian president to do that?"

Clinton felt his head spin and thought for a moment.

After some time, he slowly spoke.

"Since we had a falling out over the NATO agreement, it's best if I extend my hand first this time."

"Good judgment. If the Bush campaign finds out we delayed, it could be a big problem. They could use it in the election."

"Let's adjust the schedule and plan a trip to Russia."

"Understood."

* * *

In the Kremlin, Moscow.

President Zahir and Chief of Staff Sergei burst into laughter after hearing the story from the U.S.

"Heh, so Clinton decided to come himself."

"It seems he was in a hurry. He contacted us shortly after Nicola left. How did you know this would happen?"

Nicola calmly replied to Sergei's question.

"Understand what the other side wants. What's the most important thing for President Clinton now?"

"Considering his post-presidency, it would be Gore's victory."

"Exactly. I used that."

"You created a sense of unease that our conversation might reach the Bush campaign?"

"Exactly."

There was that reason, and he needed to bring Bush to his side, so it was a win-win.

"Heh, now I see why Clinton had to call so urgently. It's fortunate that you're on our side."

President Zahir, who already had some grievances with Clinton, was delighted to hear he would come in person.

Clinton coming in person was almost like an apology for the NATO agreement.

The visit by the U.S. president also had symbolic value.

Other countries would think Russia and the U.S. were getting closer.

In that sense, Nicola had accomplished something very important.

"You've done a great job. If you have any requests, let me know."

"I didn't do this for any personal gain. However..."

"..."

"There's a place I want to show Clinton when he comes."

"Where?"

"The Gobi Desert. If the U.S. president is seen there on TV, it will be a big help."

Nicola laid out the plan he had set in the U.S.

President Zahir accepted it without hesitation.

"An ingenious idea."

"I'll make sure the event in the Gobi Desert is well-prepared. Grandfather, could you please call China, South Korea, and North Korea?"

Once the U.S. approval is secured, the only remaining country is China.

With Jiang Zemin's approval, North Korea will declare the abandonment of nuclear weapons, and the Trans-Siberian Railway project can proceed.

This means the Korean Peninsula and Europe will be connected by land.

'This will be a great opportunity for Russia and South Korea to grow together.'

"Understood. I'll contact them, Duma."

* * *

Two days later.

President Clinton arrived in Russia, smiling brightly on the surface but cursing Nicola inwardly.

Nicola had handed him the agreement to sign.

"How can such a significant matter be settled with just words? It should be documented, right?"

"Ahem. That's true, but..."

He had failed to get President Zahir to sign the NATO agreement and now found himself signing the agreement offered by Russia.

"The cameras are rolling. It won't look good if you hesitate."

"...Alright. I'll do it."

Clinton forced a smile and signed.

Then, Nicola took him to the Gobi Desert.