There was a difference between a senator's "wait a minute" and a congressman's "wait a minute".
Under the senator's desperate gaze, the closed elevator door slowly opened again. Langdon smiled and asked, "Are you going down too?"
The senator heaved a sigh of relief. "No, you left something in my office."
Everyone in the elevator knew what he was trying to say, but it was useful because it avoided any possible awkwardness.
Langdon felt a little strange, but he still walked out of the elevator. "Is that so? It seems that I left in a hurry. Thank you for telling me."
I came here to tell you why you didn't bring your things here. Of course, there are some things you need to say in the office alone.
Langdon walked out of the elevator. He had learned a lesson in Congress: "the more friends, the better."
He was not angry because the senator had rejected him and told him to "get lost." There was no point in being angry.
If a politician got angry for no reason, they would spend the rest of their lives in anger.
Their colleagues would either call them trash, the public would call them dogs, or the media would expose their scandals. How could they have a happy time?
One must know how to enjoy life. One must know how to be tolerant and forgiving.
The two returned to the senator's office. This time, the senator took the initiative to invite Langdon to sit on the chair that represented equality.
Well, it was still a little short because there was a table between them that represented the identity of the owner of the house. If they had sat on the sofa, the situation would have been much better.
The two sat facing each other for more than ten seconds, neither of them saying a word. The senator had to break the silence.
"Just now..."
He smiled and paused for a moment, pretending that nothing had happened. If it had happened to other people, it might have been more awkward, but they were politicians.
Being shameless was the foundation of being a politician. This little bit of awkwardness was nothing to them.
Langdon quickly caught up. "What happened just now?"
"No, nothing. Let's talk about the budget."
The senator fiddled with the fountain pen on the table that was worth more than a thousand yuan. The fountain pen spun in his hand. "After you left, I looked at the budget again. Although there are some problems in it, I don't think it's unsolvable."
"My job is to find problems and solve them!"
Langdon did not know what made the senator change his stance in such a short time, but he still tried his best to cooperate. "I can explain to you if you have any questions."
The senator shrugged and put the pen back on the table. "I think maybe we should sit down with Mr. Lynch and have a talk?"
"What I mean is that he can definitely solve some more professional problems. I don't mean to offend you. After all, this involves some high-tech fields."
Langdon suddenly realized that he was still too insignificant. He was so insignificant that the senator did not even want to reach an agreement with Lynch through him. Instead, he had to reach an agreement with Lynch personally.
This was very normal. He was just a lucky member of the House of Representatives. There was once a distinguished politician who joked in private that as long as he wanted, he could send a dog into the House of Representatives.
Of course, this was just a joke, but it also showed the position of the House of Representatives in the Federation's political arena.
It wasn't as good as the ones above, or even worse than the ones below.
City councilors and state councilors did not have as much power as members of Congress. They could participate in various committees and hold important positions, but these people held a certain amount of real power in their hands.
They directly faced the residents of the city, or rather, the power that was connected to them was the power of the voters!
Langdon had met many city councilors in Saibin before. These councilors were either supported by the shareholders of a certain area or the residents of a certain downtown area.
When dealing with these councilors, it was fine to be tough, but too tough could easily lead to demonstrations.
On the other hand, when it came to the House of Representatives, the members were completely separated from the people and were held in the air.
They could not touch the sky. That was the territory of the senators.
They could not touch the ground. There was no space in that place. That was why the position of the members of the House of Representatives was so awkward.
At the same time, this gave the members of the House of Representatives the motivation to climb up the ranks.
If they cooperated with the party, worked hard, and obeyed the arrangements and leadership of the party committee, they might have a chance to rise up the ranks.
Langdon still had a chance. He was actually still young. As long as he followed Lynch and received Lynch's support, he might have a chance to enter the Senate.
He was very clear about his position and role. He did not feel offended at all.
"Of course. It's just that Mr. Lynch is not in Boston right now. You may not be able to meet him until later."
The senator was a little hesitant. Later?
Is it time to show my value if I'm late?
This was not what he wanted!
What he wanted was to give Lynch hope when he felt that this matter was hopeless. Only then would he be able to show his usefulness and value.
Langdon did not know what had changed the senator's mind, but he knew that the initiative had now changed.
They were all Federation politicians. It was not a matter of who was stronger or weaker. It was just a matter of status and difference.
He rested his hands on the armrest and looked at the senator unhurriedly, maintaining a reserved smile.
After a while, the senator said, "Do you have a way to contact Mr. Lynch?"
Langdon hesitated for a moment, then smiled and said, "Of course..."
After making an appointment to play basketball together next time, the senator sent Langdon away. When he returned to his office, his friend from the Department of Defense happened to send him the video.
This kind of behavior was legal. It was probably the same as submitting documents to be used as a reference for recommending approval of the Department of Defense's additional budget. No one could say that it was illegal.
See, the Federation politicians were always so clear about these things. They never got it wrong.
Back in the lounge, the senator closed the door and stuffed the videotape into the player. Although the color of the picture was slightly monotonous and the texture of the picture was rough, it did not prevent him from recognizing the reality of these pictures.
The way of war was about to change.
Every time a plane swooped down, the moment it reached the ground and pulled up, a violent explosion would erupt in the forest. Large swaths of the canopy would shake, and some would slowly fall down.
That was the effect of the explosion. The senator did not know how they did it, but he knew what it meant.
If the forest was a... like a Guevara battleship, it had no ability to defend against airborne enemies. At this time, a group of planes swooped down on it...
"Cannonballs have eyes!"
He said this to himself in a shocked tone. Cannonballs had eyes, that was the scariest thing.
He also understood why the military and the Department of Defense were so anxious about this matter. Even he, a layman, knew that there would never be an "accident" in this matter.
If there was an "accident", then there would be an "accident"!
At half past ten, he sat by the phone, listening to the busy tone from the receiver. After waiting for more than ten seconds, he did not feel bored at all. Instead, he took it very seriously.
"It's me..."
Lynch's voice was very recognizable. The expression of the senator sitting behind the desk became lively at this moment. His face was filled with a sincere smile. "Mr. Lynch, I'm sorry to disturb your rest. I'm a senator … I'm currently serving as a member of the Federal Military Appropriations Committee."
He paused to give Lynch time to understand his title, then continued, "The Department of Defense submitted an additional budget before, and now it has entered the end of the review. Basically, there are not many problems. There are some parts that I don't quite understand. When do you think we can sit down and talk?"
He said it very tactfully. First, he said that the budget would be approved, but it would be best if the two sides could meet.
On the other end of the phone, Lynch knew what this guy was going to do. He wanted to make him owe him a favor and sell him out.
Politicians in the Federation were all like this. If they helped you, and if they succeeded, they would stand beside you every day to remind you loudly that you had to remember this favor.
But if they owed you a favor, they would try to dilute this relationship as much as possible, unless there was no other way to compromise.
This also made Lynch realize that the budget was approved, and the committee could not stop it. He began to take the initiative to sell the favor. Whether he accepted it or not, the other party had to approve it.
However, he did not need to embarrass the other party. After all, he was a senator, and he could be of some use.
"Of course, sir, I'll probably return to Bupenn the day after tomorrow. We can have a good chat then."
Lynch's voice also had the appropriate intimacy and enthusiasm when he answered.
The senator breathed a sigh of relief. He felt that Lynch did not think that he was obstructing him just because he had delayed for so long. This was good news.
Mature was the most appropriate word to describe his feelings for Lynch at this time.
"Okay, I'll book a restaurant first …"
"No problem, see you then."
"Then I won't bother you, Mr. Lynch. Goodbye."
"Goodbye!"
…
Lynch, who hung up the phone, was a little surprised. He then called Mr. Trumann and briefly explained the matter.
It was not common for senators to take the initiative to lower their heads. As everyone knew, senators and governors were people who dared to go against the president. Unless there was a real force that made them aware of the danger, they would not take the initiative to compromise.
Soon, Lynch got the answer from Mr. Trumann. The Department of Defense had added an order for 400 aircraft and additional research orders.
They saw the future from the video and were eager to control the future in their hands!