City-level politics, often dismissed as a stage for petty quarrels and small ambitions, is in fact a naked miniature of a grander and more ruthless power game. It is there that the art of manipulation is practiced in micro-scale; grassroots support is stitched together with hollow promises and short-term interests, and public image is polished bit by bit—like rust slowly yet surely eating away at steel. Michael Bennett, now moving in the shadows of betrayal and looming threats at every turn of the dark alleys of power, realizes that even a small victory in this lowly battlefield can serve as a solid foothold—sending shockwaves strong enough to shake the throne of a corrupt king who sits smugly atop piles of dirty money and the tears of the people.
The message “He knows” scrawled in bright
