The enraged investors took to the streets, commencing their colossal protest.
"Give us back our hard-earned money! Why the circuit breakers every few days?"
"Come out and give us an explanation!"
"What is the President even doing? All year he's only been preoccupied with affairs with interns! Does Little Klin still care about this beautiful nation, or about us common folk?"
"The current administration is completely useless. When they asked for our votes, they promised the moon, but now this is all we get. The stock market of this beautiful nation experiencing circuit breakers is truly a disgrace!"
"I suggest impeachment. Let Little Klin step down. We can't have someone who thinks about women in such a lewd manner living in the White House; it's a shame for our beautiful nation!"
"Exactly! The intern suing the President for abandonment, demanding ten million in compensation! Little Klin, look at the mess you've made!"
"The world is vast and full of wonders. Frankly, it's a case of one willing to hit and the other willing to be hit. Dry wood meeting a raging fire, instantly igniting. Let someone else take the helm; I can't stomach the stock market of this beautiful nation anymore."
"We only 'lay down and won' for less than two and a half years, and then this happens. It's truly heartbreaking. Circuit breakers, usually seen only in financial crises, appearing at this time—I've truly seen it all."
"I won't say much more: step down! Bring in someone more iron-fisted. We need the stock market to rise and people's wallets to get fatter!"
"Brothers, there's a store up ahead. Let's start some zero-dollar shopping!"
"Good idea! With the stock market wiped out, there's no way to survive. We can only participate in zero-dollar shopping. Survival comes first; the citizens of this beautiful nation must not starve."
A throng of people boisterously charged into the supermarket, terrifying the staff.
"Everyone put your hands on your heads and squat down, or you'll be sorry!" the store manager shouted loudly. "Gentlemen, welcome. Please, help yourselves! I'll squat too."
"Manager, they're here to steal! Are we just going to do nothing?" a staff member whispered.
The manager barked back in a low voice, "What are you meddling with? Do you have any shares in this store? Remember one thing: your life is your own, wealth belongs to the owner. Keeping yourself alive is more important than anything else."
"Manager, I understand what you're saying, but when the gunshots start, they'll retreat. I recall you have a gun by your waist; why aren't you firing it?" the staff member asked, bewildered.
This manager was known for his temper. The last time a careless employee made a mistake, he pulled a pistol from his waist and fired four shots at the employee's feet, nearly scaring the life out of him.
Why was he so cowardly now, just squatting?
He thought he had followed a man as fierce as a tiger or leopard, but it turned out to be a poodle.
"Kid, don't cause trouble. It's true I have a gun, but the protesters have more guns than you. Don't stir up more trouble; if there's mass firing, we'll all be in danger," the manager whispered, refusing to take the idiot's advice.
How could he have such an idiot working under him? He was useless and only caused trouble. He'd fire him later to prevent him from trying to be a hero and causing more problems.
People rushed to the shelves, snatching up items they could only look at before but not afford.
The scene was in disarray, as if a swarm of locusts had passed through, leaving nothing behind.
"Ooh, some great sandwiches here. I'll take a few."
"Brother, there's butter over there. Sandwiches with butter, a superb taste."
In just twenty minutes, the store, which had been fully stocked, was empty.
The demonstrators swarmed away, heading straight for the next zero-dollar shopping destination.
The entire beautiful nation descended into chaos. People stayed home, afraid to go out, lest they be harmed.
Moreover, this was a nation where everyone carried guns, legally.
In families, firearms were kept loaded, prepared for emergencies.
Firing a gun at home was a defense against unauthorized entry by vagrants, protecting one's property.
In this beautiful nation, citizens' property was sacred and inviolable, granting them the right to self-defense.
Harvard University immediately closed its doors, preventing the unruly crowds from causing further destruction.
On this day, the streets suffered heavy losses, with countless stores forced to close and the zero-dollar shopping commencing.
Some stores, sensing the danger, promptly lowered their shutters, believing they could escape.
However, they underestimated the destructive power of the masses, who would simply smash their way in.
Cars abandoned on the streets became the primary targets for people's frustrations.
Thick smoke billowed into the sky from the streets.
...
Little Klin sat in the White House, his face ashen. "Find a way, any way, to get people back into their homes. If this continues, our entire country will fall into anarchy."
"It's already in anarchy, you man who can't control his pants! It's not like I wasn't satisfying you, but I never expected you to sneak around behind my back. And now look at this mess."
Presidential wife Larry grew angrier, throwing the cup in her hand to the floor. "How much did our consortium sacrifice to put you in this position, only for you to pull this off after taking office?"
"I initially thought I was being too strict with you, and that you could have your fun. But look at what you've done! How are we going to fix this now!"
First, the stock market crash and circuit breakers, then people taking to the streets.
Driven by desperation, people resorted to zero-dollar shopping and vandalized randomly parked cars on the streets.
A single incident could be enough to make a President step down.
Yet, Little Klin's tenure was plagued by all of them.
"My dear, do not be angry. We will resolve these one by one!" Little Klin calmed himself and said in a deep voice.
Those who become President are not ordinary people; wealth alone doesn't guarantee the position.
"That Lewinsky, find her and make her withdraw the lawsuit. If she wants money, I'll give it to her."
"Little Klin, what will she say in court? Her internship at the White House can't be faked!" Larry became furious. Little Klin was still resorting to his old trick: bribing people with money.
"Trust me, I'll get a report from a psychiatric hospital, and then Lewinsky won't appear in this beautiful nation again. I promise you."
Little Klin had seen such things countless times. In this world, where was there true fairness and justice?
The rich always got their way, and the strong dictated terms.
No cat could resist a taste of fish.
He was confident he could stabilize the situation. But what did it matter to him?
The presidency was out of the question; today was his last day.
The impeachment articles would likely arrive at the White House soon. Let the next President clean up this mess.
All he needed to do now was restore his reputation and silence Lewinsky.