Chương 105: Combination Skill: Smiling Half-Step Madness

Chapter 105 Combo Skill: Smiling Half-Step Madness (Available on 10/10) 1930 1 Month 1 Day.

The new year arrived amidst a bleak atmosphere.

Arthur sat in the New York Herald's office, with a gray sky outside the window.

The office was quiet, with only the occasional hissing sound from the radiators.

A stack of blank manuscript paper lay in front of him, his pen resting to the side, not a single word yet written.

Just then, a system notification sounded in my mind.

[Ding! January 1st, 1930 has arrived. The monthly check-in system has been refreshed.] [January Sign-in Reward: Master of Inspirational Quotes (Proficient Level)] Arthur raised an eyebrow. Inspirational quotes? For confidants or readers? The American people are truly blessed.

[Skill Description: This is a writing technique that bypasses human logical defenses and directly targets emotional vulnerabilities. You can use the gentlest language to evoke the deepest resonance in people's hearts. In the cold winter, a bowl of hot chicken soup is sometimes more addictive than strong liquor, and more unguarded than a dagger.] [The host has been detected to possess the "Sharp-Tongued Commentator (Master)" skill.] [Skill fusion in progress — Acquired combo skill: Smiling Half-Step Madness.] Arthur sat down properly. A combination attack? This thing can fuse?

[Combo Skill Description: When sharp-tongued logical analysis meets sentimental emotional packaging, you will learn how to utter the most hurtful words with the most saintly tone. You are no longer the butcher with a scalpel, but the pastor reciting a eulogy with tears in his eyes at a funeral.] Arthur stared at the line of words that appeared in his mind, paused for a few seconds, and then laughed out loud.

He said, "A man who's half-mad with a smile? Who came up with that name?"

He shook his head and picked up his pen again. The view outside the window was still shrouded in gray, but looking at that gray expanse now evoked a different feeling in him.

Arthur realized that the system's reward had come at just the right time.

It's so cold in New York right now.

Anger can be a powerful force, but it can also become exhausting. After two months of protests, marches, and passive observation, people's nerves are stretched to the limit.

Those wearing rabbit badges were still standing on the street, but there was already a hint of weariness in their eyes.

At this point, continuing to bombard the area with intense battle cries may become less effective.

People need a little "warmth".

Or rather, they need something that makes them feel morally superior and emotionally compassionate.

Anger is exhausting, but compassion is fulfilling. When you look down on someone, you don't feel tired; you feel at peace.

This kind of thing would be a perfect weapon against that playboy Jimmy Walker.

Arthur twirled the pen in his hand and began to think seriously.

What is Walker's character?

He is a "happy mayor" and a "kind-hearted person".

Unlike Hearst, he was not repulsive; he was always smiling and loved music and beautiful women.

He attends Broadway premieres, drinks champagne with actresses in nightclubs, and his photos always appear on social media rather than political pages.

He could be called the most affectionate man in New York, so affectionate that even decades later, people still want to make movies to defend him and portray him as a charming gentleman.

If you appear too fierce when dealing with this kind of person, it will only provoke the resentment of rational and objective people.

They would say, "Walker isn't that bad, is he? He just enjoys life. Why are you all so harsh?"

Arthur leaned back in his chair, looking at the dim yellow light on the ceiling.

He remembered the name the system had given to this combo skill: Half-Step Madness with a Smile.

A sharp tongue is a knife, and chicken soup is sugar. The knife cuts open the wound, and sugar is smeared on it.

You think he's healing you, but he's actually rubbing salt into your wounds. You think he's praying for you, but he's actually reciting your eulogy.

That's a really good skill.

He imagined that scene.

If he were to lash out at Walker, calling him an asshole, Walker's supporters would retort, "The mayor is doing this for charity! He's trying!"

If he presents data showing how much Walker embezzled during his tenure, his supporters will say, "That was done by his subordinates; the mayor was unaware."

But if he said in a compassionate tone, "Our mayor is a pitiful man; he's trapped in his own dream and can't wake up,"...

How will the other party refute this?

To say, "He's not a pitiful person, he's living a good life," is tantamount to admitting that you're heartless.

To say "he was awake, he knew what was happening outside" is tantamount to admitting that he knowingly committed the crime.

This is a logical trap. A logical trap wrapped in gentleness, from which there is no escape.

Most importantly, this skill expands his combat range.

Arthur's previous articles garnered even more support from his existing supporters, but they also stirred up the emotions of workers and the middle class.

They were hit hardest by the Great Depression and hated the inactive government the most.

But for New York's upper class, especially the so-called centrists who are neither reformers nor corrupt, the impact was minimal.

They might even deliberately keep their distance from Arthur and the others, because they are unsure whether siding with Arthur would affect their own interests.

But things are different now. Arthur thought to himself, he would use magic to defeat magic.

For the upper class, or rather, for the American upper class in the 30s, decency was still a fig leaf.

Just like the old money guys in The Great Gatsby.

Arthur wanted them to know that if they didn't stand with him, they would be admitting that he supported a fool, and their dignity would be damaged.

Even without the upper class turning against him, as long as they actively distance themselves from Walker, they have already won.

Because he had realized what Walker was most afraid of.

Walker isn't afraid of being criticized. After being criticized for so many years, he's become thick-skinned. Walker isn't afraid of being investigated either. He has the legal team from the Tammany Association and a whole set of methods to deal with investigations.

Even historically, despite the Westbury Commission uncovering numerous corruption cases within New York City Hall, it has never been able to find concrete evidence of Walker's crimes.

If Walker hadn't made a foolish mistake by fleeing to Europe, the state legislature might not have been able to successfully deal with him.

But this also reveals Walker's weakness.

He was afraid of being isolated.

He was afraid of being abandoned by his own kind.

He feared that those high-society figures who had once drunk, danced, and fraternized with him in nightclubs would suddenly look at him with pity and then quietly turn away.

This isolation forced him to flee to Europe in 1932, and Arthur could also use this isolation to hasten Walker's downfall.

To achieve this goal, what is needed is not a scalpel, but moral platitudes.

This deterred people who might otherwise attend Walker's social events from stepping onto the dance floor for fear of being labeled "cold-blooded."

This effectively made Walker invisible in New York's Vanity Fair.

Arthur wrote a few words in his notebook: Isolate Walker, starting with high society.