Just as Song Heping and Yousuf left, behind the window of the second floor of the office building, Thomas glared at the two figures until the Lincoln bulletproof car left the parking lot and disappeared into the vast night.
He turned and returned to Simon's office, where the latter was sitting in his chair, holding several darts and throwing them at a foam target hung on the filing cabinet.
Thud—
The last dart struck accurately in the red heart of the target.
Simon let out a long sigh as if expelling all his frustrations.
He turned to look at Thomas and asked, "They left?"
Thomas nodded, "They did."
Simon asked again, "All released?"
Thomas nodded again, "All released."
After a pause, he asked with a hint of reluctance, "SIR, are we really letting them go just like that?"
Simon walked to the target and began pulling out the darts one by one.
As he removed the darts, he slowly analyzed, "This matter is related to the military; it probably involves so secret operation, otherwise Peter wouldn't have gotten involved personally."
After extracting the darts, he went back to his seat and flung the darts onto the table.
"Deputy Director Cook called himself, said that the Pentagon and the President's security advisor personally called him, instructing him to release them imdiately. From this point of view, I'm afraid the transportation of these three SA-9 missiles to Africa was the White House's idea."
He sat back in his chair, propped his legs on the edge of the desk, and then rubbed his temples, "We have absolutely no way to deal with Song Heping."
"SIR, I always feel that Song Heping has a lot of secrets," Thomas said, looking quite defiant, "but that kid always seems to be so lucky."
Simon pondered for a mont and said, "Previously, people on our side in Persia passed back so information, saying that the Revolutionary Guard Special Brigade suddenly acquired a large amount of gold and transported it to the national treasury. This gold was not obtained by the brigade's own operatives, but rather traded from a group of foreign rcenaries. At first, I thought it was the work of so underground rcenary Organization, but after investigating, we found nothing. Later, I wondered if it could have been done by the PMC in Illiguo, and after an investigation, the most suspicious turned out to be Song Heping's Defense Company because at that ti they were all supposedly at the oil fields, but the information obtained by the people I sent indicated that they were actually not there during those days… The timing precisely coincided with the annihilation of the Watcher squad in Turkic land…"
"They managed to take down the Watchers?" Thomas was shocked, "That seems unlikely…"
After all, the "Watchers" were the CIA's most elite operational group, handling the most difficult top-secret operations.
A small rcenary company being able to eliminate an elite group of "Watchers"? It was inconceivable!
Simon stated, "Unfortunately, my informant couldn't get any concrete evidence; it was all hearsay, and I have no evidence to prove that Song Heping and his n were ever outside Illiguo… But I still have a feeling that they might be involved in this…"
"Do you think Peter might know about this? And could it be related to the military?"
Thomas suddenly posed a frightening question.
"Considering that the military has also been searching for that gold, when they caught Mr. J, they even sent ISA to take over our operation…"
Frowning in contemplation, Simon finally shook his head, "It doesn't seem to be a plan cooked up by Peter and his people; after all, from Mr. J to Hassan later on, when issues arose, Song Heping hadn't even t Peter yet, and these events are traceable."
Thomas blurted out in shock, "Are you saying that Song Heping and his n might be involved with the Persian Revolutionary Guard?!"
Simon pondered the thought himself and also failed to co to a conclusion, so he shook his head, "If Song Heping were collaborating with the Revolutionary Guard, there should be a process for their relationship to develop, how they t each other. I haven't found any intersections in their paths…"
"Damn it!"
Thomas's right fist slamd into his left palm, lanting, "We could have gotten all this information in the interrogation room, if only the military hadn't intervened."
He looked extrely indignant.
Ever since he t Song Heping, Thomas never once had the upper hand in their encounters.
This really irked him.
What he found most intolerable was that his original plan to introduce Song Heping to Cook was intended to create a scapegoat team.
Instead, it resulted in a powerful alliance.
As a consequence, what had once been a small-ti team on the periphery of Illiguo's rcenary circles leapt to the top, even securing a lucrative military contract.
As long as Song Heping was alive, "Musician" Defense continued its rise, making both Thomas and Simon feel as though an invisible hand was slapping them in the face day after day.
"Forget it, Thomas," Simon said, "We probably can't do much to Song Heping in Illiguo anymore. He's now a military-backed arms dealer with a license, according to Peter's recent involvent, and from now on, Song Heping's deals might even be tied to decisions from the White House, or at the very least connected with the Pentagon. Our attempts to intercept might be quite difficult."
"Just like that?!"
Anger surged in Thomas, with no outlet for his frustration, and his face flushed red.
Simon suddenly said, "When I say forget it, I an within the territory of Illiguo, not outside it."
Thomas sniffed an underlying ssage and quickly asked, "Sir, are you planning to take them out abroad? I'd be more than willing to take on the job."
Simon shook his head, "No, we can't get involved personally, it's too obvious, and if we don't kill him, it may backfire and he could bite us back in front of the military."
Thomas asked, "Then what's your brilliant plan?"
Simon's eyes narrowed slightly, his face a picture of cunning: "Let another's knife do the deed."
Thomas was stunned, "Whose knife?"
Simon said, "Haven't you read the files? Their cargo is ostensibly heading to Amsterdam, but I bet their true destination is not Europe, Europe doesn't need the SA-9 anti-air systems, that rubbish. I reckon their intended destination is Africa, to be precise..."
He flipped open his laptop, clicked a few tis, then turned the screen to Thomas: "Here!"
Simon's finger landed on the upper part of the African electronic map.
"The Sahel Region?!"
Thomas saw it clearly but didn't understand.
"The military has always wanted to intervene in the Sahel Region. Since the start of global counterterrorism operations, both the White House and the Pentagon have been looking for a way into Africa, and the easiest place to get involved is the Sahel, where the situation has always been unstable. If we get our people in there, it could later serve as a pivot for global strategic balance and, if necessary, we could ignite a crisis there. However, it's always been the French's turf, and those Gauls, even against the White House and the Pentagon, are impenetrable, so the best way to get involved is to create chaos there, pressure the Gauls, and then they would agree to let us in for counterterrorism. Once we enter... heh heh."
Simon chuckled dryly.
"So now you see why Peter made a strong case for Song Heping? Those three SA-9 anti-air systems are probably what the military wants him to covertly sell to the Sahel Region. With these anti-air missiles, the French's aircraft might just run into trouble..."
Thomas wasn't a fool, he understood perfectly.
Simon explained a great deal about the situation there, hinting that the Gauls would be the knife they could use.
"You plan to leak the intelligence about Song Heping's delivery of the SA-9 anti-air systems to the Gauls?" Thomas asked.
Simon remarked, "Why not? If the military fails, then the task of creating chaos in the Sahel Region would surely fall to us, the CIA. Killing two birds with one stone, right?"
Towards the end, Thomas finally showed a smile: "Sir, that's a great move! Just release so untraceable information to the French; I believe they will verify it themselves."
Simon said, "Exactly, but Song Heping's luck is just too good, I still need to take extra insurance to ensure he stays in Africa forever."
User Comments
0 comments from readers