"They're all idiots!"
Under the cloak of night, Hawkins slapped the steering wheel forcefully, cursing under his breath.
"I knew from the start that guy released from prison was unreliable. He used to study theology and doesn't know squat about fighting wars! He only knows how to kill!"
Jody looked down at the military laptop in his hands.
On it were the latest images captured by spy satellites, which technical agents at Langley had uploaded to a designated internal server in the tech center, allowing the field agents involved in this operation to obtain the latest information in real-ti.
Hawkins and Jody are field agents of Langley's Secret Action Departnt.
They've been stationed here for nearly a year.
Their assignnt is straightforward: to provide necessary weapons and funds to the I5I5 organization, and assist them in organizing training and establishing their organizational structure.
Such secret agents need to have a strong heart and a low moral threshold, yet at the sa ti, they must be true patriots.
The forr is required because they need to do very dirty deeds.
The latter is because without sufficient dedication to their country and belief that what they are doing is advantageous for their nation, they would soon suffer a ntal breakdown.
Take the I5I5 organization, for example.
Last year, after being stationed here, Hawkins and Jody started making contact with Baghdadi.
Dealing with and aiding an extremist released from Guantanamo Prison is sothing no Arican could tolerate, especially after experiencing 9/11.
However, even if Hawkins and Jody detested supporting that crazy Big Beard, they were obliged to follow the superior's orders to assist him in strengthening his troops.
Especially over the past year, Baghdadi proclaid his allegiance to Al-Qaeda to unify his followers and grow his group.
When this happened, Hawkins complained bitterly to Kelly over the phone.
After all, the wars initiated by the United States in Illiguo and Afghan were branded under the premise of "counter-terrorism," a so-called "Just War."
Yet here they were, providing services to a terror organization loyal to Al-Qaeda, the culprit behind 9/11, infamously founded by Brother Deng.
This situation was seen as a dark piece of irony.
However, upon hearing this, Kelly responded with composure, instructing him to continue the assistance mission until I5I5 has sufficiently grown and can control the northwest region.
The chief is the chief after all.
Her moral threshold is even lower than his own.
No.
It's as if she has no bottom line.
Hawkins had no doubts that if Kelly's job required her to shoot her own husband in the back of the head, she would do it without as much as blinking an eye.
But today's events left even Hawkins feeling incredibly disturbed.
A week ago, Hawkins and his partner Jody received orders to leak the location of the People's Power militia to Baghdadi, and to organize a large-scale attack targeting the three most important strongholds of the People's Power.
At the sa ti, they were to direct I5I5 forces to attack the business operations of "Musician" Defense Company in Illiguo.
These two tasks were combined; they were essentially one plan.
Hawkins could sowhat understand the rationale behind eliminating the People's Power militia.
After all, this militia group was self-organized and had so public support, and openly bringing them down wouldn't do.
So the CIA's job was to ensure the organization's demise from the shadows.
But having the I5I5 organization attack the transport services and oil field security operations of a defense company was baffling.
He reviewed so information about "Musician" Defense Company.
He discovered that the defense company took on the US Army's logistical support in Illiguo, and the oil field was also the location of the Arican Wood Energy Group's investnt. Prompting a terror organization to attack one's own country's enterprises and military logistical support?
The notion seed quite fantastical.
Still, a professional is a professional.
Hawkins asked no further questions and carried out the orders.
However, after tonight's attack, it was only from the latest satellite images that Hawkins saw that the attack's outco was not as ideal as expected.
But two tribal villages were massacred.
This shocked him.
As an agent, he was usually numb to death.
However, the satellite images revealed that the I5I5 organization had massacred and beheaded the elderly, won, and children in the villages, showing piles of clear-cut corpses.
The sight of those swathes of lifeless bodies sowhat shook the human baseline in Hawkins.
Cooperating with such terrorists made him feel ashad.
Not only did they kill innocent people, but they also failed to complete the mission.
Hawkins felt he needed to personally visit Big Beard and directly rebuke him for his inefficiency.
Big Beard Baghdadi's current location in Illiguo is kept secret.
This man has many enemies.
The local militias want him dead.
The Persians wish to end him.
The Illiguo new governnt and the military show him no rcy.
Even within the entire coalition forces, Baghdadi is on the blacklist.
But no Special Forces unit from the coalition will receive the task of assassinating Big Beard Baghdadi.
This is where the CIA's behind-the-scenes operations co into play.
As a person selected by the CIA, to elevate this terror leader—released back to Illiguo from Guantanamo as a "low-level threat prisoner"—to the top of the I5I5 organization, the CIA even orchestrated an airstrike on the founder of I5I5, Zakavi.
After Zakavi's death, Baghdadi smoothly took over as the spokesperson for a new power in the east that the CIA had single-handedly promoted.
"Big Beard!"
In a small village near the Siria border, Hawkins burst into Baghdadi's hidden courtyard with big strides after jumping out of the car.
Several guns were all pointed at Hawkins simultaneously.
Baghdadi's bodyguards appeared, encircling him and Jody.
"Get lost! You vermin!"
As the representative of the hidden financial backer, Hawkins was very confident.
Looking at the AKM assault rifles in the hands of the terrorists across from him, these were all provided to them through his and Jody's efforts.
"Look at this!"
He said indignantly to Jody, "These guns are provided by us, and now they are pointing them at us!"
Jody's temperant was much more profound than Hawkins'.
Seeing his partner's furious outbursts and the dark muzzles with safeties already off, Jody tugged at Hawkins's clothes and said, "Calm down, they have all their guns loaded, I don't want to die at the end of a gun that's gone astray."
"Humph! They dare?!"
Hawkins remained arrogant.
In his view, Big Beard was just a puppet.
All that he had was given by the CIA.
The dog also dares to bark at its master?
Beat them until death if they do!
However, he soon realized that these bodyguards in front of him didn't seem to take him seriously at all.
Their gun muzzles didn't leave his chest for a second, completely in a posture of "if you dare to move forward, I will shoot".
The head bodyguard's deanor was not in the least weak.
Although he knew the identity of the two n in front of him.
He still pointed and made motions towards them, cursing, "This isn't your ho. You can't just barge in whenever you want! If you dare to ss around, I dare to shoot you dead!"
"FUCK! Do you not know who I am?! Where is Big Beard?! I want to see him right now!"
Hawkins fud with rage.
Yet, the head bodyguard was uncompromising, "The leader is praying in the house, please wait here!"
"Bullshit praying!"
Hawkins sneered, "Do you think your lord would supply you with guns without our support?!"
As an agent who had been stationed here for a long ti, Hawkins was very proficient in Arabic.
"It is the lord who arranged for you to co and assist us, this is the will of God!" The head bodyguard sneered back with a unique explanation before giving the sneer back to Hawkins: "Just as you believe in God, we have our own God as well."
Hawkins was at a loss for words.
He did not expect the other party to refuse his demand in this way, completely disregarding him.
"I need to see Baghdadi imdiately! Otherwise, tell him he bears the consequences! If you truly believe your god can provide you with guns, then let him do it from now on. Let him provide you with funds and resources!"
Hawkins was thoroughly infuriated, ranting like a lion whose tail had been stepped on.
"You think we don't know that the so-called help you provide is also for your own purposes?! You Aricans, are you helping us for nothing? It's not just for us to fight your battles on your behalf! Do you know how many of our brothers died tonight?! These guns and money, they're all due!"
"Out of my way! You blind piece of trash!"
"If you dare make a move, I'll shoot!"
The two sides erupted in argunt.
Just then, a man ca out from the house door and shouted at the bodyguards, "Mohamd, how could you treat our distinguished guests with such rudeness?"
As he spoke, he walked towards Hassan.
The man with a big beard was precisely the person Hawkins was searching for.
"Mr. Hawkins, I was reciting prayers in my room just now, I usually prefer to be alone at such tis, which is why my n were told not to let anyone in to disturb, I am so sorry, they even stopped you," he said.
Hawkins stared at Baghdadi in front of him, and from his slightly lifted corner of the mouth, he saw the pretense.
This bloke was definitely feigning!
He must have been peeking through the crack in the door at Hawkins arguing with his bodyguards.
Nothing to do with any prayer.
He just wanted to diminish the authority of Hawkins and the Arican intelligence agency he represented.
Hawkins suddenly realized, he thought of Baghdadi as an untrainable dog, which could turn on him at any minute, biting its master.
"I have important matters to discuss with you!"
"Please co in, Mr. Hawkins."
Baghdadi, who had studied in a seminary for many years, still had so basic manners. He led Hawkins and Jody into the room, and they began talking while sitting on the floor cushions.
"Mr. Hawkins, did you co here so furiously to discipline us?"
Before Hawkins could speak, Baghdadi started the conversation.
"I have already done as you requested. These past few days, my n, particularly tonight, have suffered the loss of a whole 600 of our n for the tasks you assigned us. Do you know what 600 n an to and my organization, especially 600 experienced warriors?"
While speaking, he adjusted his robe and then slightly lifted his head, giving Hawkins a sidelong glance as if he was the one who should be taking them to task.
"Your n are out of control! They massacre villages! Do you know what this ans? If such things were leaked, it would be a fatal blow to us! Are all your people insane? Can you sleep at night after killing the elderly, children, and won?"
Hawkins was very agitated, his spittle almost flying onto Baghdadi's face.
However, Baghdadi looked incredibly calm, though his expression grew colder, with a hint of disdain creeping onto his beard-covered face.
"Mr. Hawkins, that's an interesting question you asked," he quipped.
He laughed as he took the tea that the servant handed him, holding the teacup in both hands and letting the warmth of the hot tea soak into his palms, then asked with a tone colder than an Antarctic ice sheet, "You Aricans have slaughtered so many innocent won and children in Siria and Afghan, killing the innocent to fill the numbers on terrorist watchlists and claiming the rewards, can you sleep at night? Since your big shots and soldiers can sleep so soundly…"
He took a sip of the hot tea, then spread his hands out and in a tone filled with disdain said, "Why can't I sleep? What I'm killing are just so traitors who have defied the will of God, and the heads of so infidels. Aren't they more nurous than your Crusaders back in the day?"
Upon hearing the end of this, the complexions of both Hawkins and Jody turned uglier than a rotten tomato left out in the sun for ten days.
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