After Nathan left, Kelly sat in her office chair, staring blankly ahead.
On her desk was a device similar to a Newton's cradle, emitting a quiet clicking sound as it swung back and forth.
Kelly liked to use this gadget to concentrate, allowing her to work more efficiently when dealing with complex cases.
However, this ti her focus was disrupted by the ringing phone.
She glanced at the number, and her expression shifted slightly.
Still, she picked up the phone.
"SIR."
"Kelly, yesterday's operation in Illiguo was a complete failure. Mr. Campbell is very disappointed; he invested too much in setting this up."
The voice of Deputy Director Pence ca through the phone.
Pence was in charge of global special operations and was Kelly's imdiate superior.
As the executor of the Elder Council, Campbell used his extensive connections to pressure the military and Wood Energy, cutting off all of Song Heping's business sources in Illiguo.
According to plan, what the CIA was supposed to do was to deploy the I5I5 as a hidden card, staging attacks on Song Heping's transport and oil field security businesses to hasten the termination of contracts, and then annihilate the other side when Song Heping went to seek out Samir, giving the Curtis family a proper explanation.
But things did not go as expected.
Song Heping was not dead.
Even the thorn in our side, the People's Power militia, wasn't uprooted.
The entire operation ended in failure due to the collapse of I5I5 forces.
Now even the agents stationed there to liaise with the I5I5 have disappeared,
The situation seed to have spiraled towards the brink of losing control.
"Song Heping has started to counterattack; it seems he wants to completely break with us. Our two agents in Illiguo responsible for the I5I5 project have disappeared. Based on the cri scene investigation, it was a small elite squad equipped with NATO gear that did it; it shouldn't be the military personnel, I believe it was Song Heping's own squad."
"Attacking our people in Illiguo?"
Pence, who had just learned of this news, was shocked.
"Report the situation to the military, and have them assist us in arresting Song Heping."
"I'm afraid that won't work…" Kelly said: "Song Heping is very ticulous, as we could tell from the operation in xico. Before he made his move on our agents, he had made all the necessary preparations. Their company has vacated the Green Zone, and no one knows where he is now. But what's certain is that he and his n are in the Southwest Region, probably together with the People's Power militia."
"SHIT!"
Even as the CIA's Deputy Director, a high-ranking intelligence officer, hearing Kelly's account made Pence lose his composure.
Was this the sign of a looming upheaval?
To attack our agency's agents in a coalition-controlled place like Illiguo?
Is this China Person insane or foolish?
"Kelly, I don't care where you dug up this madman, but we need to eliminate this risk right now! You said he's in the Southwest Region, is there a chance he's fled back to xico?"
"He hasn't returned to xico, I'm certain of that," Kelly said. "There's another thing I haven't had the chance to report to you yet…"
"What is it?!" Pence caught a whiff of bad news: "I'm not in the mood for bad news."
"Sorry, sir," Kelly said. "It's bad news, we've just received a report that Barrett, the undercover agent we had placed inside Song Heping's organization, is dead. His body was hung under the overpass of a highway and is currently in the morgue at the hospital. I've arranged for personnel to communicate with the xican police to investigate the matter."
Pence fell silent on the other end.
A succession of bad news had the Deputy Director in charge of operations feeling his blood pressure surge.
If it were a national power inflicting such a blow on the United States intelligence agencies, it might be acceptable.
There had been similar incidents during the Cold War.
Only the adversary was rely the boss of a Defense Company, fattened up by the US military itself, placed by the CIA in xico to control the drug trafficking network there, reaping huge profits.
In other words, it was these people themselves who had nourished Song Heping into such formidable strength that they were now losing agents one after another.
"Kelly, when you initially sent him to xico, didn't you have a contingency plan to deal with him? Aren't you responsible now that he's out of control?"
"I had a backup plan, rest assured. Barrett has been undercover by his side for the past year and has made Song Heping's cash flow very clear. We control more than a dozen shell companies used by Song Heping to launder money overseas, all with accounts in offshore banks on so islands. A high-ranking manager in their company nad Ferrari is in charge of laundering the money for him."
"You can issue a manhunt in the na of combating drug cri, use DEA and police to pursue him, and then Interpol to catch him; that would make things easier."
Pence quickly gave instructions.
Kelly said, "Sir, that's exactly what I was thinking, but currently he's in Illiguo. I've already ordered Nathan to lead two 'Watcher' squads to pursue him; we haven't reached the point of needing Interpol's help."
Pence "hmm"ed and said: "That seems like a good idea, but one thing, it seems like the 'Watcher' squad has clashed with Song Heping before and didn't co out on top. Here's what we'll do, I'll talk to Mr. Campbell, utilize their 'Satan' assassin organization. They're all top-notch elites."
Kelly said, "That might complicate things, after all, Hawkins and Cody hold so intelligence, and if it falls into Song Heping's hands, revealing it would bring us a lot of trouble. Baghdadi has been increasingly ruthless lately; during their operation last night, they actually massacred innocent villagers from two villages. If freelance journalists get wind of this, it would be a severe blow to our image."
"Whatever it takes, we cannot allow these things to be exposed, do you understand ? Any ans necessary, even if it involves the dia."
Pence spoke with a grim determination, leaving no room for doubt.
Kelly nodded: "Understood, sir, I'll take care of all this. If we fail to capture Song Heping this ti, then I will initiate the contingency plan, defa him as a drug trafficker, and then engage international organizations using a multi-nation joint operation to hunt him down. I believe that at that ti no country will dare to shelter him unless it's in a lawless land plagued by war."
"Of course, it's good if you are confident."
Pence pinched the bridge of his nose.
"This is really troubling, damn it! It's the weekend, and my holiday is ruined again!"
After ending the call, Pence contemplated repeatedly in his office and eventually picked up his phone.
"Mr. Campbell? This is Pence. Yes... There's been a hiccup in the East... Kelly just briefed on the situation, that kid has started to hit back... Don't worry, don't worry, he isn't capable enough to trace it back to you... Mhm, mhm... Rest assured, another thing, we've already dispatched elite combat squads to Illiguo to hunt him. But I'm still a bit uneasy. Yes, yes, yes... I'd like you to send a top-notch squad to Illiguo, as a backup. No mistakes... I will arrange the protocol, enter under the guise of defense personnel... Yes, that's right... No problem, alright, let's leave it at that, have your people contact ."
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