Capítulo 1757: Chapter 783: Do Europeans Understand That Water Can Also Carry a Boat? (3)
Casare squinted his eyes, his tone still full of doubt: “It’s really not you? Didn’t touch it at all? No.”
“Absolutely not.”
Reinhardt replied without hesitation, “We just saw the news too. From a logical standpoint, this doesn’t align with our interests, nor does it reflect the Leader’s intention of ‘applying pressure but controlling the scale.’ Moving the Queen is completely different in nature and would force the United Kingdom into an unpredictable overreaction; the risk is uncontrollable. We have no reason, nor did we receive such orders.”
Casare listened, his mind racing.
Reinhardt made sense. Although “Hydra” engages in shady activities, they have always acted with discretion and know where the red line is.
Moreover, given his understanding of Reinhardt and his core team’s capabilities, if they really did it, there would be no need to conceal it at this ti; instead, they would preemptively warn xico to prepare.
Could it really be a coincidence? The old lady is aging, with so many recent troubles in the United Kingdom, under great pressure, she could really have succumbed to low blood sugar or so other old ailnt?
But this “coincidence” is too damn tily!
The severity on Casare’s face gradually faded, replaced by a kind of bitter smile.
He coughed, clearing his throat, spoke into the microphone, “Well… alright, I got it. I trust your professionalism. However…” he elongated his tone, “people outside will not believe it’s a coincidence; the British might already be scared to death, thinking we are omnipotent, daring even to touch the Queen.”
Reinhardt also seed to co to a realization over the phone, his voice revealing a hint of awareness: “Then… Pri Minister, our next action?”
Casare took a puff of his cigar, exhaled thick smoke, “Since they are so sure of it, we can’t bear this reputation for nothing; the pressure cannot cease. For the remaining ‘Nails’ on the list, especially those who have recently acted out, providing convenience to the Indians or other anti-xico forces, pick a few with enough significance, using different ‘accidental’ ans, send them on their way. Rember, it should be an ‘accident,’ it should not look like a series of murders, but should let those who need to understand, comprehend.”
“Understood, we will arrange it to resemble traffic accidents, sudden illnesses, laboratory leaks… or, simple street robberies.”
Casare instructed, “Keep it clean. Right now, they are most tense, most likely to overreact, even a slight disturbance can cause them to panic.”
“Loyalty!”
Ending the call, Casare leaned back in the wide chair, casually smoking a cigar, watching the darkening sky outside the window in xico City. The suppressed resentnt from the Belize explosion case has now eased considerably.
The Boss almost lost his life; soone else must pay a hundredfold, a thousandfold price.
This is just the beginning.
…
In the following days, London and indeed the entire United Kingdom’s intelligence and security systems were shrouded in an almost hysterical tension and fear.
Despite the official effort to downplay the Queen’s health condition, insisting it was “mild discomfort, currently recuperating,” the increased palace guards, the sudden reduction in Royal Family mbers’ itineraries, and the frequent visits of the Pri Minister and high governnt officials to Buckingham Palace only intensified external suspicion.
And amidst this highly tense atmosphere, “accidents” occurred one after another.
First, a deputy director from MI6’s Middle East Departnt, while driving to his countryside villa for the weekend, lost control of his vehicle, veered off the road, and crashed into a large tree, resulting in a fatal accident. The on-site investigation indicated traces of deliberate damage to the braking system, but the evidence pointed to an underground gang stealing car parts, whose leader “accidentally” drowned in the Thas River the night before police arrest.
Soon after, a senior official responsible for military intelligence exchange with India at the Departnt of Defense died suddenly in his ho study due to “cardiac arrest.” His private doctor confird his history of heart disease, but the autopsy report showed trace amounts of a hard-to-trace alkaloid in his blood that could induce arrhythmia, source unknown.
On the third day, a security researcher from a renowned think tank closely associated with the Foreign Ministry who frequently criticized xico for “undermining international rules” in dia articles, faced an “intrusion robbery” in his apartnt and was stabbed to death.
The perpetrator “took away” a small amount of cash and an old laptop, leaving no effective evidence at the scene. The police classified it as a random violent cri, but a draft report on “how to more effectively unite Commonwealth countries to curtail xico’s influence” disappeared from the researcher’s computer.
Three deaths in one week, seemingly unrelated, each with a “reasonable” explanation: car accident, illness, robbery.
But in the eyes of the remaining high-ranking officers of MI5, MI6, and the crisis response team at Downing Street, this was certainly no coincidence.
This was a precise elimination.
Targets were directly or indirectly related to policies opposing xico, all died at sensitive monts, and the manner of death carried a deliberately crafted “accidental” nature, mockingly flaunting Britain’s intelligence and security capabilities.
Pressure flowed from all directions.
Internally, there was widespread apprehension, especially among those aware of their potential “target list” inclusion, starting to feign illness and stay away, strengthen private security, and even so attempting to apply for a transfer from sensitive positions.
External allies’ inquiries and concerns also carried a subtle scrutiny and estrangent—no one wanted to beco the next target under surveillance.
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