Ultimate Firepower
Chapter 309 - 295 Incompetent People

Chapter 309: Chapter 295 Incompetent People

Joelson returned to the United States, his first stop being DC; after disembarking from the plane, he was directly taken to the Walter Reed Medical Center.

The Walter Reed Medical Center, formerly known as the United States Navy Medical Center, merged with the United States Army Medical Center in 2011 to form the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, which falls under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Defense.

In other words, this hospital is managed by the Pentagon.

The CIA headquarters is in Lanli and has its own hospital. Although it can’t compare with the Walter Reed Medical Center in terms of size and capabilities, sending Joelson there clearly wasn’t for medical reasons.

After being taken to the hospital, Joelson’s blood was drawn, and he underwent a thorough and meticulous examination; they nearly redid the entire surgery, and they almost did.

Then the entire medical team left Joelson’s room and went to an office to report their findings to the CIA personnel in charge.

"The blood test results are in; everything is normal, the drug components are normal; based on my experience, the lead surgeon conducted the anesthesia and surgery without a professional anesthesiologist, the blood picture is elevated, there are signs of infection, and from the drug residues in the patient’s body, he didn’t receive adequate and effective antibiotics."

An elderly doctor quickly concluded after reviewing the blood test report, and then he politely said as he put down the report, "If there are no other questions, I’ll leave now; I have other patients waiting."

One doctor hurriedly left, then the next one began.

"I examined the patient’s entire body; his surgery was a success, the environment was unclean, there were signs of infection in the wound, there’s no need to reopen the wound for exploration, judging by the stitching technique, the lead surgeon graduated from Cambridge University Clinical Medical College; at least one-third of the outstanding surgeons in the UK adopt the same stitching technique."

An elderly doctor pointed to a photo on the table, then continued, "In the United States, there are few doctors who use the same technique; Dr. Jen Wilson from JPMorgan Chase Hospital graduated from Cambridge University Clinical Medical College, mentored by Professor Ryan Wallerenz. I have observed his surgeries and am very sure of this."

The CIA personnel picked up the photo, a long incision with centipede-like stitches, one end had a drain, the incision was slightly red and swollen, signs of mild inflammation.

But with this stitching looking no different from any other, how could one tell it was the technique of a particular medical college, even a specific doctor?

"How can you tell? Are there any distinct features in the incision?"

"Features? It’s quite obvious; the spacing of the stitches, the technique, the angle of insertion, the gauge of the suture needle, the suture size, and even the way the threads are secured after stitching—everything evidences that this is Cam’s technique, a beautiful incision, a magnificent suture, clearly the work of a master from a prestigious institution who is an experienced surgeon."

A famous surgeon from Walter Reed Medical Center, to him everything was so clear; however, to a spy dealing with intelligence, this incision still bore no distinctive features.

Since the decision was made to consult a specialist, it was best to heed the specialist’s advice.

"Alright, the technique of a British physician..."

"Not just any British physician, Cambridge University Clinical Medical College! Cam! Not Oxford University Medical School, not London University Medical College, not Imperial College School of Medicine, but Cambridge University Clinical Medical College!"

"Alright, Cambridge University Clinical Medical College, doctor, under what conditions do you think this surgery was performed? Let me simplify my question; was it a standard procedure or one performed in a battlefield environment?"

"Hasty, tense, lacking sufficient sanitary conditions, lacking medications and medical equipment; I can clearly see that during the surgery, the doctor had to enlarge the wound to locate all bleeding points. In short, whenever they were uncertain whether a position needed cutting or stitching, they treated as necessary. Do you understand?"

"I understand, life-saving first, without considering medical harm."

"Yes, based on my many years of experience in handling gunshot surgeries, this is a typical battlefield-hospital technique."

"I understand, thank you."

The surgeon turned and left, leaving only the CIA personnel in the conference room.

Looking at the photo of the incision, the CIA agent suddenly said, "British doctors in Tripoli? Oh no, doctors graduated from Cambridge University Clinical Medical College."

"There should be."

"Don’t say should, I need certainty."

"Yes, sir, I’ll confirm."

One person left, holding the photo, while another sighed, "Tripoli news, a carpet factory was found with surgical traces, the blood collected belongs to Joelson, which means Joelson received aid from Khalid’s arm, and then Khalid’s arm took him away, providing him medical assistance a second time in a suburban house, where they found French medical devices and drug packages."

Silence ensued until someone whispered, "British doctors, French drugs."

"It doesn’t matter, who did Khalid’s arm intend to send Joelson to? Besides, the bodies of the killed members of Khalid’s arm were found with instantaneously detonating bombs, very powerful, meaning, once they were exposed, they’d immediately detonate the bombs and blow Joelson up into pieces."

Silence fell again.

After a while, someone said, "I think it’s impossible that Khalid’s arm intended to send Joelson back to us, Libyans are rough and direct, they wouldn’t do such a thing."

"There’s also the Sky Garden."

"The Intelligence Bureau has studied the truck driver for a long time. The psychological profile of the truck driver is as follows: he is extremely confident, such confidence leads to recklessness; his actions are direct, simple, and crude. This man acts without considering the consequences; he never thinks about his way out."

"Now the truck driver has received support from the Saudi National Intelligence Agency, as well as assistance from the Directorate-General for External Security."

"It’s precisely because the truck driver has the support of the Saudi National Intelligence Agency and the Directorate-General for External Security that we can be sure this rescue of Joelson wasn’t orchestrated by them. The reason is simple: the Saudis simply do not have that kind of strategic thinking ability; the French—what would they want with Joelson?"

This was a team meeting where members were sharing their opinions, the current consensus, however, was in Joelson’s favor.

The team leader spoke in a somber tone, "Is Joelson awake?"

"Awake, fully alert. We have been observing his reactions during the checks, and so far, nothing unusual."

"We intentionally displayed distrust towards him and prevented him from meeting Crawford. Joelson seemed very angry, but not panicked, everything is normal."

The team leader stood up and said, "Let’s go see him."

The group left the borrowed conference room and rapidly moved to Joelson’s ward.

Joelson was very tired and weak, and after the five people filed in, he displayed frustration and helplessness.

The team leader stepped forward, stood at the head of Joelson’s bed, and said seriously, "You know your situation, right?"

"I know."

Joelson replied weakly, then closed his eyes, and said softly, "Are you going to torture me so soon, without even waiting for me to recover a bit more?"

"Time is tight, and the pressure is high on everyone. Let me be straightforward now: what exactly is going on between you and Henry? Think carefully before answering."

Joelson opened his eyes, then with a helpless expression, he said, "What else is there to say? I have no personal grudge against him, just a competitive relationship. It’s just that he has no backing, whereas I still hope to be called back to headquarters. Libya is just my stepping stone, but his end station, so do I need to compete with him for anything?"

"Henry is dead, but you are still alive."

Joelson looked at the completely unfamiliar team leader, and said, "I almost died, too. Now, being alive is worse than dead because if being alive makes me a suspect, at least being dead would spare me suffering. You know better than I the techniques used on suspects."

No one spoke until the team leader once again said, "Who was Khaled’s arm planning to hand you over to?"

"I don’t know. I was unconscious for a long time; I woke up briefly during transport, but then passed out again."

Joelson answered the question impatiently, but soon added, "However, I can tell you that it’s always been Turkiye funding Khaled’s arm. Check Turkiye’s intelligence network in Libya, there might be surprises."

"Turkiye, got it."

The team leader looked at his watch, then said softly, "You’re well-acquainted with Tripoli; now, do you have any suggestions for our work in Tripoli?"

"Khaled’s arm isn’t a threat; easy to completely resolve. The real threat... I dare to say it; do you dare to listen? Do you dare to record?"

Joelson looked mockingly and challengingly at the team leader interrogating him.

The team leader said sternly, "Speak!"

"There is a mole. If I had known this mission would nearly get me killed, I sure as hell wouldn’t have undertaken it armed only with a pistol trying to play the hero!"

Joelson gritted his teeth and said with hatred, "When I was assigned the task, everyone said it was a simple job. I snatched the task from Henry, but what happened? You saw very clearly. I was kidnapped and almost died. If I were the mole, would I expose myself in such a stupid way?"

Taking a breath, Joelson said helplessly, "Henry is dead, and he’s cleared of suspicion, but I didn’t die. I might as well be dead..."

"Don’t be so pessimistic; you’re just incompetent, but you don’t fit the suspicion of being a mole because you’re not qualified."

The team leader’s response was quite blunt and Joelson, upon hearing this, became furious, asserting, "If it were you, under the circumstance of a mole leaking information, could you have done it better than me? Could you?"

Joelson’s rank was too low; he couldn’t possibly be the mole.

The team leader sighed softly and said, "The CIA is filled with incompetent people like you, that’s why they can’t handle a mere truck driver. If you were under my command... heh."

Joelson passed the first test because he was completely worthless and incompetent, not fitting to be a mole.