Ultimate Firepower
Chapter 365 - 348 Turn Him Against

Chapter 365: Chapter 348 Turn Him Against

Tanks could not possibly be demolished by hammers; they were obviously damaged by anti-tank mines. In fact, a more accurate description is that the tanks themselves did not explode; only the mines did.

However, everyone thought the tank was destroyed by a hammer because that’s how it appeared. Moreover, even if the final explosion was caused by a mine, one could still say the tank was hammered into pieces.

Panetta spoke with firm conviction.

No one understood how to fight tanks better than the President did.

The President asked seriously, "Wow, how did you manage that?"

It was a difficult question to answer because he shouldn’t have been asking it in the first place.

Given the current situation, there was really nothing Panetta could substantiate, especially since he couldn’t show he was well-acquainted with the target the CIA was attacking.

Moreover, Panetta wasn’t very familiar with Gao Yi. After all, their interaction had only been through a few phone calls, and most of what he knew about Gao Yi actually came from Joelson’s mouth.

Panetta knew that Gao Yi could offer him a lot of money, helping him deal with Freedom Wind and, in doing so, strike at his competitor in front of him, Mason. Beyond that, he hadn’t really delved deeper.

But Gao Yi always managed to surprise people; he never let his people struggle.

Just as Panetta was unsure how to respond, Gao Yi made another appearance.

This time, the President pointed at the screen and declared, "He’s out again."

Yes, Gao Yi was back, and after blasting a tank with a hammer, he captured another tank.

Watching the tank move and fire at their own armored vehicles, Mason still stood, but he seemed deflated, like a balloon losing air. Of course, it was his morale that had dwindled, not his physical presence.

Freedom Wind was a familiar and commonly used force by the White House. Watching the situation turn unfavorable, the President finally lost his patience and became furious.

"Where is Freedom Wind? Is this Freedom Wind’s plan?"

After waving his hand at the screen several times, the President angrily said, "Sky Garden is just a small assassin organization. Freedom Wind deployed amphibious assault ships and used tanks, but now, like this, just like this?"

He didn’t elaborate on what exactly, but the British were defeated, and a tank was destroyed and another stolen right under the President’s watch.

Trying to maintain a good image only exposed vulnerabilities, and then someone fiercely kicked them.

Mason could no longer hide his emotions. He glanced at Panetta and said bitterly, "I suspect there has been a leak!"

Panetta scoffed, too disdainful to even rebuke.

The President waved his small hand and demanded, "I ask you, where is Freedom Wind! If this is Freedom Wind’s plan, then ask them, now that the situation has turned into this, what measures do they have?"

Mason whispered, "We will ultimately be victorious!"

The President suddenly turned to Mason, because not only was he not foolish, he was actually quite smart. After asking the same question twice, Mason fooled him with a slogan-like answer.

The President slowly said, "So, you’re saying the operation has failed, is that it?"

Mason felt helpless, he whispered, "Wei Feng is in the UK, he facilitated the deployment of British troops. Burning Wind is in the Iraqi camps, organizing and commanding the tank and armored vehicles, Mr. President... We still have two tanks and more armored vehicles. The operation isn’t over, nor has it failed, as long as the military can arrive in time to bomb..."

The president waved his hand and said, "You told me that we could resolve this easily without the military’s involvement. You repeatedly promised that with enough authority and support, we wouldn’t need the military’s cooperation. Now, you’re telling me that we ultimately need the military’s planes to bomb to solve the problem."

After he finished speaking, the president took a deep breath, looking puzzled, he said, "Then why not let the military bomb directly?"

Mason was at a loss for words; he hesitated for a moment and said, "But the military... but if we bomb directly, we lose the chance to capture the target alive, uh, this is not actually a military operation, this is a... based on accurate intelligence... then... targeted..."

Mason was trying to come up with suitable words to form a response that was faultless but meaningless. Clearly, he did not have a contingency plan because he had not anticipated the operation’s failure, so he became hesitant.

The president, though arrogant, had the good trait of being pragmatic, meaning he wouldn’t be distracted by Mason’s pointless gibberish.

Before, the Freedom Wind was used because it was effective, but now finding out that the Freedom Wind couldn’t even handle a minor Sky Garden meant that the Freedom Wind was no good, and being no good meant it was useless. That is how pragmatic people think.

The president shook his head and said, "So you’re saying the CIA is incapable, that this kind of thing still requires the military."

Panetta stepped forward and said very sternly, "It’s not that the CIA is incapable, but rather the person carrying out the task is incapable, Mr. President."

If Panetta didn’t speak up now, then he would be incompetent.

Now Panetta was defending the dignity of the CIA, not contesting Mason for power, so timing was crucial.

The president looked at Panetta.

Panetta said very seriously, "In fact, Sky Garden has not caused any substantial harm to the United States. On the contrary, Sky Garden has close ties with Saudi and a very close personal relationship with Prince Shaman, as well as good relations with the French. Why kill such a valuable person? Wouldn’t it be better to win him over?"

Mason suddenly turned to Panetta and said, "What nonsense are you spouting!"

The president turned to Panetta and said, "Oh?"

Panetta continued, "Freedom Wind has consumed a lot of resources, yet what does Sky Garden have? However, Sky Garden still defeated Freedom Wind. I don’t understand it, but I’m thinking, what would be the outcome if the same task were assigned to Sky Garden instead of Freedom Wind?"

Mason said in a harsh tone, "Shut up! You traitor to the CIA!"

Panetta said nothing, but the president coldly glanced at Mason and said, "You shut up, speak again and you’re out!"

The president kept Mason there, but keeping Mason only seemed like a public execution because Mason couldn’t speak and could only watch as Panetta distorted the truth.

Panetta said coolly, "I believe a person’s identity is not important, nor is their nationality. Ability is what’s important. If this person’s abilities can be utilized by us, then they are useful, a good choice. Mr. President, why not try to win over Sky Garden? Why not try to turn him?"

For a pragmatic person like the president, what was wrong with Panetta’s proposal?

The president thought for about three seconds, then nodded and said, "It’s a worthwhile strategy to consider. A guy who can blow up tanks, if we can turn him, I would like to meet him. I’m very interested."

Panetta smiled and said, "I can try to make contact with him, and if we can turn him..."

Mason couldn’t help but say, "He has very close ties with the KGB. Many Russians helped him this time, even many from the KGB!"

The president frowned again, but Panetta immediately said, "Don’t just say he’s related to the KGB, even if he is KGB, wouldn’t turning a KGB agent be more valuable than turning an assassin? Mr. President, what do you think?"

"No one understands the value of a double agent better than I do!"

Having said that, the president then pointed at Panetta and said, "Turn him! Report back to me on any progress. I want to meet him!"