Ultimate Firepower -
Chapter 555 - 534: Circumvent
Chapter 555: Chapter 534: Circumvent
The plane landed in Washington.
By the time Gao Yi arrived, Panetta had just taken off not long ago, heading to Los Angeles to put out the fire of the CIA’s biggest scandal in history.
What happens next is anyone’s guess, but one thing is certain: Wei Feng is biologically still alive but socially dead.
From the moment Panetta intervened, Wei Feng’s functional death was declared.
What Gao Yi needs to do is ensure Wei Feng leaves for good.
It feels peculiar to have someone hand you a hammer out of nowhere.
Panetta arranged airport pickup, but not Joelson; instead, it was someone Gao Yi had never met before—undoubtedly one of Panetta’s trusted confidants.
The plane landed, but before Gao Yi and his team could disembark, someone had already boarded via the deployed stairs.
A middle-aged man wearing a slightly wrinkled suit that looked like it had just been pulled from a box. His face carried the fatigue of insufficient sleep, reeked of alcohol, and smelled faintly of cigarettes—he resembled a down-and-out, unemployed middle-aged man more than a polished CIA elite, especially one trusted by the Director.
"Hi everyone, good evening—or no, good morning. Which one of you is the Gardener? I’m ordered to meet you."
An opening remark as rare as it gets.
Gao Yi’s group exchanged glances, eventually turning their attention toward Xinfeng.
The disheveled man mistook Xinfeng for Gao Yi, addressing him, "So you’re the Gardener? Here’s your badge."
He didn’t even know Gao Yi was the Gardener or that Gao Yi was Chinese—is this guy really Panetta’s confidant?
Gao Yi quietly pulled out his phone and dialed Panetta.
"I’ve arrived."
"I’m still on the plane."
"I’ve met the person you sent to pick us up, but... is he really reliable?"
"No issues. The situation is somewhat complicated, but Fisher is the best candidate. Let him explain the details to you. Do you have anything else?"
"No, that’s all."
Gao Yi hung up the call, coughed lightly, and addressed the disheveled man in front of him, "What’s your name?"
"Fisher."
Gao Yi shrugged. "I’m the Gardener."
Fisher handed Gao Yi a badge, momentarily stunned before extending the ID badge—chest card—to him.
"This is an external clearance card for entering CIA headquarters. Its level is very high; it grants access to practically any location, elevators, restricted entrances, and guards who see this badge will allow passage."
The badge didn’t have a photo, just "Temporary Clearance" written on it, but it bore Panetta’s signature.
Who knows how the CIA organizes this, but having this badge should be no problem.
Gao Yi turned to Fisher and asked, "What’s up with you?"
The question was vague, but Fisher replied earnestly, "I was sleeping, drank quite a bit, received a call—Director instructed me to pick you up and escort you to Lanli. Uh, I’ve been suspended for almost four years, undergone seven investigations. Basically, if I don’t successfully handle this, I’m headed for prison."
Gao Yi listened as though lost in a dense fog, but Xinfeng suddenly understood, "You’re... you’re... you’re the Executioner of Syria."
Fisher nodded.
Gao Yi turned to Xinfeng. "What’s that supposed to mean?"
"In 2015, a CIA working group in Syria was completely wiped out—seven people, only one survivor, plus an additional 23 casualties, including an accompanying ISIS team conducting an escort and mission."
Xinfeng spoke with noticeable hesitation.
Gao Yi was stunned. "Well, well, you finally admit to supporting ISIS."
Yuri looked at Fisher. "So how is he connected to all this?"
Xinfeng pointed at Fisher. "He was the sole survivor. However, post-event investigations revealed there were no records of combat operations involving Russia in Syria that day. So people suspect he killed his team members."
Fisher nodded. "Correct, I did. But they have no evidence."
Xinfeng couldn’t help but ask, "Why would you do such a thing?"
"Ah, huh, I suppose I suddenly had some sort of humanistic awakening at the time."
Fisher said nonchalantly, then turned to Gao Yi. "The Director mentioned that if I help you resolve this matter, he’d order the investigations against me to be closed, with a ruling of innocence. He also said the Russians could collaborate to forge records of a combat operation in Syria, providing CIA with a fake yet acceptable report. Is that true? Any of you KGB?"
This arrangement, oddly enough, somehow made sense.
Using someone no one would expect—when even "insiders" wouldn’t, the enemy doubly wouldn’t.
Wei Feng could play the long game; Panetta, even more so, and with greater flexibility.
Fisher eyed Yuri and suddenly remarked, "I think you must be KGB. Precisely because you seem least like one—it has to be you."
Fisher handed Yuri a badge. "Do me a favor. I want this over quickly."
Yuri took the badge, smiled, and said, "Alright, I’ll help you."
Panetta certainly deviates from convention.
Gao Yi exhaled deeply. "Alright, what’s the next step? If you’re too well-known, guiding us might be overly conspicuous."
"I’m only responsible for taking you to the headquarters. Once we’re there, specialized technicians will assist in your investigation. Honestly, I don’t know what I’m capable of—maybe just because my RV can accommodate all of you. Let’s head out."
Despite the heavy scent of alcohol clinging to Fisher, he didn’t appear intoxicated.
Gao Yi felt a mix of emotions—up until now, Panetta’s arrangement remained elusive.
It was, fundamentally, strange.
Off the plane, past the runway—they took a few steps and saw an uncommon vehicle model rarely seen at airports.
A colossal RV.
"Get in. It’s also my home. They issued a confinement order, but I don’t own a house, only this RV."
Fisher opened the RV door as a cocktail of alcohol fumes and an indescribable stench wafted out.
Dani suddenly spoke, "I can empathize with your situation, but can an RV substitute housing for confinement orders like this loophole?"
"Ha, it depends on whether you’ve got friends willing to exploit loopholes like this for you. I’ll drive."
Instinctively, Gao Yi pinched his nose as he climbed aboard, quietly muttering, "What’s this smell? Too unbearable."
Initially thinking something inside had rotted, a closer sniff revealed the odor wasn’t decay—it was distinctly different.
Yuri frowned deeply. "You don’t recognize this smell?"
"No. Why should I?"
Gao Yi felt puzzled.
Yuri looked incredulous. "You really don’t know this smell?"
"You guys are acting weird—I don’t see why I should be familiar with any stink."
Dani spoke gravely, "It’s leaf. Haven’t you smelled it before?"
"Oh... oh, now I get it. I genuinely haven’t—uh, maybe just casually on the street, but that was far milder. I didn’t connect the dots immediately."
Already seated, Fisher nodded slightly. "Alright, folks, let’s roll."
Seated in the back, Gao Yi’s group watched as Fisher maneuvered the enormous RV, leaving the airport. Before long, Yuri suddenly spoke, "Now I understand."
"Be direct. Tonight’s bizarre events have stacked up—I don’t want to play guessing games anymore."
Yuri pointed at Fisher, behind the wheel. "He must have an extremely good brother, a vital figure. Bringing him in means pulling this key individual down into all of this. I would guess that’s the case."
Fisher clearly heard Yuri and nonchalantly replied, "Bingo. My best brother—he’s on shift tonight."
Yuri pressed on, "Who is he?"
"Uh, he works in Management—specifically security information systems at headquarters. To put it plainly, he’s a guard."
Panetta, as Director, handpicked someone actively under investigation as Gao Yi’s guide—just to implicate a guard?
Gao Yi didn’t think Panetta had lost his mind; he was simply impressed by how unconventional Panetta’s methods were.
Yuri calmly continued, "Your friend’s rank may not be high, but his role is crucial."
"Exactly. He handles tracking key personnel and is why I can freely drive an RV. To be clear, he accesses movement permissions for everyone at HQ, including crucial points. If you’re investigating someone who shouldn’t be at HQ but slipped in, he’s the fastest to find out."
Gao Yi suddenly understood—this is the perfect example of "county officials can’t beat local stewards."
CIA’s Management Director is typically filled by the Deputy Director simultaneously. It would be a single order from Panetta to the Director, but a minor operative who controls all required data gives autonomy to maneuver privately beyond detectable lines. The operative stays invisible to moles.
Fascinating. The upper echelon tasks the lower rung for indirect, intentional maneuvering—an intriguing tactic.
"How do we contact your friend?"
Fisher scratched his head awkwardly. "Uh, the Director didn’t specify—according to my approach, we drive to HQ, park in the designated areas, bypass the main gate, use entry points utilized by logistics teams. We directly seek my friend—it’s straightforward; with badges like ours, no one suspects nor monitors us."
Gao Yi raised his high-clearance badge. "Won’t flashing such a high-level pass seem suspicious?"
Fisher grinned slyly, "Not a problem. Everything’s perfectly aligned; just right."
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