Ultimate Firepower
Chapter 557 - 536: Threshold

Chapter 557: Chapter 536: Threshold

The CIA headquarters is massive, and its office areas are equally extensive, with different departments divided into numerous zones. Right now, Gao Yi and his team are heading to the administrative division.

The most critical point is that the CIA Director’s office is located in this building.

Gao Yi followed Fisher into a large office section.

This area was filled with numerous screens, and inside the spacious surveillance room, at least seven or eight people were working. Most of them wore security uniforms.

When Gao Yi and his team entered the surveillance room, under the astonished gazes of the security personnel, Fisher clapped his hands and said loudly, "Everyone, come here for a moment. Put down your work and gather around me. Quickly, thank you, hurry up."

There were eight people total—two in plain clothes and six in security uniforms. One by one, they approached Fisher with expressions of curiosity and suspicion.

"You are... Fisher!"

A man in a suit exclaimed in surprise as he recognized Fisher, while Fisher glanced at him and replied simply, "Yes."

The other man in a suit was equally shocked and asked, "How did you get in here?"

Both men in suits clearly knew Fisher, but it was evident that the latter was actually Fisher’s acquaintance or friend, as his face was filled with concern, as though he knew Fisher’s presence here wasn’t good news.

Fisher pointed at his badge and said flatly, "I received authorization and am here to handle a case under orders. Now, I need all of you to leave immediately and gather in the break room to wait. Let me remind you, I don’t have time to confiscate your communication devices right now, but if any of you tries to contact the outside world, you’ll become suspects. I hope you understand what that implies. Supervise each other—don’t become the next mole under intense investigation."

This group stared at one another but had no intention of resisting or arguing.

Fisher didn’t confiscate their phones, nor did he require them to turn off their walkie-talkies. By ordering them to supervise one another, he ensured no one dared to contact the outside world.

After all, being a suspected mole under intense investigation was something no one could afford to endure.

After saying this, Fisher pointed at one of the men in a suit and said, "You stay to assist with the investigation. The rest of you, please leave. Thank you."

Fisher seemed polite, but his evident confidence and authority were hard to conceal.

He was like someone who appeared despondent yet confidently ordered others around—it created a slight sense of incongruity, though it wasn’t completely out of place.

After everyone else had left, the man in the suit hesitated slightly before speaking quietly, "Fisher, you, what’s going on here?"

Fisher turned and pointed at the suited man beside him, saying, "Henry, my friend."

Henry looked at Gao Yi, who nodded affirmatively and said, "Since we’re all on the same side, let’s get to work quickly."

Henry was still bewildered, but Fisher immediately said, "We’re here to track down a traitor who intends to harm the Director. He may have secretly infiltrated the headquarters tonight. Check if there are any unusual personnel entry records in your system."

Henry exhaled deeply, hesitated, and asked Fisher, "Seriously?"

No one else dared to pose this question, but Henry, familiar with Fisher, couldn’t help but ask.

If Fisher were bluffing or fabricating authority, Henry would be the first to suffer the consequences.

"I won’t harm you."

Fisher responded matter-of-factly, and Henry chose to believe him. He nodded and said softly, "Alright, this way."

Henry sat down in front of a computer. After a brief moment of hesitation, he asked, "Do you have an approximate timeframe? What exactly constitutes unusual activity?"

"Start from midnight tonight. We don’t know what identity or appearance the mole is using to infiltrate the headquarters, so you decide the criteria for the screening."

Henry thought for a moment and said, "I’ll start by sorting the entry records—not the exit records, just the entries."

He began typing commands into the computer, and the entry records from the building’s access system rapidly displayed names and photos.

"From midnight to now, 223 people have entered. That number seems normal, but it’s impossible to automatically screen this; I’ll need to use my own judgment to analyze them."

Though Henry’s explanation sounded straightforward, Gao Yi couldn’t help but ask, "The CIA headquarters employs thousands. How can you discern who’s genuinely working overtime versus who isn’t? Can you really keep track of all this?"

"I can’t remember every detail, but obviously suspicious individuals can be identified quickly. Broad criteria make the task harder; more precise conditions would make it easier."

As Henry spoke, he continued scrolling rapidly through the system’s logs using the keyboard.

Suddenly, Henry stopped and pointed at one of the photos. "This person works in the Inspection Office. He has no need for late-night overtime..."

Checking the entry logs, Henry clicked his mouse a few times and directed his gaze toward one of the surveillance monitors displaying the footage of this individual entering the headquarters through the main entrance.

The footage was in high definition, capturing the entry with remarkable clarity.

Gao Yi and Fisher studied the footage, while Xinfeng glanced over and remarked in a low voice, "It probably isn’t him; the guy is too short."

Panetta had access to Wei Feng’s basic information. Although Wei Feng excelled at disguises, height was difficult to fake, allowing them to make quick preliminary judgments based on this attribute.

Henry ignored Xinfeng and tilted his head slightly in thought before calmly saying, "If we’re screening for suspects who’ve disguised themselves, this individual poses no problem."

Gao Yi pressed again, "Can you realistically recall everyone’s faces and distinguish fact from fake?"

Henry cast a glance at Fisher, who shrugged and gestured toward Gao Yi’s badge, saying, "I’m just an executor; this guy is the leader."

Henry immediately replied, "I can’t remember everyone, but I can recall at least 80% of the people who frequently enter and exit the headquarters."

Gao Yi inhaled sharply, while Yuri leaned toward him and whispered in almost imperceptible Russian, "Don’t act surprised. It’s not that big a deal—many people can do this. You need that level of talent to be the CIA’s chief of security."

After saying this, Yuri shifted his head to one side and patted Gao Yi’s back.

It was a subtle signal: don’t show weakness or seem inexperienced.

Since entering this circle of the world’s elite, Gao Yi had realized that most people he encountered were exceptional talents.

The rare geniuses he once thought were extraordinary now appeared to be the minimum standard in this circle he was increasingly familiar with. To be a "genius" just meant they’d earned the privilege to meet him—perhaps that was the essence of it all.

Gao Yi nodded and praised Henry, "Well done. Keep going."

Henry found the compliment a bit odd. If it had come from his superior, he might have felt pleased; if it came from the Director, he’d be ecstatic. Yet, receiving such recognition from an unknown outsider made him feel strangely uncomfortable.

Fisher added, "Thank you for your praise—appreciate the recognition of Henry’s professional abilities."

Fisher was subtly reminding Henry that this young Asian man carried authority. His compliment mattered, and Henry needed to gauge the situation and align himself appropriately.

Henry, neither foolish nor stubborn, promptly thanked Gao Yi, "Thank you."

Then he continued screening.

As he scrolled through a long list of names, Henry paused suddenly, falling into deep thought.

He tilted his head, neither speaking nor moving for about ten seconds, before suddenly exclaiming, "This guy seems off."

Instead of pointing at the current entry, Henry quickly started typing commands, pulling up a detailed ID photo. Simultaneously, surveillance footage of the individual entering the headquarters appeared on screen.

The person entered through the main entrance at 2:02 a.m., walking confidently and energetically into the CIA headquarters.

"This individual’s height range seems..."

Xinfeng began speaking but was abruptly interrupted by Henry, who snapped, "Shut up!"

Xinfeng immediately fell silent.

Henry studied the footage carefully, rewinding it to the moment the individual entered the surveillance zone and began walking toward the facial recognition scanner.

The facial recognition succeeded without issue, and the individual passed through the entry’s basic access system without pausing.

"Normal gait, normal appearance, but this individual shouldn’t be arriving at 2 a.m...."

Henry murmured a few self-reflective phrases before quickly switching video feeds. Soon, footage showed the person stopping at the second identity authentication checkpoint, removing his glasses and placing his eyes near the iris scanner before entering another door.

Everything appeared normal—until Henry slowed the footage to a frame-by-frame playback of the moment when the individual took off his glasses.

After replaying the slow-motion clip, Henry suddenly exclaimed, "This is it! This guy is highly nearsighted, but the glasses he’s wearing are plain glass—they’re decorative, not prescription lenses!"

The second anomaly had been identified. Truly impressive.

Fisher carefully examined the footage and nodded, "Correct. The thickness of the lenses isn’t sufficient, nor do they exhibit the unique light refraction circles of prescription glasses. This is indeed a pair of plain glasses. He’s wearing highly realistic iris-patterned contact lenses."

"The individual is George Rave, an Executive Assistant in the Intelligence Bureau’s Management and Analysis Office. His photo is here. He works on the fourth floor in the Intelligence Bureau office area. I’ll find out where he is now."

Henry spoke rapidly, and a high-definition photo of George Rave promptly appeared on the screen. With swift and successive actions, several video feeds were retrieved, until Henry anxiously stated, "Fourth floor! Intelligence Bureau office, Management and Analysis Office, Second Intelligence Room! He went in and hasn’t come out!"

Gao Yi immediately asked, "Shall we go?"

"Not yet."

Fisher raised his hand in a stopping gesture and addressed Gao Yi, "Don’t rush. It can’t just be one person; it’s impossible for a single individual. They won’t be operating alone tonight. Henry, keep going. Check on the tall guy who entered from the logistics entrance—see if he’s normal."

Having found an anomalous individual, Gao Yi was no longer impatient. He nodded and said, "Yes, keep searching. Identify every suspicious person."