Ultimate Firepower
Chapter 566 - 544: True and False

Chapter 566: Chapter 544: True and False

Panetta stood waiting just outside the White House gate.

It wasn’t as if Panetta could just waltz in and demand to see the President, but at this critical moment, he was ready to die trying inside the White House if that’s what it took.

There were always ways to come up with a legitimate excuse.

"Joelson will go in as my assistant. As for who else comes in, that’s up to you to decide!"

Gao Yi couldn’t help but feel a newfound respect for Panetta at this moment.

Ruthless. Decisive. When Panetta realized that Gao Yi was his only option, he was truly willing to risk it all. He wasn’t even bringing any of his trusted inner circle, putting his life and everything else entirely in Gao Yi’s hands.

After finishing his words, Panetta pulled out his phone and, staring intently at Gao Yi with a grave expression, said, "I’ll call the President now, claiming I need to report a critical emergency face-to-face. The excuse? Someone has infiltrated the White House intending to carry out an assassination."

Gao Yi nodded lightly in agreement.

In a low voice, Panetta continued, "If we win, Wei Feng is the assassin. If we lose, we’re the assassins. There’s no third possibility."

Gao Yi exhaled slowly. "Alright."

Suddenly, Panetta placed a firm hand on Gao Yi’s shoulder, his voice deep and resolute. "The good news is, we won’t lose. I’ve never lost, and neither have you. So, we won’t lose!"

"Good!"

It was evident that Panetta already had a plan set in his mind.

Removing his hand from Gao Yi’s shoulder, Panetta spoke with unwavering confidence, "If all I wanted was to stop Wei Feng from meeting the President, I could just call the Special Service Bureau now and tell them that a CIA traitor, Wei Feng, is attempting to assassinate the President. But to truly eliminate this threat, I’ve decided to go in first."

With that, Panetta made the call. When the line connected, he spoke with remarkable speed, "This is Panetta, Director of the CIA. I need to inform President sir of a critically urgent matter in person. Please relay my request to the President immediately. There’s no time—I’m waiting just outside the White House. Thank you."

Hanging up the call, Panetta gave Gao Yi a slight nod, saying, "Just leave all the weapons behind."

Yuri let out a soft sigh, pulled out his gun, and tossed it onto the back seat of the car. Then there was a remote control, followed by a piece of C4, already rigged with a detonator.

Without hesitation, Gao Yi also threw the hammer tucked at his waist into the back seat.

Dani handed over his shotgun, while Lucy withdrew her dual pistols.

Gao Yi frowned. "You two don’t have to..."

Xinfeng murmured, "At this point, if we don’t follow through, it would be a monumental regret in our lives."

Lucy replied without hesitation, "If you’re going to die, I won’t know what to do anymore. Forget the rest, I’m definitely coming."

Gao Yi remained silent for a moment and then reluctantly said, "You could’ve worded that more delicately. Forget it, let’s all go then, alright?"

Bringing everyone in meant that either they’d all die if they failed, or they’d all be exposed even if they succeeded.

No matter how one looked at it, there was no beneficial outcome.

Yet Yuri smiled calmly and said, "Let’s all go. It’s better this way."

Gao Yi didn’t even bother responding.

About five minutes later, Panetta received a call. Answering it, he spoke in a low voice, "Thank you. Please send someone to escort me in."

After hanging up, Panetta exhaled slowly. Without so much as a glance at Gao Yi and the others, he turned and muttered softly, "The sole objective is to eliminate him. We don’t need him alive, and we can’t let the Special Service Bureau take him alive either."

Wei Feng had to die. No matter what, he had to be taken out—even if it meant striking inside the White House, even if bringing him down caused unimaginable fallout.

Gao Yi, naturally, understood the stakes. He muttered, "Understood."

With Panetta leading the way, Gao Yi and his group followed in force behind him.

At the entrance, the security checks began. While Panetta’s high rank exempted him from a personal search, hidden X-rays scanned him head to toe, while explosive trace detection systems secretly screened everyone.

The issue was obvious: Gao Yi’s group had just been through a firefight. Inevitably, traces of gunpowder residue lingered on their clothes, which sensitive molecular sniffers could easily detect.

And then there was Yuri, who had been fidgeting with C4. No swab test was necessary—just walking through the security lane would betray them.

The simplest solution was to come clean and submit to manual searches.

"They’ve discharged firearms and handled C4. It’s a special unit, under emergency conditions—please understand."

That was Panetta’s explanation as he gestured toward Yuri and the others, adding with unusual politeness, "Were there similar anomalies with any previous entrants?"

Those carrying out the checks were from the Special Service Bureau. Panetta’s question was wasted—they wouldn’t disclose such details to him.

Gao Yi received an extremely thorough pat-down. Yuri practically had to strip for his examination. But with Panetta’s backing and the justification of an emergency, their entry was eventually permitted, thanks also to the Special Service Bureau liaison’s endorsement.

Without Panetta staking his reputation and life, they wouldn’t have even cleared this first hurdle.

However, the searches took an exorbitant amount of time—twenty whole minutes.

Throughout, Panetta waited patiently for Gao Yi’s group to finish.

The White House was massive.

The President might meet business leaders in one area while meeting Panetta elsewhere, but Panetta didn’t want that.

After passing through security, the official responsible for the President’s safety under the Special Service Bureau finally showed up.

"You mentioned an urgent matter relating to the President’s safety. Can you now tell me what’s going on?"

The head of the Special Service Bureau wasn’t present, but the personnel protecting the President obviously had privileges.

Panetta immediately responded, "Apologies, but I can only report this directly to the President. However, I can reveal a small bit: Someone in today’s meeting with the President might be..."

Panetta feigned reluctance and helplessness as he said, "A traitor."

"A traitor? What kind of traitor?"

"A CIA traitor. Don’t you know what happened in Langley earlier today?"

The Special Service Bureau official looked startled. He replied in a low voice, "I thought that was what you were here to report. But now, are you saying the President is facing an immediate and significant threat?"

Panetta nodded emphatically. Then, pointing at Gao Yi and the others, he said in a low tone, "They’re familiar with the traitor. I brought them here to ensure the traitor isn’t hiding among the entourage of any of the business leaders. I’m sure you’ll quickly identify the most likely suspect, but hold your action for now. We don’t yet..."

A lie mixed with a grain of truth is the hardest to guard against.

The Special Service Bureau officials had no patience for Panetta to finish.

"Code Six, emergency situation, Code Six. Relocate the President to a secure location immediately."

Events could be postponed or canceled altogether, but the Special Service Bureau would never take risks with the President’s safety.

Not even the slightest gamble.

Panetta watched as the Special Service Bureau agents issued orders, pausing the President’s meetings as a result. Only then did he press on further, saying, "To fully neutralize the threat, please keep this confidential for now. Don’t announce that the events are postponed or canceled. Also, have my people join the entourage groups."

Once the President was no longer in immediate danger, Panetta could push for his next steps.

The Special Service Bureau agents hesitated, appearing torn, when Panetta added urgently, "You can consult the President and let him decide. But as of now, bringing my people in is your best option. Also, add more gunmen—if my people identify the target, then he’s yours."

Everyone entering was thoroughly vetted for weapons — the Special Service Bureau had full faith in that.

Thus, Panetta’s requests seemed perfectly reasonable, aligning with the Bureau’s interests.

"Alright, then you..."

"I’ll meet the President personally."

Up to this point, everything was unfolding exactly as Panetta had planned.

Not because he was smarter or more capable than Wei Feng, but because he had more authority—plain and simple.

Wei Feng could orchestrate a masterful conspiracy, but he’d never have access to Panetta’s privileges. This was an insurmountable disadvantage for Wei Feng.

For Panetta—and especially for Gao Yi—this was the ultimate advantage.

At least a dozen professional bodyguards from the Special Service Bureau were summoned. These men acted as escorts, monitors, and even jailers as they began to guide Gao Yi’s group through the White House.

For Gao Yi, the task ahead was as excruciatingly difficult as it was deceptively simple.

All he had to do was identify Wei Feng and take him out. That much was straightforward.

But executing that within the tight surveillance of the Special Service Bureau? That was incredibly hard—and perilous.

At this stage, words were useless.

Gao Yi and Panetta parted ways. Panetta had the qualifications to meet the President. Gao Yi, naturally, didn’t.

The White House often hosted large-scale events, though today’s gathering was relatively small. Still, there were designated areas for qualified dignitaries and separate spaces for their accompanying staff.

Gao Yi’s group was brought to a modestly furnished room, meant primarily as a lounge for bodyguards, drivers, and assistants awaiting their bosses.

The room was spacious enough to hold over a hundred people, though at present, only about forty individuals were scattered in small groups across the space.

The challenge now was how to identify Wei Feng among these people.

Gao Yi scanned the room, but he didn’t notice anyone who seemed unusually nervous or panicked.

It was at this moment that Xinfeng spoke up, "We need a closer inspection. Spread out. Approach them individually and observe carefully. And stay on high alert."

The worst-case scenario was Wei Feng openly revealing himself, screaming for help on purpose.

But an even greater concern arose when one of the Special Service Bureau agents coldly stated, "We’ll handle this ourselves. Stay put. No one moves."

Under such restrictions, how could they quickly pinpoint Wei Feng?

Gao Yi glanced at Yuri. Yuri responded with a faint smile and a slight nod.

Yuri had a plan.