Chapter 251
"Arasaka... Shinobi..."
He turned his head weakly, behind him flashing thermo-optical camouflage. Before he could finish speaking, there was a 'whoosh' sound, and a silenced implosion warhead pierced his skull, the special agent's head exploding.
At this moment, "There's even a Secret Service agent hidden here with only a Bio-Components implanted. Miss Song Zhaomei, just how much does our President Rosalind Miles distrust his beloved general?"
Tap, tap, and another figure in flashing thermo-optical camouflage stepped out.
In his hand, he was holding a severed head.
A head without any signs of cybernetic modification.
"Ah, President Miles is immoral, so I choose to surrender to Ms. Vera Adelheid Arasaka Russell."
Song Zhaomei walked over and took the Mimetic Shroud and the thermo-optical camouflage cloak with the Arasaka logo that the Arasaka ninja handed over.
"Song Zhaomei! Traitor..."
Seeing that their last resort had been eliminated, the FIA agent team leader's voice carried a hint of despair, "President Miles has treated you well..."
"Yes, it's not thin."
Song Zhaomei seemed to be feeling sentimental as she took off her clothes, revealing her Transformer-like body, "But I've also repaid my debt of gratitude."
After applying Mimetic Shroud and donning a thermo-optical camouflage cloak, she finally looked at the FIA agent team leader before her, her eyes flashing with crimson data streams.
The FIA agent team leader felt everything go black before his eyes, and his consciousness faded into stillness.
At the same time, at the White House.
Miles received devastating news from Santa Fe.
Phew, I was supposed to write something when I got back on the third day of the Lunar New Year, but my computer was stuck and wouldn't load, repeatedly restarting from the logo screen. Not many shops are open these days, so I spent half the day at home troubleshooting and finally got it fixed after downloading a system reinstallation program at an internet cafe.
Chapter 246 Miles' Ultimatum.
Rosalind Miles received the message just after returning from her treatment at Camp David.
Even in old age, though one may still appear quite young thanks to cyber technology, careful maintenance of the body is essential if one wants to live as long as Saburo Arasaka and be able to properly handle the challenges from the vigorous Vera.
Furthermore, the presidency of the New America president is no easy position to hold.
Especially in the last few years since the mid-1970s—most of the gains of the Unification War (Metal War in Washington's parlance) have been lost, and Arasaka, with his slogans of revival and revenge, is advancing step by step from the Arasaka, while political enemies, who loudly proclaim the White Mansion's incompetence, are launching attacks from the inside...
It was truly a case of "a storm is brewing."
And now, the old hasn't gone and the new has come.
It is foreseeable that once news of the "defection of the President's Favorite" in Santa Fe spreads, new pretexts will soon be added to the list of accusations made by political enemies within the Militech sector on Capitol Hill.
"Song Zhaomei ..."
His mood was like a rollercoaster ride. After reading the first urgent report, "Decapitation strike by the Arasaka unit," Miles stood solemnly for a long time, his face gloomy, after reading the second urgent report, "The Lark Defects."
"Lark, what a broken-cage bird... You hunt geese all day, only to have your eyes pecked out by them. So be it... So Mi, I underestimated you. You threw yourself into the game, risking your life for survival, giving it your all. My momentary carelessness inadvertently allowed you to 'leave without saying goodbye.' But, heh heh—"
"Arasaka, is he so easy to deal with?"
Thump! Tap, tap.
Miles slammed his PDA onto the rug on the Resolute Desk, his steps heavy as he walked to the floor-to-ceiling window of the Oval Office, his eyes fixed on the oak, fir, pine, ivy, magnolia, and other trees adorning the South Lawn of the White House.
To be precise, they are bionic pigeons and man-made birds that adorn the area, circling, flying high, chirping, and perching on branches according to a predetermined program, used to create an illusion of peace and tranquility.
The pet bird flew away...
Putting aside the negative emotions that arose from this incident, Miles saw the lark as a little bird that had flown away from this vast artificial grassland.
It seems like they've gained freedom and chosen a better place to live, but it's just like flying from one cage to another.
As for what kind of person Arasaka, that's a well-worn topic, so let's leave that aside for now.
As the leader of both the biggest victim and the rival force on her path to rise, Vera knew all too well what kind of person she was—a neo-militarist who believed in cold-blooded glory.
Song Zhaomei wants to get rid of the past? Bullshit, don't even think about it!
Her identity is that of a weapon.
Judging from his own experience, Miles didn't think Vera would abandon him.
As for whether the lark's situation will be better or worse after arriving at her 'new home,' by how much, or how long, she is not involved and will not comment, but she will never let the traitor get away with it!
"The freedom you want is never a word that belongs to weapons and tools."
Miles muttered, his tone laced with sarcasm.
"Have Lazarus's men arrived yet?"
Taking a deep breath and quickly adjusting her mindset, she asked again. Without moving her seat, she merely tilted her head slightly to look at the Assistant Deputy Director of DI, who was in charge of the Federal Intelligence Agency and had been sitting stiffly on the sofa in the office since coming to report.
"The vanguard has already engaged the enemy."
The assistant deputy director immediately replied, "It has been confirmed that the attackers were Arasaka's Special Rapid Response Unit. Our people have detected signs of a large-scale movement of the Barghest along the border between New Mexico and Arizona."
"In addition, during the street fighting, our troops also discovered figures that appeared to be members of the Arasaka Ninja Clan."
"Madam President, the recovery operation is extremely difficult. Aside from external factors, Lark was one of the bureau's... former top hackers. His hacking capabilities and the secrets he possessed made our employees' operations extremely difficult."
After speaking, he paused for a moment, his voice carrying a hint of barely concealed tension, "The Lark has most likely been secretly moved out of Santa Fe City by Arasaka."
"Whispering sound!"
Miles' fingers rested on the long table in front of the three French windows, his fingertips turning slightly white.
It was no surprise.
This is the danger of traitors; otherwise, it wouldn't be said that the strongest fortresses often collapse from within.
Miles knew that the Federal Intelligence Agency couldn't be blamed for this, since she herself had just been on the phone with the other party to build rapport.
Without hindsight, Song Zhaomei's betrayal was completely unexpected. She was more familiar with the various information and weaknesses within the organization, and with Arasaka's sneak attack and support, even if she forced the FIA director to his death, she would not be able to change Santa Fe's disadvantageous situation in a short time.
How frustrating!
Miles laughed angrily, "Then cut off Arasaka's outstretched claws—"
Before the words were finished, there was a knock on the door.
"Come in!"
With a creak, the Baroque-style classical door was pushed open, and the White House Chief of Staff and another Assistant Deputy Director of the Federal Intelligence Agency walked in one after the other.
Upon seeing the latter, the person who had been sitting on pins and needles in the room immediately showed an expression of relief, as if they had finally found company while being punished.
Hey bro, you're here too! If only eyes could communicate.
The visitor forced a smile that looked more like a grimace. "Your Excellency, it's over Federal Intelligence Agency's intelligence network on the West Coast is almost completely destroyed. Arasaka had been planning this for a long time, but the evacuation order came too late."
"That damned, leaky bitch, Lark, has already shared all the FIA intelligence and even Militech information from the White House Side that she knew within her authority with Arasaka. As soon as our people made a move, they were almost simultaneously attacked by Arasaka and the western separatist rebel forces!"
The air in the office seemed to freeze instantly.
Miles put his hand to his forehead, looking momentarily dazed.
It's impossible to hide it any longer.
Her wishful thinking vanished, and her worst fears came true...
In fact, when the first urgent message came back that Song Zhaomei's meeting with the Voodoo Boys had been attacked by the Arasaka Unit in a decapitation strike, she was keenly aware of the risks and immediately ordered the Assistant Deputy Director of NCS was in charge of the National Covert Operations Division of the Federal Intelligence Agency (which includes sections for Foreign Intelligence and Covert Operations), to urgently adjust the intelligence network.
This was to prevent the leakage of intelligence caused by Song Zhaomei's capture, the network storage, and the capture of her brain tissue by Arasaka.
Unfortunately, no matter how much you guard against it, it's hard to guard against a traitor within your own ranks. The second urgent intelligence report followed immediately: the lark had defected!
Agents from the FIA's Santa Fe branch received orders to provide support, only to find their own operators' biosignals going offline en masse! They arrived at the last minute but were hacked by Lark's "Black Wall" protocol data, while Arasaka remained completely unaffected, even subtly coordinating with the frequency of the Puppet Virus attacks!
At that moment, Miles's composure began to crumble.
It took years of cultivating inner strength to suppress the pressure and tell myself that it was still not too late to cut my losses, thus relieving the inner stress.
But self-deception is eventually exposed by reality, and the things you least want to happen are the things that happen.
Fuck!
This news acted like a catalyst, instantly igniting all the murderous intent in Miles' heart.
She had already foreseen the impeachment proceedings that would inevitably unfold on Capitol Hill in the near future.
"Tell Lazarus!"
Miles seemed unable to contain his anger any longer. "Convention on Excessive Firepower Limits, and forget about the spirit of the Second Arvin Accord! Fight! Fight big! Cut off Arasaka's claws!"
Undeniably, it is not advisable to retaliate in anger, but it should be noted that Miles has already adopted a strategy of showing weakness and making concessions.
As the leader, one cannot always compromise; one must act decisively when necessary!
She is also a former soldier and has served as the CEO of Militech for many years. Her supporters are all Great Americanist, and she must not back down!
The previous act of feigning weakness to deceive the enemy can be seen as a strategic necessity, and it did have an effect, so there was nothing wrong with it. However, it is important to know that too much of a good thing can be bad, and one should be careful not to actually become a pig and be seen as genuinely weak by one's own people.
Now, the chain reaction triggered by the defection of her "favorite" Song Zhaomei has cornered her. Miles must show a tough stance to give voters and supporters confidence in order to offset the negative impact of this incident and prolong her political life.
Even a wartime president...
"The order is to be issued immediately."
The Assistant Deputy Director of DI hesitated, but the words caught in his throat. "Yes, Madam President!"
Because all he saw on the president's face was calmness and calculated resolve.
Annoyed? Actually, not much.
The Chief of Staff nodded in acknowledgment. "So, Your Excellency, will you be attending to the media's speculations and interview requests regarding the Santa Fe incident...?"
"Let the press office handle it."
"Yes."
Turning around, Miles lightly touched the communication screen on the resolute table.
"Convene a meeting in half an hour with all senior advisors, staff, the Secretary of Defense, members of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Mr. Lucas Hartford of Militech. The New America is facing unprecedented challenges."
A brief response came from the other end. "Yes, Madam President."
"Call."
She exhaled a breath of stale air and waved her hand, "Let's do our best to minimize the losses."
He gestured to the two assistant deputy directors that they could go and get back to work.
"Yes!" ×2.
The two quickly left the Oval Office.
Miles plopped down, rubbed his temples, and it took a while for his brows to relax.
Damn it, Song Zhaomei's defection at this time has put her in a very passive position.
She had no time left.
"This time... we cannot back down."
She whispered to herself, picked up the coffee beside her, and gulped it down. Then, as if remembering something, she lightly traced her finger across the holographic projection on the sturdy table, switching to television mode and bringing up the news.
Switching channels, from News Channel 54 to WNS News: WNS News is having an exclusive interview with Vera.
"Snort..."
Upon seeing the beautiful woman on TV, Miles sneered, "She's quick on her feet."
"... Of course."
A panoramic surround sound, a cool and clear voice, exuding confidence.
"Isn't abandoning darkness for light enough to explain the problem? If we insist on assigning blame for the recent incident in Santa Fe, the answer is self-evident."
"Poaching talent? That's utter nonsense."
"I admit that the internal competition within Arasaka is brutal, but certain forces should look for the reasons within themselves. They should first ask themselves whether they have changed and whether they have treated their employees well. There is a reason why Arasaka was named the company with the best compensation in North America in 2077."