The Final Chance to Respond

Although he desperately wanted to Hell all the scientific advisors who claimed that "among so many green glowing stones, there must be one that is Earth's Kryptonite," John Garrett ultimately had to bear the bitter consequences of his reckless actions alone.

Compared to John Garrett's already frail and sickly body, the most obvious consequence of this radiation incident was the amputation of his left hand, which had previously been holding uranium directly.

The young agent, Kaminsky, approached with the medical report, his expression unreadable. John Garrett asked directly, "How bad is the situation?"

"There's two pieces of good news, no bad news."

"Enough with the nonsense, just get to the point!"

Kaminsky recalled the doctor's words and, considering the contents of the examination report, carefully chose his words: "The first piece of good news is that your condition was already quite bad, and the rejection of the Deathlok Project implants is entirely controlled by medication."

"However, the rejection phenomenon caused by high-dose radiation pollution is actually slowed down due to the proliferation of cancer cells. But this does not mean that your organs have returned to normal function; it is only slightly better than before."

"The main difference is that your treatment focus has shifted from preventing organ failure to fighting cancer. From a difficulty standpoint, this has made things much easier for those doctors."

John Garrett cursed, "So now I have to thank that damn nuclear radiation? Does that mean I can just go to that damn Three Mile Island and come out healthy?!"

"I didn't say that." Kaminsky wasn't exactly gloating, but he also showed no excessive sympathy or sadness.

"Fuck! What's the other news?"

"Regarding the enriched uranium recovery," Kaminsky explained, handing over a report. "Because target Henry Brown used a submachine gun in the movie theater, the theater staff called the police."

"In the end, the police concluded that the Uzi submachine gun that scared you away was actually a movie prop that only made sounds; it had no lethal power and could not be modified into a lethal weapon. So, after issuing a warning and a ticket, they let you go."

Several ores, including enriched uranium, were collected in lead boxes and disposed of by the nuclear, biological, and chemical (NBC) reprocessing unit that arrived later.

All you have to do is submit a report, endure a few scoldings, and you can send that troublesome thing back to its original unit. That's good news, isn't it?"

"Don't eat that damn pickled radish!" John Garrett cursed incessantly. He wasn't satisfied with just English, so he resorted to other languages, using every swear word he had ever learned in his life.

When John Garrett's throat was parched from cursing, he instinctively reached for the water glass on the table with his closest, amputated left hand.

This phantom limb illusion naturally resulted in him grabbing nothing. After cursing again, he switched to his right hand to hold the water.

His right hand was poised to draw his gun, which is why he wasn't gripping the stones. This habit, ironically, saved his right hand from harm.

Watching the man who had secretly recruited him catch his breath after his tirade, Kaminsky seized the opportunity to interject, asking, "Do we have any follow-up plans for dealing with that alien?"

John Garrett's spy mind immediately kicked in, saying, "Besides the twenty-three we pulled out of Russia, I remember there were five more. What's their whereabouts now?"

"In fact, we now have only one survivor. The four targets who did not leave Russia, including the two imprisoned in Siberia prisons, have all been assassinated. Nikolai Semyonov, who works for Oscorp in the United States, is the last one alive."

"Walter! All four targets are dead? When did this happen?"

"Because the incident occurred within Russia, the news was delayed, so we only received the information a few days ago. Considering the timeline, it happened before the first accident involving the people we brought out."

"So, before taking action against this group arriving in the United States, he's going to eliminate his people in Russia first? By assassination? That's so direct?"

Kaminsky stated, "Both died from gunshot wounds, PSM Pocket Pistol, the standard issue weapon for the KGB. Both died suddenly, with no external injuries. Autopsies revealed severe heart damage, clearly indicating unnatural deaths."

"This is a method I've never seen before. Do you still think he did it himself? Or did he have an accomplice? With the money in his account and his connections with Continental Hotel, finding a skilled hitman to handle these things shouldn't be difficult, right?"

"Could those twelve Russia who died in accidents have been the work of the rumored assassin, the mechanic? I've heard he's a master at disguising assassinations as accidents, leaving no trace."

John Garrett shook his head and said, "First, let me correct you on one point. 'Mechanic' doesn't refer to a single person, but rather to anyone skilled in assassinating using this method; that's the general term."

"But they weren't always foolproof; occasionally, someone would slip up and get caught. What they had in common was that killing someone using this method cost a lot, never less than a million."

"But the Deadman aren't important anymore; what matters is the one who's still alive. Also, where did the information for the four who died come from? Does the remaining survivor know?"

Kaminsky keenly noticed the crux of the matter and asked, "Do we have a mole?"

This was an answer that was hard to believe. After considering all aspects, John Garrett ruled out the possibility of a traitor, saying, "It's unlikely; he has no way of contacting our people."

"Moreover, the information we have, the Continental Hotel certainly has a way of obtaining as well. We haven't deliberately concealed this information. As long as he's willing to pay the price, it won't be difficult for him to get it from the Continental Hotel."

This assessment was reasonable, and it reassured Kaminsky somewhat. He asked, "So, what's our next step?"

"Yes, schedule a meeting with Norman Osborn, the chairman of Oscorp. We need him to help us set a trap for our clients."

Kaminsky asked curiously, "Would that businessman agree?"

"What If...? you know Norman Osborn, you'll know he's the kind of bastard who would agree to this. What If...? he doesn't want his employees, assets belonging to his company, to be killed so easily, cooperating with us is the best option."

"Okay, schedule a meeting with Norman Osborn. Anything else to tell me?"

"Yes! Cyber Technology is my top priority to prepare a mechanical prosthetic hand. Once it's made, they'll send someone to New York to install it for me."

Kaminsky stopped taking notes and said, "I have to tell you, the people at Cyber Technology are quite unhappy with the way you've directed them."

"I sent twenty-three researchers over there before, but before they could prove their worth, some died and others ran away. Now I'm asking them to order prosthetics. Do I need to use some tricks to make them obedient?"

John Garrett said dismissively, "Go do what you think is necessary."