Afternoon Tea at the Strategic Operations Department: Death Is a Business, and Presentation Matters!

Vought International Strategic Operations Department.

There are no gloomy corridors or interrogation rooms here.

The air was filled with the rich aroma of coffee.

The department's elites sat together around a long obsidian conference table.

There were no mountains of documents in front of them, only exquisite bone china plates laden with macarons, lemon tarts, and opera cakes.

Victoria Hand, deputy head of the Strategic Operations Department, is cutting a small piece of lemon tart with a tiny silver fork.

She was wearing a well-tailored gray business suit today.

"Alright, everyone."

She put the dessert in her mouth and savored it, then gently wiped her mouth with a napkin.

"Let's have afternoon tea and discuss the asset liquidation list for the next quarter."

At the end of the conference table, a wall silently lit up, transforming into a display screen.

The first target appeared on the screen.

A dark-skinned, obese Africa man.

His detailed information is below the photo.

[Target: Joseph Kalombe ]

[Identity: Leader of the " Iron Fist of God " anti-government armed group in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, warlord]

[Crimes: Controlling diamond mines, Carnage civilians, using child scouts]

[Threat Level: C (Regional)]

A young analyst adjusted his glasses.

"General Kalombe recently reached a mining agreement with our competitor, Lemaire Industries. This has impacted our rare earth supply chain in the region."

We have three preliminary plans.

He pointed a laser pointer at the screen.

Option A: Precision drone strikes. The advantages are high efficiency and directness. The disadvantage is the significant impact, which could easily trigger international controversy and require substantial post-incident public relations resources for narrative correction.

"Option B: Support his deputy to launch a coup. The advantages are low cost and seamless asset transfer. The disadvantages are a long timeframe and high uncertainty. Our assessment of his deputy's loyalty and ability suggests only a 65% success rate."

Option C: Unexpected.

The analyst gave a professional smile.

"Our intelligence agents have infiltrated his private medical team. Kalombe suffers from severe heart disease and high blood pressure. We can use a specially formulated drug to induce a natural heart attack during his next public speech."

"Clean, untraceable, and highly dramatic. It perfectly creates the public impression that 'a dictator dies from his own tyranny and debauchery.'"

Victoria Hand picked up her coffee cup and took a small sip.

" Lecter would like option C."

"It's settled then. Have the intelligence department prepare the prescription. I want to see General Kalombe's obituary on the cover of next month's Time magazine."

"Yes."

The images on the screen are changing.

The second objective has emerged.

An Eastern Europe man wearing a custom-made suit and with his hair slicked back.

He was standing on the deck of a luxury yacht, holding a glass of champagne.

[Target: Ivan Petrov ]

[Identity: Russia energy oligarch]

[Crimes: Suspected money laundering, covertly funding anti -Vought political groups]

[Threat Level: B- (Economic/Political Infiltration)]

" Petrov is a tough case."

Another senior planning officer, wearing a vest, spoke up.

"He never appears in public, his bodyguards are all former KGB elites, and they also possess some special abilities. His yacht, the Siberia Queen, is also equipped with a military-grade anti-missile system."

"Our men have tried several times, but they can't get close."

"Then don't come any closer."

Victoria put down her coffee cup and started poking at the remaining cake on her plate with her fork.

What are his weaknesses?

"His daughter."

The planner replied.

Anna Petrov majored in art history at Columbia University. Petrov flies to New York to see her once a month.

"Too slow."

Victoria shook her head.

"That..."

Where is his chef?

Victoria suddenly asked.

"Chef?"

The planning officer paused for a moment before pulling up the data.

"A Michelin three-star chef, France named Julien Petrov, was poached from Paris for a hefty sum. We checked his background; it's clean."

"No one is clean."

Victoria responded.

"He has a younger brother who owes a large sum of money to the mafia in Marseille due to gambling. I think our France branch would be happy to help him pay off this debt."

In return, Mr. Julien only needs to be slightly distracted the next time he cooks Petrov's favorite pufferfish.

A soft laugh rippled through the conference room.

"An energy oligarch died in an accident while enjoying fine dining. That's fair."

"A very... ironic ending."

"I see."

The planner was taking notes rapidly on his tablet.

"I will contact the Paris authorities and have them visit Mr. Julien's brother."

Victoria nodded in satisfaction.

She picked up the last macaron and put it in her mouth.

The image on the screen changes for the third time.

This time, a superhero wearing a blue and yellow bodysuit appeared.

He was muscular and struck a powerful pose.

[Target: Quake Fist ]

[Status: B-rank hero under Vought, based in Detroit ]

[Ability: Creates localized Quake with fists]

[Risk Assessment: Level S (Risk of Internal Loss of Control)]

The atmosphere in the meeting room subtly shifted.

But that wasn't solemn.

Rather... boredom.

"It's one of our own again."

Someone muttered something under their breath.

" Quake Fist's mental state has been very unstable lately."

The young analyst who started it all spoke up.

"Last month, while handling a bank robbery in Detroit, he ruptured half a block of underground pipes in his attempt to stop the robbers' truck, causing an additional $30 million in damage."

"The public relations department complained for a long time."

"Furthermore, according to a report from the Internal Security and Risk Control Department, he repeatedly questioned Clock Tower's command on internal communication channels and even had a verbal altercation with Mr. Gin."

Victoria Hand frowned slightly.

What about his commercial value?

"It's plummeting."

The planning officer then spoke.

"His figurine sales have dropped by 60%. Because of his aggressive style, no major brands are willing to have him as their spokesperson."

"A hero with no commercial value and who is also disobedient..."

Victoria's voice turned cold.

"It's a negative asset."

The entire conference room fell silent.

Everyone knows what it means when the term "negative equity" comes out of Victoria's mouth.

"Proceed according to Contingency Plan 7-B."

Victoria issued the final order.

" Contingency Plan 7-B?"

The young analyst was somewhat puzzled.

" The A Hero's End."

The senior planning officer explained to him in a low voice.

"We'll orchestrate an unavoidable disaster, such as a crazed supervillain trying to detonate the city's chemical plant."

" The Quake Fist was the first to arrive at the scene."

"He will fight bravely, evacuate civilians, and finally, at the most crucial moment, perish together with the villain to prevent an ecological catastrophe that will affect hundreds of thousands of people."

He will die like a true hero.

The planning officer had a sickly excitement on his face.

"His death will be the most touching news of the year, and we will hold a grand funeral for him. We will establish a foundation in his name to help the families of the chemical plant workers he saved."

"His figurines will sell out, and the rights to his movies will be snapped up. His brand value will experience its final, and most glorious, explosion after his death."

The young analyst was stunned.

He looked at the exquisite opera cake on the plate and suddenly felt nauseous.

Victoria Hand stood up and straightened her skirt.

"Great. It's settled then."

Meeting adjourned.

She walked to the door, then seemed to remember something and turned back to say to her assistant.

"Oh, by the way, for next week's meeting, order extra lemon tarts from today."

" Lecter will be pleased when he returns from his business trip."