In a conference room predominantly filled with white faces, Amanda's dark complexion stood out, strikingly conspicuous.
Several ministers who disliked her shot her undisguised looks of disgust, and the Secretary of Defense and two military generals also wore grim expressions. Amanda was the mastiff they had raised, and now that the mastiff had grown, it was biting its owners.
President Joel Nash was the first to applaud, warmly welcoming Amanda's arrival. Following his lead, scattered applause echoed through the conference room.
It was clear that among the more than twenty high-ranking officials present, few were happy to see her.
Amanda, however, remained unfazed. After exchanging a few pleasantries, she took a seat at the end of the conference table.
Joel Nash cleared his throat and said in a deep voice,
"The main purpose of today's meeting is the alien abduction case."
"This matter is very serious. It not only concerns the personal safety of everyone present but also involves national security, and even the entire Earth. We will never allow species from other star systems to disregard U.S. laws and commit atrocities on our soil."
"You have all seen the original plan. If you have any thoughts, please bring them up. If not, after the meeting, you will need to fully cooperate with Amanda's work and, according to the predetermined plan, apprehend the aliens as soon as possible."
As soon as his words fell, FBI Director Jack Harvey immediately stood up and pointed his gaze directly at Amanda at the end of the table, "Ms. Waller, to my knowledge, you have an extraordinary personal relationship with former Vice President Dick Cheney. Before Floyd Russell, you were the de facto controller of A.R.G.U.S. You obtained that alien corpse, didn't you?"
Amanda replied, "Director Harvey, I need to correct a few of your statements: First, Mr. Cheney and I only had a working relationship, no personal dealings. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been kicked out while he was in a hospital bed.
Second, A.R.G.U.S. was established by me. It is by no means a private armed force; it is a special organization approved by the White House, playing a huge role and making immense sacrifices in combating super-powered individuals, aliens, and supernatural events. This is all written in the plan, which you have all seen, so I don't need to explain it. As for the alien corpse…"
Amanda smiled helplessly and retorted, "Are we supposed to publicize the fact that the U.S. obtained an alien corpse, tell the intelligence agencies of China and Russia that we have first-hand information on aliens? So they can hurry up and steal it?"
Jack Harvey sneered, "So you concealed the information and only told the Vice President." As he spoke, he gave Joel Nash a subtle look, his expression self-explanatory.
Joel Nash wasn't angry; instead, he said, "Amanda's actions at the time were not wrong. Her direct superior was Dick Cheney, so of course, she had to report to Dick Cheney when something happened. Was she supposed to report to everyone present? The problem lies with Dick Cheney; he was the one who concealed the information about the aliens from us."
Amanda cast a grateful glance at the President, who continued,
"Are there any other questions?"
Attorney General Marshall Warren stood up and bluntly stated, "How do you explain what happened later? The attack on the A.R.G.U.S. base, the annihilation of the Fourth Mechanized Infantry Division, which then led to the abduction of the U.S. Vice President from his residence—these were all caused by your concealment."
The Secretary of Defense snorted, his face very displeased.
The Fourth Mechanized Infantry Division, just like that, was crippled. The thought of it was heartbreaking; that was an army ace unit!
Damn A.R.G.U.S.!
Damn Dick Cheney!
Marshall's purpose in bringing up old grievances was to escalate the conflict, and she clearly succeeded. A single sentence made the military extremely uncomfortable; if the military was upset, the plan would naturally not pass.
Amanda was not a god and could not control others' thoughts, but she had her own way of handling things.
"Director Harvey, Mr. Warren, I want to ask a question: Do you truly understand the nature of the existence we are facing?"
"Clearly, you have no idea, but I do.
I've dealt with them and even clashed with them. They are an intelligent species from outer space, not Middle Eastern terrorists who only ride camels. Their technological level far surpasses ours, by hundreds, even thousands of years.
They can invade our computer systems without leaving any trace, monitor our daily lives, obtain all the information we want to conceal, and even manipulate nuclear missiles."
"Just like this meeting, who can guarantee that it won't be monitored by them? Even if we knew it was monitored, who would have the ability to find them? And former Vice President Dick Cheney, he was taken from his own home, and the Secret Service could not take any countermeasures. Do you honestly think that with the FBI, CIA, and special forces outside, our lives can be guaranteed?
Don't dream; it's impossible. The red-skinned aliens' abilities far exceed our imagination. When he comes, no one can escape."
After her speech, the conference room fell into an eerie silence.
Amanda's words hit everyone where it hurt.
Those present at the meeting were all powerful figures, adept at threatening others and loathing being threatened.
Now, a knife was at their throats, and they were helpless. They didn't even know who wielded the knife. This feeling was agonizing just to think about.
Joel Nash observed the changes in everyone and couldn't help but give Amanda a thumbs-up. She truly lived up to her reputation as the founder of A.R.G.U.S.; she certainly had a way with things.
Seeing that no one spoke, CIA Director Ted Lambert expressed his opinion, "The alien matter can be handled by a joint task force formed by the FBI, CIA, and the Department of Defense. I do not agree to hand it over to someone who has an unclear relationship with aliens; that would only cause greater trouble."
Joint task force?
Joel sneered inwardly, but his expression remained unchanged,
"That's a good suggestion. Three departments working together will surely be able to deal with the aliens. However, there are a few questions I'd like to clarify: Who will be in charge of the joint task force? How will personnel be allocated? How will responsibilities be divided? Which department will bear responsibility if something goes wrong? Since it involves three major departments, we must consider it carefully. It would be best to prepare a detailed plan. Have you prepared one?"
Everyone subconsciously looked at Ted Lambert, who sullenly closed his eyes: Why are you looking at me? I just made a suggestion; I didn't say I wanted to be responsible.
Joel turned his gaze to FBI Director Jack Harvey and the Secretary of Defense, both of whom remained silent.
What joint task force? Bullshit!
Seeing this, Joel immediately laughed, laughing very happily. In all his years as president, he had never felt so triumphant as he did today. You all act so arrogant, but now you're cowering like dogs. Useless things, only daring to show off in the Middle East. When it comes to aliens, you're all cowards.
While mocking them furiously in his mind, his gaze towards Amanda grew increasingly benevolent. This woman was simply his lucky star.
"Ms. Waller, regarding the action plan, is there anything else you need? Please state it now."
Amanda stood up, pressed her hands on the table, and said with unusual firmness,
"I assure everyone that within seven days, I will resolve the alien situation. If I fail, I will take full responsibility."
"Well said."
Joel clapped lightly, his gaze sweeping across everyone in the room. "The plan is hereby set. Within seven days, you must fully cooperate with Amanda's work. If anyone, or any department, dares to disobey orders, I will invoke presidential privilege on the grounds of endangering national security and send those disruptive individuals, along with their superiors, to Arkham Asylum."
"I am the President of the United States, and I have that right."
Everyone: "…"
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