The International Department is still short-staffed. As soon as the Most Wanted Squad left Africa, Mike Taylor's field team, under the International Department, headed from South America to Europe.
Jack and his team at least spent a few days in Africa, but they were truly on the go, never returning home from one case to the next.
(This paragraph ends here.)
The story begins with a certain Audi R8. This bulletproof supercar was originally owned by a certain "99 New" terrorist, but Jack had recently caught him and his car red-handed.
The modified Hellcat assigned to him by the New York office had just been destroyed in a cemetery encounter, so this Audi R8, also bulletproof, naturally came into Jack's possession.
As for the original owner of this sports car, he is still imprisoned in a high-security federal prison near New York.
Zhang Mingjun was a military defector from North Smida, but after arriving in the "free world," he remained restless, roaming Southeast Asia and other regions engaged in arms trafficking. Rumors circulated that he also operated a substantial drug operation in South Smida.
Taking advantage of the easing of relations between the two countries, and even the possibility of establishing diplomatic ties, North Smida requested his extradition.
Such a man was of little use to the Americans, but they could fetch a good price, so they readily agreed.
The extradition route involved first sending him from the United States to South Smida, and then, as usual, overland transport along the 38th parallel.
The most wanted criminals team, with previous experience handling cases in South Smida, was naturally drafted in, primarily responsible for security and the final handover within South Smida.
It sounded like the job would be easier this time, especially since the Bombardier, as Rossi had promised, had completed its renovations ahead of schedule and arrived in New York from Canada.
Therefore, this mission to Seoul, also marking the maiden flight of the Most Wanted Unit's private jet, generated a certain amount of anticipation.
After leaving Dana Moger's office, Jack and Aubrey, who had accompanied him to the Federal Building, went straight downstairs to the New York International Department and received the mission letter from the new International Director, Jon Michaels.
Perhaps because it was a secret diplomatic mission, the letter had a high level of confidentiality and could not be taken outside the office. The two took note of the entire escort process and route before departing.
The new International Director, still wearing a sour face, didn't even stand to see them off.
"Did you ever offend that guy?" Jack couldn't help but ask as he entered the elevator.
Aubrey reflected earnestly for three seconds. "I swear I've never met him."
Then, realizing what was happening, he asked, "Why must I have offended him?"
"Of course, it's because I'm so popular in this building," Jack said matter-of-factly. Just then, the elevator doors opened, and two female civilian agents, one black and one white, working at the operations center, entered and greeted him warmly.
As the elevator descended, people came and went, and nearly every agent, male or female, greeted Jack with a friendly greeting, including a black janitor.
Even the most introverted person in the IT department, the one who kept her head down the entire time, wouldn't dare look straight ahead. As they exited the elevator, they would raise their hands to greet him.
Actions spoke louder than words. When the elevator reached the underground garage, Aubrey felt his face nearly frozen from smiling.
"It's just like Pavlov's reflex. Almost everyone here has tasted your delicious food. Seeing you is like the unconditioned stimulus those poor dogs get when they hear the whistle before their meal."
Aubrey tried to explain the scene theoretically.
"So, are you coming home for dinner tonight? I've marinated a few pounds of excellent French lamb chops and I'm going to open two bottles of red wine we brought back from Tanzania."
"Woof!"
—
A blue diamond called the "Heart of the Ocean" became world-famous thanks to the movie "Titanic." Its prototype was the deep blue "Hope" diamond, weighing 45.52 carats.
Of course, such a rare gem couldn't be used as a movie prop, but using glass seemed a bit too unrefined. So, sponsor Tiffany & Co. offered a replacement, a new gemstone that had only become popular in the 1960s and 1970s. The
"Heart of the Ocean" featured in the film is made from a single piece of beautiful tanzanite, discovered in the Arusha region, at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro, where the Most Wanted team had previously been stationed.
Tanzanite isn't particularly expensive, but gem-quality pieces start at around $300 to $400 per carat. However, as a calcium-aluminum silicate mineral, it can easily reach over ten or even dozens of carats.
As always, having come all this way, they couldn't return empty-handed. While they knew stones weren't enough to make a living, the men still bought quite a few of these beautiful, if useless, items.
Jack and Aubrey, two wealthy individuals, spent the most on these items, but their spending strategies differed: one focused on quantity, the other on size.
Aubrey naturally bought it for Alice, a massive gemstone weighing over 20 carats. Even if purchased locally, it would have cost him tens of thousands of dollars. Hannah even wondered if he was planning a proposal.
Jack chose smaller gemstones under 10 carats, but they were still quite large for a gemstone. If it weren't for the slightly lower hardness of tanzanite compared to sapphire, its color alone would have been far more visually appealing.
The exact number of gemstones Jack purchased was top secret, and Hannah was probably the only person who knew, as she had chosen the largest. After returning to New York, the gems were sent to an Irish jeweler she knew for his meticulous craftsmanship.
After finishing these trivial matters, the International Department received notice that the secret diplomatic team from North Simida had arrived.
The saying "no matter how small, no matter how small, matters in diplomacy" is universally acknowledged. While the Americans never took small countries like North Simida seriously, their status was crucial. Having once suffered a beating from the University of Tokyo on their territory, they still held a certain level of respect.
Three days later, a two-person team from North Simida arrived in New York from Washington to pick someone up. Seeing one of the faces, nearly half as handsome as Jack, his guard was instantly raised.
(End of this chapter)