Well, actually, this Northern Simida native named Lin Zheling wasn't much different in appearance, with a small nose and small eyes. Jack couldn't recall a single drama in his past life where he'd seen the original version of him.
But it was a familiar face, and the name was familiar; he seemed to have heard someone mention it before.
After a long search, Jack finally remembered that he'd heard Lin Yuna—crossed out—Jiang Zhentai's sister-in-law, Park Min-young, mention it before, about a beloved separated by family and national turmoil.
Thinking of Jiang Zhentai's gloomy face back then made Jack want to laugh. Actually, he was quite happy. Although life was tight, at least he had a beautiful, contented wife and a fun sister-in-law.
Of course, most importantly, he had a lovely daughter who hadn't inherited his ugly face at all.
Frankly, the two Simidas of the North and South might be separated by more than half a world, but brothers are brothers, their "big brother, big brother" nature shared.
Facing the FBI agents, Lin Zheling's demeanor reminded Jack of a prosecutor named Kim Jun-ho he'd dealt with in South Korea—a forced arrogance.
Regardless of his previous or current role, Jack could look down on him with a condescending attitude. While he wasn't offended by this attitude, he also lost the desire to initiate conversation.
The two were escorted to the federal prison in a businesslike manner. Jack sat in the monitoring room next to the visiting room, ready to translate for Jubal, who was traveling with him.
The defector, named Zhang Mingjun, had remained silent since his imprisonment. Since Lin Zheling insisted on meeting him first to verify his identity, the FBI naturally wanted to hear what they had to say.
"Are they communicating through telepathy?" Jubal shifted his position impatiently. Five minutes passed in a flash. The two men in the room stared at each other across the table for five minutes, but remained silent.
Finally, Lin Zheling spoke first. "You betrayed the general and the country by becoming a drug dealer. Won't you feel ashamed when you see your former comrades again?"
Ah, it's begun. As expected of a subordinate of the loan shark general, he's already paying his debts.
"Wow, they were once colleagues. Jack, do you think this Zhang Mingjun will be executed by firing squad after being escorted back?" After hearing Jack's instant translation, Jubal finally got into some gossip.
Northern Simida is a mysterious country to the Americans. Although they may not admit it, most Americans with a little history have some resentment towards this place.
"The firing squad was invented by the British. While they are still our rivals, there's no need to underestimate them. Perhaps in their eyes, we are still scalping barbarians," Jack said frankly.
If we really have to rank them, as a whole, the North is at least superior to those rubbish in the South. After all, a feudal dynasty is better than a semi-colony, isn't it?
Zhang Mingjun looked not much different from when he was arrested by Jack a few months ago. He had a small mustache on his lips, and his hair was not too long and almost covered his eyes. His whole temperament was extremely gloomy. There
was a hint of mockery on his face. Lin Zheling's words seemed like a joke to him, and even the man himself was a joke.
"I heard that your woman died in front of you? What did you do at that time? To me, this is something to be ashamed of."
As if he had heard something interesting, Jack sat up straight and waited for the next words.
"What nonsense are you talking about? The criminal who killed Lieutenant Colonel Lin's wife has been brought to justice by him personally." Before Lin Zheling could answer, the middle-aged man who was traveling with him slammed the table.
"Okay, Lieutenant Park, there is no need to explain anything to such a traitor. When he returns to the country, he will be waiting for the just judgment of the people."
Lin Zheling calmly tried to reassure his companions, but from Jack and Jubal's perspective, they could see his hands clenched into fists beneath the table. A
silent standoff ensued. Perhaps guessing someone might be eavesdropping, Lin Zheling had no intention of further communication with Zhang Mingjun.
At that moment, the door to the prison's visiting room was unceremoniously flung open, and Jon Michaels, the head of the International Department, strode into the room with a sullen expression.
"According to the request of your delegation leader, the extradition process will be expedited as much as possible, and your departure time has been moved up to tomorrow morning."
Jack and Jubal, sitting next to each other, exchanged glances and frowned in unison.
"
I don't like operations planned a week or two in advance, only to be suddenly changed at the last minute. It means there's something wrong with the plan itself," Clay said as he carried two heavy weapons crates onto the Sabban.
Aubrey curled his lip and agreed, "To me, that's usually a bad sign."
"Pack enough equipment and ammunition. Bring a few spare communicators and satellite phones, and some unnumbered firearms," Jack said helplessly.
Although he knew this mission wouldn't be easy the moment he saw Lin Zheling's face, the Bombardier was already parked in the hangar at Kennedy Airport. He couldn't refuse the trip to Korea, so he could only make the best preparations possible.
Fortunately, this trip was to Korea. If anything went wrong, they could just forget about appearances and use heavy firepower when necessary.
The modified Bombardier, like the Gulfstream used by the BAU, had been modified with a dedicated weapons bay, and Jack planned to fill it up immediately.
He had previously helped NCIS on vacation in Hawaii, and the Navy, following the example of the Joint Special Operations Command, sent a shipment of special operations equipment and weapons to the Most Wanted team as a token of their gratitude.
Jubal distributed some of the equipment to the SWAT team in the New York office, but the remaining equipment still filled their bays to the brim, just enough to store them on the aircraft.
Alice, laptop in hand, walked into the underground parking lot and whistled as she saw several men sweating profusely at work.
Fearing gun oil and other contaminants from staining their clothes, and with the heater cranked up a bit too high, the men worked in vests. Even Jubal, thanks to Jack's training, had lost his beer belly.
The combination of muscular bodies and vests created a tense atmosphere.
"Hannah and Jiejie just returned from the airport. The hangar security cameras and other equipment have been installed. These are the background checks for the ground mechanic and two pilots.
I've verified they're all government employees with clean records, employed for over ten years, and financially sound."
Alice handed Jack a sheaf of documents tucked under her laptop and asked suspiciously, "Is this really necessary? The last time we were in South Korea, I thought the security there was pretty good."
"Who knows? Their neighbors to the north are pretty crazy. Maybe war will break out the moment we land." Aubrey, like Jubal, and perhaps most Americans, harbored a certain "prejudice" against that closed-off country.
After all, Hollywood blockbusters, often driven by box office motives, rarely openly label the University of Tokyo as a hostile force, making North Simida the perfect scapegoat.
Jack remembers seeing an action movie in his past life. It tells the story of a Northern Smecta army invading the United States, only to be defeated by a few small-town youths through guerrilla warfare. It's quite magical.
This time, I won't write too long about Public Assistance 2, because this is just an introduction to another well-received old movie, which you will never expect.
(End of this chapter)