Before noon the next day, Jack received two files from his female supervisor: one on Cynthia Wilkes and the other on her subordinate, William Cooper.
Cynthia's file was relatively simple. After all, she was a department head, so her security clearance level was relatively high. Therefore, aside from her personal information, it was relatively brief.
She was from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and could barely be considered a fellow countryman of the rookie John. She was 38 years old, having jumped from the FBI to the CIA at the age of 31. In less than ten years, she had risen from a regular agent to a supervisor, clearly quite skilled.
Jack raised an eyebrow slightly at this FBI-to-CIA transition; the feud between his female supervisor and this person seemed to be related to this resume.
William Cooper's file was much more detailed. He was 35, a former Navy SEAL who had joined the CIA two years prior as an operations agent, specializing in domestic assassinations and liquidations.
He had a beautiful wife and two lovely children. The file included not only family photos but also his detailed home address.
William Cooper was the man who had attempted to attack Jack with his car. Looking at the photo in his profile, that familiar face rekindled some of Jack's lost memories.
As a child, he'd seen a very cool and pretentious movie called "Ded Dredd." In it, Sylvester Stallone, sporting a striking golden helmet and a sci-fi motorcycle, introduced the young man to cyberpunk.
Years later, an unlucky actor starred in the "Ded Dredd" sequel. While it underperformed at the box office, it remains a classic among cyberpunk enthusiasts.
The actor's misfortune stemmed from the director's irrational insistence that, despite playing the lead role, he remain masked throughout the film, wearing a helmet.
Years later, Jack realized Billy Butcher, the cuckolded man from "The Boys," looked familiar. After researching the actor's information, he was surprised to discover that the two roles were played by the same person.
Feeling that this face seemed surprisingly fitting for such a hapless character, Jack closed the file thoughtfully. Although he couldn't remember the entire plot of "Red," the CIA assassin's final betrayal still left a lasting impression.
As for how Frank had managed this, Jack couldn't recall, but it seemed like a retired CIA agent wouldn't have it hard to take down a new recruit.
Just as he was about to call the bald guy to inquire about their progress, the computer in front of him suddenly beeped, signaling a new email. While the address was a string of gibberish and the content contained only a video file, the signature at the end revealed the sender's identity.
Kenny Rogers, the famous American country singer.
Michael Weston, after being rescued by Jack in Mexico, suffered a neck injury that damaged his vocal cords, leaving him with a hoarse voice. He once jokingly described himself as Kenny Rogers.
Opening the video file, it revealed a drone-captured battle footage. Initially, a helicopter strafed an airport control tower, then the action shifted to a deserted container storage area.
Two elderly men, one bald and the other with skills belying their age, were pursued and intercepted by a group of assassins, engaging in a fierce battle.
The sight of an M203 grenade launcher mauling people, grenades deflected by rifle butts, and a Python revolver versus a rocket—it was truly eye-opening.
Unfortunately, the final, cowboy-like clash was slightly different from what Jack had imagined. Marvin's revolver struck the female assassin, wielding a bazooka, in the forehead.
As she fell, the rocket launched, hurtling towards the drone, turning the final image into a mosaic.
Ultimately, the fundamental laws of physics had been observed, and there was no fantastical scene of a bullet hitting a rocket and detonating it.
After watching the video, Jack couldn't help but smack his lips, a little regretful that he had missed such a thrilling moment.
The phone rang. Jack paused the video by pressing the spacebar, then answered. "Frank, I hear things aren't going well for you there?"
The bald man on the other end of the line was visibly stunned, confused by his words. "What did you hear?"
Jack's tone was thick with sarcasm. "To be precise, I just saw it with my own eyes. You guys made quite a commotion. You and Marvin's skills make me think the CIA's decision to order you to retire was a mistake."
"I made the decision to retire myself," Frank retorted, somewhat unconvinced, before recounting their encounter that morning.
Jack had just watched the CIA's live footage of the subsequent battle, so he had nothing much to say. Before the battle, he and Marvin had located the only surviving pilot on the list.
This pilot, Gabriel Singer, was also a former CIA employee. He confirmed that he had indeed been approached by the New York Times reporter, who had mentioned the Guatemalan operation.
He claimed he hadn't said anything at the time, but after learning from Frank that everyone on the list, including the female reporter who wrote it, had either been silenced or was being hunted, Gabriel Singer immediately revealed everything he knew.
As a pilot, his original mission was different from Frank and Marvin's. It wasn't a finishing job, but rather a late-night pickup.
The man was a CIA agent, also dressed in a suit and sunglasses, who had been flying Gabriel Singer's plane to pick up a soldier from San Bentoni, Guatemala.
However, before Frank and Marvin could get to the bottom of the matter, a pursuit ensued, and the old pilot was killed on the spot. Then, the scene Jack had just witnessed unfolded.
Frank arranged to meet Jack over the phone in Washington, D.C., tonight. "Since you've confirmed the CIA is behind our pursuit, there's only one place to uncover the truth, and to get there, I think we'll need some serious assistance."
At
two in the morning, Jack, disguised as a square-faced, bearded man, appeared outside a white marble building at 2650 Wisconsin Avenue in Washington, D.C.
This place is often called the "White Box," and another name is the Embassy of the Russian Federation.
Although he had some recollection of the plot, he still found it hard to believe that the bald man would ask him, an FBI agent, to accompany him inside.
"You know that surveillance and wiretapping are part of the FBI's daily work here, right? Are you planning to use me as a bargaining chip?"
Jack's claim that he wasn't worried was definitely a lie; after all, it hadn't even been a year since he'd taken down a high-ranking FSB official.
Before Frank could reply, Marvin, whose pink piggy was no longer in his arms, stammered, "I can't go in with him. Last time, I was tangling some wires in a place that wasn't very welcoming to me."
Those wires must have been connected to some kind of volatile chemical, right? Jack couldn't bring himself to complain and turned to look at the bald man.
"Don't worry, if we're all caught, Marvin will contact your teacher David Rossi through Joe Mason to save us."
Frank said, tossing the pistol he had gotten from somewhere to Marvin and reaching out to open the car door.
(End of this chapter)