Jessie, who opened the door after hearing the doorbell, was surprised and delighted to see Jack, but she couldn't help but look dazed when she saw that the person he was holding was her father.
"What are you doing..."
"This might be a bit complicated to explain. Can I take him inside first?" Jack might be a melon-eater, but that didn't mean he wanted to meddle in other people's family affairs.
Whether it was Harry hiding his true occupation from his family or his wife's inability to tolerate loneliness, it was a matter of personal experience, not for him, an outsider, to comment on.
Harry's wife, Helen, had heard the noise and entered the hallway. Although she wore tacky tortoise-shell glasses and had the same old-fashioned perm, she was clearly a woman of good character, having given birth to a beauty like Jessie.
"Oh my God, honey, how did you get so drunk?" Helen looked surprised and tried to take her husband, but Jack stopped her.
"Let me do it, Mrs. Tusk."
While Harry wasn't at his peak form, as "Arnold" had been in his 1980s "Terminator," he should still weigh no less than 220 pounds (100 kilograms).
Jack seemed to be carrying Harry with ease, but that was because his physical fitness had now reached near-human limits. Even lifting Harry in a princess carry was a piece of cake, let alone steadying him.
Helen, knowing her own business, didn't insist. Instead, she went inside and rearranged the cushions on the living room sofa, allowing Jack to place Harry on it.
"Are you Harry's new colleague? Where's Gibson?" Helen frantically poured her husband some water, not forgetting to ask Jack.
"Uh, sort of." Jack glanced at Jessie, who was hesitant to speak, suggesting he'd come back later if he had any questions. "Gibson's out in the car. He's drunk, too. I need to take him home."
He glanced at Harry, whose eyes were closed on the sofa. Unlike an FBI agent, Harry, as a special agent, must have received drug tolerance training. Even if he had been drunk, he should have regained consciousness by now.
Unsure of his intentions, but clearly none of their business, Jack gave the two Tuskers a slight nod and left. Jessie quickly followed him out.
"What the hell is going on? Why are you with my dad?"
Jack was feeling overwhelmed, not knowing how to explain himself when he heard the sound of retching from the side of the car. It turned out to be Gibson who had gotten out of the car at some point and was hugging a roadside tree, emptying his stomach contents.
The two men subconsciously kept their distance from him, but they could hear the middle-aged man, hugging a tree, muttering, "Harry, Harry, believe me, that's just how women are. They can be difficult to get along with
, but you can't kill them. I think you should learn from me and focus on your work.
That's what I do every time a woman breaks my heart. Put your energy into your work, and the wound will slowly heal. Instead of feeling sorry for yourself, find a way to catch those terrorists and beat them up.
The sense of accomplishment will heal you then. Compared to maintaining national security, your wife's infidelity is nothing."
He continued to mutter, and Jack was already urging himself to hold his forehead. Where was the professional agent he'd been promised? Was this what he did after drinking too much?
"Jack, I think you have a lot to explain to me?"
Instead of the expected anger and questioning, Jessie simply crossed her arms, her eyes calmly fixed on Jack, who rubbed his temples vigorously, his head aching.
—The
next day, in the conference room at Omega headquarters.
"The FBI has monitored all communications with Juno Skinner's clients.
The DHS has also notified the ATF and other agencies to closely monitor the remaining members and contacts of Dark Jihad in the country and is investigating recent black market transactions of dangerous chemicals and explosives."
Jack finished explaining the latest developments, only to notice that both men in front of him seemed distracted.
Gibson was clearly hungover, his eyes still a bit glazed over, while Harry was completely distracted, his mind wandering.
Seeing that neither of them was clearly listening, Jack simply launched into a serious rambling.
"I've notified the military to prepare. Once the coordinates of 'Dark Jihad' are determined, a Minuteman-3 intercontinental ballistic missile will be launched immediately, launching a saturation nuclear strike on the target area. Do you have anything else to add?"
"Excellent, let's do it." Harry absentmindedly put away the report on his desk, not even noticing Jack's nonsense.
Gibson, however, suddenly woke up. "Huh? What saturation nuclear strike?"
"Could you please be more professional? We're dealing with extremely dangerous terrorists." Jack resisted the urge to roll his eyes and tapped the table.
"Monitor." Harry, still lost in his own world, repeated the word twice before his eyes lit up. "Yes, monitor. Monitor Helen's phone for me. Her office phone and my home phone. All of them."
"Okay, no, Harry!" Gibson awoke, quickly glancing at the conference room door. Only after confirming it was closed did he breathe a sigh of relief.
"Are you crazy? This is illegal monitoring."
"Come on, don't we do this every day? Plant these numbers, and no one will notice." Harry glared at Gibson, who fell silent.
"So, what are we going to do now?" Jack's headache wasn't the only issue now; he had an appointment with Jess for lunch that afternoon.
"Sorry, this has nothing to do with you, Jack. I hope you can keep it a secret. Consider it another favor I owe you. As for you and Jessie, I won't..."
Harry was interrupted by Jack before he could finish his words. "Shut up. Let me reiterate, Jessie and I aren't what you think. Uh... We are... I mean..."
The other person couldn't help but stutter, feeling somewhat insecure. After all, it's a shame to sleep with someone's daughter and not be responsible.
Scratching his head in frustration, Jack finally leaned back in his chair, frustrated. "Forget it. Catching an adulterer, I mean about your wife. Count me in.
But you have to promise me one thing. Eavesdropping is the limit. I'll help with whatever you plan to do, but it's limited to the three of us."
"Maybe your daughter too," he added silently.
--
"My dad's a spy? He's been hiding his true identity this whole time? He even realized my mom might be cheating?" Jessie covered her mouth, momentarily unsure which shocker was more significant.
Seeing the girl's eyes gradually redden, Jack didn't know how to comfort her and could only explain dryly.
"Anyway, this is basically what happened. Harry is an agent. I can't reveal the details, but he has indeed sacrificed a lot to maintain national security over the years." "
Sorry, I forgot to ask for leave yesterday. I'm suffering from insomnia."
(End of this chapter)