Mercenary I am the king

Chapter 1116 Adding Fuel to Vincent's Fire

at the same time.

Inside the CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia, thousands of miles away.

The atmosphere in Director Vincent's office plummeted to freezing point.

A newly delivered top-secret intelligence document lay open on his desk, its contents causing his forehead veins to throb.

boom!
Vincent slammed his fist on the expensive mahogany table, making the coffee cups jump.

"Abuyu! That damned opportunist! And that persistent Song Heping! How dare he! He actually dared to take over the entire Abuyu faction!"

He paced back and forth in the office like a caged beast, his face ashen and his breathing heavy.

Simon and several intelligence chiefs stood to the side with their hands at their sides, their expressions varying—some fearful, others expressionless.

But deep in Simon's eyes, there was a barely perceptible hint of schadenfreude.

"Four thousand men! A full four thousand experienced veterans! With all their equipment, they defected to a terrorist we've listed as a global wanted criminal! This is an absolute disgrace! The CIA's biggest failure this year!"

Vincent roared, his voice hoarse with rage.

"Where is our intelligence network? Where are our operational plans? Why was there no warning beforehand?! How did things escalate to this point?!"

He abruptly turned to Simon: "Simon! Didn't you say you had taken control of the intelligence channels in northern Iligo? Is this the result of your control?!"

Simon sneered inwardly, but his face showed a heavy and helpless expression: "Director, we have done our best. But Song Heping is extremely cunning and does things unpredictably. Moreover, the direct trigger for this incident was that intelligence that appeared online out of nowhere, accusing Abuyu of having a secret meeting with him... I suspect that this was a trap in itself."

“A trap?” Vincent narrowed his eyes.

"Yes."

Simon cautiously stated, "The timing is too opportune. It appeared just when we were trying to pressure the KPG committee to deal with Abuyu. Moreover, it spread extremely quickly and was highly inflammatory, directly leading to extreme measures taken by hardliners within the KPG, pushing Abuyu to the brink and also pushing him towards Song Heping. I suspect... the source of this intelligence is questionable, and it may even be that someone deliberately leaked it to Bakdadi of 1515 to achieve the goal of using someone else to do their dirty work."

Vincent wasn't stupid; he had certainly considered this possibility and even suspected that someone inside was sabotaging him.

But at this moment, the immense sense of failure and pressure from all sides prevented him from thinking calmly; he needed an outlet and a scapegoat.

"What's the point of saying all this now?!"

Vincent waved his hand irritably. "The result is that Abuyu defected, strengthening Song Heping's power. Our influence in northern Iligo has plummeted, and the situation is a mess! Those guys in the military will definitely use this as an excuse! The White House and Congress... damn it!"

"Chief, I think the most important thing right now is to resolve the internal divisions within the Kold'd forces. If the KPG alliance falls apart, all our years of work and investment there will be wasted..."

Simon offered a seemingly comforting remark: "As long as this problem is resolved, I believe the Abuyu incident is just a minor incident and will not shake the foundation of the global counterterrorism operation."

"Hmm...that makes sense, Simon. You personally arrange this work. Go to Iligor and Erbil to personally oversee things and tell the leaders of those armed groups that anyone who dares to break away from the KPG alliance is an enemy of the United States!"

Vincent's anger seemed to have subsided somewhat, and he finally took remedial measures and issued orders.

But soon, dark clouds once again filled my heart.

"Right now, I'm just worried about the White House..."

His gaze shifted to the window, and he let out a long sigh.

As the saying goes, the good doesn't work, but the bad does.

Vincent's premonition soon came true.

Three days later, in the morning, Washington, D.C., at the White House.

In a somber meeting room, Vincent sat at one side of a long table, opposite the president’s national security advisor and several senior staff members.

These politicians, who might normally be quite polite, now had faces as cold as frost.

"Chief Vincent."

National Security Advisor Gordon—a middle-aged man with sharp eyes and a stern face—spoke first, his voice calm yet carrying an undeniable pressure.

"Please explain why our recent operations against the 1515 militant group, especially in the northwest, have been so slow, or even regressed. The military report points out that they have a serious lack of timely and accurate ground intelligence support, which has directly led to the poor effectiveness of several airstrikes and even civilian casualties."

Another aide chimed in: “Even more serious is that our long-standing ground ally, the Khord militia, is now embroiled in serious infighting and division. The entire Abu Yu faction, our most combat-ready group, has defected to… to Song Hoping, whom we’ve labeled a terrorist? This is a diplomatic and strategic disaster! It greatly weakens our ability to contain 1515 and Iranian influence in the region!”

Vincent took a deep breath, trying to remain calm, and began his prepared defense.

"Gentlemen, the situation in Ilig is extremely complex. The 1515 militants are very cunning; they constantly change their tactics, causing our airstrikes to become less effective... And that Song Heping, that dangerous fellow, is the root of all this chaos..."

He tried to shift all the blame onto Song Heping, an external factor.

However, Gordon coldly interrupted him: "Director Vincent, we have received an analysis from other intelligence sources."

He pushed a thin document in front of him. "Analysis suggests that the online intelligence about Abuyu's meeting with Song Heping is highly suspicious in origin. There are indications that it may have been deliberately placed and 'accidentally' discovered by 1515. Its purpose was to incite a purge of Abuyu within the KPG. If this is true..."

He paused, his gaze sharp as a knife as he fixed on Vincent: "That means... someone, or some organization, successfully exploited our and KPG's internal procedures to subtly advance the entire event, ultimately strengthening their own power. And our intelligence system not only failed to provide early warning, but may even... have become a tool for others to exploit. What's your explanation for this?"

Vincent's back was instantly soaked with cold sweat.

The security advisor's words did not directly accuse him, but the criticism clearly pointed to serious failures, even incompetence, in the CIA's work under his leadership.

"This...this requires further investigation..."

Vincent's voice was a little hoarse.

"I'm afraid we don't have that much time to investigate for you, Director."

Gordon leaned back, his tone becoming more formulaic.

"The National Security Committee on Capitol Hill has decided to hold a closed-door hearing on the recent sharp deterioration of the situation in northern Iligo and the resulting damage to our national security interests. You will need to attend and be questioned. The Committee will determine, based on the hearing, whether someone needs to be held accountable for this."

These words were like a final verdict, plunging Vincent's heart into despair.

A hearing?
Taking responsibility? He knew his career was on the verge of collapse.

……

That night, the camps on the Persian Plateau were dotted with lights.

Song Heping received an encrypted satellite phone call in his command post.

It was Angel calling.

"Honey".

Angel's voice carried a hint of excitement.

"The news is circulating in London and Washington that Vincent got a severe dressing-down at the White House, and Congress is going to hold hearings to hold him accountable for his actions in Iligo. This guy's in big trouble!"

Song Heping took the phone, walked to the window, looked at the silent mountains outside, and showed no surprise on his face: "He brought this on himself. From the moment he decided to put me on the KB list, he should have known this day would come."

"This is good news for you."

Angel said, "If he steps down, the new director might take a different approach, and your situation might improve, or at least the pressure would be much less."

Song Heping was silent for a moment, his mind racing, before saying, "Angel, we can't just passively wait for the hearing results. We need to actively 'add fuel to the fire' for Vincent, making the fire burn even brighter, to ensure he can't escape."

"Oh? What idea do you have?"

Angel asked with great interest.

“Starting tomorrow, use your 'Horizon' news group to cover the Kold's armed separatist activities with all your might.”

Song Heping’s tone was calm but carried an undeniable power.

"Several points need to be emphasized: First, the CIA's intelligence network in northern Iligo is nearly paralyzed, unable to provide effective support for military operations; second, it is precisely due to the CIA's flawed policies and intelligence failures that its important allies have suffered internal divisions and weakened capabilities; third, some details can be appropriately revealed..."

"Yes, the inside details we 'know' about the systematic elimination of the CIA intelligence network by 1515. We need to directly link Vincent's 'incompetence' and 'decisive errors' to the current unfavorable war situation."

Angel couldn't help but laugh on the other end of the phone: "Brilliant! Honey, you're a genius! This is launching a trial by media before the hearing, putting Vincent on the hot seat! Those old men in Congress care most about media pressure. I'll arrange the best moderators and commentators to ensure this show is a huge success!"

"Remember, make it look like a normal news investigation and commentary, and maintain your 'objective and independent' media image," Song Heping instructed.

"Don't worry, darling," Angel replied confidently, "this is my profession."

After finishing their business, the two spent some time together on personal matters before reluctantly ending the call.

The call ended, but a media storm targeting CIA Director Vincent had quietly begun.

The following morning, major American media outlets, especially the television stations, websites, and newspapers under the Horizon News Corporation, began to report extensively on the Kold'd armed separatism in northern Iligo.

Prime-time current affairs talk shows are a key battleground.

……

In the studio, a beautiful and capable female host, with a concerned expression, spoke to the camera.

"Welcome back to Deep Focus. Recently, a serious internal conflict has erupted among the key forces fighting the 1515 militant group in northern Iriego, the Kold Front, with the elite Abuyu unit announcing its secession from the KPG Council and believed to have defected to other factions. This event has undoubtedly cast a heavy shadow over our counterterrorism operations in the region. Today, we have invited Mr. Mark Thompson, a former Department of Defense official and senior strategic analyst, and Ms. Sarah Jones, editor-in-chief of Middle East Security Watch. Welcome to both of you."

The camera then pans to the two guests.

The host began by asking, "Mr. Thompson, how do you view the impact of Abuyu's defection on our Iligo strategy?"

Thompson said gravely, “This is undoubtedly a heavy blow, Jennifer. Abuyu’s forces are among the most combat-ready in the Kold’s armed forces. Their departure not only weakens the overall military strength but also sets a dangerous precedent that could lead to further divisions within the KPG. More importantly, the person they’ve defected to… is supposedly that wanted Song Heping, which will complicate the situation and could even create new long-term threats.”

Ms. Jones interjected sharply, "The key questions are, why did this happen? Where are our policies and support? Why did the CIA, as the primary intelligence and covert operations agency, fail to warn of or even prevent this split? We've invested huge sums of money and resources, so why does our intelligence network in the region appear so fragile?"

The host then steered the conversation: "Speaking of intelligence networks, we've received some unconfirmed reports that CIA intelligence outposts in northern Iligoro, particularly in Aleppo province, have suffered heavy losses in recent months due to precision strikes by the 1515 militant group. Is this true? If so, does it mean there's a major oversight in our intelligence work?"

Thompson nodded gravely: “Although there is no official confirmation, multiple sources indicate that the situation is indeed far from optimistic. Intelligence is the eyes and ears of military operations. If our ears are deaf and our eyes are blind, our operations there will be like headless flies, our airstrikes will be less accurate, we will be unable to effectively support ground troops, and we may even accidentally injure civilians, which will seriously damage our credibility and the confidence of our allies.”

Jones pressed his advantage: "This raises the issue of leadership responsibility. Since Director Vincent took office, our intelligence work in the Middle East seems to be plagued with problems. From Yemen to Syria, and now Iligo, setback after setback. Does this mean there are systemic problems with our strategy and leadership? The upcoming congressional hearings must thoroughly investigate this! We need someone held accountable!"

The program ended in an atmosphere of strong questioning of the CIA's capabilities and Vincent's leadership.

……

At the same time the program was playing.

In the CIA director’s office in Langley.

Vincent stared at the female commentator on the television screen, who was incessantly criticizing the CIA and him, and at the glaring headline at the bottom of the screen: "CIA intelligence failures lead to splits among allies?"

His face turned from ashen to blood red, and his chest heaved violently.

Finally, he could no longer suppress his inner rage. He grabbed the heavy ceramic coffee cup on the table and smashed it with all his might against the ultra-thin television that was playing his "declaration of defeat"!
"Bang—crash!!"

The screen went black instantly, and shards flew everywhere. Coffee stains, like the marks of failure, splattered all over the walls and carpet.

Vincent, panting heavily, his eyes bloodshot, pointed at the mess of debris on the ground and roared at his secretary, who was too terrified to utter a sound, "Get me on the Congressional Security Committee! These media outlets are insane! They're undermining national security!!"

However, his outbursts seemed so pale and powerless in the face of the already raging media storm and the political games in Washington.

The shadow of the hearing is creeping closer and closer to him.

Meanwhile, Song Heping, in his camp on the Persian Plateau, calmly observed everything, preparing for his next move.

This storm of power struggles has only just begun.

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(End of this chapter)