Mercenary I am the king

Chapter 1132 The Assassination Plan of the Operations Department
Langley, Virginia, CIA headquarters building.

The atmosphere was somewhat reserved at the first high-level meeting chaired by the newly appointed acting director, Simon.

The heads of the Operations Department (DO), Intelligence Department (DI), Science and Technology Department (DS&T), and Support Department (DS)—who control the lifeline of U.S. overseas intelligence and covert operations—gathered together. The air was filled with the aroma of coffee and the subtle tension that comes with new leadership taking office.

Simon sat in the head seat, leaning back slightly to appear composed.

He placed his hands crossed on the smooth tabletop, his expression perfectly controlled, a blend of authority, attentive listening, and just the right amount of worry.

"Colleagues."

Simon finally broke the suffocating silence.

"I believe everyone has seen the briefing. The fact that Haibab was held by the government forces is completely unexpected from our previous intelligence analysis and predictions. On the contrary, the logistics supply center of 1515, Dehok, was taken down."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over everyone present.

“Abu Omar—the leader of the ‘Victory Front’—was likely sent to hell by that guy named Song Heping with a single shot from over a kilometer away.”

His gaze swept across the room, observing everyone's reaction.

“A ‘terrorist leader’ who has been officially identified and registered by our government has now become a battlefield hero of the Damascus regime, and may even have single-handedly reversed the course of the local war. What does this mean for our strategic layout, our regional prestige, and even our reputation? How should we respond? I would like to hear your opinions and speak freely.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Jackson, the deputy director of operations—a former Delta Force officer who was temporarily taking over the position due to the suspicious death of his predecessor, Kelly—immediately straightened his back.

"Sir."

Jackson's voice was loud and clear, with the crispness characteristic of a soldier.

"I believe this is a golden opportunity. An opportunity to completely condemn Damascus and its supporters to shame, both in terms of public opinion and morality. We can 'precisely' leak intelligence—through credible channels under our control—that Song Heping is working closely with the Syrian government forces and may even have received an award from them, to the New York Times, CNN, or the BBC. I've even come up with headlines for them—'Brutal terrorist becomes a guest of honor in Damascus; the Assad regime colludes with terrorist forces!'"

He paused briefly, basking in the attention, before continuing, "This media storm is enough to create a huge wave in the international community, severely damaging Damascus and the Kremlin behind it, leaving them diplomatically overwhelmed and exhausted for a long time to come. We can use this opportunity to increase military and economic support for 'moderate opposition' groups like the Free Syrian Army (FSA), and even push for harsher sanctions at the Security Council level, further isolating the current regime in Cyria. Then, we can legitimately have the military bomb Damascus, and our action team will infiltrate deep into the heartland to mark Song Heping's location, providing the air force with the coordinates for a decapitation strike."

Simon remained silent, nodded slightly, but his mind was racing—

Public opinion offensive?

Then bombing?

An idiot.

If public opinion were isolated, the CIA would have killed them and made peace long ago.

That guy has been listed as a leader of the KB (Kuomintang) faction.

What could be more serious than this?

Besides, the West is now clearly trying to destroy the Hafez regime in Syria. Do you think they would be so stupid as to abandon peace and cooperation with Song for fear of being isolated?
Guys from the Delta really are all muscle and no brains.

Sure enough, Eileen, the head of the intelligence department, immediately pushed up her exquisite gold-rimmed glasses and calmly poured cold water on the idea.

This female expert, known for her meticulous logic and thorough analysis, spoke calmly yet undeniably: "Jackson's idea sounds tempting, and its strategy aligns with our consistent cognitive warfare model, but frankly, this plan is too idealistic and ignores the potentially huge risks."

She looked around, her gaze finally settling on Simon.

"First, we must be soberly aware that our current direct military involvement in Syria is very limited, mainly consisting of intelligence support, financial assistance, and a small number of special forces advisors. If we hype this topic up in the media, the world's attention will be focused on it, and then the media and the old men in Congress will press us: 'So, what does the great United States intend to do?' Send planes to bomb Damascus? Send special forces to carry out a decapitation strike, penetrating the Russian air defense perimeter to kill Song Heping? This is almost equivalent to a direct declaration of war against the regime supported by Russia, pushing NATO and Russia, two nuclear powers, to the brink of direct military confrontation."

She emphasized, “Gentlemen, please don’t forget that we withdrew from Iligo less than a year ago, and the aftermath of the withdrawal is still fresh. The fighting in Afghanistan is at a stalemate, and the Taliban’s resurgence is fierce. War-weariness is at an all-time high, and the White House and Congress will never approve any risky actions that could draw us back into a large-scale ground war in the Middle East, or even trigger a direct conflict with Russia. We cannot afford that political cost.”

As she finished speaking, she gently tapped the table: "Especially don't forget the situation in Crimea at the beginning of this year. We were already on the verge of war with the Russians. Just a spark could ignite a major war. We must take that into account."

Support Director Calvin chimed in, “I agree with Eileen’s analysis. The direct costs and potential risks of military intervention are immeasurable. Moreover, there is an even more thorny issue: the opposition armed factions we currently support in Cyria are numerous and diverse. Organizations like the ‘Al-Nusra’ are indeed fighting government forces on the battlefield, but their extremist background and ties to al-Qaeda are as obvious as the lice on a bald head.”

"If we now turn to support them because of Omar's death, thinking they are leaderless, even if it's just by providing weapons, funds, or intelligence, once it's exposed... believe me, there are no secrets in this place—the diplomatic and moral disaster we face will be devastating. Our European allies will strongly oppose it, and our domestic public will not understand why we would support a group labeled as terrorist. It's like putting a political bomb in our own hands."

Jackson frowned, clearly indignant: "So we're just going to do nothing? Just watch this Song Heping, this guy with our official 'Killer' title, basking in glory, receiving medals, helping Damascus stabilize the situation, and then constantly weakening the forces we support? Are we just going to swallow this insult? The 'Victory Front' is now leaderless and bound to be in chaos. This is the perfect opportunity for us to infiltrate, exert influence, and even indirectly guide them to continue bleeding Damascus dry! Even if we can't openly support them, can't we at least provide limited, deniable aid through third parties and multiple layers of cover?"

At this moment, the head of the science and technology department, a somewhat taciturn, thinning-haired technocrat, adjusted his glasses and interjected in his typically emotionless tone: "From a purely technical perspective, carrying out a precise physical elimination (decapitation) of Song Heping would be extremely difficult. Current intelligence indicates that he is in the core control area of ​​the Syrian government forces, most likely in or near Damascus. This area is equipped with the Russian military's most advanced S-300 and even S-400 air defense systems, as well as a large number of electronic warfare units."

"Using drones to penetrate defenses has a low success rate and is extremely easy to shoot down or have its signals captured. If the wreckage falls into Russian hands, the consequences would be unimaginable. Sending special forces teams to infiltrate would require breaking through multiple defenses, which is extremely risky and carries a high probability of personnel being captured. Either scenario would lead to an irreparable diplomatic disaster and loss of personnel."

Upon seeing this, another deputy intelligence chief in charge of Middle East affairs immediately added: "Even if we take a step back and assume that the operation is successful and greatly weakens the Damascus regime, or even coincidentally takes down Hafez, then who will benefit the most? Behind organizations like the 'Victory Front' are the shadows of Israel and Turkey, and they even have intricate and ambiguous relationships with the 1515 organization."

"If we allow these more extremist organizations to seize power in Silia, we will be facing a regime that is more extreme, more anti-American, more unpredictable, and more likely to completely side with Ankara or Doha than the current Damascus regime. This would be tantamount to doing the work for someone else, completely contrary to our national strategic interests, and could even create a monster that is more troublesome than the one we have now."

The meeting descended into heated debate, with opposing viewpoints clashing fiercely and the pros and cons being repeatedly weighed and debated.

Simon leaned forward, adopting a posture of attentive listening, his fingers unconsciously tapping lightly on the smooth tabletop.

His inner world is far more complex than it appears on the surface.

The subordinates debated grand, cold topics such as national interests, strategic balance, and diplomatic gains and losses.

At the heart of his thoughts, however, lay a fatal, burning personal shackle—Song Heping possessed evidence that could instantly ruin him, plunging him into utter destruction. For Simon, Song Heping's survival was an absolutely essential prerequisite.

Once Song Heping dies, those things will spread like a virus to the tables of all mainstream media and the intelligence agencies of rivals.

Forget about being promoted to the official position, he'll probably spend the rest of his life in prison, or even be "forced to commit suicide."

He needed to skillfully steer the meeting in a direction that would both superficially protect American interests—or at least sound plausible—while substantively ensuring Song Heping's personal safety.

But he must never say it directly himself; he must make the idea appear to be "professional advice" from his subordinates.

When the argument subsided and a brief silence fell over the meeting room, Simon turned his gaze precisely to Jackson, the deputy head of the operations department who had been silently weighing the options.

I chose him because he's not very bright and likes military operations.

Only by causing him setbacks can we find a better excuse and reason to seek new cooperation paths for our next step.

"Jackson."

His voice carried both encouragement and inquiry: "Everyone has raised many valuable points and concerns. Open attacks and direct military intervention are indeed very risky, while indirect support for the opposition could backfire, and the geopolitical consequences are unpredictable. As the frontline implementers, do you, the operations department, have any more specific, precise, or... discreet ways to resolve this 'problem'?"

He deliberately used the word "trouble" instead of "goal" in an attempt to convey a more subtle and specific intention to act.

Jackson seemed to have also caught the subtle difference and expectation in the acting director's words.

"Director."

After a moment, he slowly spoke.

"Open channels and large-scale military operations are indeed limited, and the political costs are too high. But some 'troubles' may be resolved in a more traditional and low-key way."

He paused here, looked around at everyone, and made sure they were all listening.

“We can consider starting an unconventional ‘wet job.’ Song Heping isn’t a god; he still needs to eat, drink, and touch things. We’ve been operating in Celia for years, and we’re not without hidden resources and connections. We could try activating dormant personnel, or, more effectively, find opportunities to bribe those around him—cooks, waiters, bodyguards, or even just a cleaner who can get close to his food.”

"what do you mean……"

Eileen seemed to have guessed the meaning behind those words.

"Poison."

The moment Jackson uttered that word, the temperature in the meeting room seemed to drop several degrees instantly.

"This is currently the most covert, relatively successful, and hardest to trace method. All it takes is a special, hard-to-detect drug and an inside man bought off with money or fear to solve the problem. Afterwards, it can be easily attributed to the complex factional infighting within Celia or an accident caused by their own poor sanitation. It's low-cost and highly debatable."

A brief, extremely quiet silence fell over the meeting room.

Such assassination proposals are not uncommon in high-level CIA meetings, but each time they are formally put forward, it is like a cold boulder being thrown into water—silent, yet carrying a heavy weight and a chilling aura.

Simon was secretly pleased, but his face showed a thoughtful and hesitant expression, as if he were weighing an extremely difficult decision.

He paused for a few seconds, his fingers tapping lightly on the briefing, then slowly nodded, his gaze sharp as he looked at Jackson: "This is an unconventional approach, Jackson. Considering the special nature of the target, the complexity of the current situation, and the constraints we face, this may be a direction worth further evaluation."

He seemed to have made up his mind. "Alright, Jack, you'll be in charge of this. Immediately assemble the most reliable and capable team to develop a detailed and thorough action plan. Code name... it'll be 'Operation Silent'. Remember, top secret, the scope of knowledge must be strictly controlled to a minimum. I need to see a detailed feasibility assessment report and risk control plan as soon as possible."

"Understood, Chief. I will get started immediately."

Jackson nodded in acceptance, his expression serious, as if he had received a sacred and arduous task.

Simon glanced around at the managers present and saw the different expressions on their faces—some agreed, some were worried, and some were expressionless.

"Alright, gentlemen, that concludes today's meeting. Each department should continue to thoroughly evaluate the pros and cons of various proposals, following the direction of our discussion. In particular, Jackson's 'Silence Plan' requires the most rigorous review. If you have any questions, please report them to me. Meeting adjourned."

The officials stood up, gathered their documents, and left the meeting room in hushed tones.

Finally, Simon was left alone in the room.

The heavy solid wood door shut out the outside world.

He remained seated in his chair, not moving immediately, but leaning deeply against the backrest.

The first move was finally made without any major incident.

He approved a plan that seemed determined to eliminate Song Heping, but in reality, from the moment he approved it, the plan was destined to fail under his covert manipulation.

"Song Heping, you owe me another favor!"

He gritted his teeth, muttering to himself with a mixture of resentment and indignation.

　Please vote for me, please vote for me!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)