Tokyo: My Superpower Refreshes Every Week-Chapter 460 - 458: Passing Down Traditional Skills - Part 1
The elegantly appointed spacious office was bathed in warm light. Jack had shaved his beard cleanly from his cheeks but lacked the glowing radiance of previous days, betraying a haggard and anxious look.
Right now, he felt like a carp in boiling water at 100 degrees, wishing nothing more than to leap out of his tank immediately.
The higher-ups had the CIA guard the military deployment plans as a way to balance the power of the U.S. Army.
After all, between the stationed U.S. Army and the CIA in Japan, those at the top trusted the CIA more.
Domestically, that would be the FBI.
Both agencies have always presented themselves as the President’s loyal hounds, treating internal and external affairs with the same regard.
But such trust could sometimes be a double-edged sword.
Especially when Jack lacked the Ability to control the CIA sub-bureau, too much trust from above could lead to minor issues within the sub-bureau.
"Someone stole the deployment plans from your office?"
"Morimoto, my office is as secure as a fortress, but the relevant documents were in the Director of Intelligence’s safe. I’m just a CIA branch director."
Saying this, Jack felt increasingly dejected.
With a swivel of his chair, his gaze wandered once more through the floor-to-ceiling window, contemplating the intertwining neon and darkness of Shinjuku.
The man gradually regained his composure amidst the soft and enticing voice.
Or rather, he just decided to let things fall apart.
"It turns out, controlling tens of thousands of people in the CIA sub-bureau is beyond my Ability. It’s much easier to manage the few dozen in a special task force."
"Don’t just give up when faced with setbacks. Give the Director of Intelligence a strict order to immediately find out who did this."
"I’ve already given that guy a piece of my mind and told him to find the culprit."
Jack answered honestly, his expression hesitant. "Now, the question is whether or not I should report this to the higher-ups. If I do, my time as chief is over."
He sighed again, well aware that the meteorite matter was crucial to America’s grand strategy.
The higher-ups wanted to use the information on the meteorite to force the other two major powers to negotiate with the United States, even to allow the United States to dominate the proceedings.
That was the American way of doing things.
They genuinely wanted to negotiate with the other two powers, but their method of negotiation was different from what the world understood as negotiation—in the United States’ envisioned talks, the two powers just needed to accept America’s "kind" suggestions.
The other two powers, naturally, were not content with merely listening to the United States’ well-meaning advice and taking on a subservient role.
Especially the one in the East, which opposed the United States on global strategies at every turn.
If the United States wanted war and exploitation, they called for peace and development, advocating for a community of shared human future.
The other major power, which had no issues twenty years earlier, was now deeply wounded by the United States and unlikely to trust them again.
On this basis, the information about the meteorite seemed all the more crucial.
If he reported it, Jack could envision both himself and the Director of Intelligence being dismissed.
The higher-ups wouldn’t care about the reasons.
If you can do the job, you stay; if you can’t, get lost—the position of CIA branch director was coveted by many.
"If that’s the case, then call Yokota Airbase immediately and have them dispatch fighter jets to patrol over Mount Fuji Base. With absolute air superiority, the enemy won’t be able to do much even with the deployment map. Use this time to rearrange the deployment."
As Morimoto Chiyoda said this, she sighed inwardly, understanding why some people preferred to conceal issues instead of reporting them.
If they reported, they would lose their positions; if they tried to salvage the situation without reporting, there was a chance to keep their jobs.
For example, the best course of action now would be to report immediately to the higher-ups and mobilize military forces.
Or mobilize the entire strength of the CIA sub-bureau to protect Mount Fuji Base at all costs.
However, once the Director of Operations got the news, he’d likely bypass protocols and report straight to John.
As soon as the higher-ups received the message, they would undoubtedly relieve Jack of his CIA branch director role.
Morimoto Chiyoda could only opt for a clumsier method, hoping it might save Jack’s position.
Jack had an epiphany and nodded. "Right, you’re correct. I’ll call Yokota Airbase right away."
With that, he picked up the desk phone and dialed the number for Yokota Airbase.
「...」
Kawaguchi Lake, one of the famed Fuji Five Lakes.
Before Mount Fuji was flattened, this place could have been considered a tourist spot.
Sailing here and gazing at Mount Fuji was undoubtedly a joy.
Now, with Mount Fuji gone, Kawaguchi Lake had lost its allure as a tourist destination, reduced to an ordinary lake.
A large number of hot spring inns were up for sale.
Bruno took over seven hot spring inns, transforming the area into a forward outpost for his assault on Mount Fuji Base.
Truth be told, his fighting skills were exceptional, but his hacking skills were even greater.
This time, he was responsible for the remote attack on the base.
Drunkard and Curtis were directly involved in the operation.
Seated in front of his computer, his hands moved rapidly across the keyboard, sending a fleet of drones under his control towards Mount Fuji Base.
Armed with the deployment plans provided by Phoenix Academy, they did not hesitate and chose to strike at night, embodying the principle that speed is paramount in war.
BEEP, BEEP. Soft sounds emanated from the headset.
Bruno pressed a button, and Jack’s voice came through the headset, "This is CIA branch director Jack. I have an urgent matter to discuss with the commander of the Fifth Air Force."
"Sorry, Chief Jack, the commander is off-duty and said no one is allowed to disturb him," Bruno replied softly.
He had already anticipated that Jack might contact someone at Yokota Airbase and, through Iwasaki’s house, had arranged for an employee inside the base to plant a virus.
All calls made through internal channels to that location were redirected to him.
Having local connections on one’s side sure was convenient.
After all, in Japan, the U.S. Army inevitably needed to hire locals, thus giving the six major financial groups a chance to infiltrate.
However, investigating and ascertaining deployments was not possible.
Within the military base, Japanese employees were restricted to one area, and the complete deployment maps were not stored by the higher-ups in the base, nor were they in the system.
But they could insert a virus into the system.
It would not be detected as abnormal in a short period.
"I’ve told you there’s an emergency! Hurry up and dispatch your fighter jets to survey Mount Fuji Base," Jack said urgently.
"I’m sorry, without the commander’s orders, we can’t deploy at will," Bruno replied.
"Then get your commander on the phone right now!" Jack demanded.
"I’m sorry, the commander is off duty," Bruno replied slowly, his voice like a customer service bot, devoid of emotion.
While conversing, Bruno did not relax his control over the drones.
One by one, the computer screens displayed imagery indicating the drones were nearing Mount Fuji Base.
He hit the enter key.
The moment the drone attack began, the virus within Mount Fuji Base erupted, cutting off external communication.
For the time that followed, that base would be isolated from the outside world.
The operation began.
「...」
The Drunkard hid in the trees, still guzzling vodka noisily.
He was waiting.
Waiting for the drones to lead the attack into the military base, to strike the ammunition depots, the communication headquarters, and to deliver a precision assault on the U.S. Army within, before he rushed into the base to unleash a massacre.
It had to be said, drones were really handy in modern warfare!
Cheap to produce, with decent killing power; for that cost to deliver such lethality, there was nothing to complain about.
"Do you still drink like this even when we attack?" Curtis asked, standing beneath the tree, his complaint barely concealed.
The Drunkard laughed boisterously, "Heh heh, alcohol is the best medicine. How could it possibly affect the operation?"
As he spoke, his ears perked up; he heard the sound of the drones and looked up.
Under the dim night sky, sleek drones laden with bombs flew overhead, heading towards the nearby military base.
No pre-emptive warning from the radar. The Drunkard knew in his heart that before the physical drone attack began, a cyberattack would hit the base first, crippling their systems.
It wouldn’t take long, just enough to buy time for the drones.
Bruno really was a cunning guy, the Drunkard muttered to himself, tossing aside the empty bottle and leaping down from the tree.
「...」
"Huh? What’s that?"
The guard on duty spotted the drones and attempted to sound the alarm, only to have his head burst open with blood, collapsing as a distant sniper shot took him down.
The guards hidden in the shadows immediately triggered the alarm.
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
The piercing sound of the alarm rang out across the entire military base.
Toru, the brigade commander, still in bed, sat up abruptly. Standing at 1.95 meters, with blonde hair and blue eyes, he had standard Caucasian features.
His chest was covered in a thick mat of hair.
"What’s happened?" he called out. Then, suddenly sensing danger, he quickly propelled himself through the door. Just as he landed in the corridor, a thunderous boom sounded.
A suicide drone smashed through the window, landed on his bed, and exploded, sending shrapnel flying in all directions like scattered blossoms.
Toru propped himself up with his hands and quickly somersaulted towards the wall, escaping the shrapnel.
Gazing at the shrapnel embedded in the doorway’s wall, his expression turned icy. Could the enemy have located him, the brigade commander, by chance?
BOOM!
An even louder explosion followed, vibrating the very ground.
Just by the sound, Toru could tell that the ammunition depot was finished.
If the enemy could strike vitals with such precision, they clearly had intel on their base.
"FARK! Those useless CIA fools, I knew we couldn’t rely on them!" Toru raged, his eyes burning with intensity.
He was no ordinary officer to be positioned near the meteorite by his superiors.
Within the U.S. Forces Japan, he led the Fourteenth Infantry Brigade, a force of 3,600 men.
They were the American Seventh Division’s finest soldiers, top to bottom.
He was also the most zealous, most radical warmonger, believing more fervently in doomsday warfare than any other general, and a hawk pushing for such a conflict.
"Boys, let’s head to the meteorite and exterminate every last intruder!" Toru had no intention of trying to manage the overall situation. The enemy had come prepared; slowly mobilizing forces would only allow them to achieve their objectives. It was better to lead his personal guard and charge straight for what the enemy coveted most.
