King Of War: Starting with Arms Dealer

Chapter 320 The Awesomeness of the Old Smoothie

Unbeknownst to Joe Ga, the FBI's Associate Director, Mr. Cooper, and the DEA's Associate Director, Michael Beach, had already arrived at the Waldorf.

The room where Joe Ga and his team were located was completely sealed off, turning the luxurious presidential suite into a temporary conference room.

It was truly a stroke of luck that the FBI, due to Joe Ga's sudden 'disappearance' coupled with the testimonies from the Georgia father and son, deducted that he had gone after the 'Messenger'.

Therefore, they wanted to get one step ahead and capture the 'Messenger' first, to take a leading position in this crappy collaboration. They hadn't conducted any preliminary surveillance, but then again, the FBI generally doesn't need to do surveillance. No one anticipated that the 'Messenger' would be so insane.

If it weren't for Joe Ga's timely notification, and SWAT stopping in the elevator area, everyone would have been finished!

Although the 'Messenger' detonated the bomb upon detecting something was wrong, the FBI indeed suffered no fatalities.

Only three SWAT members and six agents sustained respiratory tract burns from inhaling dense smoke.

The gasoline bomb affected an entire floor, but because the other rooms were sealed, it gave the agents time to rescue the residents inside.

The uninjured SWAT members rappelled down from the outside of the building, rescuing a dozen apartment residents trapped by the fire and earning enthusiastic applause and media praise. Your next journey awaits at empire

Mr. Cooper knew how lucky he was!!

Now, he realized he needed to completely change his approach. Competing with the DEA was of no benefit, and treating Hu Lang as a prisoner or even as a rival was a bad move. If both sides had worked together with dedication today, the outcome could have been different.

Hu Lang didn't want to leave the Waldorf Hotel, right? "If you won't come to me, I'll accommodate you instead. From now on, you can't leave the FBI's sight. Even if you need to act, we'll do it together."

Mr. Cooper, who had usurped Hu Lang's position, looked at Michael Beach, who was alone but still composed, and said discontentedly, "We're supposed to be collaborators, but why do I feel you have no control over Hu Lang at all?"

Michael Beach only brought one assistant with him. Compared to Cooper's nervousness, this chubby guy with an oily face was much more at ease.

Confronted with Cooper's accusation, Michael Beach spread his hands and said, "Who says I don't? Hu Lang was acting under the command of DEA Agent Estelle. They were about to capture the Glorious Society's 'Messenger,' but the FBI's rash actions messed everything up.

You should be grateful that the media bought the 'natural gas explosion' story. Otherwise, you'd already be walking into the Minister of Justice's office facing a storm."

"Cooper, we've been old friends. You should know that you can't control everything by yourself."

As he spoke, Michael Beach poured himself a glass of whiskey from the room's bottle, took a sip, and said to Cooper, "You're a good man, but good people can't deal with drug traffickers. Do you actually expect them to behave like those street-level dealers?

Cooper, based on my experience dealing with drug lords, unconventional methods are often more effective.

Stop targeting Hu Lang. His identity means we can benefit from his actions, but should something go wrong, you know... A mercenary, now and then, making a mistake doesn't really get noticed...

If you want to take command, OK, I can work with you, but you can't kick Hu Lang out because we both know doing so would just push him to our opposing side."

Alicia Alexander has already confirmed her entry into the Ministry of Justice by the latter half of the year, and she's the hot favorite for the first Deputy Minister of Justice. When the current Minister retires, who do you think will be in charge?

Buddy, Alicia Alexander's friends in Washington pretty much include the crux of the Republican Party, not to mention a bunch of generous tycoons.

Guy, don't make it hard for me, and don't make trouble for yourself!!"

Cooper looked at the slick Michael Beach, shook his head, and said, "I want to cooperate, but I don't want to see Hu Lang acting recklessly under the DEA's banner."

Michael Beach responded with feigned ignorance, "Acting recklessly? You've got to be joking. These actions are sanctioned by the DEA, involving agents in the fight against drug crimes. The drug dealers are armed and resisting, and our actions are in alignment with all procedures."

Looking at Michael Beach, who spouted nonsense without a shred of guilt, Cooper finally shook his head in resignation and said, "What kind of procedure includes sending a rookie to follow Hu Lang's lead?

Michael, the actions of the Glorious Society's 'Messenger' are verging on terrorism. I'm sure you don't want the Department of Homeland Security getting involved either. We need to cooperate, unconditionally.

From this moment on, all intelligence must be shared, and all actions must be notified to each other, OK?"

Michael Beach replied with indifference, "OK! Now you're the boss. What is it you want to tell me? There's not much I know about the whole situation..."

Cooper, looking at the curious Michael like one might at a ghost, finally understood the power of seasoned bureaucratic evasiveness, especially when wielded by those in higher positions.

Not proactive, non-rejective, non-responsible!!

In good times, you can't leave me out because without my complete involvement, even the victories count for nothing. My half of the glory must be intact.

In bad times, don't drag me into it, for after all, I don't know much, and you're the boss.

Michael clearly intended to cling tightly to Alicia Alexander's coattails, perhaps even hoping for Hu Lang to stir up some trouble to owe Alicia a favor.

It's tough in the DEA, and Michael, who worked his way up from undercover, has basically peaked at his position of Associate Director. If he can't cling to a higher-up to advance before retiring, he might be kicked out once deemed an obstacle.

The FBI, being a federal system, and Cooper being a seasoned politician, didn't find Michael's behavior dishonorable. After all, Washington was full of far more shameless figures.

He just realized that the person needed to resolve the issue was Hu Lang, and Michael's not getting in the way was already a favor.

Having figured out Michael Beach's playbook, Cooper shook his head resignedly and said, "By making this bet, if you're wrong, do you know what the consequences will be?"

Michael Beach poured a glass of wine for Cooper and said with a smile, "Could it get any worse than it is now?

The DEA has cracked two major drug cases within two days, and although there are some flaws, the achievements are real.

You don't think it was through me that Alicia Alexander facilitated the DEA's collaboration with Hu Lang, do you?

Buddy, no matter what you think, tackling the Glorious Society is 'the right thing' from any angle, and the means don't matter at all.

If you are this concerned, who is really the one looking for a quick win?

If you want control, take it, but you shouldn't restrict Hu Lang's actions.

He's not going to steal our thunder. According to the contract between the DEA and him, he can only get a hardship payment of 50,000 dollars afterward."

Cooper was amused by this guy and was about to say something when an FBI agent checking the room suddenly said, "Sir, there are surveillance devices and bugs in the room..."

Cooper, already aware of 'Engineer's' involvement, angrily said, "Hu Lang can't even secure his own living space..."

As he was about to signal the agents to remove those surveillance devices, Joe Ga suddenly burst through the door.

Seeing an agent pull a wire out from inside a lamp, he said with annoyance, "Hey, will you pay for that if you break it?"

The agent, confused, showed the surveillance device in his hand and said, "Sir?"

Joe Ga snatched it away with a disgruntled move and said, "This damn thing was installed by me, put it back..."

As Joe Ga spoke, he turned to an agent holding a detector near the fireplace and said, "Put it down."

The agent's detector had perfectly avoided the small box installed by 'Engineer' and then stood there somewhat at a loss.

Cooper then began to realize something, considering Joe Ga wasn't the type to just kill mindlessly.

Seeing Joe Ga's bodyguards lift their suit jackets to reveal gun holsters, pushing the FBI agents towards his side, Cooper shook his head slightly and walked up to Joe Ga, extending his hand, "I owe you one, if it wasn't for your warning, we would have suffered heavy losses today."

Joe Ga glanced at Michael Beach sitting on the couch drinking wine, and then he let out a slight sigh of relief.

No major loss for the FBI was a good thing; otherwise, if things escalated, it would become easy to lose control, and his 'DEA skin' might not hold steady.

After shaking hands with Cooper, Joe Ga gestured for his men to relax and then walked to the couch, sitting at the other end from where Michael Beach was, and invited Cooper to take a seat on a single armchair.

This was a gesture, a reminder to Cooper that Hu Lang and the DEA were on the same side, clearly stating his position without the need for loud shouting.

Seeing a smile on Michael Beach's face, Cooper shook his head helplessly and sat down on the couch, looking at Joe Ga and saying, "Hu Lang, you're being targeted by 'Engineer,' and at the same time 'Messenger' keeps escalating operations against you.

Joe Ga sighed and said, "That's right, I encountered 8 mercenaries today pretending to be SWAT, and they were tough.

'Messenger' isn't one person, but two, or a team.

Their modus operandi is more like the military, highly efficient with multiple contingency plans.

The same moment you walked into a trap, those fake SWAT launched an attack on me.

All this was prearranged, and incredibly efficient!

My head is still spinning a bit, the only consolation I have is that you or those higher up than you have not been bought by the Glorious Society, otherwise I'd have to withdraw and change the playing field to square off with them."

As the Deputy Director of the FBI, Cooper was actually not afraid of the Glorious Society's targeted violent crimes, because as long as Hu Lang cooperates, all this is controllable.

His concern was that if this time they failed to drive away the Glorious Society and let them get a foothold in America,

Given enough time, they would find their protectors, and the harm they'd cause would be prolonged and lasting.

In fact, they already had some, just not at a high level, but that was enough to distress many people.

Seeing Joe Ga's unruffled demeanor, Cooper hesitated for a moment, then said in a deep voice, "New York homicide detective Daniel and Interpol's Serial have identified a suspect who is infiltrating the police force."

Seeing Joe Ga's eyes suddenly widen, Cooper earnestly said, "You promise not to act rashly, and I'll let you participate in the operation and share with you all the information about the Glorious Society and the Engineer.

Hu Lang, compared to the Glorious Society, 'Engineer' poses a greater danger to you.

Even though you've installed surveillance here and seem prepared, I still need to remind you that you're very important now.

If something happens to you, the Glorious Society will retreat, and catching them will become difficult."

Joe Ga looked at Cooper's serious expression and then suddenly said with a smile, "So, we are allies now?

Can you give me an internal FBI account?

I have a few photos of the guys who attacked me; I want to know who they are."

Cooper decisively shook his head, "NO, but we and the DEA are comrades in the same system!

You can give the photos to my people; they will be responsible for finding them."