Castle, completely immersed in his own plan, was jolted back to reality by Mozzie's concern. He suddenly realized that the scenario Mozzie described was entirely possible!
Imagine the chaos of the situation, and the furious National Guard, humiliated by the attack, might very well mistake Big Ivan and his team for part of the assault force and take them out in one fell swoop.
With his feverish brain finally cooling down and returning to normal operation, Castle sighed, "Hiss… Mozzie's right. If we just send Big Ivan and his team out like that, they could easily be mistaken for the attackers by the National Guard. What should we do?
This plan is so good, are we really going to abandon it?"
Neil, amused by Castle's disappointment, which resembled a child who couldn't get his favorite toy, offered a suggestion: "You could have Mozzie quietly communicate with Benjamin on your behalf and get a temporary authorization from him."
Neil's seemingly amateurish remark actually sparked an idea in Castle: "What if I find a U.S. military commander to lead Big Ivan's team and get a secret authorization from Benjamin? Would that prevent the National Guard from mistaking Big Ivan's team for the attackers?"
Everyone looked at Castle with confusion, unsure where he planned to find a U.S. military commander who had no ties to the LockSat organization but would agree to carry out his crazy plan.
"Steve! The commander of the Hawaii Five-0 task force, he's a former Navy SEAL, right?
If I bring him from Hawaii to Washington and have him lead Big Ivan's team, wouldn't that perfectly avoid any backlash from the Pentagon or the Department of Defense afterward?" Castle looked at everyone excitedly. "And I can ask Bob for help too. This isn't a fake assassination attempt this time—it's the real deal. Bob, being a patriot, would never refuse my request. With Bob, a super sniper who can accurately hit targets from 1,500 meters away, the survival chances for both Big Ivan and Benjamin would be greatly increased!"
Gianna looked at Castle in disbelief: "Rick, you're planning to have a retired Navy SEAL commander lead a team of thirty former Russian Special Forces 'bodyguards' to rescue the U.S. President under siege by armed militants?
Have you considered how the Department of Defense or Homeland Security, feeling utterly incompetent, might react afterward?"
Only John supported Castle's idea: "You know, in this situation, Rick can't directly have Benjamin make defensive preparations, as that might alert the enemy and cause them to change their plans, robbing us of our information advantage. He also can't go to Homeland Security and tell them about this, because the more people who know, the higher the chance that LockSat members embedded in the U.S. political system will find out. So, Rick's approach isn't wrong—it's actually quite sound!"
Gianna, utterly exasperated with her husband, who had no political sense whatsoever and was as clueless as Castle, said, "Do you even realize what you're saying? The U.S. President is attacked in the nation's capital by an unknown armed force, and the Department of Defense, the FBI, and Homeland Security—all these supposedly powerful organizations—fail to detect it beforehand. And then a group of Russians saves the President? Do you want to humiliate the U.S. to the point of no return?
Even if the leader is a Navy lieutenant commander, it's still unacceptable!"
Castle was puzzled: "Why not? You said we can't let Big Ivan's team act alone, so I'll have Steve lead them. They're just my bodyguards, and it's perfectly normal for them to spontaneously protect my political investment when they see the White House under attack, right?"
Gianna looked at Castle, who still didn't get it, and sighed, unsure how to explain to this political novice. Mozzie stepped in to help: "Rick, what Gianna means is that the U.S. President can be killed or rescued by his own bodyguards, but he absolutely cannot be saved by a group of Russians. It's a matter of national pride, understand?
However, the Navy SEAL lieutenant commander and Bob you mentioned can definitely be involved in this!
I say, I should go to Washington today and meet with Benjamin to give him a heads-up. And I know what you're worried about, so I'll only meet with Benjamin alone and maybe tell Banning, but I won't let the Secret Service know about our conversation.
After all, I was often by his side during his presidential campaign, so my presence won't raise any suspicions…"
From Gianna's exasperated look and Mozzie's explanation, Castle finally understood where he had gone wrong!
The U.S. President, no matter how dire the situation, cannot be rescued by a group of Russians. Otherwise, the face of the world's sole superpower would be utterly lost!
Gianna, however, fully supported Mozzie's proposal. After all, if Benjamin later found out that they had known about the attack from the beginning but hadn't told him, no matter how much money Gianna or Castle had contributed to his campaign, it would inevitably leave a sour taste in Benjamin's mouth.
So, Mozzie, as Benjamin's former political advisor, quietly going to Washington to inform him of the situation was the best option at the moment!
The group then began a heated discussion about the details. For example, when should Castle go to Washington, and what excuse should he use to take the First Lady and her children away? And once they gathered the former Navy lieutenant commander from Hawaii and Bob, how should they coordinate with Michael Banning to thwart the attack on the President and the White House?
Additionally, Kim Yeon-ka, who was hiding in the South Korean Prime Minister's delegation, was after the President's nuclear launch codes. When they were forced to retreat to the White House bunker during the attack, they had to consider the traitor within the Secret Service, who was clearly a LockSat member. This traitor had to be eliminated as a top priority as soon as the attack began. Whether Steve or Bob would handle this task needed to be carefully planned and designed.
The group even suggested that Castle immediately contact the big boss at Lockheed Martin, using the excuse that his stealth system needed samples of certain fighter jets, particularly the F-22s stationed at Andrews Air Force Base or Edwards Air Force Base, to see if his stealth technology could be applied. This would allow Castle to take the chubby kid and his private drones to Andrews or Edwards Air Force Base and stay there.
This way, they could be the first to know when the AC-130 gunship, planned by Japan and Amir Barkawi, would enter Washington's no-fly zone. Since intelligence indicated that LockSat members were already at these air bases, intending to delay the Air Force's interception of the AC-130, Castle's task would be to disrupt the LockSat members' original plan. As soon as the AC-130, which would wreak havoc on the White House's defenses, appeared in Washington's no-fly zone, Castle would take it down!
Bob Lee Swagger, the world's strongest sniper, wasn't隐居 in the mountains of Montana but was living happily with his dog, Sam, near New York. Getting his help would be easy.
However, Lieutenant Commander Steve McGarrett had a real job to do—fighting crime on Oahu. And some things couldn't be discussed over the phone. "Hey, buddy, I know that in a little over ten days, a group of militants, aided by the Japanese government and a secret organization dissatisfied with the current President, will attack the White House during the South Korean Prime Minister's visit to Washington."
So, figuring out how to get Steve to take leave and travel thousands of miles from Hawaii to the mainland wouldn't be easy…
While Castle was busy planning to give Amir Barkawi, Japan, and the LockSat coalition a "surprise" in ten days, Amir Barkawi, hiding in Argentina, was also making final preparations for the upcoming attack.
Having lost almost his entire family in a U.S. drone strike, with only one son surviving because he wasn't at the wedding, Amir Barkawi harbored a deep hatred for the U.S. He didn't care that Benjamin Arthur had only been in office for less than two months—he was going to take his revenge on the U.S. anyway. What did it matter if Benjamin was new to the job?
Wasn't this even better?
The new President hadn't fully grasped the powers of the office yet, so wasn't it easier to target him?
Last time, he had failed to acquire the "red mercury bomb," so he couldn't teach the U.S., which was always stirring up trouble around the world, a lesson. But this time, it would be different…
(End of Chapter)
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