Chapter 371: The Mission That Could Save the World
Howard's trademark persistence worked its magic on Bernadette once again, who soon sent a text message announcing their reconciliation. Leonard happily high-fived Rajesh in celebration, but after their celebration, they couldn't find Ron anywhere.
They assumed Ron had gone back to his apartment to crash and didn't think much of it, but in reality, Ron had already quietly returned to his place, put on a quick disguise, and then left again, getting into a car with stolen plates that he had stashed nearby.
A short while later, Ron received a text message, which he quickly deleted after glancing at it, and then proceeded with the above actions. The text message contained no words, only GPS coordinates. Ron avoided traffic cameras, driving like an ordinary commuter to the location indicated by the coordinates.
It was a small marina on the coast, where a few fishing enthusiasts sat with their lines in the water. Ron, dressed like a typical weekend angler, carried his fishing gear onto the dock, and after walking quite a distance, finally sat down on a folding chair near an elderly man.
He skillfully baited the hook, cast the line, and settled in once the bobber was floating.
"Boss, I've been to the location you asked me to recon. The security is way too tight; there's no way to infiltrate. Mission failed." The old man beside him suddenly spoke; the voice was none other than Marvin Boggs, one of Ron's veteran special operations team members!
He appeared to be talking to himself, staring intently at his fishing rod the entire time, making no eye contact with Ron. It was quite an achievement for Ron to even locate him, as Marvin was wearing a prosthetic mask, his face bearing no resemblance to his actual appearance.
If it weren't for the obscure brand fishing rod Ron had specified, Ron would never have recognized him.
"Of course I know. The security there is Fort Knox-level. If it were easy to penetrate, it would've been compromised a dozen times by now," Ron sighed helplessly. He too was wearing a prosthetic mask; he had only managed to signal Marvin through his fishing rod and the specific casting technique.
"So, your reconnaissance failed? Well, I should have expected that. That place couldn't possibly be breached so easily. Indeed, the mission to potentially save countless lives is a long shot."
"Boss, can I ask why you're so fixated on that place? From the outside, it just looks like any other military installation in Maryland," Marvin asked curiously.
Ron had only ordered him to scout the facility, without explaining why, so Marvin was still completely in the dark about the objective.
"Marvin, you might think I'm being paranoid, but my gut tells me that place is definitely not what it appears to be." Ron thought for a moment and then laid it all out: "Fort Detrick has always been a biological research facility. Although the government has always maintained that its research is completely defensive, it was ground zero for the infamous anthrax incidents in the early 2000s.
I've always suspected that dangerous pathogens that don't occur naturally could be developed there. It's very likely still an active bioweapons research lab."
Ron originally thought that he had transmigrated to a parallel universe that blended various American TV shows and movies, and that perhaps the tragedy of his original timeline wouldn't repeat itself here. But one day, he accidentally discovered a location with a name and purpose that overlapped disturbingly with his memories, and he instantly became concerned.
However, because the security there was impossibly tight, Ron tried several approaches but couldn't gain access. He could only entrust the reconnaissance mission to Marvin, who had an extraordinary sixth sense for danger, and told him that it was a classified operation that no one else could know about.
"I agree. I've known for a long time that you can't trust the government!" Marvin said bitterly, recalling his experience of being captured and subjected to LSD experiments by the CIA.
"Exactly," Ron nodded, "and recently, through conversations with several scientists, I've obtained even more significant intelligence: many virologists have recently received recruitment offers to conduct pathogen research, and the location happens to be here. I suspect they might be ramping up operations again.
You know, if they were to have another containment breach like the anthrax incident, how many people could die? So, if something like that is really happening, I absolutely must find a way to either expose or neutralize that facility."
Of course, most of the above was fabricated by Ron. Such highly classified recruitment of virologists would never be common knowledge in the scientific community, but Ron couldn't very well say he was a time traveler, could he? So he could only use such a plausible cover story.
Of course, Ron couldn't be certain what was actually inside. Perhaps it was being used for something completely different in this timeline? So, regardless, Ron wanted to know what was going on behind those walls.
If that place was being used for the same purpose in this timeline as his original one, Ron felt morally obligated to shut it down. This wasn't just a personal mission, but a significant contribution to public safety.
To put it dramatically, Ron intended to potentially save thousands of lives.
Marvin lowered his head in thought for a moment, then looked up with unprecedented determination: "I understand, Boss. I can try again. This time, I can apply to be a janitor there. I heard they've been hiring maintenance staff from temporary employment agencies; maybe I can get in that way."
"Thank you. Stay safe." Ron pretended to accidentally drop a small bear keychain on the dock: "This is a panic button. If you need immediate extraction, press the bear's nose, and I guarantee a team will be there within thirty minutes. Good luck."
Of course, Ron didn't just send Marvin to Fort Detrick. He also recruited Christian's younger brother Braxton, who became Ron's asset on the inside, but didn't immediately clear his record. Instead, he had him continue using his mercenary connections to infiltrate the Maryland area as a quick reaction force, ready to provide backup to Marvin at any time.
The initial plan was to communicate by encrypted radio, but unexpectedly, there was extremely strong signal jamming in the vicinity, so Ron had to ask Howard to engineer a workaround.
"Don't worry." Marvin glanced at the keychain and continued pretending to fish.
"What a lousy spot, not even a nibble!" Ron stood up and stretched, then immediately said in a voice only the two of them could hear, "After I leave, fish for another hour before you pack up. Don't raise any red flags."
"Don't worry, boss, I'm a professional," Marvin replied confidently.
(End of Chapter)
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