A few days later, Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, Japan in the evening.
“It really sucks. I even called to say that I was going home after work was over, but I couldn’t go see the kids… … .”
Jose murmured as he gulped down a can of beer.
It was because Jake’s order to stand by had already lasted for several days, and no further instructions had been given.
Moreover, access was limited to not only outside the fence outside the base, but also to some areas within the territory, waiting in a kind of confinement state.
The purpose was to reduce contact with ordinary soldiers, but no one liked it.
Because freedom of movement is limited.
I didn’t have anything to comfort him, so I just nodded my head, and Marcus across from me smiled at me.
“You don’t have to empathize. You heard that there is nothing different from a vacation?”
“ah… Ha ha ha, yes, but… … .”
I laughed and licked my tail.
It was an uncomfortable situation for everyone, but it was because, as Marcus said, I was on vacation.
Of course, the facility is not very good because it is for military use, and there are restrictions on usage hours.
If I had to pick one, it only took a while for the fact that there were no MMA gyms and UFC coaches that I visited every time I was on vacation.
Still, there were good mats and punching bags, so it was worth going over that.
Anyway, I could use what I learned, and thanks to Harry chasing me as my sparring partner, I was able to warm up.
Jose gulped down his beer and looked at me with a reddened face.
“For some reason, the complexion looked so damn good… Are you okay with eating?”
“Oh, I thought it was worth eating.”
“f*ck, it’s the most tasteless place I’ve been to… Do you think this is delicious?”
“Are you okay? You are a bit picky.”
“What are you talking about? i’m normal Marcus would have the same opinion? is not it?”
he asked, looking at Marcus, who was sitting across from him.
I looked up, and the answer came back quickly.
“Vote for Jose.”
“Look, you are great. Harry, what do you think?”
Harry, who was next to Marcus, nodded.
“Senior is always great, and his appetite is the same.”
“The manager? The team leader eats well too.”
As I tripped over Jake, Jose waved his hand.
“Oh, no. he’s a monster Well, a brown bear would be better. Yeah, have you seen a brown bear cover its food?”
It might have been a Kodiak, Jose continued, while thinking of the kind of bears that live in Alaska.
“Bears have to eat everything. Same goes for the manager. Does it make sense to cover food when you’re maintaining a 300-pound, muscular body?”
“… uh? No, the team leader weighs 300 pounds?”
When I hesitated to ask about the specific number, Marcus, who was next to me, spoke up.
“I used to weigh over 320 pounds at my peak. I remember making bets on his weight from time to time.”
“and… … .”
Around the time I realized that I wasn’t comparing it to a bear for nothing.
“It just happened to be gathered.”
The party, Jake, appeared.
Holding a cell phone that looks relatively too small.
“I heard that even a tiger will come when I say it… … .”
“What do you mean?”
When I told him that Marcus reacted in Korean, he grinned.
“There are our own idioms, but that goes well with the team leader. A tiger… … .”
Meanwhile, Jake called and called Rachel.
In a word, it’s all together.
José, who had emptied his beer before he knew it, asked with a wry smile.
“I still have nowhere to go, so why didn’t I at least arrange a meeting for the first time in a while? Then I would have been less bored.”
“I was about to.”
“yes?! Did you receive any instructions from above?”
Jose asked, hesitating, and Jake nodded as he looked at the approach.
“Rachel is coming too.”
“Please give me the good news. I might end up going to a trauma recovery center that I didn’t go to even during my active duty.”
Shortly after Jose made a tearful face and ran to Rachel.
Jake opened his mouth.
“The bounty case was settled.”
“oh! Is it real?! How did you solve it? Vashkanal, was that son of a b*tch right?”
“Yes, it’s a laptop, a cell phone… You seem to have done quite a bit of research.”
“Whew, that’s great. So, can you leave right away tomorrow?”
Jose asked with a happy feeling, and it was time for the other team members to look at him with a welcoming face.
“Entry has not been confirmed.”
“yes?! What kind of small grain is that? Weren’t you waiting for the bounty case to be resolved?”
“Something happened.”
At the same time, Jose groaned.
“Could it be that another mission has come down?! It’s been 8 weeks, but where… I’m not going No, I can’t go!”
Jake, who had been watching it quietly, answered quietly.
“Shut up and listen first, Jose.”
“… Um, sorry.”
“They said that only the bounty post was taken down, and our identities were all exposed. They say that information such as occupation and name is highly likely to have been looked at by serious criminals.”
“… God damn it, it’s f*cked up.”
While Marcus was murmuring, Jake opened his mouth.
“So he said he needed time to readjust everything and prepare anew.”
“If it’s an adjustment… You mean the fake identity you got last time?”
“Perhaps it will.”
“Then what about my family?”
“Similar measures will be taken against the family. Security personnel have been deployed to houses whose addresses have already been exposed.”
I was also taken aback by the bigger change than I thought.
It was because I never thought of having security assigned to my colleagues.
Then I remembered the most important thing and asked.
“Then our team… What about the Foreign Cooperation Bureau?”
Although the situation changed in many ways, it was because the only team chasing Pikal in the story of Lareple was the Foreign Cooperation Bureau.
So, in the past, I also rejected suggestions to change or adjust the team.
I wished to keep
It was because I was worried that if something changed, I wouldn’t be able to track it.
Of course, I was less concerned because the story had been twisted enough to say that there is almost nothing that has not changed, but fortunately, a satisfactory answer came back.
“They say they’ll discuss it again after coming to the States, so they’ll probably hear our opinion.”
“ah… All right.”
After my answer, this time Marcus opened his mouth.
“Team Leader? Then how about your vacation?”
It seemed that he was just as concerned about the number of vacation days as Jose.
Jake answered simply.
“The vacation will be extended, because there are many adjustments.”
“Um, that’s good.”
Jose opened a new can of beer as if he was anxious, and before he knew it, Harry opened his mouth.
“Then can I go out there? It’s a bit sad to see the beach. The weather is still hot enough to say it’s summer, and we’ve come all the way to Japan… … .”
“… … .”
From nob le mt l dot com
Looking at the sudden noise, Jose shook his head.
“Lee, did you do that before? Missing screws? I knew exactly what that meant. I think I’m missing two rather than one… … .”
“yes? The sea is in front of the barbed wire, and there is a beach on the other side, so of course… … .”
Jake made a dot at the words Harry sputtered out as if they were excuses.
“no.”
“Okay, boss.”
After Harry’s answer, Rachel raised her voice.
“The morning news just came out.”
“… America?”
In Okinawa, it is late in the evening long after the sun has set, whereas in the United States, it is the rush hour.
Rachel nodded lightly.
“that’s right. The team leader must have gone to pick up the phone. Right?”
“Yeah, they called after a morning meeting.”
Jake answered, and Rachel raised the volume as she picked up her smartphone.
Before I knew it, I heard the gentle voice of the anchorman.
It was about Thomas Grandon, the new Defense Secretary-nominee.
Since he had just been discharged from the military, it was said that it had to be passed by the Senate in order to be approved, and he was reciting his past history.
Meanwhile, Jake’s voice was heavy.
“… Someone you know.”
“uh? Who are you?”
“When I was working in Special Force, I was dispatched. Same when I went up to Delta.”
“oh… I thought there was a kite with the team leader… … .”
This was also the appearance of another new character that was not in the scenario at all.
Of course, the same goes for Giandro and Harry, but the high-ranking person involved with Jake couldn’t help but feel differently.
It was because, because of his high position as a minister, when he started getting in the way, he became a big hindrance, and if he helped properly, it would be a great help.
‘It’s not as bad as my predecessor… what to do… … .’
But the worry did not last long.
It had to be seen that Sergei and Giandro were both finished, and it had changed for me, just as it affected Pikal.
And whatever changed, I had to do my best.
that was the way i lived
* * *
Same time, somewhere in China.
Norman Jones, alone in the room, was looking through the files he had received today.
It was data about the nominee for the US Secretary of Defense, and it listed not only the person’s simple history, but also the information of the people involved.
Various events and even words and actions were written in detail, and Norman looked at it and shook his head.
‘How do you get this specific data… … ?’
It was beyond his imagination.
Even though Walter Grayson, who was delivering information from the United States, died, he was bringing various documents as if he still had information.
They were also of poor quality.
Norman, who saw this, was amazed again.
‘Awesome…’ … .’
It wasn’t just about getting information.
There are various ways to bring in information and recruit people, and Pikal was a person with the ability to do all of them.
From representative money to ideological ideology, persuasion that seizes people with atmosphere, and even ego.
These were all fields that Pikal could touch.
I was even more confident when I met him face-to-face.
It was because he had an aura that most high-ranking politicians could not approach even just by facing him, and even his voice and actions were suitable for inciting people.
Norman, with a smile on his face, recalled what Pikal had said.
‘America’s glory is no different than a nice-looking, moss-covered, shoddy souvenir. Now it’s time to open the glass door of the showcase and display it well so that the back is covered.’
Norman also agreed with the words that melted the core into a metaphor.
America’s well-hidden flaws were being exposed.
Norman, who had been to and from the White House and the Pentagon, felt that fact more than anyone else.
I had to change.
And fortunately, there was someone who could do it, and that was Pikal.
Norman was thankfully able to help him.
The role given to him as a lobbyist and as a terrorist.
‘… I can explode America with my own hands.’
Norman made up his mind.
He succeeded in doing what Walter Grayson wanted, but couldn’t.