[Chapter 543]
William White's shameless reasoning was not worth mentioning at this point. Saddam had completely gone mad.
"Over the line" summed up Saddam's feelings perfectly. He hadn't actually planned to take action before this. His troops were too exhausted, and their equipment was incomplete. The worst part was that his treasury was empty.
"I want to know how long it would take to fully occupy Kuwait."
Saddam's words took his generals by surprise. Their orders were to intimidate; there was no plan for an occupation.
However, their surprise was short-lived. Soon, excitement replaced it.
The Americans only had one coastal defense ship here, which posed no real threat. By the time they figured it out, the war would have already ended.
"Mr. President, give us our army; I need at most forty-eight hours."
With the start, the atmosphere quickly grew lively. They knew exactly what Kuwait was. After eight years of fighting, it wasn't just Saddam who was struggling.
Seeing that his subordinates were ready to tear each other apart for credit, Saddam's frustration was unspeakable.
He deeply regretted his initial decision, which seemed incredibly foolish. Why did he choose to take on a tough opponent when the weak next door was so easy?
The impulsive Saddam found himself regretting his choices. Looking at the current scene, he realized that he couldn't stop it even if he wanted to. His subordinates were all broke. If he didn't let them loot, they might just turn on him.
...
While Saddam was restless, Africa wasn't faring much better. After a brief period of calm, Gaddafi started to stir again.
It was quite unfortunate; his main source of income came from oil as well. Given the current situation, he couldn't expect any price increases -- worse still, the price could drop below ten dollars.
Africa wasn't just a desert; the extraction costs here were much higher. Unfortunately, Gaddafi had no other sources of income, so he turned his sights back on other mineral resources.
Naturally, those who could become regional tyrants were not kind-hearted. Aren't you guys arming those folks? I'll just provoke tribal conflicts.
"Master, should we go teach them a lesson?"
"No need, just hold down our fortress. The CIA won't interfere, British won't interfere, and the French are also fanning the flames. They're all someone else's kids; let them die as they please."
"I got it, master. Our base isn't exactly peaceful either. I really don't understand; are these fools out of their minds?"
"Don't worry about it; redirect a satellite there. If anything seems off, hit them hard. We have so many Apaches; they're not just for show."
The oil crisis sparked by the desert tyrant caused a severe recession globally. U.S. still relied on oil for its weaponry. This time, what they wanted was lives.
William White couldn't understand why the Soviets, who suffered the most losses, remained indifferent. Those lacking military power were compromising. The ones jumping for joy were Saddam and Gaddafi.
This pair of fools would end up poorly, but William White didn't need to mind. The U.S. just couldn't deal with both at the same time; otherwise, Gaddafi would have already been hanged.
...
What William White didn't know was that a fierce battle erupted near his base. To describe it as such might be a bit of a stretch. A bunch of struggling insurgents paid a heavy price. Whether they were entirely wiped out was another question, but there weren't many survivors.
"Sir, they bit the dust this time; Executive Outcomes wasn't planning to play nice."
"Play nice? Are you nuts? If I had that many weapons, I wouldn't play nice either."
"Heh, they lost three MiGs, and one pilot was even captured alive!"
"Yikes, we're in trouble this time."
Executive Outcomes' sudden outrage greatly intimidated the small fry. In reality, nobody regarded them as a security company anymore. Seriously, which security company has a missile defense system? This was really pushing it.
Forget the MiGs; even an F-14 could easily be handled.
...
Gaddafi's attempts ended terribly, not only suffering heavy losses but also enduring humiliation.
"Damn it, didn't I tell you not to provoke America? What's wrong with you?"
"Mr. President, I thought they were just a security company."
"A security company? Can you tell me their casualties?"
Moussa Koussa was feeling miserable; he just wanted revenge. The frustration he had been bottling up recently made him feel crazy. Besides, they were just testing the waters; they hadn't attacked first.
...
The CIA miscalculated again; after a brief clash, neither side made any statements. Later, Executive Outcomes shamelessly claimed there had been no gunfire. "We were just hunting wild boars, and it got a little noisy. No need to overreact."
The CIA was furious at the sheer audacity of these guys. Their next plan essentially fizzled out.
"William, I heard your guys used missiles to hunt wild boar. Do you really need to be that outrageous?"
"George, we may be familiar, but you better watch your mouth or I'll sue you for defamation."
"No way, you can't be serious!"
"The fools at the CIA want to do something? Let them. I'm still young; I have no desire for an endless feud with Gaddafi."
"Heh, it's not worth it. If I were you, I'd have dissolved the security company by now."
It was easy for Bush Jr. to say this, but William White wasn't thinking that way. He didn't want to dominate the world, but he needed to ensure his security.
...
Gaddafi was furious; he didn't have that many elites to fill the gaps. The worst part was that if someone came out to say something, he would have to vehemently deny it.
Okay, when he heard that they merely came out to hunt wild boar, he couldn't express how frustrated he felt.
Gaddafi was extremely angry but couldn't act on it for the moment.
...
Saddam was in a slightly better mood since he started formulating battle plans after learning the CIA's complete strategies.
Poor fool, when he was indignant and showed this evidence to the world, he would certainly realize how ridiculous that so-called solid proof in his hands was.
He was genuinely angry, and the consequences were severe. The CIA was frustrated because the complete mobilization they expected didn't happen. The wealthy tyrants were thinking only of escape, and they didn't even have time to gather their valuables.
The CIA was in trouble again.
When this news reached Washington, Bush Sr. was baffled. To be honest, he wasn't prepared for war at all.
Creating tension while promoting some weapons was the plan. Oh, and let's throw in some extra protection fees while we're at it.
Damn it, who got you into starting a war? If this would drag on, how could I get re-elected? You morons -- such a bunch of damned idiots.
*****
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