[Chapter 750: Where Did All the Fools Go?]
A bunch of sly reporters suddenly went wild, mocking Clinton like there was no tomorrow.
It was easy to understand. The losses of the U.S. military, with all those million-dollar elite forces reduced to ash, amounted to only a few hundred casualties. Meanwhile, the situation on your end was truly horrifying. Light cavalry and Delta Force troops were the cream of the crop.
What? You mean they claimed to take out over a thousand armed men?
Alright, even the Yanks are embarrassed to admit that.
They made a big show of capturing people, only to end up with so many casualties themselves. And as if that wasn't enough, they even managed to let someone get captured alive.
"Ha! That's not how it works, is it? Do I look like a fool?"
"Sir, they never expected us to agree, it was just a try."
"Sigh, that pilot won't die. Let them trade him for someone else. Didn't they say they caught a couple of big fish?"
"I guess they're afraid they'll go back on their word."
"Change their mind? I can help you with that, Max. If Aidid is so stupid, there is really no need for him to exist."
"Got it, sir. We will decline the rescue mission. If it's a swap, we'll provide protection and support."
"Exactly. That's the idea."
Somebody may ask, aren't you overcomplicating things? This is a straightforward government affair.
Ahem, Aidid had been labeled a terrorist by the Yanks. The U.S. had no intention of negotiating with these guys, let alone striking a deal.
Well, it wasn't entirely wrong to say that. Mercenaries did the dirty work. Guys wouldn't back down from soldiers, but they didn't want to clash with mercenaries either. Soldiers had their honor; mercenaries had none. If you interfered with their profits, they'd become relentless.
In reality, Clinton was just bored stiff. Getting Aidid's life was actually simple -- a cool 20 million dollars would seal the deal. There were over twenty factions like this in Somalia, with Aidid being one of the larger ones. These guys would just kill and fight, not really caring about who killed whom.
...
The return of Leo Wanta didn't ignite the media's curiosity at all. Aside from two small newspapers in Wisconsin, no one cared to speak about it.
Truth be told, it was an absurd situation. You wanted to make a big deal about extraditing a man over ten grand in taxes? Seriously, had they lost their minds?
Such a quirky thing would surely catch a reporter's eye. If you were to ask who the smartest group in America was, there would be no doubt that reporters were extremely sharp. Without a certain level of expertise, they wouldn't be able to do their job well.
The IRS apprehended people every year, but there weren't many cases that led to overseas extraditions. There were many reasons for that; those who hadn't signed extradition treaties didn't get involved. Retrieving tax evaders through Interpol didn't apply in these cases.
Even if treaties had been signed, one still had to consider the cost, right? Spending 100,000 dollars to collect a mere ten grand in taxes was wasting taxpayer money.
Well, this case was full of holes from the start, and yet major media outlets just ignored it.
Really? No one noticed?
Are you kidding? Without a keen nose for news, what kind of reporter would you be? That's embarrassing enough as it is.
Editors at White Media were beyond frustrated. Sure, it wasn't the end of the world for the boss to pull a story. However, not offering any explanation was over the line.
Fine, William White rarely did that. Generally speaking, even if they criticized him through the media, he wouldn't say much.
For sales, slamming your own boss was pretty common. As long as there was profit, everything else was secondary.
Of course, anyone who made it to the editor-in-chief position wasn't a fool. Those too rigid had already been crushed by society long ago.
Soon, these guys noticed that there are actually a lot of newspapers going about it this way.
Tsk tsk, who on earth did this Leo Wanta offend?
...
Murdoch, too, was perusing the news, and he obviously had his own intelligence sources. He didn't know what exactly went down, nor did he want to.
At his age, if he still didn't understand the saying "Curiosity killed the cat," he might have been pickled long ago.
However, it was strange that White Media also kept silent. Damn, he had his little stool ready, so why wasn't anyone stepping up?
...
Murdoch was frustrated, but William White was even more annoyed. "Where did all the fools go? If they didn't jump out and stir things up, he wouldn't be able to profit in the chaos."
"Tanner, we've sneaked out so much information and yet got zero feedback. Sigh, all the fools are gone, and it's just so boring."
"Master, it's not surprising. The Swiss media hasn't said anything either. What you said is true; this hidden force is indeed quite terrifying."
"Switzerland? Their concerns are obviously greater. The Russians are strapped for cash; I heard that when they go abroad for conferences, they can't even pay their hotel bills."
"That's right. If you wanted to trace the money back to its source, it'd require Russian cooperation."
"Cooperation? Aren't they afraid of being hung out to dry? Whatever, if there's nothing to see now, it's whatever. Tsk tsk, even Clinton is out of the game. That's just too ridiculous."
Tanner just rolled his eyes. Not only did Clinton not retrieve a dime, but he also lost one of his childhood friends' lives in the bargain.
...
"Old man, these CIA jerks are out of line. They're also eyeing that money."
"That's why you can't just look at the surface. Son, has any media reported on it?"
"None, that's just too exaggerated."
"Not necessarily them. The CIA doesn't have that capability; at least, William White wouldn't fall for it."
"This guy is scared? That's not his usual style at all."
"Ha ha ha, son, you're mistaken again. Those idiots will soon realize they can't do a thing. Not talking is one thing, but not paying attention is another. As long as someone takes that money, he's left with no way out."
The CIA idiots were still utterly clueless at that moment.
...
Bush father and son had actually underestimated the CIA. Given the current situation, if they still didn't know what was going on, they'd truly be the last fools on earth.
Being targeted by the media was never a good thing, but at the very least, you'd know who to deal with. Now, everyone had chosen to remain silent.
Well, you all can take your time floundering. If in the end you don't provide a reasonable explanation, you can ponder the consequences yourselves.
...
Some said that Leo Wanta was indeed quite powerful, having everyone dancing to his tune.
While that may not have been entirely incorrect, that wasn't what he wanted.
Buying life with money was simple enough; the CIA's special account had been stuffed with at least a billion dollars.
Looking back now, that was a fatal mistake. If it had only been around 30 to 50 million, it certainly wouldn't have ended up like this.
You could say he had skills; he certainly had some. At least all those massive bank accounts and passwords were locked in his head. Just based on that, one had to admire his capabilities.
Setting passwords on computers was a joke for CIA folks. It didn't matter if it was software or hardware; they all had backdoors. Unless you could program yourself or produce the storage devices, otherwise, no matter how tight the system, professional eyes would see right through it.
...
"Master, they've started the judicial process, and this feels a bit odd."
Fresh out of the pool, William White wiped his damp hair and wore a visible frown.
"This isn't fun; not fun at all. These idiots actually recognized something was off."
*****
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