Simon had never expected his carefully orchestrated operation to end up like this.
When he actually opened the door to the interrogation room, standing outside was indeed one of his subordinates.
"Sir, General Peter is here, in your office. He asked specifically for you by name…"
"Peter?!"
Simon suddenly felt trouble brewing.
Could it be…
"Didn't you tell him I was interrogating a prisoner?"
Simon was reluctant to meet Peter.
The man was the Deputy Commander of the US Army stationed in Iraq, although they didn't belong to the same system, his rank was undeniably higher.
"I already mentioned that. He asked if you were interrogating Song Heping," the agent said. "Then he mentioned that it was precisely for this matter that he came."
"He came for Song Heping?"
Simon was fairly certain that this matter was related to the military.
A bad thought flashed through his mind.
"SHIT!"
He cursed, turned helplessly to the two GRS agents behind him and said, "Watch him, tie him up with restraint straps, don't let him escape. This guy is not easy to handle!"
Simon stormed to the door of his office, stopped in his tracks, and then took a deep breath to calm his somewhat disordered emotions. He managed to squeeze out a rigid smile before pushing the door open.
"Station Chief, I hope my late visit hasn't disrupted your work," Peter said from the chair, gesturing a greeting without intending to stand up.
Any remnant of friendliness from Peter dissipated instantly. He coldly returned to his desk and sat down, asking bluntly, "What brings a general like you here today?"
"I heard you have an operation tonight, capturing a PMC company's boss named Song Heping, right?"
Peter cut straight to the chase, refraining from beating around the bush.
"The affairs of our intelligence department are not necessarily obliged to be disclosed to you, right, General?"
What he feared most was becoming reality.
Simon had already partly guessed why Peter had come.
That was because before leaving the interrogation room, Song Heping had already given him a heads-up.
But this situation was something Simon could not accept.
The military meddling in intelligence affairs was seemingly not regular protocol.
"If the person you have captured is Song Heping, then it does concern us," Peter unapologetically declared. "You must release him immediately and ensure he sustains no injuries while also ceasing any surveillance on him in the days to follow."
"Including the arms trade?"
Simon's anger was starting to stir, unable to accept Peter's commanding tone despite his rank as a general.
He feigned calm but pointedly issued a warning, hinting that Peter's involvement in arms smuggling was not a prudent move to get entangled with.
"Including the arms trade."
Peter didn't care at all, explicitly confirming including the arms trade.
This direct response cooled Simon down instead.
He realized the matter was not so simple.
Peter was certainly not a fool.
He knew the stakes involved.
Even military personnel normally steered clear of such private weapons dealing, and it was completely illogical for him to proactively lean in.
Could it really be as complex as Song Heping had indicated?
He cautiously asked Peter, "General, could this arms transaction be related to a classified operation by the military?"
Facing Simon's probing, Peter bluntly retorted, "You'd best curb your curiosity about matters that aren't for you to inquire about. Didn't your trainers at the CIA teach you that principle?"
Simon's temper flared up again. "General, the CIA is the CIA, and the military is the military. You have no right to demand I release him. I have concrete evidence of Song Heping dealing in arms. That evidence alone is sufficient to send him to Guantanamo Prison for a thorough investigation!"
He had just finished speaking when his cellphone rang.
Simon glanced at it, and his heart started pounding.
It was indeed Deputy Director Jamie Cook calling, the second-in-command of the Operations Division.
"Take it," Peter pointed at Simon's phone from across. "It's for you."
Simon picked up the phone and then stepped aside, pressing the call button.
"Sir, this is Simon."
"Simon, did you detain an arms trafficker named Song Heping tonight?"
"Yes, he's currently in the interrogation room."
To help his superior fully understand what had happened, he hurriedly added, "He was colluding with people from the Provisional Government's Materials Office, selling three sets of SA-9 anti-aircraft missile systems. These are extremely dangerous, and if they end up in the hands of terrorists, they pose a security threat not only to our military aircraft but also to civilians..."
"Release him."
Before Simon could finish, Deputy Director Jamie Cook seemed to lose patience.
"Release him immediately, and don't interfere with this matter any further."
Simon wanted to argue, "Sir, could it be..."
However, Deputy Director Cook seemed uninterested in his emotions and dismissively said, "No need to explain. I'm aware of everything you mentioned. This matter has already alarmed the Pentagon. I just got calls not only from the Pentagon but also from the President's National Security Advisor. Do you think this is something you can meddle in?"
At that moment, Simon felt numb all over.
Deputy Director Jamie Cook didn't say much more and hung up the phone.
Listening to the busy tone from the phone, Simon stood by the window, dazed for quite some time before he regained his composure.
He returned to his seat, facing Peter, who had already displayed a disdainful smile.
"Okay, Station Chief Simon, can your people release him now?"
Simon's face was pale, and after sitting motionless for a moment, he picked up the office phone and dialed an extension: "Thomas, release Song Heping immediately..."
"Including everyone caught tonight," Peter reminded him.
Simon glanced at Peter with a sullen look but still issued the order, "Including everyone we caught in this operation..."
Peter stood up with a smile, and Simon hung up the phone.
Peter extended his hand, and Simon emotionlessly shook it.
"Have a good dream tonight."
Peter left behind a seemingly well-wishing yet mocking remark, then turned and walked away.
Ten minutes later, Song Heping walked out of the CIA's office building in the Green Zone.
Downstairs, he took out a remote and pressed it, checking the location of his bulletproof Lincoln in the parking lot.
An SUV in front of the building honked its horn.
The rear window rolled down, and Song Heping saw Peter.
"General."
He hurried over to greet him.
Peter, sitting in the car, turned to look at Song Heping and sized him up before asking, "Did they torture you?"
"No," Song Heping said. "Because they know torture doesn't work on me, they tried depriving me of sleep all night last time and still couldn't break me."
Peter smiled contentedly, "Well, the situation is resolved, and you can continue with your business. You played a clever trick tonight."
"Clever trick?" Song Heping was slightly taken aback.
Peter said, "You knew everything beforehand, right?"
Song Heping thought, Peter truly is a cunning fox, figuring it out.
He didn't conceal anything and sincerely responded, "Five days ago, I realized someone was following me, three days ago, I began to suspect it was the CIA, but until they acted tonight, I wasn't completely sure it was the CIA."
Peter said, "You could have informed me earlier, but you specifically chose tonight to escalate the matter, making sure everyone knew you were working for us."
Song Heping smiled, "In fact, I was indeed working for you, General."
Peter raised his hand, pointing at Song Heping, "We have no formal agreement, remember, whatever you say outside, we will never acknowledge it."
Song Heping's objective was achieved tonight. Whether the military acknowledged it or not, he had already secured three missile launch systems. He didn't believe they would dare not rescue their people.
If no rescue was attempted, the deal would fall through, and no one in Baghdad would dare buy such equipment again, nor would they trust the military.
This was a community of shared interests.
He wanted to implicate the military. Whether there was a written promise or not was irrelevant. What mattered was Major General Peter coming over to request the CIA to release the prisoners.
Song Heping said, "I understand. This matter has nothing to do with you."
"I'll leave first."
Peter didn't say anything more. The car window rolled up, and the vehicle slid into the darkness, quickly disappearing into the distance.
"Brother, you're out too?!"
Suddenly, the voice of Yusuf came from behind.
Song Heping turned around to see the portly Yusuf, sweating profusely as he walked out and immediately started talking upon seeing Song Heping.
"I told them just before I came out, to release you too!"
"Release me?!"
Song Heping was utterly confused.
Yusuf said, "Before they captured me, I sent a message to my friend. He started pulling strings, getting influential figures in the provisional government to put pressure on our behalf. Seems it worked, or else why would they release us?"
"Ah..."
Song Heping laughed dryly.
But he didn't argue.
Some things didn't need to be argued.
"You're still impressive."
As Song Heping complimented Yusuf, he said, "Come on, let me take you home first."
"Okay."
The two chatted as they walked toward the parking lot.
"Song, after dropping me off, are you still going to the port?"
"Yes, why not? The ship is loading tomorrow night, and I must get the missile to the port today..."
"You'd better be careful. It seems the CIA guys have their eyes on us. Now I'm too scared to continue..."
"Scared of what? You've already had big shots backing you. Doesn't that count as your endorsement? From now on, you just sell to me openly. Won't the CIA have to detour when they see you? Dare they offend you? You're a big shot now..."
"When you put it that way... haha, yes, what is there to be afraid of... but..."
"But what?"
"I just feel like something is off..."
"There's nothing off, Yusuf. I'm counting on you from now on."
"Why speak such words among brothers? Let's make money together!"