Chapter 1422 - 1186: A Genius Idea!

Watching the furious Brenan.

Simon sighed quietly to himself.

He knew it was pointless to keep explaining, as it would only bring humiliation upon himself.

But now he was caught in a dilemma, like mud in the pants—whether it was dirt or something worse, it wasn't good.

If he didn't explain, it would be even more unclear.

So, under Brenan's almost devouring gaze, Simon had no choice but to take out that specially encrypted satellite phone and, under everyone's watchful eyes, dialed the intermediary known as "Trade Team" and, as required, broadcasted the call through the conference room speakers.

After a brief transfer and wait, the voice of "Trade Team," speaking heavily accented and somewhat slick English, came through.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Simon. I assume you're contacting me about the situation in Nineveh Province?"

"Yes."

Simon tried to keep his voice calm.

"My...superiors are very disappointed and puzzled by Buckdadi's sudden withdrawal from the agreement and the redeployment of his forces. We fulfilled our promise and paid the down payment. We hope Emir will also keep his commitment."

"Trade Team" sighed exaggeratedly over the phone: "Oh, my dear Mr. Simon, I completely understand your and your superiors' feelings. However, please understand our difficulties on this side as well. Mosul! That's Mosul! Our heart! And now a knife is at our throat, about to cut deep! In times like this, do you think Emir has the mind to deal with a few little mice at the border? If it were you, wouldn't you save your own nest first before chasing irrelevant mice?"

Simon glanced at Brenan, whose expression was growing grimmer, and braved himself to say, "But we have an agreement..."

"Agreements are dead, but people are alive!"

"Trade Team" interrupted Simon slickly, with a hint of rascality in his tone.

"Moreover, there was no provision in the agreement on what to do if our home is attacked. Mr. Simon, if you feel this deal is a loss and demand an explanation...then may I suggest you perhaps send your Delta Force or Rangers to Mosul City and have a face-to-face talk with Emir? I'm sure he will 'cordially' receive you."

This rhetoric filled with sarcasm and shirking echoed in the silent command center through the clear speakers.

"Bastards! These utterly untrustworthy, greedy, and vile savages!"

Brenan finally couldn't hold back any longer and violently smashed the ceramic coffee cup with the Marine Corps emblem beside his hand onto the ground!

"Crash," a crisp sound, as shards and brown coffee splashed in all directions, causing several nearby civilian officers to shiver.

Simon quietly hung up the phone, knowing any further communication would be futile.

The conference room fell into a dead silence.

On the big screen, the dot representing the 1515 troops continued moving away from Song Heping.

At the Siria border, on the Illiguo side.

The battered convoy of pickup trucks charged over a slight slope, and ahead lay a relatively flat valley.

Song Heping ordered the convoy to stop.

Petrovsky jumped out and quickly checked Frost's condition.

His breathing remained weak but stable.

"He's very weak and needs to be taken to the hospital immediately."

Song Heping nodded slightly upon hearing this, without speaking.

Then he walked aside, took out the long-silent satellite phone, turned it back on, and quickly dialed a number.

As soon as the ringtone started, it was immediately answered, and Jiang Feng's voice came through.

"Team Leader! Are you safe?"

"We're safe. Just crossed the border. How's the situation on your end?"

Song Heping asked.

Jiang Feng quickly and concisely reported the results of "surround Wei to rescue Zhao" and the phased defensive engagements along the way—

Most of Mosul had been taken, Abij and Dehuk were captured, Sinjar surrounded; Eddie's reinforcements were blocked in the Black Canyon area, suffering considerable losses and unable to advance; Zakavi's forces had also turned back to reinforce.

After hearing this, Song Heping said indifferently, "Well done. Now that Zakavi's men have turned back, it's time for you to start withdrawing from the battle in batches. It seems 1515 can't bother us right now."

"Understood! Oh, by the way, Team Leader, Avanti has already arranged a helicopter for you, and it should arrive soon."

"I know, be careful, retreat quickly, and don't get entangled with them. Now is not the time to go all out against the 1515 Armed."

"Got it."

The conversation between the two was brief, ending in less than five minutes.

Just as planned earlier.

An hour later, at the designated evacuation point, a Mi-17 helicopter with the Persian Air Force insignia roared as it landed.

SSO Squad members and the unconscious Frost were quickly carried onto the helicopter.

Song Heping was the last to board the aircraft, glancing back at this war-torn land before decisively closing the hatch.

The helicopter took off and flew toward the Persian Plateau.

While Song Heping was safely retreating to the Persian Plateau, the atmosphere in the Pentagon command center remained tense.

An Army Lieutenant General responsible for Middle East affairs watched the screen, displaying the sweeping offensive and skilled defenses of the "Liberation Forces" and the Abu You Brigade, and after viewing the complete orderly retreat towards the Persian Plateau, couldn't help but praise:

"Although Song Heping is our enemy, I must admit, we spent hundreds of billions of US Dollars training and equipping the Illiguo Government Army and launched countless ground offenses with air support over the past three months, all to no avail in shaking the 1515's control in Nineveh Province, let alone invading Mosul. Yet, this Song Heping achieved what we couldn't, merely by leading a militia organization."

Perhaps realizing his "appreciation" wasn't "politically correct," the general stopped and glanced at his colleagues, masking his awkwardness with a stiff smile.

But while the speaker meant no harm, the listener took it to heart.

His words were like pebbles thrown into a calm lake, rippling not only through everyone's hearts but also causing a sudden flash of inspiration in Simon's mind.

A daring thought rapidly blossomed in his head.

He suddenly realized that if he'd viewed Song Heping from a different angle...

Perhaps it was possible to engage in limited, mutually beneficial cooperation with this formidable adversary in certain areas, aligning with US interests.

After all, the goal of completely eradicating the 1515 Armed was a shared target between the Americans and Song Heping.

The idea seemed absurd.

But as Simon pondered it over, he found nothing inherently wrong.

Indeed, as a CIA Acting Director, his worldview had no restrictive boundaries nor inviolable lines in cooperation, nor in any matter.

Lying, cheating, stealing, subverting, assassinating...

In the secret intelligence world, aren't these straightforward and commonplace?

If collaboration with 1515 Armed in killing Song Heping was possible, why not propose cooperation with Song Heping to eliminate the 1515 Armed?

Since the 1515 Armed couldn't eliminate Song Heping and since Song Heping demonstrated formidable capability, why not negotiate with Song Heping, assisting the US Army in eliminating the 1515 Armed?

Should this deal win through, it'd indisputably benefit himself as Acting Director.

First off, eliminating the 1515 Armed, killing Buckdadi, would mark a milestone in counter-terrorism achievements.

The President would have political achievements gracing his desk, Simon would gain credit, the military could secure funding, and even Brenan, now raging furiously, could vent his frustrations.

More importantly, cooperation with Song Heping was preferable to opposing him.

His Achilles' heel was still held tightly by Song Heping.

To maintain opposition would eventually land him in trouble, caught between a rock and a hard place.

Turn foes into allies.

Oh! My God! That was indeed a genius idea!

Of course, Simon didn't plan to declare this thought openly then and there.

He was no fool.

The idea was so revolutionary, requiring extremely cautious evaluation and clandestine maneuvering, plus ample justification and material to convince those higher-ups in the White House.

He intended to secretly reach out to Song Heping afterwards and test the waters.

Based on his understanding, Song Heping wasn't a rigid guy and probably wouldn't object to hearing the proposal. On the contrary, he might lend him a helping hand, as he once did when secretly aiding in ascending to the director's chair.

He suddenly felt a little excited, his palms sweating.

Too daring!

Utmost caution was necessary.

Otherwise, he'd end up flagged as a suspect, and instead of promotion, it'd be fortunate not to rot away in federal prison.