Chapter 515 - 459 Threat

In a small café near the DOD building, Colonel Lai De, now out of uniform, kept glancing at the watch on his wrist.

It had been fifteen minutes past the agreed-upon time.

But Fei Er still hadn't arrived.

As a professional responsible for external news releases, he almost guessed how Fei Er would later explain his tardiness.

After all, it was impolite behavior.

The reason he did this was to keep himself on tenterhooks.

After all, he was the anxious one now.

There would be a routine press conference in two days, and if this matter wasn't resolved within those two days, allowing public opinion to ferment, then that press conference would be a disaster.

And news release and external communication were precisely the duties of a press officer; if not handled well, it would be his responsibility, inescapable.

Now, Colonel Lai De also had a card up his sleeve.

In this contest, he was not without cards to play.

As for the outcome, it depended on how Fei Er played his cards.

"SORRY!"

Sure enough, at the twenty-minute mark, Fei Er entered the cafe, looking hurried and apologetic, and sat down opposite Colonel Lai De.

"Traffic jam, such a terrible jam. I left early, but I didn't expect traffic to be this bad. Stuck on the road for a full hour. Damn government, they never spend money where it's needed, just look at the state of the city's construction!"

Fei Er seemed to be explaining, but to Colonel Lai De, it sounded like an insinuation against the military.

"It's alright, this is my job. I can wait."

Lai De pretended not to be angry and snapped his fingers.

The waiter came over and asked Fei Er, "What would you like to drink?"

Fei Er shrugged, "Coffee, and a beef burger."

After the waiter left, Colonel Lai De got straight to the point.

"Fei Er, we have known each other for quite a few years now."

He started to play the friendship card.

"How many years exactly?"

Fei Er smiled, "I don't remember, who can keep track of all that?"

Both were age-old foxes; despite the simple exchange, each word was loaded with hidden meanings.

Lai De understood that Fei Er's deliberate tardiness was to make clear who was the dealer and who was the player, who was beholden to whom.

This was psychological warfare.

Then, Lai De tried to rely on their friendship, but Fei Er stated he couldn't remember.

Lai De believed the man was not telling the truth.

In fact, he was hinting that Lai De shouldn't rely on their relationship, as this matter couldn't be resolved through personal connections.

Lai De wanted very much to understand a few things, first of which was where Fei Er's information came from, and second, what Fei Er intended to accomplish by leaking this news.

And the ultimate goal was to squash the whole affair.

At that moment, the waiter brought the coffee and the burger. Fei Er started wolfing down the burger as if he was really hungry.

"Too busy, didn't even have time for breakfast. Several TV stations have been inviting me on their programs."

He deliberately glanced at his watch.

"We only have 30 minutes."

Colonel Lai De was inwardly annoyed but dared not show it on the surface.

As the DOD spokesperson, how many in the media were eager to please him?

Without getting into details, if anyone crossed him, reporters covering military news would have nothing good coming to them.

On the surface, it was all about freedom of the press; they could ask anything.

But offend him, and you wouldn't make it inside the press hall.

If you did get in, you wouldn't be called upon to ask questions.

Even if you asked a question, for the next DOD movements and various activities, no media coverage spots would be allocated for you.

Take Afghan, for instance. Reporters embedded with the troops could enjoy the military's patronage and be granted permission to film with a certain unit.

Reporters on bad terms shouldn't even dream of it. They'd have to buy their own plane tickets to the war zone and be responsible for their own safety.

That was the difference.

Talk about dema-lous insistence. They had plenty of ways to manipulate you!

Fei Er's attitude left him perplexed.

What exactly emboldened this man to be so defiant and disregard him entirely?

What leverage does he still have?

"So, let's not beat around the bush," Colonel Lai De didn't want to waste time since he had a lot to deal with. He asked directly, "Where did you get your information source?"

Fei Er said, "No comment. According to the law, even if you sue me for endangering national security, I have the right to remain silent."

Lai De said, "I'm not asking because I can't find out your source myself, I just don't want to waste everyone's time. The angle, time, and location of that photo you took are all clues. Do you think I can't find out who your informant is within a day?"

"Then go ahead and check."

Fei Er took a big bite of his burger and said disdainfully, "If you still have that much time to check, wasting time on this, I don't care."

A slight movement stirred in Lai De's heart.

Sure enough, he was an old fox.

The informant must have run away.

Otherwise, Fei Er wouldn't be so calm.

He was right.

It would be pointless to check, a waste of time.

After Fei Er finished his burger, he looked at his watch and said, "23 minutes left."

Colonel Lai De suppressed his anger and continued to ask, "Second question, what exactly do you want?"

Licking his fingers, Fei Er said, "Justice. For the rights and justice of the taxpayers. We don't pay taxes for you military folks to do your own thing and meddle in other countries' internal affairs under the guise of fighting drugs."

"Hahahaha!"

Colonel Lai De couldn't help but burst into laughter, "Fei Er, do you think I'm a three-year-old? Do you think I believe that story? Justice? Oh, for the love of God, don't try to present yourself as a rookie journalist, you're 42 years old, do you think you're still young? After being in this field for so long, do you still believe in so-called justice? FUCK! Don't make an international joke in front of me."

Fei Er held his coffee, listening to Colonel Lai De's mockery and ridicule, his expression unchanged.

It wasn't until the end that he slowly said, "Alright, I'll just say it then."

"That's more like it." Lai De finally nodded, "Isn't it better to be straightforward? Neither of us is a kindergarten baby, spit it out, what do you really want?"

"Pull out the troops," Fei Er's expression turned serious.

"What?!" Colonel Lai De could hardly believe his ears.

Fei Er repeated seriously for the second time, "Withdraw the troops, immediately pull the Colombian Government Army out of this operation. Don't get involved. As long as the troops are withdrawn, I won't publish this news, I'll stay silent, cool things down. In at most a month, it will lose its heat, readers and viewers are forgetful."

Colonel Lai De was so shocked he couldn't speak for a long while.

In the end, he stared coldly at the journalist in front of him.

"Fei Er, do you know what you're saying? You're interfering with military operations. Are you not afraid of offending us?"

He thought this statement would intimidate Fei Er.

After all, no one wanted to oppose the US military.

Especially Fei Er, a former warzone journalist, he knew the military's power.

"FUCK YOU!"

Fei Er suddenly gave him the finger, disdainfully saying, "Lai De, are you trying to scare me?"

Lai De's gaze didn't flinch, still fixed on Fei Er as he enunciated every word, "Think what you will, I'd rather consider my previous words a piece of advice from an old friend."

"Hahahaha!"

This time it was Fei Er who burst out laughing.

"Offend you? Haven't I offended you before? Oh! Don't play innocent with me here, Lai De. Isn't this situation thanks to your military? The magazine I work for tempted me with a high salary to sign a trap of a contract; do you think I'm blind, deaf? Don't you think I know the kind of relationship Joseph has with your bosses? Please! I've seen your tactics before, is the next step for you to have someone kill me?"

Lai De didn't speak.

The two glared at each other, locked in a standoff.

For a full two minutes.

Then, Lai De suddenly looked away.

"Fei Er, withdrawal is impossible. I don't know who you're working for, but let me remind you, your objective won't be achieved."

Having said that, he stood up, then settled the bill, leaving his share of the money behind—this indicated that they hadn't reached an agreement, and they would go their separate ways, paying their own bills.

He walked straight toward the exit of the café.

After just two steps, Fei Er called out to him.

"Lai De, wait."

"What? Have you changed your mind?"

"No, I just want to tell you something."

Fei Er spoke to Lai De with utter seriousness, "Someone on the Congressional Military Committee is very interested in what I have. I didn't want to make a big deal, so I've been delaying. If you insist on not heeding my advice, not withdrawing the troops..."

He held up a finger.

"In 24 hours, this information will be in their hands. I know you need time for consultations, meetings, and communications with various governments, but let me tell you, you only have 24 hours."

Lai De stood rooted to the spot for a moment, then turned around and left with a pale, grim face, forcefully pushing and then shutting the café's door behind him.