Chapter 70 Elena Sheffield and Task Force 141

Just as Ethan assumed his conversation with Sergeant Major Ryan had ended and prepared to leave, the old man called out to him.

“Esteemed Supreme Commander, would you be willing to accept the Sheffield family’s allegiance?”

Ethan stopped.

He looked at Sergeant Major Ryan in confusion before suddenly remembering that the old man’s full name was Ryan Sheffield.

At that moment, Ethan realized that Ryan’s identity as a five-star general represented far more than an influential military position.

Becoming a senior official in the United States was already extraordinarily difficult.

More importantly, the country was governed through a vast and deeply entrenched network of interest groups.

The easiest way to gain a share of that system’s power was to join one of those groups.

Sixty years had passed.

Sergeant Major Ryan, who had arrived in this world with nothing, had become five-star General Ryan Sheffield.

That meant he was no longer merely a Mobile Task Force operator.

He now represented a traditional American military dynasty.

Ethan knew of the Sheffield family.

It was famous throughout the United States, and its most distinguished patriarch was naturally the man standing before him:

Ryan Sheffield, one of the country’s last surviving five-star generals and a recipient of countless military honors.

Over the course of sixty years, the surviving task force operator had fully integrated himself into American society and woven an enormously complicated military interest group.

General Ryan unquestionably stood at its center.

At present, the Sheffield family contained at least three generals and more than a dozen senior military officers.

Ethan studied the old sergeant major.

“You mean allegiance to me personally, rather than to the Foundation?”

Ryan smiled.

“Of course. Our allegiance would be to you—not the Foundation.”

“Is there a difference?”

“Naturally.”

“The relationship between the O5 Overseers and the Foundation is a perfect example.”

“You should control certain forces personally, outside the Foundation’s regular structure.”

“For instance, you could rebuild Red Right Hand.”

Ethan nodded with a smile.

“That’s a good suggestion, Sergeant Major.”

Ryan visibly relaxed upon receiving his approval.

His long-held wish had finally been fulfilled.

“In truth, I’ve always intended to rebuild Red Right Hand, and I’ve spent many years preparing for it.”

“Now that you’ve accepted the Sheffield family’s allegiance, the time has come.”

Sergeant Major Ryan clapped his hands.

A strikingly beautiful young woman entered.

She had blonde hair, blue eyes, and a cold, composed demeanor. A formal female military dress uniform emphasized her disciplined bearing.

Ryan looked at the young officer with a kindly smile.

“Elena, come forward.”

He then introduced her to Ethan.

“Elena is my finest granddaughter and the Sheffield family’s most outstanding descendant.”

“She graduated at the top of her class from the United States Military Academy at West Point before joining United States Special Operations Command.”

“Elena is now the youngest major general in the United States Army.”

“She currently commands the North American branch of Special Operations Command.”

“Supreme Commander—no, Supreme Chairman—I believe Elena will become an exceptional right hand for you.”

Elena calmly approached Ethan.

Then, like a knight accepting investiture in an ancient Western ceremony, she lowered herself onto one knee.

“I, Elena Sheffield, swear upon the name of the Sheffield family and upon my soul that I will remain forever loyal to Ethan.”

“I will never betray you.”

Ethan was briefly at a loss.

Then he remembered the officer’s saber he carried and drew it before offering it to her.

“I accept your allegiance, Miss Elena Sheffield.”

Elena solemnly accepted his saber.

“Loyalty is my honor.”

“From this day onward, I will become your blade.”

“I will uphold the name of Sheffield and fight for your glory.”

Ethan glanced at Sergeant Major Ryan.

The old man was smiling like a cunning fox.

Ethan was now certain that Ryan truly deserved to be called a member of Red Right Hand.

He was among its most loyal and fanatical operators, someone who had carved its principles deeply into his soul.

Even his methods carried the unmistakable character of Red Right Hand.

Ryan’s allegiance belonged to Ethan as the Foundation’s Supreme Commander—and as the future Supreme Chairman of the O5 Council.

It wasn’t an oath of loyalty to the Foundation itself.

At the same time, Ryan had ensured that the Sheffield family would become a subordinate family attached directly to the O5 Council.

His foresight was exceptionally sharp.

Even so, Ethan accepted the Sheffield family’s allegiance without reservation.

There was nothing wrong with subordinates possessing personal ambitions.

Everyone had private interests.

As long as their loyalty remained secure, why should those interests matter?

The Sheffield family’s support would grant Ethan tremendous influence throughout the United States.

At the very least, he would acquire extensive authority and access to countless military resources.

Ethan finally understood why Sergeant Major Ryan had joined the United States military.

The old man had planned far ahead.

The American military differed from those of many other nations in one significant respect:

Many of its senior officers controlled their own private forces.

The United States also had more private military contractors than any other country, making it remarkably easy for powerful officers to cultivate private armies and profit through them.

Why else did so many senior officers become highly paid consultants for defense conglomerates and private military contractors immediately after retiring?

Where else would thousand-dollar coffee cups or million-dollar sheep come from?

A Pentagon investigation had once uncovered hundreds of billions of dollars in questionable military spending, only for the entire matter to disappear without a conclusion.

One only had to think briefly to understand how deep those waters ran.

Sergeant Major Ryan had likely joined the military to use federal resources to construct his own private power base.

Once the Foundation arrived in this world, he intended to turn that military interest group into one of its affiliated forces.

Red Right Hand had spent sixty years preparing for this moment.

It was genuinely terrifying.

Sergeant Major Ryan cleared his throat.

“Elena, introduce the Supreme Chairman to the forces under your command.”

Elena saluted.

“Yes, Supreme Chairman.”

“As commander of the North American branch of United States Special Operations Command, I can mobilize approximately eighteen thousand combat personnel.”

“Ten thousand of them do not exist on any federal roster. They form the Sheffield family’s private shadow force.”

“The remaining eight thousand include personnel from Delta Force, SEAL Team Six, and the Air Force’s 24th Special Tactics Squadron.”

“We also possess an independent intelligence branch, drones, reconnaissance aircraft, dedicated satellites, and specialized cyberwarfare personnel.”

“Our command maintains intelligence stations in every country throughout the Americas.”

“If you issue the order, we can immediately conduct special operations against targets in any nation across the region.”

“Even outside strictly military affairs, we can investigate international banking transactions to determine whether funds are being transferred to terrorist networks.”

“We can also conduct psychological operations, military intelligence missions, and similar assignments.”

“In addition, I’m currently responsible for establishing an unprecedented special operations unit composed of elite personnel selected from allied nations.”

“Its designation is Task Force 141.”

Ethan’s composure immediately faltered.

“What? Task Force 141?”

Elena looked puzzled.

“Is there something wrong with the task force, Supreme Chairman?”

“No, nothing. Continue.”

Don’t tell me it’s *that* Task Force 141…

Elena’s next words confirmed his suspicion.

“Task Force 141’s current field commanders are Captain John Price of the SAS and Lieutenant Simon Riley, also formerly of the SAS, whose codename is Ghost.”

“Most of its operators come from Australia, Canada, Britain, and the United States.”

“The unit is currently being assembled as a clandestine force intended to conduct highly specialized missions.”

Elena handed him its classified personnel roster.

Ethan examined the names.

Good grief.

It was almost identical to the roster he remembered from *Call of Duty*.

Task Force 141 was filled with monsters.

Remembering the unit’s almost absurd accomplishments throughout the games, Ethan looked suspiciously at Elena.

She appeared to be a mature, highly capable woman in her twenties.

Yet she controlled an extraordinarily powerful military force.

One could practically say that half of America’s elite special operations units were already in her hands.

Even more astonishingly, the first entry in her personnel file revealed that Elena was only twenty-five years old.

A twenty-five-year-old major general!

It was almost inconceivable.

Then Ethan considered her background.

Elena came from the Sheffield family.

Her biological grandfather was one of the last surviving five-star generals of the United States Army and the former Director of the Strategic Homeland Division.

Her father was also an American lieutenant general.

The family’s influence was immense.

Elena had been born into extraordinary wealth, received an exceptional upbringing, and possessed more than a “tiny bit” of personal influence.

She was also exceptionally talented.

She had graduated first in her class from West Point and casually earned two doctoral degrees along the way.

With both an overwhelming family background and genuine ability, rising through the ranks had naturally been remarkably easy.

Looked at that way, Elena becoming a major general at twenty-five was apparently perfectly “reasonable.”

Ethan could only marvel at Sergeant Major Ryan’s loyalty.

The old veteran had spent sixty years cultivating the Sheffield family’s influence.

Now, he had placed all of it directly into Ethan’s hands.

What an extraordinarily loyal old sergeant major!