Chapter 1865 - 1398: Fury Among the Leadership

Thirty seconds before the video connection was established, Lemont stood in front of the camera calibration point in the communication room, wiping his cheeks one last time with a damp towel.

He even ran his fingers through his sweat-soaked hair—despite knowing it would quickly plaster itself back onto his forehead.

This was an unconscious habit.

At any time, whether facing superiors or cameras, appearance must be impeccable.

It was not only a show of respect but also a stance.

No matter how dire the situation, maintain control over the circumstances.

But as he looked at the three split screens appearing on the monitor, Lemont knew his appearance no longer mattered.

National Security Advisor Walter Simmons sat in the central position, with the oak long table of the White House Situation Room extending behind him, and a giant electronic map on the wall displaying real-time intelligence on global hotspots.

In the left split screen, Hillary sat in an elegantly decorated study.

The dark walnut bookshelves filled an entire wall, packed with hardcover books and photographs, including one of her shaking hands with Obama deliberately placed where the camera could capture it.

She wore a dark blue blazer over a white silk blouse, with a pearl necklace exuding a warm glow under the light.

Her makeup was flawless, her golden short hair meticulously neat, but her lips were pressed into a tight line.

On the right was Deputy Defense Secretary William Miller, the background of the Pentagon's conference room appearing somewhat plain.

"Lemont, report the situation."

Walter's voice came through the encrypted satellite link.

It took Lemont five minutes to explain the current situation in the most concise manner.

He did not embellish or exaggerate, merely stating the facts faced by himself and over a hundred subordinates.

The encirclement of four thousand men, coordinates of artillery positions, deployment of air defense systems, Song Heping's three conditions, and the political tumult those documents could unleash if made public.

He specifically emphasized the final point: "Based on our intelligence, Song Heping possesses at least 70% of the encrypted archives of the 'Seeder' program and 'Witness' department operations in Iraq and Siria over the past ten years. These include materials potentially involving war crimes."

Throughout, the look on Hillary's face on the screen remained stony.

After Lemont finished speaking, she rested her thumb, forefinger, and middle finger under her chin, coldly staring at the screen—an habitual gesture of hers when extremely angry, well-known in the Washington political circles.

"This..."

Her voice came with a blaze of anger.

"This mercenary leader, this bastard from East University, who does he think he is? To dare threaten the United States Government?"

The study's lighting cast sharp shadows on her face, making those blue eyes look even colder.

"Madam, he has evidence." Lemont cautiously chose his words: "If made public, it will not only damage the 'Witness' department but could impact the entire intelligence community, possibly affecting—"

"Then let him make it public!" Hillary slammed the table.

Bam!

The dull thud was clearly transmitted through the high-quality microphone, even causing a few drops of water to splash from the glass by her hand.

Although physically located thousands of miles away in the Upper East Side of New York, her motion was perfectly conveyed via the 1080p HD camera.

The shrug of her shoulders, the tension in her arm muscles, the slight lean of her upper body as her palm struck the hardwood table.

"I'd like to see which media dares to publish materials jeopardizing U.S. national security!"

Her voice suddenly rose by an octave, the sharp tone once making generals sweat in Congressional hearings reappearing.

"The New York Times? The Washington Post? CNN? If they dare to publish, I'll ensure their board of directors get replaced by next year!"

She turned to Walter's screen, pointing in the air as if her fingers could pierce through the monitor to poke his face:

"Walter, immediately contact the Kuwait Air Force base and have them dispatch fighters! I want the most advanced F-16s, fully loaded with precision-guided bombs, to blast those rebels surrounding the base to smithereens! Now! Immediately!"

Walter did not respond right away.

He picked up the water glass next to him, taking a slow sip, an action that lasted a full five seconds.

Clearly, he was hesitant.

Then he turned to the right split screen: "Miller, military assessment? How much time do we need?"

William Miller brought up a newly updated document, responding in a steady pace:

"F-16C/D Block 50s taking off from Ali Saleem Air Force Base in Kuwait, equipped with two GBU-31 JDAMs (Joint Direct Attack Munition), two AGM-154 JSOWs (Joint Standoff Weapons), and AIM-120 and AIM-9 for self-defense, will take 55 minutes of flight time to reach the Mosul target area. Including pre-flight briefing, armament loading, and pre-flight checks, we need at least 75 minutes in total."

He switched the document page.

"Using F-15E 'Strike Eagles' stationed at Incirlik Base can reduce the time to 45 minutes. However, this requires Turkey's approval for airspace passage and base usage—data from the past twelve months shows that such approvals take an average of 2 to 4 hours. Considering the current Turk-US relations…"

He left the sentence unfinished, but the implication was clear.

"More importantly…" Miller highlighted several red dots on the map: "The deployment of the Tenth Division's air defense system is quite professional; they operate on a different combat level than ordinary Iliko Government Army, with significantly better equipment. Reconnaissance data indicates they have at least four Armour-S1 anti-aircraft/artillery systems, two Tor-M2s, and numerous portable air-defense missiles. These systems create an overlapping air defense network, covering altitudes from 15 meters to 12,000 meters."