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Seeing Archibald's face, Norris knew that as president, he really knew too little. Pen "Fun" Pavilion www.biquge.info

After attracting the president's attention, Archibald said: "We already know that this is not an accident, and the attackers have planned and prepared for it. Such attacks are too difficult for known terrorist groups to be successful at all. Although the identity of the attackers is not yet known, we can make a judgment based on the information already available. I spoke with Turner, and he agreed that the attackers were not terrorists, but senior agents of a country's intelligence agencies, and that it was a large-scale attack orchestrated by the intelligence agencies. ”

"How is that possible!?" Cologne's eyes widened, "If that's the case, aren't they afraid of full-scale retaliation?" This kind of action is already at war. No matter who is behind the scenes, as long as we find out, it will definitely not end well. ”

"The question is, can you find it?"

Cologne was stunned for a moment and closed his mouth.

Norris glanced at the security adviser and turned to Archibald for the Secretary of Defense to continue.

"We can assume for a moment that the intelligence agencies of a certain country planned the attack. In this way, we must understand the purpose of the attack. Archibald smiled wryly and said, "This is probably a good thing for us, because any intelligence agency has a very clear purpose for an operation, and it doesn't target civilians." Unfortunately, intelligence agencies are much more difficult to deal with than terrorist organizations, and the damage caused to us is even greater. If we do not succeed in resolving this crisis, the consequences will be unimaginable. ”

"What is their purpose?"

"I don't know, or I can only guess."

Norris frowned and said, "Then what are your guesses?" ”

"In the last six months, many things have happened that are incomprehensible and unbelievable, such as the attack on the computing center of the Ministry of Defense, the kidnapping of Professor Beard, a major participant in the 'Future Soldier' project, whose whereabouts are still unknown, the shooting down of a fighter plane delivered to Zoben over the Pacific Ocean, the murder of the former deputy chief of operations of the CIA, and the infiltration of Nelly Air Force Base, where the FPF [***] test subjects were held, and so on. Linking these things together is enough to conclude that there must be some country that is secretly dealing with us. ”

"The point is, who's doing it in the dark?"

Archibald shook his head with a wry smile and said: "Maybe we will never know, or we will never find out the truth, after all, attacking Manhattan Island and taking three million Americans hostage is enough to trigger a world war, and the intelligence agencies of any country will think twice before doing this." Since we have done it, it proves that the other party is not only well prepared, but also confident enough to erase all traces and make it impossible for us to trace it. ”

Norris sighed, he had to believe Archibald's words.

"The point is, what are they doing these things for? It would not make sense to say that it was just for us to withdraw our troops from Afghanistan, to end the repression of the Islamic world, and to end our support for Israel. It can be said that none of the countries that have the ability or the motivation to carry out attacks have a stake in these areas. ”

"In other words, they have a greater purpose?"

Archibald nodded and said, "Fundamentally, if a country's intelligence agencies plan this large-scale attack, its fundamental purpose is to crush us, make us lose the ability to rule the world, and make the world pattern change dramatically, so as to gain greater space for survival and development." ”

"That way, we'll be able to target at least a few countries."

"Of course, the continent, Russia, the European powers, and even the Benben have motives and reasons to do such a thing. Unfortunately, we have very limited intelligence and insufficient evidence to determine who did it or to launch a strategic counterattack. ”

Cologne sighed to himself, not fighting Archibald again.

"Of course, it's not something we have to deal with right away." Archibald looked over to the president, "After making that judgment, we have to prepare for the worst." ”

"What are you going to do?"

"Almost all of our gold reserves are in Manhattan."

Norris was startled, looking incredulous.

Cologne was also stunned, and then said: "This is too unbelievable. Although the attack was successful, it was impossible for anyone to steal the gold from the Federal Reserve Bank or even transport it to the surface if we were prepared. ”

"What if their purpose wasn't to steal the gold?"

"What's that?"

"Let's lose this gold!"

Norris and Cologne were surprised again.

"It's not a zero-sum game, because as long as we lose all our gold reserves, the attackers will benefit, and unimaginably good."

Although Archibald is not an economist and knows nothing about finance, Norris and Cologne have to admit that he is right. The gold stored in the underground vaults of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York belongs not only to the United States, but also to other countries. Such a big thing will definitely not be able to cover up. As soon as the news leaks, the countries that deposited the gold in the United States will ask for compensation.

Obviously, the United States does not have the capacity to compensate.

From the point of view of international law, the United States has to pay compensation because the Federal Reserve Bank of the United States charges a high custody fee for the custody of the gold, and it is also obliged to ensure its safety.

If the United States does not compensate, the international credibility of the United States will immediately go to zero.

In addition to this, the position of the dollar will also be seriously affected.

Norris knew very well what the outcome would be. When the world no longer trusts the dollar and the ability of the United States to pay, the financial hegemony of the United States will no longer exist, and it will be impossible to obtain benefits from other countries and maintain its global hegemony through financial means.

Norris let out a long breath and said, "Maybe the problem is not so serious, after all, more than 10,000 tons of gold can be salvaged even if it is thrown into the sea by the attackers." We have blocked sea traffic, and it is impossible for the attackers to leave the United States with this gold as long as all ships are strictly checked. ”

"If the gold is dissolved and discharged into the New York Bay......

"This ......"

Archibald sighed and said, "It has been proven that the attackers were very well prepared. Based on our past experience, less than 20,000 tons of aqua regia or other specialty solvents are needed to dissolve 10,000 tons of gold. New York is one of the largest ports in the world, with an average of more than a dozen freighters arriving and leaving every day, and dozens, if not hundreds, of freighters calling at any given time. In total, twenty-four hours before the attack, eighteen cargo ships entered the port, five of which were carrying liquid cargo, and six bulk carriers were able to carry liquid cargo. If the attackers had targeted the underground vaults of the Federal Reserve Bank, they would certainly have prepared enough solvents. ”

"Underground vaults aren't that easy to access, are they?" Cologne still has a glimmer of illusions.

"Of course it's not easy to get into, but it's not completely safe. According to our calculations, even with the most primitive tools, and without interference, the attackers were able to open the vault door within twenty-four hours. Because the attackers had already kidnapped millions of civilians on the island, we did not dare to launch a military operation, which gave the attackers enough time. If the situation is not reversed in time, the losses will not be estimated. ”

"This must be stopped!"

"Then we have to send troops to the island to defuse the crisis as quickly as possible." Robert said a word for Archibald.

Norris was silent because he was weighing the fortunes of the United States against three million civilians.

"General, do you have a specific plan of action?" Cologne's attitude has changed. As a politician through and through, he thinks first and foremost about the interests of the country as a whole, not the interests of a segment of the population.

In his eyes, compared to the national fortunes of the United States, three million civilians are nothing at all. Moreover, if the rescue operation is successful, civilians will also be safe.

"Plans are being worked out, and we have to get to the bottom of the attackers before we can start the official operation." Admiral Robert was not verbose and said, "My suggestion is to immediately dispatch the Navy SEALs from the undersea tunnel on Roosevelt Island to Manhattan Island to complete the preliminary reconnaissance. During this time, we will develop a plan of action for all possible scenarios. Once we know the specifics, we can choose the most appropriate course of action to ensure that military action is taken immediately and that the attackers are given no chance. ”

"How many people do you need to dispatch?"

"Reconnaissance only needs a small squad to disguise themselves as civilians and use the underground network to infiltrate as much as possible. Once the specifics are known, the number of troops required for the assault operation can be determined. It's just that, judging by what has already been learned, there will be no more than a thousand armed personnel on the island, so only one brigade of troops needs to be mobilized. If we can concentrate attackers in a certain area before the operation begins, we can carry out tactical bombing. ”

"The point is, we have to figure out the specifics of the attackers." Archibald brings the conversation back.

Cologne nodded, turning his gaze to Norris.

At this point, the three main aides all agreed that special forces should be sent to Manhattan Island immediately.

At this point, Norris was silent.

In his opinion, the problem is not so simple. If Archibald is right when he says that the ultimate goal of the attackers is the Federal Reserve Bank, he will certainly be prepared for what may happen. Even if the undersea tunnel of the "Future Soldier" experimental base is not discovered or damaged, and the special forces successfully land on Manhattan Island, it will be difficult for them to get close to the Federal Reserve Bank, and it will be even more difficult to find out the details of the other party in a short time.

The question is, is there a better way to do this?

Let CIA agents infiltrate Taliban militants and land on Manhattan Island to gain the trust of the attackers?

Obviously, it's a stupid idea, but it's worth a try.

After a moment of contemplation, Norris nodded and took the military's advice.

It can't be delayed, action must be taken as soon as possible!

(To be continued)