Chapter 744: Chapter 483: The Higher the Waves, the Pricier the Fish (Part 2)

"This was all his calculation!"

Greenfield was practically gnashing his teeth as he spoke excitedly.

Hakeem’s expression grew darker with Greenfield’s narrative.

This possibility was not something he hadn’t thought of, but hearing it so blatantly from Greenfield’s mouth sent a chilling shiver down his spine.

He seemed to foresee Aguilar’s complete betrayal, putting the knife to the neck of the entire Democratic Party, especially his own, Hakeem’s neck.

"You’re right, we have to be wary of him." Hakeem’s voice was somewhat hoarse. He stood up and paced the office, as if digesting this terrifying hypothesis.

After walking two laps, he stopped and waved at Greenfield, "You should go back now."

Greenfield nodded, said no more, got up, and left the office.

The moment his face disappeared from the crack of the door, the ferocious and resentful expression instantly vanished, replaced by a sly, sinister smile.

The performance he gave in that office just now was exactly like a villain, someone who at a critical moment would unhesitatingly target a party colleague, trying to get someone else to do the dirty work.

But this was precisely what Greenfield wanted; he had to make Hakeem see his urgency and those despicable little thoughts.

If he hadn’t attacked Aguilar just now but instead defended everyone or displayed excessive calm and rationality, it would have aroused Hakeem’s suspicion.

In front of that suspicious old fox, a perfect reaction is the biggest flaw itself.

Conversely, someone with obvious personal interests, a bit impatient for quick success, even at the expense of trampling on others’ loyalty, though annoying, aligns more with human nature.

Such people are often a boss’s favorite because they are easier to see through and more easily controlled and used.

In the office, Hakeem looked at the closed door, already seated back in his chair.

He lit a cigar, took a deep puff, letting the smoke swirl in front of him.

The expression on his face seemed less worried than before.

He recalled every expression and every word choice from Greenfield just now...

From the probing just now, he confirmed one thing: Greenfield, as always, could be counted as loyal to him.

Of course, this wasn’t determined from what Greenfield said, but from the reaction, just as Greenfield had thought.

"As long as the Whip remains loyal, then things are still under control..." Hakeem murmured softly.

A loyal Whip means the basic foundation and executive power within the party are still intact, which reassures him a bit that at least the backyard won’t catch fire immediately.

As for Greenfield’s warning, it indeed had some merit, but he wouldn’t fully trust it. He only trusted his own smart brain and sharp judgment.

After a short rest, Hakeem again picked up the phone on the desk, this time calling Aguilar...

....

Elsewhere, in the hotel.

Qi Yun got up, took a shower, then sat by the huge floor-to-ceiling window, eating breakfast while receiving new intelligence information.

[Current Intelligence Points: 40]

[Today’s Intelligence 1 (Green): On Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, there’s a pawnshop over a century old—Pawn Shops. On the shelves of this pawnshop is a book published in 1852, the "Westward Expansion Guide";

The last page of this book records a treasure location in encrypted form, where a large amount of unrefined gold dust and ingots left over from the nineteenth-century gold rush are buried, as well as a batch of antique gold coins from the Civil War era, with a total value of over eighty million US dollars;

The method to decode it involves pages 47, 89 in the book....]

Qi Yun raised an eyebrow. It seems history textbooks mentioned that during that era, the United States was in a period of turmoil, with the North-South confrontation intensifying and poor public security, where acts of robbery, murder, and looting were commonplace.

In such a general environment, many prospectors and adventurers who made it rich indeed would think of ways to hide their wealth to avoid becoming targets.

The treasure recorded in this "Westward Expansion Guide" is very likely left by some unlucky person out of those.

Eighty million US dollars.

Although it’s not astronomical, for someone currently tight on cash flow, it counts as a considerable windfall with little risk.

[Today’s Intelligence 2 (Red): A highly influential top celebrity agent in Hollywood secretly runs an establishment providing special companionship services for super-rich and power figures. Clients include several political dignitaries and multinational corporation CEOs;

Due to failed investments and a massive funding gap, he is considering quietly selling the leverage he holds to interested parties. Contact ****]

Hmm?

Qi Yun squinted his eyes. This piece of intelligence might be very helpful for what they are currently planning.

[Today’s Intelligence 3 (Red): A data personnel from an important lab at NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) privately copied a large amount of unpublished original satellite observation data, involving many countries’ military and energy facilities in Europe;

For some political ideology, he’s willing to sell these data for ten million US dollars to ’non-American ally’ governments or organizations and has already started looking for buyers on the dark web last night. Contact ****]

Qi Yun’s eyes sharpened, putting down his coffee.

NASA internal personnel’s satellite data.

This piece of intelligence has extremely high strategic value! 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

Involving raw satellite data of military and energy facilities in multiple European countries, it is simply a gold mine for the intelligence community.

At a ten-million-US-dollar asking price, it is negligible compared to its potential value.

If you sell this thing to Russia, the price could at least be a hundred times more, right?

But there are also huge risks involved here. If America’s intelligence agencies get wind of this, it’ll be troublesome. Though the dark web is hidden enough, it’s heard that there are many CIA people fishing there.

For instance, once someone bought a set of American identity on the dark web, only to find out that the person who came for the transaction was actually FBI.

They directly took photos on the spot, recorded fingerprints, and in less than half an hour handed you a fully legitimate identity, then politely asked you to confirm the transaction completion.

So even the dark web is not absolutely safe.

Who knows, maybe that NASA guy is already being watched.

So if you intend to take this job, you must act fast....

After some thought, Qi Yun had an idea, planning to tell Harris about this.

The other side has extensive experience in such matters, whether to proceed or not shall be for him to decide, and just give himself a cut of the profit after it succeeds.

Decision made, Qi Yun immediately picked up the phone and dialed Harris’s number.

The call was answered after a few rings: "Hey, Qi, so early? Hope you have good news."

This guy is still hiding over in Mexico, planning to watch and wait before returning to the United States, showcasing his very cautious style.

"There’s an opportunity, might be hot to handle, but the profit is also astonishing."

Qi Yun didn’t make small talk, directly to the point, "Someone from NASA has a lot of original satellite data involving Europe’s military and energy facilities and is looking for buyers on the dark web, asking for ten million."

"Ten million?" Harris shot up from his bed, "Is the information reliable? Could it be a setup?"

"Asking for ten million, either he’s a complete fool who doesn’t know the game or it’s bait."

Qi Yun shook his head: "Neither, this guy might have some mental issues, but the information is absolutely reliable."

"You know the risks better than I do, whether to do it is your decision."

Harris fell silent.

He certainly trusts Qi Yun, and since the latter says the information is reliable, then there’s no problem.

But this deal carries way more risk than selling arms...

After much consideration, Harris finally gritted his teeth and exclaimed, "Let’s do it!"

"As you folks say, the bigger the waves, the pricier the fish! After this hit, straight to retirement!"