Setting the Stage for the Fall

"As if I taught him."

"And self-sabotage."

"I’ll spit blood on your face, believe it or not."

Lake looked at Secretary Kelly’s expression and chuckled. He got up without a care, took out two disposable cups from underneath, and then took out a bottle of Bourbon from the bag he brought. He poured a glass and handed it to Secretary Kelly.

"Yes."

This was all planned by Lake.

One sentence.

He didn’t want to stay in Washington and be inexplicably promoted to head of operations for headquarters. How could Lake, whose home was in New York, tolerate this?

In New York, Lake was the local king.

Even powerful dragons had to lie down obediently.

But in Washington.

Lake felt that if he made one wrong move, he might just personally demonstrate how to take over the White House in three minutes.

So, for his own sake and for others, Lake felt it was necessary to return to his New York. Washington was a playground for politicians, but not for people like Lake, who lived life carelessly and were ready to act.

Moreover.

This real-name exposé was also to eliminate the potential threat from Professor X.

Although Lake had a perfect alibi last time, it wasn’t enough. This time, he would use this matter to tell certain people that he, Lake Edwin, disdained playing dirty tricks.

He stood by his actions.

Secretary Kelly looked at the Bourbon Lake handed him, was silent for a moment, then grabbed it and drank it all in one gulp.

Seeing this, Lake smacked his lips, "Minister, this is good Bourbon."

He had found it in Rachel’s apartment. He didn’t expect Rachel’s wine cabinet to have a bottle of ten-year-old Bourbon. For Lake, who loved alcohol, it was like discovering treasure.

Secretary Kelly snorted, "Get back to your New York."

He definitely wouldn’t get a promotion.

After this headline in The Sun came out, the White House’s phone had been ringing off the hook. The President’s inquiry call had just come in. Only a few people knew about it. They couldn’t possibly say that the Secretary of State had leaked the information.

So Lake’s position definitely wouldn’t be promoted.

Lake didn’t mind at all, but he still looked at Secretary Kelly, "Minister, how about giving me a supervisor position in New York?"

The head of operations was only in charge of operations.

But the supervisor of New York?

Lake suddenly thought of the director in New York. After he took office, it was widely rumored in the industry that the director was the number one money-maker. Even the kingpin of Hell’s Kitchen made secret donations to him every year.

I want to be like that too.

Lake seemed to have found a guiding light.

If he could become the supervisor of New York, then couldn’t he replicate that director’s actions? At that time, would he still have to kill people for money? Damn it, if he just did a few things each year, wouldn’t the money from the lottery be enough?

Which big shot in the law enforcement bureau wasn’t taking money while in office?

The future Director Nick Fury of S.H.I.E.L.D. was the biggest corrupt official in the original timeline. Those seventy-two secret bases were directly comparable to Cao Cao’s empire.

Secretary Kelly almost spat out his drink, "You don’t even want the head of operations position, but you want the supervisor of New York?"

Lake shrugged, "The supervisor of New York is a big shot."

"The head of operations at headquarters is also a big shot."

"Boss, please."

Lake spread his hands, "If it doesn’t work out, I can do both."

Secretary Kelly was amused to the point of anger, "I’m already being generous by not firing you completely, and you still want to do both?"

Lake was a bit speechless, "Boss, I maintained national security this time."

"That’s your job."

"I was injured for the White House!"

"And then you sold the White House in the next breath."

"…"

This was completely unreasonable.

Couldn’t they just take things one step at a time?

Lake was a bit speechless.

Secretary Kelly shook his head, thought for a moment, and then said, "Don’t even think about it this year. We’ll see next year. I still suggest you return to Washington."

Lake waved his hand, "No, I quite like my New York. This is my first time in Washington, and I confronted the CIA. The second time, I confronted the CIA and the FBI. The third time, I confronted the Secret Service. If I come again, who knows what I’ll confront? Some non-existent law enforcement agency?"

Secretary Kelly shook his head.

After thinking about it.

It seemed like that was indeed the case.

After a while.

Secretary Kelly said, "Langley has figured out what was lost."

Lake asked curiously, "What?"

"Langley’s list of all agents in Eastern Europe."

"Wow."

Lake gasped, then frowned. "No, wait. Wasn’t that USB drive in the restroom? The Chief of the Secret Service even accused me of taking it."

Secretary Kelly shook his head. "Nothing was found on him, but…"

Then.

Secretary Kelly recounted what happened at the White House after Lake left yesterday.

Simply put, it was a multi-pronged development.

The White House had to deal with the terrorist incident and the matter of Langley’s lost intelligence.

Langley had already decrypted the intelligence analyst’s data system. According to the investigation, wow, this intelligence analyst had downloaded the information of all agents currently operating in Eastern Europe in just two days.

This completely set Langley on edge.

On one hand, they urgently dispatched their ace agent, Ethan Hunt, and his team to Eastern Europe as a precaution. On the other hand, they immediately began investigating the area outside the White House restroom.

After an urgent investigation, they discovered something: a segment of video footage had been deleted during the night.

Further investigation confirmed that the Chief of the Secret Service had appeared both before and after the deleted footage, and then appeared in the small conference room. During this time, the Chief of the Secret Service had every motive to commit the crime.

Lake gasped, exclaiming, "Wow."

Internally?

Something felt off.

He was the one who took the USB drive.

So, undoubtedly, the Chief of the Secret Service must have been framed.

By whom?

Just then.

Ding dong.

Lake took out his phone and glanced at it. A text message.

One sentence.

"The USB drive was copied."

"…"

From Seifer.

After reading it, Lake calmly deleted it. His phone was an old model, capable of storing only two hundred text messages. Lake’s phone had a total of one hundred and ninety-nine junk messages, so as soon as one came in, he deleted it, and it was automatically overwritten.

Lake wasn’t very familiar with high-tech gadgets. This old phone was great. Not only could it effectively prevent eavesdropping, but it could also prevent anyone who found it from recovering the data.

So…

Did the Chief of the Secret Service really take the USB drive?

Oh my god.

The pot calling the kettle black.

Then why was he so agitated and accusing me?

Who did he copy the contents of the USB drive for?

Lake thought to himself, feeling a bit speechless.

Secretary Kelly shook his head. "However, this matter no longer concerns our Department of Homeland Security. In fact, our Department of Homeland Security has had its fill this time."

Lake smiled.

That was for sure.

After this incident, the Secret Service would no longer have any reason to enter the Department of Homeland Security as a partner agency. They would obediently be absorbed by the Department of Homeland Security like other small organizations.

Kelly said, "This is the main reason I called you here. Do you think the Chief of the Secret Service is really problematic?"

Lake frowned. "I don’t understand."

Secretary Kelly said, "I’ve known the Chief of the Secret Service for many years. I believe he would steal Langley’s agent data and sell it to others, but I absolutely do not believe he would collude with terrorists."

Lake blinked. "Minister, is there a difference between the two?"

Stealing Langley’s agent data and colluding with terrorists, aren’t they the same?

What’s the fundamental difference?

They’re all undermining the Federation.

Secretary Kelly remained silent, simply looking at Lake.

Lake sighed.

"Fine."

"Foreign agents in Langley don’t count."

"How pathetic."

"So, these days, even Mossad agents or French agents have to be Langley agents. It’s possible to be sold out by anyone."

Lake silently mourned for the agents working in Eastern Europe. Then, after a moment’s thought, he said, "Forbes."

Secretary Kelly frowned. "The President’s personal bodyguard?"

Lake shrugged. "At the time, there were only the two of them in the small conference room. Since you think the Chief of the Secret Service couldn’t do something like this, then Forbes is the only suspicious one."

Lake had thought the same thing before.

But back then, Lake felt it wasn’t his business. If it doesn’t concern you, stay out of it. However, since Secretary Kelly was asking now, Lake would naturally give his answer.

Secretary Kelly pondered for a moment. "But the agents from the oversight committee investigated. Forbes’s call records and bank accounts showed nothing suspicious."

Lake chuckled. "There are disposable phones and overseas banks in this world."

Secretary Kelly looked at Lake. "But we have no evidence."

The Chief of the Secret Service was a good friend of the President.

Then, the personal bodyguard Forbes could be considered the President’s most trusted agent.

If the Department of Homeland Security made such a move directly, the President would probably explode instantly.

Lake shrugged. "Then transfer him."

Secretary Kelly was taken aback.

Lake said, "In any case, the Secret Service personnel must be purged this time. Otherwise, who knows what those old agents will think after being incorporated into the Department of Homeland Security. Since there’s no evidence, but there’s suspicion, then this personal bodyguard has lost his qualification to be the President’s personal security agent."

It was that simple.

If no leads could be found, then transfer the person. With such a large Department of Homeland Security, it would only take a moment to find a place for an agent, though their salary might be a bit lower.

But these were minor issues.

Who made him suspicious?

If it were Lake, and he had no problems, then from Forbes’s perspective, Lake would have a hundred ways to stop the Chief of the Secret Service from firing his gun.

What’s that saying again?

Within seven steps, man is fast.

Within five steps, the knife is fast.