Fortunately, at the critical moment, Kim Yeon-kang finally compromised, demonstrating a tactic that terrorist leaders worldwide are all too familiar with: being bold and righteous when sending others to their deaths, but cowering faster than anyone when faced with death themselves!
Initially, Kim had hoped to use the South Korean Prime Minister as a hostage to escape the White House in the bulletproof limousine while the Secret Service agents were busy fighting off the attackers. However, the four garbage trucks carrying the armed assailants never reached their intended destination. Bob, positioned on the White House roof, had shot and killed the drivers, forcing the attackers to disembark early and charge the White House on foot. With nearly fifty to sixty armed individuals spilling out of the trucks and spreading out in skirmish formation, the area in front of the White House became a chaotic battlefield, leaving Kim's limousine trapped and unable to move.
No matter how desperate Kim was, he found himself stuck on the White House driveway, unable to advance or retreat. He could only watch as the Secret Service agents, despite suffering heavy casualties, with the help of the rapidly arriving National Guard, cleared out all the attackers and surrounded his vehicle.
At this point, Kim realized that if he continued to resist, he would undoubtedly meet his end. Knowing the ruthless nature of the American government, he made a decision: surrender.
After all, there were numerous reporters outside the White House, their cameras trained on the scene, and the Prime Minister in his hands could still serve as a bargaining chip. As the saying goes, "As long as the green hills remain, there will always be firewood to burn." Though of Korean descent, Kim, who had grown up in Japan, heavily influenced by Chinese culture, was well aware of this proverb.
While he knew that surrendering would mean enduring some hardship, it was still better than dying. Who knew if he might find an opportunity to escape in the future?
Moreover, all the attackers who had stormed the White House had been killed, meaning that, as far as Kim knew, he was the only one left who knew the true details of the attack. Thus, Kim had to gamble—bet that the U.S. President and government, eager to uncover the masterminds behind the attack, would accept his surrender and spare his life.
Realizing that escape was impossible, Kim used the limousine's intercom system to communicate his demands. He didn't expect to be released outright in exchange for the South Korean Prime Minister but merely asked for his life to be spared. He also shrewdly offered to provide information about the masterminds and other accomplices behind the attack. The agents surrounding the vehicle quickly relayed this information up the chain of command, leading to Banning reporting the situation to Benjamin.
This move conveniently allowed Benjamin to obscure the source of the intelligence. After all, Castle had explicitly stated that he didn't want to be involved in this matter, and neither Congress nor the military would be easy to fool. While the suddenness of the attack had initially distracted these seasoned politicians and generals, now that the dust had settled, it was clear to anyone with eyes that Benjamin had made some preparations in advance.
Although it was evident that Benjamin had refrained from deploying additional forces due to the presence of a mole within the Secret Service, the appearance of those "bodyguards" who had arrived with Benjamin's political advisor and played a significant role in today's attack? That was highly suspicious!
Especially someone like Steve, who had earned multiple combat medals—he stood out like a sore thumb!
And then there was Seeley Booth, a senior FBI special agent currently stationed at the J. Edgar Hoover Building, just a stone's throw from the White House. How had he suddenly become a bodyguard for Benjamin's political advisor? Wasn't his primary job supposed to be investigating violent crimes alongside that forensic anthropologist from the Jeffersonian Institute? Had he taken on a side gig?
These questions didn't go unnoticed. Within half an hour of the attack being confirmed over, the Navy Command had already called Steve directly, demanding to know how the commander of Hawaii's special task force had suddenly appeared in Washington, D.C., as a bodyguard for the President's political advisor during the attack.
As mentioned earlier, while Steve had retired from active duty and stepped down as a Navy SEAL commander, he was still a reserve officer in the Navy. Thus, the Navy Command immediately reached out to him for a detailed account of the events.
It wasn't just Steve; Seeley Booth, formerly of the Army's 75th Ranger Regiment, also received a call from the Army Command. Bob, on the other hand, was different. As a former Marine gunnery sergeant rather than an officer, he attracted far less attention and scrutiny than Steve and Booth.
Moreover, the Marine Corps, often treated as the "red-headed stepchild" of the U.S. military, operates independently under the President's direct command. Combined with Bob's current status as a "freelancer," he faced the least amount of questioning.
Why did the Navy and Army focus on Steve and Booth? Because while the U.S. military was busy stirring up trouble around the world, someone had the audacity to slap them in the face right in their own capital!
Before the attack, these warmongers, fully engrossed in the "Arab Spring," had completely overlooked the brewing threat at home. If it hadn't been for the sharp-eyed Navy generals noticing that the leader of the Secret Service's counterattack was a Navy lieutenant commander, they wouldn't have seized the opportunity to shift the blame. The Army quickly followed suit by contacting Booth.
Of course, the FBI Director was also relieved that Booth was one of his agents, as this would lessen the blame directed at him during the post-incident review.
The Air Force wasn't left out either. They had been the first to react, with their F-22s shooting down the rogue aircraft attempting to breach Washington, D.C.'s no-fly zone.
With all three branches having solid excuses, the question became: who should they blame?
The CIA? No, that was the President's direct agency, and they had just undergone a major purge. Blaming them wouldn't work.
The FBI, responsible for domestic intelligence? Nope, one of their special agents had been on the front lines defending the White House.
How about the Department of Homeland Security or the NSA? Perfect! Neither had anyone present during the attack.
After happily deciding on their scapegoats, the Pentagon generals finally turned their attention to how to completely dismantle the LockSat organization, which had caused such a major incident today.
Don't laugh—this habit of shifting blame before addressing the actual problem is a long-standing American tradition, not something the author made up!!!
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