Chapter 55

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the primary investigative agency of the United States Department of Justice. According to Title 28, Section 533 of the United States Code, the Attorney General is authorized to "appoint officials to detect and prosecute crimes against the United States." Additionally, other federal laws grant the FBI the authority and responsibility to investigate specific crimes. The FBI currently has investigative jurisdiction over more than 200 federal crimes. The FBI's mission is to investigate violations of federal criminal law, support the law, protect the United States from foreign intelligence and terrorist activities, provide leadership and assistance to federal, state, local, and international agencies, and fulfill its duties in response to public needs while remaining faithful to the U.S. Constitution.

The FBI is the main special agent investigative department under the U.S. Department of Justice. It was established on July 26, 1908. The FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C., is only a few streets away from the White House.

With the end of the Cold War and the establishment of the United States as the world's police, the FBI has expanded its reach. It has extended its influence to various countries around the world, whether they are enemy states or potential adversaries. The FBI has carried out a series of surveillance and suppression activities.

However, for some sensitive matters, the FBI does not act openly. Instead, it hires mercenaries to carry out certain tasks. If something goes wrong, the mercenaries, who are willing to risk their lives for money, will take the blame, and the U.S. government will disclaim any connection. Why spend a lot of manpower and resources when money can solve the problem?

Therefore, the FBI often assigns tasks similar to those of a cleanup crew to mercenary organizations across the country. The prices vary depending on the level of danger. These tasks are issued privately, but the people who issue them have FBI backgrounds. This is an unspoken secret. Other countries that are at odds with the United States have no way to deal with it because these are mercenary tasks issued by individuals, and any problems cannot be traced back to the U.S. government.

This mission was no different. Xiao Bing drove to a remote church in Texas, a well-known location for the FBI to issue tasks in the mercenary industry.

Xiao Bing even saw a few acquaintances. He honked the horn, and two burly men chatting on the roadside glanced at the black Hummer. Seeing the person inside, a heavily tattooed man called out, "Hey, Bing! Hahaha, you're back in the game?"

Xiao Bing rolled down the window and smiled, "Yeah, buddy. What else can we do besides holding guns?" He got out of the car and greeted a few other people he knew. In the mercenary world, everyone is familiar with each other, and many have served in the same units. There are only a few world-renowned special forces, and sometimes they even work together. Having more friends is always better than having more enemies. As long as you're not too eccentric, you won't lack friends in this line of work.

"Aren't you here to take on that damn mission?" the tattooed man asked in a low voice.

"Yeah, for a living. What can I do? Ten million dollars is quite tempting," Xiao Bing shrugged.

"Hey, buddy! Dollars are beautiful, but you need to be alive to enjoy them. Jerry's Viper Team and Ralph's Hound Team suffered heavy casualties!" the tattooed man said.

Xiao Bing punched him playfully and said, "The harder, the more interesting." Then he walked into the church. The tattooed man shouted, "Buddy, good luck!"

Following the stone path into the church, Xiao Bing walked down the aisle to the basement. He stopped at a wooden door, pulled up his shirt to show the camera that he wasn't carrying any weapons. The door clicked open.

In the dimly lit room, an old man with one eye sat. People called him One-Eyed Mike. Mike used to be an FBI agent. After retiring with no family, he took on the easy job of issuing tasks for the bureau. The FBI agreed to his request to take care of the old agent, letting him handle the task assignments for mercenary groups.

Seeing the old man, Xiao Bing smiled and said, "Oh, Mike! Can you stop making it look like a Western movie?"

The old man glanced at him, picked up a cup, and took a sip of the strong liquor. "Damn, you switched careers, didn't you? Haha, are you missing the life of guns and blood like me?"

Xiao Bing entered the room and said directly, "Mike, I'm here to take on the ten million dollar mission."

Hearing Xiao Bing's words, Mike's one eye sized him up, poured a cup of strong liquor, and pushed it to Xiao Bing.

Xiao Bing picked up the cup, drank the liquor in one gulp, and exhaled, "Yeah! Still that cheap rum! Can't you get something better? The FBI has so much money, can't you buy a bottle of whiskey?"

"Ha, kid, this is called nostalgia! This taste gives me hope in despair. By the way, your 'Infiltration' mercenary group, including you as the leader, only has six people. Can you handle that mission?" Mike said, holding his cup.

Xiao Bing had to admire the FBI's intelligence capabilities. He knew that the FBI would keep track of anyone who had served in top special forces around the world. If they came to the United States, they would be monitored or supervised, with color-coded threat levels.

A top soldier like Xiao Bing was naturally rated as a second-level yellow threat. After determining that his mercenary group posed no threat to U.S. interests, the threat level was lowered to a third-level blue.

Xiao Bing laughed and said, "You know who I've offended in China, right? Who can resist such a high commission?"

One-Eyed Mike looked Xiao Bing up and down, trying to read his face. After a while, he said, "I've heard a bit! The usual forty percent upfront! I'm waiting for you to come back for the remaining sixty percent. Don't end up like Jerry and Ralph, who only got the forty percent and almost lost their teams!"

Mike took a USB drive from a drawer and handed it to him. "All the mission details are here. The money will be in your account."

Xiao Bing took the USB drive and put it in his pocket. For convenience, mercenary groups usually have their bank accounts publicly listed online. He casually asked, "Where are Jerry and Ralph now?"

"Oh, those poor guys are drowning their sorrows at Guns and Roses. Their two teams, with over forty people, only five came back! One is a vegetable, two are crippled. Jerry and Ralph are alive but ruined," Mike said somberly. The mercenary life may seem lucrative and glamorous, but it's a gamble with life. That's why mercenaries often spend money like water and live decadently, not knowing when they might fall to a bullet.

"Ha, can't help it. When you're in this line of work, you have to be prepared for a bullet to pierce your head any day! Don't worry, I'll get ready and set out." With that, Xiao Bing left the church.

Watching Xiao Bing leave, Mike opened his computer and reported to headquarters.

"Code name 'Bing' from China has taken the mission," Mike wrote in the email.

Xiao Bing drove the Hummer back to Las Vegas.

Meanwhile, when Xiao Bing returned to the 'Infiltration' mercenary group headquarters, Li She also arrived. They studied the mission details on the USB drive.

Bartolome Island is one of the smaller islands in the Galapagos Islands in the eastern Pacific, with an area of 21 square kilometers. During World War II, Ecuador agreed to allow the U.S. to build an air base on the island. After the U.S. military withdrew in 1946, they left behind a large number of military facilities, including an airfield, bunkers, and fortifications. These were not destroyed when the U.S. withdrew and were later occupied by a group of armed militants. Initially, the U.S. did not pay much attention, but the situation changed when a senior FBI agent defected with important documents.

Xiao Bing pointed at a photo in the documents and said, "This man was a senior FBI agent, mainly responsible for intelligence gathering in the Soviet Union and Saudi Arabia, codenamed 'Silver Fox.' He is now known as Parker Cooper. It's said that during the Cold War, 'Silver Fox' was a top FBI spy who was later captured by the Soviet Union and became a double agent. He possesses information about biological weapons! Our mission is to eliminate this 'Silver Fox.'"

Li She looked at the photo of the unremarkable middle-aged white man and asked, "Has he gathered the armed militants on the island?"

"Yes, boss! This guy is refining drugs on the island and is said to have the support of Al-Qaeda. There are over 800 armed militants on the island, with three Apache attack helicopters and eight Russian T-80 Black Hawk tanks, among other heavy weapons," Xiao Bing said.

No wonder the 'Viper' and 'Hound' mercenary groups were destroyed. Even a full U.S. military battalion might not be able to take it down. No wonder the U.S. military is offering ten million dollars. If a large force were deployed, it would face international criticism, and the cost would certainly exceed ten million dollars.

"Wow, fully armed!" Chris exclaimed. She moved closer to Li She, rubbing her large chest against his shoulder. "Luckily, we have the boss! Boss, you have to protect us. Oh, and I've started liking classical music! When can we discuss it at my place?"

Li She laughed awkwardly, "Oh, really unfortunate, I've started liking country music recently."

Seeing Chris's attempt at flirting fail again, everyone couldn't help but laugh, easing the tense atmosphere.