Mercenary I am the king

Chapter 460 Threat
In a small cafe near the DOD building, Colonel Reid, who had changed into casual clothes, kept checking the watch on his wrist.

Fifteen minutes have passed since the agreed time.

But Fair hadn't arrived yet.

As a professional responsible for external news releases, he almost guessed how Fair would explain his lateness when he arrived later.

After all, this is impolite behavior.

He did this to whet his appetite.

After all, I am the one who is anxious now.

There will be a routine press conference in two days. If this matter cannot be resolved within two days and public opinion is allowed to ferment, then that press conference will be a disaster.

News release and external communication are the responsibilities of news release personnel. If they are not handled properly, it will be their own responsibility and they cannot get rid of it.

Now Colonel Reid also has bargaining chips in his hand.

In this contest, he is not without cards to play.

What the outcome will be depends on how Fair plays his cards.

"SORRY!"

Sure enough, after twenty minutes, Fair walked into the cafe in a hurry, looked hurried and apologetic, and sat down opposite Colonel Reid.

"The traffic is so bad! I left home early, but I didn't expect it to be so bad. I was stuck for an hour. Damn the government! They never spend money where it should be. Look at what a mess the city has become!"

Fair seemed to be giving an explanation, but to Colonel Reid it sounded like a veiled criticism of the military.

"It's okay. This is my job. I can wait."

Ryder pretended not to be angry at all and snapped his fingers.

The waiter came over and asked Fair, "What would you like to drink?"

Fair shrugged. "Coffee and a beef burger."

After the waiter left, Colonel Reid got straight to the point.

"Fell, we have known each other for quite a few years."

He started playing the emotional card.

"How many years has it been?"

Feier laughed and said, "I don't remember. How could I remember so much?"

Both of them are old foxes with thousands of years of experience. Although it is just a few simple conversations, there are hidden mysteries in them.

Reid understood that Fair was deliberately late so that he could understand who was the banker and who was the player, and who needed help from whom.

This is psychological warfare.

Then I tried to make friends with him, but Feier said he didn't remember.

Ryder believed the guy wasn't telling the truth.

In fact, he was hinting to himself not to try this trick, because this matter could not be solved by relying on connections.

There are several things that Reid really wants to understand now. One is where did Fair get the information from, and the other is what purpose Fair wants to achieve by releasing this news.

The ultimate goal is to suppress the whole thing.

The waiter brought coffee and hamburgers at this time. Phil picked up the hamburger and started to eat it greedily. It seemed that he was really hungry.

"I'm so busy I don't even have time for breakfast. Several TV stations are inviting me to appear on their shows."

He deliberately checked his watch.

"We only have 30 minutes."

Colonel Reid was annoyed, but he didn't dare say a word.

As a spokesperson for DOD, how many media outlets have to please him?
Apart from anything else, if a military journalist offends me, there will be no good consequences.

On the surface, it seems to be freedom of the press and you can ask anything.

The problem is that I have offended myself and cannot even enter the press conference room.

No questions will be asked once you enter.

Even if you ask the question, the follow-up reporters will not assign you any indicators for the next DOD actions and activities.

For example, in Afghanistan, military journalists can receive care from the military and be allowed to follow a certain military unit to film.

Reporters who don't have good relationships with the battlefield should forget about it. They have to buy their own plane tickets to the battlefield and be responsible for their own safety.

This is the difference.

Don’t be fooled by what they say, there are many ways to play tricks on you!

He felt very strange about Fair's attitude.

What on earth makes this guy so confident and fearless that he doesn't take me seriously?
What chips does he have in his hand?
"In that case, I'll be frank." Reid didn't want to waste time; he had a lot of things to deal with, so he got straight to the point and asked, "Where did you get this information from?"

"I have no comment," Fair said. "According to relevant laws, even if you prosecute me for endangering national security, I have the right to remain silent."

Reid said, "I'm asking you this not because I can't find your source, but because I don't want to waste everyone's time. The angle, time, and location of your photo are all clues. Do you think I can find out who your informant is within a day?" "Then go ahead and find out."

Feier took a big bite of his burger and said disdainfully, "If you still have so much time to investigate, I don't mind wasting your time on this kind of thing."

Reid's heart moved slightly.

He is indeed an old fox.

The informant must have run away.

Otherwise, Fair wouldn't be so calm.

He was right.

It's useless to check, it's a waste of time.

Phil finished his burger, looked at his watch and said, "Twenty-three minutes left."

Colonel Ryder suppressed his anger and continued to ask, "Second question, what exactly do you want?"

Fair sucked his finger and said, "Justice. For the rights and justice of taxpayers. We don't pay taxes for your military to use for private purposes, nor for you to interfere in other countries' internal affairs under the guise of fighting drugs."

"Hahahaha!"

Reid couldn't help but burst out laughing. "Fell, do you think I'm a three-year-old? You think I believe your rhetoric? Justice? Oh, for God's sake, don't pretend to be a fresh-faced reporter in front of me. You're 42 years old, do you think you're still young? You've been in this business for so long, and you still believe in so-called justice!? FUCK! Don't play international jokes in front of me."

Fair held his coffee and listened to Colonel Reid's teasing and ridicule across from him, his expression remaining unchanged.

At the end, he slowly said: "Okay, then I will speak frankly."

"That's right." Ryder finally nodded. "It would be great if we could be frank. We're not kindergarten kids. Tell me, what do you want?"

"Retreat." Fair's expression became serious.

"What?!" Colonel Reid couldn't believe his ears.

Fair repeated seriously a second time, "Withdraw! Immediately withdraw the Colombian government forces from this operation. Don't get involved. If they withdraw, I will no longer publish this news. I will remain silent and let the matter cool down. In a month at most, it will fade into obscurity. Readers and viewers are quick to forget."

Colonel Ryder was so shocked that he was speechless for a long time.

In the end, he stared coldly at the famous reporter in front of him.

"Fell, do you know what you're saying? You're interfering with our military's actions. Aren't you afraid of offending us?"

He thought he could scare Fair with this sentence.

After all, no one wants to go against the US military.

Especially someone like Fair, a former war correspondent, who knows the power of the military.

"FUCK YOU!"

Fair suddenly raised his middle finger at him and said with great contempt: "Ryder, are you trying to intimidate me?"

Reid didn't flinch at all, still staring intently at Fair, and spoke word by word, "Whatever you think, I'd rather take what I just said as advice from an old friend."

"Hahahaha!"

This time it was Fair's turn to laugh.

"Offended you? Haven't I offended you before? Oh! Don't play innocent and pure with me, Ryder. Isn't my current situation caused by you military? My magazine offered me a high salary to lure me into signing a trap agreement. Do you think I don't know who is behind this? What is the relationship between Joseph and your boss? Do you think I am blind and deaf? Please! I have seen your methods a long time ago. Are you going to send someone to kill me next?"

Ryder said nothing.

The two of them stared at each other and were in a stalemate.

A full two minutes.

Ryder suddenly looked away.

"Fell, withdrawing troops is impossible. I don't know who you are working for, but I remind you that your goal is impossible to achieve."

After saying that, he stood up, counted the bill, and finally threw down his share of the money - this meant that no one could reach an agreement in this meeting, and everyone went their separate ways and paid for their own bills.

He walked straight towards the cafe door.

He had just taken two steps when Fair called him.

"Ryder, wait."

"What? Have you changed your mind?"

"No, I'm just telling you something."

Fair said to Reid in a serious tone, "Someone in the Congressional Armed Services Committee is very interested in what I have. I don't want to make a big deal out of it, so I've been delaying. If you insist on not listening to my advice and don't withdraw your troops..."

He held up a finger.

"In twenty-four hours, this information will be in their hands. I know you need time to consult, hold meetings, and communicate with various governments, but I tell you, you only have twenty-four hours."

Reid stood there for a moment, then turned and left with a grim face, pushing the door of the cafe open heavily and then closing it again.

　Asking for a monthly ticket!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)