"A setup?"
The chef began scratching his bald head again.
Suddenly, Song Heping changed the subject and said, "Tell me your thoughts on the Crimea incident earlier this year."
"Why ask about this?"
The chef was even more bewildered.
"Why do you think your president decided to send Little Green Men to the Peninsula and directly orchestrated a referendum to annex it into your country earlier this year?"
The chef replied helplessly, "If you talk to me about making Borscht or even waging a war, I understand. But discussing these matters, well, I'm not really interested in studying them. But I think..."
He finally stopped scratching his head, took a big gulp of mineral water, and then said, "We have our naval base there, which is the only gateway to the Black Sea, and besides, it was originally the legacy left to us Russians by the Great Empress Catherine, only during the Former Soviet Union era, it was Khrushchev, that traitor, who assigned it to Ukraine."
After a pause, he continued, "Song, you might not know, but during the division in the nineties, many generals within our upper echelons opposed handing the Peninsula to Ukraine. However, due to the circumstances of the time, various factors combined forced us to let Ukraine retain the Peninsula, but we reached an agreement with them to maintain our military base and interests there. But earlier this year, look at what happened, they purged the pro-Russian faction and clamored to join NATO. If successful, not only will the exit to the sea be questionable, but even the security of our borders will be jeopardized."
The chef wasn't naive; his analysis was accurate.
However, Song Heping wasn't looking for this, he wanted insights into the thoughts of the Russian top brass at the time.
So he smiled and said, "I'm not discussing these topics with you, but rather why your president made the decision earlier this year. This is very similar to the current situation, chef, you really should study international politics, you can't just be a fighter."
"Why should I learn those useless things?" The chef was dismissive, "I'm just a businessman! I don't care about those bureaucratic matters!"
Song Heping felt a bitter smile inside.
It seemed that the chef was beyond persuasion.
In fact, having a foundation in international politics research allows one to judge the strategic direction of the broader situation, especially for both Song Heping and the chef who are engaged in international defense business; it's very useful.
"Back then, your president actually had several choices, and the final decision to deploy troops and seize Crimea was to cut losses."
"Cut losses?"
"Yes, cut losses."
Song Heping gently tapped his fingers on the table.
"At the time, the person you supported had already fallen, and things happened suddenly. Sending him back to regain power would be too costly, requiring military occupation of the whole area, which wouldn't hold up to international moral standards. However, just capturing Crimea posed no problems, and it had historical ties there."
He pointed to a map of Siria on the wall.
"It's the same here. Learning from earlier this year's lessons, I predict your leader won't sit idly by and watch Hafez fall and lose the Mediterranean exit. He will also need to cut losses, especially after already tearing relations with NATO. There's no room for any illusion now."
"But I've inquired and heard no intentions from the Kremlin about deploying troops," the chef said.
Song Heping replied, "Originally, my prediction was that your leader would dispatch troops to intervene these past few days, but it seems that the victory at Halaib and Dehuk gave them hope. They expect you and me to risk our lives with our resources here to stabilize the situation for them..."
The chef fell silent.
Song Heping's words were circling in his mind, slowly being digested.
The more he thought, the more he felt Song Heping was right.
"What should we do then?" The chef asked, "Should we withdraw and force them to intervene?"
"Withdrawal is not an option, I can, but you can't..." Song Heping pointed at the chef, "You have a contract with the Kremlin, if you withdraw, that's a breach of contract, and you can forget mixing in Russia."
"Do you have a plan?"
Seeing Song Heping calmly poised like a fisherman waiting for a catch, the chef seemed to grasp something.
"Hmm, since they expect us, let's put on a good show for them," Song Heping said confidently, "You should rest now, I have some tasks to handle here, and once I have the plan figured out, I'll notify you."
The chef opened his mouth to say something, but upon thinking, realized he couldn't be of any help.
He had strong faith in Song Heping's abilities.
Believed he would definitely come up with a solution.
This was Song Heping's usual style, no need to worry at all.
After the chef left, as he awaited Henry's latest intelligence, Song Heping closed his eyes to relax, although his brain was swiftly processing, simulating every aspect of the plan and anticipating any potential surprises.
An hour later, Henry's encrypted document arrived right on time.
Song Heping quickly browsed through the data on the screen—
Deputy Director of CIA Operations, Jackson, a former Delta officer who joined the CIA Operations Division after retirement, known for his ambitious and ruthless methods. Due to his outstanding performance in several covert operations, he was exceptionally promoted by Kelly, regarded as Kelly's "Butcher" and successor.
After Kelly became a vegetable, he took over as acting director, eager to make achievements to secure the formal position.
Personality analysis data indicated that he was extremely arrogant, possessed an almost fanatical loyalty to Kelly, and viewed eliminating Song Heping as his top priority and personal obsession...
"Just as expected..."
Song Heping's lips curled into a hint of a cold smile.
Obsession and impatience are cardinal sins in agent operations and a fatal weakness that can be exploited.
He picked up the satellite phone once again and dialed Simon's number.
The phone rang several times before it was answered, Simon's voice was very low, with a quiet background, obviously in an absolutely private setting.
"You shouldn't contact me at this time. What's up?"
A hint of imperceptible tension and resistance was present in the tone.