Chapter 450: Everyone Seems Like a Traitor

Country M, the Oval Office.
Fanghuan Investment, a behemoth that once stirred up trouble in the financial world, has now openly established a legitimate private military contracting company (PMC)!
They're even using the politically correct banner of "anti-piracy" to court weaker nations, attempting to build a powerful private armed force.
They were already dangerous enough; now, they're breaking all the rules!
But you can't just attack them without a reason.
After all, this is a society governed by the rule of law, where evidence is crucial.
Therefore, the only way is to dig out all their dirty tricks hidden in the shadows, expose them to the light of day, and then crush them with the hammer of the law!
Therefore, when "Wildfire" Security launched a massive global recruitment drive, intelligence agencies, like sharks smelling blood, immediately dispatched their top agents to infiltrate the organization.
"...What did you say? Not a single one got in?!"
Aiden stared at his secretary in disbelief.
"They recruited so many people, even if it were pure luck, shouldn't at least one person have gotten in?"
This wasn't a small-scale operation of a few dozen or a hundred people; it was a massive recruitment drive involving thousands!
They had laid a trap, a massive net to drive a nail into the heart of Fang Huan, this rising "cancer."
"Yes, Mr. Aiden. The agents CAI sent were all top-notch, handpicked agents, painstakingly trained, but 'Wildfire' security...
didn't even send an interview invitation."
In fact, planting moles within the Fang Huan Group was standard practice for all intelligence agencies.
The strange thing was, their people could only ever become low-level employees, serving tea and water.
Any attempt to climb the ranks, to reach the core departments, was instantly crushed by an invisible force.
“It’s not just CAI. According to intelligence we’ve exchanged with other agencies, so far, no country or organization has successfully planted a mole in any branch of the Fanghuan Group!”
“This means they knew from the very beginning!” The Secretary-General’s voice was incredibly strained. “Fanghuan… they can clearly identify every mole!”
“So, didn’t we take this operation with utmost care, selecting only completely new faces with resumes as clean as a blank sheet of paper?
How come we didn’t select a single one?”
“There’s only one possibility, Mr. Aiden. I’m afraid… there’s a mole within CAI as well.
Our intelligence was leaked from within CAI before the operation even began.
Other intelligence agencies are probably facing the same problem…”
Aiden felt a wave of dizziness wash over him; he swayed and almost fell.
“Mr. Aiden!”
“I’m fine…” He waved his hand, bracing himself on the table, his voice filled with helplessness.
“So, the reason why all our infiltration operations against Fang Huan have failed, not just this time, but every single one, is because our own internal workings…were turned into a sieve?!”
“Mr. Aiden, there is no other explanation.”
No matter how cautious we are, Fang Huan seems to have a godlike perspective, always managing to precisely shut our people out.
But, it seems there's still one last straw.
"What about counter-strategies? Counter-strategize with the employees within 'Wildfire'! Among the people they recruit, there must be former agents of our CAI! Counter-strategize them!"
"The operations of the 'Wildfire' organization are highly secretive; we don't have access to the specific personnel list.
Through some channels, we did contact a few suspected targets, but… they all refused, and judging from their tone, they seemed terrified."
"Terrified? What do you mean?"
"They said that Fang Huan seems to know everything about their past, even secrets they themselves have almost forgotten."
"They believe that if they dare to cooperate with us, Fang Huan will have a gun to their heads in the next second..."
"So they refuse to serve their country?! These cowards! Have they forgotten they were once CAI agents?!"
"Yes, sir... our people are still trying to counter-espionage, but... most of them have unilaterally cut off all contact.
Moreover, we can't even be sure who's inside 'Wildfire' and who isn't..."
Before he finished speaking, Aiden felt another wave of intense dizziness.
Recently, this had been happening more and more frequently.
He looked at the secretary-general reporting to him, a terrible thought rising in his mind:
Is he my confidant, or... a traitor already bought off by Fang Huan?
This pervasive suspicion made him see everyone as a mole.
The constant pressure and mental strain made it increasingly difficult for him to concentrate, and his memory began to decline significantly.
On social media, malicious individuals had created various "dementia" memes of his dizziness and blurred vision, relentlessly mocking him; the whole world was laughing at him.
"Could it be... even this... was Fang Huan's plan?" Aiden muttered to himself.
Invisible pressure made him suspicious of everyone around him; then, the sword of public opinion was used to destroy his authority from the outside.
Today, he finally confirmed the most terrifying fact:
Even the CAI, the nation's strongest defense, had been infiltrated like a sieve.
He had no one left to trust or rely on.
“John…” Aiden pleaded, grasping the secretary’s arm.
“Right now, you’re the only person I can trust. You…you absolutely cannot betray me.”
“Of course, Mr. Aiden.”
Secretary John replied, bowing his head, but no one saw his other hand, hidden behind his back, trembling uncontrollably.
In fact, Aiden wasn’t the only one gripped by fear.
Those at the heart of this power vortex knew all too well just how far Fang Huan’s influence extended.
John knew very well that once those around Aiden fell or became untrustworthy, the next target would be him, the closest confidant to the president, his “last confidant.”
What terrifyingly ruthless methods would Fang Huan use against him?
With this worry, he lived each day in constant fear, as if walking on thin ice.
"..."
Today, the words "I want to resign" had risen to his throat countless times, but each time he swallowed them back down!