Jimmy took back the briefing from the Anti-Terrorism Bureau. There wasn't much on it to begin with, but making it public was troublesome because much of it was classified. Plus, the case wasn't closed yet, so the document should remain confidential if possible. If it had to be released, black bars would have to cover the content. It was just a matter of how much to cover.

Jimmy photocopied the briefing twice and returned to the office. He covered all names and department names, leaving only the FBI, and also blocked the case content and their actions. Not much was left visible.

He checked it carefully, making sure it was about right, before taking the original and his redacted version to Isabel's office. "Isabel, the Anti-Terrorism Bureau won't participate but also won't stop us from announcing it. They just asked us to hide the classified content for now."

Isabel took the briefing from Jimmy, glanced at it, and furrowed her brows. She looked up at Jimmy, "You did this?"

Jimmy nodded, "I covered up most of the case details. It should be fine, right?"

Isabel sighed, "It's not enough. Let me revise it. I'll send it back to you later."

Jimmy blinked, nodded, and left her office. Not enough? He had already covered about 30% of it. The rest was just pleasantries and thanks.

Before getting off work, Isabel sent Jimmy a copy; surprise, surprise, 80% of the notice was completely blacked out. The intro thanking the FBI remained. Jimmy's name was covered, and the entire case situation was blocked out, not a trace left. Even unrelated content had gaps filled with black lines.

Isabel said, "The notice is expected to be released next Tuesday. Whether it will be a press conference or a website release hasn't been decided yet."

Jimmy asked, "Oh, do I need to attend?"

Isabel nodded, "Mrs. Mason arranged for it. If there is a press conference, you will stand by the podium as an observer, to get a feel for it in advance."

Jimmy replied, "Thank you, I understand."

Isabel added, "That's it. We'll have the speech draft ready this week, so you can get familiar with it in advance."

Jimmy said, "Wait, why do I need to familiarize myself with the speech draft? I'm not going on stage."

Isabel tilted her head slightly, with a peculiar expression, "You really don't know?"

Jimmy shook his head quickly in a small motion, "What's the matter?"

Isabel explained, "The major media already know about you. We've been suppressing the news so they couldn't publish it, otherwise, with the previous leaked videos, you'd have been uncovered inside out by now. Since Mrs. Mason arranged for you to observe, I can definitely say you will be pulled out by them."

Jimmy was speechless. Wasn't Hughes the one who arranged the media blackout before?

Jimmy said, "Uh, I'll think about it."

Isabel suggested, "Alright, think about what questions they might ask. You should understand how persistent these major media reporters are. But I can teach you a trick: you can directly refuse to speak by saying it's not part of the disclosed content this time, but you can't delay too long."

Jimmy nodded, "I understand, thank you. I'll think about it. If it doesn't work out, I'll try talking to Mrs. Mason."

Isabel said, "Not likely, but you can try. That's all, you should have enough time."

With that, Isabel turned and left Jimmy's office. He tossed the document on the table, walked to the chair, and collapsed into it. He never thought he would go public when he came to the Public Affairs Office.

If he were purely an FBI agent or a senior agent, it wouldn't matter how much public exposure he got, but he wasn't. Until his identity was resolved, many things remained uncertain.

Jimmy sat in the chair thinking for a long time. There was no choice; since Mrs. Mason had already decided, there wasn't much room for negotiation.

When he met Mrs. Mason before, she mentioned that many people had contacted her, which was why Jimmy had the chance to quickly get familiar with office operations.

Mrs. Mason definitely knew the media were already focusing on Jimmy but still arranged for him to participate in the press conference, meaning she had decided to put him in the spotlight. Whether this decision was hers or from higher-ups was unclear.

Thinking over the cases he'd handled at the FBI, there didn't seem to be much that could be made public. The circulating videos should have cooled down; there shouldn't be a major problem.

However, he still needed to make an effort. After work, Jimmy went to Mrs. Mason's office, "Mrs. Mason, there's something I'd like to ask. Do I have to attend next week's press conference?"

Mrs. Mason looked up at Jimmy, "You don't want to go?"

Jimmy admitted, "I'd rather not attend. I might have a bit of social anxiety, not fond of public appearances."

Mrs. Mason said, "It's alright, participate more for practice. You'll have to step up sooner or later."

Jimmy sighed slightly, as expected, no good, "Alright, I'll attend. Also, I need to request leave; I have to go to DC on Friday afternoon for a very personal matter."

Mrs. Mason waved her hand, "I see."

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