Butcher, near the highway on the north side of Kongdi District, hijacked a van full of the smell of marijuana...

The location provided by Lancelot was a seafood restaurant in the southern part of Nonthaburi. A few kilometers north of it lies the Suvarnabhumi Airport, and a few kilometers south runs the long coastline.

Mountain Eagle was now utterly disappointed with the people on the Thai side...

Some of them were indeed working for the country, but many more simply didn't care about the state of the nation.

Being close to Taigore and Deveka now basically amounted to being in the core circle of power in Thailand.

But they wouldn't hesitate to betray others for their own benefit.

It concerned whether Thailand could completely avoid sanctions from Europe and America due to the coup.

Mountain Eagle couldn't even imagine how such a deeply flawed country had managed to survive up to this point?

Currently, Mountain Eagle couldn't trust anyone. Before he could rescue Samantha, he was forced to handle the hot potato-like materials on his own.

The location where they were situated was nearly a 2-hour drive from their target. During the travel, a phone call jolted Mountain Eagle from his thoughts...

Looking at the name displayed on the phone, Mountain Eagle furrowed his brows and answered the call, saying, "Mori, what do you need from me?"

On the other end of the phone was Mori, a Foreign Security Advisor at the United States Department of State, whom Mountain Eagle had roped into his "Snowden Plan" at Moscow...

This guy had been recently threading connections across major corporations and significant sectors within the United States to diplomatically resolve Snowden's issues and secure a bright future for himself.

After all, Snowden still remained a thorn in the side for many powerhouses and influential figures in the United States!

Once Mountain Eagle shocked the intelligence world with his debut performance, proving that killing Snowden wouldn't solve their problem, Mori, newly positioned as a Middleman, became critically important.

Snowden's files possessed enough firepower to significantly hurt known corporate giants and numerous consulting, investment, and technology firms unheard of by the general public that yield substantial benefits annually...

Separately, none could guarantee Snowden's safety, but when Mountain Eagle compiled their list and paired it with a series of documents with potential legal threats...

Together, they could shake the political landscape of the United States, offering Snowden an irrefundable safety and confidentiality agreement.

They could even manipulate some of the US's political resources...

Mountain Eagle induced Anna to create an opportune financial link in Cyprus, turning the complexity of Snowden's situation into enormous potential returns which, for someone like Mori, meant both pressure and motivation.

The pressure due to an added complication, the motivation because he could channel some key bigwigs' finances and power into corrupt Russian assets in Cyprus for a hefty profit.

Middlemen take no risks, but if successful, they earn from both ends.

This guy had been acting as a flying trapeze between Washington, New York, and Silicon Valley, only to be summoned by a phone call to a meeting room in Washington, where he saw a document…

Inside it was the big mess the CIA had made in Thailand, and he also saw a familiar face…

The real big shots wouldn't personally negotiate with Mountain Eagle, so Mori was pushed to the forefront to deal with him.

Hearing Mountain Eagle's impatient tone, Mori glanced at the many displeased faces in the meeting room and spoke into the triangular conference phone, "Mountain Eagle, you're in trouble…"

Mountain Eagle, already overwhelmed with legal issues, responded grumpily, "I fucking know that, and I'm on my way to fix it.

What do you want? If it's nothing, call me tomorrow!"

Hearing this, Mori quickly said, "No, no, no, I have an emergency. I got yanked from the airport to the White House because I've dealt with you.

Mountain Eagle, we are friends, right?"

At this moment, Mountain Eagle realized Mori was the 'big shot' that Sam had mentioned before, definitely coming after that black notebook...

Thinking this, Mountain Eagle's mood, previously agitated by anger, suddenly calmed, and he said in an amused tone, "Until our agreement is reached, we can only consider ourselves half-friends."

Mori, hearing Mountain Eagle's less assertive tone, let out a slight sigh of relief and said, "Mountain Eagle, how on earth are you with the Thai Police?"

Mountain Eagle sneered and replied, "Who am I hiding it from?

How much does it pay to be a cop in Thailand for a year? What's so abnormal about having a side hustle to support my family?"

Mori glanced at the bosses surrounding him, rubbed his nose resignedly, and said in a placating tone, "Let's not beat around the bush, you must know why I'm calling.

Dude, you've put me in a tight spot. I had dinner plans with a few big CEOs from Silicon Valley, and now I have to cancel.

They've been my main focus recently, you know why I've been so busy, right?"

Mountain Eagle sneered, "Buddy, I can hear boasting and satisfaction in your words, but not a hint of annoyance.

You guys just want that black notebook, right?

For those Southeast Asian spy materials and this notebook, Pattaya is experiencing a city-wide terrorist threat...

Oh, you must feel it profoundly because when I pulled Kate out from the scene, few of your people were left alive."

As soon as Mountain Eagle finished speaking, Mori felt the room's atmosphere drop significantly and he immediately said, "Mountain Eagle, so that means you have those items, right?"

Mountain Eagle nodded and said, "I currently have it in my possession, and I've also captured some mercenaries who attacked the CIA convoy.

What do you want to do? My current identity is a Thai Police officer, and I've already reported the findings, preparing to send these materials to the Prime Minister's Mansion."

Mori looked up when a woman held up a whiteboard full of writing. After glancing at it, he spoke into the phone, "Mountain Eagle, can we talk about that black notebook...

You can hand those documents over to the Prime Minister's Mansion, but that black notebook would be of no use to them.

If it comes to official negotiations, they can't leverage that black notebook and it will only create unnecessary obstacles for the talks.

You know, we can easily make the Thai Baht plummet and draft a sanctions list, then negotiate with them when they have no leverage against us."

Mountain Eagle scoffed, "If I give you the black notebook, won't you do just that?"

Mori smacked his lips and said, "You're a smart man, you should understand what 'cost' means.

If they don't have the black notebook, we don't need to spend much, as imposing sanctions through Congress costs us."

Once Mori explained, Mountain Eagle understood that without the black notebook, the United States could still use sanctions as a bargaining chip, it would just be an empty threat...

You give me that thing, I spend less, and we are both happy.

On the other hand, if the Thai Government has the black notebook, to ensure they recover it, they would seriously mobilize their political resources to defend the interests of the United States.

The difference is, in the former situation, everything is done behind the scenes, and not many people in the United States will be involved.

In the latter, everything is out in the open…

To protect the interests of the United States, they need to mobilize both parties and harness the power of Congress.

Then, the incidents occurring in Thailand cannot be hidden internally; before the United States wields the big stick of sanctions, there will be a lot of people involved due to leaking issues.

This is the cost the United States has to bear while mobilizing all its strength…

The political costs of mobilizing Congress, the Senate, the White House, the operational costs of CIA's protective actions, and the losses of the influential figures involved…

Under normal circumstances, they wouldn't bother bearing such costs against Thailand.

But the spy data combined with the notebook represents the efforts of the United States in Southeast Asia over the past few decades.

Should Thailand lose clarity, things would definitely head in the worst direction!

In reality, the Thai Government can't even withstand the unspoken kind of confrontation, they know this too, hence they try to protect their interests as much as possible.

That's why Deveka isn't very interested in the black notebook…

A small international player, holding chips can bring benefits, but if the stakes are too high, it attracts trouble.

Thailand can handle a cold relationship with the United States, but not the consequences of antagonizing this big brother. The CIA has too many coups under its belt, a country like Thailand that just went through a coup can't afford it.

Mori spoke somewhat cryptically, but he believed Mountain Eagle would understand.

Effectively, he was hinting to Mountain Eagle just how valuable that black notebook was in his hands.

If it could arouse Mountain Eagle's greed, then negotiations would proceed smoothly.

If not, then he was indirectly revealing details to Mountain Eagle as a favor.

In any system, there are clever operatives, and Mori is a prime example!

Regardless of the final cost, it is the American intelligence agencies that foot the bill.

If successful, he benefits on both ends; if it fails, he simply apologizes and continues his complex and lucrative work as a broker.

Mountain Eagle, an old hand within the system, clearly understood Mori's intentions, he feigned hesitation and stayed silent for a few minutes, even rolling down the car window to let those in the Washington office hear the breeze for a few minutes. Just as their patience was wearing thin, he asked, "What is recorded in the notebook?

What can I gain from it?"

Upon hearing Mountain Eagle relent, Mori glanced at the invigorated officials present and cleared his throat before saying, "I can't tell you what the contents of the notebook represent, but you can name your price...

What do you want?

Money? An American passport?

Maybe a luxury apartment in Manhattan!

Mountain Eagle, I would really like you to come to the United States; you're smart, we could work together on many things.

I've been making good progress lately, but if you're willing to come, we could achieve bigger progress in less time.

You might not believe it, but many important people are very interested in you, this 'bodyguard'. They think you not only safeguard personal safety but also solve difficult issues.

Mountain Eagle, you're quite popular right now!

If we start a Security Company together, I guarantee we could make a fortune."

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