Apartment 2304, Royal Crown Tower.

0755, 15 Nov 2023

Vex found that his workspace was a luxurious two-story apartment, where the 1st floor was the office, guest room, and kitchen, while the 2nd floor was a place to relax and rest.

In his office, Vex could find a variety of information about weapon systems, both those that were under development, or those that had been adopted by US military and its close allies, including assets that had been retired and given reserve status.

He also found a contact list of people who had influence in the development and trade of military products.

Beeeeep beeeep!

While holding a bowl of cereal that he was about to enjoy, Vex opened the door, and his gaze immediately met a middle-aged man with a super neat appearance.

"Mr. Vex, my name is Bob. Miss Claire sent me to assist you."

"Come in, Bob." Vex led Bob into the kitchen before continuing, "Snacks and drinks are in the refrigerator and cabinet, restaurant brochures with delivery services are near the telephone, please choose your own."

"Thank you."

Without hesitation, Bob made a cup of iced coffee before sitting in front of Vex.

"Bob, Miss Claire asked me to include the cost estimation as accurately as possible. It's just that the Task Force to be formed is much bigger than I expected. So we have to contact a lot of people.

The problem is, I'm afraid the people on the contact list won't be willing to help, considering they hate me so much."

Bob casually answered, "Don't worry Mr. Vex, Miss Claire knows that when you were an advisor to the Minister of Defense of the Central African Federation, you angered many figures in the arms trade world.

So Miss Claire has made sure that the people you are worried about will help us wholeheartedly."

"Are you sure? For information some of them even tried to kill me, and I thwarted their tender because they forced the sale of scrap goods."

"Mr. Vex, actually some of them tried to eliminate you as soon as they knew Miss Claire was planning to meet you, but you are still fine until this moment."

'Hell!' Vex cursed in his heart, but it's too late now to change his mind. "Well, we'd better get started then."

- - - - -

Apartment 2701, Royal Crown Tower

0840, 17 Nov 2023

While laying on the sofa and enjoying a jumbo waffle, Claire studied Lucan 'Vex' McGuire's profile, which she had previously only skimmed through.

Vex was the only child of a middle-class family. When he was in 11th grade, he lost his parents in a car accident. He then refused a basketball scholarship from a professional club, preferred to enter the Airborne Ranger, and completed his training at the age of 18 years old.

His military career was full of rewards, and although he had difficulty keeping up with the chain of command, he never insubordinate and always completed his missions flawlessly.

At the age of 22 years old, he married a Japanese-American woman from an upper businessman family, and at the age of 25 he passed the SFOD-Delta's selection.

While assigned to the Central African Federation, Vex was accused of blasphemy against the enemies' bodies he killed. The Central African Federation's government fiercely defended Vex, but the defense was ignored by US Government. Vex was then dishonorably dismissed from Delta.

A week after he was kicked out of Delta, Vex divorced his wife and lost custody of his four-year-old daughter.

Vex then disappeared in the deepest part of Louisiana and no one had ever managed to meet him. It took two years before Vex appeared again, then accepted an offer to train the Central African Federation Army's sniper unit.

However, somehow he ended up as a Minister of Defense' advisor, and played a major role in the reform and modernization of the African Federation Armed Forces.

Vex was known to have observed his ex-wife and daughter from afar several times, but he never tried to fight for custody of his daughter in the court. Moreover, his wife had remarried to a veterinarian and gave birth to a second child.

And he had a confidential account in Switzerland, at six different banks with different identities, with a total deposit value of up to USD 8.4 million. Vex also had non-liquid assets in the Central African Federation, but the local government was closely guarding information about his wealth.

Claire turned to General O'Neil before asking, "Uncle, why did you dishonorably dismissed Vex?"

"To avoid martial court."

General O'Neil replied casually, then paused for a few moments before continuing.

"At that time the choice was to roast Vex or roast the whole team. So I chose to roast Vex even though I was aware that the accusations inflicted on him were false."

Claire tilted her head before asking curiously. "Wasn't it evident that in Vex's combat knife that there was guerrilla DNA, which was mutilated and made into dog food?"

"In Vex's combat knife, there was the DNA of the guerrillas who were killed, because he was the one who killed him. The two guerrillas were actually Russian's merc, and Vex was not involved in the event of defamation of their bodies."

Claire immediately got up and sat cross-legged. "Tell me what wasn't written on the report."

General O'Neil gave a small nod before starting his story.

In return for refusing to make the country a base of operations for anti-American fundamentalists, the Central African Federation received assistance in the form of military equipment and training. Until one day the young country was involved in a conflict at the border, and suffered many casualties due to the activities of hostile snipers.

A team of shooters from Delta was then deployed to provide assistance, and managed to silence the sniper activities at the border within two weeks. On the last night before Delta's personnel withdraw, Russian's merc tries to avenge their protégé.

After silently silencing a machine gun nest, the two ex-Spetsnaz then split up. One tried to go deeper to finish off a high-ranking officer, while the other tried to comb the perimeter to finish off the American's sniper.

At that time Vex was lucky, the ex-Spetsnaz who was combing the outer perimeter knelt right beside him, without realizing that Vex had pulled out his combat knife. After neutralizing the visiting Russian Commando, Vex then warned of the infiltration from the enemy.

The entire Forward Base immediately started a sweeping, but you couldn't underestimate Crazy Ivan. The last ex-Spetsnaz managed to kill four people and injure a dozen others before he got an additional hole in his head.

To avenge the deaths of their fallen comrades, local personnel held a jamboree. A bonfire and alcohol party while using the slain ex-Spetsnaz body as a knife-throwing target. Meanwhile Vex continued his guard duty at the perimeter.

Several international journalists who happened to be at the Forward Base succeeded in capturing the jamboree, then wrote a story where Vex was the main character in the event. The negative sentiment from the public then flared up and some politicians used it to pressure Delta.

Claire nodded slightly before asking, "One thing I still don't understand, why is it that my psychologist concludes that Vex is retreating into rural Louisiana to punish himself?"

General O'Neil deeply sighs. "I don't know for sure, but imagine someone willing to trade his life for mastering an art. Then when he manages to master it to the highest heights, suddenly he can no longer practice the art with honor.

And while he loses most of his identity, dirt is wrought on what is left. If that happens to me, I am sure I will be driven to destroy this world."

General O'Neil was pensive for a while, while Claire remembered a piece of information on Vex's profile.

Every time Vex was in the city where Potus would visit, the Secret Services accompanied by FBI agents and local police SWAT, would kindly ask him to leave the city.

Because Analysts in the Secret Service put Vex on the top list of people to watch out for, as a figure who had both the motive and means to kill the Potus.

General O'Neil took a deep breath before speaking softly, "The fact that Vex is not an enemy of this country is a miracle in my opinion."

"Yeah."

Claire nodded slightly before eating the last waffle piece in her hand.

*****