Chapter 312

Chapter 312: The Frantic Lockheed

America is a country that values money above all. As long as you have money and are willing to pay, you can almost get all kinds of services at will, even from government departments, which also serve large corporations willing to provide sponsorship. They are very dedicated and never consider this to be a shameful bribe; the principle is that what you give will be rewarded.

Otherwise, the White House wouldn’t be known for its “revolving door government,” where executives and high officials become synonymous.

As an ordinary taxpayer in America, anyone who pays enough taxes can enjoy the full rights of national protection. The government won’t deliberately ignore anyone based on the amount of money they contribute.

On the other hand, the principle of valuing money also reflects a corresponding importance on credit.

However, Mr. Mitch Friedman, the head of special operations at Lockheed Martin, faced a rare government credit crisis; he accepted money but couldn’t get things done, and even refused to continue working after accepting payment.

This should have been an easy gilded operation to deepen relations with the U.S. Air Force, allowing Lockheed to secure more orders and long-term benefits amidst fierce competition.

However, an unexpected event occurred, costing Lockheed the life of a family heir, Larry Lockheed. Like other major corporations, whether it’s collateral relatives or direct blood relatives, they all undergo elite education and training from a young age to ensure that family interests and control do not weaken, making each generation’s young heirs exceptionally valuable.

Larry Lockheed, who passed away, was among the more outstanding members of this generation, originally hoping to climb higher in the U.S. Air Force to bring in endless benefits for the family. Instead, he ended up dead at the hands of a Chinese person, with no trace left behind. No one knew what exactly happened, and there was no way to deduce anything valuable from the situation. The damn Chinese excelled at covering their tracks, making it impossible to derive useful information from the current state of affairs.

Moreover, the cunning of the Chinese surpassed everyone’s imagination. The pilot known as “Gold Coin” received multiple layers of protection, and the CIA’s reckless actions faced retaliation from Chinese authorities, resulting in severe losses that directly affected Lockheed.

As a result, the current head of Lockheed, Marceau Lockheed, erupted in fury.

Lockheed is not an old-established financial family and even faced ridicule from other corporations. The Rockefellers, Morgans, Citibank, Boston, Mellon, Cleveland, and others, even some cooperating partners, intentionally or unintentionally mentioned this embarrassing incident involving Lockheed during interactions, leaving Lockheed personnel feeling humiliated and embarrassed.

The boss was very angry, and the consequences were severe.

Mr. Mitch Friedman felt the shadow of being fired looming over him, just like when he had previously dismissed those poor unfortunate souls. As he gathered his belongings at his desk and prepared to collect his last paycheck from finance, he knew he would face strict scrutiny from security as he was expelled from Lockheed’s upscale office building, forced to leave behind his house, car, and everything else, never again able to lift his head in the industry.

The sudden fall from heaven to hell was unimaginable.

Lockheed does not have the long history and enduring foundation built by generations of families. The saying “A gentleman takes revenge; ten years is not too late” holds no meaning for them. As a high-tech weapons design and manufacturing company, time and efficiency are of utmost importance. Lockheed thrived in the U.S. Air Force and Navy equipment sectors thanks to these two principles, even though the Navy’s vessel technologies were still in their infancy, they held substantial future development potential.

Mr. Mitch Friedman, like a wounded beast, slammed the papers on his desk. However, aside from hurting his hand, it did nothing to resolve the situation.

Government agencies were unwilling to engage in such retaliatory actions anymore; the risks were evidently higher than expected, and the Chinese clearly had taken precautions. In recent times, the Chinese military had significantly improved its military capabilities; in several secret confrontations, even the Americans could not rely solely on advanced equipment to gain an advantage.

The confidential documents sent to Lockheed Martin’s special operations division were filled with various warnings. Unless America wanted to go to war with China, it was advisable for Lockheed to abandon any impractical thoughts of retaliation.

On one hand, there was the powerlessness of government agencies; on the other, pressure from Lockheed’s higher-ups. Mr. Mitch Friedman felt torn between two sides, yet he was not Mickey Mouse. Despite sharing a name, he was unwilling to just sit idly by and wait to be ousted from this position, leaving the office like a defeated failure.

“Michelle! Help me contact Colonel Joy; I hope he has time to meet with me this afternoon. Yes, also get Zariyev in here to my office.”

“Yes, Mr. Friedman!” came the voice of Michelle, the young male secretary from the special operations department. Not every executive has a female secretary; in fact, a male secretary can provide calm and rational assistance when it really counts.

After much hesitation, Mr. Mitch Friedman finally made a decision for both Lockheed and his own fate.

“Mr. Friedman! You called for me?” A middle-aged man with an unusually well-groomed mustache stepped through the door into the office, his anxious gaze hidden behind black-framed glasses. He had recently bungled a task and was worried about being kicked out of the company by Mr. Mitch Friedman, knowing that finding work recently had not been easy.

Everyone knew that Mr. Mitch Friedman disliked being called “Mickey”; he insisted on being addressed as Mr. Friedman. A little mouse named Mickey couldn’t establish his authority in any special operations office, and that was all Disney’s fault.

“Come in, Zariyev!” Any traces of Mr. Mitch Friedman’s previous anger had completely vanished, as if it had never been there. Maintaining the composure and wisdom that his subordinates always observed, he gestured towards the couch in front of his desk, saying, “Please sit!”

For some unknown reason, he preferred not to arrange two standard office chairs in front of his desk; he liked both his clients and subordinates to be comfortably seated on the sofa, fostering a pleasant mood for discussions. This could effectively enhance communication efficiency.

“Yes, Mr. Friedman!” Zariyev still felt a bit nervous as he assessed the expressionless supervisor while walking toward the sofa. After some hesitation, he sat down.

“What do you need me for?” As a former KGB operative trained by the CIA, Zariyev understood that his supervisor’s temper had been a bit high lately. Out of professional habit, he began analyzing his superior’s mindset and quickly prepared to respond.

“Zariyev, you must be aware of the ‘Hound’ operation you planned earlier and the CIA’s ‘ATM’ operation?” Mr. Mitch Friedman stood up and handed over several documents from his hands, saying, “Although the plan was perfect, the failure of the operation led to the loss of combat equipment. I know this isn’t your fault; it was an accident. However, not only is this a significant blow to us, but it also impacts the Pentagon and the CIA. Now both the Pentagon and the CIA are warning us. With pressure not only from China but also from other Asian countries, they will no longer support our future operations and have halted agreements. The funding and sponsorship we previously paid will not be refunded. We’ve invested so much without any returns, which has made Chairman Marceau extremely dissatisfied. I hope you can come up with further plans; we must satisfy Chairman Marceau, or else both of us will be out.”

In fact, even Mr. Mitch Friedman didn’t know that the Pentagon and the CIA supported his operations not only due to Lockheed’s significant investment but also for other reasons. Their support had to be withdrawn due to the failure of the operation and other governments’ interventions. Ultimately, Lockheed was merely a pawn being used.

“I understand, Mr. Friedman; I will certainly devise a good plan.”

“Don’t be hasty. The latest news from the CIA indicates the target might appear in the South China Sea, but we can’t act against them. We need to develop a better plan first to placate Chairman Marceau, and when we are fully prepared, we can decide when to execute it; for now, we need to protect our positions and not let the bosses know we haven’t accomplished anything yet. I think you understand.”

“Yes, I understand. I will draft a detailed and complete plan.” As the top tactical operation planner of Lockheed’s special operations division, Zariyev finally breathed a sigh of relief, knowing the supervisor wouldn’t be blaming him for the operation’s failure.

For a career planner who had designed various operations under the shadows for Lockheed, he had never felt that dealing with just one person could be this challenging. Time and time again, his flawlessly designed operations had been thwarted, severely denting his confidence.

If it had been someone else, they would probably have met their end a long time ago.