Invasion of America

Chapter 115 Taking office
Last time, when he was being tracked by 'Dias' in the underground hospital, Zhou Qingfeng hid in the shadows, always thinking of finding an opportunity to get rid of this shady guy.

However, information about 'Diaz' ​​is scarce, and no intelligence personnel of this rank can be found on the official website.

The outside world knows nothing about him. He has multiple identities to cover his identity, and even his address is kept secret and unknown to ordinary people.

Since Zhou Qingfeng successfully infiltrated the 'Ministry of Health', everything suddenly became simple. By simply accessing the vaccination records, 'Diaz's' personal information and family situation were laid bare.

At this moment, 'Diaz' ​​lay on his back on the cold floor of his living room, his eyes wide open and bloodshot, as if still harboring the resentment of his dying moments.

Wearing black gloves, Zhou Qingfeng carefully pried open the eyelids and used a high-precision macro camera to take close-up photos of the fine textures of the iris.

Then, using Diaz's still-uncongealed blood as ink, he carefully pressed his finger onto ten specially made fingerprint stickers, as if stamping.

Having done all this, Zhou Qingfeng opened two black body bags and stuffed 'Diaz' ​​and his wife's bodies inside.

As a seasoned intelligence officer, Diaz deliberately chose a high-security upscale residential area in Maryland to avoid surveillance.

The area is sparsely populated and has excellent security measures, making it impossible for ordinary thieves to get close. However, this defense is only effective against petty thieves; it's practically useless against opponents with some real strength.

After packing the body up, Zhou Qingfeng picked up a portable walkie-talkie and whispered, "Cervantes, bring your men over to clean up the mess."

A few minutes later, an ordinary green garbage truck slowly drove into this quiet neighborhood.

Several calm-looking Mexican men got out of the car, the leader of whom was Cervantes, the same car that had previously rammed into the governor's vehicle with a heavy truck.

He had come from Mexico again, now dressed in a dark blue security uniform, casually directing his companions.

The two body bags were unceremoniously thrown into the back of the garbage truck, mixed with other household waste.

A few hours later, the Diaz couple will be sent to the incinerator as 'unidentified corpses', turning to ashes in the flames and disappearing completely from this world.

Cervantes also brought two carpet cleaning machines, skillfully spraying pungent organic solvents onto the spreading bloodstains on the carpet and running the machines repeatedly to clean them.

After cleaning, he would take out a UV lamp and carefully shine it on the ground to ensure that there were no bloodstains that were not visible to the naked eye.

The whole process was like a professional cleaning service, efficient and thorough.

After cleaning, it needs to be "aged" by adding footprints, stains, dust, and other signs of life, as if the owner had never left.

Zhou Qingfeng, with a thin layer of black stockings still covering his head, looked at the busy group and casually asked, "How's business lately?"

Cervantes grinned, revealing a toothy smile: "With the financial support you provided, boss, we've made quite a bit of money in our logistics business recently."

"Using 'warthogs' to transport goods?" Zhou Qingfeng asked rhetorically. "Although low-altitude aircraft are convenient, their carrying capacity is not large, and they are only suitable for transporting high-value items."

“No, no, no…” Cervantes waved his hands repeatedly, his smile becoming even brighter. “The risks of high-value goods are too great. We’re mainly dealing with everyday necessities now.”

He lowered his voice and chuckled slyly, "Old Juan got a few secondhand cargo ships and is secretly shipping eggs to America. The Coast Guard finds out but doesn't care; they get to eat cheap stuff themselves."

Besides eggs, we also sell toilet paper, furniture, kitchenware, garage tools, and the like.

Instead of going through the channels of large supermarkets, Juan's father built his own sales network by relying on personal connections.

We sell at more than half the price of the market price. The markets in Texas and Florida alone are enough to keep us busy.

As for the 'warthog', we use it to transport goods to impoverished areas of Mexico, such as Juan's hometown.

"As long as we offer incentives, a large number of young people will be willing to work for us, and we won't need to grow those prohibited crops."

Zhou Qingfeng couldn't help but laugh and cry. He patted Cervantes on the shoulder and said gratefully, "Thank you for coming to help in time. Otherwise, these two corpses would have been really difficult to deal with."

Cervantes grinned, looking completely nonchalant: "That's what we do. It just so happens that we have our own people in this community for security; they're willing to help if you pay them."

Several Mexican men had a clear division of labor. After moving the body, they began operating the carpet cleaning machine, which made a loud rumbling noise.

Because this residential area is extremely sparsely populated, the nearest neighbors are dozens of meters away, separated by dense hedges, and cannot hear anything coming from here.

Meanwhile, Zhou Qingfeng, carrying Diaz's fingerprints, iris data, and his mobile phone, quietly went up to the study on the second floor.

The room was dimly lit, with only the computer screen emitting a faint glow.

'Grey Shark' sat in his wheelchair, staring intently at the complex code window on the screen, trying to crack 'Dias's' encrypted database.
-
Ever since it was confirmed that Zhou Qingfeng would be in charge of the 'Efficiency Department', 'Grey Shark' was as excited as a hunting dog about to be released from its cage, eager to become a 'dog' agent and sniff out the secrets hidden in the shadows.

For this opportunity, disregarding the risk of secondary infection, he resolutely left the refuge in the Montana nuclear missile silo and flew to Washington, D.C.

"Victor, have you gotten that guy's fingerprints and iris print?" 'Grey Shark' asked anxiously in front of the computer screen in the study.

Zhou Qingfeng placed the evidence bag containing the collected items in front of 'Grey Shark' and said regretfully:
"'Diaz' ​​distrusted easy unlocking methods and stubbornly insisted before his death that I could not obtain any of his secrets."

"Hmph, just give it to me." 'Grey Shark' curled his lip in disdain. "Which intelligence agent isn't a liar? Don't believe their nonsense too much."

As a high-ranking intelligence analyst at the Department of Homeland Security, Diaz's study resembled a small technology center, equipped with a complete set of advanced hacking equipment.

Some of these devices are military-grade and require authentication by connecting to a specific server before they can be used; they are not easily obtained by civilian hackers.

'Grey Shark' connected 'Dias's' phone to a dedicated hacking device via a data cable and gently pressed a start button.

The phone screen, which was supposed to have top-notch encryption technology, lit up instantly, the communication protocol handshake was successful, and the phone and computer established a connection.

The next step is fingerprint and iris verification. Once completed, it will unlock 'Dias's' home private database, which contains secrets he has collected over the years.

Thinking about the inside story he was about to uncover, 'Grey Shark' couldn't help but burst into laughter, dancing with excitement, causing his wheelchair to sway slightly.

"This is a senior intelligence officer from the Department of Homeland Security! Let me see what kind of shady dealings this elite individual has been up to in private."

He eagerly opened the first file, which was the last recording on 'Diaz's' phone before he went home.

Pressing play, a clear conversation entered their ears; it was a record of a call between 'Diaz' ​​and that senior bureaucrat from the Ministry of Finance.

It's about how to get rid of 'Harden'.

Zhou Qingfeng's face gradually darkened as the recording progressed—he hadn't expected the intelligence to arrive so quickly, nor had he anticipated the situation would be so troublesome.

'Grey Shark' watched Zhou Qingfeng's changing expressions with great interest and teased, "Victor, it seems you've been forced to 'take sides' without even realizing it. The vice president dragged you into the 'White House,' clearly intending to use you as a scapegoat at a crucial moment. And those senior bureaucrats hate you to the core, wishing you would disappear immediately."

In American politics, the role of the vice president has mostly been somewhat marginalized, with little real power in daily life.

Its role is at most to cast that crucial vote when the Senate vote is deadlocked; most of the time, it's not even as effective as a rubber stamp.

Zhou Qingfeng recalled that not long ago, when the White House had just announced that it would appoint him as the head of the newly established Efficiency Department, the media commentary was filled with sarcasm and skepticism.

"I haven't even officially taken office yet, and those bastards are already convinced I'm a pushover they can easily bully. Let's see who's really trying to kill me."
-
The two temporarily set aside their chaotic thoughts, calmed down, and carefully examined the files in 'Dias's' private database.

Soon, a new discovery surfaced—a list labeled 'Tree of Justice,' detailing the names and contact information of all members, and…

“Bureaucrats are a dark bunch,” Gray Shark exclaimed in disbelief as he looked at the documents on the screen.

"Diaz has so many people under his control, and he's using these secrets to blackmail them into obeying him."

The two quickly scanned the contents of the document, and one shocking crime after another was revealed before their eyes.

"Energy Secretary Chris Wright has used his position and complex relationships with relatives to illegally profit hundreds of millions of dollars in annual energy purchases."

The Department of Homeland Security had a complete chain of evidence against them three years ago, but took no action for a long time, which was tantamount to blatant leniency.

"Did Eliza Loga, the Deputy Attorney General of the Department of Justice, deliberately lose cases while serving as a public interest lawyer, resulting in a large number of juvenile offenders being sent to private prisons as cheap labor?"

"James Myvi of the DEA, while serving as the San Francisco field chief, openly sexually assaulted more than a dozen... male subordinates? And he even liked to keep the 'explicit photos' and relive them repeatedly?"

'Grey Shark' continued scrolling down, his expression growing increasingly grim.

"Furthermore... our president uses his power to release false information in advance that could trigger panic in the stock market, thereby securing huge profits for his family and cronies."

In just one day, Charles Schwab, chairman of the board of Charles Schwab, illegally profited as much as $2.5 billion from the stock market's dramatic fluctuations.

From Diaz's secret records, Gray Shark saw countless heinous crimes. He was especially chilled after opening the folder named "Loli Island."
The higher a person's position, the more unscrupulous they are when committing crimes. The whole world is under their control, and no rules can restrain them.

Before witnessing these crimes, 'Grey Shark' was full of anticipation, hoping to do something about it. But after seeing them, he felt a chill run down his spine.

As if a heavy stone were pressing on his chest, his shoulders slumped limply, and he lowered his head, muttering to himself:
"Damn it, this world is so dark. A bunch of shameless scoundrels actually call themselves 'justice'?"
I worked hard to earn millions of dollars selling encrypted data packets in my basement in Miami, but I lived in constant fear that the FBI would break down my door.

These bastards can easily amass hundreds of millions of dollars in illegal wealth without any guilt or punishment.

"That's unfair! This is so unfair!"

Zhou Qingfeng, after seeing so much of it, also felt a chill run down his spine. He could only pat 'Grey Shark' on the shoulder and whisper, "Potter, cheer up. They're just some demons wandering the earth. Just get rid of them."
-
The Department of Homeland Security did not realize Diaz was missing until three days later, but it did not cause any ripples at first, and it was difficult to track down his whereabouts in the short term.

Meanwhile, after several days of secret preparation, Zhou Qingfeng drove into the 'White House,' a symbol of the center of power in the United States.

Before meeting with the media, the "country bumpkin" vice president met with Zhou Qingfeng alone in the Oval Office and asked him in a very serious tone, "Harden, can I trust you?"

Zhou Qingfeng glanced around to make sure no one was watching, then his gaze swept over the vice president's neck, revealing a hint of menace. The vice president felt a chill run down his spine for a moment, as if he were prey being targeted by a hunter.

"Your Excellency, I don't know what you want me to do, so I can't make any promises."

As a former tax inspector, I'm actually better at catching cunning criminals than sitting in an office processing documents.

Among those I sent to prison were business tycoons, gangsters, and high-ranking government officials—tough nuts to crack that other colleagues were unwilling to touch.

If you want me to eliminate a person, or even a group of people, I'm still willing to give it a try and take on the challenge.

But if you just want me to handle human resources and finances, to help the government with layoffs and budget control, then I can only say you've got the wrong person.

Upon hearing this, the 'country bumpkin' became excited. He slammed his hand on the table and shouted, "It's you! This is the ability I need to eliminate dissidents!"

There are quite a few people in the government who don't want to listen to me; instead, they want a new election and someone else in power. I allow you to use any means necessary to get rid of those guys.

Zhou Qingfeng couldn't help but sneer inwardly, "Factional strife, indeed, a scene reminiscent of the end of a dynasty."
-
Then, in the solemn and dignified Oval Office, Zhou Qingfeng placed his hand on the Bible and, facing countless flashing media cameras, meticulously recited his oath of office.

For this important moment, he specially chose a navy blue suit with a white shirt underneath and a dark red tie hanging prominently in front of his chest.

The inauguration ceremony was scheduled for 9 a.m. in Washington, which translates to 9 p.m. in the distant East Coast.

Several high-ranking leaders made a point of staying in front of their screens to watch this live broadcast that spanned time zones.

When Zhou Qingfeng stood in the Oval Office, facing the camera, reciting the meticulously polished manuscript word by word,

Even before the ceremony ended, the domestic leaders exchanged complex and incredulous glances and murmured their amazement.

"This...is this really one of our people?"

"The script he read was written by me personally, and I carefully considered every word."

"The color scheme of the clothes and the style of the tie were exactly as we had requested."

"Isn't American politics... a bit too frivolous? Such a huge loophole, and no one has noticed it?"

Throughout history, both in China and abroad, there have been numerous cases of people impersonating officials, but these mostly occurred in ancient times when information was scarce.

In modern society, it is truly unbelievable that such a bizarre impersonation could occur in full view of the public; it's like something out of a fairy tale.

"Such an important undercover informant should be kept in hiding for now, waiting for the right opportunity."

"Sigh... This young man is too risky. Too many people know his true identity. Once exposed, the consequences will be unimaginable."

"Domestically, we can only raise his security level to the highest level, and absolutely no one is allowed to contact him casually. All information transmission must be subject to strict approval."

"If he can really send back any crucial intelligence, we must handle it ourselves and not entrust it to others, just in case."

Several high-ranking leaders met to discuss the matter, and at the end, they suddenly realized a very absurd reality: "Hiss, does this mean we're simultaneously governing two superpowers?"

(End of this chapter)