American Strategic Deception Bureau

　"Could you please elaborate on how we ended up in such a disaster? For example, how on the Cuban front our troops were unwittingly hit by atomic bombs, twice? And how you ultimately achieved a ceasefire?"

　"This... involves a lot of secrets. I really can't leak it without getting authorization from my superiors.

　So, I'm afraid you'll just have to let your imagination run wild when writing this, I'm sorry, Mr. Halberstam."

　Fili shrugged, "However, are you interested in going to the south with me to witness the final end of this war?

　This way, you can observe the traces of this war with your own eyes."

　"To witness the end of the war? Wasn't it already over? The fleet and marines were withdrawn, and the peace treaty was signed."

　David Halberstam asked curiously, holding a ballpoint pen and notebook.

　"There's still one step left—when the war is over, a commander loyal to his country should disband his army..."

　Fili squinted his eyes. "Next, I'm going to fly to Miami to disband the Cuban "Volunteer Army" numbered 2506 and have them return to their homes. An army that has endured two nuclear bombings is probably quite rare in this world, right?"

　Huh? An army that's been hit by nuclear bombs twice? What kind of special material are these soldiers made of?

　Halberstam was immediately filled with awe. "Great! Such a tenacious warrior must have many shining points worth interviewing!"

　Because he lowered his head to put away his notebook, he didn't notice the twisted smile that flashed across Ferry's mouth...

　The clothes are generally too big and don't fit well...

　But even so, they would be charged $10 per person for each outfit, which would be deducted directly from their severance pay.

　Such seriously inflated compulsory and unscrupulous charges made every mercenary curse, but they could do nothing about it.

　Only after changing their clothes and signing a list could they receive an envelope containing $140 in bills from the smiling Major Ferry King, thus ending their short military career.

　Afterwards, some went upstairs to find prostitutes to relieve their sexual desires, some went to the bar to drink, and some went out to the street arm in arm to have fun.

　What? Home? They were all Cuban exiles, recruits from the Dominican Republic. How could they possibly have a home in Miami?

　New York Times reporter David Halberstam initially stood at the door, shooting with interest and occasionally chatting with the mercenaries still waiting in line. But soon, he put away his camera in a daze and slowly walked back to drink beer.

　"What? Have you taken enough photos? Why don't you chat with them a little more so as to collect materials for writing the article?" Seeing the reporter come in, Fili handed the cash box to the one-legged proprietress Armas, letting her take care of the rest of the money distribution, and turned around to greet the customers.

　"I feel like there's nothing to talk about. Most of the mercenaries only speak Spanish, not even English. My Spanish is very poor, so there's really no way I can communicate. The remaining ones who can speak English don't say much, and they seem to have a very problematic temperament."

　David Halberstam drank a cold beer, wiped his sweat with a handkerchief, and kept complaining, "These guys look just like the gangsters from Hell's Kitchen in New York! Have they really experienced a nuclear war and seen two mushroom clouds rise?

　Although I didn’t participate in World War II, I have interviewed veterans who returned from Korea, and they were not like these people…”

　"Ah, Mr. Reporter, I'm talking about the 2506th Brigade withstanding two nuclear bomb attacks. I'm not saying that these people currently collecting severance pay in a brothel had the courage to withstand two consecutive Soviet atomic bombs. In fact, they have only seen one or two Soviet RPG rockets at most."

　A delighted smile spread across Major Ferry King's face, like a mischievous child who had successfully played a prank. Seeing it made David Halberstam want to hit someone. But he could only try to suppress his emotions and continue to listen carefully to Ferry's explanation.

　——Fortunately, people who can become journalists usually have to have a good temper in addition to being thick-skinned, otherwise they would have been annoyed to death by being rejected.

　"Before Operation Tropic Thunder was launched in early January of this year, the 2506th Brigade was greatly overstaffed at its peak, with more than 8,000 soldiers, jets, warships, and tanks. It was a dominant force in the Caribbean and could easily conquer a few small islands.

　However, when I actually took over command of this unit in February, the only people left in the entire brigade were the few people you just saw.

　All the warships were sunk, the planes fled back to the country, and there were still a few tanks, but no one knew how to drive them, so they were just left in the parking lot to rust.

　Why? Because in the two battles of Trinidad in early January and Santiago in mid-February, all the truly capable veterans and professional officers of the 2506th Brigade, and even the soldiers who had received some training, were wiped out by two Soviet atomic bombs!

　What's even more terrible is that both the Battle of Trinidad in January and the Battle of Santiago on Valentine's Day in February ended with nuclear bomb explosions and mushroom clouds. The officers and soldiers of the 2506th Brigade who were sent into battle were wiped out both times, and not a single one escaped.

　It's not that the remaining rookie mercenaries had no training at all, but it's that the vast majority of them hadn't received any training at all, and subsequently hadn't experienced any real combat. They just spent a few days on the front lines, took a few rockets or a few volleys of cold gunfire, and served as a battlefield atmosphere group.

　Firi said, "That's why the CIA disbanded all the soldiers of the 2506th Brigade after the war, instead of keeping some veterans as the backbone - because there were no veterans among these people at all, and their quality was no different from the men picked up from the street.

　Of course, this does not mean that this meritorious unit, which has experienced two nuclear explosions and is of great historical significance, will disappear from the world..."

　As he spoke to David Halberstam, he pulled a brown-skinned officer with a beard over from behind and said, "Let me introduce you. This is the current commander of the 2506th Brigade, Major Torres Cardona! Major, this is Halberstam, a reporter from the New York Times!"

　Although the current 2506th Brigade has been greatly streamlined and compressed, following the practices of the Soviet and Yugoslav armies, and has been reduced to a skeleton brigade, the number has been retained. The next time the CIA has another overseas combat operation, this skeleton will be expanded again..."

　"What kind of skeleton brigade is this? The current 2506th Brigade is basically a ghost brigade! I know a little bit about the Soviet and Yugoslav skeleton divisions. But no matter how streamlined the skeleton troops are, there's no reason to cut down an entire brigade to the point where I'm the only one left as the brigade commander!"

　Major Cardona complained bluntly, "Even my orderly has been laid off, and now I have to do my own laundry.

　Serve and clean up!"

　Well, although most armies in history were understaffed, it seemed a bit too much to create an army with just one person.

　"I'm sorry, the notice from the bureau is a blanket layoff plan, and I really don't have any room for flexibility."

　Fili said earnestly to Major Cardona, "Besides, how can the 2506th Brigade be called a ghost brigade? Aren't you the only one still alive?

　A real ghost army would be one that is buried in graves from top to bottom, and the camp would be turned into a motel and a small workshop.

　Regarding the inconvenience caused to your personal life by the elimination of the orderly, Mr. Brigadier, I suggest you hire a maid at your own expense. Anyway, you don't have any military secrets to leak now, and even if your pistol is stolen, it's no big deal. We in the United States have never banned guns..."

　Although Fili's original intention didn't seem to be mocking, his words came out unconsciously. No matter how he listened to it, it sounded a bit sarcastic, making Brigadier General Cardona's face even uglier... So, realizing something was wrong, Fili quickly changed his angle and launched into another sophistry: "Look, whether it's New York, Los Angeles, or Miami, there are a lot of shell companies. Apart from the boss and his briefcase, there's not even an office. But this doesn't affect the real existence of these companies, and perhaps one day they will really develop and become bigger and stronger.

　By the same token, the CIA can also create a few shell companies, and you can just pretend to be the boss of a shell mercenary company..."

　Why does this sound like... the more you explain, the worse it gets?

　Can you raise the value of a commander who has no soldiers under his command by describing him as a "promising" but empty-handed army commander?

　Anyway, the young and energetic Major Cardona was so angry after hearing this that he was almost on the verge of hitting someone.

　——After all, he is the son of a former prime minister who has lived a life of luxury. He has never been bullied in a sarcastic way since he was a child.

　Fortunately, Fili finally stopped making excuses and instead shared some genuinely good news. "Besides, the predicament of you being the only brigade commander left in the entire brigade is only a temporary special situation. Once those veterans of the 2506th Brigade who have been released from the prisoner-of-war camps leave the sanatoriums arranged by the military and return to report back to the troops, won't you have someone under your command?"

　They are all veterans who have truly experienced the test of nuclear warfare! The value of this resume is definitely not low nowadays..."

　- In addition to this group of rookie recruits withdrawn from the Guantanamo base, another group of veterans of the 2506th Brigade who participated in the battles of Trinidad and Santiago were released from the Cuban prisoner-of-war camps after the April Fool's Day Treaty was finalized and returned to the United States by ship, totaling about 1,000 people.

　In order to maintain the dignity of the world leader, the White House and the Pentagon continued to brag in their overt propaganda, claiming that the United States had won the final victory in the Cuban War, turning the "Red Cuba" ruled by pro-Soviet elements... into the "Free Cuba" ruled by the Sugar Party.

　Therefore, as "meritorious subjects," these veterans of the 2506th Brigade who had left the prisoner-of-war camp were given a triumphal welcome when they disembarked in Miami: flowers, colorful flags, salutes, military bands, parades, kisses from beautiful women, and everything that was expected of them.

　However, after participating in the triumphal ceremony, these veterans of the 2506th Brigade who were fortunate enough to "face the nuclear explosion" were forcibly transferred to various "sanatoriums" by the Pentagon under the pretext of "eliminating radiation and preventing cancer" - in fact, they were some secret military research institutes, where they were collectively isolated and detained.

　According to the Pentagon's ruthless military scientists, given that we are currently in the Cold War era and the threat of nuclear war could fall at any moment, it is imperative to strengthen research into the harmful effects of nuclear contamination and radiation on the human body. These mercenaries who have been exposed to nuclear explosions are perfect research material.

　Well, you can refer to the Umbrella mercenary team in "Resident Evil" who was tricked into going underground to fight zombies.

　Therefore, the places where these veterans of the 2506th Brigade were sent for "recuperation" were special military laboratories similar to Japan's Unit 731 in World War II.

　If these Cuban mercenaries didn't suffer from the aftereffects of the nuclear explosion, such as organ deformities, tumor growth, or blood abnormalities, they could probably return to their units after a while. But if they developed cancerous tumors or other unusual abnormalities... well, their fate would be similar to that of the Chinese captured in the laboratories of Japan's Unit 731. Barring any unexpected events, they could hardly expect to make it out alive.

　When these veterans, covered with tumors and with ulcerated and peeling skin, are dragged onto the dissection table alive without anesthesia, perhaps we will understand why General Patton said: "The best destination for a soldier is to be killed by the last bullet in the last battle."

　However, from the perspective of scientific progress, there is nothing that can be done about it.

　Since ancient times, any medical progress, whether good or bad, has been built on endless corpses and flesh and blood.

　On the bright side, the Pentagon today at least didn't throw these veterans into nuclear waste dumps, turning those who were not infected with radiation sickness into radiation patients.

　In the 1950s, the US military did not even treat its own citizens as human beings. They released poison gas on the subway, sprayed biological and chemical weapons on San Francisco, and massacred black Americans.

　The Pentagon has done many cruel and unethical things, such as infecting people with syphilis, and even forcing American soldiers to enter nuclear contaminated areas to replace experimental animals and observe changes in their blood indicators.

　In short, please don't overestimate the anthropomorphism of the CIA and the Pentagon. The Cold War era saw virtually all the same crimes against civilization and humanity committed by Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan. In some areas, they were even more devastating.

　Author's words: PS: There is still one chapter left. The plot is getting longer and longer, so the ending of this first volume needs to be divided into three chapters to be completed.

　Plus, homeless people are using high-tech these days! A top lecturer traveled north from Los Angeles, relying not only on solar panels to charge his batteries but also using drones to find suitable places to stay for the night. In the cyberpunk world, do all the homeless people have solar panels on their heads and drones in their hands?

　However, it seems inappropriate for him to go to San Francisco in this season. The weather in San Francisco in January and February is still a bit cold!

　It would be better to go south to San Diego. Not only is the weather warmer, but you can also visit the famous city of Irvine and see aircraft carriers along the way.

　In addition, ever since he left Los Angeles, his traffic and popularity have been dropping rapidly. It is estimated that he will be completely forgotten before he even reaches San Francisco.

　Chapter 142: Beginning with Brutalism and Ending with Absurdity (End of Volume)

　Of course, at this time, the lone commander of the 2506th Brigade, or the "boss of a shell mercenary company", Major Torres Cardona, did not know that the Cuban exile veterans of the 2506th Brigade who returned to the United States amid cheers and flowers had become large guinea pigs in the military's secret research institute.

　How many veterans will be able to return to his service in the future depends on whether those scientific lunatics lacking in moral integrity are willing to "spare their lives".

　Well, I hope there are still some scientists in the Pentagon’s secret research institutes who still have a conscience, right?

　In short, after hearing that the 2506th Brigade was not reduced to zero, but there was still a group of veterans waiting for him to take over, Brigadier General Major Torres Cardona breathed a sigh of relief, and his face was no longer ugly, as if everyone owed him a million.

　Seeing this, Fili took the opportunity to leave New York Times reporter David Halberstam to the lone brigade commander for a reception, and asked Torres to tell the reporter about the 2506th Brigade's combat experience over the past year. He then turned and ran to the backyard to preside over another, smaller-scale disbanding ceremony.

　In addition to disbanding the remnants of the 2506th Brigade, the CIA's Cuban Special Task Force will also be officially disbanded today...

　-

　Since the spring of 1960, when President Eisenhower instructed the CIA to establish the "Cuban Task Force" to launch a subversive operation against the Castro regime in Cuba, this group has been in existence for two years, launching two overseas wars and spending no less than $800 million.

　The result was a nuclear war on America's doorstep, which almost triggered the outbreak of World War III on Earth. It resulted in the deaths of three major generals in the US military within a month, and the president and the gentlemen on Capitol Hill took refuge in nuclear shelters. Finally, a corner of the Pentagon was blown off by a missile.

　The US capital, Washington, experienced its first major evacuation since the Second War of 1812. Even the protracted Civil War a hundred years ago could not allow President Lincoln to escape from the White House. But the current Cuban nuclear crisis actually forced President Kennedy to flee to the mountains.

　Unprecedented riots and exodus broke out in hundreds of cities across the country. Especially in cities with large populations of blacks and other people of color, burning of cars and houses was widespread, while those who fled the cities in a panic spread the chaos and crime further into the countryside.

　The Wall Street stock market crash and the Chicago futures market turmoil caused by the Cuban nuclear crisis have not yet ended.

　But no matter what the final trend of the stock market and futures market is, the US economy, which the Kennedy administration has worked hard for more than a year to end the economic crisis and revive again, can be said to be destined to hit bottom and disappear into ashes - news media around the world generally commented that the current poor state of the US economy and the degree of social unrest are unprecedented since World War II, and are only slightly better than the Great Depression of 1929.

　The total amount of US dollars that evaporated due to this fluctuation is at least tens of billions.

　During the remainder of President Kennedy's term, could his "cabinet of scholars" once again save the U.S. economy from falling off the cliff?

　Well, even President Kennedy himself didn't have much confidence.

　In addition, because of the United States' indiscriminate bombing of Cuba and seven consecutive hydrogen bomb attacks, which killed one million Cubans in one go, the image of the United States, the leader of the free world, in international public opinion has also become much more hateful.

　Although the US official propaganda machine has repeatedly claimed that Cubans are "contaminated by communist ideology" and that they deserved the nuclear bombing, it was their own fault.

　Unfortunately, due to McCarthyism's repeated destruction of the American entertainment industry for more than a decade, the United States' ability to export soft power is currently at a historic low, and the US official mouthpiece is only making matters worse.

　Therefore, the White House and the Pentagon's set of false claims cannot even fool the Americans themselves, let alone the international community.

　However, this matter must be viewed from two perspectives. As we all know, barbarians are afraid of power but not of virtue.

　For a hegemon, even if he has committed countless crimes, it is better than being looked down upon. Although the nuclear bombing of Cuba was cruel, it also shocked the small fry.

　In this world, it is not the case that people will listen to you as long as you are strong; you have to keep your word. If I say I will kill your whole family, then I will kill your whole family.

　No matter how many weapons you buy and hide in the basement to show off your wealth, it is not as scary as shooting an enemy to death!

　Therefore, the U.S. military's nuclear bombing of Cuba and the killing of millions certainly brought it great notoriety for a time, but it also greatly enhanced its prestige.

　It makes all the rebellious little brothers in the world terrified, knowing that if they engage in anti-American activities in their own country, they will actually be hit by nuclear bombs!

　Even if the US military is weak and vulnerable in battle, what does it matter? As long as the US nuclear bombs hit wherever they point, that's enough!

　All beings are equal under the atomic bomb. Without Fidel Castro's magical dodging skills, you will be turned into radioactive dust!

　To sum up, for the United States, there should be both advantages and disadvantages, right?

　But the problem is that after suffering such huge losses in tangible and intangible assets, the CIA's performance was unsatisfactory.

　——This shocking, self-defeating, and ultimately self-destructive "seven-wound punch" operation, after causing great suffering to the entire United States, only accomplished its mission of "overthrowing Castro's revolutionary regime in Cuba and eliminating Soviet influence" in a minimal or symbolic way:

　Cuba's bearded Fidel Castro shaved his beard, changed his name to Vegeta Kakarot, and led the "Sugar Party" which had just changed its flag to continue ruling Cuba... This is almost equivalent to "the CIA pretending that its operation was successful, and Castro pretending that he was overthrown."

　What should have been a straightforward overseas intervention operation in the eyes of the White House and Congress was instead turned into a homeland defense war by the CIA's incompetents. It was even a battle to defend the nation's capital, and in the end, they were helpless against the culprits! This disparity left every official in Washington furious.

　So, as soon as the April Fool's Day peace treaty was signed at Guantánamo on April 1, 1962, and "Cuba Libre" under the rule of "Sugar Party President Kakarot" had just changed its name, CIA Director Allen Dulles and Deputy Director Richard Bissell were forced to resign in the face of President Kennedy's incompetent rage and the attacks of the Capitol Hill bosses. They are probably packing up their offices in Langley Building by now.

　Next, the person directly responsible for messing up the Cuban issue, the once-powerful Cuban Special Task Force, was also ordered to disband.

　Some people were forced to retire or fired, while others were left idle, and many meritorious officials still got nothing.

　——Or, being able to keep their jobs in the CIA is already the highest reward for them!

　Therefore, the celebration and farewell party held in the small cafe of the "Wave" brothel was filled with a completely gloomy and desolate atmosphere.

　Every agent holding a glass of wine, whether they were fired or transferred, had no smile on their face. Some of them were on a covert reconnaissance mission, but were almost hit by their own country's nuclear bombs. They escaped from Cuba with a narrow escape, and they were even more resentful.

　Faced with the resentful scene of the crowd, Firi, who had only taken over the group for less than a hundred days, looked around at the unfamiliar faces and couldn't help but feel uneasy: Could they be so desperate as to assassinate the president?

　According to some clues leaked in the 21st century, Oswald, the so-called main culprit in Kennedy's assassination, was just a scapegoat. The real assassins of Kennedy were a group of CIA agents from the original CIA Cuban Special Task Force.

　In other words, the murderer who assassinated Kennedy was the subordinate that Major Ferry King had managed for a period of time this year.

　Among the agents collecting their bonuses here right now, there is one or several people who were originally going to kill President Kennedy next year.

　So, in this drastically changed world line, will they still kill the president?

　Well, unless there is a mastermind behind the scenes who offers a super high price to bribe him, he probably won't be so impulsive, right?

　At least, the five people in the group of "old, weak, sick, disabled and pregnant" who had been with Phili for a long time would never have been involved in something like assassinating Kennedy - not to mention anything else, even if they wanted to be assassins and snipe the president, they probably didn't have the skills to do so!

　In fact, not everyone in the Cuban Special Task Force was unlucky after the war. A considerable number of those with connections and backgrounds joined the Cuban intelligence station headed by Frank Sturget, and made a fortune by trafficking drugs with Castro, who changed his name to Kakarot.