Catalyst (Breakthrough Book 3)(30)

“It will be done, My Eminence. With all of my ability.”

Xinzhen nodded approvingly. “And your communication is to be with me, and me alone.”





Qin exited the elevator at the bottom floor. Without a word, he crossed over the marble flooring through the lobby and left the hotel, emerging back into the stale, thick air. The tops of the skyscrapers disappeared into the sickly gray sky above, giving them an eerie appearance.

The valet approached with Qin’s car, a black BMW M6, and quickly jumped out, holding the door open. Once inside, Qin turned up the air conditioner to purify the air inside. The smog was better today, but he could still taste a trace of the metallic sourness on his tongue.

Once beyond the hotel grounds, he merged with the heavier traffic and headed east toward Xinhua, recounting the details of the meeting. Xinzhen’s posture had shown subtle signs of nervousness. And his seething for General Wei seemed somehow exaggerated. Qin knew of Wei. He also knew that Wei had been one of the least politically aligned military figures in the army.

He decided he was more surprised that Wei had somehow turned the tables on the Committee than he was over Wei’s suicide. Wei was a smart man, which meant he clearly would have understood that crossing the Committee would only be done by someone who did not fear retribution.

Qin thought again about the oddness in the old man’s seeming hatred for Wei. Particularly when considering that Xinzhen didn’t know what the General had been hiding.





In the penthouse, Xinzhen was back at the window gazing outward again. There wasn’t much time left. The government’s façade was beginning to crumble quickly now. The propaganda and misinformation were wearing thin and would only last so long. The real question was whether someone like Qin would turn something up soon enough. And whether he could indeed be trusted.

But Xinzhen had little choice. He had to take a chance, especially now. The price was simply too high, and as much as he would like to fully trust Qin, he couldn’t. He had to assume that Qin may already be loyal to one of the other Committee members, and if so, he wondered whether they somehow knew more than Xinzhen did.

It was why he didn’t tell Qin everything, including the sinking of the American research vessel or the details around the destruction of their own warship.

The Committee had potentially started a war with the United States in order for their ship to escape, but it was Wei who stunned them all by suddenly sinking both their ship and its precious cargo.

Nothing made sense. Why did Wei do it? And more importantly…why hadn’t the Americans said a word about the attack on their ship?





13





Langford looked around the table and sighed. The “war room” at the White House was in complete disarray and the situation was deteriorating rapidly. For those who believed the planning around potential military excursions was always careful and deliberate, in this case, they could not have been more wrong.

Langford watched Fred Collier, the new Chief of Naval Operations, show his frustration as he insisted that they were losing the opportunity for a swift and decisive counterattack over the loss of the Bowditch and its men. He pounded the table again, this time harder. Next to him, and not surprisingly, Sam Johnston, the Commandant of the Marine Corps, was in complete agreement.

Across the dark walnut table, however, Merl Miller, the Secretary of Defense, was not so sure. He and President Carr sat side by side, listening to the lengthening outbursts of both military heads.

Collier tried to regain his composure. “What I’m saying is that the political ramifications of us not acting are far greater than those if we do. They have directly challenged the sovereign power of the United States, and unless we show them clearly and definitively the repercussions of such an attack, our reputation and our resolve will be questioned by more than just China! Showing weakness now threatens the loss of our military supremacy. To other nations, this delay won’t look like deliberation, it will look like fear!”

He lowered both hands onto the table before continuing. “We know it was the Chinese and we can prove it! We have to release the information now before they begin distancing themselves with propaganda!”

“Agreed,” added Johnston. “The sooner we get NATO behind us, the better. China is going to spin the hell out of this. We’ve waited too long already.”

“Too long?” asked President Carr. “Too long? Do I need to remind everyone here that just days ago we thought we had been attacked by the Russians?!” He looked around the table. “I’d say it’s a damn good thing we did wait too long.”

“Mr. President,” Collier replied, jabbing the table with his finger. “It was my men who verified the Comp-B signature. There is no doubt in my mind it’s the Chinese. Zero!”