Chapter 18 17

The spacious hall paved with precious marble was empty.The woman sitting behind the large reception desk is of middle age, with fair skin and delicate and beautiful facial lines.The hotel belongs to an American hotel chain, and the guests staying here are mainly foreign customers, so it does not strictly abide by the sharia Rules and regulations in dress and manners.Still, she wore a silver-gray hood to cover her brown hair, providing a tasteful contrast to her austere black uniform. Pinned to her breast was a gold-plated plaque: Nancy.Xin, customer service supervisor.She smiled kindly, looking at Halliberg.Welcome to Al Mandhar Hotel.What can I do for you?From her accent, I could tell she was from New York.

Hello!I'm Bob.Halliberg.He handed over his papers.I want to talk to Mr. Cretter. Of course, Mr. Halliberg.She checked the computer screen behind the reception desk.We have prepared a room for you.Would you like to move in now? Can.However, please inform Mr. Crete that I am here. no problem.She dialed a number.This is Nancy at the counter.pungent.There's a gentleman here who wants to see Mr. Cretter.It's Mr. Halliberg.OK, I tell him.goodbye! She hangs up.Mr. Crete is talking.However, his colleague will pick you up right away.Would you like me to take your luggage to your room?She pointed to the small black durable nylon suitcase beside Halliberg.

Thanks Please sign here.She took out the check-in form, which had filled in all of Halliberg's personal information, including his date of birth and private address. Need a fruity cocktail while you wait here?She asked as he signed the form and pushed it back to Nancy. No thanks!He pointed to the sign on her chest.Are you a restaurant worker? She smiled at him again with a friendly, unprofessional smile, sincere and friendly.I'm the head of the customer service department and I've been working here for seven years.There was pride in her tone.Al Mandha Hotel can be regarded as the first-class hotel in the Arab world.It may not be comparable to the Burj Al Arab in Dubai, but it is definitely among the top hotels in the world.

I think most of your men have been replaced by CIA guys, have you? Sorry, I have no comment.You'd better ask Mr. Crete! Through various efforts, US President Chigurh finally convinced the leaders of the Arab world that only the US CIA can ensure the security of the summit.For the CIA, many attendees must have feared, and gnashed their teeth, hated it to the bone.Halliberg could not imagine the kind of diplomacy the United States had to resort to to convince those leaders.In fact, this is indeed the only feasible solution.The possibility of Islamic extremists infiltrating Saudi Arabia for security is too high.At the same time, the Arabs know very well that if something goes wrong at the summit, it will seriously damage the face of the Americans.Perhaps based on this point, the Summit has become a flocking target for terrorists.

Halliberg tried to keep his tone as flat as possible.I am a member of the US Presidential Security Command.You can be honest with me. He tried his best to be nice and kind, but Nancy remained unmoved.I'm sorry, sir, but Mr. Creeter has told me that I'm not allowed to talk to anyone about hotel personnel arrangements. Nancy stood by her principles, and it was the right thing to do.he laughed.All right!I talk to him myself. A pleasant bell rang, and the elevator door opened.A young woman with short blond hair and an overly broad nose came up to him.Is that Lieutenant Halliberg?I'm Diana.McKesson.plz follow me.

Halliberg followed her into the elevator.Halliberg felt himself sinking.However, the elevator slowed down very quickly, so lightly that it was hard to notice.The door opened, and Halliberg was impressed by the view that unfolded before him. They came to a large glass ball about 200 meters high made of triangular glass.This is a luxurious restaurant, divided into upper, middle and lower floors, and each floor is connected by a rotating wooden ladder.Under their feet was a city covered with bungalows, and there was only one building higher than the Almandha Hotel, and that was the Kingdom Center, which was nearly 300 meters high.Looking further into the distance, the deserted sand dunes can be vaguely discerned.Halliberg couldn't help thinking that, in the shadow of a rock, the terrorists were setting up a missile cannon.

Several men were busy affixing translucent adhesive strips to the triangular glass windows, separating the glass into light and dark parts.It can be vaguely seen that it is the outline of the South American continent. Impressive, huh?Maxson asked him about a globe floating above the Arab world.The president took this exciting opportunity very well. Halliberg didn't comment, just saying: "Will you take me to Mr. Cretter now, please?" A professional smile hung on the female agent's face.Compared with the smile of the head of the customer service department just now, the smile of this spy is really hypocritical.Mr. Cretter will see you shortly.Please sit here for a while.She pointed to an empty dining table.

Halliberg sat down.In two days, the world's most important leaders will gather here to try to cut through the mess and settle the dispute in Palestine forever.The choice of this location must have been carefully considered. When you set your feet here and look down at the busy commercial activities on the streets of Riyadh, you really feel aloof and close to the sky.Perhaps, this dramatic gesture really is the success or failure of the relationship.In short, the whole world will be nervously watching everything in the big ball, although it will not be broadcast live. He looked at the expressions on the faces of the CIA agents walking around.They seem to be making final preparations for World War III.Several people sat at the table, leaned forward, and discussed the safety plan for each floor.Others dialed cellphones solemnly.No one glanced at him questioningly.Even without his uniform, it was easy to see that he was not a member of the CIA.

A waitress, apparently from the United States, came up to his table and asked what he would like to drink.He thought about it and ordered a cup of coffee.He doesn't usually feel tired, but today he felt the effects of jet lag and a long flight.Although the business-class crew reclined the seat for him to lie down as comfortably as possible, he was too bulky to sleep comfortably on a transatlantic flight.In addition, he also had a premonition that Jim.Crete will keep him waiting for quite a while. Crete is called Cricket by many people, which is a metaphor for him as the cricket doll in Disney's Little Pinocchio.Among many officials, he enjoys a legendary reputation.He started his career with the FBI.He was only twenty-five years old when he identified a serial killer who had been hunting for years and brought the criminal to justice in a thrilling operation.After the September 11 terrorist attacks, he was recruited by the CIA to hunt down terrorists.He is said to have uncovered terrorist attacks in London, Cairo and Singapore through clever investigation.Now, he has been promoted to chief of the counter-terrorism unit.Halliberg didn't expect Crete to take his words seriously.

The longer the waiting time, the stronger the impression.He ordered a second cup of coffee.After a while, he couldn't bear it anymore, and walked from the glass ball to the observation deck outside.He stared at the street under his feet, looked at the countless housing platforms, and speculated where the attack would come from. The criss-crossing streets of Riyadh are ideal hiding places for terrorists.But a suicide attack with dynamite strapped to the waist, or driving a car full of dynamite near a restaurant and detonating it, would do little damage to the summit.During the summit, the military will close all nearby streets and even houses will be emptied.Air Patrol Aircraft (AWACS) has taken full control of the airspace in this area.All commercial flights were grounded.If any plane wanted to attack the hotel from the sky, it would probably be intercepted before it got close to the capital of Saudi Arabia.

If you want to pose a huge threat to the summit, you can only use heavy weapons such as cannons or remote-controlled missiles.But such heavy weapons will be easily found no matter in downtown Riyadh or along the coast. Or, just find a way to sneak into the restaurant. Doing so would of course take a huge risk.In the next few days, the hotel will be built into an iron wall.However, any fortress has its weaknesses. Halliberg couldn't help but think of the smiling woman at the reception desk in the lobby.She must be the original staff of the hotel.He was sure that a person who could smile so sincerely must not belong to the CIA.People in Crete must have carefully investigated her qualifications and credibility.All but a few of the hotel staff have been replaced.However, there are still many people who know the hotel well, knowing every door in the basement and storage room.Halliberg could only secretly hope that the CIA personnel would do their job. It was almost two hours before anyone noticed him. Lieutenant Halliberg?The man's voice was deep, with a distinct southern accent. Halliberg turned to see a sun-patterned man with a sharp-edged face and short blond hair. The man held out his hand.Jim.Crete.You are Miloslav.Is it from Pansyche? Halliberg took the extended hand.Yes. Crete grinned.I just knew the military was waiting for us to screw this up.But I tell you, it's impossible.Still, I'd love to hear your opinion if you have any.After all, we're colleagues with the same goals, right?The sarcasm in his tone was palpable.Let's sit down and talk!He pointed to a table by the window in the Glass Ball restaurant.Good view, right? Halliberg didn't answer. I've heard you're a man of few words, Bob.People say I should hear your opinion.The CIA, of course, knew every single person who entered the restaurant. How do you keep unwanted guests from sneaking into your restaurant? Crete laughed.You should always know that I won't tell you all the details.We can't disappoint potential attackers, we have to create some surprises.Crete was referring to the military's intelligence not being rigorous enough.Such slander is very insulting.If Pansaike had been present, he would have blushed with anger.But Halliberg kept his cool. I reckon, though unlikely, that you'd have armed agents in case a killer sneaks into the hotel under your nose during the summit. By the way, you are right, for that impossible event, Bob. You said you wanted to hear my opinion.Halliberg said calmly, my advice is to ask your men not to carry any weapons!Only with karate masters, they can subdue armed gangsters with bare hands in an emergency.Weapons of any kind are strictly prohibited in the hotel, not even pocket knives.Plastic cutlery only will be used for all cutlery and floors will be sealed off during meetings. Crete stared at him without saying a word, and it took him a while to relax.He laughed and said, oh my god!Bob, what a creative suggestion.Not a single weapon in the entire building!Defeat the terrorists with your bare hands!Empty against machine guns!Of course, Bruce.Willie was great in that role, hahaha!His expression became serious.I know what you mean: whoever it is, they want to infiltrate the CIA.This does pose a risk for us.We're not stupid, and we're not as arrogant as you might think.We considered this possibility.Just trust me!Everyone here has undergone a comprehensive perspective, even the heart and kidneys have been checked.Plus, we were in a group of three and didn't know each other.If the enemy's spies really sneaked in, the other two would quickly subdue him without hesitation. I'm not concerned about your men being infiltrated.Halliberg said, my concern is that your people are somehow manipulated by others to lose their minds. Critter nodded.You mean the Baghdad incident!I have seen your report on that case.Anyway, Bob, the Baghdad incident is an isolated case.There is no precedent for such a thing.You did not say that it is impossible to confirm the intervention of external forces. Yes, but I also wrote: influence by external forces cannot be completely ruled out.Like you just said, there is no precedent for such a thing.None of us knew what was going on at the time. You are a psychologist, right? right. Bob, I understand that you want to get to the bottom of it.You cannot accept that in this world, there are things that ordinary people cannot understand.But trust me, I've dealt with madmen.I know there are a lot of things we can't explain, but that doesn't mean the same thing will happen again, and in the short term.If I follow your advice and keep my men unarmed, it will not only increase the risk, but I will definitely have to answer too many questions that give me a headache.In addition, there are other insecure factors. You mean the participants themselves, the leaders of the Arab world? Exactly, I can't guarantee whether the mental state of certain people is normal.There were also a few people who followed suit.Although we forbid them to bring their entourage into the conference floor, it will be another matter when the time comes. Halliberg tried to sound as convincing as possible.Mr. Crete, I understand that my request is unusual and very peculiar.But I want to ask you again: weapons are strictly prohibited in the hotel.At the very least, there must be no weapons in the conference layer. Crete looked at him silently for a moment.Sorry, but I have to decline your request.It is my responsibility to protect the safety of the summit.I assure you we will do a great job.He got up and said, I still have to work.Look around if you want!But please don't disturb my staff's work.See you then, Bob. Halliberg watched Crete's back from behind, watching how he took light steps and jumped up the stairs of the restaurant in the middle of the glass ball.Halliberg had expected that the CIA would not listen to him.Now, he can only fight alone.He must use some means, at all costs, to prevent a repeat of what happened in Baghdad here.