Chapter 90: Assemble the Finest Elite Team for Me (Second Update, Seeking Recommendation Votes)

As the senior police officers poured out of the conference room, it was clear the emergency meeting had drawn to a close and a final decision had been reached.

Xing Xiaolong guessed that being summoned now meant the next steps were about to be assigned.

"All right."

He flashed a quick gesture, then rose and strode into the room.

Only four people remained inside: three men and one woman. Xing Xiaolong recognized only Black Fox.

The other two were middle-aged Black officers in dark purple police uniforms, their insignia indicating high rank. They sat at the two head positions on either side of the long conference table.

At the center seat sat a Black man in his fifties, dressed in a black suit.

He was the chief of the Kenyan police force.

"Commissioner General."

When Xing Xiaolong entered, the man at the center was polite enough, raising a hand to indicate that he should sit.

Then he looked around the room and said, "Although today has been a terrible day, we have still gained a great deal. Now that everyone is here, let us take the final step.

Colonel Irina has been sent by the United Nations as a military adviser to help us with anti-narcotics operations. She has extensive combat experience in counterterrorism and drug enforcement. Next, Colonel Irina will preside over the meeting."

Ahem.

Black Fox, legs crossed in a languid and almost insolent manner, carried herself with an unmistakable authority. She cleared her throat unhurriedly and said, "This anti-drug operation is codenamed Operation Prime Hunt. The primary target is Mukhtar Ushaw.

He has a brother named Jahad and a cousin named Fausto Akaron. Under his control is an international shipping company called Red Tide.

Aside from twenty-five merchant vessels that were repossessed this year for loan default, the company’s other business activities are all legitimate. On the surface, there is nothing suspicious at all. That is precisely his cleverness.

Unfortunately, no fox is too cunning to leave a trace."

Her long, elegant brows lifted slightly, and she radiated a self-assured, charismatic grace, with a crisp, capable air that was uniquely her own.

That was presence.

She lowered her crossed leg, opened the document folder on the table, and handed out a copy of the materials to everyone present.

Then Black Fox continued, "According to the reliable intelligence I have obtained, Mukhtar Ushaw’s company has long maintained close ties with the largest drug cartel in the Black Triangle, the Solada cartel.

Using the company’s transportation network, Mukhtar Ushaw has for years smuggled large quantities of crude narcotics out of the Black Triangle, shipped them to Mexico for refinement, and then distributed them throughout the Americas for enormous profit.

And Mukhtar Ushaw, though publicly portrayed as a loss-making businessman living in a refugee camp, is very likely a core figure in the Solada cartel’s leadership, the hidden number three who has remained concealed until now.

If Operation Libre can rescue the informant, we may be able to find Mukhtar Ushaw’s hiding place. Unfortunately, the informant has already been killed by him..."

Black Fox spread her hands helplessly and went on, "The Dadaab refugee camp is far too chaotic. Without Mukhtar Ushaw’s exact location, there is simply no way to act.

And a large-scale arrest without conclusive evidence would cause serious international repercussions.

So even though we know he is trafficking drugs, and the Liboi murder case cannot be separated from him, the house itself is not owned by Mukhtar Ushaw. We still have no way to charge him. There is nothing we can do to him."

After hearing her full explanation, Xing Xiaolong finally gained a rough understanding of the contract at hand.

In broad terms, it came down to three steps.

First, find Mukhtar Ushaw. Second, find the evidence of his drug trafficking. Third, kill him or bring him back. Then Black Fox’s contract would be complete.

It sounded simple enough, but in reality it was extraordinarily difficult.

In an age governed by evidence, that is generally a good thing, though at times it is far from wonderful, especially in the most chaotic regions of Africa.

The need for proof before arresting criminals had, for some rotten minds, become a shield that protected them through every loophole in the law.

The Kenyan police headquarters knew that Mukhtar Ushaw was involved, but without sufficient evidence they had no authority to send troops into Dadaab refugee camp and drag him out from where he was hiding.

Most importantly, they did not even know exactly where in the camp Mukhtar Ushaw was concealed.

So even if enough troops were deployed, given the special nature of Dadaab refugee camp, where armed gangsters and drug traffickers seemed to be everywhere, there was no guarantee he could be caught.

The odds were high that it would still come to nothing.

And if a small police unit were sent in to arrest him, that would be little more than marching to its own doom.

In Dadaab refugee camp, home to more than four hundred thousand refugees, there were at the very least hundreds of thousands with some connection to the drug trade. Even the most elite team would be helpless once inside.

One mouthful of spit from everyone there would be enough to drown you.

Not to mention that the police system in Dadaab had already rotted from within. The moment police headquarters made a move, word would likely already have been passed to the gangs, the traffickers, and Mukhtar Ushaw himself.

"Colonel Irina, you have extensive anti-drug experience in Mexico. Do you have a workable plan? I can give you more authority, and personnel and equipment will be made available at any time. As long as Mukhtar Ushaw can be brought back..."

As the head of Kenya’s police force, Commissioner General Kipsile Koi truly had more ambition than power. The White Eagle government, acting through the United Nations, had been pressuring the Kenyan government in every way, claiming that its failure to curb drug trafficking had brought the narcotics crisis upon White Eagle’s own shores.

And the Kenyan government, pressed hard by White Eagle, had turned all that pressure onto police headquarters.

If Mukhtar Ushaw was not captured soon, the chief of the police would have no peaceful days ahead. On the surface, Commissioner General Kipsile looked glorious and powerful, but inside he was anxious and miserable.

Seeing how readily the commissioner general had yielded, Black Fox, who had already been fully prepared, immediately made her demands.

"The informant line is already broken. We must broaden the scope of the investigation if we want to bring Mukhtar Ushaw to justice.

First, I need you to assemble an elite action team and place it under my complete command. Commissioner General Kipsile, can you do that?"

"That is no problem."

Kipsile agreed at once, then turned to the middle-aged officer on his left. "Handle this matter personally. Make sure you choose the best special operations personnel."

"Yes, sir." The officer nodded.

Black Fox then added, "Second, I need you to assign a liaison to join my team, someone who will serve as the contact between us and handle all official issues that arise during the operation. I do not want to be dealing with petty matters while we are in the field."

"Yes, that can be arranged as well. I will hand the person over to you in due course." For Commissioner General Kipsile, this was easy enough to manage.

"Lastly..."

When Black Fox reached her final request, her expression changed noticeably. After a brief pause, she said, "I want you to take me to meet Jahad. To make sure nothing goes wrong, I must meet him in person."

"Jahad? Mukhtar Ushaw’s brother?"

Commissioner General Kipsile, who had previously seemed ready to fulfill any request, now looked hesitant when he heard that Black Fox wanted to meet Jahad.