cicada

Chapter 1195 Crisis Public Relations

Hongshan Oil Depot.

Nathan Hall, the head of ONI, was ordered by Pacific Fleet Commander Richardson to come here again to cooperate with the person in charge of the oil depot to verify the fuel leak. In fact, he was here to clean up the P stock.

"Colonel, please tell me honestly whether there is any possibility of leakage from the oil depot. Mr. Commander is very concerned about this matter." Nathan Hal asked while holding back his anger.

The person in charge of the oil depot lost the confidence he had last time and stopped talking endlessly about how impregnable the oil depot was. He thought carefully for a while and raised his head to explain.

"At the beginning of the design, the architect considered the pollution of groundwater caused by fuel and deliberately built the oil depot 100 feet (30.5 meters) above the underground water layer. The fuel should not be polluted."

Before he finished speaking, he seemed to suddenly think of the newspaper report, swallowed what he was about to say, and then looked at the oil storage tank with dull eyes and muttered to himself.

"Maybe the designers really didn't take the weight of the fuel into account. The weight of the 20 huge oil storage tanks plus the fuel may have damaged the foundation, allowing the fuel to seep into the groundwater along the cracks in the rocks."

"FU┴CK!"

The elegant and easy-going Nathan Hal secretly cursed that the Navy's engineering construction was as unreliable as ever. The construction contractors and senior DC officials were full, but it was too much to ask him, a little major, to take responsibility. It's not fair anymore.

But the order came first, so he had no choice but to follow the person in charge of the oil depot to check the condition of the oil storage tank foundation. After studying for a long time, the two of them could not see any problems with their naked eyes.

Nathan Hal reluctantly told the person in charge of the oil depot that he would find professional personnel to inspect it, and at the same time let the outside world know that the oil depot was intact.

Regardless of whether there is a problem with the oil depot, the Navy cannot admit it. This matter involves the game between the Navy and the Army, the military and Congress, and is not a simple public health crisis.

Leaving the Red Mountain Oil Depot, Nathan Hal ordered the driver to go to the water plant. There was a problem with Oahu's water supply system. The water plant was another key investigation target. If evidence of sabotage by foreign spies could be found there, it would be consistent with many people's interests.

After a bumpy ride, the car stopped in front of an open iron door. Nathan Hal frowned as he looked at the almost defenseless water plant.

Strictly speaking, he was not defenseless. An old man with gray hair and an old dog with all his teeth were all the security measures of the water plant, and the effect was approximately zero.

Anyway, when Hal and several ONI agents walked through the door, they encountered no obstruction. The old man and the dog didn't even raise their eyelids and continued to hide under the shade of the trees and sleep.

Nathan Hall walked around the water plant with a dark face. Finally, someone came up to ask them about their identities. The other person was an engineer from the water plant and was inspecting the water treatment system.

After seeing ONI's ID, the engineer lowered his guard and eagerly assured the agents that the water plant equipment was all normal and that fuel appeared in the water, so the problem definitely did not come from the water plant.

"Mr. Engineer, I'm not doubting your work, but it's my job to rule out all possibilities."

Looking across the roaring machine, Nathan Hal said something nonchalantly. Seeing that the other party seemed to want to say something else, he asked again.

"Are you sure someone didn't put fuel in the water supply to cause chaos?"

When the engineer heard this, he jumped up as if he was insulted, and shouted to Hal regardless of the agents' obstruction.

"Of course, I have worked here for eight years, and the water plant is manned around the clock. I am sure that no one can enter quietly. Sir, you are insulting our profession.

Moreover, all filling ports on the line where items can be dropped have lead seals. Once the lead seals are opened, patrol officers will immediately discover that the fuel leakage is your responsibility. "

He felt that this was a trick by the military and wanted to shift the responsibility to the water plant. As the technical director of the water plant, he could not let this guy talk nonsense.

"hope so."

Nathan Hal observed the drafty water plant and whispered softly. For professional intelligence officers, entering here is as easy as walking into your own living room.

Lead sealing is even simpler. A pair of lead seal pliers and a new lead seal can perfectly solve this problem, so the other party's explanation cannot prove anything.

With perfunctory words, Hal walked around the water supply pipeline, squatting down from time to time to check the filling port and valve, trying to find evidence of poisoning. The other ONI agents also drove the workers away and wandered around.

The engineer was so anxious that he was sweating profusely. He knew these bureaucrats very well. If there is evidence, they will look for it. If there is no evidence, they will create evidence. As long as they can shirk responsibility, the other party will not have any bottom line.

"Mr. Major, I."

"Shut up! When will the water be restored?"

Nathan Hall interrupted the engineer to ask a question that was of greatest concern to Oahu residents.

Engineers reluctantly said that there is still some fuel remaining in the water pipes, and it will take two to three days to fully restore water supply, provided that no new fuel is mixed during this period.

"Increase the proportion of bleaching powder and be sure to restart the water supply before dark." Nathan Hal's attitude was tough and his tone was not negotiable.

The bleaching powder in tap water is actually chlorine disinfection. A certain concentration of chlorine can not only disinfect and ensure water quality, but also remove odors and is harmless to the human body. However, if the chlorine content in the water exceeds the standard, a large amount of harmful substances will be produced in the human body after heating. The engineer's professional ethics forced him to speak out against Hal's order.

"Sir, excessive chlorine is harmful to the human body. You can't do this."

"Mr. Engineer, please leave."

The engineer wanted to stop this act of disregarding human life, but Nathan Hal did not give him this chance and immediately asked someone to "invite" him away, completely tearing off the disguise.

A few hours later, a piece of news spread.

German spies poisoned the water supply system in Oahu, and the water plant engineer involved committed suicide in fear of crime. The water supply has now returned to normal, and officials will send a protest to the German embassy and consulate in the near future.

All in all, the authorities responded promptly and appropriately, and the bad guys got the punishment they deserved.

The dubious residents turned on the tap water and found that the odor was gone, but the smell of disinfectant was a little stronger, but this is normal, it is disinfection.

Suddenly, voices cursing certain beards and Germans could be heard from Hawaii to Washington. The German immigrants and German businessmen on the island were affected. They were like rats crossing the street and were in panic all day long. Many people did not even dare to speak German.

Inside the safe house.

Zuo Zhong looked at the latest news in the newspaper with a look of disdain. For Americans in this era, crisis public relations are still lacking in enthusiasm. They are too raw.

We should first find a few experts to endorse it, then break out a few new incidents to divert attention and confuse the public, and finally exaggerate the German threat theory, leading everyone to share the same hatred of the enemy, and turn bad things into good things.

After thinking about it, Zuo Zhong put down the newspaper, got up, walked to the yard and touched the big oil drum under the scorching sun. The hot feeling made him jerk back his hand, and at the same time told him that it was time to take the next step.

That night, as a burst of exhaust gas drifted away, the truck left the safe house carrying the oil drums. The house was spotless, leaving no fingerprints, footprints, or hair.

The fat white man next door glanced furtively outside, then returned to the sofa, picked up the cup and took a sip of tea. The pungent smell of disinfectant made him frown, but he swallowed it anyway.

North of Hongshan Oil Depot.

The moonlight shines through the gaps in the leaves, covering the entire mountain forest, like a layer of mist. From time to time, animals shuttle between the grass blades, making subtle noises, and the sound of gurgling water can be heard in the distant woods, which is full of vitality. scene.

Suddenly, the roar of the engine broke the harmony in the mountains and forests. The two car lights moved from far to near, and finally stopped next to the stream and slowly extinguished. The originally stopped chirping of insects started playing again.

Zuo Zhong got out of the car and walked to the rear of the car to unbuckle the fender. He took out two wooden boards from the carriage and put them between the carriage and the ground. He jumped on the car and rolled the large oil drum over to the top of the board. He kicked it hard. foot.

The heavy oil drum rolled down the ramp made of wooden planks, and continued to move forward under the influence of inertia. It did not stop until it was blocked by a muddy ridge by the river.

Zuo Zhong, who was wearing thick work clothes from beginning to end, walked over slowly, bent down to straighten the oil drum, picked up a crowbar and pried it hard. The exposed oil drum opened with a bang, and a strong smell of gasoline evaporated. into the air.

The liquid he mixed with mud and rocks in the safe house was gasoline containing octane. The logistics officers of the US Army and the logistics officers of the Fruit Army were evenly matched. As long as there was money to be made, the other side would dare to sell anything.

Modern intelligence officers not only need to know how to kill people and steal secrets, but they also need to understand science and knowledge, such as knowing that liquids can more easily penetrate other objects under high temperature and pressure.

After sniffing through the mask, Zuo Zhong showed a smile in his eyes, and then he picked up a puddle of caked mud with his gloved hands, walked to the river and threw it far away.

"Plop~~~"

The silt quickly sank to the bottom of the water and quickly mixed with the silt at the bottom. If it were daytime, you could clearly see traces of oily flowers emerging from the water and drifting towards the water plant driven by the current.

In this way, Zuo Zhong kept throwing the contents of the bucket into the river along the river bank. The fish in the water, perhaps sensing the danger, jumped out of the water and splashed with water.

In less than half an hour, a piece of irrefutable evidence that the river was polluted came out.

Silt and rocks taken from the same location will continuously release gasoline. No matter who comes, they will think that the fuel from the Hongshan Oil Depot seeped into the groundwater system, causing the tap water to be contaminated, and it is not a spy sabotage as the military said.

After the items in the oil barrel were emptied, Zuo Zhong cleared all traces, carried the empty oil barrel back to the car, and drove north to the seaside cliff road.

At a corner, he put the clothes, shoes and other items he had worn on the seat, and pushed the truck into the sea in the dead of night, completely destroying all evidence.

At dawn, "Nakaichiro Minami" returned to the sugar trading company smelling of alcohol and perfume. Before that, all the newspapers on Oahu received a mysterious phone call.

During the phone call, the caller who claimed to be an ONI member revealed an important piece of news. After hearing this, the reporters rushed to the car in shock and anger, preparing to expose the shocking conspiracy of the intelligence agency to deceive the public.

Nathan Hall, who felt that he had overcome the difficulty, watched Ozawa run away outside the window. He picked up the water glass and put it in front of his mouth with a smile. He stopped suddenly the next second and replaced it with an emergency drinking water can from the US military.