Jimmy was indeed contemplating that disaster, but there was nothing he could do to prevent it. After all, the scope of such events was too widespread. Looking at history over the past 20 years, many significant events were related to this disaster. It could be said that the entire world was drawn into a history filled with uncertainties because of this incident.
Firstly, this was the first time since the Cold War that the United States had been severely damaged by external forces. With the end of the Cold War, the United States had become the de facto global leader, invincible. Now, suddenly it was as if someone had slapped them across the face, oh, no, rather, they had been slapped three times. The pain was real, mainly because their face had been completely lost.
The United States' foreign and defense strategies had undergone a major shift after this, reigniting wars and shifting the world from the shadows of the Cold War to the tasks of counterterrorism and fighting terrorism. The entire Middle East had since entered a series of wars, Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran, Libya, Syria, Yemen – these were all somewhat related to this shift in policy.
Domestically, there was a major adjustment as well, with the Department of Homeland Security being established afterward. The NSA, a then non-existent department, formally received authorization to monitor domestic telecommunications and internet information, transitioning from covertly gathering personal privacy information to doing so overtly.
The domestic economy was severely damaged, the stock market plummeted, especially the airline industry. For a long time, people chose ground transportation over air travel, resulting in massive losses and layoffs for airlines.
Other industries also suffered tremendously, such as the banking, insurance, and securities sectors. The major stock market crash even triggered a chain reaction, with massive sell-offs further driving down the market, dragging everyone across various sectors into the mix.
Jimmy was only aware of these general situations; he couldn't remember the specifics. You can't blame someone who has been working in a semi-secluded industry for a long time. After all, he isn't omniscient.
However, Jimmy did have other plans. An industry experiencing such a downturn also presented opportunities for making money. Although he didn't have much capital, he believed there was a chance if he made the effort.
Two days later, Jimmy applied for a rotational break, as the investigation into the explosion had concluded. Now, with no one to bother him, he went to the Camelot Bar after work.
Oh, right, the bar wasn't involved in the incident. In fact, the USSS had not received any clues about who had leaked the Vice President's route; this was why Jimmy, who had been involved in the route recce, had been questioned several times.
However, in Jimmy's view, they were simply wasting their efforts. If there were multiple streets to choose from within the city, making it impossible for attackers to determine the specific route, then approaching the suburban areas of Woodson, there were only three roads to choose from—not hard to guess. With just a few small towns along the entire route, the destination could be mostly determined.
Instead of troubling Jimmy, they might as well check on their own side why the ultimate destination, the cemetery, was leaked. The lined pit prepared in advance with camouflage nets was a very targeted preparation.
The only mistake the attackers made, was misjudging the spot where the Vice President would ultimately stand, so the pit was dug a bit far from the target.
The only people who could confirm the exact location were either those close to the Vice President or insiders from the USSS; ordinary agents were unlikely to be aware.
But they definitely wouldn't conduct such a public internal investigation; they could only hassle an outsider like Jimmy instead.
Fortunately, they were unlikely to find any evidence to trouble Jimmy and his colleagues, so after more than a week of hassling, they backed off.
Jimmy went to the bar and greeted Justin.
Jimmy: "Hi, Justin."
Justin: "Hi, Jimmy, long time no see. Want a drink?"
Jimmy: "Of course. Finally free from troubles, time to properly relax."
Justin: "Congratulations, relax to your heart's content."
Jimmy: "All good here?"
Justin: "Of course, summer is a great season, more customers, more fun. Enjoy!"
Jimmy picked up his drink and left the bar. It seemed that Justin's place wasn't affected at all, probably because he outright refused the last intelligence trade.
No matter what, the incident of the Vice President's assassination attempt had finally concluded, and Jimmy's people hadn't really been implicated.
Jimmy was happy to take it easy, but his good mood didn't last long.
A bartender came over and whispered to Jimmy, requesting him to go to the private room, yes, that small compartment.
Jimmy downed his drink in one go, handed the glass to the bartender, and headed toward the small door beside the bar.
Jimmy entered the private meeting room; only Justin was there, sitting on a sofa, waiting for Jimmy. Jimmy sat across from Justin, and the two of them looked at each other in silence.
Finally, Justin spoke first, "I hope you can tell me what exactly happened a few days ago? Did any important person get hurt?"
Justin took out two Gold Coins from his vest pocket and slid them across the coffee table to Jimmy.
Jimmy: "Why? This shouldn't be any of your concern."
Justin: "The person who contacted me last time, when I tried to confirm with him just now, I found he had gone missing."
Jimmy looked at the Gold Coins, then looked up at Justin: "Are you looking for intelligence, or trying to find the person who contacted you?"
Justin: "Intelligence. I need to ensure that if anything big happens, it won't involve us. If there are any overflow risks, we need to get involved early on. Safety is crucial."
Jimmy: "Have you been selling any intelligence? Recently, concerning the upper echelons?"
Justin: "No, I refused after our last conversation."
Jimmy: "Then there shouldn't be any problems."
Jimmy reached for the Gold Coins, then said, "The convoy and final destination of the big wig were leaked. Someone ambushed the site, but the big wig wasn't injured and returned safely to DC."
Justin: "I need a detailed account. Consider those two Gold Coins."
Jimmy: "Alright, alright. The convoy of the big wig arrived in Stonetown. There were no incidents in the city, but on the way to Woodson, there was a car accident, so the convoy turned onto Highway 87."
An Agent from the Special Service Bureau spotted a suspicious vehicle on the road. The occupants of the vehicle were killed by the agent during their escape.
A makeshift bomb was found in a roadside trash can and was disarmed, and a person controlling it via a remote was captured, of Middle Eastern descent, as far as I know still hasn't confessed any useful information.
The last part happened in the cemetery at Woodson. Two suicide bombers were lying in ambush under camouflage nets in the woods; they were killed while running out to attack and detonated the explosives.
The big wig wasn't injured, just checked briefly, then returned to the airport and flew away, a few agents were lightly wounded."
"That's the full account. Oh, and one of the suicide bombers was from Iraq."