Chapter 315 The number one suspect

The bookstore became a contaminated area with anthrax spores, making it impossible to collect evidence. Jack and Emily had no choice but to return to the command center after confirming that it was completely contaminated.

Another bad news came from Dr. Kimura. The death toll had risen to 21. Now there are only four survivors left. They are all young people aged 18 to 25 who are usually in good health.

Garcia investigated the bookstore owner's interpersonal relationships, but found nothing yet. Those he found were either ordinary people or liberal arts students who did not have the ability to create germs.

Garcia is still digging deeper, trying to find some hidden clues.

The problem is that there is not much time left for the FBI or BAU team, and the director is given an ultimatum by President Golden Retriever.

If there is no result by tonight, then tomorrow morning at the latest, after the President has finished enjoying his beloved hamburger and Coke, a press conference will be held to inform the public of the attack.

One can imagine what kind of panic it will cause at that time.

Jack didn't know how to evaluate the president. He could only say that as a former businessman, this golden retriever knew how to get enough attention for himself.

Based on the list provided by General Whitworth, Jiejie summoned the heads of various laboratories in Fort Detrick together. The already bustling hall was now packed to the brim.

This is the last resort of the BAU team, to publish their profiling results to these people, hoping to get some clues.

Everyone in the hall stopped what they were doing, and irrelevant personnel temporarily left the hall, trying to leave some space. The big guys, including General Whitworth, stood still in twos and threes, wanting to hear the psychology of these BAUs. The experts have something to say.

Everyone in the group stood up in front of these big guys and explained the profiling results they had just summarized.

The first person to speak was of course Hotchner, "Given that the two current attack locations have no obvious symbolic meaning, we prefer to believe that the current attack is an individual act."

"Understanding the potential significance of these locations will help us find this offender."

"There was a strong personal element to the attack that suggested this was a homegrown terrorist."

"Similar to the anthrax incident in 2001, we believe the suspect is an expert in a related field or a staff member working in a laboratory under a national defense agency."

"That's why we invite you here because we think you may know him, or you may even be one of the people here."

"This kind of homegrown terrorists are short-sighted, talkative radicals who think their work is the most important."

"It is very likely that he has often preached that this country will suffer terrorist attacks, and he usually shows a certain degree of neurosis and excessive fantasy."

At this time, standing next to General Whitworth, a well-dressed middle-aged man with a meticulous hairstyle and gold-rimmed glasses interrupted everyone.

"Forgive me, this description is too vague."

General Whitworth said unceremoniously, "No, as far as I know most of my researchers are paranoid, not to mention that rich imagination is the most basic quality of scientific research."

The general's words caused a burst of low laughter. Everyone seemed to feel that the level of the BAU psychologists had been exaggerated by certain rumors.

Hotchner's tone was calm and without any fluctuation, "Sorry General, we haven't finished speaking yet."

"He may have been working overtime over the past few weeks to prepare for the attack."

"We believe he has received a sufficient dose of the anthrax vaccine and has been preparing for a year or two until the vaccine takes effect."

"This man had a private studio to complete his work in privacy, and he also had access to large and expensive industrial equipment."

"It's very possible that he published a paper about the threat of anthrax attacks but didn't get enough attention, and that made him very angry."

"He may have suffered some setbacks at work, such as being transferred, demoted, or even fired. This may have been an inducement for him to decide to go crazy to prove his point."

"There may also be some changes in his family, and he has recently been divorced or separated. This will push him to the edge and plan to make a desperate move."

As everyone's descriptions became more and more detailed, Jack noticed that the faces of some people present began to look ugly.

It looked like there was something going on. Jack and Rosie looked at each other, feeling that they might gain something this time.

At this time Hotchner also began to make the final summary, "This person knows everything about the anthrax attack in 2001, and his previous authority allowed him to have access to all the details of this incident."

"Please share the above information with your colleagues, thank you."

Just when everyone was about to disperse, the middle-aged man with glasses walked up to Hotchner and Rossi with a serious face.

"I think there are some things that I should let you see."

——

In the conference room, Jiejie opened a newly decrypted video on her computer and projected it on the screen.

The middle-aged man introduced from the side, "This is a secret hearing held by the National Defense and Security Subcommittee in January 2012."

General Whitworth stood aside and continued, "This is Dr. Lawrence Nichols. He used to work in the secret laboratory at Fort Detrick and left the job shortly after this hearing."

"He didn't resign on his own initiative, he was fired." The middle-aged man retorted without giving any dignity at all, making the lieutenant general roll his eyes. After saying this, he motioned for Jiejie to start playing the video.

A thin, wrinkled little old man with messy brown hair appeared on the screen.

He was very emotional and talking to the camera.

"If you ask me, in that attack ten years ago, only five people died. It was really lucky. What's even more lucky is that the person who did it used ordinary envelopes instead of dusters!"

"The enemies of this country are perfectly capable of destroying entire cities in one fell swoop, and unfortunately, we have so far been unprepared for that."

At this time, the host on the stage interrupted him, "No, doctor, on the contrary, we have made a lot of preparations for this after 2001."

"Really? Every home needs enough gas masks, everyone needs a two-month supply of antibiotics, and hospitals in every major city need biosafety decontamination facilities."

"So, how much do you think we're going to have to spend on this?" the host asked.

"Less than US$50 billion is considered gross negligence." In the video, Dr. Lawrence Nichols took out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat from his forehead due to excitement.