The host of the meeting shook his head helplessly.

"Dr. Nichols, do you know how unrealistic this is? Spending such a huge amount of money to prevent such baseless attacks, let alone Congress, do you know how much panic it will cause among ordinary people?"

However, at the next moment, Dr. Nichols stood up suddenly and slammed his palms on the table, "You are derelict in your duties. Why can't you damn bureaucrats face reality!"

"This country should panic, look at our current situation, these enemies we face."

"Please sit down, Dr. Nichols." The host couldn't help but raise his voice.

"I won't sit down!" Dr. Nichols became increasingly angry, while the host and the congressmen and military representatives standing aside showed speechless expressions.

"This is an era full of asymmetric warfare and weapons of mass destruction. If you continue to ignore this reality, it will kill everyone in this country. I will continue to accuse you bureaucrats in public without mercy. !”

After the video was played, everyone's expressions became very exciting. The middle-aged man turned around and said, "According to the committee, his remarks became more radical and his mood became extremely manic."

"So they kicked him out of Fort Detrick?" Rossi turned to look at General Whitworth on the other side.

"And cannot join other important departments."

The lieutenant general's expression was a little subtle, "Dr. Nichols was once very respected in the circle. He only proposed what he thought was a preventive strategy, not an offensive strategy."

"But it's clear that he felt that his views were not taken as seriously as they should have been, and perhaps he wanted to prove his point in some way," Hotchner retorted.

To be honest, Jack really felt that Hotchner's business-like and serious demeanor was perfect for dealing with these high-ranking people in this kind of situation. Rossi's vision in selecting people was really amazing.

"He was exposed to germs, lost a good job, and got divorced. He completely fits your profile." Apparently, even the middle-aged man who didn't know his specific position was on the BAU's side at this time.

General Whitworth hesitated to speak. It was easy to guess what he was thinking. After all, Dr. Nichols came out of Fort Detrick.

If it is really confirmed that Dr. Nichols is related to this terrorist attack, or even the murderer, there is no guarantee that someone will use this to criticize him as the person in charge.

"Anyway, this is an important clue. Where is he working now?" Rossi asked.

"'Biodesign Technology Company' is an outsourcing company affiliated with us, but they do not study anthrax. Their main research direction is influenza." General Whitworth replied.

Rosie walked directly outside and said as he walked, "Emily and I will visit his office, Jack and Red will go to his home, Hodge and Jiejie will stay, remember to call the director, please He tried to buy some more time."

——

Lawrence Nichols lives in Leonardton, a small town in southern Maryland, less than an hour's drive from Annapolis, but it is already afternoon and the traffic rush has arrived.

By the time Jack, Red, and the soldiers from the chemical defense force arrived at the door of this large villa, it was already five o'clock in the afternoon.

The villa was empty. The chemical defense soldiers first checked the area around the villa. No abnormalities were found, and then they entered the house to check. Jack and Red strolled around the villa to see if they could find any clues.

The garden behind the villa is a bit dilapidated. It is estimated that the mistress has not taken good care of it since Lawrence Nichols divorced.

Finally, the two stopped in front of a small vertical fountain. It was a decorative fountain that looked like a small vertical pillar, about half a person tall, with a basin in the middle.

Jack looked at this small fountain that looked a little strange. It should have stopped working a long time ago. The basin was filled with dead branches and leaves, but it made a strange buzzing sound.

"Red, is there a fan in here? I feel like it's an exhaust device."

Rhett stepped forward and took a closer look, "It looks like the exhaust port of a negative pressure device."

Jack looked around and saw a shabby-looking greenhouse in the corner of the garden, with no other buildings.

Just when he was about to bypass the small fountain and step forward to check, the cell phone on his body suddenly rang. It was a call from Rossi.

Jack answered the phone and signaled Red to wait. At this time, the automatic sprinkler in the garden happened to be turned on. He could only take two steps back to avoid the range of the sprinkler.

Rosie and Emily found no valuable clues in the laboratory where Lawrence Nichols worked. The director of the laboratory said that he had not seen the doctor for at least three days.

In other words, Lawrence Nichols disappeared before the incident in the bookstore.

The chemical defense soldiers who accompanied the two men to the laboratory also found no traces of anthrax spores in his office.

This shows that this doctor did not use laboratory equipment to synthesize germs, or in other words, he handled it very cleanly.

Jack hung up the phone and turned around to find that Red was missing.

"Reed?" He walked into the somewhat shabby greenhouse and unexpectedly saw a staircase extending downward behind the door.

This silly boy won't go down alone, will he? Jack felt anxious and hurriedly walked down the stairs.

"Red." Jack called again.

There seemed to be a huge space down there, and there was a faint echo.

"Don't come in, leave like this." At the same time as Red's voice came, there was a crash in the basement.

Jack took three steps at a time and came to the basement, only to see that Rhett had closed a glass sliding door and locked it from the inside. He looked at him with panic in his eyes through the glass.

"Sorry, I think I made a mistake."

This was a self-built laboratory. After Red closed the sliding door, it became a completely closed room. Jack's eyes fell on the ground behind him, which was a broken test tube with some white powder around it.

And not far away, between two rows of shelves, there was a corpse lying there. Blood was flowing all over the floor, but it had already turned black.

"Wait here for me!" Jack almost turned around and ran away before he was so angry with this guy.

"Set up a decontamination tent, call the CDC emergency vehicle, and notify Dr. Kimura and General Whitworth of a suspected anthrax leak."

Several soldiers at the door of the villa froze when they heard this and stopped taking off their protective clothing.

"What happened?" the captain who knew Jack asked quickly.

"Behind the garden, there is a basement in the disguised greenhouse. It is Lawrence Nichols' private laboratory. Get me a set of protective clothing. My colleague has locked himself in it."

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