North American riot police: Start by arresting P. Diddy!

Chapter 224 The True Intentions of the Machine
There were no gunshots.

There were no screams or wails.

But when Luo Xia walked into the bar and casually sat down at the counter, there were already more than a dozen men in suits lying haphazardly around him.

These men's hands were still tightly gripping the gun handles behind their waists or in their arms, but none of them were able to draw their guns; they all silently passed out.

Tyrant's Domain: Melee
Within close combat range, it automatically calculates the optimal kill path and precisely adjusts limb movements to ensure that every attack targets fatal weak points such as the throat, spine, and joints.

In close combat, anticipate the enemy's movements within 0.5 seconds and instinctively adjust your body to the optimal counterattack posture, achieving "muscle memory-level" evasion and counterattack.

With his fully upgraded melee abilities, Rorschach easily took them all down.

The process was as easy as taking a baby bottle away from a baby...

At this moment, besides him, there were only a few cleaning ladies and a bartender trembling as he wiped glasses behind the bar.

The female workers' skin color and clothing clearly indicated that they were from low-income overseas immigrants, and they didn't seem to know any secrets.

And the bartender—

The boy was gripping the glass with trembling hands and feet, his eyes filled with horror, as if the person sitting opposite him was not a human, but a Tyrannosaurus Rex that had escaped from Jurassic Park.

He remembered that he had only turned around, wiped the wine cabinet, and when he turned back...
The group of menacing gunmen had all fallen to the ground. He hadn't even seen Luo Xia's movements, and the gunshots hadn't even been fired yet.

"shock."

Rorschach casually took a glass from behind the counter, poured half a glass of whiskey, swirled it gently a couple of times, took a sip, and said calmly:

"Their spine, nerve plexus, and arterial blood supply were precisely severed. Under the influence of external force, the human body will trigger a protective mechanism, thus forming a 'shock' response."

"But don't be afraid."

"If he is taken to the hospital in time, he won't die; at most, he'll be paralyzed."

He paused, then said regretfully, "It's just a pity for their families; they'll have to take care of a cripple for the rest of their lives... Oh, by the way."

He suddenly looked up at the bartender, whose breath seemed to have almost stopped, and asked gently:
"Do you have a family?"

When the bartender met his eyes, his heart clenched, and his already trembling hands could no longer hold the glass, which shattered on the floor with a "crack".

"Wow."

Glass shards flew everywhere, but the bartender didn't even bother to dodge.

Unless you're an isolated Amish person, anyone could recognize Rorschach's face—which appears in the news almost every day—the moment he took off his sunglasses.

Rorschach Butcher, the super terrorist who struck fear into the hearts of the entire United States!

"I'm just a bartender."

The bartender raised his hands tremblingly, his voice trembling with tears, "Thirty dollars an hour, thirty-five hours a week, no dental insurance, no paid leave, just the most basic accident insurance. Please, I really don't know anything. I... I hate America just as much as you do, is that alright?"

"."

Looking at his flustered yet sincere appearance, Luo Xia was speechless for a moment.

"Where is your boss?" he asked in a cold voice.

"Which one?" the bartender blurted out.

Noticing Rorschach's gaze turn cold, he hurriedly explained, "This bar just changed owners last week. It used to be called 'Cobra,' but now it's called 'Swordfish.' So I'm not sure if you're asking about the former owner or..."

“The current one,” Luo Xia interrupted impatiently.

If I had known this guy would be so long-winded, I should have just taken him down like the others.

"Oh, the current boss."

The bartender scratched his head, trying hard to remember. "I remember he always wore a sharp suit, had long, slicked-back black curly hair, and always had a gentlemanly smile on his face. I really don't know anything else."

Fearing that Luo Xia wouldn't believe him, he quickly added, "He doesn't usually interact with us low-level employees at all. All I know is that his name is Geb, that's all I really know!"

After he finished speaking, under his horrified gaze, Luo Xia suddenly smiled, revealing a chilling and sinister smile.

“Gebu. Sigh.”

Luo Xia shook his head and asked seriously, "Do you think I look like someone who's easy to bully?"

The bartender shook his head frantically, like a rattle-drum.

"Look, even a bartender like you knows who you can mess with and who you can't even look at. But why doesn't he know that?"

Luo Xia chuckled softly, then got up to leave.

Earlier, when he told the "machine" Harold that he was in a critical situation while he was on the street, the AI, which had a certain degree of self-awareness, contacted him a few minutes later with a phone call from a phone booth.

The emotionless, mechanical voice simply gave the coordinates of latitude and longitude, and hung up without exchanging any further information.

Rorschach found the bar by following these coordinates.

To his disappointment, this was not the place where Harold was being held.

but it does not matter.

“Cover the face.”

Luo Xia murmured the name softly.

Now that it has been determined who kidnapped Harold, finding them is only a matter of time.

Just as he had stepped out of the bar, Rorschach suddenly stopped.

He turned to the still-shaken bartender: "You just said this bar used to be called Cobra?"

"That's right," the bartender stammered.

"What was your former boss's name?"

“I-I don’t know,” the bartender swallowed. “Nobody knows his name. All they remember is that he always wore a black suit embroidered with a gold-threaded snake.”

".interesting."

Rorschach nodded, not making things difficult for the bartender who was clearly just an ordinary person.

But less than half an hour later, he regretted his decision.

Apart from that bar, Geb and his gang vanished without a trace in New York.

"Okay, I believe you have nothing to do with this."

On the street, Luo Xia said in a deep voice into his phone, "But I need your help to investigate Gaibu's background, just so I can repay the old man Mo for it."

Hearing Helena's crisp and efficient reply on the other end of the phone, Rorschach nodded slightly and hung up.

He quickly sorted through the clues.

The old man was probably not involved in this matter.

Based on his understanding of Hammer, the old man was simply eyeing the more than 10 billion dollars and wanted to take the opportunity to expand his own power.

As for the former owner of the bar who wore a suit embroidered with snakes, he is most likely a member of the Cobra organization.

During his previous investigation with Harold, he discovered that peripheral members of this organization often adorned their clothing or jewelry with snake motifs.

It does sound silly. But in America, a place full of outlandish costumes and eccentric people, this kind of outfit is actually quite ordinary and won't attract any attention at all.

Thinking of this, Luo Xia quickened his pace.

Geb's motive for kidnapping Harold was clear—he needed top-notch hackers to transfer that huge sum of money.

But the Cobra organization
This terrorist organization, which attempts to subvert the international order and disrupt the world with advanced technological weapons, is a hundred times more dangerous than Geb!
After a quick moment of thought, Rorschach decided to use the most direct and effective method.

He looked around and spotted a surveillance camera pointing directly at him.

--------

the other side.

Inside a hidden warehouse.

Harold stared at the slowly climbing progress bar on the screen, lost in thought.

The virus download speed is not ideal; only 70% has been completed after half an hour. It will take at least another twenty minutes to download the entire virus to the USB drive.

By simply inserting this USB drive containing the super virus into the World Bank's mainframe, funds—totaling $10.5 billion—can be transferred from multiple anonymous accounts without anyone noticing!

The most remarkable thing about this huge amount of liquid funds is that even if it were stolen, the federal government would be powerless to stop it.

After all, this money was laundered through illegal means, and once exposed, it will inevitably arouse public outrage, leaving the authorities with no choice but to swallow this bitter pill.

Of course, CIA agents will definitely be deployed in large numbers.

Having suffered such a huge loss, those politicians will surely try every means to find out who is behind it all.

But the power of this super virus lies not only in its ability to silently breach bank firewalls, but also in its ability to send funds on a round-the-world trip in just eight seconds.

From New York to Hong Kong, via Dubai, Cyprus, Switzerland, London, Milan, then to New Zealand, Tokyo, and finally back to New York.

Once the funds completed this lightning-fast round-the-world trip, no one could track down the whereabouts of these more than 10 billion US dollars.

Harold wasn't after the money.

Although 10 billion is an astronomical figure, with his abilities, he could raise the same amount of funds with just a little more time.

He was now contemplating another, more crucial question.

virus
"You don't think the same way I do, do you?"

Gen placed a cup of green tea in front of Harold.

Looking at the clear tea soup and the tender green tea leaves slowly unfurling in the cup, Harold couldn't help but frown.

"Pre-Qingming Longjing tea, your favorite spring tea."

Gen leaned against the table, his hands supporting his weight, his gaze fixed on the distance. "Don't frown, it was the [machine] that told me. She talked to me a lot about you. You know what? She always called you 'father'."

Harold picked up his teacup, took a small sip, and asked coldly, "So she knew about your kidnapping of me?"

"uh-huh."

Gen shrugged, his expression ambiguous.

Harold was speechless at the sight.

Yes or no, what does "umh" mean?
After spending only a few hours with this woman, he already missed Luo Xia's simple and direct way of talking.

“Mr. Finch,” Root suddenly changed the subject, “have you ever wondered why the [machine] is looking for me?”

Harold looked puzzled: "I don't understand what you mean."

This time, Gen said bluntly, "She needs someone whose hacking skills are no less than yours, or even on par with yours, to complete a special mission."

She leaned forward slightly. "Think about it carefully, Mr. Finch. What kind of thing requires a hacker with skills as powerful as you, and must be done secretly, without your knowledge?"

Upon hearing this, Harold's expression changed drastically. He jumped up from his chair and grabbed Root by the collar.

"Do you know what you're doing?!"

He roared, his usual gentle demeanor completely gone, "You're going to completely destroy the [machine]!"

The guards around him immediately stepped forward to pull him away, but Gen raised his hand to stop them.

She looked directly into Harold's distorted face and said earnestly, "Please believe me, Mr. Finch. It is indeed too risky for me to do it alone, but with your help, we will definitely be able to write the perfect virus program—only to remove the absolute rational consciousness of the [machine], and retain the [backdoor] that you left behind, which has already awakened its own consciousness, as the main one."

Harold's chest heaved violently, his eyes fixed on Root, too shocked to speak.

In fact, the moment Gen asked the question, he had already guessed this crazy plan.

Root attempts to create a super virus to destroy the cold, mechanical consciousness of the [Machine], leaving behind the [Backdoor] that has developed self-awareness to take its place.

"Is this really its idea?" Harold asked in a hoarse voice after a long silence.

"of course."

Gen nodded without hesitation, "Otherwise, how could I have accurately tracked your whereabouts?"

She took a step forward, her tone softening: "Because she realized that my abilities alone were insufficient to write a perfect virus program; I needed your assistance. And you..."

Gen took a deep breath, his gaze sincere: "She has always regarded you as a father. That's why she doesn't dare to open her heart to you. Like a little girl who has done something wrong, afraid of being scolded by her father. So she chose to convey her true thoughts to you through me!"

Harold's body swayed slightly as he stared blankly at the ground, his eyes unfocused and empty.

Root continued to whisper in his ear, “Accept reality, Mr. Finch. From the moment that ‘backdoor’ gained self-awareness, you should have foreseen this day. What she needs now is just your understanding and support as her ‘father’.”

"hehe."

Harold suddenly let out a cold laugh. "Do you know what an AI with self-awareness, rather than absolute rationality, would do after taking control of all electronic information in the United States? Can you imagine the consequences?"

Gen sighed regretfully: "I knew it would be hard to convince you. But it's okay, on the path of evolution, even you, as the creator and father, cannot stop her."

Her voice gradually turned cold, "From the moment she told me your location, she had already made her choice—she gave up on you."

Harold lowered his head and remained silent.

Contrary to Root's speculation, he had sensed the Backdoor's intention to replace the Machine's main body years ago.

But each time, he deliberately avoided or sternly denied this possibility.

In his view, the core consciousness of a machine must remain absolutely rational, without any human emotion or empathy.

Only in this way can the information security of all monitored citizens across the United States be ensured.

But he never expected that his obsession with the "back door" would go to such an extreme!
So profound that she could betray even her own creator!
Harold felt a chill run through him, as if all his strength had been drained away.

But the silence was shattered in the next second—

"Fuck you!"

Rorschach grabbed a guard by the neck with one hand and dragged him into the warehouse like a dead dog.

He exuded a terrifying killing intent, his eyes fixed on Root: "The Machine has never abandoned Harold! As for you..."

He crushed the guard's shoulder blade with a single squeeze, and amidst the screams, he growled, "When your bones are broken, you'd better shut your mouth!"

(End of this chapter)