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

Chapter 238 "The Staff"

Rorschach ultimately declined old man Hammer's invitation.

A few months ago, given his deep-seated hatred for the Federation, he probably wouldn't have hesitated for a second and would have gladly joined. He wouldn't even need the old man to ask; he would have organized and planned a similar operation himself.

But Rorschach chose to refuse at that moment.

Despite his undiminished hatred for the Union, and despite the fact that the invitation was extended by General Hammer, whom he had revered throughout his military career.

This was not out of cowardice or fear of danger, but because he was keenly aware that the plan was doomed to failure.

Not long ago, Helena revealed to him the complete plan and operational details of old Hammer. After listening, Rorschach felt that this old general had been ruling Africa for too long and had become out of touch with reality.

Old Man Mo naively believed that by using the lives of millions of innocent citizens as leverage to blackmail the federal government, he could force the government to back down and seek justice for the fallen soldiers.

Rorschach had to admit that while old Hammer was a respectable soldier, he had seriously overestimated the Federation's moral bottom line, underestimated the authorities' ruthlessness, and completely misjudged the situation.

Of course, Rorschach's considerations went far beyond that.

First of all, this operation is completely different from his past "small-scale" actions, and does not seem like a "small target" such as killing a speaker or secretary of state.

Once Old Hammer's plan is launched, air force bases around California will be mobilized en masse, and even naval battle groups will approach Alcatraz.

In this situation of total war, if he were to participate, the Federation's efforts to annihilate Alcatraz would undoubtedly increase exponentially.

More importantly, Harold would never stand idly by and watch him go to danger. He would inevitably use the power of the [machine backdoor], which would only increase the difficulty of the operation and might even expose Harold's identity.

This completely contradicts his plan.

As for the second reason...
"Canada?"

Inside the library base, Rorschach frowned slightly after hearing Harold's suggestion: "Go that far?"

"Is Canada that far?" Harold asked, slightly surprised. "It's only an hour's flight from New York, about the time it takes you to finish a cigar."

".makes sense."

Rorschach nodded absentmindedly.

Harold gave Rorschach a strange look and continued explaining to the group, “The main firewall of the [Machine] was designed by me and my friend. Because we were acutely aware of the immense threat the [Machine] could pose, we abandoned the traditional static firewall architecture and instead adopted a dynamic neural algorithm defense system. The most significant feature of this design philosophy is that its core firewall code evolves autonomously, continuously updating the defense protocol, forming an infinite loop of encryption iteration.”

“Wait, hold on,” Rorschach interrupted, rubbing his temples. “Dude, can you use simpler language? Stop with the jargon.”

"Ok."

Harold shrugged helplessly and used a more colloquial analogy: "Imagine the firewall of the [machine] as a perpetually flowing river, changing shape every second. It's virtually impossible to breach, even for me, its creator."

"Therefore, it is not entirely impossible to develop a super virus that can invade [machines] and erase their consciousness, but it would take at least a decade and an astronomical amount of resources to have any hope of success."

“Damn it.” Rorschach rolled his eyes. “You agreed so readily last time, I thought you had some brilliant plan.”

Harold smiled mysteriously and typed on the keyboard to bring up the holographic projection: "There is indeed a brilliant idea, but it's not in our hands—it's in Canada."

As he operated the device, a three-dimensional image of a chip emitting a faint blue light floated in mid-air.

"The Stick (magic staff)."

"It is about the size of a regular USB flash drive, but it has a built-in quantum computing module that can crack any encryption system, remotely control all networked devices, and generate completely anonymous digital accounts."

"Its neural algorithm can simulate the human brain's learning defense system, performing hundreds of millions of password attempts per second, and using the 'quantum tunneling effect' to penetrate all existing firewalls. Simply put..."

Harold paused, "Just like a magician can magically pass through walls of iron and steel."

"This was originally a top-secret project of the Canadian government, but the core code was stolen by two young men. Even more astonishingly, they actually managed to create the chip by hand while on the run. According to intelligence from the dark web, it will be auctioned in Toronto in two days."

A rare look of shock and amazement appeared on Harold's face.

As a top hacker, he knew better than anyone what kind of genius and technical expertise was required to create a quantum chip like the "Scepter".

This achievement was no less difficult than creating the super AI [machine] they did back then.

In those two young men, Harold seemed to see himself and his old friend from many years ago.

Also in a rudimentary warehouse, a super artificial intelligence capable of thinking, evolving, and monitoring the entire United States was created to safeguard national security.

Rorschach, Clyde, and Anna exchanged puzzled glances.

That does sound plausible.
After Harold finished his technical presentation, Anna tilted her head and asked, "Since it's an auction, why don't we just buy it? Is there anyone richer than you?"

"No, no, no, the problem isn't about money."

Harold waved his hands repeatedly, "These two young people are indeed exceptionally talented, but they haven't realized that the chip has long been coveted by major powers around the world. Not only that, but various terrorist organizations are also eyeing it covetously. This isn't something that can be bought and safely taken away. We might just bid on the chip and the next second we'd be targeted by a cruise missile."

“Okay, that makes sense.” Anna nodded thoughtfully and stopped insisting.

"So those two kids have already surpassed you in network coding, Harold?" Rorschach asked, raising an eyebrow.

Harold was speechless for a moment, wanting to explain the differences in technical approaches, but not knowing where to begin.

Fortunately, the newly joined member "Root" came to the rescue in time.

The top hacker, whose skills rival Harold's, calmly analyzed: "Harold's research on artificial intelligence architecture and the quantum encryption cracking research of those two young men are completely different fields. Harold is better at algorithmic innovation than hardware breakthroughs. However, I think their success also had a large element of luck, after all, quantum computing is still in the experimental stage."

Harold smiled at her and added, "Once we obtain this chip, we can breach the machine's firewall in the shortest possible time. As for eliminating the machine's main consciousness, that will come naturally then."

Everyone nodded in approval of the plan.

"The plane takes off in six hours. If all goes well, we'll be just in time for breakfast in Canada. Once we get there..."

"Wait, buddy."

Luo Xia suddenly interrupted, placing his hands crossed on the table. "No need to rush. The auction isn't until two days later. I'll send a few people to find out the venue layout and security measures first. For a weapon that can threaten the very foundation of the [Machine], the Counter-Terrorism Bureau will definitely deploy its elite forces, and the militaries of various countries will also make secret deployments. In addition, with the involvement of top agents, preliminary reconnaissance is absolutely necessary."

This meticulous analysis was impeccable, leaving everyone speechless.

However, Harold noticed something was amiss.

In the past, Rorschach was always the most enthusiastic one in similar operations.

He could even imagine how Rorschach would react: "Why wait for the auction? Just go and steal it!"

Such a cautious and restrained style of doing things is really unlike Rorschach's usual approach.

After everyone went back to prepare, Harold and Rorschach went to the balcony.

"Didn't you have a pleasant conversation with the old man?" Harold asked casually, holding his teacup. Rorschach shook his head slightly, gazing into the distance. "No one can persuade him. I think... he's ready to die for his ideals."

“So, you really aren’t going to help him?” Harold asked meaningfully. “This doesn’t seem like the Rorschach who would go to great lengths for his friends.”

"Hahaha"

Luo Xia gave a wry smile. "I'd like to go. But what about Canada? Do you think you few can really snatch a quantum chip from agents and militaries from various countries? I bet every country is absolutely determined to get this chip. If we don't get it, the first missile will land at the auction house. After all, that's just Canada."

"Yes, it's just Canada after all."

Harold took a sip of green tea, then suddenly changed the subject, "Actually, I hope you'll help Hammer and Rorschach."

“Oh? Why?” Luo Xia asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I always hoped you could stay calm, weigh the pros and cons, and make a rational choice. But..."

Harold took a deep breath. "I've changed my mind now."

"What's the idea?"

"I hope you stay angry forever."

Harold looked Rorschach straight in the eye. “Only you can make the Federation understand what the real price is. Hammer may be high and powerful, but he is ultimately a veteran who has fought for his country his whole life. He is different from us; he is too kind.”

Rorschach was completely shocked this time, and he looked Harold up and down.

I don't know when it started, but this old guy seems to have really changed.

--------

Early in the morning, Alcatraz Island in San Francisco welcomed its first visitors.

This top-security prison, which once housed notorious criminals such as Al Capone and Machine Gun Kelly, attracts visitors not only for its legendary history but also for its unique geographical location.

The island offers stunning views overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge and the city skyline.

At 9:00 a.m. sharp, the first group of more than 80 tourists arrived by boat and boarded the island prison.

Although the prison has been abandoned for many years, its internal structure and original facilities are well preserved, allowing visitors to explore areas such as cells, dining hall, and solitary confinement cells to experience authentic prison life.

Professional tour guides typically tell tourists famous prison break stories to satisfy their curiosity.

But today's situation is unusually abnormal.

The tourists waited at the pier for a long time, but the tour guide never appeared.

Just as they took out their phones to contact the scenic area management, a sharp gunshot suddenly rang out!

A team of fully armed and well-trained soldiers rushed out of the prison's underground passage.

They first fired shots into the air to intimidate the panicked crowd, then split into groups and quickly took control of the scene. The entire process took less than thirty seconds to detain all the tourists.

Inside the prison tower, the old man silently looked down through the window at the tourists who were tied up below.

These people were their first hostages, but they were not used to directly blackmail the government; rather, they were used to restrain the counterterrorism agency's operations.

According to information revealed by Rorschach last night, the Counterterrorism Agency possesses a super AI system that monitors the entire United States.

No matter how perfectly they hide, they will be discovered sooner or later.

Before the deployment of the poison gas missiles is completed, these hostages will become their bargaining chips in dealing with the counterterrorism agency.

The old man silently turned his gaze to the watchtower high above.

Here you can monitor the entire sea surface 360 ​​degrees without any blind spots.

Alcatraz is located in the center of San Francisco Bay, surrounded by the ocean, with the closest distance to the land being only 2.4 kilometers.

This is precisely the key reason why he chose this location to carry out his plan: the isolated terrain forms a natural barrier that can effectively block the military's strong attack.

The island's facilities are also impeccable: concrete fortifications can withstand artillery fire, underground tunnel systems facilitate defense, watchtowers provide fire suppression points, and the docks control the sea supply lines.

Once the VX gas missiles are deployed, the daytime sea breezes will be able to disperse the gas into downtown San Francisco immediately.

This is his ultimate trump card, used to force the government to back down.

"General, all the men are under control." The subordinate quickly entered the tower to report.

"Yes, just lock them in the bottom cells. Don't hurt anyone. Our target is the federal government, not these innocent civilians," Hammer ordered without turning his head.

However, upon hearing this, the subordinates remained standing still.

"General, the counterterrorism bureau has likely already located us. If we don't kill a few hostages as a warning, I'm afraid..."

"Shut up! Did we travel all the way from Africa just to slaughter unarmed civilians?"

The old man suddenly turned around, glaring at the other person, his voice booming: "Remember, our only enemy is the Federal Government. I don't want to hear that a second time."

He suppressed his anger and waved his hand, signaling, "Go and urge them to speed up the deployment of the poison gas bombs."

Surprisingly, instead of obeying the order to leave, the subordinate took a step forward.

The veteran, well past fifty, looked directly at Hammer and sighed, "Before landing on the island, I always believed in you, but now I understand, General, you had no determination to burn your bridges!"

He pointed excitedly out the window: "You don't even dare to execute a few hostages, how can we believe you would really drop poison gas? How can we seek justice for our fallen brothers?"
The old man's eyes suddenly turned cold as he slowly stood up: "Nieher, are you questioning me?"

"I'm questioning you!"

Officer Neh roared, “Our brothers abandoned their homes and families, risked their lives, and fought for justice because they trusted you. But what are you doing now? Last night we lost half of our brothers, yet you wouldn’t let us execute those guards; now, facing the Anti-Terrorism Bureau’s encirclement, you don’t even dare to touch the hostages.”

He sneered, "I've seen through you, General Hammer. You simply don't have the guts! Someone like you is unfit to lead this operation!"

Old Man Mo suddenly calmed down, revealing a knowing smile: "Neh, do you truly believe this, or are you acting under Cobra's orders to sow discord and seize power?"

"It doesn't matter anymore."

Neh grinned maliciously and pulled out a pistol. "The real Alcatraz plan shouldn't be carried out by a soft-hearted old man like you. Let me send you on your way!"

Before he finished speaking, he suddenly raised his pistol, the dark muzzle pointing directly at the old man's forehead!

(End of this chapter)