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

Chapter 240 Target Changed!

"Walter-Fuck?!"

Inside the intelligence room, everyone looked at each other in shock.

They were all very familiar with that voice—in fact, when they learned that the VX gas bombs had been stolen, their first suspicion was about him.

Rorschach Butcher
The Black president abruptly stood up from his seat, his face ashen.

General Hammer in the video also showed a surprised expression.

He clearly remembered that the kid had rejected his invitation last night.

"What?" Rorschach's teasing voice rang out again. "Aren't you saying anything? Are you checking if my call originated from Alcatraz?"

A few seconds later, Underwood forced himself to remain calm: "Rorschach, I advise you not to make a decision you'll regret. This is not something you can interfere with."

Luo Xia sneered: "Oh? Now that you mention it, I'm even more interested. Don't forget, I'm also a veteran, and I've long been dissatisfied with what your fallen soldiers have done."

The Black president slammed his fist on the table in a rage: "Go ahead and try! The Nimitz-class carrier strike group has departed from the California naval base! F-16 fighters have taken off, and B-1 Lancer bombers are fully armed! Even if we sink Alcatraz today, we will not let you leave alive!"

Upon hearing this, Underwood's expression changed drastically, and he glanced at the emotionally distraught black president without revealing his true feelings.

This threat might work on Hammer, who is essentially an idealist, seemingly tough but actually kind-hearted and committed to his principles.

To deal with this kind of person, you can use negotiation tactics to pressure them into compromising.

But Rorschach Butcher.
This guy is a complete madman, a demon who craves to overthrow the order and rejoices in seeing the world burn!

How can you provoke such a desperate criminal who won't listen to reason and won't listen to force, and only add fuel to the fire?
Underwood's dissatisfaction with the president grew stronger.

He doesn't care about the lives of others if San Francisco is bombed, but the political careers of everyone in this room will be ruined.

He has only just stepped into the center of power, and he must not make a hasty exit before entering the White House.

Therefore, as soon as the president finished speaking, Underwood immediately interrupted him.

Instead of adopting the president's tough threatening stance, he patiently persuaded, "Rorschach, you need to understand that we are not rejecting General Hammer's request. Whether it's releasing the Black Ops files or the plan to distribute billions in compensation, we need to give ourselves some time to discuss and implement it."

“I know, five hours, right?” Rorschach replied with a light laugh. “I can wait. But there’s something I need to tell you in advance—”

His tone suddenly turned cold, and he spoke slowly and deliberately: "Perhaps Old Man Mo's goal is San Francisco, but my goal is not necessarily limited to that."

Communications ceased abruptly.

At the same time, Hammer on the other end of the screen seemed to have received some message as well. His expression changed slightly, and he immediately cut off the signal.

A deathly silence fell over the intelligence room; no one dared to speak first.

The Black President, his face grim, turned to Underwood and questioned him unhappily: "Frank, negotiating with terrorists is not the attitude America should have!"

Underwood, usually compliant and known as the president's strategist, unusually retorted forcefully: "That's Rorschach Butcher! Do I need to list his 'achievements' over the past six months? This kind of desperado doesn't fall for threats! If we really push him to the brink, he'll definitely detonate a poison gas bomb and take the entire city of San Francisco down with him!"

The president was momentarily speechless, his face turning ashen.

At this point, the Secretary of Defense, the Crisis Management Commissioner, and even the Governor of California and Jack, who were connected via video, all supported Underwood's views.

"Frank is right. Hammer can still negotiate rationally, but we must not push a dangerous individual like Rorschach to the brink."

"There's an old Eastern saying: 'When besieging an enemy, leave a gap.' When dealing with this kind of enemy, you must leave them a way out. Otherwise, the consequences of a cornered beast fighting with weapons of mass destruction would be unimaginable!"

"Don't forget, according to the Counterterrorism Bureau's intelligence, he also has a nano-bomb! What if it detonates on the aircraft carrier?"

Jack hesitated, but everyone present changed their expressions drastically.

Nanobombs capable of devouring all metal
If this deadly threat cannot be successfully intercepted, the losses will be unprecedented and could very likely result in the complete annihilation of the entire carrier battle group.

"In accordance with Article II of the Constitution and the War Powers Resolution, I recommend that the President declare a national emergency and proceed with military deployments directly, bypassing Congress."

Underwood made the proposal solemnly, then added, "This is a last resort, and as Speaker, I fully support this decision."

"That's right, negotiation should come first."

"There's no need to confront a terrorist like Rorschach head-on; it would be a losing proposition."

"We need to be prepared for both scenarios and take a two-pronged approach, negotiating while simultaneously making deployments."

"."

The crowd discussed it amongst themselves, but unanimously agreed with Underwood's suggestion.

At that moment, the president suddenly sensed something was amiss.

He recalled that in the past, at such moments, both Perari and Joe would raise objections to balance the decision-making process.

No, wait—in the past, Underwood wouldn't have even entered the cabinet yet!
The president took a deep breath and finally made the decision: "Then let's negotiate first, but at the same time prepare contingency plans."

He turned to bomb disposal expert Stanley: "Are you sure thermite can suppress the spread of poison gas?"

Stanley's forehead was sweating. He knew that there was no room for ambiguity at this moment, so he said decisively, "Yes, but we need a lot of thermite, preferably in combination with high-temperature incendiary bombs to form an isolation zone."

"very good!"

The president immediately ordered, "All Lancers at the California Air Force bases are fully loaded with ammunition and ready to go at any time; at the same time, F-16s loaded with thermite are being deployed for saturation bombing. If negotiations break down, I want to turn Alcatraz into a living hell!"

After a brief pause, he instructed Homeland Security Director Jenny: "Send an elite team immediately to Alcatraz to infiltrate and reconnoiter the deployment of the gas bombs. And—"

The president pointed to Stanley, saying, "You also accompanied the team to provide technical support."

"Huh?!" Stanley's face turned deathly pale, and he stammered, "I..."

He glanced around at the indifferent gazes of the crowd, then hung his head dejectedly: "Fine."

Soon, everyone in the intelligence room went about their own business.

This is a major crisis that could shake the very foundations of the nation. Ironically, the disaster was caused by Americans—including even a distinguished garrison commander!

This makes any subsequent retaliation completely impossible!
----------

Inside the command center of Alcatraz Tower.

The old man, who had been sitting at the table communicating with the White House via a military laptop, suddenly turned around and looked behind him, his eyes filled with shock and disbelief.

A tall figure stood prominently at the doorway; it was none other than Luo Xia, whom they had met just last night.

"You really are incredibly resourceful now."

The old man chuckled silently, unable to find a suitable adjective for the moment.

Despite having conducted a thorough search of the entire island upon arrival, and with the outer perimeter riddled with minefields and machine gun outposts, Rorschach managed to infiltrate his command center undetected!
“Hahaha, don’t be too surprised.” Rorschach laughed as he approached and sat down on the table in front of the old man without any ceremony, full of confidence: “There is no place in this world that I, Rorschach Butcher, cannot infiltrate.”

As he spoke, he casually picked up an uncut cigar from the table, lit it, and exhaled a smoke ring with a contented air.

Seeing Luo Xia's overly familiar manner, the old man couldn't help but shake his head and chuckle.

“When I told Helena last night that you declined the invitation, she didn’t believe me at all. She even made a bet with me that you would definitely show up at the crucial moment. At first, I was a little skeptical, but now it seems that she knows you better than I do,” the old man said with satisfaction.

“Really?” Rorschach shrugged. “Looks like I’m not bad in that girl’s eyes.”

The old man winked mischievously, mimicking Helena's tone: "No, that's not it. Her exact words were: 'People like Rorschach love to make a dazzling entrance as a savior in times of crisis, enjoying the spotlight. He desperately wants to be the center of attention and control everything.'"

“Alright then.” Luo Xia cleared his throat awkwardly and waved his hand to change the subject: “Let’s talk about serious business.”

He leaned forward, looking directly into the old man's eyes: "First of all, I will never allow you to use poison gas to kill civilians in San Francisco. Only spineless cowards would indiscriminately kill innocent people. With me here, you can't hurt a single ordinary person! Of course."

Rorschach gave a meaningful smirk. "I'm also sure you never really intended to use poison gas; it was just a bluff."

Hammer remained silent for a long time, then shook his head with a bitter smile: "You're right, ha. How ironic that no one in the world believes I would indiscriminately kill innocent people."

Luo Xia smiled and said, "As the commander of the largest overseas military base in the United States, isn't it something to be proud of to be able to make everyone see your inviolable bottom line and your commitment?"

"But in this situation, the so-called bottom line is completely meaningless!" The old man slammed his fist on the table in frustration.

"That's why I've come."

Rorschach patted him on the shoulder, took a cigar, and walked to the window.

He first glanced at the gleaming star of the general, then gazed at the distant sea.

"Only the Japanese would do something like massacring civilians with poison gas. Since neither of us is Japanese, we have to think of another way."

He turned around thoughtfully: "It's a pity that your operation was too hasty. Apart from weapons, you didn't even bring fighter jets."

The old man was both amused and exasperated upon hearing this.

Flying fighter jets from Africa to the United States?

Forget about entry issues, just refueling along the way would require seven or eight trips, which is simply a pipe dream.

Luo Xia stroked his chin, lost in thought for a long time, when suddenly his phone vibrated.

His eyes lit up when he saw the encrypted message on the screen—what he wanted had arrived!
Meanwhile, in an underground base hundreds of kilometers away from Alcatraz.

Scarlett O'Hara crushed the SIM card and flushed it down the toilet, then nonchalantly tidied her clothes.

Outside in the square, a dozen special agents, fully armed, were excitedly discussing the details of the mission.

"I heard our opponent this time is General Hammer from Africa? Damn it, he's a war hero! Duke, are we really going to kill him?"

"No matter who the other side is, we just need to obey orders. And as for the parachute, didn't you listen carefully to the chief's briefing? The primary task is to locate and disarm the gas bomb."

"Hahaha, I don't care about any of that! What excites me the most is that Rorschach Butcher, that terrorist, is also on the island! This time, I'm going to show him the power of my 'Heavy Load'!"

"Our GIJoe Special Forces are amazing!"

"."

Scarlett glanced indifferently at the group of team members.

The overly lively Black man "Parasol," the crew-cut white lad "Duke," and the burly middle-aged man "Heavy Load."

They are all elite special forces personnel carefully trained by the Security Bureau.

Besides these three, the team also includes melee master "Snake Eyes", hacking genius "Broken String", assassination expert "Lightning", naval ace "Captain", and herself - Scarlett, codenamed "Redhead (Witch)".

This team is the Security Bureau's elite force, the first core members of the special forces!
At this moment, they are being urgently summoned by the White House and ordered to go to Alcatraz to carry out a mission and resolve the crisis!

"First, pick them up in Washington, then head full speed ahead to Alcatraz." Scarlett glanced at her watch and coldly ordered, "You must reach the target area within two hours. And..."

Her sharp gaze locked onto the parachute cord, her tone stern: "No nonsense during the operation! This isn't your lax army; discipline comes first!"

After speaking, Scarlett nimbly boarded the stealth fighter and began checking the equipment.

The one lagging behind, Kai Shuo, couldn't help but mutter to the Duke, "This little girl went to the toilet before she even started, and now she's lecturing us."

“Well, they’re the direct descendants of the Security Bureau,” the Duke shrugged helplessly. “Unlike us, we’re either selected from the grassroots units or we’re newcomers.”

With the roar of engines, the fighter jet slowly took off.

As an optical camouflage pattern was activated, the entire fighter jet seemed to melt into the air and completely disappeared into the blue sky.

Two hours later.

In a secluded area two nautical miles from Alcatraz, a stealth fighter jet quietly landed on a counter-terrorism operations command ship disguised as a fishing boat.

In addition to the special forces unit, there was also a long-haired man with a worried expression; he was Stanley, the bomb disposal expert who had just finished giving a report in the intelligence room.

Jack sized up the group of elite soldiers who had just parachuted down from the fighter jets, seemingly knowing everything about them, and gave a concise explanation of the current situation.

This squad, known as the "Special Forces," was full of unruly individuals, but they didn't dare to be too presumptuous in front of a powerful bureau chief like Jack, and listened quietly to the briefing.

However, when Jack offered to send a team of agents to assist with the operation, they flatly refused.

In their words, although the counterterrorism bureau is full of elites, their expertise is not relevant and they will only get in the way.

Seeing them don underwater gear and prepare to dive, many counterterrorism agents immediately turned pale.

After all, their reputations were earned through real-world counter-terrorism operations.

But Jack felt a sense of relief.

Others might not know, but he was certain that Rorschach would never release poison gas into the city. Given that kid's style, if he were to bomb, it would be the White House or the Pentagon.

Since these special forces refused to help, he was happy to have some peace and quiet, and it was also a good opportunity to leave the center of this vortex and find an excuse to do something else important.

"You all stay here and wait. I need to go to Canada immediately to deal with a more urgent matter."

"Chief? What could be more urgent than the Alcatraz crisis?"

"Do I need to report to you on what I do?! Follow orders!"

Watching Jack's hurried departure, the members of the Counterterrorism Bureau exchanged bewildered glances.

For some reason, they all felt that the bureau chief was trying to shirk responsibility and desert his post.
(End of this chapter)