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

Chapter 243 "Use poison gas on them!"

In the air, on flight J547 from New York to Toronto.

Inside a Gulfstream G700 private jet worth $78 million, Harold and his companions stared at the live footage of the devastation on the San Francisco coast, speechless with shock.

Brian barked twice to bring everyone back to reality.

They looked at each other, their faces filled with shock.

"That...the one who dropped nanobot warheads from the stealth fighter," Anna's voice trembled, "could it be Rorschach?"

No one responded, but they all knew the answer in their hearts.

Besides Rorschach, who else would dare to do that?
Of the ten nanite warheads, four were intercepted, and six hit their targets.

These six missiles alone nearly destroyed a carrier battle group worth hundreds of billions of dollars!

Although the nuclear submarine underwater escaped unscathed, this was still the worst loss the American Navy had suffered since World War II.

No, it should be said to be the worst ever!

"Oh my god"

Clyde scratched his head: "Rorschach has really messed things up this time. An entire naval carrier battle group was destroyed because of him! That kid's bounty is probably in the tens of figures!"

"The bounty is secondary; what's important is how much the Federation values ​​him."

John, who was usually taciturn, suddenly spoke up: "Next time, as long as the Federation locates Rorschach, they won't just send in special agents or the Counterterrorism Bureau, but will directly deploy the army, probably at the very least the regular army like the National Guard!"

The cabin fell silent immediately after he said that.

Especially Caitlin, the newly hired female thief, whose face had turned deathly pale and who couldn't help but clench her armrests tightly.

Just hours before, she was thrilled to join the Ghost Party, thinking she would be set for life. But before the plane even landed, she saw Rorschach wipe out the entire carrier battle group.

This isn't a criminal organization; it's clearly a group of lunatics who are at odds with the entire country!

Now she realized what kind of pirate ship she had boarded.

Unfortunately, it was too late to disembark.

Of all the people, Harold was the most composed.

Firstly, Rorschach had informed him before going to San Francisco, and secondly, he hadn't paid any attention to those aircraft carriers and warships.

"San Francisco home prices are about to plummet."

Harold suddenly spoke up, "The USS Ronald Reagan was a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. Now that it's sunk, a nuclear leak is a certainty. For the next few decades, the entire San Francisco coastline will have to be designated a no-go zone."

He shook his head. "Although it was out of necessity, Rorschach really went too far this time. This has effectively crippled one of the top five economic cities in the US, affecting the livelihoods and property of millions of people, causing direct losses of hundreds of billions, and the indirect losses are incalculable."

These words gave everyone present a clearer understanding of the seriousness of Rorschach's operation.

Everyone fell silent; no one responded.

After a while, Root asked with a smile, "Now that he has rescued General Hammer, Rorschach should be flying to Toronto to meet us, right?"

No one answered.

It's not that I don't want to answer, but nobody knows what Rorschach will do next.

Meanwhile, on another military plane bound for Toronto.

Jack, the head of the counterterrorism bureau, stared at the footage captured by reporters on television, both shocked by Rorschach's madness and secretly glad that he had escaped quickly.

If I had left an hour later, I would not only be waiting for rescue in the sea, but I would also be held accountable afterwards.

But what bothered him even more was why the White House suddenly ordered the bombing of Alcatraz.

Despite the previous cabinet meeting being filled with talk of peace...
He frowned and silently opened the video conference on his computer.

The meetings in the intelligence room never stopped, and he was online as well.

Unlike before, now all those big shots are in a panic and are almost going crazy.

"Fuck squid! Fuck squid Bellak!"

Defense Secretary Hudson flew into a rage, pointing at the black president and yelling, "We're finished! It's all your fault for that stupid and arrogant decision! You could have solved it with talks, but you had to order the firing! Now we're all going to die with you!"

The president's face turned ashen; he wanted to defend himself but couldn't utter a word.

But the Minister of Defense wasn't the only one losing his temper in the intelligence room; the Minister of Finance was the most agitated.

When he saw the shelling reach the San Francisco coast, the old treasurer was already restless; when he saw that the sinking of the Reagan might cause a nuclear leak, he wanted to strangle the president.

"Because of this damn decision, we've lost at least trillions!" the finance minister muttered through gritted teeth.

The intelligence room was in complete chaos. Although many people didn't say it, they all harbored resentment towards the president.

This was a disaster that could end everyone's political career.

"Calm down, gentlemen!"

Underwood took a deep breath and raised his voice: "Now is not the time to blame each other! What's done is done, and what we need to do is control the damage and minimize the impact."

"Controlling the losses?"

Hudson sneered, "The bombardment of Alcatraz wasn't approved by Congress at all; it was the president abusing his emergency powers. If it had succeeded, that would have been one thing, but now not only has it failed, but the entire carrier strike group has been lost, and even the San Francisco coast has been destroyed! Do you know what that means?"

"Precisely because the situation is serious, we must unite even more!"

Underwood snapped, "Remember who you are, Secretary Hudson! You are the U.S. Secretary of Defense, not some street brawler! What we need now is to solve problems, not to blame each other!"

It must be said that Underwood is indeed a born politician.

While everyone else panicked, he was the first to calm down and think of a solution.

"First of all, the bombardment of Alcatraz was entirely legal, reasonable, and necessary!"

Underwood surveyed the crowd, his tone firm, "On this point, everyone here, whether in person or via video link, must be on the same page. This is a regional war on terror, and we have every legal basis to take action!"

Everyone present nodded in agreement; although no one spoke out in agreement, they all tacitly accepted this statement.

“As for the second point,” Underwood paused, “after such an incident, the public needs an outlet for their anger. Although General Hammer and Rorschach are heinous criminals, they are, after all, citizens of America and are unsuitable to act as…”

The president frowned and interrupted, "What do you mean?"

"The real mastermind behind this Alcatraz gas attack," the Speaker of the House continued, "is the international terrorist organization Cobra! Those ten nanite warheads are irrefutable proof!"

There was an initial silence in the intelligence room, followed by a gradual chorus of voices of approval.

"If the outside world knew that it was the commander of the African garrison and Rorschach who caused such a mess, it would indeed affect our country's international image. I support Frank's suggestion that we should find a more suitable scapegoat."

“Cobra does have a base in Eastern Europe, which is a good opportunity to put pressure on those countries.”

"But the pursuit of Rorschach and Hammer cannot be relaxed. It is recommended to increase the bounty: 500 million for providing Rorschach's exact location, and 10 billion for capturing him alive!"

"10 billion? That's an outrageous claim!"

"Exaggerated? My entire carrier battle group was wiped out!"

"And Hammer! Immediately notify the deputy commander of the African garrison and charge Hammer with treason for colluding with Cobra!" "The key is to prevent him from escaping back to Africa! Order the coast guard to increase vigilance; absolutely do not let him set foot on African soil! If he returns to the base, things will become very complicated!"

Underwood's proposal clearly had a stabilizing effect on morale.

The officials, who had been in complete disarray, regained their composure.

After all, although this operation caused significant losses, its initial purpose was indeed counter-terrorism, which is beyond doubt.

Underwood glanced around at everyone, took a deep breath, and slammed his hand on the table, standing up abruptly:

"Ladies and gentlemen, what has happened has already occurred, and the irreparable damage is before us. What we, as leaders, must do now is to unite, restore the confidence of the people, gain the understanding of the international community regarding our position, and enable America to rise from the ashes of this crisis and emerge stronger!"

"Make America Great Again!"

“Make America Great Again!!!”

For a moment, the entire intelligence room echoed with uniform slogans.

The familiar campaign slogan acted like a powerful anesthetic, temporarily numbing the nerves of the politicians present and allowing them to temporarily forget the disastrous defeat before them.

The Black president coldly observed Underwood, who had been in control and full of confidence since the beginning.

Despite his dissatisfaction, he had to admit that the Speaker of the House's proposal had indeed effectively mitigated the crisis and minimized the negative impact of the incident.

However, he was unaware that Underwood, who was leading the chanting of slogans at that moment, already harbored a deep-seated hatred for the president.

He could have simply held a press conference and given the old man some compensation to appease him, but this idiot acted like he had suddenly reverted to his ancestral ways, and in a moment of impulsiveness ordered the firing of a gun, almost killing everyone.

Ironically, the military expenditure from that single round of carrier bombing was enough to pay several times the amount of compensation the old man was demanding!

Underwood gritted his teeth inwardly.

He can accept a black president, but he absolutely cannot tolerate an idiot giving him orders at a crucial moment.

But it doesn't matter. Based on today's farce, plus the dirt he has on her, America's first black president in history probably won't last long.

Thinking of this, Underwood's originally gloomy mood immediately improved a lot.

Looking at the excited crowd, he slightly raised the corners of his mouth, revealing a meaningful smile.

But at that moment, Jack suddenly interrupted the video conference, saying, "Everyone, there's a question that needs to be confirmed—can you track Rorschach's stealth fighter?"

The meeting room fell silent instantly, and everyone looked at Jenny, the head of Homeland Security.

Jenny's expression was grave: "That fighter jet has the most advanced stealth coating and engine technology, and its speed far exceeds that of all currently serving fighter jets. Our existing radar system simply cannot lock onto it."

Underwood frowned: "Jack, what are you trying to say?"

Jack sighed: "Knowing Rorschach as I do, after suffering such a huge loss, he will definitely retaliate, and very soon."

"Retaliation?!" the Navy Secretary roared, slamming his fist on the table. "Wasn't it enough that he destroyed our entire carrier battle group?"

“Not enough.” Jack stared at the screen and slowly shook his head. “You all must face reality. We are facing the supervillain Rorschach Butcher. He is now piloting the world’s most advanced fighter jet and possesses nano-bombs and VX gas grenades.”

Before he could finish speaking, the meeting room was already in chaos.

The Black president immediately ordered: "Notify Washington, D.C.! Activate the highest level of air defense alert immediately and rigorously inspect all incoming aircraft! At the same time, notify the National Guard to strengthen border patrols and ensure that no suspicious targets are allowed to enter our airspace!"

The atmosphere, which had just calmed down, instantly became incredibly tense again!
--------

On the fighter plane.

Through the porthole, Rorschach could already see the iconic silhouettes of Washington’s buildings.

Since leaving San Francisco, the ghostly fighter jet had been flying for nearly an hour, perfectly avoiding all radar detection, and even Washington's tight air defense system failed to detect its presence.

Only a few minutes of flight time remain to reach the destination.

Rorschach switched the fighter jet to autopilot mode and picked up the silver briefcase beside him.

Inside the box, a VX poison gas bomb with a ghostly green glow at the tip lay silently, exuding an aura of death.

Instead of loading, he turned to look behind him.

The old man sat silently in the cabin, gazing at the city below with a complex expression.

"Still hesitating? That's not like you," Luo Xia said softly.

The old man clenched his fist: "I've fought wars my whole life, and I never imagined that one day I would point a gun at my own capital."

Rorschach laughed: "That only shows that you're not determined enough."

If anyone else had said that, the old man would have been furious.

But faced with the man in front of him, he was speechless. After all, what the man had just done was something he probably wouldn't even dare to imagine.

Rorschach walked to the bomb bay and skillfully loaded the poison gas grenade into the warhead of a rocket.

Through the porthole, the White House was clearly visible, with security personnel conducting routine patrols around it.

Do you think what happened in San Francisco was enough?

Rorschach suddenly asked, "Was that enough to teach them a lesson? Was that enough to make those bastards sitting in their offices giving orders understand the price?"

Hammer did not answer, but unconsciously stroked the military insignia in his hand.

Luo Xia continued, "I bet that after today, these scoundrels in this house will continue their saga of singing and dancing as usual. They won't have any psychological burden, nor will they have even the slightest regret."

"Today they'll feign mourning in front of the cameras, but tomorrow they'll be plotting how to use the compensation to buy a new yacht."

"This is not revenge."

Rorschach's pupils reflected the outline of the White House. "This is for disinfection."

He pulled the old man to his feet and placed his rough hand on the launch button.

"Now."

Rorschach looked directly into Hammer's eyes. "Let's use the poison gas on those 964 brothers who sacrificed their lives!"

The old man's breathing suddenly calmed down.

He recalled the young faces on the death notices; they should have been married and had children after their discharge, but now they were just dusty numbers in the archives.

He heard nine hundred and sixty-four souls roaring in his chest, their voices deafening:
“Burn it!”

“Burn it!”

“Burn it!”

Time ticked by, and the cabin fell into dead silence.

Just as disappointment began to appear in Rorschach's eyes, the hesitation in the old general's eyes was replaced by something terrible.

He stared at the launch button, then suddenly revealed his gleaming white teeth:

Is there only one?

(End of this chapter)