Finley was already impatient to leave. The scene before him seemed like a farce to him. Due to time constraints, Jack had not previously explained the entire situation to him.
He only knew that many of Reacher's old friends had died, and the case was related to Congressman Lavoie. They needed to force his staff to reveal some relevant information.
So Finley quickly got to the point. "When I entered your name into the system, the local FBI office called me. They sent two agents just to talk to you."
"Damn it." Seeing that the development of the situation had once again deviated from his expectations, Boyd covered his face in despair.
He was finally sure that the other party was not after his money, but the problem was that the matter was not as simple as just spending money to avoid disaster.
After Finlay opened the interrogation room door, the burly Reacher appeared, offering him his hand. "Special Agent Jack Margrave," he said, stepping aside slightly to reveal the relatively petite O'Donnell behind him. "This is Special Agent Black."
Finlay, suppressing a laugh, reached out and shook his hand. "I'm Inspector Oscar Finlay. I'll leave this place to you for now."
With that, he left the interrogation room and went to the adjacent surveillance room.
Jack stood in front of the one-way glass observation window, unlit, holding a cut cigar between his lips. Seeing him enter, he flipped his fingers and offered him another.
"I've quit smoking completely," Finlay said, but his body remained honest, extending his hand to take it.
Jack flicked his wrist, and the lighter hidden in his sleeve appeared between his fingers, igniting with a clang. "That doesn't stop you from having a cigarette now and then, does it? Believe me, what you're about to hear will make you need it."
Meanwhile, in the interrogation room, O'Donnell had already demonstrated his prowess, convincing Boyd of his need for a lawyer in a few words. However, when Reacher demanded details about the "Little Wings" project, he remained silent. It wasn't
until O'Donnell started calling his wife right in front of him that the guy relented.
"I don't understand. It's not a big deal. 'Little Wings' is just a code name for a new algorithm that's being refined. Anti-aircraft missiles using it have incredible performance."
"Anti-aircraft missiles?" Reacher was puzzled. If it was just an anti-aircraft missile, why would terrorists need it?
The word "missile" sounds grandiose, but if precision isn't too demanding, with today's technological advancements, it's possible to salvage enough materials from many civilian devices to create capable guided rockets or even supersonic missiles capable of actively seeking their targets.
These Orc-like weapons might have trouble against warships, but they could certainly hit civilian vessels transiting narrow straits.
However, once the word "air defense" appears in front of a missile, the technical difficulty increases exponentially. The number of countries in the world capable of independently producing a reliable air defense missile can be counted on one hand. The complexity of these missiles isn't just the flaming stick that people often associate with them; the entire launch system is the most technologically advanced component.
Reconnaissance and early warning, search and designation, target identification and tracking, missile launch, guidance and control, and other crucial functions are all integrated into a single system.
65 million is certainly enough to buy one or even several air defense systems, but what use would terrorists have for such a costly device? Protecting their own sheepfolds?
Such a large device cannot be deployed on US soil to attack civilian airliners. If federal law enforcement agencies, including the FBI, are so incompetent as to allow an illegal air defense missile system to be deployed on the mainland, the country will be completely hopeless.
Not only is this thing cumbersome to use, but maintenance requires a dedicated logistics team and sufficient spare parts. Otherwise, it'll be a pile of scrap metal in less than two years.
Reacher's mind flickered, a possibility suddenly occurring. "Are you saying this technology could be applied to man-portable air defense missiles?"
"Yes, that's right. The New Era Technology team has simplified the algorithm and shrunk it down to a single chip for installation in a single-soldier man-portable air defense missile.
This software enables a specially designed missile to defeat all known countermeasures and achieve unwavering accuracy," Daniel Boyd stated confidently.
"How is that possible?" O'Donnell thought, as if he were listening to a fairy tale. As a former soldier, albeit one in the Army, he was well aware of the vast array of countermeasures available to modern military aircraft against air defense missiles.
Due to their size, man-portable air defense missiles have a very limited range. Their role in ground-based air defense systems is similar to that of close-in weapon systems to warships.
Facing low-altitude surprise attacks from attack helicopters and attack aircraft, portable air defense missiles, with a range of only two to three kilometers, could only be used as a last resort for ground forces, aside from ambushes. Achieving mutual destruction was already a significant return on investment.
Even without considering the range, even large anti-aircraft missiles with vehicle-mounted radar tracking and a comprehensive electronic system couldn't guarantee a perfect hit rate, so how could a small portable missile possibly achieve that?
"You'll have to ask those nerdy guys in white lab coats about that. All I know is that during their demonstration, the missile circumvented a flying target aircraft.
After the aircraft released all its decoy flares, the missile recalibrated, turned around, and launched another attack."
Daniel Boyd said, leaning back lazily in his chair. Then, because his hands were still cuffed to the table, he had to sit up straight again, feeling uncomfortable.
"They test-fired 10 missiles, hitting the target every time. It was like the grim reaper rising from the ground, unavoidable."
Reacher remained silent. O'Donnell pressed on. "So what was Congressman Lavoie's role in this?"
Daniel Boyd tilted his head, as if to say, "You know what I mean?" "Man-portable air defense missiles are just for demonstrations, okay? Applying this technology to other types of missiles, or even improving weapons like anti-ship missiles, would require a massive amount of funding.
'New Era Technology' requires an appropriations bill, but do you know how much work goes into getting a bill passed? You have to spend years navigating a bureaucratic system rife with red tape.
There are a multitude of laws restricting the application of new technologies. But Congressman Lavoie understands the importance of the 'Little Wings' project to enhancing our future military advantage.
Do you know how terrified some of us were when those videos of air defense missiles making erratic turns and maneuvering appeared online a few years ago?"
"You mean those official demonstration videos released by the University of the East?" O'Donnell had clearly seen some of them.
"Yes, face reality. That terrifying red dragon in the East has surpassed us in every way. If you, Councillor, choose to sit idly by and wait for this project to obtain sufficient funding through the normal application process, it will be almost impossible."
(End of this chapter)