By the time the FBI arrived at 780 Mercer Street, NYPD officers had already evacuated most of the building and were awaiting the bomb squad's arrival before beginning a floor-by-floor search.
The 21st floor of the building is a Level 5 Department of Defense facility. Its computer virus lab had previously created the "Stuxnet" virus, which had been used to silently sabotage centrifuges used in the "Persian Cat" nuclear program.
However, thanks to the President of the Upper Realm, the efficient operation of the Efficiency Department over the past few years has eliminated some "wasteful budgets" while also limiting the funding for secret projects disguised as "studying the differences in frog calls between urban and rural areas."
Although there are currently a shortage of researchers and development projects have stalled, a vast cache of cyber-virus weapons remains here, enough to store them all on a 20TB hard drive.
As Finch, who had just arrived to join the FBI, explained, "If these viruses fall into the right hands, they could shut down power grids, paralyze communications, and even disrupt flights."
But Jack saw it differently. He pulled Finch aside and looked at him sternly. "Are you sure Kara Stanton is after those network viruses?"
"I don't understand what you're talking about, Jack," Finch said, bewildered. Unfortunately, his acting skills were as poor as his athleticism. Not to mention Gen, even Detective Bean would outperform him in that department.
Jack unceremoniously shoved Finch into the Suburban they had brought, motioning for the others to stand guard outside. He then closed the door and stared at the man intently.
"Whether it's an explosive vest or a network virus, no matter which one it is, unless the 'machine' is unaware of any clues and the other party evades its detection, the 'related number' will be sent to the NSA and then passed on to the so-called 'Intelligence Support Operations Division'.
But now we have received Reese's message in the form of an 'unrelated number'. Don't you think this is interesting?"
Finch was a little frightened by Jack's "ferocious" glare and subconsciously swallowed his saliva. "Jack, I don't think now is the right time to discuss this."
"No, the timing is just right. Why did Kara Stanton prepare a hard drive with a special interface in advance? If they were going for some virus, wouldn't it be more convenient to just dismantle the hard drive and leave?
She used Reese and Mark Snow to break in there, not to take anything away from there, right? On the contrary, she wanted to send something in. Let me guess, it's related to what was in your laptop."
Jack's words made Finch's face turn pale and blue, and he nodded reluctantly after a while. "Maybe you are right, Jack, but the most important thing for us now is to save Mr. Reese.
Okay, I admit that after Nathan's death, I knew clearly that the 'machine' was not entrusted to the right person, so I leaked some of the virus code specifically for it, which is in that laptop."
Seeing his awkward look, Jack sighed. It was already very good to be able to force Finch to this extent. If the whole thing can be regarded as a puzzle, there are not many parts left now.
"So, aside from Reese's life being in danger, everything went according to plan, right?"
To his surprise, Finch shook his head repeatedly. "No, you misunderstood, Jack. There was no plan. I simply dropped a significant amount of bait into the sea. Whether it would surface was just a common tuna, a giant whale, or even a Kraken, I had no idea."
The Kraken is a deep-sea monster in Norse legend, even larger than a whale.
Jack vaguely remembered that the so-called virus code Finch had released back then was the key to the Machine's ultimate freedom.
The 21st floor of the building was not only a computer virus research and development laboratory but also a cyber warfare center, connecting it to the New York area's network communications backbone.
Uploading a virus there was like injecting a toxin directly into a person's main artery, bypassing most barriers and reaching the heart at the fastest possible speed.
For the Machine, which held the highest network access in the New York area, this was absolutely fatal, at least in the eyes of Kara Stanton, Reese's former partner.
Jack opened the car door again and began assigning tasks to the waiting companions.
"Inform the NYPD to cease searching every floor and evacuate everyone who can. A strictly classified national defense facility like the 21st floor can't be cleared out just because of a supposed bomb threat.
Everyone here should change into civilian clothes and disperse to the building's exits for surveillance. Inform the NYPD not to block anyone leaving the building.
Hannah, set up sniper positions nearby. Ensure at least two snipers with good visibility are on standby at each exit, but no fire is permitted unless ordered."
Just then, a heavy-duty pickup truck with striking blue and white stripes pulled up to the curb, towing a large object resembling a cement tank. Danny and Fusco hopped out of the high cab.
"This is a military-grade, heavy-duty explosion-proof tank custom-made by the NYPD. It can easily handle explosions of up to 20 pounds (9 kg) of TNT. It's even been transported in a Ford F-450,"
Danny proudly explained.
The Ford F450 is arguably the pinnacle of pickup trucks. While the Dodge Mammoth that Jack used to play with in Los Angeles easily outclassed it in off-roading and acceleration, it's far inferior in specialized areas like heavy loads and towing.
Simply put, if the Dodge Mammoth is a "performance beast in pickup truck clothing," the Ford F450 is a "muscular hauler."
The former is suitable for fun, while the latter has always been a favorite companion for wealthy farmers with plenty of cash.
"Park it downstairs and evacuate the crowd," Jack said, heaving the heavy safety rope onto his shoulder while Clay shouldered the equally heavy toolbox.
"Really, we don't need to come together?" Fusco asked, looking worried.
"The elevator's down for safety reasons, so we'll have to take the emergency stairs." Jack dismissed someone's desire to tag along with him with a single sentence.
In a previous life, Jack played a little game called "A Real Man Goes to the 100th Floor." The safety rope he was carrying was a static rope used for firefighting and industrial purposes. A hundred meters in length weighed about 10 kilograms.
Plus, the two men were carrying their own gear just in case: bulletproof vests, an MDX508 short-barreled assault rifle, and other odds and ends. Their combined load was barely lighter than a fully-equipped PLA off-road vehicle.
Of the group, only Clay, a former Navy SEAL, could barely keep up with Jack's pace, though even he felt a bit weak by the time they reached the 21st floor.
As expected, upon reaching this special floor, they were met with a specially designed security door, now wide open.
Jack opened it and glanced at the lock, which looked as if it had been tampered with from outside. He exchanged a puzzled look with Clay.
According to previous reports from NYPD police officers, after the bomb threat alarm sounded in the building, they began to evacuate the building residents in an emergency according to the plan, and two ATF agents did appear at the time.
However, since the two had taken the elevator directly, the fact that the security door had been breached from the outside could only mean one thing: a third person had broken in, most likely Kara Stanton herself.
A building has more than one security exit, and the one Jack and Clay chose was the closest to the elevator. Upon entering, they encountered two bodies lying on the ground.
Their hands and feet were bound behind their backs, their mouths taped, and their foreheads pierced with bullet wounds, their eyes wide open. Judging by their attire, they were likely security personnel.
"They're ex-Delta veterans," Clay said, pulling open the collar of one of them to examine the tattoo, a flicker of pity in his eyes.
"It wasn't Reese," Jack explained, understanding his thoughts. "I mean, Reese and Snow might have subdued them, but since they were already tied up, there's no need to shoot them again, right? The ones who did it must have been the ones who came in through the security door."
Clay's expression eased slightly. He and Reese were both special forces veterans, and while they weren't exactly close friends, they did have a certain sympathy.
If Reese were to kill innocent people here, even if he was forced to, it would mean the end of their friendship and they would no longer be on the same page.
Jack, who understood someone better than Clay, said, "Reese might just be trying to understand what his former partner was up to. Otherwise, strapping a bomb vest to him wouldn't be enough.
Besides, even if it were strapped to Jessica, he wouldn't be coerced into harming innocent people."
As if to confirm his judgment, just as the two men finished examining the bodies and stood up, a researcher in a white coat hurried out from the corridor.
"Stand still."
Jack had barely uttered the words when the other man abruptly stopped dead in his tracks, raising his hands obediently. "Don't kill me, I'm willing to cooperate."
Sensing he seemed quite experienced, Jack tapped the letters on his bulletproof vest to identify himself. "FBI, what exactly happened here?"
"Someone broke into the sensitive information isolation server room. Two men wearing explosive vests. One attempted to download a virus, while the other deliberately triggered a protective function, erasing all the hard drives."
Even though neither Jack nor Clay had their guns pointed at him, the researcher still held his hands raised.
"What's in there?" Clay asked hastily.
"All sorts of computer viruses, military-grade attack software, the kind that could cripple the entire internet if leaked. But the tall man in the suit stopped it all and even got into a fight with another person."
Clay's expression eased slightly at this answer, but he quickly pressed, "What happened next? Where did they go?"
"I don't know. Probably the backup elevator. Then a woman came and forced me to open the network monitoring room. She uploaded something there. It might be some kind of virus, but I'm not sure what it is."
The researcher, seemingly finally convinced that the two men in FBI gear before him held no hostility, lowered his raised hands and gestured toward the elevator behind them.
"Excuse me, can I leave this place? I might lose my job, but I still want to live. That woman activated the bombs on them before she left."
"Is the elevator still working?" Clay asked, surprised. "I just activated the backup power. I just need to enter the password." The researcher carefully stepped around the bodies on the ground, ran to the elevator door, and began frantically pressing the buttons. Sure enough
, the elevator door opened successfully.
"Where's the backup elevator?" Jack asked hurriedly before he entered. "And where's the passage to the roof?"
"Just follow the corridor, turn left, then right at the end. It's all in the same direction,"
the researcher kindly warned loudly before the elevator doors closed. "You're running out of time. I heard the short man mention a safe house or something. We could find a way to disarm the bomb there, but the tall man said we don't have enough time."
The researcher's voice faded behind the closed elevator doors. Jack and Clay exchanged a glance, then, in tacit agreement, grabbed their equipment and rushed into the corridor.
As they turned a corner, they heard the sound of silenced pistols firing from the front, the clink of bullets on metal.
Jack kicked open the security door in front of them, and was met with a black muzzle.
"Reese! Are you okay?" He turned to look at the backup elevator descending, then at Reese, who lay on the ground.
The bullet holes in the elevator door made it clear that he had been shooting at the backup elevator. The noise of his kick had caused Reese to instinctively point the gun in his direction.
"You must leave this place immediately!" Reese, his face bruised and bruised, struggled to his feet and turned to head for the stairs at the other end of the hallway, which should lead to the rooftop.
Jack had no time for idle chatter; he immediately grabbed his shoulder and said, "You have two choices: either cooperate, or I'll knock you out and start defusing the bomb."
The moment his shoulder blade was clamped shut, the tingling sensation made Reese's body go limp. Only sheer willpower kept
him from falling to one knee. It had been less than 24 hours since the car accident, and he was already weak. Even if he wasn't weak, he was still weak. Normally, he couldn't even beat Clay in a boxing ring.
Clay put down his toolbox and, with a domineering air, ripped Reese's shirt open, ripping the buttons apart and revealing the explosive vest underneath.
"Four M112 standard-pack C4 explosive charges, 1.25 pounds (567 grams) each. Your ex-girlfriend's love for you is truly intense."
As expected, a smartphone was attached to the front of the vest, with a red countdown thoughtfully displayed: less than 10 minutes remaining.
"Wait," Reese grabbed Clay's arm. "Don't pull the fuse. Kara (Stanton) has received professional military training like me. She knows how to set a booby trap."
(End of chapter)