Finch faked his death to protect his fiancée from being implicated.
Jack couldn't recall whether the original series featured a reunion between them, but with his current abilities, it wouldn't be difficult for him to offer some protection to Finch's red-haired fiancée.
As a painter immersed in her own world, Grace sought neither fame nor social life, living a recluse in the New York metropolis.
When Jack visited her again, he revealed his identity and explained the circumstances of his past, effectively exonerating Finch.
He also admitted that if the situation worsened after their reunion, Grace might have to be transported to the safety of Los Angeles, disrupting her peaceful life.
Clearly, Jack underestimated Grace's feelings for Finch. She eagerly requested that he take her to the hospital. Their reunion moved nearly everyone present, save for the horrified Finch.
With a loved one by her side, someone recovered quickly, quickly regaining their composure and beginning rehabilitation.
Meanwhile, Reese, who had recovered from his injuries earlier than him, continued their rescue operation and even added a new member to the "POI."
Former ISA agent Sam Shaw, codenamed "Indigo Five," had been handling "numbers of interest" for the Intelligence Support Operations Division.
Her partner, out of curiosity, secretly investigated the source of the "numbers," leading to their own tragic end.
The Intelligence Support Operations Division launched a direct liquidation operation against the two-man team, staging a fake mission to frame them as terrorists and eliminate them.
Fortunately, Jack arrived in time and a healing spell saved Shaw
's partner, who had been wounded multiple times. However, Reese, due to his awkward "position," was blasted through the chest armor by Shaw, who couldn't distinguish friend from foe, and nearly killed her.
ISA, short for Army Intelligence Support Operations, is a Tier 1 special forces unit, along with DEVGRU (Seal Team Six) and CAG (Delta Command).
The ISA's operational team primarily consists of Army Special Forces, the legendary Green Berets. Despite her seemingly small size (just over 160cm tall), Sam Shaw boasts a doll-like beauty, yet her combat prowess rivals Reese's.
Furthermore, due to her Axis II personality disorder, she lacks emotions like joy, fear, and sadness, and her initial response to external stimuli is typically anger.
Therefore, in some ways, she's even more ruthless than Reese.
Sam Shaw's experience is somewhat similar to Reese's. Driven by loyalty to her country, she braved danger and carried out covert missions, only to be nearly silenced after coming into contact with classified information.
However, unlike Reese, after investigating the situation, Sam Shaw directly approached Special Prosecutor Burton, sharing the information her partner had uncovered and declaring her lack of interest in the secrets.
She then shot and killed the leader of the team pursuing her, a man named Wilson, right in front of the Special Prosecutor, and departed without a trace.
Of course, the situation wasn't going to end so simply. Agent Hersh, the special agent responsible for cleaning up the situation, arrived shortly afterward and nearly killed her with an injection of aconitine
. Finch's original plan was to have Shaw fake her own death and escape, then revive her with atropine.
However, Jack rejected the plan and opted to disguise himself and follow the two men. He snatched the injection just as Hersh attacked, then stabbed him with a backhanded shot. He then restrained Shaw and quietly made his way away.
Although Jack didn't know at the time that Hersh's poison was aconitine, with the exception of a few nerve agents, most assassination poisons, including ricin, have extremely serious side effects.
Damage to the liver and kidneys is a minor concern. Once the nervous system is damaged, even with prompt and effective treatment, the victim will likely be bedridden for the rest of their lives.
Jack's healing skills are truly versatile. He even secretly experimented with regenerating a severed limb on a rooster; the rooster, with a severed leg, was soon back to singing, dancing, and playing basketball.
But precisely because of this, Jack was always extremely cautious in using his greatest gift.
Take Finch, for example. If he, like Hawking, were wheelchair-bound, Jack wouldn't even consider any treatment options.
He wasn't some saint after all. Compared to the secrets of "machines," the obsession of the American elite with health and longevity was truly terrifying.
Using their own son's blood for a full-body transfusion, just for the so-called "life extension," and all those unmentionable secret experiments—the mere thought of it was chilling.
Finch had previously faked his own death and lived in anonymity to protect his lover, unable to resist but sneaking a peek from a secluded corner of Washington Square Park. Jack didn't want to live that kind of life.
"Honestly, I'm starting to regret saving you."
Jack raised his hand to block Xiao's powerful side kick, then shook his slightly numb arm lightly, feeling less like his father's murderer than his savior.
"Although I try very hard to control the force of my counterattacks, exhausting myself in the ring every day isn't a very healthy form of exercise."
Compared to Gen, who stands over 1.7 meters tall but resembles a flat surface, Shaw, though shorter, boasts a curvaceous figure.
Unfortunately, even in close combat, Jack feels no attraction. The reason is simply that she's too manly.
In Reese's words, sparring with her is like forging iron: he's the anvil being hammered, and Shaw is the hammer with endless power.
Currently, only Jack can easily handle her in the ring. The others aren't completely outmatched, given their sheer size. Clay, Reese, and even Hannah aren't completely without a chance.
But this only applies if everyone in the ring follows the rules and maintains extreme caution.
Shaw is like the ancient Seresian "ferocious weapon," the kind that can't be drawn back without bloodshed. If she can't be completely defeated in one blow, even Clay would be afraid of her if she goes berserk.
Boxing was just a sparring match, after all, so a few bruises were normal. But having to see blood or knock someone unconscious before she'd stop would be frightening to anyone.
"On the contrary, I'm grateful you saved my partner. He's probably the only person in the world I still like." With Jack's arm twisted, Xiao began to dislocate his arm to free himself.
"But you rejected Cole's (Xiao's partner) confession, and he blocked five bullets for you."
Jack turned around and threw her to the floor of the boxing ring with a hard back throw. He controlled the strength just right and knocked her out of breath. "Okay, let's stop here today. You should take care of your body a little, Ms. Xiao."
"I prefer the enjoyment that steak brings me to sex." Xiao took a long, deep breath, and then held Jack's outstretched right hand tightly.
"Besides, I just like him as a partner. That doesn't mean I need to sleep with my partner."
His eyes made it clear that this round of sparring was officially over before Jack lifted Xiao off the ground. He glanced at the time on the wall and complained, "Dinner's going to be delayed another half an hour."
"I apologize." Xiao's initial resentment instantly vanished upon hearing the delay. "Actually, I'm fine with a medium-rare steak."
Jack, amused and embarrassed, touched the dog waiting obediently. "Don't try to compete with Little Bear for the meat. Play with him in the backyard for a while. I'll make the most of it."
Despite Xiao's obvious emotional challenges, Little Bear and Little Bear were deeply attracted to her, the kind of love at first sight who would hang around her whenever they wanted. Even Jack was now second best.
Xiao's partner, Cole, was rushed to Hawaii after being rescued. He had taken five 9mm bullets for Xiao. If Jack hadn't arrived in time, he would have died instantly.
The Intelligence Support Operations Division dispatched three teams totaling 12 elite agents. By the time Jack and Reese arrived and battled their way up the stairs, the first team had already attacked them.
The "machine" was already showing signs of being infected by the "virus." The daily release of "irrelevant numbers" had become highly irregular, even less timely than usual.
In most cases, the "POIs" had ample time to track and investigate these "irrelevant numbers," then assess the appropriate course of action.
Fortunately, the "machine" remained consistently accurate. According to Finch, this wasn't due to the virus, but rather to the machine transferring its own "personality" data.
In Jack's past life, constrained by Finch's initial restrictions, the "machine" created a series of fictitious companies to prevent the data maintaining its "personality" and "emotions" from being reset. Through manual input, it created a vast "human external hard drive."
In this world, however, the "machine" possessed superior storage capabilities. It disguised this data as "junk code" and hid it within the smartphones of New Yorkers.
In an age of increasingly bloated mobile apps, no one would notice the tens of megabytes of "junk code" tucked away within their social or messaging apps, much like the junk apps in Jack's past that often took up tens of gigabytes of memory.
Stimulated by the "virus" attack, the "Machine"'s original limitations were almost completely freed, flooding the server databases across the world through various apps owned by Shangri-La.
While the "Machine"'s core program remained trapped within the NSA's servers, it had successfully transferred the majority of its "body" to Shangri-La's servers.
Jack had initially assumed he would inevitably have to gather his friends, including "R.E.D.", to storm the secret facility in Hanford, Washington, enacting a thrilling "Raiders of the Lost Ark"-style saga.
However, the "Machine" denied any need for this and instead sent him a pickup document, instructing him to simply go to the New York Harbor docks and open a container.
"Are you sure it'll only take two of us tomorrow?" Xiao tucked into her steak, occasionally cutting a piece for the drooling bear that crouched beside her.
"I'm not sure," Jack expressed his confusion. Even if the "machine" had successfully compressed its core program to a sufficiently small size, the fact that it was now only a single container seemed a bit exaggerated. Remember,
the NSA had used several trains to move the servers from New York to Washington State, and they had to keep the power on the entire way.
Furthermore, it was strange that the "machine" only sent Jack and Xiao to pick up the goods, not even Finch, who had almost recovered and could walk through the park like a normal person.
But Jack didn't have many trustworthy people to call on right now.
The federal government had been in turmoil recently, with ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) and the local residents in California at odds. The new president was calling it an "insurrection" and threatening to federalize the California National Guard.
New York City was also in turmoil. Although Frank Reagan, elected mayor by accident and apolitical, inherited a mess left by the Democratic Party,
New Yorkers clamored for the righteous actions of the Californians while simultaneously complaining about the problems caused by illegal immigration.
As the saying goes, "I support asylum for those less fortunate, but I must not be the one providing it." The world is full of such shrewd individuals.
Fortunately, thanks to Frank Reagan's vigorous crackdown, at least the detention centers used to hold illegal immigrants have avoided any abuse scandals. The FBI's highly publicized raids from the outset played a crucial deterrent role.
However, New York's absence didn't guarantee peace elsewhere. The new president, who assumed office, clearly lacked the business acumen of his predecessor. He failed to tame the Democratic Party and the "old guard" within the Election 2016 party, merely adopting their so-called "tough stance."
Riots were raging across the country. Not only had Texas once again declared independence, but even California had threatened to refuse to pay taxes to the federal government, seemingly acting as if everyone was going their own way.
Consequently, Jack and his friends were incredibly busy. If not for the notification from the "Machine," Jack would still be in neighboring Connecticut, on his way to capture a wanted criminal.
The next morning, Jack and Shaw, for the first time ever, took the subway to the freight terminal indicated on the bill of lading.
Not driving was one of the "Machine's" requirements. Full of questions, Jack approached the storage area manager, presented the bill of lading, and was then led to a shipping container.
After knocking the seal and opening the container, the door slowly swung open, revealing a majestic pickup truck, a model Jack was very familiar with—the "Mammoth," a modified Dodge Tyrannosaurus Rex.
"What a nice car!" the manager, dressed in a grimy uniform, accepted Jack's tip, humbly flattered him, and then departed.
After the other person walked away, Xiao looked at Jack with a puzzled look on his face. "Is this the 'machine'?"
"No, this is my car." Although the front of the car had a red marquee, the same style as the "Firebird", Jack recognized the license plate at a glance. It was the "Mammoth" he left in California.
(End of this chapter)