And what use was bombing the White House anyway?
She pondered the answer while Natasha revealed it for her.
"Our communications with the outside have been blocked by some kind of jamming device. The air strike was probably cover—the real purpose was to cut off our contact with the outside world."
President Sawyer immediately understood. He shouted into the communicator, "Hello? Hello?"
Nothing but static. No response at all.
He was the President, but now a President with no outside contact. As a political figure, he immediately grasped their objective.
They wanted to bypass him and forcibly push forward with their subsequent plans.
Feeling the presidential seat slipping further away, President Sawyer felt a chill of despair settle over him.
He was quite anxious. Having studied law and fought his way to the presidency, he'd already guessed what they were planning. But what good did guessing do?
The family of four clearly wouldn't follow his orders. Duke would obey commands, but he was too badly injured—he couldn't even stand, let alone use a gun.
"Sigh!" With a heavy sigh, he could only sit in the underground bunker and wait for the dust to settle outside.
...
An AGM-65 Maverick air-to-ground missile streaked through the air with a long tail of flame. Before the eyes of countless reporters, soldiers, and citizens standing outside the White House, it slammed into the main building.
At that moment, the White House proved no match for modern weaponry. Successive presidents offered no protection. Everyone watched as an explosion erupted at the center of the main building. That structure, laden with symbolic meaning, was blown sky-high. Fierce flames roared, and countless brick fragments flew through the air.
Time seemed to freeze at that second. The White House main building was reduced to rubble. Countless cameras captured the scene and transmitted it around the world.
The Russian President watched the live broadcast with an ear-to-ear grin. He drank and shouted "Ura!" with nearby officials.
Though at the subsequent press conference, he claimed to be deeply saddened, heartbroken for the world's democracy and freedom. The stains on his clothes were tears, not alcohol.
The Japanese Prime Minister also strongly condemned the rebels' actions in a televised address, calling it a trampling of human civilization's progress. But his dismissive expression seemed to say, "What's that got to do with me?"
The British couldn't resist showing off either. Their message was basically, "We British burned down the White House in 1814. After it was repainted and rebuilt, it ushered in America's glory. So today, the American people can surely inherit their predecessors' fighting spirit."
The White House was destroyed? No problem—what doesn't kill you makes you stronger! Don't blow it up, don't make it great! Their tone throughout was one of enjoying the spectacle.
What about actual Americans? The American people reported that their emotions were relatively stable.
Ordinary citizens only cared whether rebuilding the White House would mean new taxes. They were determined—no matter what, they weren't paying!
State governors were already having their secretaries draft statements. We oppose! We protest! What? The White House hasn't said anything yet? Doesn't matter—we'll oppose it in advance!
As the instigators of the rebellion, veteran agent Walker and the curly-haired man were still sacrificed as pawns. The masterminds gave them no warning—the missiles just arrived.
Walker was killed instantly. The curly-haired man had a leg blown off. He laughed maniacally while pulling out his pistol and shooting himself.
The remaining attackers and hostages also suffered heavy casualties.
At that moment, cabinet secretaries, congressmen, and party authority figures were no different from ordinary people.
The rogue F-117 was shot down by the National Guard, but the command post outside the White House descended into chaos.
Washington D.C. police, the FBI, the National Guard, the Secret Service—everyone wanted to be in charge, to command others. The result was that nobody could command anybody.
The high officials in Washington D.C. didn't care about the White House issue—or rather, didn't have time to care.
The President was "missing," the Secretary of Defense's fate was unknown, several other cabinet members were gone too—there was a massive power vacuum in the government.
They were fighting for command authority at the scene, but America's various acts, amendments, and regulations had bound them in red tape.
The National Guard couldn't enter Washington D.C. without special permission. The FBI had no authority over Secret Service operations. D.C. police had a duty to assist the Secret Service but were subject to FBI wartime oversight. Delta Force entering Washington D.C. required simultaneous authorization from both the Pentagon and the President...
In short, it was a complete mess.
The masterminds had tremendous power. Using the excuse that they couldn't reach President Sawyer and needed to end the chaos as quickly as possible, they forcibly invoked the so-called 25th Amendment to the Constitution.
After much persuasion, the Vice President—outwardly solemn but inwardly ecstatic—placed his hand on a Bible aboard Air Force One and announced that, in accordance with the Constitution, he as Vice President would succeed as President of the United States and lead the American people.
But his backside had barely warmed the seat when a cruise missile launched from NORAD ignited and took off from its silo.
In movies, hackers seem to launch missiles with a few keystrokes. In reality, that's impossible. Land-based and sea-based systems must provide fire control data to the radar and guide the missile during flight.
This was a large-scale operation involving twenty or more people. It required considerable power and money to pull off.
"Intercept! Intercept!" The Pentagon erupted in frantic shouts again, but the missile flew straight into Air Force One. The former Vice President, now President for less than ten minutes, died in a violent explosion, the aircraft destroyed in mid-air...
According to the Constitution, if the President dies or goes missing during their term, the Vice President succeeds. If the Vice President also dies, the Speaker of the House leads the American people.
While the former Vice President's body was still warm, someone brought the Speaker of the House a fresh Bible. Come on, boss—it's your turn to be sworn in!
One exits, another enters. Before the American people and the world figured out what was happening, they'd gone through Presidents like a carousel. Don't ask questions—just know it's our constitutional right!
Nations around the world munched their popcorn. The American people were utterly confused. Even the politicians at the center of power were bewildered by the complex situation.
Everyone was busy. The group hiding in the underground bunker was busy too, each with their own tasks.
President Sawyer calculated his political resources, planning how to reclaim the presidency after escaping. Duke rested in bed. Of the family of four, Charlie read the newspaper while Samantha prepared dinner for everyone. Bella buried herself in the White House's collection of ancient texts and artifacts. Natasha played video games with little Emily.
It could be said that at this moment, the only person in the entire world who actually cared about the White House was the young tour guide, Donnie. He sighed heavily, convinced he was now unemployed.