American Detective: Starting as a Rookie Cop in an American TV Show

Chapter 1517 The Fall of Olympus (XIV)

With the Samaritans suffering defeat after defeat on the virtual battlefield, time has turned in Jack's favor.

An AI that was already lacking in computing power and planned to steal computing nodes by hacking into data centers and supercomputer rooms around the world was beaten so badly by the well-prepared Kate that it was unable to take care of itself.

Right now, let alone cracking the last set of codes, even the "Samaritan" himself is in a predicament.

Sensing something was amiss, the Department of Defense, under the orders of Acting President Maureen, began inspecting military networks at all levels.

The cyber warfare unit quickly developed multiple firewall remediation solutions and began providing technical support to beggar-thy-neighbor private power grid companies in the federal states.

On the surface, the attack on Washington, D.C., and the burning of Capitol Hill appear to be a huge loss.

But if we really set aside the symbolic aspects, including the international impact, and strictly calculate it in monetary terms, the economic losses caused by tonight's power outages around the world would probably far exceed the damage to the Capitol and the White House.

Americans are used to certain things. When there is a power outage at night, ordinary people will reflexively grab their shotguns to guard the door and protect their families. Firefighters, hospitals, and police will also immediately mobilize and perform their duties.

The reason is simple: in major cities across the United States, including Los Angeles and New York, except for a few wealthy neighborhoods with their own police stations, a large-scale power outage at night is almost tantamount to firing the starting gun for riots.

In less than half an hour, it will erupt with the same sound effects as during the Lunar New Year celebrations in Seres across the ocean, crackling and popping incessantly.

Shortly after Maureen delivered her national address, states experiencing power grid problems declared a state of emergency, and with the exception of a few, most governors quickly approved federal orders to deploy National Guard troops to their state's major cities.

The states in the federal government have always had two faces when it comes to dealing with natural disasters and man-made calamities. After all, natural disasters are unavoidable. Even if a wildfire spreading from the mountains is about to reach the state government, the governor can still go on vacation or travel abroad without any delay.

However, when it comes to man-made disasters, especially mass zero-dollar purchases, it's not so much the state or city governments that react quickly, but rather the federal government.

Because that would actually attract the army.

The struggle for command of the National Guard has always been at the heart of the conflict between federal power and states' rights.

Although the president is nominally the commander-in-chief of the armed forces, the vague wording in the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution delegates the day-to-day command of the National Guard of each state to the governor.

Simply put, unless something major happens, the governor has command of the National Guard. However, usually, if nothing major happens, the governor doesn't seem to need to use the National Guard.

There are generally only two types of major events: local rebellion and severe natural disasters. Under these two conditions, the federal government or the president can bypass the governor and send the National Guard directly to the local area.

There is no real definition of what constitutes a severe natural disaster. Generally speaking, in cases like the California wildfires, the state government will issue a local disaster declaration, and then the federal government can propose to send the National Guard to help maintain order. Only after the governor signs and approves the declaration is the entire process complete.

Of course, this is just for maintaining order; disaster relief is out of the question. There is only one country in the world that can and dares to fully commit its military to natural disaster relief.

However, this is only the general situation. Occasionally, there will be situations where the state government believes it can handle the situation, or the governor happens to be "out of town" recently, and the public is crying out that they can't take it anymore. In such cases, the federal government can bypass the governor and send the National Guard directly to the affected state.

This practice has a specific name: "federalization." Although it may draw protests from governors and state legislatures, it is not unconstitutional and is legal.

Most power struggles occur in such situations. The real serious conflicts, even those that raise questions about their constitutionality, are those like the Little Rock incident of 1957 (Chapter 828).

Or perhaps it's that mess the previous president made by deploying the National Guard to Los Angeles to assist ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) in their crackdown on "illegal immigrants" and the ensuing chaos.

Perhaps it was truly God's blessing upon America. Upon learning of the attack on the capital, the massacre of the congressmen, and the president's uncertain condition, most states, including the usually vocal "wealthy states" of California and Texas, readily cooperated with the acting president.

Whether this is related to the successful rescue of the president's "husband," Congresswoman Zoe Anderson, and the political influence of her family in California and Texas, remains unknown.

The still-shaken congresswoman gave a media interview immediately after escaping danger. Despite being covered in dirt, Zoe Anderson's beauty was still undeniable, and she quickly became a hero in the eyes of the public.

Although the media, who were kept on the perimeter, had not yet figured out what exactly happened inside the White House, the corpses scattered on the lawn and the military's posture of surrounding the area without attacking offered some clues.

At this moment, a female member of parliament suddenly appeared, exuding a heroic and spirited aura, carrying a Victor submachine gun that was clearly captured from "terrorists," and with obvious bloodstains on her cheeks. How could the media not go crazy?

This is also part of the Pentagon's plan. Turning a funeral into a celebration has always been a common practice in politics. There is nothing better than a ready-made big news story that attracts attention to divert public anxiety.

Now that we have an acting president, and a female hero who can rival the protagonists in Hollywood blockbusters and whose own attributes are "absolutely correct," the "former" president and "former" first lady, whose fates are unknown, seem less "important."

But this was clearly not what those hiding in the White House underground bunker wanted to see, so they quickly became impatient, and things took a new turn.

"The bunker door is open, and someone is escorting the Secretary of Defense into the elevator." Kate, who had regained control of the White House's internal surveillance, updated Jack with the information in real time, just as before.

In the basement of the White House, Jack, now dressed in a different outfit, bumped fists with the members of SEAL Team B one by one, finally standing in front of Captain Jason.

Jack wore a faint smile, while Captain Jason looked menacing, just like the scene when the two first met many years ago.

However, Jack was no longer the young LAPD officer waiting for the seals to come to his rescue, and they were no longer facing a group of monsters devoid of any intelligence.

"I entrust my life to you. Seize the opportunity. I don't want to be draped in the Stars and Stripes at such a young age."

At this moment, Jack was wearing a black hood, and was dressed in the equipment and bulletproof vest that he had taken from the previous prisoners. He took an HK416, which had also been captured, from Jason Hayes.

"Even if we all die, someone like you won't."

Jason punched Jack in the chest, using a joke typical of soldiers to dispel the slightly tense atmosphere.

Sonny Quinn, a Texan with a full beard, stuffed two offensive grenades into Jack's bulletproof vest, muttering complaints under his breath.

"Watch out, lucky boy. Damn it, why is it always you who saves the world when you're in the limelight?"

(End of this chapter)