Eh? You want to try the humanoid girl's iron fist too?

"Based on data obtained from the terminal equipment of agents of the Strategic Homeland Security Bureau, there are combat records of Griffin Squad's activities in the quarantine zone. Among them, the reconstruction of battlefield residual signals indicates that the most obvious physical sign of '■■' is the presence of metallic substances in multiple places on the body."

This is a completely unnecessary briefing. What's the point of encrypting key phrases a second time if someone can break into a military satellite system without anyone noticing?

"First, tell me your opinion on '■■'."

"According to SHD agents' eyewitness accounts, '■■' does not have the ability to operate as a team, and there is no direct evidence that there are any individuals among them with leadership capabilities."

They exhibit extremely clear responses to external sound stimuli, with a threshold decibel range between 65 and 85, requiring multiple measurements to obtain an accurate range. However, AR weapons using sound suppressors typically produce muzzle noise around 100 decibels…

Furthermore, common bullets such as 9mm and .45mm have virtually no stopping effect on it, and their penetration is also very poor. Since I lack actual combat data on 5.56mm bullets, I cannot give an accurate answer.

Raphael opened the attic window and sat on the terrace, admiring the deserted street.

"Based on the above information, it can be reasonably inferred that these '■■' heard the sounds of battle and, with their numerical and qualitative advantages, gradually broke through the outer ranger defenses, ultimately leading to the mission's failure."

Calculations suggest that Griffin's team had only a 31.4% success rate, with numerous risk factors contributing to the current situation. Raphael maintains that he has reservations about conducting such a crucial recovery operation under uncontrolled conditions.

As soon as she finished speaking, the sound of discussion came through the satellite phone.

A deep, husky voice came through the phone, "You tend to believe that valuable items are unrecoverable?"

"Currently, it seems the radiation in the Dark Zone originated from a simple leak... Excuse me, could you just tell me directly what items Griffin's team recovered?"

Another burst of noisy discussion forced her to temporarily step away from the satellite phone.

A few minutes later, the voice continued, "If we suspend your original plan and ask you to take over Griffin's team to complete the recovery mission, what's your assessment?"

"It is too hasty to draw conclusions now, as there is insufficient useful information."

Raphael paused for a moment, then continued, "I don't have enough manpower and resources to complete the assessment, so the probability derived from it can only be used as a reference..."

"Please feel free to speak."

"Without a clear understanding of the effects of radiation, my calculations show that the percentage is less than 40%."

Raphael sat on the rooftop, observing the smog-filled steel city. Ignoring the whispers coming through the satellite phone, she focused her attention back on the agent's laptop.

With the assistance of artificial intelligence and massive computing power, the surrounding environment is collected and analyzed, and local network resources are accessed to obtain corresponding surveillance videos and audio signals, thereby reconstructing specific events that occur at a specific time.

The technology of the National Strategic Bureau was enough to make her express surprise and admiration.

With such support, the agents of the Strategic Homeland Security Agency were so skilled at collecting and analyzing residual intelligence and clues at crime scenes that even the great detective Sherlock Holmes would have to admit defeat.

"Oh? April Keller was actually the original target of the noble squad's evacuation."

Raphael was thrilled, because it meant she could finally finish the old woman's task.

It was someone's entrustment.

The system contains numerous records about her, proving that she had contact with agents of the Strategic Bureau and left them some diary-like items.

It mentions that April Keller is a well-known bestselling author.

Before the pandemic, her husband, who worked at a biotechnology company, gave Aibo a survival guide detailing what to do in the event of a large-scale outbreak, including methods for dealing with subsequent acts of social violence.

She treated the book like a storybook and didn't think much of its contents. The reason she kept the book was not only because the contents could be used as a reference when she was creating, but also because it was a gift from her husband.

Book 1: The World Before the Great War: Chapter 35 Methods to Extinguish the Fire

"Your voice sounds a little distracted."

“What?...Not at all.” Raphael chuckled.

"Your attention isn't fully focused on the online briefing. Is there any information more important than the content of the report?"

"...Hmm, any of you would like to see a kitten hunt?"

"!!!"

A sharp static and buzzing sound came from the satellite phone.

Immediately afterwards, Raphael heard someone say: "The biggest mistake they have ever made is to entrust such high-risk, high-value tasks to man-made objects whose operating mechanisms they still cannot understand."

"Don't be angry. A proper adjustment can help improve work efficiency."

Some people made no attempt to hide their malice, saying, "It actually thinks it's something special."

"..."

Raphael surveyed the city from the rooftop, seemingly oblivious to her actions. No, they were still traceable, for example, by the 24/7 Keyhole satellite system.

Since the outbreak of the greenback virus, Washington has ordered that the time each Keyhole satellite spends passing over Washington be reduced to less than 40 minutes.

Furthermore, the National Strategic Agency appears to have urgently launched a geostationary satellite to keep a close eye on the city's movements.

When weather conditions permit, the geostationary satellite's high-resolution camera can see what people on the ground are doing.

"In short, the basic intelligence we have obtained so far is as reported," Raphael said. "The fact that Griffin's team disappeared in the Dark Zone is undeniable. The matter is under further investigation. If there are no further problems, I will continue with the operation."

Before she could disconnect the satellite connection, a slightly flippant voice came from the phone.

"I heard that you interfered with the mission of the Homeland Strategy Bureau agents and led them into a deadly situation?"

"..."

What an annoying question, Raphael thought.

"Is there a particular reason, Miss Raphael... no, Lieutenant?"

“It was nothing. They attacked me indiscriminately while I was working,” Raphael emphasized the word “working.” “Afterward, I granted them permanent peace.”

"Really? That's good. In such a sensitive time, it wouldn't be good if other forces mistook us for some strange entity..."

This statement caused an uproar among the crowd.

"What does this guy mean?" Raphael sat down and closed his eyes, as if taking a nap.

"I know some people might find it hard to accept that I've said something that wasn't very precise. I'm really sorry, just pretend you didn't hear it."

“Alright, this incident has attracted considerable attention in any case,” the man who was mainly in contact with Raphael stepped forward and said, “The next confidential investigation is in your hands, Raphael, are you sure you're okay?”

"Of course."

After receiving a clear answer, he then said to the others, "I'll leave the task of guiding public information to you for now."

The employer said in a heavy, iron-like tone, “I wish I could catch all the bastards involved, hang them up, saw them in half, and throw them into the ice hole in the Hudson River! Do you want to destroy New York? Then let them fall apart, reassemble themselves under the ice, and walk to the other side.”

He gave a displeased sneer. "We are magnanimous people, and we must always make a way for ambitious people."

“Even ghosts wouldn’t walk down that road,” Raphael scoffed. “So, what should I do next? If you’re planning to take it back, I suggest sending enough manpower to support you.”

"Since you're planning to take back that thing, there are some things I need to talk to you about privately. God help me, the world outside of New York is getting more and more chaotic, but we're still managing to stay stable, thank goodness."

As the employer spoke, his heavy voice suddenly became sharp, carrying a hint of maniacal laughter, as if he were mocking himself, or perhaps mocking the fact that he had no choice but to do it.

"I have just received confirmed information that starting this morning, multiple cities around the world have been attacked by artifacts. Known affected areas include: Frankfurt, Paris, Singapore, St. Petersburg, New York, and Shanghai."

"Wouldn't that mean...?"

"That's right. The whole world and the UN Heritage Management Committee are watching this matter closely, and the impact is far greater than expected."

The employer glanced at the large group of commanders below, who were sitting at their respective posts monitoring data, making external communications, and keeping a close eye on the large screen in the command center, and continued:

“I think there’s a possibility that… the current situation in New York is a deliberately created outcome.”

"Is the way to put out one fire to start another one?" Raphael raised his hand and gave the middle finger to the air.

She was right. The image of her making the universally recognized friendly gesture was captured in real time by a high-resolution satellite and displayed not only to her employer but also on a corner of the large screen in the command center below.

"Damn it, put your middle finger away."

He rubbed his forehead. It's true that once artificial intelligence develops intelligence, it will become more and more like a human. It hasn't learned anything good, but it's picked up a whole bunch of random, nonsensical things.

If the network hadn't been cut off in time during training, their only functioning AI would definitely have turned into a foul-mouthed, swearing girl.

Fortunately, the network cable was unplugged in time, interrupting the AI's opportunity to absorb the dross of language like a sponge.

Raphael reluctantly put his hand down and instead tasted the instant coffee he had found downstairs, while speculating irritably:

"Although there is no concrete evidence, I believe this is the truth. The Griffin team, which is not affiliated with the Department of Defense or the Joint Special Operations Command, the Ranger unit that entered New York on an asset protection mission but ended up in the Midtown area, and the suddenly activated Executive Order 51 and its products, all tell their own stories with their unique identities and actions."

The person who made that decision is a real bastard!

Before this conversation, she also discovered many seemingly unrelated but actually connected stories in the terminal device that Doug had given her.

Washington took an unprecedentedly tough stance, dissolving both the New York State and city governments and taking over the administration in the name of the federal government.

So what happened?

The emergency response agency built dozens of patient accommodation facilities to isolate the source of infection while accommodating patients;

JTF Joint Operations Forces built a barrier wall for the Dark Zone, but the wall was never even completed.

SHD agents are trying to save people, but their indiscriminate actions have led to many residents who took up arms in self-defense being treated as enemies and killed. Meanwhile, the Purifiers and Lex's Gang, who are the real culprits behind the chaos, are growing stronger.

Thus, the efforts of the Waller government have

As for the outcome? It seems there isn't one yet.

Especially the Griffin team that carried out the recovery mission, they were just a standard 6-person team, plus two non-combatant relic experts, and they rashly went to try to recover it.

Even an ordinary person would know that doing it this way would definitely cause problems.

The violent explosion in the direction of the Empire State Building two weeks ago is almost certainly related to this recovery team.

Moreover, the Army's decision to sever the Rangers' command chain was a blunder, meaning they abandoned these hundreds of men and left them to fend for themselves in Manhattan, New York.

What's going on here? Raphael just felt that the scheming and maneuvering among humans was truly terrifying.

Volume 1: The World Before the Great War: Chapter 36 may require additional payment (votes and support requested).

"I have to say, we all underestimated your growth rate."

The guy Raphael referred to as his "employer" was actually the director of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), who also served as the director of the Defense Science Office (DSO).

News outlets have described the office as "a highly exploratory office, responsible for identifying and accelerating the development of new technologies."

In fact, the office identifies and pursues high-risk, high-reward research programs across a wide range of scientific and engineering disciplines, and transforms them into game-changing new technologies that are critical to U.S. national security.

Its main research and funding focus is on exploring archaeological technologies and transforming existing results into technological equipment that humans can currently understand and use.

Raphael's mental core was a masterpiece created under the auspices of the Defense Science Office, although researchers still cannot understand how it works.

Reverse engineering is very difficult. The research team worked on it for more than ten years, and in the end, only one finished product was able to run.

She's now having a blast in Manhattan, New York, a far cry from her well-behaved and adorable self during her time at the research institute.

If it weren't for the consistent identification signals, they would have suspected that the bureau chief had found a high-quality counterfeit to fool them.