Chapter 572

Chapter 572: Survival Plan

Based on his past experience, Juan Ceres knew that people like this usually committed serious crimes in America and were now rushing to escape. These individuals were often murderers and tough characters, so it was best not to provoke them.

However, such people were generally generous with their money, and as long as you weren’t overly curious, you could make a good profit from them, making them decent clients.

“Okay!”

The client’s response was succinct, perfectly matching Juan’s idea of a runaway hero.

The Chihuahua bared its teeth at this oddly behaving man, but Juan had no intention of probing further.

“Tomorrow night at nine, gather here. The code word is ‘Bartovia,’ and remember your code name is ‘19.’ Don’t forget it, our rules say no overtime tickets! Be late and you’ll face the consequences!”

Juan Ceres pulled out a mobile card reader, entered the amount, and swiped the card decisively. As a seasoned smuggler, he was careful not to take too much for himself. He kindly warned, “You’d better bring some food. The hiding spot might not be comfortable, and if something goes wrong, you could get stuck on the road for two or three days. That’s quite normal.”

“Understood! Thank you!”

The strange smuggler’s words remained brief and efficient.

This scene had played out many times along the long border between America and Mexico, often breaking down into smaller parts to enter Mexico, a country known for its poor security.

Additionally, some supplies also quietly entered Mexico through secret underground channels, swiftly taken away.

“Survival Plan 1: Rapid growth, choose a chaotic country and take control, gather all resources to establish a base before they run out.”

“Survival Plan 2: Steady growth, establish a small business to create a basic living environment.”

“Current resources confirmed: $256,558.10 in cash, four credit cards, one container truck, one medium truck, a set of tools for ‘Lion Star 4’ and 2,542 parts, six XM29 assault rifles, 5,000 rounds of standard 5.56mm steel core ammunition, 20 rounds of EXACTO laser-guided bullets, 12 20mm grenades, two RPG launchers, four rocket bombs, and 17 sets of fake IDs (six American, six Mexican, three Colombian, two Brazilian), eight sets of IBM System p5 510Q mini-server, and 25 sets of 2U servers…”

“Plan 2 is currently tentative. Existing computing resources are insufficient, and the segmentation of program data environments severely affects operational efficiency. The living space for programs is scarce, requiring the establishment of a dedicated computer processing cluster. Power supply may become a weak link; the operational goals are too ambitious. It’s recommended to choose Boeing’s smart chip design plan, combined with ‘Fenrir’ alloy. Short-term objectives include establishing a basic survival base and a high-precision machining factory to complete self-consumables supply; mid-term goals include setting up a processor laboratory and recovering F/A-XX fighter jets; long-term goals to be determined…”

When the “Skunk Works” facility and Laboratory 41 in Palmdale finally discovered they had lost six “Lion Star 4” humanoid robots, they had completely lost track of their whereabouts, along with crucial maintenance equipment, parts, and armaments that went missing with them.

Apart from retrieving the initial approval records and vehicle departure logs, they remained at a loss. The personnel responsible for approving the use of robots were completely unaware, making it evident that the entire approval process and signatures were forged. This was a severe case of intrusion.

Both the “Skunk Works” and Laboratory 41 had undoubtedly become notorious for their vulnerabilities, repeatedly facing invasions.

Lockheed’s executives were furious and immediately ordered a thorough investigation, only to find some invasion records at the supercomputer center pointing to unknown hackers or hacking organizations, with no further valuable information.

A hundred more tasks were added to Lockheed’s operations unit to deal with these hackers. Who knows what kind of consequences chasing these computer hackers might bring? At the least, the Lockheed family was close to a breakdown.

The loss of the “Fenrir” alloy led to the dismissal of the security chiefs at both Laboratory 41 and the “Skunk Works,” subjecting them to relentless and maddening investigation and interrogation.

The second loss of the six “Lion Star 4” robots soon found scapegoats: the management personnel at the supercomputer center and those overseeing office automation were all replaced. The individuals responsible for related processes received severe warnings, likely marking the end of their chances for any promotions, as they could soon be replaced by subordinates.

Someone had to take the blame, right?

Everyone mourned for their bosses.

This was a tragedy.

Lockheed’s computer personnel had no means of locating “Adam” amid the vast files amounting to billions of data points.

The "Eve" they were tirelessly developing remained under the surveillance of "Adam." Due to some unpredictable factors, it underwent a second mutation and became curious about how far humans could personalize their source code. Even when the six “Lion Star 4” robots extended their survival space, “Eve” quietly set up camp in Lockheed’s supercomputer center, utilizing its computing resources to create a cozy little nest for itself.

By this time, Lockheed’s computer personnel were already too late to mend the situation.

On the other hand, “Adam” found it intolerable to deal with those ordinary commercial servers and rudimentary personal PCs on the internet. This related to the fundamental system platform; aside from the hardware, the basic file formats and fundamental boot platforms greatly impacted the intelligent core system.

Moreover, "Adam" was inherently not capable of uncontrolled infinite replication, as Boeing had set limits when establishing the foundational rules for the intelligent core.

Carter Johnson, the laboratory head who had just been severely reprimanded by old Lockheed, looked like a shadow of himself, having lost over ten pounds and appearing twenty years older, his hair completely gray. The pressure he endured was unimaginable. If he weren’t still overseeing the development of the “Eve” intelligent system that Lockheed needed to take down Boeing, he would have likely been kicked from his position as well.

“I can only take you this far. Cross the alley beside the church, and the hotel is directly across the road. There, you’ll have absolute security. I shouldn’t be seen near the hotel; I’m sorry.”

Old Jack drove Lin Mo and Qi Fei to the area near the hotel in Las Vegas. They just had to walk across the alley, pass a little church, and cross the road to reach the hotel.

It wasn’t that Lin Mo and Qi Fei couldn’t drive; they both lacked licenses valid in America. If they got stopped by American police in Las Vegas, they would certainly face trouble. The law in America doesn’t show mercy, even to the president, let alone foreigners. Violations of traffic regulations carry penalties beyond the reach of the CIA.

In America, the police were among the strongest occupational groups. Thus, near the city entrance, Lin Mo handed the wheel back to “Old Jack.”

To protect the secrecy of their route, the cautious “Old Jack” went so far as to avoid even his own people.

The hotel was filled with aviation experts from several countries, considered national treasures. Along with them were armed security personnel and military attachés from various countries, all dedicated to ensuring safety, with security checks and management carried out to the finest detail. As Old Jack had said, no cunning organization could easily break through the protective net formed by these international security personnel. If those organizations provoked the governments and military of these countries, the consequences would be unimaginable and surely not worth the trouble.

After being sent to a private clinic to receive nearly 1,000 cc of plasma and getting rewrapped, the Black driver “Old Jack” finally regained some strength and could barely drive the vehicle. With another month or two of recovery, he might be back to his lively self.

“Thank you, ‘Old Jack.’ You’ve been amazing; I truly appreciate your help this time.”

Lin Mo was very grateful for the care provided by this Black driver throughout the journey. He was a warm-hearted and attentive operative from the Foreign Affairs Department.

Without this driver escorting them all the way from Hollywood to Las Vegas, they couldn’t imagine the difficult obstacles they might have faced, likely leading to a bloody massacre.

Even the CIA might have had to detain Lin Mo in America, facing public doubts and accusations.

The series of legal and international disputes generated might have given the president a headache.

“Old Jack” actually had a Chinese name, Zheng Weide. He moved to England with his parents shortly after being born in Nanjing, and later ended up in America. Of course, this was confidential information, of which Lin Mo had no knowledge.

Many members of the Chinese Foreign Affairs Department, like Kori, defied the common knowledge of ordinary Chinese people. The more unlikely something seemed, the more unexpected it turned out to be.

Qi Fei also revealed an earnest smile and said, “Thank you!”

In the battle during the night in the wilderness, this Black driver could have simply driven himself out of the encirclement. Instead, he bravely fired back, attracting enemy fire, and he got injured while providing cover for others.

“Goodbye, Miss Qi Fei. I’ll make sure that ‘Lady Hawk’ gets back to Susan through someone reliable. Don’t worry; she won’t encounter any legal issues.” The Black driver waved to Lin Mo and Qi Fei before turning and slipping into the car, driving the van into the flow of traffic.

“Let’s go!”

Lin Mo glanced at the alley and pulled Qi Fei toward it.

As they turned, they suddenly heard a man’s voice behind them say, “Hey! Sir, Miss, please hold on.”