Chapter 551

Chapter 551: Enemies Meet on a Narrow Road

Dinner knives are as common in Western countries as chopsticks are in Chinese homes; you can find one anywhere.

To distinguish a dinner knife made of “Fenrir” alloy from countless others in a large five-star hotel is an incredibly difficult task, especially considering the many metallic items used throughout the hotel.

For the personnel from Lockheed Operations chasing White Wolf to Las Vegas, this meant disaster; who knows what else might be hidden nearby?

White Wolf and the "Yellow Sparrow" were unaware of the splitting characteristics of the "Fenrir" alloy; they would likely cut the alloy into smaller pieces to mitigate the risk.

Even China’s intelligence department might not know this detail. All they had gathered was that Lockheed Martin recently acquired a special alloy that could unleash terrifying processor performance, and they vaguely speculated about its ability to automatically absorb and proliferate metals.

Within Lockheed Martin, no more than a handful knew the wondrous properties of the "Fenrir" alloy. If they did know, it wouldn’t just be a couple of teams after it, but rather, a larger army of invaders.

The higher-ups only wanted to seize the "Fenrir" alloy entirely to prevent its power from upsetting the balance of international forces.

"Laboratory 41" never thought about preparing multiple backups in different locations; they assumed their lab was the safest place in America, only to be completely caught off guard.

Now, the "Fenrir" was just a dinner knife, a perfectly functional dinner knife.

The higher-ups in the intelligence department would applaud White Wolf’s quick thinking.

“Director Friedman, how did you end up here?”

“What’s going on?”

At the entrance of a hotel, Lockheed Operations director Mitch Friedman hadn’t yet expressed his annoyance at being stopped when someone recognized him, easing the tension. He had come to Las Vegas not for a public operation.

Behind him, robotic dogs wagged their tails openly on the street, tracking down targets by scent within Las Vegas.

To divert attention, a separate group carried cameras, lights, and reflectors, pretending to film.

This way, introducing something astonishing to the public could be easily brushed aside.

With Hollywood nearby, everything made sense.

It didn’t matter if aliens made an appearance in a movie; if people didn’t understand, they could just fill in the gaps with their imagination.

Having already made films about Transformers and Star Wars, they wouldn’t mind adding even stranger futuristic technologies.

One must admit, the technological background possessed by Lockheed, the world’s largest arms dealer, is astonishing. The ability to respond to a theft incident with high-tech equipment and techniques is comparable to that of national agencies.

Mitch Friedman, in his position as director of Lockheed Operations, was no fool. He knew how to utilize the resources he had, pulling out all the stops to follow the clues left by White Wolf and the "Yellow Sparrow."

“I am Colonel Jett from the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).”

A soldier in uniform showed his credentials to Mitch Friedman and stated, “This hotel is currently under lockdown. If you wish to enter, please present authorization.”

With the CIA responsible for intelligence, espionage, and counterespionage, granting them authority to conduct a search at the hotel was understandable, given the significant events surrounding Boeing and Area 51. Whether in military uniform or a suit, their appearance couldn’t hide their status as members of the largest intelligence agency in the world.

Before Mitch Friedman even approached the hotel, the CIA’s efficiency had already clarified all identities—including blood types and Social Security numbers—of him and his team.

“What? Colonel Jett, it’s great to see you here! You have no idea what I’m doing, do you? A damn little thief, a thoroughgoing criminal, stole our greatest invention from Lockheed, the most remarkable invention of this century. That bastard is hiding in the hotel right now! I’ll give you ten thousand dollars—no, fifty thousand—let us in! I want to drag this guy out.”

Mitch Friedman knew full well that the CIA was not to be trifled with; he had to find a way to get into the hotel as quickly as possible to launch a hunt, lest that guy escape again.

Hmph! Don’t think that using a trick to slip away will allow you to rest easy. Even if that unknown model helicopter is destroyed, the scent retrieved from the escape gear is enough for robotic dogs—sensitive to smells over five hundred times more than a regular dog—to keep track of it. As long as they have a power supply, the robotic dogs will continue their relentless pursuit.

In this aspect, the performance of the robotic dogs far exceeded that of ordinary military dogs.

“No, no, you cannot enter.”

Colonel Jett shook his head, dismissing the bluster from the director of Lockheed Operations.

What is the greatest invention? Today, the truly great invention has betrayed us—what can Lockheed offer that compares to "Adam"?

The public knows Microsoft, controlling the Windows operating system, is the largest software developer in the world, but they don’t realize that Boeing’s software development capabilities far exceed those of Microsoft. Its masterpiece, the "Adam" intelligent core, is the greatest invention of this century.

No one expected that natural disasters and human errors would unexpectedly come together, turning this hotel into a place of significant occurrence.

After the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) collaborated with the military to take over several hotels where international aviation experts stayed, their first strong action was to force all unrelated guests to check out, then promptly seal off the hotel.

“One hundred thousand dollars? How about one hundred fifty thousand?”

Mitch Friedman remained persistent; money was a small matter. If he appeared as incompetent as before, he would lose his job.

“No, that’s not allowed! These are the rules!”

“Two hundred thousand dollars! This is very important for us at Lockheed. Please!”

“No amount will work; this is a matter of national security. Unless you get authorization, you and your team cannot enter.”

Mitch Friedman’s monetary persuasion failed to break through Colonel Jett’s rigid sense of justice. Feeling somewhat dejected, he said, “Fine, I will obtain the authorization. But can you guarantee that no one will be allowed to leave this place?”

“Of course! No one is allowed in or out. We have personnel at all corridors and blind spots. However, I suggest you place a few observers at different spots in the hotel. If that thief is indeed inside, he won’t escape easily, will he?”

Colonel Jett remained very patient and didn’t refuse Lockheed, which was also among the victims. He had just received information in his earpiece, confirming that the individual had rushed from California to Nevada out of frustration, indicating that Lockheed’s operations manager was not lying.

The fact that Boeing and Lockheed, two major aerospace manufacturers, lost their most vital assets on the same day is already worthy of sympathy. Who knows if it was an accident or something man-made?

Allowing the other side to leave some observers at several corners didn’t affect the CIA’s operations, and Colonel Jett was also willing to offer Lockheed a favor.

“That’s great! Thank you, Colonel Jett.”

Though he couldn’t enter, he obtained permission to monitor the hotel. The robotic dog confirmed that the target had entered the hotel. As long as he hadn’t escaped, Mitch believed that with their collaboration with the CIA, they would be absolutely reliable.

Mitch Friedman felt that his long negotiation wasn’t in vain and gratefully shook hands with Colonel Jett.

Suddenly, Colonel Jett’s expression stiffened; the hand he held had a distinctly flat object in it. After they shook hands, it quietly remained in his palm.

He glanced discreetly; it was a small, shiny square.

The weight indicated it wasn’t a copper piece.

Gold?! Likely worth around ten thousand dollars.

Lockheed’s method of bribery was indeed unexpected.

Compared to Mitch Friedman’s small offer, old Lockheed had paid a much larger price.

For Lockheed’s future, to swiftly reclaim the "Fenrir" alloy, old Florodo Lockheed didn’t hesitate to bridge the connection to the Pentagon and high-level CIA officials to secure authorization for his operations manager.

As the world’s largest arms supplier and a primary contractor for the U.S. Military, Lockheed had some influence within the government and military.

Collusion between officials and businesses is commonplace; the harmonious society only exists in fantasy.

Within two hours, Mitch Friedman received notification of the authorization. Indeed, after Colonel Jett’s expression changed, he nodded to Mitch—they shared an unspoken understanding.

As Mitch Friedman was about to lead his team to storm the hotel, buses crossed the hotel’s security line and parked at the hotel’s entrance.

“Those are the buses for the Chinese aviation experts; they’re staying here. But I warn you, Mitch Friedman! Even though you’re the director of Lockheed Operations and have authorization to enter, their matters have nothing to do with you. Don’t inquire about where they appeared before; I can assure you, that is beyond your reach, and you absolutely must not come into conflict with them. The consequences are something neither you nor Lockheed can bear.”

Colonel Jett issued a serious warning while allowing access, addressing the eager Mitch Friedman and his subordinates. It was truly impossible to both steal from Lockheed’s Skunk Works and meddle with Area 51; such powerful figures simply did not exist.

However, Mitch Friedman clearly wasn’t listening to Colonel Jett’s warning; his gaze remained fixed on the individuals disembarking from the bus.