587: Confidential Documents

“Have the agents assemble at Quantico at noon today. After consolidating the situation, the Black Rose plan will begin infiltrating New York at 3 PM this afternoon,” he issued the order.

Meanwhile, at the New York Police Department, Chief Qiao Qi was packing the items in his office. He had worked here for over ten years, never expecting it to end this way. He knew his dereliction of duty was the cause of all this, but he remained completely unaware of the hidden forces within the bureau. However, he no longer wanted to investigate.

Just as he was packing his things alone, there was a knock on the office door.

“Chief…” Chief Qiao Qi turned around and saw the Team Leader of the Technical Group standing at the door. He felt a slight sense of relief, but when he saw the expression on the other person's face, that relief instantly vanished.

“What's wrong?” he asked with a sigh.

The Team Leader of the Technical Group swallowed and said, “We… lost something.”

Chief Qiao Qi frowned, “Lost something? What?” He gradually felt a bad premonition, remembering what Zhang Qi had said before leaving last night.

The Team Leader of the Technical Group paused for a moment before answering with a trembling voice, “Confidential information.”

Chief Qiao Qi's body instantly stiffened. Although he was about to leave the United States Police Department with a cardboard box, the words of the Team Leader of the Technical Group still left him rooted to the spot.

His heart was filled with conflict, unsure how to react.

As the former Chief, should he continue to care about the stolen confidential information?

Or should he let go of everything, since he had already resigned?

However, when the helpless voice of the Team Leader of the Technical Group sounded, he firmed his resolve.

Despite the complex situation, he always believed that good intentions were more prevalent. This was the fundamental reason why he had served as the Chief of the New York Police Department for so long without problems.

He put down the cardboard box, looked at the Team Leader of the Technical Group, and asked in a deep voice, “What exactly was lost?”

After a moment of stunned silence, he walked towards the office door, “Take me to see.”

The Team Leader of the Technical Group seemed to have found his anchor, his spirits lifted, and he nodded, leading Chief Qiao Qi to the Technical Group.

Entering the Technical Group office, Chief Qiao Qi found the atmosphere lifeless. He frowned and asked, “What on earth happened?”

The Team Leader of the Technical Group, Ravi, replied, “Chief, all the data stored in our database has been copied and then cleared.”

Chief Qiao Qi widened his eyes and asked with a distorted voice, “All of it?”

Ravi nodded with difficulty, “All of it. Including confidential files for major cases, data documents, and agent registration files, all were stolen…”

Chief Qiao Qi was stunned, “Why were there also agent file backups?”

Ravi explained, “We and the FBI are both part of the judicial system. According to rank, this data also has backups. A portion of the agent list is also with us, but the rank isn't high…”

Only then did Chief Qiao Qi remember the handover with FBI officials a few years ago. But shouldn't these documents be stored in the internal database? How could they be stolen?

Could this be what Zhang Qi meant… the thing they lost?

Chief Qiao Qi pondered for a moment and asked, “Was this data Zhang Qi's objective?”

The Team Leader of the Technical Group nodded, “It should be.”

“Last night, when we actively linked and communicated, we cracked the other party's data packet, which contained a Trojan virus. The situation was urgent then, and we didn't discover it. By the time we found it today, it was too late…”

Chief Qiao Qi sighed, his heart filled with shock. He pieced together all of Zhang Qi's actions and finally understood Zhang Qi's true purpose.

The morning's live broadcast preview and the words about freedom and equality were all misleading, making them think Zhang Qi was a madman. John Zhang was just a tool to deepen their preconceived notions.

“Damn it…” Chief Qiao Qi cursed in a low voice, “Was his goal just to make us contract this virus?”

He finally understood, the identity of the judge, the live broadcast, the hostages… were all traps! They were a setup designed to deceive them!

Thinking that the FBI's database might also have been stolen, Chief Qiao Qi's expression became even uglier. But Ravi shook his head, indicating that the FBI's files had not been lost, which made him slightly relieved.

However, the New York Police Department handled a large number of major cases, and some losses were not announced.

If this continued, the situation could become worse.

And at this moment, Chief Qiao Qi had resigned and had no right to intervene further. He let out a long sigh and instructed, “Activate the emergency plan, handle it discreetly. First, announce a server outage to stop the losses. The rest will be handled by the next Director.”

In a luxurious hotel suite in Manhattan, Su Yue was browsing through the stolen data.

The FBI's data was not lost, but he had also copied a portion.

Although not many files were stolen from the FBI, he obtained a lot of information from the high-permission personal computer of the person in charge, Keith.

As he scrolled the mouse, he suddenly paused, seeing a file labeled “Confidential,” related to China.

He clicked in to view it in detail, and a smile gradually appeared at the corner of his mouth.

He knew that the outline of his next plan had taken shape.

Meanwhile, at the FBI Headquarters in Quantico, an unremarkable middle-aged man walked into a phone booth, pretending to pick up the phone, but his eyes glanced towards the FBI office building.

At this moment, a lively voice came from the phone, “Jason Bourne… I didn't expect to meet a legend like you. I am Ethan Hunt… Hello.”

Ethan Hunt, a top expert in the IMF Special Operations Group, had rich experience in transnational operations and was a leader in the agent world. He was not only capable but also maintained absolute loyalty to the IMF and the United States. In the mission to pursue Zhang Qi, an unknown quantity, Ethan Hunt's abilities were undoubtedly crucial.

And Jason Bourne, a legendary figure, as the sole survivor of the CIA's Treadstone program, possessed extraordinary focus and execution. Although he had reservations about loyalty, his appearance in the face of the Zhang Qi incident was also within reason.

When Ethan Hunt confirmed over the phone with Jason Bourne whether the other members had arrived, Bourne frowned, trying to probe the other party's intentions. However, Ethan Hunt easily resolved his probe, stating that their sincerity had been demonstrated by not arresting him.

Bourne hung up the phone, crossed the road, and saw a handsome man waving at him. He immediately recognized him as Ethan Hunt.

After they shook hands, Ethan Hunt began introducing the other members: Lieutenant Swagg, a sniping expert; Bangi, a skilled Hacker; and Repheus, a nimble driver.

As they were getting acquainted, the person in charge of the operation, Keith, suddenly appeared, introduced the last member, Repheus, and briefly explained the mission objective—to quickly find and kill Zhang Qi, while ensuring the intelligence was not leaked.

Swagg raised a question: if Zhang Qi had set up the information to be tied to his life and death, and the information would be leaked upon his death, how would the mission be completed?

Keith replied that this was precisely why they had assembled these top agents, and emphasized the seriousness of the mission and the unprecedented permissions they had been granted.

At the same time, he clearly pointed out where the responsibility for mission failure would lie.

Jason Bourne was disgusted by the government's practice of shirking responsibility, but he also knew it was the norm.

Soon, the car stopped in front of a large factory building, where their command center was located.

Keith emphasized the mission objective again: find Zhang Qi, arrest him.

On December 12th, Xiao Xiao submitted her resignation letter, planning to travel abroad.

Although Xiang Shanmo and A Qi and others tried their best to persuade her to stay, she seemed determined.

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She planned to leave by plane the next day, so tonight was her farewell dinner.

She invited her former colleagues from the Special Task Force to dinner. When Lu Luan pushed the door open, the originally lively private room instantly fell silent.

Lu Luan's face wasn't good. He stood awkwardly at the doorway, surveying the room full of colleagues. After hesitating for five seconds, he said, “I came to the wrong place,” and turned to leave.

But Dong Yang quickly grabbed him, persuading him to stay and drink, saying it wasn't appropriate for him to be absent from Xiao Xiao's farewell dinner today.

Lu Luan reluctantly sat down, but his face remained gloomy. He noticed A Qi's face in the reflection of the round table glass; they were sitting directly opposite each other, truly a case of enemies crossing paths. He silently took a sip of water and then sat there without saying a word.

Seeing this, Zheng Ze suggested everyone start eating and asked Xiao Xiao to say a few words. Xiao Xiao, however, said there was no need for formalities, she was just going out for a trip, not leaving permanently.

However, no sooner had she finished speaking than a loud bang suddenly came.

Everyone looked in the direction of the sound, only to see Lu Luan slamming the table, his face red.

“A Qi!” Lu Luan's voice was low, but his tongue seemed a bit thick.

A Qi was called out, but he didn't look at Lu Luan. Instead, he looked at Dong Yang, asking what Lu Luan had just drunk.

Dong Yang was startled and replied that it was white wine.

A Qi nodded heavily, reminding everyone that Lu Luan was a one-drink wonder, and he hadn't drunk at the last meal. Only then did everyone realize that Lu Luan was so unable to drink.

Lu Luan continued to vent his dissatisfaction with A Qi, accusing him of not trusting himself and Gao Xiang.

A Qi took the opportunity to apologize, saying he was too nervous last time, and if there was a next time, he would definitely trust his teammates.

Lu Luan snorted after hearing this, but seemed to have forgotten the point of his anger. Unconsciously, he took another sip of alcohol, then slumped onto the table and fell asleep.

Xiao Xiao smiled and said this was an unexpected bonus, and A Qi also gave a wry smile, thanking Xiao Xiao for giving him this opportunity.

Everyone began to toast each other, and the previous unpleasantness seemed to have vanished.

After three rounds of drinks, Yan Qing suddenly mentioned the Zhang Qi incident that happened in the United States.

A Qi said he didn't know the follow-up situation but believed Zhang Qi was a master and that the United States side was definitely busy.

Xiang Shanmo mentioned what Zhang Qi said before the end of the live broadcast, which reminded people of Su Yue, but felt that Zhang Qi's style of action was different from Su Yue's.

Just as everyone was discussing, A Qi's phone suddenly rang.

He answered the phone, and upon hearing the voice on the other end, his expression instantly froze.

He pressed the speakerphone button and asked again who it was. The other party's voice came through clearly: “I am Zhang Qi.”

“Zhang Qi!?” This name exploded in everyone's hearts like a thunderclap.

How could he suddenly call?

A Qi looked surprised. They were just talking about Zhang Qi, and the call came out of nowhere!

Was it a coincidence?

Or had he been eavesdropping on their conversation all along?

Not just A Qi, but everyone present had shock written all over their faces.

Yan Qing reacted quickly, immediately taking out the laptop she carried with her, her fingers flying across the keyboard.

Seeing this, A Qi also stood up, holding his phone and walking towards Yan Qing.

The timing of Zhang Qi's call was too coincidental, making him suspect whether a virus had been planted in his phone.

However, while quietly taking action, A Qi did not interrupt the call with the person who claimed to be Zhang Qi.

“Zhang Qi? Do I know you?” He deliberately asked this, both to stall for time and to probe the other party.

Everyone present held their breath. At this moment, they had to be cautious, even worrying that this guy had started another live broadcast.

A madman's behavior pattern is incomprehensible to normal people.

However, the other party let out a scoff, “A Qi, if you didn't know me, I wouldn't be making this call.”

“It just so happens that your colleagues and acquaintances are all here, so it couldn't be more convenient…”

Hearing this, A Qi's steps suddenly stopped.

He looked around, trying to find if there were any surveillance cameras.

However, with such a scan, he naturally couldn't find anything.

A Qi replied pretending to be calm, “I really don't remember this name. How about you, my friend, introduce yourself first.”

Su Yue listened to A Qi's voice and found it somewhat amusing.

This guy was really cautious. After chasing him for so long, his vigilance had indeed increased significantly.

He cleared his throat and said, “Kang Team, there's no need for more nonsense. Since you watched the live broadcast, your contacts and photos on your phone are all in my hands. By comparing them, I can confirm your identity. Continuing with nonsense is just wasting time.”

Hearing the words coming from A Qi's phone, the faces of the people present became even uglier.

The other party had actually planted a virus in their phones, and according to what he said, it wasn't just planting a virus on their phones!

By comparing contact lists, it was highly likely that the electronic devices of others present were also infected with the virus, thus completely grasping their identity information!

If that were the case…

Then indeed, as the other party said, it was unnecessary to continue saying polite words now.

However, A Qi didn't speak for a moment. He handed the phone to Yan Qing.

Yan Qing plugged the phone into her laptop and began to analyze it.

Her expression was more serious than anyone else's present, because this was clearly her area of expertise, yet even she had been silently infected!

At this moment, she had to seize this opportunity to regain face!

A Qi was also buying time for Yan Qing: “Did you infect our phones with a virus?”

He asked, “Then for you, wouldn't it be a wiser choice to continue controlling our phones?”

Su Yue understood what A Qi meant. He could even vaguely hear the sound of keyboard typing.

He immediately analyzed the situation based on this sound and then said, “Heh heh… Kang Team, using such crude methods to stall for time? Trying to clear the script I left behind? Don't think too much. After the data is uploaded, the script will self-delete. Instead of wasting this time, it's better to talk openly about our matters.”

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