24: Chapter 24 Craig's Vigilance
Pretty Country, CIA Headquarters, James Craig's office.
The air was thick with caffeine and suppressed anxiety. Craig had just finished a video conference with The Pentagon, during which several generals had unceremoniously accused him of being "slow to react" and having "intelligence failures" regarding Dragon Country's technological trends. This made the usually arrogant Craig feel unprecedentedly frustrated.
He irritably loosened his tie and swept several routine reports on his desk aside. These reports were still repeating the same old tune: Dragon Country's aerospace projects were progressing slowly due to sanctions, and the funding for certain research institutes seemed to have been cut, and so on. Everything fit the "blockade taking effect" script they had expected.
But for some reason, there was a faint, lingering unease in Craig's heart. It was too quiet, unnervingly quiet. Based on his understanding of Dragon Country, facing such high-pressure blockades, the other side could not possibly have no reaction; at the very least, there should be more intense protests, more diplomatic mediation, or at least some tragic, doomed attempts to break through.
But now, there was nothing. Like the dead silence before a storm.
At that moment, his deputy walked in with a solemn expression, holding a freshly decoded electronic briefing.
"Sir, news just came from the Japan intelligence-sharing channel. It's not fully confirmed, but... it's a bit strange."
"Speak," Craig grunted irritably.
"A commercial spy they planted inside a large special metallurgy enterprise in Dragon Country reported that the enterprise has secretly provided several batches of extremely special alloy samples to several unknown units in recent months. According to the scattered data stolen, the performance parameters of those alloys... are ridiculously high, far exceeding any similar materials currently public, and even..." The deputy paused, seemingly weighing his words, "even close to the levels we can only prepare in some cutting-edge laboratories."
Craig's hand holding the coffee stopped in mid-air: "What about the performance parameters? Specific data!"
"Sorry, sir, the core data encryption level is extremely high, and our inside source couldn't obtain it. But based on logistics records and the security level of the receiving units, these materials ultimately flowed into top-secret fields related to aerospace and energy."
"Furthermore," the deputy continued, "the number of high-quality submissions to several top Dragon Country material science journals we monitor has plummeted over the past six months, especially papers involving frontier exploration fields. This is inconsistent with their usual practice of encouraging publication to enhance academic influence. It's as if... their top scholars suddenly got busy with something else and have no time to write papers."
Craig's brow furrowed tightly into a knot. Intelligence from commercial spies could be exaggerated, and anomalies in the academic world could have many explanations, but the two combined gave off an unusual scent.
He stood up abruptly and walked to the massive electronic world map, his gaze locking onto the territory of Dragon Country. That vast land seemed to be shrouded in a thick fog in his eyes at this moment.
No large-scale movement of funds? Perhaps they didn't need much extra investment at all, but were simply restructuring resources and adjusting priorities within their existing massive system?
No key equipment imports? Perhaps they... found substitutes? Or even... better substitutes?
This thought was like an ice pick, sending a shiver through Craig.
He remembered that briefing he had previously dismissed as "nonsense," about that student Lin Mo who behaved abnormally and bought special materials. At the time, he thought it was a joke, but now...
"That student..." Craig turned around suddenly, his eyes sharp as a knife. "Immediately! Bring me all the materials on that Dragon Country university student Lin Mo, even the most insignificant information! Re-evaluate everything!"
"Also, activate the 'Deep Divers' protocol. Use the deepest moles we have embedded in Dragon Country's technological system. At the risk of exposure, I want to know exactly what they are hiding in the fields of materials science and energy!"
The deputy was startled by his sudden change in attitude and sharp aura, and immediately responded, "Yes, sir! I'll get on it right away!"
Craig walked to the window and looked at the gloomy sky outside, the unease in his heart growing stronger. He realized he might have made a huge mistake, a mistake born of arrogance and habitual thinking.
Beneath the silent ice of Dragon Country, an undercurrent powerful enough to overturn everything was likely surging. And he had almost missed the most important signal.
"Patriot X... who exactly are you?" he muttered to himself. For the first time, he truly regarded this mysterious code name as a terrifying existence that needed to be taken seriously and could threaten Pretty Country's technological hegemony.