Chapter 14: Allies

  Location: Science Castle, A Surveillance Blind Spot in a Backup Stairwell

  Time: Evening of the day the "Echo Protocol" evidence was discovered

  Holding the evidence of the "Echo Protocol," Thunderhawk felt like he was gripping burning coal. Direct disclosure would immediately invite Graham's lethal counterattack—he needed to find a reliable ally. As the tribal elder had warned him in childhood: "Even a wolf needs moonlight to remind itself it is not alone." Constable Valeria Mendoza was the only choice at the moment. But how to safely contact her became the problem.

  Using his patrol intervals, he noticed that Valeria had a habit of going to a small open-air platform at the edge of the living quarters (simulated environment, but with real air circulation) to catch her breath in the evenings. There was a visual blind spot there, in the shadow of a ventilation shaft. Thunderhawk decided to take the risk.

  That evening, he lurked in the blind spot in advance. When Valeria walked alone onto the platform, leaning on the railing gazing out (at the fake starry sky projection outside), Thunderhawk lightly tapped a nearby metal pipe with a small stone.

  Valeria alertly spun around instantly, hand pressing on her holstered sidearm. "Who's there?"

  "It's me, Thunderhawk." He slowly emerged from the shadows, raising both hands to show he meant no harm.

  Valeria's gaze was sharp, full of suspicion. "Mr. Morningstar? What are you doing here? Following me?"

  "I need to talk to you, away from all eyes and ears." Thunderhawk lowered his voice. "About Old Chen's death, I've found key evidence."

  Valeria didn't relax her guard, but the words "key evidence" made her take a step forward, also lowering her voice. "Speak."

  "Old Chen's ID card authority were artificially elevated to the highest level temporarily before the attack. The authorization was completed through a backdoor program called 'Echo Protocol,' and log records show the source terminal was in the Security Director's office area." Thunderhawk stated the core facts concisely.

  Valeria's pupils contracted slightly. "Evidence?"

  Thunderhawk quickly pressed a micro storage device into Valeria's hand. "This is an encrypted excerpt of the log slice, enough for you to initiate a formal investigation. The complete raw data is in a secure location."

  Valeria gripped the storage device tightly, her face flashing with shock, anger, and finally resolve. "Graham... why would he do this?"

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  "I don't know the full reason, but this is definitely not an isolated incident. Old Chen was a manipulated pawn, his death was silencing. The interior of Science Castle is far darker than it appears on the surface." Thunderhawk didn't mention the "Babel" or his true purpose, only stating confirmed facts.

  Valeria was silent for several seconds, seemingly rapidly weighing pros and cons. "This evidence... if authentic, is enough to apply for an arrest warrant for Graham and a search warrant for his office. But this will take time, and needs to bypass potentially infiltrated local judicial channels." She looked at Thunderhawk, her gaze complex. "Why are you taking such a huge risk to tell me? Who are you really?"

  "Someone who doesn't want to see the truth buried." Thunderhawk gave a vague but sincere answer. "Constable, your investigation has already touched someone's nerves. John Liu's death was likely part of the 'cleanup program.' You're in danger now too."

  Valeria took a deep breath and carefully stored the device. "I understand. Thank you for your trust, Thunderhawk. I'll handle this carefully. Before I take formal action, stay silent and be careful."

  Just then, light footsteps came from the stairwell entrance. Both immediately fell silent and quickly separated. Coming up was Dr. Cassandra Walker's assistant, who seemed to be looking for a place with better signal for communication. Seeing Valeria and Thunderhawk, he appeared slightly surprised, then politely nodded. "Constable Mendoza, Mr. Morningstar, Dr. Walker is organizing the preliminary assessment report and hopes to exchange views on recent incidents with both of you tomorrow."

  This seemingly coincidental encounter made Thunderhawk wary. This "ethics inspector's" reach seemed both long and precise.

  As Thunderhawk and Valeria left the platform, they happened to see Ryan Zhang hurrying out from a side door of the administrative area. Zhang looked haggard, eyes red and swollen, but still forcing himself to work. He walked quickly toward the living quarters, but his direction wasn't his residence—it was toward the small plaza with the simulated fountain, a place usually empty during this period.

  Out of professional habit and current sensitivity, they kept their distance and followed. They saw Zhang sitting alone on a bench in the most secluded corner of the plaza, hands covering his face, shoulders trembling slightly, seemingly desperately suppressing great emotion. After a while, he looked up, blankly surveying his surroundings, eyes full of fear and despair. He didn't make contact with anyone, just like someone bearing enormous pressure on the verge of collapse.

  Why was he so afraid? Thunderhawk wondered. Was it sympathy for John Liu's death? Was it because exposure of the "Echo Protocol" might trace back to system vulnerabilities he was responsible for? Or... was he himself bearing unknown enormous pressure, perhaps being coerced by some force?

  Thunderhawk recalled the scene he'd witnessed earlier of Cassandra Walker "publicly" conversing with Zhang. At the time, Walker had appeared businesslike, but now combined with Zhang's near-collapse state, the content of that conversation was probably far more than simple "ethics assessment." It was more like a warning, a stern admonition under a legal fa?ade.

  They didn't approach to disturb him. Any contact at this moment might push Zhang into even more dangerous territory, and might expose themselves. They silently retreated into the shadows.

  Science Castle's night sky, with its fake stars twinkling as always. But Thunderhawk knew that beneath this steel city at his feet, cracks were spreading. He had given Valeria a hammer capable of shattering the surface, while that seemingly impartial "inspector" appeared to be pressing another deadly dagger against this city's most vulnerable hub.