Chapter 11 Chapter 11

In order to intercept intelligence from the network, the National Security Agency of the United States spent huge sums of money to build a machine that can crack all passwords --- TRANSLTR.This supercomputer has thwarted the plots of countless terrorists, but it can also intercept ordinary people's emails.Is the world devoid of privacy and secrets?Please follow Dan Brown, the king of American suspense novels, into the puzzle of "digital castle" and experience a thrilling high-tech confrontation in the information age—— Fontaine heaved a sigh of relief.For the past month, Leland Fontaine has been full of anticipation.Some of what's happening in the NSA right now could rewrite history.

Three months ago, Fontaine had heard that Strathmore was working around the clock and seemed overwhelmed.Although Fontaine disagreed with Strathmore on many issues, he always respected the deputy chief. After the failure of the "Flying Fish" project, Strathmore has been under tremendous pressure.This made Fontaine uneasy; the deputy director had multiple keys to the NSA—and Fontaine had to protect the entire NSA.Fontaine needed someone to keep an eye on a hesitant Strathmore so that he could never go wrong. Out of respect for Strathmore, Fontaine decided to do the job himself.He installed a stealth surveillance program on the Strathmore Deputy Commissioner's Cryptography Division account.Seeing no sign of collapse, Fontaine found Strathmore preparing the groundwork for a plan of incredible ingenuity.Fontaine did not want to interfere with this plan.

Strathmore breathed slowly. "Susan," his voice was clear and strong. "Did you delete Hale's e-mail?" "No." She replied puzzled. "Have you got the password yet?" She shook her head. "Susan," he sighed firmly, "I want you to help me find Hale's code." "What!" Susan stood up, her eyes widened. "Director, if you're still eager to find out Ensei Yuka's algorithm, you can check it out yourself. I'm leaving here." Strathmore hung his head and took a deep breath.Clearly, she needed an explanation.He prayed he was right to do so.

"Susan," he began, "there's something I haven't told you..." The Deputy Commissioner hesitated, as if making a painful confession. "What I'm going to tell you next, actually, I never planned to tell you...nor anyone else." Susan couldn't help but fight a cold war.The deputy director's expression was extremely serious.Susan sat down. Strathmore was speechless for a while, trying to sort out his thoughts. "Susan," he said at last, his voice weak. "I don't have a family. All I have in my life is the love of this country. I've been with NSA my whole life. I want to leave here proud. I want to retire knowing I've done something."

"But you've done your business," Susan could not help saying. "You built TRANSLTR." "Susan, listen to me," he said, smiling softly at her. "I've been trying to decipher Ensei's e-mail for the past two months. When I first saw him How shocked I was when I wrote to North Dakota about an unbreakable algorithm called 'Number Fortress'. When I read that he wrote a rotating plaintext using mutated strings, I realized that he was much better than We were way ahead. When I heard about the auction of the 'Digital Castle' a few weeks ago, I finally realized that Ensei Yuka was serious. So I tried everything I could to stop him. I thought about sending People would kill him, but we'd be prime suspects. That's when it dawned on me. I realized that 'Digital Fortress' couldn't be stopped."

Susan looked at him, obviously at a loss. Strathmore went on to say: "It suddenly occurred to me that the 'digital castle' could work for us, not against us. If I find the code, I will unlock this 'digital castle' in our hands and carry out Modify it." "A back door," said Susan, "like the 'flying fish.'" Strathmore nodded. "Then we replaced the 'Digital Fortress' that Ensei Yuka made public on the Internet with our modified version. If people could download it freely, 'Digital Fortress' would become the encryption standard overnight. We could tell the whole The NSA has a computer that can crack any algorithm except 'Digital Fortress'."

"Then everyone's going to turn to 'Number Fortress'...with no idea that we can decipher it!" Strathmore nodded. "Yes!" He was silent for a long time, and then said, "I'm sorry, I lied to you. Rewriting 'Digital Castle' is too risky, and I don't want to involve you in it." "I... see," she said slowly, still fascinated by the ingenuity of the whole idea. "As long as the 'digital castle' is done, I will notify the director." Susan was deeply moved by the plan.She shuddered at the thought of all the lies Strathmore had told her.She looked at the deputy director anxiously. "You killed Ensei Yuka?"

Strathmore looked surprised. "Of course not. His death raises suspicions about Digital Fortress. I want this switch to be as inconspicuous as possible." Susan immediately understood why the deputy chief didn't want others to disturb the cryptography department.All it takes to make changes to the Digital Fortress is to ruin the deputy chief's plans.Only now did she really understand why he had decided to keep TRANSLTR running.If "Digital Fortress" is going to be the NSA's new masterpiece, Strathmore needs to make sure it's unhackable!For some reason, her sense of fear disappeared without a trace.Rewriting "Digital Fortress" would make history—and Strathmore needed her to help him. "What do we do next?"

Strathmore beamed.He puts a hand on her shoulder, smiles, and gets straight to the point. "Let's go downstairs together." He picked up his Beretta. "You search Halle's terminal, I'll cover you." Susan's hairs stood on end at the thought of going downstairs.The Deputy Commissioner was right.They need Hale's code.When she stood up, her legs kept shaking.She glanced at the weapon in Strathmore's hand and felt a sudden unease. "Are you going to kill Greg Hale?" "No." Strathmore frowned. "I hope he doesn't know about that yet."

A passenger with wire-rimmed glasses peers through the window of a taxi parked outside the terminal at Seville airport.He knew he had come at just the right time. A blond girl pulled a small object out of her pocket.Baker put the thing on his finger, took a wad of notes from his pocket, and paid the girl. Strathmore walked out of the office, followed by Susan, wondering if Hale was still in Branch Three.The deputy director insists that Hale dare not touch them, but Susan does not think so.Hale would take the risk.He has only two options: escape from the Cryptography Department, or go to jail.

Strathmore walked into the darkness without a word.Susan clutched his shoulders tightly.If the two got separated, the only way for her to find him was by calling his name, and Hale would likely hear their voices. The silence was suddenly broken, and a sharp "beep" sound penetrated the night.Strathmore turned quickly, and Susan slipped off him.Terrified, Susan reached out and groped for him.But the deputy director is no longer there.Where his shoulders had been, there was nothing now.She stumbled forward. The beeping sound continued.Sound is nearby.Susan turned around in the dark when suddenly the beeping stopped.Susan froze there.A moment later, a face suddenly appeared in front of her, it was the face of a devil, with a sharp black shadow protruding upward.She jumped back in fright, and turned and ran, but the devil seized her by the arm. "Don't move!" he ordered. It was Strathmore, and she was so relieved that she went limp. "Damn it," Strathmore cursed under his breath, "my new pager." He looked at the sky pager in his hand with disgust.He forgot to set the pager to vibrate.He bought it at a local electronics store.He paid extra to remain anonymous.Strathmore knew better than anyone how closely the NSA monitored his own people-the digital messages sent and received from this pager were of course the last thing Strathmore wanted others to know. Strathmore pressed a few buttons and read the incoming message.He hummed quietly.Worse news came from Spain - not from David Baker, but from another guy Strathmore had sent to Seville. Jeba's cell phone beckoned him again.He didn't answer the phone. "Mitch," he cursed under his breath.asshole!Everything is fine in the code breaking department!A minute later, the phone was still ringing incessantly.For God's sake, Mitch!Stop hitting!The phone rang for another fifteen seconds and finally stopped.Jebba sighed in relief. Sixty seconds later, the overhead intercom blared. "Please ask the chief system security engineer to contact the switchboard. Someone has left a message for you." He forgot that there was a pager beside him. Strathmore put his sky pager back in his pocket and reached for Susan's hand. "Hurry up." But the fingers of the two did not touch each other.Someone shouted in the darkness, and the cry came from the throat.A shadow loomed in the darkness—a moment later something collided and Strathmore slid to the other side of the floor. It must have been Hale, the pager had given them away.Susan waited, staring into the shadows, hoping Strathmore was not hurt.After a while, she called softly: "Director?" As soon as she finished speaking, she knew she had made a mistake.Halle's scent suddenly came from behind her.It was too late for her to turn around. Hale tightly strangled Susan's neck, and shouted into the darkness: "Director, your sweetheart is in my hands. I want to get out!" Suddenly behind him there was the sound of the trigger of the gun being pulled.Strathmore's voice was calm and peaceful: "Let her go." Susan grinned in pain and yelled, "Deputy Director!" Hale quickly turned Susan's body toward the voice. "If you shoot, it will hit your dear Susan. Would you like to try?" Strathmore's voice came closer. "Let her go." "Forget it. You'll kill me." "I don't kill anyone." "Oh, really? Say the same to Chartrukian!" Hale gritted his teeth into the darkness and said, "For God's sake, Chartrukian is just a child! Why did you do such a murderous thing? To protect your little secret?" Strathmore remained perfectly cool. "What kind of little secret is that?" "You know the fucking secret best! 'Digital Castle'!" "Alas, alas," whispered Strathmore haughtily, a voice as cold as an iceberg. "That means you do know about Number Fortress. I thought you'd deny it." "You're an idiot," Hale snapped, "to tell you: TRANSLTR is overheating." This time, Strathmore laughed loudly: "The temperature of TRANSLTR is too high, so just open the door and get out of here?" "That's what it is, shit! I just went to the sublevel! The backup power facility isn't releasing enough freon!" "Thanks for the tip," said Strathmore, "but TRANSLTR has an automatic shutdown feature .If its temperature gets too high, 'Digital Castle' will automatically terminate." Hale sneered, "You're out of your mind. I don't care if TRANSLTR blows up. The damn machine should have been disabled long ago." Strathmore sighed, "Children's tricks Only works on kids, Greg, let her go." "So you can shoot me?" "I'm not going to shoot you. I just want the code." Strathmore sighed again: "The one that Ensei friend added to you." "I do not understand what you are saying." "Lie!" Susan said with all her might, "I saw Ensei Yuka's email in your account!" Holder froze all over.He hurriedly turned Susan around. "Have you accessed my account?" "It was you who stopped my tracking program first," she snapped. Hale whispered to her in despair, "Susan...Strathmore killed Chartrukian!" "Let her go," said the deputy director calmly, "she won't believe you." "You've brainwashed her! Does she know your real intention of using 'Digital Fortress'?" Hale knew that if his words could not be his ticket to freedom, they would be his death sentence.He took a deep breath, intending to put all his eggs in one basket. "You're going to open a back door in the 'digital castle'." A silence ensued. Clearly, Strathmore's composure was tested. "Who told you?" he snapped, his voice suddenly sharp and harsh. "I see," said Hale complacently, trying to take advantage of this turn of events. "In one of your action plans, I saw it directly on your account." Strathmore seemed in disbelief: "Have you been to my office?" "No. I'm monitoring you at Site No. 3." "impossible." Hale put on a look of contempt and said with a sneer, "That's a problem with hiring the best people, Deputy Commissioner—sometimes they're better than you." "Young man," said Strathmore fumingly, "I don't know where you got this information, but you're out of your mind. You let Ms. Fletcher go now, or I'll call security force." "You wouldn't do that," Hale said flatly. "Calling the security forces would ruin your plans. But if I get out of here clean, I won't say a word." "No," Strathmore shot back, "I want the code." "I don't even have a fucking password." "Enough lies!" growled Strathmore. "Where's the code?" Hale tightly strangled Susan's neck: "Either I get out, or she dies!" Trevor Strathmore, who has been through the most dangerous negotiations in his life, knows the next step is critical.Susan's life depends on this step - and the future of "Digital Castle" also depends on this step. After a while, he let out a reluctant breath. "Okay, Greg. You won. What do you want me to do?" Hale seemed suddenly at a loss for the deputy director's cooperative tone. "Ah..." he stammered, his voice trembling suddenly. "First, you give me the gun. I want to take your elevator. Susan comes with me! You stay!" Strathmore felt the stakes had grown.He's got Susan involved, so he's going to save her.His voice was steady as a rock. "And my 'digital castle' plan?" Hale smiled. "You can keep writing about your back door—I'll keep it to myself," he threatened, "but if you find out you're stalking me, I'll go to the paper and tell it all." Strathmore calculated own countermeasures.If he let Hale take Susan out of the Cryptography Division, he couldn't guarantee what would happen in the future.I'm going to call Security and Strathmore has made a decision.If saving Susan meant ruining his plans, let it be - Trevor Strathmore couldn't afford losing Susan Fletcher. Hale pinned Susan's arms behind her back and turned her head away. "This is your last chance, old man! Give me the gun!" Strathmore said calmly, almost sadly, "No, Greg, I'm sorry. I just can't let you go." Hale was obviously stunned, his throat seemed to be choked: "What!" "I'm going to call the security forces." Susan gasped. "Director! Don't!" Halle tightened his grip. "If you call the security forces, she will die!" Strathmore pulled the phone from his belt and clicked it open. "You're not going to do that!" Hale yelled, "I'll ruin your plan! You're just hours away from realizing your dream! Control all the data in the world! This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! You won't Will let it go!" Strathmore's voice was as cold as iron. "We'll see." "But—but what about Susan?" Hale stammered. "She's going to die if you make that phone call! You want her more than Number Castle! I know you! You don't Will take the risk!" Just as Susan was about to refute sharply, Strathmore said first: "Young man! You don't know me at all! My whole life is an adventure. If you want to play hard, I will accompany you to the end!" He began to press the keys on the phone . "No one can threaten the lives of my employees, walk out from here!" Hale began to wring Susan's neck. "I—I'll kill her. I swear!" "You wouldn't do that!" Strathmore said. "Killing Susan would only make things more—" He stopped abruptly, bringing the phone to his lips. "Security! This is Deputy Commissioner Trevor Strathmore. We've got a hostage in the Cryptography Division! Bring some people over here! We've got a power outage here. I want all systems to be back on in five minutes! Greg Hale killed one of our young system security officers. He took my chief codebreaker hostage. If Mr. Hale doesn't cooperate, send a sniper to kill him on the spot. I take full responsibility. Now Just act!" Strathmore snapped the phone off and slammed it on his belt. "It's your turn, Greg." Baker's vision was blurry, but his spirits were high.The ring on his finger is the Holy Grail he's been looking for.The words above do not appear to be in English. The trolley was still parked in front of the men's room, so Baker turned again to the door marked "Women's Room." "Is anyone there?" He knocked on the door.no respond.He went in. Baker splashed water on his eyes, and the pain began to subside, and the fog that shrouded his eyes slowly dissipated.He dried his face, looked in the mirror, and straightened his tie.Just as he was about to leave, the reflection of something in the mirror behind him caught his attention.The corner of Megan's duffel bag protruded from under a compartment's half-open door. "Megan?" Baker walked over and gently pushed the door, but the door opened with a bang. Megan was sitting on the toilet with a bullet hole in the very center of her forehead. "Oh, God!" Baker exclaimed in amazement. "She's dead," said a barely human voice hoarsely behind him. Baker turned around and stood there in a daze.This person seems to have seen it somewhere. "Sawy Helohot." A gun was aimed at Baker's head. "ring." Everything suddenly became clear. Baker seemed to be hinted by his subconscious survival instinct. At the moment of the gunshot, he jumped up to avoid the bullet, and rushed towards the exit.He ran like hell, faster than ever. Herrohot rushed out of the revolving door, just in time to see Baker stepping on the gas pedal desperately, but he couldn't start it no matter what.Hulohot smiled and raised his gun. "Ring." The voice came closer. Baker looked up sharply.He sees the barrel.The barrel was spinning.He stomped on the gas pedal again. The scooter suddenly started and rushed forward, and the bullet from Herohot just grazed Baker's scalp. Hale's brain was out of control, and he was stunned by the director's phone call.He never thought that the director would rather lose the "digital castle"! "Susan," Hale couldn't help saying as he dragged Susan toward the stairs, "come with me! I promise I won't hurt you! Strathmore is a murderer! You are in danger here!" Susan didn't seem to be listening to him.Strathmore would never hurt her, Susan knew that. Strathmore fell silent all of a sudden, which made Hale feel even more panicked.Running out of time.Security is always there.With a sudden effort, he wrapped his arms around Susan's waist and pulled her up the stairs.He pulled Susan back up from behind, sandwiching a living shield between himself and the floor of the Cryptography Department. There was a bang on the landing of the stairs behind him.Immediately afterwards, there was another "bang" --- the sound was louder this time. Horrified, Hale realized he had made a mistake.Strathmore was on the platform behind me!He can shoot me in the back with perfect accuracy!In desperation, he turned Susan to face upwards, and started backing down the stairs. "Back off, Chief! Back off, or I'll break her—" At this moment, the Beretta pistol was swiped into the air from the stairs below, and the butt of the gun just hit Hale on the head.Susan broke free and turned around in a hurry.Strathmore grabbed her in his arms and embraced her trembling body. "Shh," he reassured, "it's me, it's all right." Susan's body was still shaking. "Director... Director," she gasped, a little at a loss, "I thought... I thought you were upstairs...I heard..." "Well," he said in a low voice, "you heard me throwing my shoes on the platform." "I'm sorry," she said. "Your plans for a 'digital castle' . . . have been completely screwed up by me." "Not at all," said Strathmore with a chuckle. "That's the oldest trick in the book. I was pretending to be on the phone." After soldering the last joint, Jerba let out a long and satisfied breath. Just as he closed his eyes and was about to take a good rest, "Jeba! Come out!" a woman yelled. Still let Mitch find me.He came out reluctantly. "For God's sake, Mitch! I told you—" It wasn't Mitch, however. "Cao Zhi?" Kusashi Kuda is the technical backbone of the System Security Department and Jebba's most capable assistant.Cao Zhi glared at him angrily, and asked, "Why didn't you answer my call? Didn't you answer the paging? Something went wrong with the main database." Two minutes later, Jeba rushed down the hall, toward the database. Greg Hale lay curled up on the floor of outlet three.Strathmore and Susan bound his hands and feet with cables. A sudden piercing sound broke the silence in the Code Deciphering Department.Susan and Strathmore looked at each other in surprise. "What noise?" Susan asked. "Tcrypter!" Strathmore replied apprehensively. "It's too hot in there! Probably Hale ran the backup power supply, which caused insufficient Freon release." "Has TRANSLTR automatically shut down?" Strathmore thought for a moment, "Something must be shorted." He stared, the muscles in his face twitching. "Better switch it off!" Susan yelled. Strathmore nodded.He had to go upstairs at once and use his terminal to shut down Digital Fortress—especially before anyone outside of the Cryptography Division noticed the problem and sent ground troops to the rescue. Strathmore glanced at Hale, who was still unconscious, before placing the pistol on the table next to Susan. "I'll be right back!" Just as he was about to run out of the exit on the wall of the No. 3 outlet, he turned his head and shouted, "Find out that password for me!"