Chapter 13 Chapter 13

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—— Holohot rushed out of Cardinal Gera's room and stood in a small courtyard outside the church.There was no one in the courtyard.He raised his head and looked straight up, it was Hirada Tower.

David Baker walked up the steep flight of stairs and staggered breathlessly onto a small stone landing.There is no exit here.He took a breath and looked out.The man with the wire-rimmed glasses stood far below.Beck walked up to the chasm to get a better look. The shadow of the Giralda tower is reflected in the square.Three beams of light pass obliquely through the lookout opening on the tower, reflecting on the cobblestone road below, forming a well-defined rectangle.Among these rectangles, exactly one corner is covered by the figure of a person.Herohhot didn't even glance at the top of the tower, turned around, and rushed to the stairs of the Hirada Tower.

This is a spiral staircase.David Baker has no escape!He must die!Hulohot drew his pistol and clung to the outer wall in case Baker attacked him from above.There are iron rods for candles on the landings at each corner in the stairs, that would be a nice weapon. Hulohot walked quickly and cautiously upwards.Those stairs are so steep that tourists have fallen to their deaths.No safety signs, no handrails, no insurance waiver statements.If you accidentally fall down, it can only be attributed to your own mistakes. The stairs to the top floor were empty.Perhaps Baker hadn't even seen him come in, Hlohot realized.He couldn't help laughing secretly.

TARGET: David Baker - Killed. The opportunity has come.He checked the pistol and rushed upstairs.The viewing platform suddenly flashed in front of my eyes.Not even a soul was there.David Baker is long gone. Three flights down, Baker's body hangs from the outer wall of the Giralda Tower.When Herohhot rushed upstairs just now, Baker had just descended three flights of stairs, then jumped onto the window sill and hung his body outside the wall, just in time to avoid Herohhot's sight.Baker knew, however, that in a matter of seconds his attacker would be running down from above.Standing on a high place, the killer would definitely see his fingers on the windowsill.His hands had lost all strength.He glanced down.The gap between here and below is as big as a football field standing upright, if you fall, you will die.

At this moment, there were loud footsteps upstairs, Baker gritted his teeth, and pushed upwards abruptly.Footsteps approached.Baker grabbed the walls on both sides of the window and dragged his body in at once.He fell hard into the stairwell. Herohot heard the sound of Baker's body falling to the floor, walked to the outer wall, and aimed at the stairwell below.Baker's leg just disappeared around the bend. Hulohot rushed down the stairs to chase his prey, leaning against the outer wall to get a better view.The stairwell was always spinning before him, so it felt like Baker was always disappearing around the bend in front of him, just out of sight.Baker has been walking along the inner side of the stairs so that he doesn't have to make a big detour.Holohot pursued.Just one shot will do the trick.Holohot was accelerating.The two rushed desperately down the spiral staircase.

In order to go down faster, Helohot also walked on the inner side of the stairs.He felt himself speeding up.Down, down, around the corner.It seems Baker is always around the corner.Hulohot kept one eye on Baker's figure, and the other on the stairs. Suddenly, Helohot saw Beck's figure shake.The figure leaned to the left, and then flew towards the middle of the stairs.He jumped forward sharply.Got him! On the stairs, Baker swiped the iron rod in front of Herohhot's eyes, then poked forward and stabbed at the opponent's ankle.Hulohot tried to hide, but it was too late, the iron rod was between his ankles. With a "clang", the iron rod hit his shin hard.Herohhot stretched out his arms to find a support, but found nothing.Suddenly, he turned over and flew into the air.He flew over Baker's head and flew to the bottom of the stairs.

Hulohot hit the outer wall, and the gun in his hand fell to the floor with a "click".The person is still rolling on his head.He rolled five full laps before stopping.Twelve more steps, and Herohhot would be rolling into the courtyard. David Baker had never held a pistol, but he was holding one now.The stairwell of the Hirada Tower was pitch black, and Herohhott was huddled, bloody and bloody.Baker lowered the barrel of the gun to the assailant's temple and gingerly knelt down.Hulohot didn't move.he died. Baker dropped the pistol and sat down on the stairs.It was the first time he felt tears welling up in his eyes.Now is not the time to be emotional, it's time to go home.He tried to stand up, but couldn't because of overwork.Exhausted, he sat on the stone stairs for a long time.

He looked blankly at the twisted corpse in front of him.Somehow, the glasses were intact.They were weird glasses, Baker thought, with a wire protruding from the back of the temples and connecting to a device on the man's belt.Baker was exhausted and had lost interest in it. Baker sat alone on the stairs, cheered up, and stared at the ring on his hand.He finally read the letters engraved on it.That's not English.He stared at these letters for a long time, and couldn't help frowning.Are people worth killing each other for it? Baker eventually walked out of the Hirada Tower and into the courtyard.After standing for a while, he walked slowly across the courtyard again.

A van suddenly stopped beside him.Two men jumped out of the car.They were all young, all in military uniform.The two walked towards Baker with stern faces. "David Baker?" asked one. Baker stopped suddenly, surprised that they knew his name, and asked, "You... who are you?" "Come with us, please. Right now." Baker turned to run, but only took one step.There was a shot.Baker felt a burning pain in his chest.The pain immediately rushed to the brain again.He fell headfirst to the ground. Strathmore came to the bottom of TRANSLTR.Phil Chattrukian's body lay crookedly there.As much as Strathmore lamented his death, he had no choice.Chartrukian fell headlong, terribly.But what he saw next made his heart beat even more.Greg Hale hid in the shadows below, terrified.It was then that Strathmore decided that Hale must be killed.

TRANSLTR crackled, and Strathmore turned his attention back to the matter at hand.All he has to do is flip a lever, turn it back on a few seconds later, and all the entrances and equipment will be re-energized. Susan was still upstairs waiting.Halle's words echoed in her ears. Strathmore flipped the switch, closing all circuits.The code deciphering department was suddenly enveloped in silence. Suzanne closed her eyes and prayed for David, feeling a sudden jolt.From the chief's coat pocket.He set the air paging to a silent vibration state.Someone sent a message. Strathmore stood by the circuit breaker.For the first time in decades, he truly understood that there were more important things in life than country and honor.He nurtured Susan, protected her, and earned her trust.Now, he can finally have her.David Baker will soon die.

The Deputy Chief climbed out of the trapdoor and strode toward Branch Three—to Susan, to his future. The lights in the Cryptography Division came on again.Strathmore knew, though, that it would take several minutes for the coolant to reach the bottom of the case to prevent the lowest processor from burning. Susan was wearing his coat, her eyes were a little strange, and a teardrop slid down her trembling face. "Susan?" he called and walked towards her, "what's the matter?" Susan remained motionless. "Are you worried about David?" At the name David she shivered, followed by a shudder.A tide of grief churned through him.Susan moved her lips and took her hand out of her coat pocket.She is holding something in her hand.Air pager. At this point, Strathmore became transfixed.Susan's hands trembled, and the pager dropped at her feet.Susan ran out of the No. 3 outlet, Strathmore will never forget the look of astonishment and betrayal.The chief picked up the pager. Target: Tomoka Ensei——has been killed TARGET: Pierre Cloucharde - Killed... TARGET: David Baker - FINISHED Strathmore hung his head.His dream was shattered. Susan frantically poked at the keypad on the door.The door didn't budge.Blackout removed exit codes. Suddenly, two arms embraced her from behind.Susan turned away.The man who held her tightly looked sad, melancholy, and terrified. "Susan," Strathmore begged, "I can explain everything." She struggled to break free from him.The chief held her tightly. "I love you," he whispered, "I've always loved you." Susan felt sick. "Stay with me. The pain will pass," he said. "You'll fall in love again. I'll heal you. I did it for the two of us. Susan, I love you. I love You! I love you!" At that moment, TRANSLTR hissed angrily and grimly, as if to contradict Strathmore's shameful confession.It appears that the freon did not reach the underlying processor in time. "No!" Strathmore staggered towards the thundering computer and fell to the ground.It doesn't help.TRANSLTR's titanium-strontium processor had been ignited.The most expensive computer in the world can quickly become an eight-story hell. Strathmore turned slowly to Susan.He looked for heaven in Susan's eyes, but all he saw was death.He will never have Susan.will never. Susan stared blankly at the TRANSLTR.She knew that the Cryptography Department would soon become a fiery hell. The floor of the Cryptography Department began to shake. At this moment, Strathmore came over, suddenly embraced Susan again, and desperately held her in his arms, kissing her on both cheeks. "Forgive me," he begged.Susan tried to break free, but Strathmore held on tightly. TRANSLTR vibrated.Strathmore held him tighter and said, "Hold me, Susan. I need you." A tide of rage ran through Susan's limbs.Davy's voice came to her ear.I love you!run away!With a sudden effort, she broke free from him.The roar from TRANSLTR became deafening.The fire has reached the top. David's voice seemed to inspire her, to guide her.She ran quickly up the overpass to Strathmore's office.Behind him, TRANSLTR let out an earth-shattering roar. As the gust of air blew violently towards Susan, she grabbed hold of the armrest and saw Strathmore standing next to the TRANSLTR staring up at her.The explosions around him were like a raging storm, but his eyes were peaceful.His lips parted and he uttered the last words of his life: "Susan." The air rushes into the TRANSLTR body and burns instantly.Commissioner Trevor Strathmore is engulfed in a sea of ​​bright flames. The explosion blasted Susan, blowing her into Strathmore's office.All she could remember was the scorching heat wave. The explosion in the Cryptography Division shook the entire NSA complex. Fontaine finally spoke, his voice weak but firm. "Mitch, get a group of people down below... right away." On the other side of the room, the phone rang.It was a call from Jabba. Susan didn't know how much time had passed.A pain in her throat brought her back to consciousness.She stumbled towards the door.The flyover is gone.The floor of the Codebreaking Department had become a sea of ​​fire.Acidic smoke billowed upwards. The Cryptography Department is on the brink of destruction.I'm dying too.She thought of the only possible exit—the elevator at Strathmore.Susan remembered Hale's words.The elevator uses the power supply from the main building!She walked through the smoke toward the elevator doors.She pressed hard on the blackened button keyboard.There was a humming behind the door. On the keyboard are buttons with letters printed on them.In desperation, she remembered.password!Strathmore never told me the password at all! Thick smoke filled the room.Choking, Susan leaned against the door and closed her eyes.But David's voice woke her up again.Get out, Susan!open the door!get out!On the LCD screen under the keyboard, five empty bright spots are displayed.The password is five letters... The deputy director's pitiful confession came from her ear.I love you Susan!I have always loved you!Susan!Susan! ... She suddenly woke up. Susan reached out to the keyboard feebly and tremblingly, and entered the password. S...U...S...A...N The elevator doors slowly opened.This is the underground passage.The elevator doors closed slowly.Susan was plunged into darkness again.Suddenly, a small car swerved sharply, its headlights blinding her eyes.The car stopped beside her. "Ms. Fletcher!" cried a voice in surprise. "My God. Are you okay? We thought you were killed!" Chad Brinkerhoff looked at the terrified cryptographer. "Come on! There's a virus in the main database and we need your help .” The golf cart stopped.A narrow passage intersects the tunnel perpendicularly.Brinkerhoff helped her out of the car and into the aisle. Footsteps came from behind—that was a strong and firm step.Brinkerhoff and Susan turned to look.Walking up was a burly black man.Susan had never met him.The man stared at her with a piercing look. "Who is this?" "Susan Fletcher," Brinkerhoff replied. The man raised his eyebrows.Susan was more radiant than he had imagined. "Where's the deputy chief?" Brinkerhoff shook his head. The man stared away for a moment, then looked at Susan again. "I'm Leland Fontaine," he held out his right hand, "I'm glad you're safe and sound." Susan believed that one day she would meet the Director, but never thought it would be this way. The command center for the NSA's main database appears to be in disarray.Jebba stood on a tall workstation in the middle of the room, barking out commands.On the screen behind him, a message was displayed impressively.Susan was all too familiar with that message. Now only the facts can save you from entering the password ________________________ Susan followed Fontaine toward the podium.Seeing them, Jebba said angrily, "The shock wave has me helpless! Where's Strathmore?" "Director Strathmore's dead." "What the hell comes around." "Calm down, Jebba. Let's see how it goes. How bad is this virus?" Jebba burst out laughing. "Virus? Do you think it's a virus?" Fontaine remained calm. Jeba took a deep breath, lowered his voice and said, "Viruses can replicate, but that's their weakness—you can hybridize viruses to destroy them. Unfortunately, this program doesn't need to replicate. It's a worm." "Jeba said bitterly. "Just do the job as ordered, and then it's over. Now it's spreading, attaching to all our classified materials. Then you can do whatever you want." Fontaine remained calm, "Can you stop it?" Jebba let out a long sigh. "I don't know. It all depends on how angry the person who wrote the program is." He pointed to the message on the screen. "Someone is messing with us. In my opinion, this is a blackmail letter." Susan said in a hollow, low, slight voice, "That's... Ensei Yuka." Jeba stared at her, "Youga?" Susan nodded feebly. "He wants us to confess about TRANSLTR..." Fontaine stood there dumbfounded and asked, "Do you have any suggestions?" "Suggestion? Director," Jeba exclaimed angrily, "Ensei Yuka controls this database now! Agree to his terms quickly. If he wants everyone in the world to know about TRANSLTR, then notify CNN and say Tell the truth. Now TRANSLTR is just a hole in the ground—what are you afraid of? We need that code, or everything here will be over!" He took out his mobile phone suddenly, turned it on and said, "Take your number Give me!" "Don't bother," Susan said softly, "Youka is dead." Jebba felt a wave of confusion and consternation. "Dead? That means...we can't..." "That means we have to make another plan." Fontaine said flatly. Jeba's eyes were full of shock, at this moment, someone shouted loudly from the back of the room. "Jeba! Jebba!" Kusashi Kuda was running towards the podium, dragging a long printout in his hand.She looked terrified. "Jeba!" She said out of breath, "Worm...I just found out what this worm is!" She stuffed the list into Jebba's hand. "We isolated the worm's execution command -- look at this program! See what it wants to do!" Looking at the printout, the system security department's chief technologist felt dizzy and grabbed the armrest for support. "Ensei Yuka...you bastard!" Jeba stared at the printout with a pale face. "Director, we can only disconnect the power to the database." "No," replied Fontaine, "the consequences would be disastrous." More than 300 ISDN lines around the world connect to NSA databases.Closing the database without warning would create a deadly intelligence vacuum around the world. "I know what the consequences will be, but we have no choice." Jebba took a deep breath. "This worm cycles selectively. Most destructive applications wipe the database clean, but this program only deletes files that meet certain parameters." "You mean it won't hit the entire database?" Brinkerhoff asked hopefully. "Wouldn't that be great?" "No! This sucks!" "Hold your breath!" Fontaine ordered. "What parameter is this worm looking for?" "Sir, you know that anyone who wants to enter this database from the outside world has to go through a series of defensive channels before they can get permission." Fontaine nodded. "Because we are connected to the Internet all over the world," Jerba explained, "hackers, experts from foreign governments are circling around this database 24 hours a day, trying to break in." "But," Fontaine said, "our security filters keep them out twenty-four hours a day. What do you mean?" "The worm program written by Youjia targets our security defense filter. After about an hour, people can get the highest security defense clearance in the United States." Fontaine stood for a long time without saying a word. Jiba was so anxious that he turned around and shouted to Cao Zhi: "Use visual representation!" A computer-generated schematic flashes vividly on a projection wall in front of people.In the middle is a red circle with the word "Data".Surrounding the center are five concentric circles with lines of varying thickness and colors.The outermost circle is so dim that it is almost invisible. "Our defense works on five levels," Jerba explained. "The outermost line of defense that is about to disappear represents the host that is under attack. In the following time, the five lines of defense will disappear one after another. Every byte of the NSA database will become information in the public domain." "Bastion host It's over!" shouted a technician in the back row, "Second firewall attacked!" "We have to turn off the power," Jebba urged. "We only have about forty-five minutes. Turning off the power is a complicated process." To ensure uninterrupted power, turning off this circuit involves a series of complex confirmation and Agreement - This is much more complicated than launching missiles from a typical nuclear submarine. "If it's quick. It takes about half an hour to close manually." "Director!" Jeba was furious, "If these firewalls lose their effectiveness, every user on the planet can get the highest security clearance! I'm talking about the top secret! We must close it! We need it now! " "There must be other ways." "That's right," Jeba said contemptuously, "Yes! You can get the code! But the only guy who knows the code is dead!" "The password is in Spain." Susan said weakly.It was the first thing she mentioned in a long time. "Before Yuka died, he gave away the password. The password..." Susan said tremblingly, "Director Strathmore sent someone to look for it." "And then?" Jerba asked, "Did the people sent by Strathmore find the code?" Susan tried hard not to cry, but the tears flowed. "Yes," she choked out. A piercing scream pierced the control room. "The attack is coming in!" That was Cao Zhi's voice. Jebba turned to look at the schematic.Two thin lines have appeared on the periphery of the concentric circles.Jebba turned again, and said to the chief, "Got to make up your mind. Either we turn off the power or we fail." Fontaine was lost in thought.The cipher was in Spain, and this news from Susan seemed to give him hope. "I have to make up my mind!" Jebba begged strongly, "I need it now!" Fontaine raised his head and said calmly, "Okay, we've made up our minds. We'll leave the power on. We'll wait." Jebba was so surprised that he opened his mouth and asked, "What? But then——" "This is a bet," Fontaine interrupted him, "a bet that can only be won." He took Jeba's phone and pressed a few buttons. The door at the back of the control room opened as if at a signal, and Mickey rushed in. "Director! The temporary connection of the control panel will be connected immediately!" Fontaine looked expectantly at the screen on the wall ahead.Fifteen seconds later, the screen flashed with a "crack". The screen showed images of two men, one pale and wearing a signal switcher; the other blond and blue-eyed, a typical American.They are sitting right in front of the camera.The audio connection is fine. "Who are they?" Brinkerhoff asked worriedly. "Aerial detectives," replied Fontaine, watching the two detectives he had sent to Spain.There was one thing that worried Fontaine: the use of Herohot.Although Helohot is experienced, he is a mercenary guy after all.Fontaine had taken this necessary measure in order to keep an eye on Hello Hott, and just in case. "Absolutely not!" the man with the switcher shouted into the camera. "We have orders! We have to report to Leland Fontaine, and to Leland Fontaine alone!" Fontaine was amused, and said with a slight smile, "You don't know who I am, do you? Let me explain something first." After a while, the two men blushed, and addressed the director of the National Security Bureau in every detail. reported. "Director... Chief," the blond stammered, "I'm Agent Coriander. This is Agent Smith." "Very well," said Fontaine, "tell us briefly."