George Stacy stood at the front and posed the question. The technicians below were highly professional, and someone said, "Captain, we checked that. There are no signs of any external equipment having been connected. In cases like hacking into a bank's security system, many people use external devices to connect directly to the external junction box. But after inspecting it, we found no trace of that at all. The dust on it was completely even, with no signs of damage or concealment whatsoever."
"Very good!" George Stacy said with satisfaction, then raised his second question. "Second question: without an external intrusion, is it possible to break into the bank's system? Or directly control the bank's mainframe and security system through the internet?"
"..."
The room fell silent as everyone considered the question. The person who had spoken earlier hesitated before speaking again. "Captain, that may be possible, but the firewall would sound an alarm and block the intrusion. The intruder would have to forcibly breach the firewall."
"What if their skills far surpassed the bank's defenses, allowing them to slip in without a sound?" George Stacy pressed.
"Theoretically, it's possible. Hacker skills vary greatly, and there is never any shortage of geniuses. But afterward, we still found no trace of an intrusion at all!"
"Then let's make another assumption. If they possessed that level of skill and could infiltrate without a sound, is it possible that you simply wouldn't be able to detect it?" George Stacy's tone grew urgent.
The man who had spoken earlier fell silent. The possibility was not impossible, but admitting it would make their technical department seem completely useless. Besides, someone with such skills would be terrifying. Deep down, they refused to believe anyone could be that capable. Up to now, none of them had ever heard of such a person, and they could not say for certain whether one truly existed.
"Everyone, this is only a hypothesis. I hope you can give me a relatively fair answer as to whether such a possibility exists!" George Stacy's tone became heavier.
"Captain, theoretically, there are infinite possibilities. Such a person may truly exist, though we've never encountered one. But if you want a point of reference, I thought of Tony Stark, chairman of Stark Industries," someone finally said.
George Stacy perked up. So it really was possible, and they had even provided a possible reference?
"Tell me why Tony Stark!" George Stacy relaxed. He was no longer in a hurry now that he had an answer. But a case was not theory; it required more evidence to prove it. That was the attitude an officer should have when handling a case. A hypothesis would always remain a hypothesis, but once proposed, one had to work to verify it. If it was wrong, admit it. If it was right, hold onto it.
"Mr. Tony Stark has always been a genius. The weapons he designs are exceptional, but his accomplishments in computing are equally impressive. Stark Industries does not operate in that field, however, and the programs he writes serve only himself. It's said that he designed an artificial intelligence system. The details are unknown; it's only hearsay from the internet. But if he really did create one, then perhaps it could accomplish the hypothesis you just proposed."
"Artificial intelligence?" George Stacy nodded. "Very good. If artificial intelligence truly exists, then could it also infiltrate the New York Traffic Monitoring Center?"
"That is indeed possible. The strength of artificial intelligence lies in its computational speed surpassing that of humans, while also possessing a certain independent mode of thought. In that case, it would be like a human possessing the processing power of a supercomputer. When infiltrating a firewall, it could adapt to circumstances as they arose. But we cannot determine whether it could truly reach that level."
"I understand. Thank you all for today. Meeting adjourned. Also, look into any information you can find, especially regarding my hypothesis and artificial intelligence. I need more information on both matters!" After saying that, George Stacy turned and left the conference room, heading to see the commissioner again.
After hearing his report, Ken Martin fell into thought. After a while, he said, "This really is a difficult problem. If the other side truly has that kind of technology, then even the support we requested may not be able to find anything, unless..."
"Unless we go to Tony Stark. If he truly developed artificial intelligence, then only he can help us..." George Stacy said, staring at the commissioner.
"George, you aren't suspecting Mr. Tony Stark, are you?" Ken Martin looked back at George Stacy.
"If no one else can do it, then why can't we suspect him?"
"No, no. He's the chairman of Stark Industries. Do you really think he'd rob a bank for four million dollars?"
"Maybe he just wanted to test his artificial intelligence? Of course, he currently has no suspicion whatsoever. But I think this case may very well interest him. If he joins us, that would be a good thing. At the very least, we'd have top-tier technical talent supporting us." George Stacy steered the conversation away from suspicion. He could not truly say he suspected Stark; they simply had no leads at all right now, and he wanted to find the first thread of the case.
"It would be best not to offend him. He has enormous influence, George, and you need to remember that. I also won't report this upward for now. During this time, you can go talk to him. Be sure to watch your attitude. Tell him your hypothesis and hopefully pique his interest. Aren't scientists all interested in these sorts of things?" Ken Martin ultimately decided to let his subordinate give it a try. He also hoped Tony Stark could help.
With the commissioner's approval, George Stacy acted immediately. But Tony Stark was not easy to meet. He called Stark Industries, and after identifying himself as NYPD, all they gave him was the phone number of one of Tony Stark's assistants, Thomas.
"Hello, this is NYPD. I'm Captain George Stacy." The captain could only make another call.
Thomas had recently helped his boss arrange the February cover girl for Playboy and had wrapped everything up perfectly afterward. Although he constantly complained that his talents were being wasted, the pay for this job was truly high, and he could not bear to quit.
He was puzzled when he received a call from a police captain. "Hello, how can I help you?"
"It's like this. I'd like to meet with Mr. Tony Stark regarding a technical issue in a case that has been troubling us. It concerns artificial intelligence. I don't think anyone is more qualified than Mr. Stark to speak on the matter. Could you help arrange a time?" George Stacy asked.
"Artificial intelligence? I can't guarantee anything. Mr. Stark's schedule has always been unpredictable. I can only ask him. May I call you back later?"
"Thank you very much!"
After hearing the term artificial intelligence, Thomas suddenly thought of Jarvis, the intelligent butler his boss had recently developed. Maybe the boss will be interested. I'll ask him for this captain.