Perhaps a Clue

George Stacy stood at the front, posing questions. The technicians below were very professional. Someone said, "Chief, we've checked this. There are no signs of external equipment connections. Generally, when something like this involves invading a bank's security system, it's done by directly connecting external equipment at the junction box outside. However, after checking, we found no trace there at all. The dust is very uniform, with no signs of damage or tampering."

"Very good!" George Stacy expressed his satisfaction and then asked the second question, "Second, without external intrusion, is it possible to infiltrate the bank's system, or directly control the entire bank's main computer and security system through the network?"

"..." It was very quiet below, everyone was thinking about the question. The person who spoke earlier hesitated and then said again, "Chief, this situation might occur, but the firewall would issue an alarm and block the intrusion. The other party would need to forcibly break through the firewall."

"What if the other party's technology far surpasses the bank's defenses, allowing them to sneak in silently?" George Stacy pressed again.

"Theoretically, it's possible. After all, hacker skills vary, and there's no shortage of geniuses among them. However, we didn't detect any trace of intrusion afterward!"

"Then let's assume, if the other party possesses such technology and can infiltrate silently, is it also possible that you wouldn't detect it?" George Stacy's tone was somewhat urgent.

The person from before fell silent. This possibility wasn't entirely out of the question, but it would essentially render their technical department useless. Furthermore, someone with such technology would be terrifying, and they subconsciously refused to admit someone could be that capable. They hadn't heard of such an existence, and they weren't even sure if it truly existed.

"Everyone, we're just hypothesizing. Is there such a possibility? I hope everyone can give me a relatively fair answer!" George Stacy's tone became a bit more serious.

"Chief, theoretically, there are infinite possibilities. Such a person might truly exist, but we haven't encountered them. However, for your reference, I thought of Tony Stark, the chairman of Stark Industries." Finally, someone spoke.

George Stacy's spirits lifted. There really was such a possibility, and they even provided a reference?

"Tell me why it's Tony Stark!" George Stacy relaxed. He wasn't in a hurry anymore. He had an answer, but the case wasn't theoretical; it required more evidence to confirm. This was the proper investigative attitude of a police officer. Assumptions are always assumptions, but once proposed, one must strive to prove them. If wrong, admit it; if right, hold on tight.

"Mr. Tony Stark has always been a genius. His weapon designs are excellent, but his achievements in computing are equally impressive. However, Stark Industries doesn't have business in this area. The programs he writes are entirely for his own use. It's rumored that he designed an artificial intelligence system, but the specifics are unknown, only circulating as gossip online. If he has indeed developed it, then perhaps he could achieve what you just hypothesized."

"Artificial intelligence?" George Stacy nodded. "Very good. If artificial intelligence truly exists, could it also infiltrate New York's traffic monitoring center?"

"Indeed. The power of artificial intelligence lies in its computational speed that surpasses human capabilities, coupled with a certain degree of independent thought. In such a scenario, it's equivalent to a human possessing the processing power of a supercomputer. For firewall intrusions, it can adapt and respond. However, we cannot determine if it can reach that level."

"Understood. Thank you all for today. The meeting is adjourned. Also, you can try to find some information, especially regarding my hypothesis and the issue of artificial intelligence. I need more information on these two fronts!" After speaking, George Stacy turned and left the conference room, heading to see the chief again.

After his report, Ken Martin fell into thought. After a while, he said, "This is truly a difficult problem. If the other party really has this technology, then the support we've requested might not find anything, unless..."

"Unless we find Tony Stark. If he really developed artificial intelligence, then only he can help us..." George Stacy said, looking at the chief.

"George, you don't suspect Mr. Tony Stark, do you?" Ken Martin also looked at George Stacy.

"If others can't do it, why can't we suspect him?"

"No, no, he's the chairman of Stark Industries. Do you think he would rob a bank for over four million dollars?"

"Perhaps he just wanted to test his artificial intelligence? Of course, he has no suspicion at the moment, but I don't think this matter might not attract him. If he joins, it would be a good thing for us, at least in terms of top-tier technical support." George Stacy steered the suspicion away. He wasn't exactly suspicious, but he currently had no leads and wanted to find a thread for the case.

"It's best not to offend him; his influence is immense. George, remember that. Also, I won't report this to my superiors for now. You can go talk to him during this time. Be sure to maintain a respectful attitude, present your hypothesis, and hope to pique his interest. Aren't scientists interested in such matters?" Ken Martin decided to let his subordinate try, and he also hoped Tony Stark could help.

George Stacy received the chief's approval and acted immediately. However, Tony Stark wasn't easy to meet. He made a call to Stark Industries, and upon stating his name as NYPD, he was only given the phone number of Tony Stark's assistant, Thomas.

"Hello, this is NYPD. I am Chief George Stacy." The chief had to call again.

Thomas had recently helped his boss connect with the cover girl for Playboy's February issue and perfectly handled the aftermath. Although he always complained about being overqualified for the job, the salary was very high, and he was reluctant to give it up.

He was very confused to receive a call from a chief. "Hello, is there anything I can help you with?"

"It's like this, I want to meet with Mr. Tony Stark for a face-to-face discussion. A technical issue in a case has been troubling us, concerning artificial intelligence. I believe no one has more authority on this matter than Mr. Stark. Could you arrange a time for me?" George Stacy asked.

"Artificial intelligence? I can't guarantee that. Mr. Stark's schedule is always irregular. I can only ask for you. Can I call you back later?"

"Thank you very much!"

Upon hearing the term "artificial intelligence," Thomas suddenly thought of the intelligent butler, Jarvis, that his boss had recently developed. "Perhaps the boss will be interested, so I'll help him ask!"