Deadlock

Jack had spent several hours on the plane, and as soon as he landed, George Stacy stopped him. "Mr. Jack Jenkins, please come with us to assist with the investigation."

"Sorry, I need to take care of my children. I also need to contact my lawyer, and then I'll assist with the investigation. Now please step aside!" Jack frowned. These police officers showed no consideration for his children at all, which irritated him. The law did not protect ordinary citizens like them, yet it relentlessly pursued a bank robbery case. Was this America?

That way of thinking was not correct, but what else could Jack think? When he had been on the verge of bankruptcy, the law had been unable to protect him. And now they were watching him without regard for his children's feelings. How could he possibly think normally? Jack was furious, but then he wanted to laugh. These police officers could do nothing to him.

"Mr. Jack Jenkins, your good friend Jerry is dead!" George Stacy suddenly said.

Jack froze. "When?" He had not expected the other man to tell him so directly that Jerry was dead. That brief stunned pause had come at just the right time, and the urgency in his voice afterward was perfectly timed.

"The day before yesterday. We suspect it was murder!" George Stacy was still giving it everything he had. If he could break through directly with one suspect, there would be no need to waste so much manpower tailing them later.

"The day before yesterday? Oh my God, how could he suddenly..." Jack's grief was not an act. Jerry had been a little reckless and liked street racing, but they had spent twenty years together, worked together all that time, and even robbed a bank together. Although they had had a small disagreement not long ago, their friendship was still there.

"A car accident, but it looked more like murder."

"How could that be? He often hung around with street racers, but he never did anything bad. Who would want to kill him? Sorry, I'm very upset right now. I want to take the children home, then go see Jerry. He was always alone. Who is handling his funeral?"

"Because we suspect murder, and because he died in a traffic accident, the body is currently with the police. He was on a call right before he died."

"A call? With whom?"

"We want to know that too!"

"All right. I hope things go well for you. We're leaving now. Goodbye!" Jack stopped paying attention to the police and left with his children. George Stacy narrowed his eyes and watched Jack go.

Jack left the airport and took the children straight home. The two children were quiet. "What's wrong?" Jack asked when they got home.

"Dad, did you really rob a bank?" his second son asked.

"Of course not. You know that Dad and your two uncles went abroad and started an investment company. It was our last gamble, but we succeeded. That's what matters most."

"I knew Dad was the best!" his youngest daughter shouted happily.

"Of course. Dad will always be the best!" Jack's smile was bitter. He had nearly lost this family, but he did not regret it. His three children needed him to hold this family together, and he had to be strong. "All right, take your luggage upstairs to your rooms. You must be tired, so get some sleep. Then tonight I'll take you out for a big meal. Your sister isn't here, so you two need to eat more."

The two children went upstairs, and Jack took out his phone. "Roy, how is your wife?"

"Jack, you're back? She's been in surgery for three hours. I'm still waiting!" Roy's voice was weary. Waiting outside the operating room was the longest ordeal. His heart remained suspended the entire time; the feeling was unbearable.

"Don't worry, she'll be fine. I just got back. Later, I'll bring the children over. Everything will get better."

"Yes, everything will get better."

Jack desperately wanted to speak with Ghost, but Mo Fei had no time to deal with him right now. Jarvis, as a pseudo-intelligence, had fairly good search capabilities. It gathered video records, processed them according to its own judgment, and handed them to Mo Fei. Mo Fei then picked out the unusual ones to watch, but agents were not easy to find, especially agents in trouble.

Their profession was built on hiding themselves, so finding an agent in New York was not easy. Mo Fei was prepared for a long campaign, and he also planned to leave Jarvis behind.

After waking up, Tony Stark stared at his laptop. The S.H.I.E.L.D. branch personnel had withdrawn. They had no intention of competing with him; they were clearly outmatched technically, so wasting time was pointless. Tony Stark, however, was someone who refused to admit defeat, and his assistant Thomas was nearly breaking down.

Phil Coulson organized what he had gained over the past few days, then took out his phone and called Nick Fury. "Director, this is the situation..." After reporting on the past few days, he said, "It seems that finding them now will require a long stakeout, unless we make a breakthrough with the other two suspects in the next few days."

"Mm, I understand. I didn't expect their technology to have reached this level. The technology we possess cannot detect any trace of them at all." Nick Fury had not expected that even S.H.I.E.L.D. would be unable to find them. "A god of the virtual world?"

"I think he is more like a Ghost. The investment company run by the other three suspects is also called Ghost Investment. That says a lot."

"Very good. Give this person or team the name Ghost. Keep watch on them and do your best to find them. We need this technology, but if we cannot find them, so be it. I'll have the technical department strengthen its capabilities in this area."

"Understood. Also, our observation of Mr. Tony Stark has reached a conclusion. Pride, an unwillingness to admit defeat, difficulty getting along with others—those traits have all been displayed."

"Mm, understood."

Phil Coulson put down the phone. Melinda May had been listening beside him, and she asked, "Did the director give any instructions?"

"Find this person or team if possible. S.H.I.E.L.D. needs their technology, but if we cannot find them, there is nothing we can do. Their technology is too advanced. I'm worried they possess alien technology. Theoretically, Earth does not yet have computer technology this advanced."

Phil Coulson did not know that Mo Fei was nearby at that very moment, except he existed within the virtual world. Mo Fei watched the video records Jarvis had given him: car crashes, fires, gunfights, explosions, brawls, robberies, and other intense scenes. Mo Fei guessed that Jarvis was indeed making judgments based on movie plots, and he could only judge things that way as well. He did not know exactly what agents were supposed to do.

"Hmm? This person looks familiar!" After searching for two days, Mo Fei spotted someone he recognized.