Military camp 9

“If it weren’t for completing the States‘ assignment to steal our nation’s secrets, you wouldn’t have returned, would you?”

The National Security Agency captain emerged from behind, finishing his sentence.

“I don’t understand what you’re talking about,” he said, his voice stiff but still trying to deny.

“You don’t understand? That’s fine, you’ve already been caught red–handed. Your silence won’t change anything.”

The National Security captain picked up his transfer device. “Encrypted hard drive, not bad security.“”

“I’ve seen the surveillance footage from before the fire. You weren’t carrying a bag, and your light clothing showed no hidden Items.” I took the hard drive. It was truly small, fitting for a spy’s tool.

“My most crucial data is saved on my personal hard drive. You probed my backup methods several

2:15 pm PPPS

times.”

“This month, you suggested I use NAS for automatic backups, didn’t you? That was all preparation for this. Unfortunately, the university server is too slow; fully downloading my data would take several hours. That’s why you had to give up halfway last time, moving my data to a different root directory to hide it, intending to download it later.“‘

“Even the fire–you deliberately caused that short circuit. We found your fingerprints on flammable

materials near the ignition point. The evidence is conclusive; you can’t deny it.”

“You considered everything, even if your framing failed and you were arrested, it wouldn’t matter, because the States had given you a sum of money specifically for damage control,” the National

Security captain continued my words.

“This artificial intelligence technology is valued at over a billion abroad. Even if you compensated

the university tens of millions, you’d still make a huge profit.”

“You’re not just fishing for fame; you’re greedy and lecherous, masking yourself with a refined exterior, but in reality, you’re utterly money–grubbing, simply foul,” I said, pinching my nose and

making a disgusted face at him.

He couldn’t stand it. A distinguished intellectual like him, being insulted with such words by us.

“You pathetic, bottom–feeding trash!” He struggled furiously as the officers held him, his hair disheveled, his clothes torn.

“You stinking, depraved hypocrites, with your high–minded words! You’re all brainwashed, without true freedom, just clinging to life in this suffocating nation!”

“What’s wrong with me working for the States? They give me respect, freedom! You narrow–minded fools, stuck in your little boxes, you’ll never understand true liberty!”

“Do you really think I wanted to come back? This filthy place, full of ignorant idiots!”

He became increasingly frantic, beginning to laugh maniacally. “So what if you caught me? Do you really think I’m afraid of you low–level nobodies?”

“I’m telling you, the States promised me that if I got caught, they’d arrange a spy exchange to get me back home! I’d only be in your pathetic prison for a little while!”

“My value–you can’t even imagine, hahahahaha!”

2:15 pm P P P

The man had lost all control, confessing everything, both what he should and shouldn’t have said. The National Security agents didn’t waste any time; they cuffed him and took him away.

“Will he really be exchanged back to the States?”

Standing at the building entrance, watching them all get into the car, I asked Detective Captain Hayes with concern.

“We’d hope he’s valuable enough to be exchanged, that way some of our own people could come home,” Detective Captain Hayes said, irritably taking a drag from his cigarette.

“That idiot has been abroad for so many years and never even got citizenship. Damn it, he’s still one

of *our* citizens.”

“Otherwise, your university wouldn’t have let him join the faculty, given the sensitive nature of the project.”

“His accomplices were also rounded up simultaneously. The other teams are on their way back.”

Detective Captain Hayes had pulled who knew how many all–nighters, his eyes bloodshot. He took

another deep drag from his cigarette to stay alert.

“The States has suffered heavy losses this time. Multiple long–running networks have been

dismantled. Your academic community should be quiet for at least a few years.”

“Someone has already confessed to the method used to kill Professor Davies. Regardless of their foreign nationality, we will execute the death penalty to give you justice.”

“National Security has requested several mid–level officials for a prisoner exchange. Dr. Silas Vance

isn’t on the States‘ exchange list.”

I wondered if Dr. Silas Vance would collapse and hit his head against a wall when he found out. The

country he loved most had never intended to take him back. He would probably spend the rest of his life in the prison of the country he despised the most.

Before graduation, I completed the project I had started with Professor Davies. After submitting it, I quickly received a transfer and was internally appointed to the Academy of Sciences.

Before I left, I specifically sent commemorative banners to both the federal facility and the police department. The one for the facility had a cartoonish officer saluting, with the words: “Don’t just hope for good, trust your defenders.”