Chapter 493: Blueprints for Destruction
[Chapter 493: Blueprints for Destruction]
Southeast Asia, Mandalay.
Gordon, carrying his backpack, left school and entered an ice cream shop across the street. Inside, he saw a white man with long blond hair and a scruffy beard.
He ordered an iced cola, sat opposite the man, and asked in English, "Are you Michael?"
The blond man replied, "Are you Gordon, the computer and network repair specialist?"
From his accent, which had a strong Eastern European tone, Gordon guessed he might be Russian.
"That's me." Gordon had lived in Mandalay a long time. The city's economy revolved around jade and some illicit trades, so he knew better than to ask questions he shouldn't. "What do you need me for? Computer repair?"
"I'm not good with computers," the blond said, "I need someone to upload some files to the internet."
Gordon had done similar jobs before and smiled, "I charge for this kind of work."
The blond man handed over a USB drive. "There's a video on here I want uploaded to the most popular global sites. The broader the spread, the better."
Gordon took his laptop from his backpack, installed a wireless card, and said, "I can start now."
The man smiled, "You guys still use wireless cards here?"
"This is Mandalay!" Gordon booted up, emphasis in his voice. "Myanmar's second-largest city!"
The blond said nothing more. Western media often painted this place as primitive.
Gordon opened Yahoo and uploaded the video to the Yahoo community site. Once the upload finished, he glanced at the video. It showed a small plane diving rapidly from the sky, crashing into a brick house, causing a massive explosion.
The house was destroyed, and the cars inside were wrecked. The blast was powerful.
The building's style looked Middle Eastern.
He hesitated, about to ask questions, when he noticed a black plastic bag on the table.
Inside were large denominations of Myanmar kyats -- the preferred cash method for jade traders here.
The blond pushed the bag toward him.
Seeing the shop was mostly empty, Gordon quickly counted the cash and stuffed it into his backpack.
Now with no doubts, he got to work on the laptop.
The wireless speed was slow, and after a long time, Gordon said, "I've uploaded to twelve sites. The wireless card is out of data."
"Keep going," said the blond. "At least twenty sites."
"I promise!" Gordon packed up and left, heading to the library's internet section on campus.
He connected there, resumed working, put on his headset, and replayed the video.
This time, he heard explosion sounds and a voiceover with a heavy Russian accent discussing the footage.
"This remote-controlled plane doesn't just wreck tanks -- it takes out fortresses too."
"The T72 tank's top armor is weak; it only took one plane to disable it."
"A few thousand dollars to destroy millions' worth of equipment; that's a bargain."
"Next time, try it on a Merkava or Abrams tank."
Though startling, Middle East was far from Myanmar, so Gordon kept uploading. Given the hefty payment, he uploaded to over thirty sites.
...
Meanwhile, the blond man recruited three other computer repair technicians. Motivated by money, they made similar choices.
The next evening, a train from Mandalay arrived at Yangon station.
The blond burned his wig, fake beard, and gloves at a remote dump, changed his appearance, and boarded a passenger ship to a chaotic Bangladesh.
---
Campinas, Brazil.
In a hotel conference room, Henderson, representing West Coast Environmental Technologies Group, signed a contract with a local manufacturer to produce patrol fire-fighting drones and fire suppression munitions-delivery drones.
The new mayor of Los Angeles was a Ferguson family relation, who succeeded thanks to strong backing from Hawke and Brian.
Immediately upon taking office, he placed a significant order with West Coast Environmental Technologies Group.
Some drones would also be allocated to Hurricane Mercenary Company and Butterfly Consulting.
Henderson shook hands with the young man in charge, Lucas Moreira, who wore glasses and was under thirty.
"Mr. Moreira, we hope you'll complete these orders on time."
"Rest assured," Lucas replied confidently. "We'll ensure quality and quantity."
...
After signing contracts, Lucas returned to his factory to discuss production strategies with engineers and technicians.
An order totaling 10,000 drones and accessories would help Lucas's company survive its critical startup phase.
At the meeting's conclusion, Lucas stressed, "We must fully master these technology and create our own brand!"
The people here never lacked courage or the will to develop.
...
Back in his office, Lucas considered expanding beyond American clients.
His deputy arrived carrying a laptop, saying, "Mr. Moreira, check this video. It's been shared on Yahoo."
Lucas looked at the footage showing Middle Eastern architecture. A simple drone crashed and exploded, destroying buildings and cars. After the explosion, accented English voices discussed the event.
They paused the video as the drone dove, sharing a knowing glance.
The deputy explained, "This could be a lucrative market with great potential."
Lucas, thinking like a business owner, warned, "Remember whose turf we're talking about. If these weapons target tanks or armored vehicles, it's always the poor fighting the rich."
An American eagle stood watch over all, making clear its dominance.
The deputy voiced, "We can't lose money just because of those bastards."
Lucas planned, "Campinas has many risk-takers. We'll find agents or intermediaries here to discreetly sell parts to the Middle East."
"Good idea!" his deputy agreed.
"I heard a factory in Ribeirão Preto sells seamless steel pipes to the Middle East through a woman. Check that out; we can learn from her."
Although production hadn't started, channels needed establishing. "She's in Campinas. Send people to learn from her."
"I'll lead the team."
---
Eastern Mediterranean.
Inside a modest apartment, Sineval returned from training with his AKM rifle slung over his back and entered an underground workshop.
Large shipments of imported seamless steel pipes were being machined.
The nearest station added triangular stabilizers to the pipes to enhance flight stability.
Sineval went to a room, set down his rifle, washed his face, and sat before his laptop.
As one of few higher-educated people in the resistance, he used the internet for international communications and to purchase urgently needed supplies.
Fluent in several languages, he logged into various global chat and communication networks.
A Russian user sent a video via Skype.
After watching, Sineval's eyes widened as if discovering something remarkable. He called the factory director and said, "Director, I received a special video showing a cheap weapon that can destroy main battle tanks -- not an anti-tank rocket launcher."
"Come here immediately," the director replied.
Sineval rushed to the office.
---
Not far in Afghanistan, men herded sheep along a road outside Kabul. Nearby, a convoy of Humvees and Stryker infantry vehicles returned to the base, where Abrams tanks were parked.
One man watching the convoy said, "Top armor on infantry fighting vehicles and main battle tanks is the weakest." His shorter companion, possibly his son, said, "If the video's right, a small drone paired with rockets could disable a tank just by attacking its cooling vent."
The man scratched his head, "Too bad we can't build these."
The boy decided, "We'll buy them -- from Russia, China, India, Iran..."
Such cost-effective weapons would surely surprise the Americans!
---
California, Sacramento.
The lawn in front of the governor's mansion was crowded with over a hundred reporters.
Brian held Jennifer's hand as they stepped up to the microphone for his inaugural address.
Front-row guests included Hawke and Erica, alongside Brian and Jennifer's parents.
Steve Nutt and Brian's supporters were also present.
Among them was Jeff Bezos of Amazon.
What surprised Hawke was the presence of a Walt Disney representative, despite recent leadership changes.
Robert Iger, Disney's new CEO, sat beside Steve Nutt, occasionally speaking.
Disney had traditionally supported the Democrats, but with California turning red again, their allegiance shifted pragmatically.
Brian passionately outlined plans to support California's tech industry.
The crowd erupted into applause.
...
Brian hosted a luncheon at the mansion.
Bezos specifically invited Mary Ferguson to sit with Hawke's group.
Waiting for the meal, Bezos said, "I noticed your investment fund bought a lot of Amazon's stock on the secondary market."
Hawke replied, "We missed primary offerings, so had to buy on the secondary market."
Noting this, Bezos said, "If Amazon needs more funding later, I'll let you know."
"Perhaps we can deepen advertising cooperation and cross-promote," he suggested.
Hawke agreed, "Send your people to negotiate in Los Angeles."
They toasted, "Looking forward to a fruitful partnership."
...
Afterward, Steve Nutt accompanied Robert Iger to a lounge area.
Iger said, "Disney is closely following minority rights movements and wants to fully cooperate with equality organizations."
Steve added, "Bob plans to include more minority characters in upcoming Disney films."
Currently, the LGBTQ movement aligned with Hawke's interests. He said, "This is good. As responsible companies and groups, we should promote fairness, justice, and freedom."
He eloquently elaborated, "My foundation supports Steve financially; Twitter promotes the Occupy San Francisco movement, helping Phillip seek justice. It's not enough. If Disney joins, pushing this through film and animation, we can make real progress."
Steve mentally noted Hawke's speech for his future dealings.
Since last year, Iger had monitored the Occupy San Francisco movement, and the LGBTQ community's expansion from Southern to Northern California sparked a national wave.
This movement eclipsed even the Beatles' influence.
Coming from media, Iger believed social trends influenced films. "Even the male lead Jack Sparrow in the Pirates of the Caribbean reflects this movement."
The flamboyant captain showed many gender-ambiguous traits.
This claim carried persuasive weight here.
Hawke asked about future plans.
Iger, a savvy manager, said, "Disney is adjusting multiple projects; plans will soon be revealed. We'll seek your and Steve's input."
Steve responded, "That's no problem. Contact me if the equality organization can help."
The LGBTQ movement would grow over the next years, but for Hawke, it wasn't enough.
He proposed, "Disney might also consider including LGBTQ or third-gender characters in animation."
Steve, a LGBTQ community leader, agreed, "Our younger generation will grow up with these concepts; when they become society's backbone, discrimination will vanish."
Iger glanced at Steve and Hawke, thinking they were a bit crazy.
Especially Hawke -- was this his idea of social responsibility?
Though privately skeptical, Iger put on a serious face, replying, "You make good points. As a responsible corporation, Disney will lead by example."
Hawke hoped for more consensus; Iger agreed.
They chatted some more before leaving.
...
Exiting the lounge, Hawke saw Brian busy and didn't disturb him.
Brian just officially took office as California's governor. Next week, he and two Twitter teams planned to come to Sacramento to discuss advancing California's development.
This, of course, depended on real financial gains in state finance and tax.
...
Later, Hawke saw Iger talking with Tom Cruise and Eric Emerson, likely about including more Hollywood LGBTQ elements in film.
Hawke's suggestion about Disney animation wasn't just talk.
Brian soon would announce policies promoting the LGBTQ community, involving marriage, law, and education.
Education, in particular, paralleled adding such elements to animation.
Brian's election owed much to the LGBTQ grassroots pushing for change, and naturally, they expected something in return.
He had Edward and Steve prepare early.
With Compton Foundation and equality groups, specialists trained a group of drag and transgender queens.
Once Brian's legislation passed, these queens would regularly visit California's middle and high schools to educate students properly.
[T/N: Hawke supported this to make sure to destroy America's roots. Young people represent a country's future, and by destroying them, he would make sure America would be destroyed.]
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