Chapter 004: The First Target

The Lawrence family's dinner tonight consisted of Italian pasta, pan-fried fish fillets, stewed chicken, cream soup, and vegetable salad. For a family of three with moderate income, this was quite a feast, probably specially prepared to welcome Cyrus Greene.

Rachel led the pre-dinner prayer, thanking God for providing the food. Cyrus Greene could only silently grumble: I'm not sure if the food is God-given, but I'm certain the coming catastrophe is.

During dinner, David Lawrence casually chatted with Cyrus Greene about recent social issues in America. As an insurance broker, he mostly encountered cases of bankruptcy due to economic problems.

"New York is becoming increasingly unstable. The situation in Brooklyn is terrible, and Queens is being affected too. Illegal immigrants keep impacting our society, and public security is getting worse. I want to help those in need, but I can't."

David Lawrence seemed full of complaints, his words making the dinner atmosphere a bit heavy.

Cyrus Greene knew that when the catastrophe hit, the origin of New York's riots would be these homeless, extremely low-income illegal immigrants. Once restrictions disappear, over a million illegal immigrants would surge from Brooklyn to Manhattan, turning America's prime business center into hell on earth.

"David, no such talk during dinner," Rachel Connor frowned.

"Sorry, dear. I'll stop," David Lawrence responded with a smile.

Angie put down her knife and fork, saying "I'm full" and started to run back to her room. Cyrus Greene quickly called out to stop her, saying, "Angie, wait a moment. I need your help with something."

"Alright, let's go to the garage base," Angie waved her hand and led Cyrus Greene to her secret base.

Though called a 'secret base', it was just a young girl's comfort zone. David Lawrence had built a small loft in the garage for his daughter, and Angie had turned it into her private space, forbidding entry without invitation.

The secret base was carpeted, filled with plush toys, had a small table and chair set with various electronic devices on the table, and a mini-fridge in the corner. Angie took two drinks from the fridge and tossed them to Cyrus Greene, then sat on the carpet frowning, "I don't like dad talking about his work every dinner, it's always bad news."

Sheesh... American girls are so self-centered! Getting upset over such trivial things, even refusing to eat.

Cyrus Greene, unfazed, opened his drink and took a sip, saying, "Let's talk about something interesting. Do you know about 'Dog Meat'?"

"Dog Meat?" Angie's interest was indeed piqued, "You mean the latest bionic robot dog developed by Columbia University for the military? I've seen their test videos, it's amazing! Just like a real dog."

I knew you'd be interested in this topic!

According to the movie's setting, Angelina Lawrence was a genius with an IQ of 160. Besides having interests similar to other girls, her biggest passion was tinkering with intelligent electronic devices. She had even reprogrammed their ET, reportedly increasing its intelligence level by twenty percent.

"Yes, that robot dog. I want to get my hands on it, and I'd like your help," Cyrus Greene stated his intentions directly. "I know you've always wanted to get some military-grade smart components and advanced batteries. I have a way to help you with that."

"Wow, that's quite a challenge," Angie said with a laugh. Though her words were negative, her expression clearly showed intense interest - she was just waiting for Cyrus Greene to share his specific plan.

To hook a girl's interest, you need to aim high. If Cyrus Greene had said he wanted to steal a yogurt from the supermarket, he'd be looked down upon. But when he talked about stealing a robot dog from a heavily guarded top-tier military intelligence lab, regardless of how feasible it was, she'd think it was cool.

"Can you help me find out exactly where that robot dog is?" Cyrus Greene asked.

"It's in the Babylon Intelligence Lab at Columbia University." Angie's fingers lightly tapped the table, and a virtual screen rose from the surface. She typed in a string of characters to search, and what Cyrus Greene wanted quickly appeared on the screen.

"Two months ago, I visited the Babylon Intelligence Lab and even met the team developing that robot dog. Though I, unfortunately, didn't see the dog itself, I did see the bio-brain they equipped it with," Angie proudly showed several photos, whispering, "I took these secretly."

The virtual screen displayed a clean, bright laboratory where, in a sterile operation room, several robotic arms were manipulating an artificially manufactured dog brain - the control center of 'Dog Meat'.

"Can you pull up the exact location and internal layout of the Babylon Intelligence Lab?" Cyrus Greene continued asking.

"You're not planning to steal that dog, are you? You're one of my few friends, and I don't want to see you end up in prison. Lately, the news has been full of rampant violent crimes, which I hate," Angie questioned.

"I promise I won't use violence, it'll just be theft at most. Worst case, after I steal the dog, I can return it later."

Cyrus Greene shrugged, thinking to himself: With my current physical capabilities, who could I possibly use violence against? I can only rely on cunning and stealth to take advantage. As for returning the dog after stealing it - by then, all of New York will be in chaos, and nobody will be asking me to return anything.

For American youth who consider smoking marijuana a recreational activity, stealing something isn't a big deal. Once Angie was assured that Cyrus Greene wouldn't do anything rash, she immediately made a few clicks on her computer's virtual screen.

"The Babylon Intelligence Lab is in Columbia University's School of Engineering and Applied Science. Their robot dog research project started as a joint venture with NASA. The military became interested later and joined in.

I can show you the approximate location of the lab, and even guide you on how to bypass the electronic locks and activate the robot dog, but dealing with the lab's security system will be up to you." Angie looked at Cyrus Greene with bright eyes, eagerly hoping he could create a miracle.

Just then, a voice called from outside the garage, "Angie, can I come in?"

Damn, which little follower is it now? Cyrus Greene soon saw a hippie-looking American youth with fluorescent-dyed hair, wearing earrings and ripped clothes, pursuing fashion, bouncing around while walking to express himself.

Tony Parker, nineteen years old, five foot nine, was a clever guy. He was supposedly the son of David Lawrence's war buddy. After the catastrophe, he played the role of comic relief, troublemaker, and wingman. He was Angelina Lawrence's pursuer, and apparently, they even became lovers in the end.

Damn... Cyrus Greene hated these punk-looking guys the most. Especially now, seeing his frivolous and smirking face made him feel like the guy needed a beating.

However, in the movie, this guy is known as both a troublemaker and a lucky bastard. Every time he caused massive problems, David Lawrence would clean up his mess, and he'd always come out unscathed, even ending up with the girl in the end.

After getting permission, Tony Parker climbed up to the garage loft. Seeing Cyrus Greene, he greeted, "Hi Victor, how are you? What are you guys talking about? Oh... looks like you're discussing 'Dog Meat'. I came here about that robot dog too."

Tony Parker basically ignored Cyrus Greene's presence and sat down in front of Angie with a grin, saying, "I left a message for your 'ET' earlier, wanting you to help me make a decryption program. I might have a chance to get that robot dog.

Think about it - breaking through multiple barriers, avoiding various dangers, then getting a one-of-a-kind pet in the world. Doesn't that sound cool?"

Tony Parker's facial expressions were very animated, and his way of making faces easily amused girls. However, this time Angie said with difficulty, "Uh... Victor also wants my help. You two..."

Only then did Tony Parker look at Cyrus Greene again, saying mockingly, "Hey, my friend, you want to get that robot dog too? How would you get through the multiple layers of security? Trust me, the moment you show up at that lab, you'll be arrested immediately. Only I can succeed."

"Don't worry about that, I can handle the security system," Cyrus Greene said coldly. The security forces he needed to deal with consisted of three parts: Columbia University's campus police, military guards stationed at the lab, and the lab's own hired security personnel.

Among these, the police and military personnel would disappear in three days, leaving Cyrus Greene to face only the lab's privately hired security staff, which wouldn't be very numerous.

But Tony Parker burst out laughing mockingly, "You're joking, that's impossible! That place is off-limits to all outsiders, especially someone with an Asian face like yours. Just last week, military security caught an Asian spy trying to sneak into the lab to steal data. They'll never let you get anywhere near it."

"Since you're so confident, why don't we make it a competition?" Looking at the 3D model of 'Dog Meat' on Angie's computer screen, Cyrus Greene took several deep breaths. He turned to stare into Tony Parker's eyes and said, "Let's see who can succeed!"

Cyrus Greene silently vowed: I must get that dog!