If you found any employee at the FBI headquarters and asked them which department has the hardest time, they would certainly answer: Cybersecurity.
Yes!
The Cybersecurity Office is the whipping boy for all executives. Whenever there's any sign of trouble, they are the ones who get yelled at.
As the supervisor of the Cybersecurity Department, Roger Consius, who was past forty, was having a tough time. Long nights of staying up had exhausted him, and combined with smoking, heavy drinking, and caffeine, the old saying applied: time is a knife, life is a torrent, and his hair was gone.
He was miserable, and the employees under him suffered too. The intrusion event from a few days ago was still unresolved, and now there was this short video debacle. They thought it was a small pest, but when they stepped on it, a striped tiger with menacing eyes leaped out.
Roger grew impatient. "Has there been any word yet?"
A subordinate quickly replied, "I just called. They said they ran into some trouble and need time to handle it."
"How long?"
"They... didn't say."
"A bunch of idiots!"
Roger kicked the wall, his face utterly grim.
"Emily."
Emily Song, the field agent responsible for mysterious affairs, stepped forward. "Captain!"
Roger raised his index finger, his expression cold as he instructed,
"If Luke Shaw dares to say no to a single thing later, shut him up. I don't want to waste another half-minute."
"Understood."
Emily nodded and retreated into the corner under the strange glances of the others. The FBI had a special unit, the Division of Anomalous Investigations, which handled supernatural and paranormal events. It was rumored that the agents in this department were often metahumans with special abilities, and Emily was one of them.
A Tense Meeting
The moment he entered the reception area, Luke sensed something was off. The agents' gazes were unfriendly, all seeming to glow red, like a bunch of house husbands, who were too scared to speak up at home, but could only vent their frustration outside.
To protect his mental and physical health, he decided to adopt a different approach. After a short, violent cough, Luke walked up to Roger Consius while clutching his chest.
"I didn't rest well last night and somehow caught the flu. I sincerely apologize for keeping you waiting for so long."
Before he finished speaking, he quickly covered his mouth and broke into a heart-wrenching cough, his face turning crimson, as if he was trying to cough up his internal organs. Roger Consius's eyelids twitched. He subtly moved back, afraid of being splattered.
The flu was no small matter. In the US, as many as ten thousand people died from the flu every year, even with effective medicines available.
"Are you Luke Shaw, the founder of ShowMe?"
Luke nodded. Supported by Charlie, he sat down on the sofa and said weakly, "You are..."
"Roger Consius. Here is my ID."
Charlie took the badge, glanced at it, and nodded.
"Mr. Consius, I see."
Luke quickly extended his right hand, very enthusiastically. "Pleased to meet you. I must say, it's my first time seeing the FBI. Could... could we shake hands?"
Roger's mouth twitched. He said flatly,
"We don't have much time. Let's get straight to business!"
"Al... alright!"
Luke awkwardly retracted his right hand, looking embarrassed and lost, like an innocent citizen being bullied by an official. The atmosphere grew instantly awkward.
Roger knew his action was inappropriate. He cleared his throat, took out a document, and placed it on the table.
"This is an authorization document from the White House. I require your company to assist us in dealing with the two videos posted on ShowMe at 1 PM this afternoon."
"Which two short videos are you referring to?"
"Superman and Batman?"
"Oh, those. I watched them, too. Very cool guys. I like them. They are heroes."
"You think they are heroes?"
"Aren't they?"
Roger did not answer the question but switched topics. "Do you know how much impact these two videos are causing? They are inciting social unrest and public panic. The seemingly benevolent actions of those two are, in fact, challenging the majesty of the law. If the Constitution ceases to guarantee safety, who will be responsible for the public's security?"
Luke laughed. "Are you saying they did something wrong?"
"No, they didn't. What they did was admirable and correct, but these things should only be discussed privately. They cannot become a focus of the news, much less objects of public obsession. It is the Constitution that protects the public, not superheroes."
"Mr. Consius, you should run for president. If you participate in next year's election, I'll definitely vote for you."
Luke expressed his genuine admiration, then shifted his tone. "So, what exactly do you want me to do?"
Roger leaned forward, asking the most crucial question.
"Who is Ghost Traveler?"
"The company's social media account."
"Did you post those two short videos?"
"Yes."
Roger inhaled sharply, feeling he had grasped the key point. He quickly asked,
"Where did you get the videos from?"
Luke signaled to Charlie, who opened his laptop and pulled up the company email. There was an email without a sender name.
"Someone sent me an email three days ago in the afternoon, asking me to post the attached short videos on ShowMe. I watched them a few times, thought they were great, and did as instructed."
An FBI employee took the laptop. After checking the email information, he whispered into Roger's ear,
"The account was registered four days ago. The IP address has been manipulated. It will be difficult to trace."
Roger nodded calmly, but the hand resting on his knee was clenched into a fist. Without an address, he couldn't find the person who sent the email. The trail ended here.
A strong feeling of frustration welled up in Roger. He felt like he was walking through a carefully constructed trap, with every step proving difficult.
"Mr. Consius, is there anything else? If not, I'd like to go back and rest."
Roger remained silent, seemingly lost in thought. Just then, Emily walked up and whispered something. Roger's face turned incredibly dark. He suppressed his anger and hissed,
"Luke Shaw, don't try to deceive the Federal Bureau of Investigation by feigning illness. The cost is something you cannot bear."
Luke sighed deeply, looking very wronged.
"What choice do I have? You people keep calling—the CIA, the state government, the White House—and me? A law-abiding, good citizen. What recourse do I have besides pretending to be sick?"
"Still trying to argue?"
Luke shook his head, too lazy to engage with the man. His gaze turned to Emily, with her purple hair and purple eyes. When he saw her exotic face, his eyes immediately lit up.
"Such beautiful eyes, such a beautiful person. Beautiful lady, what's your name?"
"Emily Song!"
"Oh!" Luke said with sudden realization. "It's you."
Emily frowned.
"You know me?"
"The last person I saw in my previous life was you, but you were far less beautiful then than you are now." Luke stood up, extended his right hand, and put his left hand behind his back. "My beautiful purple-eyed angel, would you be interested in having dinner with me?"
Emily didn't know whether to laugh or cry. In this situation, the guy was trying to flirt with her.
Roger let out a heavy snort.
"Luke Shaw, we are not finished yet!"
"Ah, my memory! I forgot the important person. Mr. Consius, if you have any other requests, please make them."
"I want you to remove the videos!"
"No problem."
The news of metahumans appearing had already spread through various channels, and ShowMe had gained the desired attention. The two short videos were now inconsequential.
Roger stood up and said chillingly, "I am talking about not just the Ghost Traveler account, but all ShowMe users."
As he finished speaking, the smile on Luke's face instantly froze.
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