Major-general ang’s black bulletproof Buick sped tes of t compound before tion Army security guards could ruso t and affect tory salute. te in  brain to give time permitted. o be alert at all times, noers of tment of taff and ed in trict, o tion’s top universities, researcecions. termat events.

    ook a deep puff on a gold-tipped Zine-stained fingers o tte as t rument. t into a largisrong features exilation system. ubbed out tte in tray set into t. tray retracted, ther.

    t situation olerable and if  quickly bring trol t of Cical poime. Major-general ang  risen rapidly tion Army to see ire future put at stake by a professor   researcudent. t of to h rage.

    “ do you mean  t a fees earlier. tsingy provost at tary leader’s outburst of anger. tron  afford to offend.  kne some of t to question tudents involved on top secret projects and  money o projects t eventually added to tige of itution o concur  any mistakes   t if to ’s agile mind rapidly accessed a mental list of alternate funding sources.

    “tudent disobeyed clear orders, an act ing your furtructions,” t informed the major-general.

    “You sudent under guard as soon as t he major-general said gruffly.

    “Major-general, I must remind you t ional institution t can only resort to treme circumstances.”

    “reme circumstance? I  you to secure til I can get some men out tand?”

    “Perfectly, sir,” t said uated reverence, sensing a reprieve. t ted ty an unprecedented level of funding, some of o oties, eniveness. Ne , professors utions, ne project op secret t t rouble explaining to aff  ty. Nobody , t ed t t section of ty  of bounds and t ty’s resources for some run-of-t. Quite trary, if t’s .

    Major-general ang  and lit anotte. Noed fa?ade of t gray building t enants, ted on ts of t fetempting to gain access to tem.  Kenzo Yamamoto and ivities. In fact, t information from  t actually angered  trocities committed by t t it flooded ies ted on t, ter ried one trick too many and to it t h his life.

    te on t one, pinpointing trusions to tokyo and tracing it back ta analysis all to to’s lair in Sated before deciding on te, knooo  Yamamoto’s boss  member of t. Yet, , to ascertain t Minister taka implicated. If ter ical game and t afford to make tical. too muc stake.

    Yet, if ter , tting to oo  compromising Neerests. t and deadly yet ting a minister of a foreign country. t  go dooo okyo if it ever came to lig o   no kind of , aker of risks and if t t.

    to  any rate, routine precautions aken. Papped, communications o a significant cer’s private communications netment’s best and most trustly attempting a o tellites.

    Everyt s for tter of o  and gained access to totype net place. turing facility deep erland of Neen  everyted for.  but t for a fact. Any  anoto die.

    t tiffened and gave  salute as rode briskly too attention as o ant appeared out of no body, a keen mind and tured, a voracious sexual appetite. If only time and protocol , .

    “Leave me alone. I don’t  to be disturbed,”  turning around. tant exited t making a sound. t doered desk and lit anot a console and screen and a gold plated as.  to take a puff on tte when his secure cell phone rang.

    “Speak,” cion of e computer-controlled c tense combination of muscle and fat of a sumo ler, complete .

    “Lieutenant Liu, sir. e have some news.”

    “It better be good.”

    “Sir, o gain access to one of tions satellites.”

    “Is t the news?”

    “No sir. It seems t to sent t before he died sir.”

    “And eresting?”

    “Sir, because t found out t tained custom-made computers. And to to ly trying to retrieve them.”

    “Mmmm... very interesting. So t is o our neto digest tion.

    “Sir,  to a Professor Joplin of MIt in America and a he Union. A Cad Caldwell, sir.

    “Did you do a trace on two?”

    “Yes, sir. Professor Joplin is dead according to ta on.”

    “t  to too,” thinking aloud.

    “Most likely, sir.”

    tal note to ec trusion detection AIs and t. It  be long before ttempted to log on to to get to t, before t seemed, er.

    “If t expecting a useful ansenant Liu ion, because  trated wife in bed asleep. Several days of cold sed him.

    “Sir, according to ta, it appears t find teenage daug no body y, remote as it may seem, t she console.”

    “Not remote at all. race on ?”

    “e’ll get on it rigenant said, picturing ing into a thousand pieces.

    “Good enant. Keep me informed,” t length and hung up.

    t  access.  t and  likely got o em at tsingy and om built in Japan. But  knoself and tocols it used. t ta anyed only in teco t. to be state-of-t crafted by a true master.

    tment, t in information, signals, data, patterns in data and data flos director and termind beems - command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance. trieve t sudent on t. tment o some of tion floion globally. tion and t o its final live test phase.

    It o kill Professor Yao, tect of tually cut up about it. test tec loss for try. Yet, ty. t ion belonged to o Neantamount to treason and   , everyt a few minor hiccups.

    t s beta p group of tment’s best minds  ticking around ternally and externally. ts  of tions of financial markets, electricity grids and global communications systems s. Professor Yao em ready for prime time. tself. Did t t declared successful in Ne role to play in ted it but try to sabotage t by going to t. iful logic of it?

    t about ty-six stratagems in t Art of ar” ten by an anonymous scest project, C true AI, o ree ty six stratagems for tal age. to he enemy in ways unimaginable.

    Fool to cross to los intentions deep o make a natural mistake. Besiege ei to rescue Ztack someto bring  of rue prize. target erized systems of global trade, industry and communications. tion.

    Kill rengt it, subverting global tecems for its oory  ted enemy ime and place of battle  tion, alloo encourage to ex  significant battle o figo tratagem. Loot a burning house.

    But first to be put on . to be done and property to be retrieved.