Chapter 39: Attracting Foreign Powers
The United States Government – The Pentagon
A dimly lit war room inside the Pentagon buzzed with urgency. Rows of analysts stared at glowing monitors, lines of code scrolling rapidly as cybersecurity experts worked to trace the origins of the groundbreaking AI. The game, World War II: Frontline, had sent shockwaves across the tech industry. But now, it had captured the attention of the highest levels of government.
A lead analyst, a man in his forties with deep bags under his eyes, turned to his superior.
"Sir, we confirmed it. The IP address comes from the Philippines."
Silence. A thick, heavy kind. The kind that meant something big had just dropped into the laps of the world's most powerful people.
A four-star general leaned over the conference table, knuckles pressing into the polished wood. "Could this be a front for Chinese operations?"
The lead analyst shook his head. "Unlikely. We ran a deep dive into their servers—no foreign state involvement detected. This is a small, independent team."
The President of the United States, sitting at the head of the table, laced his fingers together. "And yet, they've built an AI that outperforms anything DARPA has in development?"
No one spoke.
Finally, the National Security Advisor cleared his throat. "Sir, if this technology falls into the wrong hands, we're looking at a major security threat. Imagine a self-learning AI capable of simulating war strategies beyond human capability."
The President exhaled. "We can't let that happen. We need leverage." He turned to the Secretary of Defense. "Deploy another naval fleet to the South China Sea. Make our presence known."