The floor panel was pried open, revealing a sophisticated, high-tech metal verification panel underneath.
The president's expression lit up: "It has to be here! I knew it—it's still in the bunker!"
He recalled the handover procedures from his inauguration, then bent down awkwardly, pressing his eye to the small hole below for identity verification.
The verification posture wasn't dignified, but after a crisp click, a small metal door made of Adamantium alloy slowly opened. He withdrew a palm-sized sphere with intricate surface patterns that glowed with golden light throughout.
Bella smiled. Seeing the Golden Apple hidden in the White House had genuinely surprised her earlier. Now that it was out, she could work with it...
"Everyone, let's pack up and get out of here!" The president radiated mysterious confidence, his expression excited, his whole demeanor exuding what could be called leadership charisma.
The others weren't as urgent as him, but they didn't want to stay in the bunker long either. Getting out was definitely preferable.
They all tied long ropes around their waists. Charlie took point again, while the president—now wearing a pair of Jordans—held the Golden Apple and walked in the middle with the girls and the injured Duke. Samantha and the young tour guide brought up the rear.
The guide planned to write a novel about today's experiences. The president had no objections—there were already countless books about the White House, the government, and American politics. One more or less made no difference.
Everyone walked into the wall and found it was indeed pitch black ahead. The president nervously pulled out the Golden Apple, having no idea how to use it. He could only rely on the faint glow from its surface for illumination.
"Everyone be careful!"
"Slow down!"
"Quiet..."
Charlie held his M4A1 up front while the group advanced very slowly.
Suddenly, a bat-like creature swooped down from above. Those with guns fired repeatedly.
These dream creatures didn't fear bullets. The bat-like thing was scared off by their numbers, though. It circled them twice before flying away alone.
"What the hell! What was that thing! I hit it!" The repeated gunfire reopened Duke's wounds, making him grit his teeth in pain.
Except for Bella, no one had seen anything so strange. Little Emily clung to her father's leg, too frightened to speak.
The president was also startled into a daze. In his confusion, he seemed to see a muscular hand appear beside him—a hand that radiated power, snatching the Golden Apple from his grip.
The confusion came and went quickly. When he looked again, there was no giant hand anywhere. Everyone was looking up at the sky, alert for more bat creatures. The Golden Apple rested quietly in his hand. Everything seemed like a hallucination.
"There's light ahead!" Charlie shouted. Everyone hurried forward.
When they emerged from the other side of Bella's array, they'd officially entered the tunnel Kennedy had originally excavated.
This tunnel was still dark and still filthy. Spiderwebs were everywhere, insects countless, but compared to the previous environment where you couldn't see your hand in front of your face, this was much better. The president put away the Golden Apple and followed them out.
Natasha pulled out her communicator and quickly connected.
After speaking briefly, she turned and lowered her voice to tell the president: "Mr. President, S.H.I.E.L.D. wants to provide support. What's your decision?"
The president didn't have many options. He nodded in agreement.
In less than fifteen minutes—before they'd even left the tunnel—S.H.I.E.L.D.'s reinforcements arrived via tracking.
Black-skinned, black eye patch, black trench coat—Nick Fury strode forward with over a dozen well-equipped S.H.I.E.L.D. agents behind him.
"Mr. President, please come with me."
The president naturally recognized the Director. Seeing him personally lead the rescue team touched him deeply.
They followed the winding tunnel and pushed open a hidden door, discovering they were at a side entrance of the Lincoln Memorial. Seeing daylight again excited everyone—the process had been turbulent, but they'd all made it out alive.
Nick Fury completely ignored the family of four, staying far away as if they were all jinxes.
Duke and little Emily were taken away by S.H.I.E.L.D. soldiers. His injuries needed more thorough treatment.
The young tour guide had a place in Washington D.C. and excitedly waved goodbye.
The family of four handed over their body armor and weapons to S.H.I.E.L.D.—whether it went to the Secret Service or they kept it themselves didn't matter. Technically, these weapons were White House property.
The four of them could only sigh. How exactly had a nice vacation turned into this?
"Thank you all for helping me. Without you, I might be dead. Thank you." The president spoke with genuine sincerity.
He shook hands with each of them in farewell. When it came to Charlie, the two men even clapped each other's shoulders: "If I survive this crisis and run for reelection, you'd better remember to vote for me!"
"Absolutely! My whole family supports you!"
The two men hit it off remarkably well. Most of the family's credit got attributed to Charlie, who'd somehow become the president's friend.
Seeing Nick Fury keeping his distance, Bella abandoned any thought of introducing herself. Natasha also didn't plan to expose her identity in front of her parents. The family of four borrowed a car from S.H.I.E.L.D. and headed back to their hotel.
Chaos! All of Washington D.C. was chaotic. The downed F-117 had crashed near the Library of Congress. Combined with the earlier Capitol bombing and White House explosion, soldiers, agents, and police were everywhere. You could say this was Afghanistan and people would believe it.
The family returned to their hotel. Charlie and Samantha were exhausted with no interest in baby-making. They told their daughters to rest well before heading to bed themselves.
Bella and Natasha quietly hid in their room to examine their spoils.
"Hahaha! Hehehehe!" Bella picked up the tapestry she'd hidden earlier, turning it over and over, liking it more with every look.
Natasha licked her lips: "You're definitely going to tell me what this thing does, right?"
"Not telling you!"
"Dear sister, you're the most beautiful woman in the world!"
"Not sincere enough. Try again."
"...Don't push it! Are you telling me or not!?"
Natasha's eyebrows shot up threateningly: "Are you telling me or not?"
After some playful roughhousing, Bella finally revealed the tapestry's purpose. Sometimes feeling smug inside but having no one to tell was deeply frustrating.
"This is actually... actually..." She deliberately drew it out.
When Natasha bared her teeth as if to bite, she finally revealed the answer: "If I'm not mistaken, this is a Magic Carpet!"