The illegal raid on the Chinese Consulate in the previous hour results in a major international incident. Cheng Zhi , the consulate's head of security, arrives at CTU with evidence—a surveillance photo of an unmasked CTU agent—proving American involvement.
In the 21st episode of Season 4, titled "Day 4: 3:00 a.m. – 4:00 a.m.," the tension reaches a breaking point as the domestic threat of a nuclear launch converges with a major international diplomatic crisis. Plot Summary: Domestic and International Crises Watch 24 4x21 1
Habib Marwan accelerates his timeline after realizing CTU has upgraded its technical defenses, making it harder for him to jam their satellite tracking. By the end of the hour, Jack Bauer and Curtis Manning track Marwan to a factory. Despite a fierce gun battle, they arrive seconds too late to stop the launch sequence; the episode ends with the team helplessly watching as a nuclear missile is fired toward an unknown target. The illegal raid on the Chinese Consulate in
