Smash the State

Smash the State is an optional side quest in Deus Ex: Human Revolution. It is given to the player by Officer Nicholas. It is also the name of the related achievement for completing the quest.

Introduction
After obtaining Isaias Sandoval's location from William Taggart one way or another at the Detroit Convention Center, Jensen runs into one Officer Nicholas, another friend from back on the force. Nicholas has a problem - he's gotten word from a street informant that a member of Motor City Bangers, Jacob White, has access to a large amount of military-grade explosives and is plotting an attack. Nicholas also says that he cannot receive any help from the DCPD with the majority of the force on riot control, and that he'll need Jensen's help.

Overview
Nicholas has intel that White is armed and dangerous and has his hands on a bomb, but he doesn't have White's precise location, so he gives Jensen three leads instead: the transit station, the side alley near the police station, and the sewers. He also knows that White has hatred for the police and will likely be targeting the police station. Jensen must find White, deal with him, and then deal with his bomb.

Walkthrough
The player can feel free to explore the transit station and back alley, but White is actually located in the sewers. You will need the augment that allows you to pick up heavy objects or the one that allows you to jump nine feet in order to access the alley behind the Detroit Police Station. It is advised to try to do this as it is easy extra experience. The sewer access is located underneath a man-hole to the left of the exit of Central Station leading towards the Detroit Police Station. The entire main section of the sewers will be fortified, and mines are placed at strategic locations, including the entrances to the sewers.

White is armed with heavy armor and a heavy rifle, and has three turrets in place with strategic cones of vision. The frag mines should also be carefully disarmed before alerting White himself. The turrets should be avoided as there is not much room to maneuver and any running may lead the player into a mine, another turret, or even the electrified water.

Jensen can hack the nearby computers to take control of the turrets, after which he can then disable them or turn them against White. If you follow Nicholas' orders, you will need a tranquilizer rifle or a stun gun. If pursuing the tranquilzer rifle method, then stay about two columns back from the corner that White will appear at when the last mine explodes. Then, aim around the corner and shoot and he should drop in about 20-30 seconds. Otherwise, shoot him a lot (as a heavy type, he takes quite a few shots to be killed) until he drops. After White is dealt with, his bomb can be found in the side passage leading up to the police station basement. The code to disarm the bomb is 0000 and unlocks the Lucky Guess achievement worth 10 gamerscore. The bomb is also a level 4 hack for those who prefer in-game experience.

After taking care of both White and his bomb, but before returning to Officer Nicholas, the player should climb up the ladder to the left of the bomb and turn off the power box that is electrifying the water. This allows the player to safely avoid any turrets or mines left unhacked or exploded. Then, Jensen should report back to Officer Nicholas in the Detroit Convention Center for his reward.

Trivia
This quest's name is a homage to Deus Ex, derived from the first obtainable security login, used by the NSF during the attack on Liberty Island.