Because there is dust in outer space, the sky in Eastwood Grand District is never a beautiful deep blue. Even in pictures, it's difficult to capture the dazzling sunlight. But at this moment, Xu Le felt like he was experiencing solar vertigo. How else could he explain the sudden appearance of a group of ruthless, fully armed soldiers in the peaceful alley of Bell Tower Street? And what was even more absurd was that they had their guns pointed at him.
One of the soldiers, wearing a black cotton fabric mask, seemed to say something to him, but Xu Le could only hear a buzzing sound in his ears. He was still in a daze, opening his mouth in a dumbfounded manner, taking in the surreal scene around him.
Bang! A soldier struck him hard on the head with the butt of his gun, causing fresh blood to flow and making Xu Le's body tremble. Instead of falling to the ground, he was held up by the pain of the blow and the stench of blood. It was a wake-up call for him, confirming that he was indeed in an incredibly strange situation. This group of fully armed soldiers... they were aiming their weapons at him!
The cold, hard barrel was still pressed against his temple, sending a chilling sensation through Xu Le's body. Despite his innate calmness, he was still just a seventeen-and-a-half-year-old orphan. Faced with a muzzle so close, he couldn't help but feel fear. He knew that any careless movement on his part could result in a metal bullet piercing his skull like a rotten watermelon. His chest tightened, he trembled, and his legs felt like they were being struck by electric currents. Fortunately... he didn't wet his pants in fear.
"Name," the impatient soldier spoke in a cold and emotionless voice. This time, Xu Le managed to reply, albeit with a trembling voice, "Xu Le."
A flat metal detector was extended behind Xu Le's neck, pressing against his skin and sending shivers down his spine. With beeping sounds, the device quickly collected data from the chip in his neck, transmitting it to a comprehensive database to confirm his identity and all his records up until that day.
"Goal 2 confirmed," the soldier said coldly through an intercom. He then forcefully pulled Xu Le's hair and directed him towards an armored vehicle at the entrance of an alley.
Xu Le didn't resist because he knew it would be futile. Despite the strength he sensed from the soldiers, he understood that their protective gear was not necessarily superior to his own. But the presence of more than ten barrels surrounding him was incredibly intimidating. He didn't cry out for help because he had been trying to join the Ministry of Defense through the officer recruitment test, and he had gained some understanding of the military. He could distinguish between these silent soldiers and audacious kidnappers pretending to be federal soldiers.
However, he couldn't help but feel insulted. Being dragged by his hair, he felt deeply humiliated. In a short span of time, Xu Le, his face covered in blood, had already figured out why these soldiers had come. It seemed that Uncle Feng's true identity had finally been exposed. Uncle Feng had been hiding in this city for more than ten years, but how did the federal military suddenly discover his whereabouts? And why did they send so many fully armed soldiers to capture a mere machine repair master trying to join the army?
The soldiers responsible for Xu Le's arrest were from the Eastwood Garrison Army. After they had restrained him, they tightly bound his wrists with specially made plastic restraints and covered his face with a black cloth, paying no further attention to him.
The vehicle started moving, and Xu Le felt a burning ache in his wrists. The wound on his forehead continued to bleed, and the rough treatment made him realize the true brutality of the state machinery. He didn't resist in any significant way but silently calculated where this military vehicle might be headed.
The vehicle came to a stop, and without paying any attention to the pitiful youngster, the soldiers remained silent. The discipline of the federal army could be inferred from their actions. In the prolonged silence, Xu Le, huddled in a corner of the compartment, felt utterly abandoned, like a dried-up and forgotten shrimp.
...
...
The angry footsteps outside the military vehicle sounded against an ammunition box, accompanied by the approving voices of soldiers. "Why did someone run away?" Colonel Lake's voice carried a hint of anger, and Xu Le desperately hoped that the military officer was referring to Uncle Feng.
Colonel Lake removed his glasses and stared angrily at the soldiers surrounding the military vehicle. He forcefully suppressed his emotions because, after all, these soldiers from the Eastwood Garrison Army were the ones coordinating the operation on the ground. He had sufficient reason to be angry. The Federation had spent months preparing to capture or eliminate the machine repair master known as Yu Feng. The ground surveillance had been flawless. So why, just as his machine armor squad arrived on the planet's surface, did the machine repair master suddenly vanish from the repair shop on Xianglan Main Road's fourth block?
It was 3:00 PM, the laziest time for humans. It was the designated time for the attack to begin, but before it could commence, the target had inexplicably disappeared. Lake felt a cold sensation in his heart.
Outside the fourth block, a temporary command post had been set up. A large, ultra-thin light screen displayed countless luminous spots representing movements, some slow and some fast. However, the target marked with a black circle labeled "Goal 1" intermittently appeared and disappeared on the screen, evading capture.
Lake stared coldly at the light screen, remaining silent for a long time. He knew the entire process of the operation, starting from the discovery of the electric shock stick at the Charter Bureau. The federal investigation had easily traced it back to Deputy Director Bao Longtao of the Hexi Province Sub-Bureau. From there, they investigated the leader of the orphan faction, Li Wei, and then Li Wei's close friend, Xu Le. Finally, they targeted the boss of the repair shop.
Removing Xu Le's information from the chip had been easy since the repair shop boss was, in fact, Yu Feng. But Lake hadn't expected that this most-wanted criminal would be able to evade the first-level investigation with such ease. Despite the extensive electronic surveillance network covering the world, he had managed to slip away from the watchful eyes of the surveillance personnel. Moreover, he had temporarily shielded the chip signal with a certain device attached to his neck.
As Lake read the information, his sadness deepened. He now fully understood why this matter had been given the highest priority by the Charter Bureau's central computer and why he had received the order to eliminate the target directly. To evade the first-level investigation so masterfully was truly terrifying. If this truth were to spread throughout society, it would undoubtedly cause an uncontrollable wave.
"Goal 1 has escaped and been injured," reported a commanding officer from the garrison. "All flight vehicle takeoffs and landings on the entire planet have been blocked. He can't escape. Even with a four-minute delay, the encirclement is tightening. At most, it will be another night before we capture him."
"I can't wait another night," Lake said with a cold expression. "Where is the boss of the repair shop?"
Xu Le, covered in blood, was brought forward, and Lake furrowed his brow slightly, displeased with the methods employed by his Eastwood colleagues. However, he knew the situation was urgent and refrained from saying anything. He looked coldly at the young man and asked in a stern voice, "I want to know where your boss is hiding."
The black cloth covering Xu Le's face was torn off, and the sudden exposure to bright light caused him to squint his eyes. He looked at the colonel in front of him but remained silent.
Colonel Lake delivered a powerful punch to Xu Le's abdomen, causing intense pain that made him nearly vomit. Nevertheless, Xu Le kept his eyes narrowed and maintained his stubborn silence, observing the soldiers surrounding him.