With a surprising burst of strength, the special troop's stupor didn't startle Colonel Lake. The power displayed by the young soldier was beyond anything he had encountered before, a rare occurrence in Colonel Lake's life. This made him curious about the true extent of the machine repair master's capabilities, the one who brought shame upon the army. However, Colonel Lake quickly dismissed his hesitation. Unlike Xu Le, he didn't concern himself with the individual's military prowess. He knew that no matter how powerful the target was, they would crumble in the face of the federal military's superior weaponry.
Discarding his sunglasses, Colonel Lake approached the light screen in the temporary camp, gazing at the silent flashes of red and blue regions. These regions represented the possible hiding places of goal 1 and goal 2, but due to the time delay in the localization process, the regions could only gradually expand.
As the signal from the Capital Star Circle continued to transmit, the red and blue regions on the light screen gradually shrank. Colonel Lake watched this silent yet soul-stirring process with a cold and somber expression. He waited for the two regions on the light screen to converge at a specific point.
"Four minutes and 12 seconds?!" Colonel Lake's pupils suddenly contracted as he realized his grave mistake. The localization process between Eastwood Grand District and the Capital Star Circle required a back-and-forth procedure. If he wanted to locate goal 1 or goal 2, it would actually take eight minutes!
His complexion turned gloomy, and without saying a word to his subordinates, Colonel Lake felt a deep sense of embarrassment. He couldn't help but recall the mistake he made many years ago when the fourth military region mistakenly violated the fireworks at Eastwood. That mistake resulted in the transfer of the fourth military region to the primitive and backward Westwood. Now, making such a mistake again, was it an ill omen?
If there were military personnel or intelligence agents present, such a foolish mistake would not be tolerated. However, the problem lay in the fact that Colonel Lake was an operational personnel, and for the sake of secrecy, he didn't follow the standard procedure set by the joint chiefs of staff.
"I must make the best use of the remaining time." Colonel Lake stared at the gradually approaching color regions on the light screen, contemplating his next move. Once they converged, he would be notified, and the team would be prepared to take action. He entrusted the tasks at the temporary camp to the Eastwood garrison command operating personnel, informed the concealed team members in the city via shoulder-mounted communication devices, and rode in an armored military vehicle deep into the depths of Hexi Province.
...
Xu Le scrambled out of the mine car, completely unaware of the knee-deep black water in the gallery. He found the steel ladder, climbed desperately upward, and raced against time. Upon reaching the top, he forcefully opened the cover and crawled out. With practiced skill, he raised his elbow and pushed open the thick power circuit breaker, illuminating the room with a bright light.
The young man, covered in sweat and bloodstains, looked at his boss Feng Yu, who was lounging on the sofa in a familiar pose. Feng Yu, as if boneless, sank into the soft sofa, his silver cigarette lighter just extinguished. The scent of gasoline seemed to linger in the air as the cigarette on his dry lips burned, the red glow of the cigarette butt still visible before the smoke dissipated.
Meeting the treasonous fugitive in this city with such an intimate employee-employer dynamic was an absurdity that exuded a calm and steady atmosphere.
Xu Le, with sweat and blood on his face, glanced at the pitiful wound on his boss's thigh. Without even catching his breath, he lay down and asked, "How much time do we have left?"
Feng Yu weakly lifted his eyelids, looked at the young man who had been his companion for four years, and gave a faint smile. He replied, "The electronic surveillance locates the chip's position, sends it to the Capital Star Charter Bureau for further pinpointing, then relays it to the execution army here. It will take at least eight minutes and 24 seconds. You came here by riding the mine car, and your speed was good, but the positioning system has been tracking you. In about six minutes, they may find your trail through the launch pipeline. So, roughly speaking, you have about three minutes to talk to me."
"Never expected that you could escape," Feng Yu said with a complexion that was both pale and proud. "It seems that the things I taught you were not in vain. Ministry of Defense's good-for-nothings can't compare... but I didn't expect you to actually run away and come looking for me."
They understood each other well. Xu Le's daring escape from the army meant that he had turned against the federation, and for this, he would undoubtedly pay a heavy price. But Feng Yu's face showed no signs of concern, only tranquility.
"We don't have three minutes to chat; after all, I'm not here to listen to your last words," Xu Le said, lowering his body and taking several green military belts from the sofa. He began to tie up Feng Yu. "I need to get going."
Feng Yu showed no interest in being tied up like a dumpling. He gently patted Xu Le's hand and, with a hint of regret in his eyes, said, "You can't escape. I think if you hadn't come, you would have been detained for a few more days at most. After all, the federal government isn't like those barbaric empires that resort to extreme measures."
"I know you can shield electronic surveillance," Xu Le said angrily, not even looking at his boss's face. "If we don't try, how will we know we can't escape?"
"Because I've been on the run for over ten years," Feng Yu coughed twice and smiled. He took a small device from his pocket and forced it into Xu Le's coat pocket, saying, "That thing you mentioned can only maintain a shield for half an hour. It can't be used indefinitely. After half an hour, what will you do? Hexi Province is vast, but escaping within it is futile. It's better to make good use of these remaining minutes."
Xu Le held the military belt stiffly in midair, looking at Feng Yu's pale face. He clenched his teeth and said, "You managed to evade the authorities for over ten years. Why can't you continue to hide?"
Feng Yu didn't answer the most crucial question. With a faint smile, he looked at the young man and asked, "It seems you've forgotten to ask me something, given your character."
Lowering his head, Xu Le asked, "What really happened during the explosion on the battlefield? Were you really a spy for the empire?"
His question was direct, and Feng Yu's reply was equally direct. The uncle blew smoke rings lazily and said, "Of course not."