When Xu Le woke up, the rain had stopped, and the heavy dark clouds had also disappeared, revealing a few lonely stars in the nighttime sky. The number of stars visible in the Eastwood Grand District nighttime sky was not very high. Xu Le lay on the ground and squinted his eyes to distinguish them. It felt like he had lost track of time, not knowing how long had passed. His wristwatch had been replaced by a bracelet, and amidst the intense pain and mental impact, time seemed particularly hazy to him.
Lying on the wet ground was uncomfortable. Although the rain-soaked fallen leaves felt soft like a cotton quilt, they emitted an unpleasant odor. But Xu Le didn't crawl up because he was exhausted, hungry, and very weak. He felt a deep fatigue permeating his muscles and bones, making him reluctant to move.
He peacefully lay down on the wet ground after the rain, opening his eyes and gazing at the unclear starry sky above. After a long time, he mustered the strength to struggle to his feet and let out a long sigh. This sigh carried a multitude of emotions, revealing a sense of world-weariness in the young man.
The blue light shield emitted by the shield meter had expired, yet despite lying in the damp woods for so long, Xu Le hadn't been discovered by the federal army or the police. This fact stirred up a mix of emotions within him.
He glanced at the metal bracelet on his left wrist, which remained silent. Xu Le touched a small wound on the back of his neck, feeling a slight ache. He knew that the chip implanted in his body had been changed into a special device personally made by the boss, successfully evading electronic surveillance.
From that moment on, Xu Le was no longer Xu Le. He leaned against a tree trunk, stood up, and cautiously licked the drop of blood on his finger. He swayed his weak body and, taking advantage of the dim light of night, made his way towards the outskirts of the woods. It was a difficult journey, but as he moved, he familiarized himself with the information displayed on the bracelet, trying to adapt to his new identity in a short period of time to avoid any potential exposure.
The new chip and new identity appeared on the light screen. The same simple and sincere face remained, along with the serial number of the Eastwood Grand District residential certificate. However, his life trajectory had completely changed. According to his new status, he had just graduated from high school, served in the military, and was currently in a semi-unemployed state with nothing particularly noteworthy to draw official attention. And this new status was named...
"Xu Le? Xu Le!"
The chip replacement seemed to have caused a slight disorientation in Xu Le's mind. Whether it was due to the simplicity of the matter he had hidden from before the rainstorm or the death of his uncle, which had led him to decide to live well, the cry of his name on the light screen didn't match his usual behavior. He fell heavily to the ground, expressing his surprise.
"Uncle, it seems this status was prepared for me, but why didn't you tell me it would be so painful? And... they still call me Xu Le? Aren't they worried about the military catching me..."
"Besides the boss, I'm probably the first fugitive in history to escape electronic surveillance. How exciting." The youngster muttered, rubbing his sore buttocks, wiping his eyes, and disappeared into the darkness of the night.
...
...
The clear sky after the rain was free of fine dust, exceptionally pure and comfortable in the forest. When Xu Le left the area, a 19.995 MHz electromagnetic wave swept through, but it didn't receive any weak signals. However, the interrupted signal node had been recorded and spread throughout the entire federal surveillance network, triggering the Eastwood Grand District network composed of 17 satellites in the shortest possible time.
The communication ensemble satellite, equipped with a concise logical computing mode, obtained some judgment based on sentence logic. It provided specific outsourcing characteristics and interrupted three pieces of information. Following the established pattern, it sent these encrypted information pieces into the depths of outer space. These were all normal reactions of the federal surveillance network. Without the emotions of humans, the satellite network would naturally be bored with such information, perhaps yawning in response.
Initially, the three encrypted information fragments were transmitted from the Eastwood Grand District satellite through three different paths in outer space. After passing through nine information amplification and acceleration space stations, they traversed vast distances and encountered numerous nebula dust particles. After four minutes and twelve seconds, they finally entered the atmosphere of the federal Area Highwood capital star and, after undergoing a final filtration process, reached the receiving instrument of a large building in the capital's suburbs.
In the dark basement of the stern Federal Charter Bureau, a black-clad official walked hurriedly, entering the unusually peaceful central processing room separated by dust-proof glass. The room housed the faithful executor of the Charter, a powerful computing system with an exceptionally vast database. It seemed dry and lifeless on the surface but was filled with intense activity.
The three seemingly ordinary pieces of information entered the central computer, causing the images on the giant screen to momentarily pause before continuing as usual.
No staff member noticed anything unusual about the central computer because, for countless years, the secret room housing the central computer had never required human intervention. In fact, for security reasons, the Charter Bureau's underground computing center was completely isolated from other analysis departments, only connected through secure electric cables or highly encrypted wireless networks.
As a result, the officials at the Charter Bureau unfortunately missed the several lines of small luminous characters on the screen.
"Citizen serial number: DLAS420500481X information node has disappeared. Name: Xu Le. Note: Federal 4427 plan target 2. Death confirmed."
"Warning: This is an extension of a first-level sequence event."
"Serious warning: 30% probability that citizen Xu Le is aware of unusual circumstances. Serial number 72."
"Course of action: Conduct an independent search. If found, establish contact proactively. If the target resists, initiate an observation system and submit reports to the government."
"Procedure for handling unusual circumstances one, concluded."