A few blocks from the Bayflow District Security Bureau is the central station of Creek Valley City. This is one of the busiest and most crowded places in Creek Valley City and the entire Federation. This underground station, comparable to a small city, sees approximately 3 million passengers daily. People from other districts and even other cities pass through this station each day to work in various parts of Creek Valley City.
Between the cities of the Eastern Federation, there are almost no roads or tracks on the surface. You either take a plane or ride the underground rail. In hindsight, this was entirely to cover up the illusion that there is no real environment outside the city.
The flow of passengers at the underground station is so massive that, to ensure operational efficiency, the Creek Valley City Council has banned all shops and resting areas within the station—even restrooms are absent. Once you enter the station, you must follow the established routes and pace, moving with the ceaseless crowd to your next destination. Even if someone were to suddenly faint, no one would stop to help; instead, an automated rescue machine from the ceiling would promptly take them away through a special emergency capsule tunnel to the outside of the station. In the station, speed and efficiency are everything. Upon entering, one seems to become a part of a grand machine.
Recently, however, the number of people in the central station has noticeably decreased. The reason is simple: over the past half month, most of Fifth House's industries have begun to gradually implement a two-hour flexible work schedule. This change has affected the majority of businesses in Creek Valley City. The city's traffic management department even convened meetings with all company heads to discuss evenly distributing the commuting times across various districts in order to alleviate operational pressure as much as possible.
As a result, although the overall passenger flow has not decreased significantly, it is now distributed more evenly throughout the day, making the atmosphere noticeably less frenetic. People are much more relaxed. This atmosphere lends the station an air of spaciousness and leisure.
Generally, people heading to a specific exit during a certain time period tend to share similar attire and expressions. For example, those exiting through Exit A17, which leads to office buildings, are mostly dressed in suits. Similarly, those using Passage C43, which connects to the city's express line heading to factories in the west suburbs, are usually workers equipped with mechanical prosthetics.
But today, a group of quite different individuals has surged into Passage B05. They include both men and women, with varying ages and physiques. Though they all wear casual tactical attire, some clearly have combat training, while others seem as nervous as office workers. They briefly converge for a few seconds, exchanging no words or contact, merely confirming that they are still alive before scattering again onto the boarding platform.
Throughout this process, they wear hats or holographic masks to conceal their identities. When they pass through the turnstile, the station's information reading system briefly pauses, as if no one had ever passed through. Once everyone boards the train, they connect to the onboard entertainment system using a very old method—by linking their brain chips at the back of their heads via a data cable. This method is typically used by those whose chip data has not been updated for years and who are not adept with new software.
"Good morning, passengers. Welcome aboard this train. This train will depart from Creek Valley City Central Station and head to the core station in the Capital District, with a total travel time of approximately 1 hour and 12 minutes…" As the announcement is made, many of those connected to the entertainment system display faint smiles.
They share a common trait—all are members of the Ghost Organization, recently rescued by Qin Xuezhong from their respective black cells or detention facilities. With no jobs to return to and no homes to go back to, having just escaped the tightly controlled government facilities, they now have only one path ahead: to march into the Capital District and eliminate all those who orchestrated their plight.
What should have been an exciting and grand operation now feels entirely different in the dark space.
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[Wow, Professor Cat is so handsome?]
[A2 is actually a beauty! I want to get close!]
[I'm shattered; why is my friend so short!]
[Damn, tentacle chip, get out of here! You still claim to be a socially anxious shut-in? Turns out you're a stoic handsome guy?]
[Hahahaha online dating is risky; meeting in person requires caution!]
[...]
—It's clearly a large-scale online meet-up. If outsiders saw this atmosphere, they'd never guess that these people had just escaped from black cells and brutal interrogations.
[Alright, let me say something.]
A slightly nervous Qin Xuezhong interrupted this cheerful exchange. The rolling chat messages in the black space abruptly halted, as if a military unit had suddenly grown solemn, awaiting their commander's orders.
[Now that you've connected to the black space, you should be aware of the current situation in this world, and you know that what we're about to do is very dangerous.]
—After rescuing everyone, Qin Xuezhong had solicited their thoughts, allowing the other members to connect to the signal from the young girl Ouyang Zhao, revealing the true state outside Creek Valley City. Many people were left in a state of disbelief. When anyone realizes that their understanding of the world and history has all been a lie, they can easily fall into confusion.
On the other hand, the enthusiastic gamer Xie Kedu was thrilled upon learning this truth. He had been immersing himself in realistic games because he was deeply disappointed with the world around him, seeking various adventures within the game. Now, he found himself truly in the midst of a real adventure and nearly had "I'm so happy" written all over his face.
Qin Xuezhong continued, [This trip is likely to be quite dangerous. Everyone is aware of my abilities, and I know your capabilities as well. If it's about staying alive, it's certainly possible. However, we are up against the entire Federation; who knows how many fleets and secret weapons await us? If anyone is worried, you can get off at the next stop; it's no problem.]
[We're doing all this so life can be a bit calmer, so that everyone can enjoy a leisurely day. Even if we have to save the world, there's no need to risk our lives over it.]
After these words, Xie Kedu was the first to jump up: [I'm going! This is too much fun; who knows, it might even go down in history!]
[Shut up; no one cares whether you go or not.]
This reprimand came from Xue Zhi Shi.
Old Xue thought things through—there might be hesitant members in the group. If someone was considering backing out but ended up feeling pressured or embarrassed because of Xie Kedu's statement, it could affect their mindset negatively.
In fact, many of the old members were already accustomed to Qin Xuezhong's attitude. Many were former undercover agents from the Fifth House or mercenaries from Kais' club, and everyone knew that working for Qin Xuezhong was the least concerning in terms of benefits. Even during tense missions, she would remind them, "If you can't finish your tasks, do them tomorrow; don't neglect sleep and rest."
Of course, all present were veterans of the workforce, so no one would think that the Ghost's concern was merely genuine care. They all understood that the Ghost always calculated the next step! The reason she said this was to give those who were unsure an opportunity to leave. Because if their mindset was still hesitant now, the consequences of hesitating at a critical moment later could be even more severe.
This was the Ghost, doing good deeds while considering future circumstances.
Xie Kedu retorted angrily: [What's wrong with speaking up? Aren't you going too, Old Xue?]
[Of course I'm going; if it weren't for Little Qin, I'd have died in that hellhole.]
In his heart, Xue Zhi Shi had even more thoughts; he speculated that perhaps the bizarre death of his wife years ago might find some answers in this matter.
After waiting a while, no one voiced an intention to back out; instead, they, like Xue Zhi Shi and Xie Kedu, began sharing their reasons.
[If it weren't for the boss, I'd probably have gone insane by now. My life is already worthless; why not enjoy it a bit?]—this was a member originally from an undercover group.
[I'm a survivor of the Tang Kede virus (shrugs); no more to say, I'm scared now, and I want to take down those schemers so I can sleep soundly.]—this was Kais.
[I'm from the Fifth House; the boss implemented a two-hour work system, so I finally have some free time to save the world (doge).]
[You might not believe it, but I was recruited at a concert by Yue Zhao…]
[You might also not believe it, but I'm just a fan of the boss's looks…]
[...]
What was originally a tense and hesitant atmosphere transformed into a cheerful exchange of stories about "how I met the boss" and "how the boss saved my life."
Qin Xuezhong felt a mix of embarrassment and satisfaction as she suddenly realized that since crossing over, she had unknowingly changed many people's lives. After completing their final mission, being able to lounge with so many people, even siblings from the entire Federation, would undoubtedly be more joyful!
It's better to enjoy together than alone…
As the commander, Yu Zhezhong finally spoke up: [Alright, everyone, be serious; we'll reach the target location in half an hour. Let's go over the plan one last time!]
[Received!]
After running for nearly an hour, the underground express train had entered the Capital District's range.
Before even reaching the outer station, the train gradually stopped at the nearest emergency platform.
A broadcast rang out in the carriage: "Dear passengers, this train has encountered a temporary malfunction. Please disembark in an orderly manner and follow the signs to the nearest transfer platform. The Federation underground express will compensate you with six free rides. We apologize for the inconvenience…"
As the announcement played, the emergency lights in the carriage lit up, and the doors opened, guiding ordinary passengers to exit.
Some passengers pretended to disembark but lagged at the back of the line, then circled back—these were the members of the Ghost Organization. Once all ordinary passengers had left, Qin Xuezhong immediately connected to the entire train's system.
The originally ordinary underground express, with its plain exterior, gradually transformed like a phantom, revealing a menacing appearance.
—At the front, there was a metallic ram and drill, while the sides were covered in thick armor and firing ports.
Every seat in the carriage flipped up, revealing an array of armor and weapons inside. All members quickly donned their gear, getting equipped.
In just a few minutes, this train had transformed into an armored war vehicle with terrifying firepower, silently resting in the dark tunnel like a dragon poised to strike.
All of this had been secretly prepared by Qin Xuezhong and the other members during the rescue operation.
"Check the auxiliary tunnel for clearance."
"All clear."
"Check fuel and armor strength."
"All clear."
"Check the front signals and data detectors."
"All good."
The last to respond was Qin Xuezhong.
Through her consciousness in the void, she oversaw all signal checks on the offensive route, trying to delay the discovery of this vehicle for as long as possible.
With her confirmation, everyone felt reassured, their faces displaying fierce expressions.
Yu Zhezhong smiled slightly, "You can give the orders."
Little Qin looked at the excited faces around her and simply stated, "Let's go!"