Hualala!
The sky seemed to invert, unleashing a torrential downpour that blurred the car windows. The wipers had barely cleared half the water before the other half was obscured once more.
Fortunately, the young driver was skilled. Despite the treacherous conditions, he kept the car steady and smooth.
He even found moments to cast curious glances at the rearview mirror. In its silvered surface, a high school student, whose features were so perfectly sculpted it was hard to discern their gender, sat quietly, engrossed in their phone.
‘Could this be them? The ‘important figure’ the higher-ups warned me to watch out for…’
Just then, Bureau Chief Wu’s weathered face seemed to reappear before his eyes.
“Xiao Zhang, you’ve been at the branch for seven or eight years now. I consider you one of the most reliable among your peers…”
“Here’s the deal: I have a mission for you. If you complete it, you’ll be promoted immediately upon your return.”
“But remember, the subject of this mission is crucial, incredibly crucial! It might even determine the survival of H City…”
Bureau Chief Wu, though only in his thirties, looked as aged as a man in his fifties. He clapped a heavy hand firmly on the driver’s shoulder, sighing deeply, his face etched with an unprecedented solemnity.
“So, are you willing to accept this mission for the peace of Huaxia?”
At the time, hearing the Bureau Chief speak, he had expected to be dispatched to some covert, unknown battlefield to support a fight, or perhaps to infiltrate a fanatical cult, like the “Moon Worshippers” that had recently emerged in H City. When he accepted the mission, he had mentally prepared himself for the possibility of death.
But…
‘Since when did being a driver become a high-risk profession?’
Looking at the high school student in the rearview mirror, Zhang Wei couldn’t help but chuckle. He felt he might have waited for the wrong person. In contrast, the polite, distinguished gentleman he had driven the day before seemed far more like the ‘important figure’ the Bureau Chief had described.
Even so, Zhang Wei remained vigilant. After all, this was the first time he had seen the Bureau Chief look so solemn since he became a full-fledged Shadow Guard.
Moreover, while the high school student appeared unremarkable in every aspect, their exceptionally striking and delicate appearance triggered the natural alertness of a Shadow Guard.
Being attractive is a unique trait, isn’t it?
Maintaining meticulous observation and caution at all times was a rule they had to commit to memory on their very first day as Shadow Guards.
He glanced at the map. The heavy rain made the road surface difficult to see, but thankfully, his senses were keen enough. Even with the glass almost completely blurred, he could perceive everything a hundred meters away with perfect clarity.
However, ever since the Hunter Alliance stirred up that incident, H City seemed to be growing increasingly restless. While his clearance didn’t grant him access to any critical intelligence, years of training had honed his intuition.
This allowed him to vaguely sense the undercurrents beginning to surge through the city. Perhaps, before long…
The car had now reached the edge of a dense forest. Beyond this forest lay the national highway leading into the city. Feeling the large trees along the roadside swaying wildly in the gale, Zhang Wei sighed softly.
A storm was coming, wasn’t it?
Almost at the exact moment he uttered this thought, a certain chord was suddenly struck within Zhang Wei’s senses.
Screech!
The sound of tires skidding on the road echoed through the downpour. Due to the reduced friction, the car slid forward for over twenty meters before finally coming to a halt.
****
Lin Xuan had opened her phone almost as soon as she got into the car. Rain hammered ceaselessly against the windowpane, and her fingers danced across the screen in rhythm with the drumming water.
Soon, another indignant warrior, fiercely denouncing the rubbish school, appeared in the campus QQ group! They swiftly rallied other righteous individuals, igniting a wave of revolution.
Then, the entire group was muted by the administrator, and she received a severe warning.
Fortunately, it was just a burner account Lin Xuan had created herself.
Whistling cheerfully in her mind, and feeling a pleasant release after her outburst, Lin Xuan casually opened the news feed.
The top trending topic was something about “The National Scientific Research Team conducting cutting-edge projection technology experiments at Changbai Mountain Scenic Area, astonishing everyone…”
After merely a glance, Lin Xuan paid it no further mind. Such things were meaningless, nothing more than a gimmick.
Not long ago, there was news of a military exercise that bombed an uninhabited overseas island, completely leveling it.
These were, frankly, displays for foreign nations: ‘Look how powerful Huaxia is, how advanced and exceptional we are…’ To summarize, ‘Our fists are hard; you’d best behave and not covet Huaxia.’
Indeed, in recent years, the international scene had grown increasingly chaotic, with various armed factions launching terrorist attacks, explosions, and wars breaking out constantly. While the Celestial Dynasty was powerful, it was necessary to periodically showcase its might. Otherwise, who knew which shortsighted nation might ignite a conflict?
As for the so-called World Peace and Security Organization…
Forgive her, but while Huaxia had historically valued peace, it was no charity. It simply collected money for its services and didn’t bother teaching other nations how to conduct themselves.
She’d heard that the Rus nation in Northern Europe was currently mass-producing ‘Big Ivans’ nationwide. Reportedly, with all their previously stockpiled ‘Big Ivans,’ they could flatten the entirety of Europe!
Their approach was quite direct, summarized in one sentence:
‘Don’t provoke me! If you do, I’ll blow up all of Northern Europe! Since we can’t win, we’ll just take everyone down with us!’
Thanks to the Rus nation’s fierce demeanor, while Northern Europe was incredibly chaotic, it still maintained a certain degree of restraint. At the very least, until nations could develop defenses capable of surviving against so many ‘Big Ivans,’ they wouldn’t openly break ties.
At this, Lin Xuan couldn’t help but exclaim,
‘Truly the Maozi!’
As she was musing, the car suddenly braked sharply. Under the force of inertia, Lin Xuan nearly slammed into the front passenger seat. Thankfully, after transforming for so long, she was much more familiar with this body and found her balance to be far superior to before.
With just a slight control of her muscles, she quickly regained her equilibrium.
“What happened?”
No sooner had she settled than Lin Xuan instinctively looked out the car window. What she saw, however, was a vast sheet of rolling rainwater. The wipers were at maximum power, yet against the immense downpour, they were utterly futile.
This rain was ridiculously heavy!
“My apologies, we might have run into some trouble…”
The young driver’s expression was grim, as if facing a formidable enemy. In his perception, the rain ahead had begun to unnaturally evaporate and mist, with ribbons of energy intertwining within it, gradually coalescing into a high-energy entity.
Speak of the devil, and here they were. And now, there was an ordinary high school student in the car.
“Things are getting a bit complicated…”
=͟͟͞͞( ‘ヮ’ 三 ‘ヮ’ =͟͟͞͞)