Roadblock Sentry Post

The air force base in Longquan Post was located deep within the mountains southeast of Tianfu City. There was only one road leading into the mountains, and as soon as Sun Hang drove in, he encountered a temporary checkpoint manned by over a dozen soldiers and a light armored vehicle.

Less than ten meters from the checkpoint, a road sign indicated that the "Military Restricted Zone" was still fifteen kilometers away.

Not only was the air force base sealed off, but the entire Longquan Mountain had become a heavily guarded area.

Fortunately, Yang Qi's car was a military vehicle with a special license plate. The soldiers only asked a few perfunctory questions before letting them pass.

"It seems like things have gotten pretty big," Sun Hang said, gripping the steering wheel as he drove. "I wonder who this Imperial Envoy's backer is; they're really quite bold."

"But he's certainly done us a huge favor by doing this," Yang Lian said, holding her tablet. "There's absolutely nothing online; all information has been completely, completely blocked."

"I feel like this guy is taking a gamble. If he wins, he'll be the one credited with this entire incident, and even we'll have to step aside," Sun Hang said. "But if he loses, no matter how powerful his backer is, they probably won't be able to protect him."

"Let alone protect him, they'll be scrambling to distance themselves from him," Wang Xiyi sneered. "The charge of hijacking a high-ranking military official at an air force base... tsk, even if his father were a Parliament Member, it wouldn't matter."

Wang Xiyi was wearing an outfit Yang Lian had given her. However, the trousers, which fit Yang Lian perfectly, were now capris on Wang Xiyi, and the top two buttons of her shirt were precariously strained, looking like they might pop open at any moment.

As for shoes, she had grabbed a pair of size forty-three surgical clogs from the lab.

Although her ensemble of capri trousers, shirt, jacket, and Crocs looked rather bizarre, Wang Xiyi viewed clothing as disposable. She rarely fussed over fashion like other women—after all, as soon as a fight broke out, even the most beautiful clothes would turn to dust in an instant.

"Sun Hang, have you considered what we'll do if the conflict escalates?" a hint of worry flickered in Yang Lian's eyes.

"Conflict escalates? What's that got to do with us? We're just passing through to see the show. We're not the ones who hijacked the base commander," Sun Hang said nonchalantly. "If worse comes to worst, we'll just make a run for it... With Night Fiend here, no one should be able to stop us, right?"

"No one will be able to stop us," Wang Xiyi nodded. "My condition has mostly recovered."

"..." Yang Lian looked at the two hunters and, with a hint of helplessness, placed a hand on her forehead.

Along the way, they passed through six more checkpoints thanks to the military license plate. It wasn't until the air force base came into view that their car was stopped by a squad of heavily armed soldiers.

Unlike the soldiers at the outer checkpoints who had their rifles slung on their backs, these soldiers were fully kitted out. Their gear included heavy ballistic ceramic plates front and back, expensive night vision devices mounted on their helmet brackets, and their trigger fingers were resting just inside the trigger guards—this wasn't just a lockdown or a state of readiness; they were in full combat mode.

The situation at the air force base was far more dire than Sun Hang and the other two had anticipated.

"Stop," a non-commissioned officer quickly stepped forward, signaling Sun Hang to halt. "The road ahead is blocked due to an emergency. No one is allowed in or out. Please register your identity and turn back the way you came."

He didn't even ask Sun Hang to produce their identification for inspection. Several soldiers in the rear even raised their rifles, pointing their dark muzzles unceremoniously at the car windows.

"We're not military personnel," Sun Hang said, stepping on the brake and leaning out to speak to the NCO.

"Not military personnel?" The NCO paused, took two steps back, glanced at the license plate, and then said, "Please present your identification... I must state beforehand that during this special period, we have been granted the authority to open fire. If you attempt to force your way into the blocked zone..."

"We are Anomaly Hunters on staff in Tianfu City, just arrived from the Anomaly Research Institute," Sun Hang said.

"Anomaly Hunters?" The NCO took Sun Hang's and Wang Xiyi's hunter licenses and examined them closely. "The credentials are in order... However, the road ahead is blocked. If you are on a mission, you should find another route."

"Our mission target is inside the air force base," Sun Hang said.

"What did you say?" The NCO frowned. "We did not receive any prior notification... Furthermore, an emergency is currently occurring within the base, and unauthorized personnel are strictly prohibited from entering!"

"We are not unauthorized personnel," Sun Hang said with a smile. "This emergency you speak of, isn't it that the base commander has been taken hostage?"

At these words, the soldiers at the checkpoint became visibly tense. The NCO instinctively placed his hand on his rifle stock and said sternly, "Who exactly are you people? What is your purpose?"

"We've shown you our credentials. We are the only two Anomaly Hunters in Tianfu City, the real deal. The person in the passenger seat with the sour face is my direct supervisor. We are here specifically for this hijacking incident," Sun Hang said.

"As I said, we haven't received any related notification. The hijacking incident will be handled by a specialized task force... As for you, I'm afraid you cannot leave for now. We will arrange a place for you to rest, and you are not allowed to leave until you receive permission," the NCO told Sun Hang. "Now, please get out of the car."

"You might have misunderstood something. The people in this car are two Anomaly Hunters, not two ordinary civilians... Hmm, you've probably heard of 'Night Fiend,' haven't you?" Sun Hang gestured with his eyes towards Wang Xiyi in the back seat.

As Tianfu City's strongest Anomaly Hunter, "Night Fiend" was quite famous. Especially among the Investigation Bureau, Public Security Bureau, and the military, units that frequently cooperated with Anomaly Hunters, they had heard rumors about "Night Fiend's" destructive power, even if they hadn't witnessed it firsthand.

As expected, after hearing the name "Night Fiend," the NCO's face immediately showed a look of deep apprehension. "Even... even so, please apply for proper transit authorization from your superior unit, and then we can let you pass."

"We have applied, but it hasn't been approved yet... You know better than us how efficient those idiots are," Sun Hang said without reservation. "The situation is extremely urgent. According to the information we've received, the hijacking is most likely related to an anomaly... the perpetrator acted under the influence of an anomaly... Do you understand what I mean?"