Roadblock Checkpoint

The air force base at Longquan Post was located deep in the mountains southeast of Tianfu City. There was only one highway leading into the mountains, and not long after Sun Hang drove in, he encountered a temporary checkpoint manned by more than a dozen soldiers and a light armored vehicle.

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

It was not just the air force base that had been sealed off; the entirety of Longquan Mountain had become a martial law zone.

Fortunately, Yang Qi's vehicle was military-issued and bore special license plates. The soldiers merely asked a few questions before immediately letting them through.

"Looks like this is a pretty big mess," Sun Hang said as he drove, both hands gripping the steering wheel. "I wonder who this Imperial Envoy has backing him. He's got some serious nerve."

"But what he did really helped us out," Yang Lian said, holding her tablet. "There's nothing to be found online. The news has been completely locked down."

"Feels like he's gambling. If he guessed right, then he'll be the greatest contributor in this incident, and even we'll have to take a back seat," Sun Hang said. "But if he guessed wrong, no matter how powerful his backer is, they probably won't be able to protect him."

"Forget protecting him. They'll be scrambling to distance themselves from him," Wang Xiyi sneered. "Kidnapping the commanding officer of an air force base... tsk. Even if his father were a member of parliament, it wouldn't save him."

Wang Xiyi was wearing a set of clothes Yang Lian had given her. The trousers that had fit Yang Lian perfectly had become capris on Wang Xiyi, while the two buttons over the chest of the shirt looked perilously close to popping off at any moment.

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

Though the combination of trousers, shirt, jacket, and clogs looked extremely strange, clothes were disposable consumables to Wang Xiyi. She rarely fussed over outfits the way other women did—after all, once a fight started, even the prettiest clothes would turn to ash in the blink of an eye.

"Sun Hang, have you considered what we should do if the conflict escalates?" A trace of worry flashed through Yang Lian's eyes.

"The conflict escalating? What does that have to do with us? We're just passing by to watch the show. We're not the ones who kidnapped the base commander," Sun Hang said indifferently. "Worst case, we just slip away... With Night Fiend here, nobody should be able to stop us, right?"

"Nobody can stop us." Wang Xiyi nodded. "I've more or less recovered."

Along the way, they relied on the military plates to pass through another six checkpoints. It was not until the air force base came into view that their vehicle was stopped by a squad of heavily armed soldiers.

Unlike the soldiers at the outer checkpoints, who had their rifles slung over their backs, the soldiers here were armed to the teeth. Heavy ballistic ceramic plates were fitted to both the front and back of their gear, expensive night-vision devices were mounted on their helmet brackets, and the index fingers of their gun hands rested right against their trigger guards—this was no longer martial law or combat readiness. They had fully entered a state of battle.

The situation at the air force base was far more severe than the three of them had expected.

"Stop." A noncommissioned officer strode forward and raised a hand to signal Sun Hang to stop. "The road ahead has been sealed due to an emergency. No one may enter or leave. Register your identities, then return the way you came."

He did not even ask Sun Hang and the others to show identification for inspection. Several soldiers in the back directly raised their weapons, mercilessly aiming their dark muzzles at the windows.

"We're not soldiers." Sun Hang hit the brakes, leaned his head out, and spoke to the NCO.

"Not soldiers?" The NCO froze for a moment, then took two steps back to look at the license plate before continuing, "Please show your identification... Let me make this clear in advance: in these special circumstances, we have been granted authorization to open fire. If you attempt to force your way into the restricted area..."

"We're registered Anomaly Hunters from Tianfu City. We just came from the Anomaly Research Institute," Sun Hang said.

"Anomaly Hunters?" The NCO took Sun Hang and Wang Xiyi's Hunter Licenses and examined them carefully. "The documents seem to be in order... but the road ahead has already been sealed. If you're on a mission, you should take 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 notice... Besides, an emergency has occurred within the base. Unauthorized personnel are strictly forbidden from entering!"

"We're not unauthorized personnel." Sun Hang smiled. "That emergency you mentioned—isn't it that the base commander has been kidnapped?"

As soon as he said that, the soldiers at the checkpoint immediately showed signs of tension. The NCO instinctively pressed a hand to his rifle stock and asked in a low voice, "Who exactly are you? What are your intentions?"

"You've already seen our credentials. We're Tianfu City's only two Anomaly Hunters, the real deal. The one in the passenger seat with that sour expression is my direct superior. We came here because of the kidnapping incident," Sun Hang said.

"I'll say it again: we have received no relevant notification. A dedicated response team will handle the kidnapping incident... As for you, I'm sorry, but you cannot leave for the time being. We'll arrange a place for you to rest. Until authorization is granted, you are not permitted to leave it," the NCO told Sun Hang. "Now, get out of the vehicle."

"You may have misunderstood something. Sitting in this vehicle are two Anomaly Hunters, not two ordinary people... Hmm, you've heard the name 'Night Fiend,' haven't you?" Sun Hang gestured with his eyes toward Wang Xiyi in the back seat.

As Tianfu City's strongest Anomaly Hunter, Night Fiend was quite famous. The Investigation Bureau, Public Security Bureau, and military were three organizations that often had to cooperate with Anomaly Hunters, so even if they had never witnessed Night Fiend's destructive power personally, they had heard at least some related rumors.

Sure enough, after hearing the name Night Fiend, the NCO's face immediately revealed deep wariness. "E-even so, please apply to the superior authorities for proper clearance. Only then can we let you pass."

"We applied, but it hasn't been approved yet... You probably know the efficiency of those useless idiots better than we do," Sun Hang said without any reservations. "The situation is urgent. According to the information we received, there's a high probability that the kidnapping is related to an anomaly... The kidnapper was influenced by an anomaly, which is why he did something like this... You understand what I mean, right?"