The plane landed smoothly at Dulles International Airport.
Clearing customs, collecting their luggage, and taking the prearranged vehicle—every step was no different from that of an ordinary tour group.
Wang Qiang, the temporary captain of the spatial operations squad codenamed "Phantom,"
and the two other team members he had selected blended in among the small group of nine tourists, looking relaxed and behaving naturally.
Their passports, visas, and itineraries had been meticulously prepared, without a single flaw.
Routine scans and questioning by security personnel drew no additional attention.
After all, tour groups from Rabbit Nation had become increasingly common in recent years. As long as their paperwork was in order, the Bald Eagle Nation was happy to see them spend money.
Several hours later, the group arrived at their booked vacation rental in a relatively remote community downstream along the Potomac River.
The trees were dense, the neighboring houses widely spaced, and most importantly, it was the closest point to the planned evacuation site in a straight line.
The surrounding environment was also relatively simple, making it conducive to concealment and subsequent operations.
Inside the rental, with the curtains tightly drawn and their luggage briefly put away,
Night Owl, who had been waiting there all along, stepped out of the shadows.
He looked like an ordinary Latino plumber in faded work pants, but his gaze was as sharp as an eagle's.
Without wasting words, he walked straight to the oak table in the middle of the living room and opened the waterproof cylinder he had been carrying under his arm.
He pulled out a large satellite map and several building floor plans, quickly spreading them out.
"The target area is here." Night Owl's finger landed precisely on the map.
A villa district on the west side of Georgetown, half-concealed beneath