11 a.m.
Long Tianyu and his group traveled along Anchang Road and Nanshan Road toward the cold storage facility.
Laughter and chatter filled the car.
"Should we leave a symbol at the cold storage facility today?" Zhang Kun rubbed his hands together.
Ke Jiaxue looked puzzled. "What would we leave a symbol for?"
Zhang Kun said, "That's how it always goes in anime. Things mysteriously disappear, leaving behind a special symbol... From then on, that symbol represents something forbidden, something so powerful it makes people tremble."
Really, it was just-showing off.
Long Tianyu thought it over, then shook his head.
"No need to create extra trouble. We get in and get out. We could design a symbol for the Phantom Squad, though, as our team emblem. We can use it once the apocalypse comes."
Ke Jiaxue said excitedly, "Long Tianyu, if we're going to use it sooner or later, let's use it this time! They can't catch us anyway. There's nothing to be scared of!"
Zhang Kun's eyes sparkled too.
Long Tianyu considered it, then nodded in agreement. "All right. What symbol should we use?"
"We're the Phantom Squad, so it should have something to do with ghosts. Something scary. Lightning?"
"That's for lightning-type ability users. I think we should use..."
They launched into a heated discussion about their team emblem.
High in the distant sky, several drones in different directions kept their cameras trained on them, following at a constant distance.
In another car.
As Li Xin listened to their conversation, he suddenly fell silent.
Jiang Yu understood exactly how he felt. She sighed. "I really don't know where they get their confidence. They even have time to discuss what symbol to leave behind..."
Forget leaving a symbol.
This time, they would be staying behind themselves!
Li Xin asked, "Do we have to be teammates with people like this?"
Sheng An glanced at him and said flatly, "You stole a little kid's Ultraman figurine and still wanted to save the world."
No matter how you looked at it.
The Phantom Squad was a little more normal than Li Xin.
-Of course, not one of these people was truly normal.
Li Xin: "..."
Memories he had buried suddenly rose up to attack him.
Just then, a voice came from the computer in front of them-
Long Tianyu said, "Strange. Why haven't we seen any other cars this whole way?"
Ke Jiaxue replied cheerfully, "Isn't that great? We can move around freely, and there's less risk of being discovered. Besides, I'm not a very good driver. I love having the entire road to myself."
Being the only car on a wide-open road-how many novice drivers dreamed of that?
Long Tianyu frowned and murmured, "I just feel like something's off..."
Zhang Kun said, "Maybe it's because it's a workday. And the cold storage facility is out of the way. We haven't passed many busy areas, so it's normal for there to be no cars."
Long Tianyu thought that made sense and nodded.
At the same time, Sheng An's radio crackled-
"The target will reach Anchang North Road in ten kilometers."
"Copy, copy. The roadblocks on Anchang North Road have been removed."
Jiang Yu and Li Xin: "..."
Of course there was no one around!
The country had cleared the entire road for them!
Noon.
The car drew closer and closer to the cold storage facility.
Ke Jiaxue said, "Two kilometers to the cold storage facility."
Long Tianyu took a deep breath and carefully studied the footage from the miniature camera he had planted on a worker.
On the screen, the workers were sorting the stored meat inside. Cold air swirled through the facility, making it even better for hiding than the granary.
What was more, all the workers currently had their backs to the surveillance blind spot as they moved things around.
The perfect moment.
He hoisted Zhang Kun onto his back and lifted his chin. "Stick to the plan. Once we're six hundred meters away, I'll enter the cold storage facility's blind spot. Jia Xue, just keep driving."
Ke Jiaxue said, "Got it!"
Inside the car parked behind the cold storage facility.
Sheng An said, "The target is two kilometers from the cold storage facility. He'll act at six hundred meters."
Hao Jingye pushed up his glasses, his voice mechanical. "At the target's current speed, estimated time is one minute and twenty-eight seconds."
Sheng An said, "All units, stand by."
Six hundred meters away.
Long Tianyu shouted, "Go!"
Sheng An ordered, "Go!"
At the very same moment, each carried out their own mission, each with their own target.
Long Tianyu's target was the bait cold storage facility.
And Sheng An's target was-Long Tianyu, the Flash ability user.
At the same instant, they both struck at their targets.
Long Tianyu vanished from the car in an instant, taking Zhang Kun with him. Their disappearance was so fast that it stirred a faint gust of wind.
Ke Jiaxue was not surprised at all.
She had seen this many times before.
But every time, she could not help marveling-Long Tianyu really was so powerful.
With an ability that strong, wasn't he invincible?
She quickly turned the wheel, heading toward the side road.
She knew that in just a few blinks, Long Tianyu might reappear in the car.
But barely had he left, barely had she begun to turn...
Three drones rapidly descended from the sky, surrounding her in a triangular formation.
At the same time, people holding guns rose from the weeds all around her. They wore army-green uniforms and helmets, their faces smeared with camouflage paint.
The dark gun barrels pointed straight at Ke Jiaxue.
"Get out of the car!"
Ke Jiaxue froze.
Everything went smoothly. Long Tianyu used Flash three times in succession and entered the cold storage facility's blind spot.
Zhang Kun swiftly followed through, collecting the meat in the facility at tremendous speed.
There was too much. His storage space filled up, leaving several dozen tons he could not fit inside.
A smile spread across Long Tianyu's face.
He was just about to vanish.
Overhead, spotlights abruptly blazed to life, their glare leaving nowhere to hide.
In that instant, both men's pupils contracted.
His attempt to vanish stalled.
The cold storage doors slammed shut in an instant, and several laser-sighted guns aimed at Long Tianyu.
At the same time, a woman's calm voice rang out. "Long Tianyu, can we talk?"
Long Tianyu and Zhang Kun went pale with shock.
What was going on?!
How had these people found them, and how did they know who they were?!
"That's impossible!" Long Tianyu's voice rose instinctively.
Zhang Kun carefully climbed down from his back and swallowed.
Standing in the spotlights, neither could see anything except the red laser dot on the other's forehead.
Outside the cold storage facility.
Sheng An said, "We know a great deal. And your maximum range is only two kilometers. We have everything within five kilometers under control. Can we talk?"
"Long Tianyu..." Zhang Kun panicked.
Long Tianyu's mind was just as chaotic. He narrowed his eyes, trying to see clearly.
But there was nothing left inside the cold storage facility.
Even the workers had been evacuated the instant the spotlights blinded them.
Sheng An said, "Friends, it's very cold in there. Come on out."
The lights abruptly went out.
At the same time, the doors opened.
Outside, countless SWAT officers in black uniforms aimed guns half an arm's length long at them.
The red laser dots remained fixed between their brows.
Zhang Kun's legs instantly went weak.
Sheng An said, "Relax. We mean you no harm, and we're not here to capture you and dissect you for research. So, can we talk?"
Three requests to "talk," each more terrifying than the last.
And each more devastating than the last.
Zhang Kun instinctively looked at Long Tianyu.
Long Tianyu looked at Sheng An, then at the dark gun barrels. Suddenly-
He vanished from the spot.
Along with the words: "You want to catch me? Dream on!"
Before you continue