In a remote rural area of New Earth, an ordinary family, who should have been living happily in their two-story house, were now filled with worry.
Meng Youde, the head of the family, sat on the sofa, smoking one cigarette after another. His wife sat beside him, looking worried, with dark circles under her eyes, as if she hadn't had a good night's sleep for many days.
Only their son, Meng Jie, had the leisure to play games, cursing and insulting the BOSS's entire family with his teammates.
Two months after the college entrance examination, it should be the most relaxing time of one's life. But if you look closely, Meng Jie's cursing and swearing is just a forced composure, and the worry in his eyes is always there.
"Knock knock knock"
A sudden knock came at the door, startling Meng Youde, who was smoking, his wife, who was frowning, and Meng Jie, who was playing a game.
After the strange incident during the college entrance examination, their door hadn't been knocked on at all; this was the first time.
Who is it?
The family of three looked around cautiously, and finally Meng Youde pulled out a watermelon knife from under the sofa and asked the doorman in a casual manner.
"We belong to the Central Special Forces and are here to pick up Mr. Meng Jie so he can go to school. We also want to remind you, Mr. Meng Youde, that you'd better put down your weapon. I think you've misunderstood something."
The Meng Youde family of three looked at each other in utter bewilderment. Who needs a special forces unit directly under the central government to pick them up from school?
This looks so fake!
Even if you're just making up an excuse, at least come up with a plausible one!
"Mr. Meng Youde, please open the door. If there's any misunderstanding, the local mayor will explain it to you. Just a reminder, all the local village, town, township, district, and city leaders are waiting outside your door."
Meng Youde was even more hesitant to open the door. How could so many leaders possibly come to his house? His family wasn't royalty.
The scammers are definitely in cahoots with the people who were following and monitoring their family.
" Meng Youde, open the door! What are you doing hiding in the room? You've stopped farming, and you've disappeared from the village. Your son's become successful, and now you don't want to acknowledge your fellow villagers anymore?"
Just as Meng Youde told his wife and Meng Jie to hide while he prepared to fight the people outside, a loud, rough voice roared outside the door, making Meng Jie inside the room frown.
But the man who claimed to be a central leader hadn't put Meng Youde at ease. Now, as this man started cursing, Meng Youde immediately put down the watermelon knife and, with a smile, opened the door that had been locked several times.
When they opened the door, they found that there were people everywhere outside their house, and even the area outside the gate was full of vehicles; there were indeed quite a few soldiers.
Even a quick glance was enough to tell that all these people were officials, because their village chief, who had just been cursing, was standing at the very edge, bowing and scraping beside a middle-aged man.
"Hello Mr. Meng Youde, please ask your son Meng Jie to come out and go to school with us." The first few people in military uniforms at the front of the crowd saluted Meng Youde Meng Youde and said to him seriously without smiling.
Meng Youde was still reeling from the commotion outside the door; it seemed what he had just said wasn't a lie, but actually true.
What kind of school does his son attend? It's such a huge fuss, with soldiers coming to pick him up for school?
Before Meng Youde could react, his wife and son Meng Jie appeared behind him, looking out with equally bewildered expressions.
"Mr. Meng Jie, please show me your admission notice." The officer saluted Meng Jie Meng Jie as he came out.
"Oh"
Meng Jie took out a piece of paper from his schoolbag. There were no words on it, only a picture of a small animal that looked like a charcoal.
Meng Jie, having never entered society, was unaware of the significance of the group of people outside his house. He simply found it strange that ever since he touched a crystal ball during his college entrance exam, there had always been strangers near his home.
He was always followed wherever he went, even his parents were followed, and even his neighbors on either side of him were moved away and replaced by strangers.
If they were just ordinary neighbors, there wouldn't be much to say, but you can't expect a new neighbor to be constantly hanging around their house.
This isn't the city, after all; people don't know each other very well. Whether there are a few more strangers or a few less, nobody cares.
But this is a rural area with very few migrant workers. Let alone an extra stranger, even an extra unfamiliar dog would attract attention.
After realizing they were being followed, they tried calling the police and asking the village for help, but to no avail.
Those who were tracking them continued to do so, just as they were following them.
According to the police and the village committee, these people did nothing wrong, their records are clean, and the police have no right to forcibly take them away.
The family of three believed they were being targeted by bad people and had nowhere to turn for help. They were prepared to fight to the death, but then suddenly so many people showed up today.
What they found even more incomprehensible was that the very people who had been following them were standing outside the gate with a group of officers.
Those people are clearly from the military!
"The admission notice is accurate. Mr. Meng Jie, please come with us to Heavenly Capital School now." The high-ranking officer, who had not introduced himself, waved his hand towards the door, and the previously crowded group of officials dispersed, making way for Meng Jie to pass through a half-meter-wide aisle.
A chorus of envious glances fell upon Meng Youde and his family of three, leaving Meng Youde momentarily at a loss for words.
It seems like their own child has really succeeded!
Meng Jie looked at his father and mother, still not quite understanding what was happening. With a big heart, he grinned and said, "Dad, Mom, I'm going to school now. I'll be back for summer vacation. Please don't delete the games on my computer."
Meng Youde had eaten for decades longer than his own foolish son. Who else would send so many officials, even from the city and the central government, to their university?
There's definitely something here that I don't know.
But he also knew he couldn't refuse; if he dared to refuse, his foolish son would probably be forcibly taken away the next second.
He immediately took out his bank card from his pocket and stuffed it into his mentally challenged son's hand.
"Here's your tuition fee and living expenses. Password..."
"No need to prepare money. Mr. Meng Jie will receive a certain amount of subsidy each semester, which is higher than the total amount in your bank account." The senior officer's words made Meng Youde unable to hand over his bank card.
This one sentence reveals that all their information has been compromised by others!
"Then call home more often."
Meng Youde grabbed his mentally challenged son's hand and squeezed it hard, hoping he would understand his meaning. However, the son was still immersed in the spotlight and did not seem to grasp his meaning.
Let's go.
Seeing the family of three reluctant to part, the officer who had come to greet Meng Jie pulled Meng Jie away.
Tomorrow is the first day of school, and if we don't leave now, we'll be late.
He might lose his job if some of his students are late.
Meng Jie's parents tried to chase after them, but they were blocked back into the house by the officials in the courtyard.
"Mr. Meng Youde, I am the mayor of this city. I have heard that your family has been living in poverty. This is an oversight on my part, and I apologize. I have already arranged jobs for you and your spouse in the city to ensure that your difficulties are resolved."
"Mr. Meng Youde, I am the township head..."
"Mr. Meng Youde..."
Meng Youde looked at a group of leaders he had never seen on TV before, who were now swarming around him with all sorts of benefits. In short, the government would support them for the rest of their lives without them having to do anything.
This only confused Meng Youde more. What kind of school was his son attending?
This doesn't seem like they're going to school; it looks more like they're going to become president!
It wasn't until half a day later, when Meng Jie, the protagonist, was almost at Heavenly Capital City in a high-speed flying vehicle, that he realized how different his school trip was this time.
Looking at the high-ranking officer opposite him, he could tell from his limited knowledge that the officer's rank was senior colonel.
He recalled that when he was pushed onto the high-speed aircraft in a daze, he saw no fewer than a hundred soldiers carrying guns.
Meng Jie began to feel a chill. A colonel leading a hundred fully armed soldiers to pick someone up for school—was this an attempt to sell him out?
Or perhaps some leader had a health problem, and only their own organ was suitable for transplantation. They used the excuse of going to school to take themselves away, but in reality, they were cutting off their own kidneys.
Meng Jie forced what he thought was his most benevolent smile, but his heart was pounding as he asked the colonel who had taken him from his home, "Sir, what school am I supposed to go to? I've searched online, but I can't find any information."
"Don't be nervous. Actually, I don't know which school you're going to attend. My mission is to bring you safely to the designated location." The senior colonel, mimicking Meng Jie's serious expression, forced a smile, though he seemed unaccustomed to smiling, so the smile could only be described as strained.
"Oh, can I skip school?"
Seeing the colonel's smile, which was more like a grimace, Meng Jie became even more terrified. His legs trembled uncontrollably. The scene he had just been wildly imagining told him that this wasn't going to school at all; it was about to be done to him.
"You guess!"
This time, the senior colonel's smile wasn't fake; it was genuine. However, what Meng Jie saw wasn't a smile, but a cold rejection.
"I was just kidding. I love going to school, how could I possibly give up studying?"
Meng Jie's voice trembled. This was a path of no return for him. He thought about how he had been followed and monitored, all to prevent him from escaping.
Before Meng Jie could react, the high-speed aircraft landed at the military base, and then Meng Jie was taken to a military vehicle, accompanied by another team of soldiers, and their destination was unknown.