Number One accurately calculated Xu Ze’s landing point, and then deployed the protective shield when Xu Ze was still a few meters above the water’s surface.
With a muffled “thud,” under the effect of the protective shield, Xu Ze—carrying Qing Niao on his back—bounced lightly off the water’s surface, buffering the impact before slowly sinking into the seawater.
Xu Ze looked at the dark blue seawater blocked outside by the protective shield and said slowly, “Number One… how much energy do we have left…”
“Because the energy shield was activated at the very start of the battle, energy consumption was excessive. Current energy reserve is at 58 percent…” Number One replied mechanically.
“58 percent? That should be enough!” Xu Ze nodded, then said, “Alright… begin energy propulsion… prepare to leave…”
“Understood… energy propulsion preparing to start… propulsion will activate in three seconds… three, two, one… propel…” As Number One’s mechanical voice rang out, the energy shield beneath Xu Ze’s feet began to twist, churning the water like a propeller, causing Xu Ze to slowly part the seawater ahead and surge forward.
Xu Ze, with Qing Niao on his back, floated suspended in the seawater, watching the energy shield gently break through the water and push him rapidly forward, while the seawater flowed slowly past just a few centimeters in front of him. He couldn’t help but feel that this world was truly wondrous… No one would ever imagine that he—without an oxygen tank or a submersible—could still swim underwater like this…
But Xu Ze had no mood at the moment to look at the things beneath the water. It was pitch black down there—just rocks and such, nothing interesting.
“Number One… help me contact Zuo Mu…” Xu Ze said softly.
“It’s difficult to make contact underwater. That would consume too much energy. I suggest surfacing to make contact after a successful escape…” Number One once again offered the optimal suggestion.
“Alright… set a route. Follow the coastline forward. After two thousand meters, make landfall!” Xu Ze ordered, then added, “Qing Niao won’t wake up, will she?”
“No. Brainwave monitoring shows she is currently unconscious. Without strong external stimulation, she will not wake up within three hours.”
Hearing this, Xu Ze felt reassured. He then closed his eyes and began to rest. Although the infiltration and successful escape had taken less than an hour, his mind had been tense the entire time. Now that he was safe, he was truly somewhat tired. Besides, with Number One around, there wouldn’t be any danger in the shallow coastal waters.
Xu Ze closed his eyes to rest, letting Number One control the direction as they carefully continued forward…
Meanwhile, at the top of the cliff, over a hundred Self-Defense Force soldiers were using various large searchlights to illuminate the sea below the cliff. A helicopter had also begun flying over from the sea, carrying several frogmen heading quickly toward the area…
Zuo Mu had already driven two thousand meters away and merged onto a wide highway into the flow of traffic. But her delicate, beautiful face was filled with panic. She didn’t know whether Xu Fu had succeeded or not, but regardless of whether he had, Xu Fu had caused such a huge commotion this time. Next, the Japanese Self-Defense Force, the Defense Intelligence Headquarters, and the Ministry of Justice Intelligence Division would certainly impose martial law nationwide, doing everything to root out operatives within the country…
From now on, all Third Bureau personnel in Japan could only cut off all contact and cease operations. Otherwise, under the enemy’s full-scale lockdown, they would likely be dug out. Especially those comrades who had been frequently active for this operation in recent days—they all had to go dark, or they would absolutely be caught by the Defense Agency. The losses would be tremendous.
Half an hour later, Zuo Mu, having returned to her residence, had already issued orders. All Third Bureau personnel in Japan quickly went dark—those who needed to relocate did so, and anything that needed to be destroyed was destroyed, ensuring not a single trace remained.
When the潜伏 comrades of the Third Bureau received the orders, all of them acted without hesitation. They naturally knew what kind of operation would be happening these days, but they hadn’t known it would be tonight. Some intelligence personnel who had been nearby had even felt the massive explosion and tremors coming from that location.
Every one of them was shocked. They had never imagined that one of their own intelligence operatives would dare to cause such a massive commotion in Japan.
If anything went wrong and the enemy caught wind of it, this would be no small matter. It could even potentially trigger a small-scale war.
However, they naturally didn’t overthink it. Without needing orders, each of them had already begun preparing—destroying relevant materials, relocating personnel. Within an hour, all traces had been wiped clean. Regardless of the outcome of this operation, there absolutely could not be any mistakes on these fronts.
Xu Ze naturally knew nothing of all this. After finding a secluded beach three thousand meters away and making landfall, he tried to contact Zuo Mu again but found he could no longer reach her. He only received a cryptic warning message: “If you’re well, please take good care of yourself. Contact again later…”
Looking at this message, Xu Ze felt extremely frustrated. But he naturally understood what was going on. At this moment, as the contact person, Zuo Mu was absolutely in the most danger. Whether or not he went to find her, it was equally dangerous. And at this time, Zuo Mu absolutely had no way to arrange for him to return home. So Zuo Mu had cut off all contact channels—protecting herself while also protecting him.
Xu Ze could only sigh. Chinese New Year was just a week away, and yet he could only stay in a place like this, with no idea when he could return home. It was truly depressing.
But there was no help for it. For now, he could only find a place to lie low and wait out the storm…
Xu Ze’s luck was quite good. Under Number One’s guidance, he found an abandoned small wooden cabin on a nearby hot spring mountain and settled in.
The cabin wasn’t bad. After a little cleaning, it was quite decent. There was even a small hot spring pool inside, which kept the cabin from being too freezing on this cold winter early morning. The only regret was the lack of food supplies.
But this didn’t trouble Xu Ze. For him now, as long as there was water and energy particles in the air, he could go without food or drink and still be full of energy. The slightly more troublesome one was Qing Niao. Qing Niao’s body was very weak now. If they couldn’t get some food in the cabin, she wouldn’t be able to hold on.
Of course, none of this could stump Xu Ze. Although things were certainly tense outside, getting some food was still simple for him.
It was still around four or five in the morning, giving him enough time to sneak out and get some food. He jogged down the mountain, found a supermarket, easily had Number One disable the alarm system, opened the door, grabbed some food, and also took a pot, a kettle, and a blanket, then headed back up the mountain.
A big supermarket missing a little bit of stuff probably wouldn’t cause too much of a stir…
The cabin’s location was quite good, with a small grove nearby. Xu Ze found some dry wood and lit a fire, boiled some hot water in the pot, added some meat floss, and used the blanket to cushion Qing Niao, who was still lying unconscious on the ground.
When the pot was hot and the meat soup began to boil, Xu Ze woke Qing Niao up.
Qing Niao’s eyes fluttered open. The grayish dullness from before was gone from her eyes. She stared fixedly at Xu Ze, who was tending the fire nearby, then looked around at the surroundings. A flicker of joy crossed her face, and then she laboriously sat up from the ground.
“Awake?” Xu Ze looked at Qing Niao’s still somewhat pale face, then picked up a small bowl, ladled half a bowl of meat floss soup with a spoon, and handed it over with a smile.
Qing Niao’s hand trembled as she took the meat floss soup. Smelling the rich meaty aroma, she brought it to her lips and greedily took a big gulp, but the scalding soup nearly made her spit it out.
But she forced herself not to spit it out. After holding it in her mouth for a moment, she swallowed hard, then blew vigorously on the soup in the bowl… After the soup cooled slightly, she began drinking it in big mouthfuls again.
Xu Ze, standing nearby, watched Qing Niao’s appearance, a trace of sympathy and sorrow flashing through his eyes. It seemed that during the days Qing Niao had been captured, she had not only suffered torture but probably hadn’t even had much to eat…
Watching Qing Niao finish half a bowl of meat soup in just a few gulps and then hand the bowl back, Xu Ze took it, ladled another half bowl, handed it back, and sighed softly, “Slow down… there’s plenty more…”
“Mm…” Qing Niao took the soup bowl, nodded, then began blowing on it while looking hopefully at Xu Ze. “Is there anything else to eat?”
Xu Ze opened the bag beside him, took out a piece of cake, and handed it over. He watched Qing Niao greedily eat the cake while drinking the meat soup, until she quickly finished both the cake and the soup. Then he asked, “Want more?”
Qing Niao took another bowl of meat soup that Xu Ze handed over, then turned to look at the cabin walls and the small hot spring pool inside. A flicker of dimness crossed her face, and then she stared at Xu Ze and asked suspiciously, “When can we go home? What about the others?”
Xu Ze smiled faintly and shook his head, then said with a smile, “This incident has caused a big stir. Right now, the Self-Defense Force, the Defense Agency, and the Ministry of Justice Intelligence Division are probably all looking for us. For the time being, we probably can’t go home…”
“Can’t go home?” A trace of wariness appeared in Qing Niao’s eyes. She continued asking, “Then what about the others? You couldn’t have come to rescue me alone, could you?”
Xu Ze chuckled softly. He naturally knew Qing Niao’s suspicion—that she was afraid he was a Japanese agent sent to trick intelligence out of her. So he smiled and said, “Zuo Mu can’t be reached right now either. We can only hide for a few days. If we can’t make contact, then I’ll take you and we’ll find our own way home!”
Hearing Xu Ze mention the name “Zuo Mu,” Qing Niao finally relaxed slightly. Since the other party knew about Zuo Mu, the possibility of him being sent by the Japanese was much lower. But she still wasn’t fully reassured. Even back at that estate, when she said she would tell Xu Ze the intelligence, it had been a test… After all, this intelligence was far too important. She had to be cautious…
But she also couldn’t completely rule out the possibility that the Japanese had learned the code name “Zuo Mu” through other channels. So she could only continue probing, “What’s the situation now? How did you get me out alone?”
“Infiltrated, then fought my way out…” Xu Ze smiled lightly, looking at Qing Niao, who still wore a cautious expression. Then he said, “That time, weren’t you shaken awake once? When I infiltrated, I planted a large amount of C4 outside. After I found you, I detonated it directly, then fought my way out…”
“What…” Qing Niao stared at Xu Ze in utter shock. She remembered being knocked unconscious by this guy, then waking up once midway. Thinking back, the surroundings had indeed seemed filled with smoke and gunfire. She couldn’t help but exclaim in alarm, “You actually blew that place up? You’re insane! This isn’t far from Tokyo. If anything went wrong… do you know what the consequences would be?”
“Don’t worry… we’re fine now, aren’t we? Zuo Mu and the others should be fine too. They cut off all contact early on. The Defense Agency shouldn’t be able to catch them…” Xu Ze shook his head slightly, then said, “You’re one of the senior personnel here. After a few days when things calm down, you can try to contact them… Or if you have a way, we’ll just go home directly…”
“No… all contact with them has been cut off now. It’s impossible to reach them. Even going home is impossible. You’ve caused such a huge incident. For at least this period, the Defense Agency will be extremely strict. There’s absolutely no way to leave the country…” Qing Niao confirmed decisively.
With that, Qing Niao pulled the blanket up and wrapped herself tightly, then moved closer to the fire. She carefully observed Xu Ze. Although she could now be fairly certain this person had been sent from home, her habitual caution still made it hard for her to easily trust Xu Ze.
She asked curiously, “What unit are you from? Your courage is tremendous. Your superiors dared to authorize you to launch a direct assault?”
Xu Ze smiled lightly. “No… I don’t think anyone would dare authorize me to do that… I’m from the Special Operations Division!”
“The Special Operations Division? I thought so… But your courage is really something. Though if you go back this time, you probably won’t get any credit. Don’t even think about a promotion. You’ll be lucky if you don’t get chewed out!” Qing Niao looked at the person before her—someone even younger than herself—with amazement.
“Promotion? I wasn’t thinking about that… Anyway, I came this time with nothing but an empty promise. Minister Yang made it clear from the start—there was no chance of promotion for me this time… At most, they’ll give me a merit citation. I don’t care about that stuff!” Xu Ze smiled bitterly and shook his head. “If he hadn’t said you were important and that it had to be me, I really didn’t want to come. I originally thought I could spend some time with my girlfriend!”
“Minister Yang Guanglian?” A flicker of shock crossed Qing Niao’s eyes.
“Yes… that’s him!” Xu Ze let out a soft breath. Right now, all he could think about was how to get home. Chinese New Year was just a few days away, and he had to be home for it…
At eight in the morning, major Japanese media began reporting that a terrorist attack had occurred in a certain prefecture near Tokyo…
Meanwhile, in China, General Yang Guanglian of the General Staff Department looked at the transmitted news and was dumbstruck. He had never imagined Xu Ze would turn things into this. And now no more news could come out from there. Apart from confirming that the so-called attack had been caused by Xu Fu, the Third Bureau had no other information.
They only confirmed that because of this operation, the entire Third Bureau network in the Japan region had temporarily gone dark, and the time for restoration was still uncertain…
“Sigh… that kid…” General Yang Guanglian sighed softly. He should never have sent that kid. Now look—such a huge mess over there, and still no word on how the kid is doing. Did he complete the mission and escape? Or did he get trapped and have no choice but to cause such a massive commotion and go down with the enemy?
If he really went down with the enemy, that would be one thing. But he absolutely must not be captured. If captured, the trouble would be enormous. A deputy director of the Special Operations Division of the Operations Department of the Chinese General Staff Department, a senior colonel—if the enemy captured him, the legal battle afterward would be endless. They might even have to tear off all pretense, mobilize the East Sea Fleet with a dozen warships, and have a mutual show of force before things could be settled…
Although this was top secret, Old Master Li, as a veteran military expert, saw the Japanese news. Beyond the excitement, he also sensed something was wrong. His foolish grandson had said he was going on a business trip, and just a few days later, something like this happened in Japan. And a few days earlier, he’d heard something had happened in Japan, and several people from home had already been lost…
“Could it be?” The more Old Master Li thought about it, the more something felt off. So he charged straight to the General Staff Department. Seeing the helpless expression on General Yang Guanglian’s face, he knew it was bad…
“You Yang Guanglian… Let me tell you, if anything happens to my Xu Ze this time, I’ll see how you answer to me… My good grandson just barely made it back alive from Africa for the country, and it’s only been half a month… and you sent him out again… and to a place where he could lose his life at any moment… Are you really trying to anger this old man to death…”
General Yang Guanglian stood there helplessly. He didn’t want this either. But that intelligence was just too important. Otherwise, who would send a senior colonel to do something like this…
He could only try his best to soothe Old Master Li. “Uncle Li… don’t worry. There’s still no news from over there… Think about it. Xu Ze single-handedly took down five aircraft last time. That tiny little Japan—how could it hold Xu Ze? Don’t you think so…”
“Hmph… My precious grandson may be formidable, but he’s still just one person, and still a twenty-one-year-old kid. How could you have the heart to send him wherever it’s most dangerous… You’re like this this time—next time you’ll probably send him to bomb the White House!” The old man slammed the table with a bang, fuming.
Outside, the staff members passing by all heard the familiar shouting and the banging on the table. They couldn’t help but shrink their necks and quickly slip away. Everyone knew that aside from the old chief, no one dared to yell like that in the minister’s office and bang on the table like that…
“Uncle Li… Uncle Li… please stop banging, alright?” Minister Yang also wore a bitter expression as he looked at Old Master Li standing in front of the desk, spittle flying as he cursed. He had no choice but to bring out his trump card. “Xu Ze is also serving the country. Back in the day, weren’t you always charging into battle at the front? That broadsword of yours cut down who knows how many Japanese devils…”
At the mention of this, Old Master Li’s expression finally improved slightly. He snorted, “Back then there was no choice. Those devils were too vicious. I fought with my life on the line… But back then, I also rode that to become a general—and a full general at that… My good grandson… now the times are so good, and fighting for the country once isn’t enough? He’s fought twice in one month… Fighting like this, even if he had nine lives, they’d all be used up…”
“Uncle… please stop, I’m begging you…” Minister Yang was truly at his wit’s end, filled with helplessness. He just wanted to send this old man off as quickly as possible. He quickly said, “When Xu Ze comes back, as long as he successfully rescues that person, I’ll make him a general too… I’ll make him a general, how about that…”
“Hmph… I don’t care about the general thing for now. If anything happens to my precious grandson this time, you Yang Guanglian… you just wait…” Old Master Li slammed his palm on the table one more time, then stormed out, slamming the door behind him. He left behind a helpless, bitterly smiling Minister Yang, who could only sigh, “Xu Ze… I’m not even asking you to really bring the person back. It’s fine if you don’t get the intelligence. But at least you have to come back to me. Otherwise, how will this end…”
……
Xu Ze stood in front of the cabin, looking at the sky covered in dark clouds. He sighed softly. With it looking this cold, it was probably going to snow… Back in school, watching Japanese dramas, the snow in Hokkaido looked so, so beautiful. He never imagined that today he might actually get to see what Japanese snow was like. It wasn’t Hokkaido, but it should be about the same…
Following Xu Ze’s lament, sure enough, after a short while… snow began to fall from the sky… One flake after another, crystal clear, drifting down onto Xu Ze’s body, his feet…
Xu Ze reached out and caught some, watching the snowflakes slowly melt in his palm. He couldn’t help but sigh softly. It was snowing… In this foreign land, even the snow was especially cold…
“Zuo Mu and the others have been here for so many years. At times like this, they must miss home even more…” Xu Ze looked up at the sky, then said softly, “Hack into the Defense Agency’s intelligence system for me. Let’s see how things are over there now. I just hope Zuo Mu and the others haven’t really been caught!”
“Yes… beginning satellite connection… Defense Agency…” Number One didn’t understand the emotion in Xu Ze’s words at all. It simply responded to Xu Ze’s command once again in its mechanical, cold voice.
“Xiao Dao…” Xu Ze softly uttered this name, a trace of loneliness flashing through his eyes. He had been working very hard recently, and was about to break through to the thirty-fourth circle, but he was still far from Level Five… Who knew how much more time it would take…
“Through data screening, no information about Zuo Mu has been found. She should still be safe… But Medic Xu Ze, your situation is not good… The Defense Intelligence Headquarters, half an hour ago, through recent entry records, found you, and through cross-referencing… confirmed your identity…”
