The sky is filled entirely with your silhouette.

“…Mr. Wu Qingchen, the dreamer, are you awake yet?”

Wu Qingchen instinctively pulled up his shirt and looked at his abdomen:

Same spot, same mark.

“This is why we came so quickly, and why we were so anxious about you,” Director Zhang finally spoke. “Mr. Wu Qingchen, Officer Ji’s theory… it does have some merit. Regarding the past, you have already caused involuntary harm to seven billion people worldwide. Looking to the future… you have indeed kidnapped all of humanity.”

“But… but it’s just a small red mark…” Wu Qingchen traced the area on his abdomen, as if doing so might make it seem less significant. “Are you so sure it’s connected to me? Even in the future?”

“No, we’re not certain. Who can be certain about the future?” Ji Mingming looked at Wu Qingchen. “Can you be certain? What would you do if you were in our place?”

“I…”

“Enough,” Ji Mingming waved his hand. “We’ve arrived at the airport. Let’s get out.”

Airport? Only now, when Wu Qingchen was still unsure how he’d respond, did he realize that the business van had stopped.

Arrived at the airport? What airport?

Wu Qingchen, who had never heard of an airport in Jiang County, glanced curiously out the window.

On both sides, the road was still asphalt, with a central greenbelt. Wu Qingchen had traveled this highway many times and knew it well; judging from the scenery, he could confirm this was still the highway, not far from Jiang County—at least five kilometers of straight road.

A middle-aged soldier opened the door and stepped out of the van; Wu Qingchen immediately understood what “airport” meant.

Just ahead of the convoy, less than fifty meters away, a massive figure occupied the middle of the six-lane road. Its extended wings swept across the greenbelt and the low barriers, nearly dominating all twelve lanes in both directions.

A transport plane parked on the highway!

“Mr. Wu, time is tight. Please…” The older soldier who Wu Qingchen had met earlier handed him a jacket. “Put it on as we walk.”

The jacket was heavy; Wu Qingchen almost dropped it when he took it.

Heading toward the ramp that had been lowered at the rear of the transport plane, Wu Qingchen, now wearing the jacket, felt several kilograms heavier, his legs straining to keep pace with the dozen others walking briskly.

The older soldier noticed Wu Qingchen only frowned slightly, showing no discomfort, and clearly relaxed. “Hang in there. Coordinating a global no-fly zone is extremely difficult, and our time is very limited… Also, we must ensure results… For the same effect, this is the lightest bulletproof vest available.”

The group quickly ascended the ramp. Almost without delay, the ramp rose swiftly. Amid the roaring engines, Wu Qingchen, helped into a seat, felt a surge of acceleration as the plane lifted into the sky.

Now, Wu Qingchen finally had a moment to look around. On either side were long rows of seats, all filled with fully armed soldiers. At the far end of a five- or six-meter aisle stood several armored vehicles of varying models. Deep inside, a metal long table was surrounded by a jumble of computers—over a dozen machines interspersed with unfamiliar instruments. Wires and network cables sprawled across the floor in a tangled, ugly spider web, atop which were piled small devices.

The older soldier, the middle-aged police officer, Director Zhang, and a dozen others clustered around the table. Computer screens, projector curtains, blinking indicator lights from unknown devices—all fueled a rapid, heated exchange, waves of palpable tension washing over the group.

“Rest for a bit…” The noise in the cabin, combined with the plane’s thunderous engines, meant that Ji Mingming, sitting beside Wu Qingchen, had to press his earplugs tightly for a long time before he could make out the command inside. “Get some rest quickly. You’ll probably be very busy soon.”

With that, Ji Mingming’s lips and throat began to move again, presumably reporting or making new recommendations.

So no one spoke to Wu Qingchen anymore.

He looked around one more time, then closed his eyes.

There wasn’t much to do on the journey; Ji Mingming reminded Wu Qingchen several times, “Don’t fall asleep.”

About half an hour into the flight, a middle-aged soldier—whom Wu Qingchen wasn’t sure he’d seen before—added a life vest over Wu Qingchen’s bulletproof jacket.

Around an hour in, a fully armed soldier, carrying a large parachute, came over and swapped places with another soldier beside Wu Qingchen.

After roughly two hours, the plane landed.

Again, not at an airport.

The name of the temporary landing site was one Wu Qingchen knew well, and so did everyone in the country.

Parade Square: the world’s most famous, most expansive plaza.

————————

The transport plane rolled to a stop, leaving massive tire tracks hundreds of meters long on either side of the plaza’s double yellow lines.

The soldiers in the cabin stood up in full gear. Wu Qingchen was about to leave his seat, but Ji Mingming waved his hand and pointed toward the depths of the aircraft.

Near the metal long table, the lively scene hadn’t faded with landing. A dozen people clustered around the curtains and screens, their rapid-fire speech almost like arguing, while their hands or shoulders bore an equal number of walkie-talkies that never rested.

A soldier who seemed to be the commander moved back and forth between the table and the front of the cabin, repeatedly adjusting the positions, postures, and weapon angles of nearly a hundred soldiers.

This continued for a long time.

When all the soldiers had chambered rounds in their weapons and checked them at least five times, and everyone’s position had been changed just as often, the cabin door finally opened.

No one moved.

By now, the cabin was significantly quieter. Wu Qingchen was squeezed into an armored vehicle, surrounded on all sides by dozens of soldiers, unable to see anything. He could barely make out the sound of footsteps passing nearby, heading toward the rear of the cabin.

“What’s going on? Haven’t I made myself clear? Why are there still vehicles outside?”

“Director Liu…” The reply was hesitant. “We’ve looked into this carefully. The location is really not suitable. The transport plane landing could be called an emergency, but tanks entering the venue—that would…”

“I’ll take responsibility.”

“Director Liu, it’s not about shirking responsibility! How much time did you give us? We barely managed to evacuate this area. It’s caused too much commotion already. Who knows how many telescopes are watching us now…”

“If there are telescopes, can’t there be sniper rifles? Can an armored car withstand a rocket launcher?”

“But the impact…”

“Don’t talk to me about impact. The order I received contains only four words: absolute guarantee!… I will take responsibility for this. You have two minutes. Steel plates are unnecessary—do you think tanks can’t climb stairs?”

The sound of hurried footsteps.

Two minutes later, after a brief jolt, several armored vehicles started up simultaneously, slowly rolling down the ramp and out of the cabin.

Dusk was approaching, but the plaza was ablaze with light. Streetlights, colored lights, and exterior lighting from surrounding buildings were all switched on, while countless searchlights illuminated every corner of the square. Military vehicles and fully armed soldiers formed circles on every side.

The highway guardrails in the center of the plaza had been pried open and piled nearby. Following a forcibly cleared path, the convoy of armored vehicles and hundreds of soldiers passed the flag platform, circled past monuments to heroes of past generations, and finally climbed the steps of the nation’s most famous Great Hall, using freshly laid steel plates.

Through an opened door, the armored vehicles drove directly into the left hall of the venue. Soldiers quickly escorted Wu Qingchen through several corridors, finally coming to a stop in a long passage. Ji Mingming and a dozen others surrounded Wu Qingchen, hustling into a small hall, and only then did everyone visibly relax.

No one offered Wu Qingchen a seat; there were no chairs nearby. The floor bore obvious push marks leading toward the corner, where a large round table sat askew, cluttered with overturned flowerpots, vases, and chairs. Aside from that, the small hall was empty, save for two tightly closed doors flanked by two huge panes of glass, beneath which several sets of rollers were installed.

Director Liu, whose voice Wu Qingchen had heard earlier, spoke softly into a walkie-talkie. The door soon opened a crack, and a middle-aged man in a suit squeezed sideways into the hall, closing the door behind him and blocking the noisy crowd trying to follow.

The man had thick eyebrows and a square face, was tall and walked briskly. A soldier a few steps away introduced him: “This is Mr. Wu Qingchen.”