Future Masters in Modern Times

Chapter 14: Infiltrating Lobestan

“Grab your weapons!” Conrad pulled out a submachine gun, leaned against the car door, and watched warily outside. He didn’t know why they’d been targeted—and in a way that left no survivors—but none of that mattered anymore. What mattered was that they had to save their own lives. Two crew members stuck their hands out the car door and fired a few random shots to distract the enemy, hoping to lure the hidden assailants out of cover. But they had clearly underestimated the enemy’s strength. One of them suddenly let out a bloodcurdling scream—his hand, which had been sticking out of the car, had been hit by a bullet. When he pulled it back, the hand that had been struck was a bloody, mangled mess, no longer recognizable as a hand. Conrad’s face turned ashen in an instant. Such precise marksmanship meant the enemy was clearly formidable; it looked like their chances of survival were slim. Inside the car, aside from the sound of agonized groans, only their heavy breathing could be heard; for a moment, they were at a standstill. It was unclear how much time had passed, but outside the car, all was quiet—only the howling of the gale sweeping across the plains could be heard. One of the men inside exchanged a glance with the others, clenched his teeth, and suddenly darted out of the car. Immediately, several gunshots rang out from outside. A moment later, the man returned to the car. “What happened?” Conrad asked. “There’s no one out there,” replied the man who had gone out, puzzled. If there had been anyone, they would have fired at him. “Really?” Conrad glanced outside suspiciously; it was almost too quiet out there. “Why don’t we all get out and take a look?” “We’ve got no choice. Waiting here isn’t going to solve anything.” They agreed and stepped out of the car on tiptoe. Indeed, it was very quiet outside. In this open field, it would be obvious at a glance if anyone were there—and there was no one to be seen anywhere around them. “Could it be… they’ve all left?” someone asked tentatively, but no one answered. None of them noticed that the color of the ground was noticeably different in a patch of land over a hundred meters away—though at such a distance, it was impossible for them to spot anything unusual. The barrels of three sniper rifles quietly emerged, slowly taking aim at them. “Let’s go! We have to get out of here no matter what,” someone suggested. “Bang!” A bloody hole appeared in that person’s head. “Oh no!” Conrad tried to raise his gun, but “Bang”—another shot rang out. Conrad’s eyes widened as he collapsed to the ground, his gaze filled with resentment. The remaining man froze in shock, standing there dumbfounded. Then, he foolishly raised his hands and dropped his gun, as if to surrender. But this was doomed to be futile. After two gunshots—“bang,” “bang”—the man’s head shattered like a broken watermelon, splattering red and white across the floor. “Reporting, Captain, the target has been completely eliminated,” a cold voice said. “Proceed to the next phase of the operation!” the voice commanded with unwavering decisiveness. The camouflage covering the ground was lifted, revealing three men in combat fatigues—the three-man squad dispatched by the Doomsday Empire. They holstered their weapons and rushed over to the vehicle. The Silver Hair Squad captain ordered the other two to dispose of the bodies. They dragged the corpses to the side, stripped them of their clothes, and finished the task in no time. The Silver Hair Squad captain nodded. “Now, put on their clothes.” A moment later, the three squad members had changed into the clothes. The captain took a strangely shaped machine from the briefcase he was carrying and pressed it firmly against the face of one of the corpses. Two beeps sounded as the machine processed the data. After a brief wait, the Silver Hair Squad captain opened it to reveal a human face mask inside. Following the same procedure, the captain crafted the other two masks. The Silver Hair Squad captain compared the three team members’ heights and other physical characteristics, then distributed the masks. Before long, after putting on the masks, the three looked exactly like the three Security Bureau agents. The three members of the team pulled out the IDs that had originally belonged to the three corpses, compared them with their own faces under the masks, and after confirming they matched, they got into the car. “Captain, they really are members of the U. S. Security Agency who came to retrieve the bodies from Lobestan Prison.” The silver-haired captain nodded upon hearing this and said, “Now, let’s familiarize ourselves with their work procedures so we don’t give ourselves away when we arrive at Lobestan Prison.” “Yes, Captain.” The two replied in unison, and so the squad began familiarizing themselves with their identities and work procedures in the car. A moment later, after the captain confirmed they wouldn’t slip up, he started the car and sped off, kicking up a huge cloud of dust in the wake. Above the Duchy of Rems Air Force Base, a private plane was slowly descending. On the ground, air traffic controllers waved small flags to guide the aircraft to a safe landing. This was indeed the “dead man’s plane” that Adelaide and her companions had boarded. After a ten-hour flight, they had finally reached their destination—the Duchy of Rems Air Force Base. Since the Du Pont family owned many subsidiaries in the Duchy of Limes and enjoyed a high social standing there, landing at the country’s airport was a mere formality. Inside the cabin, Adelaide was awakened by Housekeeper Amanda. He had slept for a full eight hours and felt refreshed upon waking. “Housekeeper Amanda, have we arrived?” “Master Adelaide, we’ve just landed at the airport, and Miss Catherine is about to wake up.” Housekeeper Amanda handed him a snow-white, warm towel. Adelaide took it, wiped his face, and got up from the soft bed. He opened the cabin door and found Catherine sitting on the sofa, propping her head up as she gazed out the porthole at the scenery. “Adelaide, you’re finally up.” Hearing footsteps, Catherine turned her head and said with a smile, “Let’s get off the plane. “I’m quite curious about why you’ve come all this way,” Catherine said. She had shaken off the fear she’d felt upon hearing about Lobestan Prison just moments ago; now her curiosity outweighed her fear—such is the nature of human curiosity about the unknown! “As you wish, Catherine. Let’s get off the plane.” Adelaide knew her younger sister’s personality very well—she was always fearless. She wasn’t sure, however, whether that was a good thing or a bad one. Once everything was ready, two flight attendants opened the cabin door and smiled as they escorted them down the boarding stairs. The air outside the plane was a bit chilly, nowhere near as warm as inside the cabin. From a distance, Adelaide spotted a young soldier in uniform waiting for them at the foot of the plane. As soon as they stepped off the plane, the young officer approached and extended his right hand. “Major Maxdi of the Air Force. Welcome, Mr. and Miss Du Pont.” “Hello,” Adelaide said, extending her hand to shake his. “Thank you very much, Major Maxdi, for waiting here so long.” A beaming smile spread across Major Maxdi’s face. “It is my honor to serve the Du Pont family.” He was well aware of the status of the two people standing before him; if he could seize this opportunity to build a good relationship with them, it would be nothing short of ideal for his future career. Hearing this, Adelaide smiled and nodded, clearly pleased with Major Maxdi’s attitude toward her. “Major Maxdi, thank you for your trouble.” Catherine always maintained the elegant, aristocratic demeanor expected of her in public; she had a perfect sense of personal space, neither being overly familiar nor coming across as aloof. As he gazed at Catherine’s smile, Major Maxdi found himself somewhat dazzled by her charm, inwardly marveling at her beauty and poise. Adelaide took full note of Maxdi’s expression; she glanced at Catherine with a half-smile, then stepped forward, tugged on Major Maxdi’s sleeve, and asked, “Major Maxdi, are the arrangements for our mission ready?” Coming back to his senses, Colonel Maxdi looked awkward. “Oh, yes. The helicopter is ready for you; you can leave for Lobestan Prison at any time.” ” At the mention of Lobestan Prison, the colonel shuddered; clearly, in his eyes, it was a terrifying place. Although he was already an Air Force colonel, he had not yet truly encountered dangerous criminals of this sort. He was a soldier who had never been tested in battle. “Then let’s go right now!” Adelaide didn’t want to waste any more time; he set off immediately for Lobestan Prison. Upon hearing this, Colonel Maxdi asked tentatively, “Young Master Adelaide, don’t you need to rest a bit?” “No, let’s set out right away.” Adelaide waved his hand, declining the suggestion. Seeing that his suggestion had been rejected, Colonel Maxdi didn’t press the matter and simply led them to the helicopter landing pad. At the far end of the airport, an armed helicopter with a black-and-green fuselage was parked. The helicopter’s cabin could easily accommodate twenty people. The group crossed the airport to the helicopter. Colonel Maxdi stepped ahead of the others, pulled open the cabin door, and said, “Everyone, please board the helicopter! Watch your step.” Butler Amanda boarded first. Adelaide let Catherine go ahead of her and followed closely behind. Once they were all on board, the bodyguards climbed into the helicopter. With a “clang,” a bodyguard pulled the cabin door shut. The interior of a military helicopter was, of course, no match for that of a private jet. At the rear of the cabin were two long metal benches bolted to the walls. The Du Pont siblings took their seats, as did Housekeeper Amanda, while the bodyguards in black simply stood, gripping the handrails on the ceiling tightly. Colonel Maxdi took his seat at the controls, put on his headset, and began pre-flight preparations. After a moment, once he confirmed that everything was ready for takeoff, he gave a hand signal to the ground crew. They immediately understood and returned the gesture, indicating that they were clear for takeoff. “Everyone, keep your balance—the helicopter is about to take off,” Colonel Maxdi said, turning his head to remind everyone. Once he saw that they had all fastened their seatbelts, he started the helicopter’s engines. The massive rotor on top of the helicopter began to spin, picking up speed, its roar ringing in everyone’s ears. The helicopter gradually lifted off the ground, climbing higher and higher toward its destination—Lobestan Prison.