World War I

Chapter 1 Red Wedge
July 2001, 7, 1 o'clock at night, St. Petersburg, 5 Alshot Street, a black square building.

This is Russia's highest-level investigative body: the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation.

On the eighth floor of the building, in a dimly lit conference room, a group of people sat around a long marble table.

The white ashtray was filled with cigarette butts, and the old exhaust fan on the wall made a low creaking sound, it was already overwhelmed.

All fifteen heads of this agency, which is similar to the FBI of the United States, were present. The emergency meeting had been going on for half an hour. The person chairing the meeting was Vladimir, the head of the Russian Federation Investigative Committee, a fierce old man who even the president had to give way to.

He didn't ask any questions, and everyone else seemed dumb.

"Everyone, with something so terrible happening, shouldn't we all commit mass suicide by hara-kiri, like the Japanese?"

Everyone's eyes were on one person.

Someone whispered, "Let Andre take the lead. He's the head of the base."

Andrei sat to the lower right of Vladimir.

He had the resolute and cold eyes of an eagle, but at this moment, he also seemed a little confused.

"Although the secret biological base in Siberia was established by the former Soviet Union and the incident was caused during the Soviet era, I still insist on my opinion. We must deal with it properly, no matter how great the cost."

A person to Vladimir's lower left said, "Andrei, stop talking nonsense and come up with concrete countermeasures."

The old man had a tumor on the back of his neck, which was bulging high, and his huge nose was so red that it seemed like it was about to explode.

Andre: "We all thought Product One was dead. I misjudged him. I didn't expect him to show up again."

A voice said, "Could the local police officer's report be wrong? That might not be Product One. His report was only made three hours ago."

"There's no mistake! Product One is not only alive, he also has a powerful helper, a freak who escaped from the Area 51 laboratory in the United States. We shouldn't engage in a superhuman competition with the Americans. We have produced two failed freaks, one on each side, both of whom escaped from a heavily guarded reinforced concrete laboratory. It sounds ridiculous, but the facts have already happened, and their behavior can no longer be explained by science. Therefore, what we must do now is to capture Product One as soon as possible, and do everything we can to mobilize all resources. Only by capturing him can we understand what happened to him. Of course, we can also capture the American super soldier who crossed the Bering Strait, as long as he is with Product One."

Vladimir scratched his forehead; his wrinkles had deepened half a centimeter for Product Number One.

"Can you confirm that the American by-product entered the Siberian forests and reunited with Product One?"

Andre said, "According to information provided by the British MI6, as well as the French and German intelligence agencies, this is indeed the case. He has long since secretly entered our territory. They are laughing at us. Of course, the FBI in the United States is also searching for him all over the world. We didn't expect him to cross the strait from Alaska into our territory and hide in the forests of Siberia."

The last person on the right rear side said angrily, "Alaska was originally ours, it was ours! Which prodigal son sold 170 million square kilometers of Alaska to the Americans? We only received $720 million."

The red-nosed old man said, "Stop saying these useless things, okay? We've spent twenty years researching and developing Product No. 1 in our secret base in Siberia, exhausting all our resources, including material, financial, human, and technological resources. And now, we can't control it. What a huge loss!"

Someone laughed and said, "The Americans are just as unlucky as us. They also spent 20 years researching and developing a freak. We are mentally balanced."

Someone said, "Damn, what a balance! Not only did the Americans destroy the Soviet Union, they also created a super soldier to disgust us. God knows what that super freak is trying to do. Maybe the Americans deliberately let the super soldier go so that they can continue to harm Russia together with Product No. 1! They can't sleep unless they destroy us. I really want to drown all those damn Americans in the cesspool."

The tense atmosphere in the conference room eased a little, and was suddenly filled with helpless and teasing laughter.

The red-nosed old man raised his right hand. "We have to kill him, crush him, chop him up, eat him alive, and reduce him from body to soul to ashes, leaving not even a fingernail behind! This is the only, most correct way! I remind you, Product One is no longer worth researching. No, not a damn thing. He's a huge threat now! We couldn't handle him ten years ago, and ten years later he's already a fucking adult. Who can still catch him? Andre, please, stop playing tricks. This time, you must tell everyone the truth. What is the current condition of Product One?"

"Product One can be compared to the American Spider-Man and Batman, if those products really exist."

The meeting room became noisy again.

"Silence, silence, silence, gentlemen, please be quiet!"

Vladimir pounded the table with his hand.

"Andrei, as the decision-maker of the secret base, I think you should be responsible for what you say. This is not a film company, this is the Russian Investigative Committee."

Andre thought about it carefully.

"I take full responsibility for what I said."

The conference room was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop.

Vladimir was silent for a moment, then said, "Okay, it's time to vote. Let's vote on the first option first. Those who suggest destroying Product One, please raise your hands."

Thirteen people raised their hands in unison.

"Please raise your hands if you caught them alive."

After Andre raised his hand, the leader slowly raised his right hand.

The second person on the lower left said, "Dear Mr. Andre, don't forget that Product One has an American byproduct next to him. He's so powerful that one punch can punch a huge hole in a wall, even a solid wall of reinforced concrete. In order to catch him, a whole bunch of American FBI members died."

Andre remained standing.

"I'd like to hear opinions from other parties, especially the Ministry of Defense. Their opinions are crucial and decisive. Mr. Vladimir, what is the Ministry of Defense's opinion?"

Vladimir smiled. "You know those senior officials in the Ministry of Defense. Their opinion is the same as mine—capture them alive. It would be best if they could capture them alive."

The red-nosed old man: "What if we can't capture him alive?"

Andre: "I resign."

The red-nosed old man said, "Andre, your resignation means nothing. You will cause the deaths of more innocent soldiers and special police officers. You will be an unforgivable sinner. Kill him, including that super soldier. Even if you have to use tactical weapons, you must kill him. This will put an end to everything and bring peace and prosperity to the world from now on."

The top leader banged the table with his sparking pipe: "Stop arguing! Arrest Product Number One! This is an order, and it must be carried out!"

Someone said, "If that's the case, why hold a meeting at all?"

Vladimir had poor eyesight and was looking for someone to talk to.

"Whoever said that, stand up." No one answered, and no one hinted at who said this.

Bang! Vladimir slammed the table. "Meeting adjourned!"

After everyone left, the leader left Andre behind.

"Andrei, you've been working in a secret base in Siberia for thirty years, right?"

"Thirty-two years."

"So many people are against capturing him alive, and they have their reasons. We can't say they're short-sighted. Can we actually capture Product No. 1? Tell me the truth."

Andre gritted his teeth and said, "I'm not sure. Product One has already mastered some special skills, incredible skills."

"more specific."

"He can now control dark forces that we cannot understand. The Earth has experienced billions of years, and some unknown forces must exist. He is tapping into this power. If we continue to allow him to develop, I dare not imagine what will happen. Perhaps the destructive power he brings will be even greater than the trouble caused by the collapse of the Soviet Empire."

Vladimir, always calm and composed, widened his eyes upon hearing Andri's words. "You're exaggerating! What exactly is this dark force you're referring to?"

"Dark magic and other such powers have caused his mind to become abnormal, but this is not caused by drug abuse or depression. This is caused by a pattern that is incomprehensible."

After saying that, he took out something, a small, broken crystal skull, without a chin or nose, only a pair of sparkling eyes.

"What does this mean?"

"This is the masterpiece he created after his first fake death. Don't look into its eyes for more than twenty seconds, remember."

Vladimir was skeptical and stared at the eyes of the crystal skull. Within ten seconds, he screamed - I saw a cliff, and there was a living person on the edge of the cliff. Was that person me?
"What you see is an illusion. If you continue to look, you will jump off the cliff. It's extremely mysterious. This thing can produce a field effect on people's brain waves and disrupt magnetism. This is his primary product, and he is developing in this direction."

Vladimir wanted to watch more, but Andrei said, "You can't watch it anymore. It will affect your nervous system."

"If you really let him continue to develop, you don't know what will happen to him?"

"Yes, but based on my understanding of him, within six months, his abilities will reach a critical point. After this critical point, the situation will be out of control and no one will be able to subdue him. By then, we won't be the only ones in trouble."

"Critical point?"

Kaufládimi repeated the three words, then after a moment, said, "Alright, no matter what happens to him, capture him first. The Ministry of National Defense and the Siberian Military District Command will cooperate with you. Don't let this happen again. The contingency plan needs to be comprehensive. Besides that uninvited American who likes to cross the Bering Strait barehanded, what other unexpected troubles might arise?"

Andre thought deeply and said, "The biggest variable is the American super soldiers. If we eliminate the American super soldiers, Product One will be isolated and helpless, and things will be easier to handle."

"Will the FBI do something?"

"It's highly unlikely. The question is, if the FBI showed up in the Siberian forests, would we join forces with them?"

"As long as they don't do anything else, of course it's possible. Just like ten years ago, if both sides cooperate and each gets what they need, the chances of success will be greater."

"What if the British, French, and Germans were also involved in this? They know a lot of inside information. The United States shared secret intelligence with them in this regard."

Kauflakimi smiled but said nothing.

"Understood. As you command."

After a while, Vladimir said, "Will our neighbors to the east get involved in this?"

Andre laughed. "Are you thinking too far ahead? How could China in the east possibly interfere in this matter?"

Vladimir shook his head and said, "For the next one to two hundred years, the main players in the world will be China, the US, and Russia. Germany, France, and the UK won't even be on the table. They'll just be supporting roles, making noise. Without China, the game will be boring. Our Product One isn't like the American super soldiers who roam the globe. He has a special fondness for the forests of Northeast China and is incredibly stubborn. He's been hiding there for years, disguised as a young hunter. It's impossible for Chinese intelligence agencies to react at all."

"But that doesn't prove anything. He was running around with nowhere else to escape. They definitely don't have a high-level secret base like ours."

"Andre! Just because they haven't discovered it doesn't mean they don't have it. This is the experience I've gained from dealing with them for decades and suffering heavy losses!"

Faced with Vladimir's sudden outburst, Andrei couldn't help but straighten himself up: "I swear, they really didn't."

"You're too stubborn. America has Area 51, where they're studying alien corpses. We have secret bases in Siberia. Even if the Chinese don't have similar research facilities now, they'll definitely have them in the future! No one can accurately predict how technology will develop in twenty or thirty years. Don't just focus on the Americans. They'll come up with some incredible tricks, secrets, and tricks that will leave you speechless. Like time travel, time travel. Have you heard of time travel?"

Andrei could only smile and shrug. "Sir, you are Russia's greatest prophet. Time travel, the plots in science fiction are too outrageous. I think time travel is impossible. It's impossible for a Chinese person to do it. If there really are people on this planet who can time travel, it's only us Russians who have this ability. No other race can do it, including Americans."

"Who are you going to take with you?"

"They are gathering urgently and rushing to the airport."

"Who are they?"

Andrei paused, and Vladimir said hurriedly, "I shouldn't interfere too much with your personnel arrangements and action plans. I only have one request: don't let them be completely wiped out. Otherwise, I won't be able to complete my mission. You understand. Don't embarrass me again on this matter."

Andre pondered for a moment and said, "You misunderstood what I meant."

"What do you want to say?"

"Does the national interest always outweigh personal interests? We turned a young man from Tianchang into a demon."

"Andre, what's wrong with you? You're being emotional. National interests always outweigh personal interests. You're the second-in-command of the investigation committee. Don't talk like that!"

"I love Russia. This is just my personal feeling. If I am killed by Product No. 1, please collect my body. This is my only request."

　Dear readers, this young seedling is in urgent need of care. If you like it, please use your golden fingers to make money and collect it. Thank you.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)