Steel torrents pioneering a different world

Chapter 146 The Vitrified Ancient Ruins! The Numb Eagle (Extra Chapters, Please Subscribe and Vote!)
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In another world, on a high mountain chosen by humans.

The cold wind was like a knife, carrying snowflakes the size of grains of rice, which pelted people head-on.

Such weather is usually accompanied by ubiquitous magical phenomena that severely disrupt human electromagnetic signals.

At this moment, if you turn on the communicator, you can hear a hissing sound of electricity. Unless you use a directional signal booster, you can't hear anything at all. This environment is a natural fog of war.

Lang Junshi raised his hand and wiped the ice crystals off the visor of his protective helmet with his tactical glove. His gaze pierced through the wind and snow, looking towards the majestic mountains in the distance. His gaze then returned to the road below the mountains, which was beginning to take shape.

This mountain range isn't particularly high, with its main peak only a thousand meters high, but it's incredibly long, like a bolt blocking the shortest route from the portal to the other world's sea outlet.

If you want to project the power of the East into the ocean, this mountain range is an insurmountable barrier.

The military originally planned to use the river system for transportation, then gradually dig through mountains and build roads to connect east and west. However, the discovery of an oil sea suddenly led the military to take a longer route from the north and abandon the road construction project.

Lang Junshi's platoon had been providing cover for the engineering team for five days and five nights.

"Squad leader, the demolition team is done, the detonators are all loaded!" A young soldier jogged over, his breath instantly turning into frost.

Lang Junshi glanced at the tactical watch on his wrist; the time was accurate to the second.

"Notify everyone to retreat to safety zone number three. Prepare to blast the mountain; we'll have lunch after that."

"Oh yeah!"

"It's time to eat!"

Upon hearing the words "dinner is served," a group of soldiers who were exhausted like dogs instantly perked up and howled as they followed the engineers to the safe zone.

The fatigue and cold seemed to be dispelled by these two words.

"Xiao Liu, is the explosive safe this time?" During the evacuation, a soldier nudged the person next to him. "Don't waste all that time and end up blocking the road we just cleared with the blasted rocks."

"Don't worry," the soldier called Little Liu chuckled, revealing a set of white teeth, "You wouldn't understand the art of demolition!"

Lang Junshi listened to the soldiers chatting behind him, and a slight smile appeared on his lips.

Upon reaching the safe zone, everyone lay down and took cover.

Lang Junshi picked up the walkie-talkie and said in a deep voice, "Detonation team, countdown ten."

"Received! Ten, nine, eight..."

Everyone held their breath, their hearts pounding faster and faster with each countdown.

"...Three, two, one! Detonate!"

There was no earth-shattering roar, only a muffled rumble like distant thunder.

Immediately afterwards, the earth began to tremble violently, as if a sleeping giant beast had been abruptly awakened.

The ground beneath everyone's feet trembled like a sieve. Even through their arms, the soldiers lying on the ground could feel an overwhelming force resonating with the ground, then hitting their arms and traveling to their chests.

Countless boulders in the distance, which the engineering team had surveyed and confirmed as potentially prone to landslides, suddenly shrank inwards and then exploded with a deafening roar!

Thousands of tons of boulders were blasted apart, and countless fragments of rock were thrown into the sky by an invisible force, mixed with black iron ore and soil, as if obscuring the entire sky.

Directional blasting is an art; its power is perfectly controlled within the rubble.

Those potential landslide hazard points were precisely eliminated.

The shockwave, carrying debris and dust, roared in, and several pieces of rock slammed into the makeshift shelter with a crackling sound.

After a long while, the dust and smoke gradually dissipated.

Lang Junshi stood up and raised his binoculars.

In view, the once steep and rugged mountain wall that had blocked the road had completely disappeared, replaced by a flat and huge depression.

"Beautiful!" Lang Junshi couldn't help but exclaim in a low voice.

"Ha, it's completely level!"

"Hey Liu, you weren't bragging! This thing is really powerful!"

The soldiers jumped up from behind their bunkers, looked at the masterpiece before them, and erupted in thunderous cheers.

"Alright, stop howling," Lang Junshi put down his binoculars, a smile he couldn't hide on his face. "The cooks have already prepared the meal, time to eat! After we've eaten and drunk our fill, we still need to pave the road this afternoon!"

"Have a meal!"

These two words are more effective than any command.

In the distance, two tracked insulated food trucks rolled over the snow, and before they even came to a complete stop, an overwhelming aroma filled everyone's nostrils.

It's not just the aroma of food, but a fragrance that blends the rich scent of seafood with the fresh aroma of some exotic plant. Just smelling it makes you feel like every cell in your body comes alive.

Old Wang, the head cook, jumped out of the vehicle, his face full of wrinkles, and grinned from ear to ear: "Everyone gets a share, the usual line up! The food was just delivered from the rear base dozens of kilometers away, it's still hot! This time we also added some spices that have been confirmed to be non-toxic from another world, the taste is super delicious."

The lunchbox was opened, steaming hot. Inside was a large, thick piece of pan-fried sea fish, its flesh snow-white and its surface golden brown.

Several large grilled shrimp, brushed with spices unique to this other world, were glistening red and tempting.

There was also a spoonful of bright green stir-fried vegetables on the side. Although it was a vegetarian dish, it had a meaty aroma.

The soldiers were very proactive in carrying out their missions, and so were the cooks.

Coming from a nation of food lovers, we have a natural passion for delicious food.

Exhausted and with a sore back and a nearly frozen mind, Lang Junshi shoveled a large mouthful of fish, which melted in his mouth.

A warm current slid down my esophagus into my stomach, quickly spreading to my limbs and bones, as if the fatigue accumulated over the past few days had been completely washed away by this warmth.

The soldiers around him were already eating heartily and talking incoherently.

"Xiao Liu, can I be the demolition expert next time we do a demolition?" a soldier patted Xiao Liu on the shoulder.

Xiao Liu chuckled, his mouth stuffed full of shrimp meat: "Let's see how you do! This is a tomato grown in the modern world, isn't it?"

"Guess so."

"I wonder when the tomatoes in this other world will grow big enough. I really want to eat a tomato and egg stir-fry in this other world."

"Come on, it'll probably be a long time before they're phased out on a large scale!"

"It's a pity that the eggs laid by the chickens raised in this other world don't taste much different; they have no soul at all," another warrior complained. "According to the experts from the animal husbandry class, we have to wait for the chickens here to breed for seven or eight generations, until their genes stabilize and they absorb the magical particles from this other world before the taste improves."

"Where's the eggplant? When will the eggplant be ready? I've been craving 'Three Treasures of the Earth' for so long! With potatoes and green peppers from here, paired with eggplants we grow ourselves, tsk tsk..."

"Stop talking, my mouth is watering. I wonder if what scientists say about eating otherworldly food making you healthier is true. My sleep has become so much better, but nothing else has changed?"

As the topic unfolded, everyone quickly shifted from food and drink to the changes in themselves.

"Hey, have you guys noticed that you've gotten a lot stronger lately?" One soldier put down his lunchbox and rubbed his arm. "I feel like if I went back to the military region's competition now, I could pin those elite blue team members to the ground and make them call me 'daddy'!"

"Haha, you're kidding me. You? But seriously, I feel like I'm getting stronger and stronger. Before, I would be out of breath after carrying two boxes of shells for 500 meters, but now it feels much easier."

Lang Junshi listened to his comrades' boastful talk and drank the delicious fish soup in silence.

In fact, he could clearly feel that his body was also undergoing the same changes, with his strength, endurance, and even mental resilience steadily improving.

This magical, otherworldly land is rewarding these hardworking pioneers in its own way.

Suddenly, a young soldier leaned over, lowered his voice, and asked mysteriously, "Squad leader, do you think there might be... beautiful mountain spirits in these deep forests?"

The surroundings quieted down instantly after those words were spoken.

Before Lang Junshi could speak, Xiao Liu chimed in, "Who knows? But if we really run into them, we'll have to be on our guard!"

The elves of this other world possess mind magic, and it's easy to fall victim to it if you're not careful.

The atmosphere suddenly became somewhat heavy, and the group of young warriors no longer wanted to talk about the amazing beauty of the elves.

Lang Junshi finished the last sip of soup, closed the lunchbox, and said in a deep voice, "Don't think too much about it. Elves aren't scary! We'll deal with whatever comes our way. Our firearms aren't to be trifled with! Everyone's talismans and purification talismans need to be checked daily to confirm their wear and tear!"

"Yes!" Everyone responded in unison.

After eating and drinking their fill, most people, except for the sentries who took turns on guard duty, huddled in their sheltered tents to take a short nap.

After strenuous physical labor, this brief rest is invaluable.

Lang Junshi did not sleep. He put on his coat, braved the wind and snow, walked to the edge of the cordon, raised his binoculars, and observed once again the huge gap that they had blown open with their own hands.

The wind and snow seemed to have subsided a bit, and a few rays of sunlight struggled to squeeze through the clouds, shining on the distant mountain ridges.

He got up and went outside, braving the wind and snow, and strolled around the area near the cordon.

Click, click.

The sound of footsteps crunching on the ground, a mixture of snow and a vitrified substance, was crisp.

The geological survey team's report was correct; the soil in this mountain range contained a large amount of glass crystals, yet tenacious plants were taking root and growing from it, completely defying common sense.

A bizarre thought flashed through Lang Junshi's mind—could it be that a long, long time ago, someone used raging flames to burn the entire mountain range into glass, and then, out of boredom, scattered some seeds on it?
He shook his head, dismissing the far-fetched thought, and headed towards the site of the pre-dinner blast.

It's now a depression, with rubble and dirt piled up there.

The young man merely glanced at it as a matter of routine, but his gaze suddenly froze.

"Ok?"

He strode forward and squatted down.

On the blasted rock face, some things have almost become one with the mountain.

That's not ore; ore doesn't have that texture and shape.

They were thick, dark-colored pieces of metal, as if forcibly stuffed into the mountain by some great force, and then fused with the rock over the long years.

Lang Junshi reached out and touched it; it felt cold and hard, with an unnatural smoothness.

His pupils contracted slightly.

These metals... are angular and sharp, and you can even see the marks of where they were pieced together!

Then, thinking about the vast expanse of vitrified soil beneath his feet... an astonishing idea exploded in his mind!

The ground here... used to be a building?
A shelter that was instantly melted by unimaginable heat and buried by geological changes...?

The moment this thought crossed his mind, Lang Junshi felt his blood boil. The slight drowsiness he had felt after the meal vanished without a trace.

Without saying a word, he turned around and rushed toward the excavator not far away.

"Rumble--"

The roar of the diesel engine startled the soldiers who had just lain down in the tent.

Xiao Liu was the first to pop out, buttoning his coat as he shouted, "Squad leader? What are you doing? We just finished eating and you're already doing extra training? Even the donkeys in the production team aren't as timid as us!"

Several engineering soldiers also ran over, still half asleep, looking completely bewildered.

"Squad leader, what happened?"

Lang Junshi had already jumped onto the excavator, his voice trembling with excitement: "Come here, everyone! I've found something, something very strange!"

He operated the robotic arm, and the huge bucket fell precisely, digging towards the exposed metal section.

"Clang-"

The bucket collided with a hard object, producing a piercing loud noise and sending sparks flying.

As buckets of soil and gravel mixed with glass shards were dug away, a clearer and more complete structure slowly emerged before everyone.

It was an alloy wall that was entirely straight, about one meter thick, and contained impurities such as corroded steel and lead.

Lang Junshi's digging skills were not strong; he broke through the building, causing many lead blocks to leak out.

This allowed the soldiers to see the smooth lead blocks.

Everyone was stunned, mouths agape, speechless.

"Holy shit..." Xiao Liu's voice changed, he stared at the wall, his mouth agape, "Squad leader, this is... an alien base from another world?"

“No, it looks like a shelter!” A veteran next to him stared intently, his Adam’s apple bobbing. “This thing… how many years has it been buried? It looks like it’s grown into the mountain.”

"Its material is so unique," another warrior muttered to himself. "Isn't this other world all about magic? How come there are things like this?"

"Could it be some kind of magic, or alchemical technology?"

Ignoring the commotion behind him, Lang Junshi jumped off the excavator, his heart pounding in his chest.

He forced himself to calm down; as the commander on site, he couldn't afford to lose his composure.

At that moment, a term from tomb raiding novels flashed through his mind—"big zongzi" (a type of Chinese rice dumpling).

This time, it seems we've really dug up an incredible "iron rice dumpling".

The construction team in Chang'an City unearthed an ancient tomb, but the problem was the construction schedule.

They've done something quite different, directly raising a huge question mark about the history of this world.

"Don't just stand there!" Lang Junshi shouted, startling everyone awake. "Get a tarpaulin and cover this place up! Quickly!"

His voice carried an unquestionable command, and the soldiers sprang into action immediately.

"Xiao Liu, you take two people with you and double the perimeter. No one is allowed to approach!"

"Yes!"

Lang Junshi breathed a slight sigh of relief as he watched everyone frantically cover the strange section of wall with heavy canvas.

He turned to the remaining people and said, "This place is very likely the ruins of a prehistoric civilization from another world. The vitrified soil under our feet and this wall indicate that this place once suffered an unimaginable heat wave. Everything on the surface was instantly flattened, and only the buildings buried deep in the mountain survived."

The engineering soldiers were stunned.

Lang Junshi grinned and patted the shoulder of the soldier closest to him: "Alright, I need to prepare to report this. This discovery will probably give the experts back home a real headache!"

After saying that, he didn't linger and strode towards the communications tent not far away.

"Zzz...Zzz...Calling brigade headquarters, calling brigade headquarters, this is Lang Junshi from the radar construction team, there is an emergency report!"

Amidst the static, Brigade Commander Fu's hoarse, rugged voice rang out: "Speak!"

"Reporting to the brigade commander!" Lang Junshi straightened his back and lowered his voice, "We... may have unearthed a relic."

"Ruins?" Commander Fu paused for a moment. "What ruins? Ancient tombs?"

"It's not an ancient tomb!" Lang Junshi interrupted him, speaking very quickly. "It's a relic of an ancient civilization with a very high level of technology, which I even suspect may far surpass our own! It's made of metal, buried in the mountain, and we blasted out a corner of it during our demolition!"

There was silence on the other end of the phone.

After a good ten seconds, Brigade Commander Fu practically shouted, "Where are the photos! Send me the on-site survey photos immediately!"

"Yes!"

A few minutes later, when the encrypted image file was transmitted to the command post hundreds of kilometers away, Brigade Commander Fu, who was facing the screen, suddenly stood up, knocking his chair over.

He stared intently at the screen at the highly corroded yet still faintly visible metal and distinctly layered wall, and gasped.

Without saying a word, he grabbed the internal phone on the table and dialed Su Mingjin directly.

"President Su! We've made a major discovery! Look at the big screen!"

Su Mingjin was observing the situation of the woolly mammoth that they couldn't catch when she suddenly heard what Commander Fu said.

She looked up, and when she saw the extremely clear photo, her hand, which had been rubbing her temples, froze in mid-air.

“A vitrified surface… steel and composite materials buried deep underground…” Su Mingjin’s eyes sharpened. “Which mountaintops were these discovered on?”

"Yes!" Brigade Commander Fu said decisively, "It's an absolutely true discovery..."

Brigade Commander Fu briefly recounted what had just happened.

Upon hearing this, Su Mingjin fell silent, her slender fingers tapping lightly on the table.

“This world… is getting more and more amazing,” she murmured, then looked up. “We need top professionals to get to the scene immediately.”

"Agreed!" Brigade Commander Fu said. "I suggest Dou Hanwen lead the team. He's a professional in geology and ancient civilization research, so he's the most suitable person for this!"

"That's it!"

The command was issued with the highest priority.

Less than two hours later, a heavy transport helicopter braved the wind and snow and roared to a stop on the temporary helipad that Lang Junshi and his team had set up.

The hatch opened, and an elderly man with gray hair but a sprightly spirit, wearing a heavy protective suit, was the first to jump out.

He is Dou Hanwen, one of China's top geologists and archaeologists specializing in ancient civilizations. He once speculated that there was more than one site at Sanxingdui, and his theory was later validated as advanced technologies matured.

As soon as he got off the plane, he talked with Lang Junshi for a while, then put on a mask and rushed to the scene covered by tarpaulin.

When the canvas was lifted and the wall, which was clearly not naturally formed, was exposed to the air, even the old expert, who was used to seeing all kinds of wonders of ancient civilizations, was momentarily speechless.

He didn't speak, put on gloves, and carefully touched the surface of the wall as if caressing a lover, then took out various instruments to conduct on-site analysis. Time ticked by, and the surrounding soldiers didn't dare even breathe...

Finally, Dou Hanwen straightened up. After leaving the ruins, he had the canvas covered again before taking off his goggles, his eyes gleaming with a mixture of fervor and awe.

"An incredible discovery! Preliminary measurements indicate that the carbon-14 decay period is very long, meaning these minerals associated with the rock strata are at least 15,000 years old!"

He paused, then pointed to the vitrified soil beneath his feet.

"These glass crystals were not formed by volcanic eruptions, but by explosive combustion at temperatures of at least tens of thousands of degrees Celsius in a very short time. This means that... a complex of buildings that at least reached the level of our modern industrial civilization was completely wiped off the surface of the earth 15,000 years ago by some kind of ultra-high-energy weapon that we cannot understand."

After the message was relayed back to the command post, Su Mingjin and Brigade Commander Fu looked at each other in bewilderment, and the conference room fell into a deathly silence.

Fifteen thousand years ago... an ultra-high-energy weapon...

At the end of his report, Dou Hanwen added a chilling conclusion.

"The energy weapons that destroyed ancient civilizations in another world... do they still exist in this world? What is this world really like?"

As Su Mingjin looked at the analysis report, images of the ancient Frost Giant battlefield or the ruins of the ancient Frost Giants surfaced in her mind.

What's inside?

Mysteriously vanished organisms, once approached, will be subjected to a gravitational attack, instantly turning into small, pancake-like mechanical creations...

Why are there so many miscellaneous things in this world?
"Yes, report this message and let Professor Dou Hanwen continue his investigation of the area! The radar station... the construction of the radar station cannot be stopped."

"it is good!"

Since ruins were found in one place, there should be similar ruins in other places as well.
-
The modern world's logistics coordination headquarters.

In the smoke-filled office, Li Weiguo took a deep drag on his cigarette and stubbed it out heavily in the ashtray, which was already overflowing with cigarette butts.

"Fifteen thousand years ago...the high temperature...it was very likely nuclear-level energy melting?"

On the screen in front of him was Professor Dou Hanwen's chilling report, every word of which felt like a hammer blow to his nerves.

Xiao Wang's slightly bitter voice rang out: "President Li, scientists analyzed the metal debris and some coded information fragments from that small shelter, and the age and manner of destruction match up. This stuff can't be faked."

Li Weiguo rubbed his temples, feeling as if a swarm of bees had filled his head, buzzing incessantly.

More than ten thousand years have passed, and the world has changed dramatically.

The ruins on the mountaintop were small, only a few hundred square meters, like a private refuge.

This in itself speaks volumes: only a highly developed industrial civilization would lead individuals to undertake such low-cost-performance construction projects.

But they have too few clues right now.

Over time, the erosion caused by earthquakes, floods, and snow has blurred everything.

What exactly is it that can wipe out a civilization no less advanced than modern Earth from the face of the earth?

Is it the "war between gods and giants" mentioned by the Golden River chief of the Ice River tribe?
Just as he was racking his brains trying to figure it out, the encrypted phone on the table rang.

Li Weiguo perked up and quickly answered, "Leader."

A deep, steady male voice came from the other end of the phone, carrying a calm that seemed to know everything: "I've seen the message. Wei Guo, are you feeling like your brain isn't working properly?"

“Yes, leader.” Li Weiguo gave a wry smile. “If that civilization had simply destroyed itself, it would be fine. But the Frost Giant ruins that Jin He mentioned still retain a strange aggressiveness… This means that something in the other world is more dangerous, or that those civilizations have been hiding all along, or have continued to this day.”

“That’s right, the analysis is very reasonable.” The leader’s voice was devoid of emotion. “The subsequent action plan needs to be adjusted. Before we understand the situation, we can’t take too big a step, and all plans must have backup plans.”

"The leader has a great vision."

"Alright, enough of that." The leader changed the subject. "The exploration of that forest in the south must continue. I've read all the application reports from each department; they're very important."

Upon hearing this, Li Weiguo's headache worsened.

He swiped open another screen, which was filled with a flurry of application forms.

Deng Dakang and his group of research fanatics specifically requested to capture more elves alive, or cruelly murder savages, saying they wanted to study the coupling effect between magical particles and brainwaves.

The College of Life Sciences went even further, stating in its application report that they needed gene fragments from alien creatures, which might be used in human limb regeneration technology to reduce some of the side effects of drugs.

The animal husbandry research report was the most outrageous, saying that they wanted to crossbreed wolves, pigs, sheep, chickens, ducks, cows, etc. from another world with various animals on Earth.

An animal husbandry scientist was even thinking about whether it was possible to breed pork with the texture of marbled beef.

What made him both amused and exasperated was the request from the frontline troops for improved rations.

"...They eat deep-sea aliens all day long, which tastes good, but the soldiers' uric acid levels are generally too high. The medical department is very worried that the soldiers will develop gout problems later. The logistics management strongly requests a change of taste!"

Li Weiguo sighed and said to the person on the other end of the phone, "Don't worry, boss, these plans will not be stopped. I will coordinate them immediately."

"Any new analyses of the ruins over there?"

"It's still ongoing. Professor Dou and his team are working in shifts around the clock. I will report to you immediately if there are any new discoveries."

"Yes. As always, get the staff involved involved and work out several more plans."

"many!
He hung up the phone and looked at the newly discovered map of the other world.

Ninety-nine percent of the area above represents an unknown gray-black fog state, about which humans know very little.

I had previously thought it was just a low-magic world with swords and magic.

It now appears that what lies hidden beneath the water is a prehistoric crocodile of civilization.

An unprecedented sense of pressure and excitement surged into my heart at the same time.

Due to the new discovery made by Lang Junshi, the other world had to readjust its strategy and allocate some resources to this ruin.

Meanwhile, more archaeologists and civilization researchers were deployed to the vicinity to search for areas where remains might exist. Looking for more clues!
-
The modern world, the Octagon.

Inside the office of the Oriental Information Analysis Department, the air was stuffy and filled with the pungent smell of smoke.

Johnson irritably stubbed out his cigar, then lit another one. The strong nicotine smell briefly cleared his mind, which had been fogged up from staying up all night.

The intelligence he had recently gathered about the East made his blood pressure rise with every single word.

"Damn it, are these Easterners starting to show their fangs? What exactly are they trying to do?"

The intelligence was simple, yet extremely complex.

Prince Abdul, Shah's broker, is currently actively contacting his wealthy friends and leveraging his extensive connections in the Middle East and Africa.

They are monetizing a massive amount of equipment that has been phased out in the East.

Those tanks, artillery, and armored vehicles that were almost rusting in the warehouse were transformed into real gold and silver, and then quickly turned into steel, ore, oil, and... grain shipped to the East on the international market.

Oh, shit!

Mazefak, it's food again!

Johnson's temples throbbed.

The East was a place he couldn't understand.

The more he learned, the more terrified he became, and the less he wanted to understand.

They had a habit of maintaining war reserves for several years, and every time Johnson saw their large-scale food purchase orders, he felt that a full-scale war was imminent.

The strategic patience and foresight of the Easterners instilled in him a deep-seated fear.

But there were more jokes about my side.

The number of F-18 Hornets that have crashed recently is enough to fill several tables of Texas Hold'em over the past few months.

A few days ago, a brand-new F-35 delivered to a small ally crashed due to an accident.

Yes, there's also a new plane that crashed its nose directly onto the aircraft carrier deck during takeoff, becoming a laughing stock among military enthusiasts worldwide.

I'm not afraid of being embarrassed, I'm afraid of being embarrassed by comparison.

While media hegemony and manipulation of public opinion can indeed fool the masses in China who have been raised with a "happy education" mentality, the elites sitting in their offices see only cold data and harsh reality.

Those elites are well aware of the current power disparity between the East and their beacon.

What troubled him even more was that Dongfang's sales this time were flawless.

Those equipment changed hands several times, were labeled with different tags, and sprayed with different paints, before finally appearing on the already scorching battlefield.

Even if you wanted to find fault, you couldn't find direct evidence.

How can they impose sanctions? How can they intervene?

dong dong dong.

"Come in."

Peter was his most trusted deputy.

The other person pushed open the door and entered, their face showing barely suppressed excitement.

"Sir, breaking news: some precision parts from the East have been shipped to Western Europe and are being transferred to the Ermao region via land border crossings in Poland."

This is good news for them!
The Ermao region needs these, and they also need these equipment.

Johnson looked at the latest news and nodded wearily: "Continue to organize the data and make it into simple and easy-to-understand charts. I need to report to the director tomorrow."

He stood up, patted Peter on the shoulder, and said, "Peter, you've worked hard today. I need to go to the hospital; I'm feeling a bit unwell. The higher-ups are very satisfied with our department's work; the bonus this year is definitely in order. You and the guys keep up the good work!"

"Yes, sir!"

Peter immediately stood at attention, his eyes gleaming.

After Johnson left, Peter excitedly returned to his workstation and clapped his hands.

"Guys, Mr. Johnson said today that the director is very satisfied with us! This year's bonuses are going to be doubled! We'll work through the night and dig out all the data!"

"Oh hoo!"

A suppressed cheer erupted in the office, and all the analysts, as if injected with adrenaline, threw themselves back into their work.

Peter glanced at his cheering colleagues, a barely perceptible smile playing on his lips. Then he thought about the news he'd recently come across.

bonus?

Hey!
It's all just empty promises. The money from USTC always ends up going to Johnson and his high-ranking executives. What gets to those who actually do the work is barely enough to pay next month's credit card bill.

As for the credit, it belongs to the leaders.

The blame lies with the subordinates.

This damn workplace PUA! When will he get promoted so he can start PUAing others?
He was clearly more professional than Johnson and had a keener sense for data, but because of his seniority and connections, he was firmly suppressed and forced to simplify complex analysis reports into PPTs that even a fool could understand, so that Johnson could take credit for them.

Is this the fate of federal employees?
Peter took a deep breath, cleared his mind, and focused his attention back on the intricate relationship diagram on the screen.

Countless lines represent the flow of funds, materials, and people, originating from the East and spreading like a giant spider web across the entire world.

Everything looked like preparations for war.

But his intuition told him that things weren't so simple.

Unfortunately, there was too little information, and he couldn't analyze any more clues!

……

A few hours later, a series of urgent beeps came from the office's encrypted line.

An urgent message was delivered to Peter.

"Boss, just received news. The Russians are using a third party—yes, Persia—to make large-scale purchases of dual-use military and civilian spare parts that have leaked from the East. The intelligence comes from a Persian informant. They're planning to resell them, possibly to that black soil region!"

Peter snatched the report, his pupils suddenly contracting.

Oh shit!
Damn!

Intelligence indicates that the quantity of this transaction is extremely large, and the informant specifically requested that "special means" be used to ensure that the goods never reach their destination.

This is an incredible achievement!

Peter felt his blood rushing; this was a matter of great importance, enough to affect the entire war situation in the Middle East and even Eastern Europe.

He grabbed the internal phone and dialed Johnson's office directly, only to hear a monotonous busy tone on the other end.

No one answered.

Peter then remembered that Johnson had said he felt unwell in his heart and had left two hours earlier.

He then sent a text message to Johnson's private number, earnestly explaining the urgency of the situation.

Stone sinks into the sea.

Peter paced restlessly at his workstation; the opportunity was right in front of him, but it was fleeting.

He thought of his friends far away in the desert, and the days they spent together in the glitz and glamour of Las Vegas. Now was the time to fulfill those promises and friendships.

I'm getting married soon, and I'm just trying to earn some money for the wedding!
After thinking for a moment, he dialed the number of an old friend at the Octagon and quickly told him the news!

The other party is responsible for intelligence gathering. The information passes through him, so it's neither considered a leak, but it also helps to move things forward.

"Peter, my friend, thank you for the news. This matter is settled. Next time, let's experience the charm of this desert pearl together—it's on me!"

"no problem."

There was a pause on the other end of the phone, and the tone became serious: "However, you must report this to Mr. Johnson in person. This matter is urgent, it concerns Middle East security, and it's a good opportunity for you to prove yourself."

"He should have gone to the hospital; we can't get in touch with him."

"Then go to his house! Or go to the hospital to find him! Peter, show him the same enthusiasm you have for volunteering to work overtime; that will make him see your value!"

A word to awaken the dreamer.

Peter was stunned.

Yes, I've always been passively accepting overtime and have never taken the initiative to do anything.

This time, he personally delivered intelligence—intelligence that could change the course of the battle—to his superior after get off work hours. That gesture…

Mr. Johnson, who considers his work an honor, will surely look at himself in a new light!
Thinking of this, his displeasure vanished, and he quickly put together a concise summary of the report, grabbed his car keys, and rushed out.

Half an hour later, he stood at the door of General Johnson's house. It was an unremarkable detached house.

He rang the doorbell, the door opened, and a strong scent of perfume wafted out.

The person who opened the door was a long-haired "beauty" with mixed-race features and exquisite makeup. Her eyes lit up when she saw Peter.

"Hey handsome, who are you looking for?"

His voice was a hoarse, husky voice somewhere between that of a teenager and a young adult.

However, because it was deliberately suppressed, it was full of... a unique charm!

Peter's brain went blank for a moment before he could tell from the man's Adam's apple and broad frame that he was a man.

Johnson's...son?
As expected of the boss's child, her ability to bear children is truly exceptional!
No wonder I never discussed my child with them before.

“I’m looking for Mr. Johnson. I’m Peter, his most trusted subordinate.” Peter tried his best to make his expression look normal.

“That old Deng?” Johnson’s son rolled his eyes and said nonchalantly, “Who knows where he is? Come in and sit down, it’s cold outside.”

It was only October, and the weather was quite warm.

"No, this isn't good..."

"What are you afraid of? There's no one else at home." The other person's eyes gleamed with excitement, and without further ado, they enthusiastically half-pushed and half-pulled Peter into the house.

Meanwhile, in a luxury apartment more than ten kilometers away.

Johnson leaned comfortably against the headboard, looking at the unread message Peter had sent on his phone, a playful smile on his lips.

A figure emerged from the bathroom, wrapped only in a towel, water droplets rolling down her smooth back. She dried her wet hair as she casually sat on the edge of the bed and picked up Johnson's phone.

"Ha, it's that guy again? He's really trying."

The woman's voice was sweet; Peter recognized it immediately—it was his fiancée's voice.

Johnson put his arm around her waist and whispered in her ear, "Yes, that's why I'm going to give him more bonuses so he can have money to buy you a bigger diamond ring."

Catherine giggled, leaning softly against Johnson's chest, her eyes glazed over.

"Then I must thank you properly on his behalf, Master."

Johnson pinched her cheek and glanced at his watch: "I should go, that kid's about to get off work too."

"Let's stay a little longer."

“No,” Johnson stood up and put on his shirt. “You should go home too, otherwise our hardest-working Mr. Peter won’t see his lovely fiancée when he gets home from get off work.”

(End of this chapter)