Chapter 54

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Chapter 54: The National Ultimate Defense System

Despite the harsh environment, Lin Mo felt relatively unfazed; compared to the frigid high altitude and turbulent winds, this place was nothing.

Estimating his position based on the landing site, Lin Mo figured he should be in the northwestern part of the country. He still couldn’t memorize all the constellations in this world, and since it wasn’t dark yet, he couldn’t confirm his exact location using astrology.

Leaning against the airdrop box, which sheltered him from one side of the cold wind, Lin Mo quietly waited, wrapped in parachute fabric. ‘Night’ was a special secret military unit, particularly involved in combat, meaning they certainly had many enemies. The base’s level of secrecy was also quite high, and receiving a newcomer like him must have required special arrangements. All he could do now was wait.

After snacking on some military rations he had stashed in his pocket, the sky completely darkened, leaving only the flashing light of a beacon in the wilderness.

Gold Coin’s imitation watch was terribly inaccurate, so Lin Mo had no idea how long he had been waiting.

Suddenly, a faint rumble echoed from the distance, and two beams of white light came sweeping toward him.

As the lights drew closer, Lin Mo stood up; it was time.

A very ordinary-looking blue Changhe box truck stopped less than five meters away from him, its high beams shifting to low.

As the door opened, a middle-aged male driver stepped out, unshaven and wearing a baseball cap and a Zhongshan suit, resembling an ordinary truck driver.

The middle-aged driver looked at Lin Mo and said, “Second Captain Lin Mo! My surname is Hu; just call me Old Hu. Come, let’s verify your fingerprint—it’s a rule, don’t mind.” While speaking, he pulled out a PDA from his pocket.

Lin Mo thought it must be a necessary security procedure; the fact that Old Hu knew his name suggested he was there to pick him up. The device seemed quite advanced, so he nodded.

Old Hu took Lin Mo’s index finger, rubbed it, and then slowly dragged it across the fingerprint scanner on the side of the PDA. A beep sounded, and Lin Mo’s fingerprint was magnified on the screen, showing his information: photo, name, and rank.

Lin Mo felt a twitch in his wrist; Gold Coin was eyeing the impressive handheld computer enviously.

What Lin Mo didn’t notice was that if Old Hu had used a fingerprint membrane on a counterfeit device, the deception could easily have been exposed.

Old Hu waved his hand, saying, “Haha, identity confirmed; get in the car!” He glanced at Lin Mo’s airdrop box and asked, “Need help?”

Lin Mo smiled slightly and shook his head. Turning back, he effortlessly lifted the airdrop box, which was over twice his size.

Old Hu opened the back door of the truck and watched Lin Mo secure the airdrop box inside the empty truck cabin and turn off the beacon, extinguishing the flashing lights.

Old Hu thought to himself that Lin Mo should try out for the Olympics as a weightlifter. He sneaked a look at the footprints Lin Mo had left when he lifted the airdrop box. Clearly, it wasn’t light, yet Lin Mo had lifted it with ease, as if it were a cotton bundle—he handled it like it was nothing.

It was evident that Lin Mo’s strength surprised Old Hu.

Outside, it was pitch black, with only the dim yellow headlights barely illuminating the road in front of the truck. Beyond that, it would be hard to stop in an emergency; after all, this was just an ordinary box truck, not some specially disguised marvel of technology.

After about four to five hours of driving, the truck merged onto a main road, where sparse yellow streetlights began to appear.

Seated next to driver Old Hu, Lin Mo looked out the window and saw that the landscape had changed from prairie to patches of farmland. Since there were no hills, the view was extremely broad, allowing him to see far into the distance. There was a faint glow in the far distance—perhaps a city.

As they turned off the main road and twisted through countless side streets, Lin Mo realized only the drivers of Night could find their way through this maze of turns.

It was hard to imagine that the hideout of Night would choose to be near the city rather than in the wild.

The truck stopped at a farmer’s yard that still had lights on.

“We’re here!” Driver Old Hu turned off the engine without even taking out the key and jumped out of the truck. “Come on, let’s go eat first!”

“What about my luggage?!” Lin Mo said as he planned to unload his belongings.

“Don’t worry about it; someone will help carry it. I guarantee it will be delivered to your residence!” Old Hu patted the cabin proudly, saying, “The security here is high; the people living nearby aren’t ordinary folks, so there’s no need to worry about thieves.”

Old Hu led Lin Mo toward a very ordinary three-story farmhouse.

This seemingly simple rural courtyard held deeper secrets. Lin Mo once again experienced the wisdom of the saying in this world, “Great concealment is within the market.”

In the yard, a couple was busy tidying up their home and paid no attention to the truck’s entrance. They simply nodded at Old Hu in acknowledgment and continued with their chores.

Lin Mo did not expect that just as he was about to follow Old Hu upstairs, Old Hu suddenly turned and opened the door to a storage room beneath the stairs. He pressed something, and the floor tiles in the storage room sank, revealing an underground exit.

How mysterious!

Leading the way into the tunnel, Old Hu did not look back. “This is just one of the entrances. To maintain secrecy, the entrance changes regularly. We can’t expose it to the public eye; it could easily lead to international disputes. In this regard, we aren’t much different from terrorists.”

His words brought a knowing smile to Lin Mo’s face. In this secretive world, those who built this unit did not adhere to rigid moral codes.

“However, once you’re in our base, remember one thing: ask less, do more. The less you know, the better it is for you, and you’ll face fewer troubles. Of course, this applies if you get captured by the enemy; sometimes, a bullet can be a mercy.” After entering the tunnel, Old Hu spoke with a hint of cold indifference toward life and death.

Lin Mo didn’t respond. As he walked into the tunnel, it felt like entering another world. The initial entrance was pitch black, making it impossible to see anything. He had to feel his way down the steps for several dozen steps before coming across a dim light. After passing through a long tunnel, Old Hu stopped in front of a typical air-defense steel door. He didn’t move, and it seemed there was an unknown verification system at the doorway. With a click, the door opened slowly, revealing an isolation room of several dozen square feet. Old Hu silently motioned for Lin Mo to follow him inside.

After traversing a few passageways, Lin Mo and Old Hu arrived in a spacious room, about a hundred square feet, quite empty. The walls were painted white, and against one wall, there was a set of beige soft fabric sofas arranged in various combinations. A flat-screen TV hung on the wall, and the décor was exquisite, with fresh air flowing gently from a vent. The lighting was soft and bright, accompanied by greenery. Aside from the absence of windows, it seemed like a lounge, though Lin Mo had no idea how deep underground they were.

During the entire journey, he hadn’t encountered anyone, but deep down, he had a feeling of being watched. Surveillance cameras were placed at every corner, and he knew there were far more radar detection devices than just those visible.

“Sit down; I’ll order some food for you. When the time comes to report and register, we’ll do it together. It won’t take long!” Old Hu opened the door and stepped out first.

On the wall, there was a clock above the TV, and Lin Mo finally saw the time: 2:16 AM. He sat down on the sofa and, feeling quite bored, began to look around the room. His sharp eyes soon detected several inconspicuous cameras hidden in the corners, making him smile. He waved at the cameras, saying to himself that whoever was watching him would soon be his colleague; a greeting was in order.

Half an hour passed, and it seemed that Old Hu had disappeared, as he hadn’t returned. Lin Mo noticed it was almost 9 o’clock on the clock. He remained calm but decided to turn on the TV to see what programs were on; sitting idly was too frustrating.

Just as his hand reached for the remote, he heard voices and footsteps getting closer, soon arriving at the door to the room.

“Hey! Someone’s here! Who is it?” Someone peeked in, noticing the lights and people inside the room with curiosity.

“Who are you? Are you the new guy?” A young man with thick eyebrows and big eyes, robust in build, sized up Lin Mo and curiously walked in, followed by several other men and women wearing standard camouflage vests.

Lin Mo stood up from the sofa, saluted, and said firmly, “I’m Lin Mo, code name ‘Gold Coin.’ I’m here to report today.” Even though he couldn’t see their ranks, he felt it was important to show respect as a newcomer.

“Wow, we really have a newbie!” The robust young man’s eyes widened.

“Hey! He even has a code name; this newbie is impressive!” A tall, dark-skinned man over two meters high looked around and burst into laughter.

“Look at that guy; he’s quite handsome! Do you want him? If you don’t, I’ll take him!”

“You flirt! You’re getting all excited!” Two female soldiers joked, pushing and teasing each other playfully.

“New guy, do you know our rules here? Don’t rush to use your code name yet; come on, let’s have a little fun!” The towering man could no longer hold back and suddenly threw a punch directly at Lin Mo’s head.

Things escalated quickly into a fight.

“Da Li, don’t be impulsive!” shouted a short-haired female soldier behind, but it was too late to stop him.

Lin Mo was momentarily stunned as the huge fist rapidly enlarged before his eyes.

Boom… It sounded like a knock against leather!

Lin Mo didn’t move an inch; the tall man named Da Li gaped in shock as his punch was effortlessly blocked by Lin Mo’s palm, unable to advance even an inch.

The room was filled with stunned silence! Everyone else stared wide-eyed, gasping in awe. Da Li was at least two heads taller than Lin Mo and yet had been stopped so easily.