Invasion of America

Chapter 127 Identity Exposed
Director Carl Vinson was recently promoted, moving from the FBI's Miami field office to headquarters in Washington, D.C., to become a senior criminal investigator.

This was his third promotion in a year, moving directly from the local government to the central government.

But none of his colleagues envied his good fortune, because the Department of Justice launched an investigation into the pandemic, and his job was to trace the origin of the virus.

The investigation itself is not difficult.

Carl and his men quickly located Wayne Herbert's whereabouts—the facilities for virus research required the highest level of protection, P4, and there weren't many places in the United States that met those requirements.

But during the investigation, he saw the person he least wanted to see—the drone originally used to monitor the town of 'Macon' clearly captured the process of Zhou Qingfeng confronting the 'fake couple'.

The FBI had no idea that 'Harden' would be on the front lines, and the surveillance personnel would not have thought that the agile and ruthless man on the screen was the head of the 'Efficiency Department'.

Without this interfering information, Carl was able to directly determine the truth after repeatedly watching the surveillance video several times.

"It's Victor. He's just wearing makeup. He can fool others, but he can't fool me." — Karl had such a deep impression of Zhou Qingfeng that he felt an uncanny familiarity, like he would recognize him even if he were ashes.

"Why did that kid appear in 'Macon' town? And why did he kill someone in the street?" The chief felt his heart pounding, feeling that he was one step closer to the truth of a certain mystery.
-
When Ernst arrived at the scene of the fight, he only saw a large pool of blood on the ground and the body of an adult male, but he did not see Zhou Qingfeng himself.

The moment the body was discovered, it became clear that the operation had deviated from its planned course. He dared not stop the car, immediately driving away from the scene and attempting to call Zhou Qingfeng, but naturally, the call wouldn't go through.

"Damn it. From the moment I started the car to the moment I arrived, it was only two or three minutes. What happened?" Ernst sat in the car and pounded on the steering wheel, his emotions becoming extremely agitated.

Being a mole is no fun, especially working under someone like Harden, who is lawless and opportunistic.

Ever since he accepted the task assigned by the Chief of Staff, Ernst has been under constant psychological torment. He had to inform on others, but he was also worried about giving himself away, and even more afraid that the Chief of Staff would use him as a pawn and manipulate him at will.

Or rather, he realized he was a pawn caught in the middle, destined to be eliminated sooner or later. But now, he had no choice but to go down this path to the bitter end.

After being unable to contact Zhou Qingfeng, Ernst could only call the assistant to his chief of staff, shouting, "Harden is missing, I may have been exposed, you have to find a way to save me."

I heard an "oh" on the phone, and I only heard the words "Harden is missing" before ignoring what came next.
-
At this moment, the lights are shining brightly inside the Medical Center in Macon, a converted small gymnasium.

With a smug smile, Wayne Herbert, who led the research on the "X virus," enthusiastically showed his cutting-edge findings to the visiting White House Chief of Staff.

On the synthetic track in the center of the stadium, two testers in tight-fitting sportswear are conducting a stunning demonstration.

The well-built man sprinted like an arrow, easily breaking the 10-second barrier in the 100-meter dash, his speed so fast it was like a blurry afterimage. This time is good enough to compete in the Olympics.

Another young woman ran at a steady pace. The electronic timer clearly showed that she had run 10,000 meters in half an hour. Although her face was flushed, her breathing was only slightly more rapid than normal.

Subsequently, in the strength testing area, the two lifted barbells that were more than twice their own body weight, showcasing smooth and explosive muscle lines.

This is simply an all-around athlete who surpasses human limits! Strength, endurance, and agility are all at a perfect level.

“Very good, very good, this is the new humanity of the future.”

"America has grasped the truth, and as long as this reinforcement can be promoted, a new era will begin, and all the costs paid during the pandemic will be worthwhile."

The chief of staff watched all the test items with great interest, praising them repeatedly. Just as he was about to ask some details, his personal assistant hurriedly approached and whispered in his ear.

Others, wanting to avoid suspicion, consciously moved a few steps away, yet remained curious about what had happened.
The chief of staff's smile froze instantly, replaced by a somber, low voice that demanded angrily, "When did this happen?"

“Just a few minutes ago,” the assistant’s voice was also uneasy, “the mole couldn’t find Harden, and our men also lost track of him.”

"He can't have gone far!" the chief of staff declared decisively. "Immediately contact the police departments of 'Macon' town and surrounding towns, block off all possible roads leading out of the city, and bring him to justice!"

Standing to the side, Wayne Herbert frowned and couldn't help but interject, "'Macon' town? Who are you going to arrest in our town?"

The chief of staff was reluctant to elaborate, saying dismissively, "It's an out-of-control guy trying to investigate you, but he's no longer of any use and we have to get rid of him now."

“Oh…” Herbert nodded, not delving into the matter. Instead, he pointed with interest to the two enhanced testers who had just finished demonstrating their abilities and smiled confidently, “Need any help?”

My super agents are incredibly skilled and have an excellent understanding of the town and its surroundings. To apprehend anyone, I simply give them a command, and they'll be able to complete the mission flawlessly.

His tone was full of pride in his research findings, and the demonstration he had just given was enough to prove that what he said was true, which greatly impressed the chief of staff.

Just then, a guard from the "medical center" ran over in a panic and whispered a few words quickly in Wayne Herbert's ear.

Herbert, who had been so calm just moments before, suddenly changed his expression drastically, his reaction even more exaggerated than that of his chief of staff. He abruptly raised his voice, angrily demanding, "Who did this?!"

The guard lowered his voice again and quickly said a few words...

Wayne Herbert was puzzled and shocked, then exclaimed angrily, "Harden? Who is this guy?! How could he possibly fight back against two enhanced agents all by himself?!"

The guard who came to deliver the message looked helpless and couldn't answer the question.

The chief of staff, however, reacted unusually strongly to the name "Harden," urgently asking, "Harden?! Is that the Harden I just reported?! Your men died at his hands?!"

The two sides quickly exchanged the bits and pieces of information they had, piecing together the general facts—they were both talking about the same person—Secretary Harden of the "Efficiency Department" had personally come to the town of "Macon"!

Despite having a mole within his ranks and having fallen into a trap, the minister should have surrendered. However, he managed to break free, kill his pursuers, and escape successfully.

The chief of staff was most shocked: "Two super agents who have been enhanced couldn't catch Harden?! That guy is just a high-ranking bureaucrat, and your people aren't that strong either."

Wayne Herbert grew increasingly furious and firmly denied it: "No, that's impossible!"

"What's impossible?" the chief of staff pressed, his tone unfriendly.

"I know my men's capabilities very well; no normal person could escape their pursuit! This Harden you're talking about is definitely not an ordinary bureaucrat!"

At this point, the chief of staff felt a chill run down his spine and spread throughout his body. He couldn't help but mutter a curse under his breath: "Fuck! He's not an ordinary bureaucrat, so what is he?!" A nameless fear quickly spread throughout the room. Everyone was extremely confused and shocked, yet completely baffled.

The two leaders exchanged a glance, realizing that the situation seemed to be beyond their comprehension. They only knew that something extremely bad was happening, as if they had fallen into a fog.

An absurd yet undeniable question simultaneously echoed in their minds—"Who exactly is Harden?!"

"Forget everything else, go and arrest them right now!" Wayne Herbert was frantic. "That Harden was able to take down two of my enhanced subordinates, he must have a huge secret."

The chief of staff also felt the situation was serious; if Harden's identity was indeed in question, it would trigger a huge storm far beyond their imagination.

"The people must be arrested, but the situation must be kept confidential. Anyone who leaks information will be held accountable!"
-
The medical center in Macon was like a disturbed beehive, buzzing as a group of armed men "flew out" to conduct a blockade and search throughout the town.

Zhou Qingfeng moved like a stealthy cheetah, carrying the captured woman on his back, moving cautiously and nimbly through the town.

“Victor, a lot of people have come out of town, probably in the thirties,” came 'Grey Shark's' voice over the radio. “They’ll definitely search the whole town. Congus and I have to get out of here.”

'Grey Shark' was driving a car and operating a drone; the target was too big, so they had to retreat.

"Understood, you go first, I'll follow."

Zhou Qingfeng remained calm. Thirty-odd people could at most block off the main roads, which was far from enough to conduct a comprehensive search of a small town of several thousand people. He did not panic and flee, but maintained his established objective.

To avoid the ubiquitous surveillance cameras in the town, Zhou Qingfeng abandoned the wide streets and instead walked along the low residential walls and back alleys of closed shops.

After walking about a hundred meters, he opened a rusty iron fence and entered a somewhat desolate courtyard. A cross stood on the roof of the courtyard, which was an inconspicuous little church.

He carried the woman close to the church's tightly closed wooden door, pressed his ear against the door panel and listened carefully for a moment. After confirming that there was no movement inside, he gently pushed it open and slipped inside.

The church interior was small, with only a few rows of simple wooden benches at the front and back. The altar was empty, and the icons were blurry in the darkness; the priest was clearly not there.

The captured woman was pale and appeared to be still unconscious.

Zhou Qingfeng laid him down on the bench and said in a deep voice, "Stop pretending. I know your body is exceptionally strong and your recovery ability is very strong. If you keep pretending, you'll only be asking for trouble."

The captured woman was barely breathing and lay motionless, seemingly on her deathbed, or perhaps waiting for the right opportunity.

"If you don't cooperate, I'll shoot you in the thigh." Zhou Qingfeng pulled out his gun and, with a click, cocked the hammer.

The captured woman immediately opened her eyes, struggled to free her bound hands, tore off the strips of cloth binding her, and looked calmly at Zhou Qingfeng, saying:

“The town is full of our people, and the restaurant staff know that my partner and I are following you. If the mission fails, we will definitely mobilize more people to launch a manhunt.”

Anyone with a brain would realize that it's impossible for Secretary Harden of the 'Efficiency Department' to have such formidable skills.

No matter who you are, your disguise will inevitably fail, and the identity of 'Harden' can no longer be used.

"If you want to interrogate me, I could easily provide a bunch of false information, wasting your precious time to escape. Do you still want to continue interrogating me?"

The captured woman stared intently at Zhou Qingfeng, her words initially refusing to cooperate and even turning around to threaten him. An ordinary person, upon hearing this, would either be annoyed and give her a quick death, or seek cooperation.

Zhou Qingfeng admired the woman's quick thinking in the face of danger, but his eyes showed no pity or anger, only a cold scrutiny.

"Answer my question: How did you know Harden would come?"

"You have a mole among your people, don't you?" The captured woman's tone softened, as if she wanted to stall for time. "The information came from my superior; I was only responsible for carrying out the arrest."

We are affiliated with the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases. The so-called 'medical center' in town is an agency under the institute, specializing in the highly classified research and development of the 'X virus'.

It's clear that you're very confident in your infiltration skills.

Unfortunately, the town of Macon is riddled with surveillance cameras. Any unfamiliar face entering the town will be noticed immediately.

Recently, many organizations have attempted to investigate us, and the small restaurant at the entrance of the 'medical center' was deliberately set up.

That location is excellent; it will attract curious outsiders to stake out the area.

Rather than letting them wander aimlessly around town like headless flies, it's better to keep them concentrated in areas we can control.

For ordinary snoops, our guards won't take action as long as they don't get close to the 'medical center'. But for an important target like you, we will never let you wander around.

But we didn't expect that you weren't Harden at all.

The captured woman voluntarily revealed most of the information Zhou Qingfeng wanted to know, and then changed her tone, "Anything else you want to ask, feel free to ask."

Anyway, your time is running out. My companions will be here soon. At that time, it won't be just two people dealing with you, but ten or twenty of them surrounding you.

"Then you can choose to kill me, then be killed, and your body used as a test subject; or... I'll send you away now, and you spare my life in return."

The captured woman's eyes were burning, her body tense, her gaze fixed on the muzzle of Zhou Qingfeng's gun, awaiting his decision.

If Zhou Qingfeng is determined to kill her, she will fight to the death. If Zhou Qingfeng is swayed by her words, she will still have room to maneuver.

Zhou Qingfeng's reply was, "I can give you a way out, on the condition that you take me into your medical center. I need to find Wayne Herbert."

The captured woman paused for a moment, then smiled with a hint of ruthlessness: "Fine, I like men with guts. If you're willing to risk your life, I can go with you."

(End of this chapter)