Invasion of America

Chapter 81 'Dog' Department
"Victor, just admit it, you are from the future!" In the temporary camp of the forest resort, "Gray Shark" Porter in the wheelchair glared at Zhou Qingfeng, his tone full of anger.

His wheelchair was parked on a soft patch of grass. Behind him were towering pine trees with mottled shadows. The air was filled with the fragrance of pine resin and the moisture of soil.

"Okay, okay, I'm from the future, more than ten years from now."

Zhou Qingfeng answered casually, as if coaxing a child, but his eyes never stopped looking around at the camp shelter built by Gray Shark.

"Gray Shark" was so angry that he gritted his teeth, but he couldn't do anything to him.

This scene seemed like he was forcing Zhou Qingfeng to admit something extremely absurd, but he didn't get any serious response at all.

Florida not only has sunny beaches, but also many lakes surrounded by lush forests.

The forest park planned by the state government is a popular destination for residents to take a vacation. It is quiet, secluded and rarely visited by people.

Such a place is a nightmare for the military and police to search - a few hidden cameras installed on the several paths in and out can provide sufficient warning time.

Even if the military and police use helicopters for a surprise attack, the military listening devices installed on the treetops can detect the roar of the rotors in advance.

This type of equipment was an old tool for artillery positioning a hundred years ago. With a little modification, it became the "eyes and ears" of the camp.

The camp itself was very well organized.

Several simple wooden houses are built against tree trunks, tents and trailers are scattered around, and enough wilderness survival supplies are piled up in the corners - water, food, fuel, everything.

Living here, away from the crowds for a few months, is no problem at all.

The small talk ended here. Zhou Qingfeng put away his joking expression, his eyes darkened, and he asked, "Porter, are you able to help me check the personnel of the Department of Homeland Security?"

Upon hearing this, Gray Shark rolled his eyes exaggeratedly and sneered, "Do you think I'm an omnipotent God?

I'm just a small-time character who provokes the local police and does some shady business.

Investigate the Department of Homeland Security? They have satellites, supercomputers, a nationwide network, and a bunch of professional agents. I'm thankful I'm not being investigated by them!

You just fired our governor, and now you want to take over the Department of Homeland Security? If you want to kill me, don't drag me into this. My mom and I are living a good life now!"

This was said straightforwardly and with a clear attitude, directly putting the difficulty on the table.

Zhou Qingfeng was choked and speechless for a moment, and could only smile bitterly to himself. On the surface, his troubles were just the pursuit of the military and police, but the real threat lurked deeper.

The "Tree of Justice", the organization that is entrenched like a cancer in the deep government of the United States, is his real enemy.

Monica, that crazy woman, is just a clown. What's scary is the person behind her. Even Hammer, who has Alzheimer's, is no ordinary person.

The "Tree of Justice" can be described as a cancerous cell composed of a group of professional civil servants who claim to be "just" and who wield enormous power and influence.

The difficulty of fighting against it is several times higher than assassinating the governor in public.

"Why do you want to investigate the Department of Homeland Security?" Gray Shark frowned and asked curiously, with a hint of doubt in his tone.

Zhou Qingfeng was silent for a moment, then slowly spoke, "I mentioned the 'Tree of Justice' to you, right? Those guys think my usefulness has ended and are planning to get rid of me.

Even if they can't touch me for a while, they will start with the people around me. Kelly, Jennifer, Selena..." He paused, as if he wanted to list a few more names.

"Stop!" Gray Shark suddenly interrupted him, a hint of indignation in his tone, "Why do you only care about women? Don't you care about my safety at all?"

It was obviously an extremely serious topic, but the atmosphere suddenly became funny because of the interruption by "Gray Shark".

Zhou Qingfeng was stunned for a moment, then he couldn't help laughing and shook his head, saying, "Dude, you really know how to pick a fight."

Gray Shark said with a straight face, "Victor, I can't help you fight the Tree of Justice, but there is an organization that can help you."

"What organization?"

"Ministry of Government Efficiency."

Zhou Qingfeng almost slapped his thigh when a word woke him up. "Yeah, I should find those loyal 'dog' agents."
-
The outside world always thinks that the Government Efficiency Department is supported by six young people in their early twenties, but in fact this is totally wrong.

The real people in charge are a group of senior bureaucrats who have ambitions to reform the government system. They naturally have no good feelings towards Zhou Qingfeng, but their disgust for the "Tree of Justice" is even deeper.

Earlier, "Holy Light"'s secret smuggling of AI chips had attracted an investigation by a team of agents from the Efficiency Department.

In the end, the clues and evidence were there, but the obstacles were too great. As time dragged on, the team's morale vanished like sand in the wind, and the case was shelved.

Captain Thomas, who was in charge of the case, was furious about this.

He is a middle-aged man with gray hair and sharp eyes. He has been a civil servant for half his life and claims to be knowledgeable, but this time he has fallen flat on his face.

After all, the Ministry of Efficiency is a newly established department with a shallow foundation. Its greatest ability is to check the account books. In terms of operational capabilities, it is far inferior to the Department of Homeland Security, which has integrated multiple intelligence agencies.

Now, two governors of Florida have been assassinated in succession. The whole state is in chaos, but Thomas has gained nothing and can only prepare to return to Washington with his team in disgrace.

In the first-class waiting room of the airport, Thomas sat on a leather sofa with a cup of cold coffee in front of him.

He stared blankly at the runway outside the floor-to-ceiling window, his ears filled with the low-pitched boarding instructions on the radio.

At this moment, the phone in my pocket suddenly vibrated, but the caller ID did not appear on the screen.

He frowned, pressed the record button skillfully, answered the call, and said in a low and alert voice: "Hello, this is Thomas."

A young man's voice came from the other end of the phone, his tone light but with a hint of joking: "Hello, Mr. Thomas, my name is Victor, and I am a...wanted criminal."

Thomas was stunned. In his half-life as a civil servant, this was the first time he had received a call from someone so openly identifying themselves. He almost thought it was some bored kid's prank.

"I guess you're not familiar with my name." The other party paused and slowly said, "But Ellison Parker..."

When Thomas heard the name, his heart suddenly shook and he jumped up from the sofa as if he had been electrocuted.

He looked eagerly at the several "dog" agents accompanying him and waved his hand, signaling them to take action immediately.

The agents reacted quickly and knew from the captain's look that they had to track the source of the incoming cell phone call.

Unfortunately, they were in the airport waiting room, without any specialized equipment. They frantically pulled out their phones, contacted support, and attempted to monitor Thomas's signal. "Don't get excited, Captain," the voice on the other end of the line remained calm, even a hint of playfulness. "I'm watching you. Don't use any technical means, okay?"

Thomas's hand gesture froze in mid-air, then slowly dropped it. He took a deep breath and scanned the waiting room with a sharp gaze.

The first-class lounge area is decorated quite luxuriously. The dark brown carpet makes no sound when you step on it, and the crystal chandelier casts a soft light, but the space is not very large.

There were few passengers waiting for the flight, only a few businessmen in suits flipping through newspapers. He frowned and glanced around, but didn't see any suspicious figures.

"Don't look for me. I'm not in the waiting room." The voice sounded again, as if seeing through Thomas's thoughts.

Thomas's eyes glared, and he turned sharply towards the several surveillance cameras in the corner. The lenses stared at him blankly, like silent eyes.

It goes without saying that the airport's internal network has been hacked.

He gritted his teeth, quickly piecing together the clues in his mind, and whispered, "You are the president of 'Holy Light'... Zhou Qingfeng."

"Wow, Captain, you're great to put my last name first." A chuckle came from the other end of the phone. "Yes, that's me."

Thomas tightened his grip on the phone and asked tentatively, "Are you going to surrender yourself to me?"

There was silence on the other end of the phone for two or three seconds, and the atmosphere suddenly became stagnant. Then, Zhou Qingfeng's voice sounded again, but his tone became more meaningful:

"It's better for me to talk to someone else. After all, you're not the only one in the efficiency department."

Thomas suddenly became anxious, like a salesman desperate for a big order, and quickly lowered his posture: "Wait! Let me apologize first, just tell me what you need. You can talk to me about it!"

"I want to join forces with you to deal with the 'Tree of Justice'." Zhou Qingfeng replied.

This time, Thomas was silent. "You said we'd join forces? Who do you think you were? A wanted criminal is worthy of joining forces with our government's efficiency department?"
Zhou Qingfeng didn't give Thomas much time to think before continuing, "I know your Efficiency Department has been secretly investigating the 'Tree of Justice' and hopes to make some progress.

But the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security always put up obstacles at every turn, claiming that you have no law enforcement authority.

I also know that you have already traced the case to me, but you are powerless to do anything to me because of the protection of the 'Tree of Justice' within the bureaucratic system.

But now it’s different—I’ve decided to defect. Because those bastards are now trying to kill me and everyone around me.”

Thomas took a deep breath, trying to suppress his unhappiness, and whispered, "Mr. Zhou, we need to talk in person."

What this means is that we should talk in the interrogation room of the Efficiency Department. Zhou Qingfeng is qualified to be a tainted witness, but the crime of hunting down the governor is really a matter of judgment.

"No problem." As soon as the words fell, a figure slowly stood up from behind the large sofa in the corner of the waiting room.

The man was wearing a low-brimmed baseball cap, with sunglasses covering most of his face. He had an upright figure yet exuded a sense of secrecy.

He turned around, took brisk and decisive steps, and was in front of Thomas in a few steps.

When he took off his sunglasses, revealing a pair of cold and familiar eyes, several Efficiency Department agents instantly felt as if they were facing a formidable enemy. They reached for the holsters on their waists, their movements so fast that they almost made the sound of the wind.

The man who came was Zhou Qingfeng. He flashed, as swift as a cheetah, and slammed into the nearest agent.

The agent's hands were on his waist, and he was caught off guard by the strong force and took a few steps back. He fell on the leather sofa with a dull thud.

Immediately afterwards, Zhou Qingfeng kept moving, and with a nimble side movement, he stretched out his arm like lightning and unexpectedly pressed it on the chest of another female agent.

The palm strike seemed casual, but it suddenly exerted force. The female agent groaned, her legs weakened, and she collapsed onto the sofa like a puppet with its strings cut.

The two agents who were a little further away reacted quickly, drawing their guns and aiming at the target in a deterrent gesture.

Zhou Qingfeng flashed and used Thomas's shield to block the muzzle fire from the opposite side, while pushing hard with his palm.

Thomas's sturdy body seemed to be pulled by an invisible force. He staggered forward uncontrollably and bumped into the glass coffee table next to him, spilling the coffee in the cup all over the floor.

When Thomas finally managed to steady his steps, he looked up suddenly and saw that Zhou Qingfeng had used his body as a cover to snatch the guns from the last two agents as quickly as a ghost.

The two pistols were twirled nimbly in his hands and confiscated.

Looking at the male agent who was hit earlier, he was now slumped on the sofa, his forehead covered with cold sweat, his face as pale as paper, his hands covering his chest, breathing rapidly and with difficulty, as if his ribs were broken.

The female agent fell down and never got up. She was lying on the sofa, her chest heaving slightly, her breathing weak, and she had fainted.

This set of movements is extremely fast but not very noisy.

The waiting room was completely silent, its luxurious decor forming an eerie contrast to the chaotic scene. Only the waiter noticed the coffee spill and quickly called the cleaner to clean up the floor.

Thomas stood firm and stared at Zhou Qingfeng, a mixture of shock and fear. He took a deep breath and asked in confusion, "How did you do that?"

"I did it." Zhou Qingfeng sat down on the sofa in the waiting room. "Your efficiency department is lacking in initiative, so I'll fill that gap."

He also looked at the two agents whose guns had been taken away, pointed to the seats, and said in a deep voice: “You let me come, here I come.

So, sit down, okay? I'll return your guns to you later. I hope you'll be kind enough to stop making small moves and keep your hands where I can see them.

I can draw my gun incredibly quickly, and you are no match for me in terms of strength or agility. Don't try to embarrass yourself."

Zhou Qingfeng was absolutely confident at this moment that he could defeat these people in front of him even in a one-on-many situation.

The Efficiency Department agents' minds went blank. Only then did they believe that someone could easily kill the governor on a heavy motorcycle under the heavy protection of the Secret Service.

Simply because the man in front of him was extraordinary.
-
Thomas calmed down and first checked the male and female detectives who were hit, confirming that they were only temporarily suffering from chest and lung compression and difficulty breathing, and they would be fine after taking a break.

He sat down again with a sullen face, looked directly at Zhou Qingfeng and said, "Mr. Zhou, what can you bring to us?"

"Call me Victor." Zhou Qingfeng proposed a way of cooperation, "You provide information and tell me.

For example, you must have the list of members of the 'Tree of Justice'. I'll go and capture them, and if I find solid evidence, I'll give you credit."

Hearing this, Thomas' nose was almost crooked with anger. "What do you think we are? Bandits? We are a formal investigation agency and we won't do anything rash."

Zhou Qingfeng sneered disdainfully, "I can tell from the first glance that you're not professional enough. A formal investigation agency wouldn't honestly follow the rules."

(End of this chapter)