The whole nation: You're put to survive on a desolate planet, you'll be running an alien b

The guardrail of the cross-sea bridge was deformed from the impact, and several pieces of purple flesh hung on the wire mesh, trembling incessantly in the sea breeze.

Li Haotian squatted on the base of a street lamp, wiping the sticky substance off the bronze dagger with half a piece of waste newspaper.

Chen Dong led several Hummers to the front, their wheels screeching on the bridge surface, the smell of burning overpowering the fishy smell.

Chen Dong pushed open the car door and scrambled over to Li Haotian, rubbing his hands on his clothes repeatedly.

"Brother Dazhu, we've finally caught you! The special envoy from headquarters has been waiting at the hotel for three hours."

Li Haotian didn't even look up. He shook the dust off the newspaper and tucked the dagger into his waistband.

"Wait for me if you want, I didn't make him wait. The main road is wide, he can sit wherever he wants."

Chen Dong was so anxious that he kept rubbing his hands, and sweat was streaming down his forehead and temples.

"This time is really different. Headquarters is going to hold a province-wide award ceremony for meritorious service, and they specifically asked you to attend."

Li Haotian stood up, brushed the purple shards off his trousers, and kicked aside the head of a cyborg blocking his way.

"What kind of prize is it? Can it be exchanged for cash? Or can it be redeemed for two packs of cigarettes?"

Chen Dong paused for a moment, then lowered his voice and leaned closer.

"That's the highest-level Dragon Shield Medal. With this, you can walk sideways through all the checkpoints in Donghai City."

Li Haotian rolled his eyes and pointed to the security guard post across the street.

"No, I'm on the night shift today. The guard post at Gate 3 of Tunghai University can't be left unattended."

"Brother Dazhu, is this kind of thing, bringing honor to your ancestors, more important than your job as a security guard?"

"That's right, you have to love what you do. If I ran away, who would register those late students?"

Chen Dong rolled his eyes and gritted his teeth.

"The special envoy said that as long as you show your face, your bonus this month will be increased fivefold, and he will also apply for the position of security captain for you."

Li Haotian stopped and turned to look at Chen Dong, his expression as if he were looking at a fool.

"Do you think someone like me, who sees money as dirt, would be swayed by a five-fold bonus?"

"The main thing is that I have to take care of Lin Mo; she'll definitely cause trouble if she leaves me."

Chen Dong patted his chest and assured him.

"Academician Wang said that Miss Lin will be accompanied by a special person, and that she will be absolutely protected from harm."

Li Haotian waved his hand and got into a shared bicycle by the roadside.

"Alright, stop arguing. I don't want to go to this kind of banquet. I get sleepy just listening to those people reading from their scripts."

Chen Dong watched the shared bicycle disappear into the distance, then plopped down on the bridge and cursed into his communicator.

Three days later, at the Donghai International Hotel.

A hundred-meter-long red carpet was laid out at the entrance, and two rows of bodyguards in black suits stood straight, their eyes scanning every intersection.

All the prominent figures in Donghai City arrived, and their luxury cars filled the parking spaces completely.

The honor guard of the Dragon Shield Special Forces was marching in step, their leather boots making a dull thud on the ground.

Amidst this lavish display of wealth and extravagance, a man in a faded blue security guard uniform stood out conspicuously.

Li Haotian had an unlit cigarette dangling from his mouth and was holding an inspection clip with a red armband in his hand.

"Hey you, take out your invitation. Don't go inside."

Li Haotian extended his clip and stopped a middle-aged man with a large belly.

The middle-aged man tugged at his expensive tie, glanced sideways at the young security guard, and snorted.

"Do you know who I am? I'm a director of the Donghai Chamber of Commerce. The invitation is in the secretary's bag. Get out of the way."

Li Haotian flipped through the registration form and tapped the table with the tip of his pen.

"Whether you're a board member or a staff member, you can't enter without an invitation; that's the security rule."

"Are you crazy? The Dragon Shield men are all inside, and you're trying to talk to me about rules?"

Li Haotian didn't even bother to open his eyes, and pointed to the queuing sign next to him.

"If you're not happy, go complain over there. Now you either get the invitation or step back five meters."

Just then, a bright red Ferrari sped up to the edge of the red carpet, the door opened, and a woman wearing sunglasses stepped out.

The woman was wearing a purple off-the-shoulder evening gown, her chin held high, with four burly bodyguards behind her.

"That's Zhao Lin, the eldest daughter of the Zhao family, and Zhao Tianming's older sister. This security guard is in big trouble now."

A murmur arose from the crowd.

Zhao Lin didn't even glance at the inspection table, and strode straight toward the revolving door, acting as if she were strolling through her own backyard.

A large hand firmly pressed against the door frame, blocking her way.

"Identification documents, or an invitation."

Li Haotian's voice was calm, and the examination clip in his hand was placed directly across Zhao Lin's chest.

Zhao Lin stopped, took off her sunglasses, revealing a pair of eyes with exquisite eyeshadow, which were full of anger.

"You're asking me to show my identification?"

Li Haotian nodded.

"Your hearing is perfectly normal. Please cooperate with our work."

"The Zhao family's cars don't need any permits to enter any part of Donghai; that's the unspoken rule."

A bodyguard behind Zhao Lin stepped forward and reached out to push Li Haotian's shoulder.

"Get out of the way, don't get in my way."

Before the bodyguard's hand even touched the security uniform, he felt his wrist being clamped by a pair of iron clamps.

With a flick of his wrist, Li Haotian sent the bodyguard, who weighed over 200 pounds, spinning three times before finally landing on his bottom in the green belt.

"I already said, show your ID. You don't understand Chinese?"

Li Haotian raised his voice several decibels, attracting the attention of many officials in the hall.

Zhao Lin was so angry that she was trembling all over, and she pointed her finger at Li Haotian's nose.

"You don't want to live in Donghai anymore, do you? Do you know what the consequences are of offending the Zhao family?"

Li Haotian sighed, slowly raised his head, and a faint golden-red light flashed in his eyes.

That aura was like an ancient beast that had just awakened, locking Zhao Lin's throat tightly.

Zhao Lin felt a cold wind whistling down the back of her neck, and the words she was about to say stuck in her throat.

Her pupils shrank to a single point, her legs involuntarily trembled, and cold sweat soaked the back of her dress.

"Identification documents".

Li Haotian repeated it again, this time in an even more somber tone.

Zhao Lin swallowed hard, hurriedly opened her Hermès bag, and pulled out a gold invitation.

"Here...here you go, look carefully."

Her voice trembled, and even her sunglasses fell to the ground and shattered.

Li Haotian took the invitation, glanced at it, and casually ticked it off on the form.

"Why didn't you cooperate earlier? Why waste everyone's time like this?"

He stuffed the invitation back into Zhao Lin's arms and waved his hand.

"Alright, go in. Remember to walk further in and don't block the way behind you."

Zhao Lin didn't dare to say another word. With her head down, she quickly ran into the hall, followed by four bodyguards who tumbled and crawled after her.

The onlookers were all dumbfounded; some were even rubbing their eyes, wondering if they were seeing things.

"Brother Dazhu, your enforcement of the law is quite forceful."

Su Wan's voice came through the earpiece, tinged with a hint of teasing.

Li Haotian leaned back against the guard post and casually lit the cigarette.

"These guys are spoiled; they only realize the pain when they see Iron Hammer."

Inside the hall, the awards ceremony has begun.

A huge LCD screen was playing blurry surveillance footage of the cannery and the dock.

An old man dressed in a general's uniform stood on the stage, holding a purple-gold medal in his hands.

"Due to special circumstances, the true key contributors to this battle cannot be publicly named."

"Now, Comrade Chen Dong will accept this Special Merit Medal on my behalf."

Chen Dong on the stage looked completely bewildered, clutching the heavy box in his hand, his face turning a deep purple.

His eyes kept glancing towards the main entrance, and they met Li Haotian's gaze as he checked tickets.

Li Haotian winked at Chen Dong on the stage and made a "V" sign.

Chen Dong's hands trembled even more, and he couldn't squeeze out a single sentence of acceptance speech into the microphone.

"Brother Dazhu, Chen Dong is almost crying because of you. He looks like he's going to his execution when he receives this award."

Su Wan giggled into her earpiece.

Li Haotian squatted down and pulled out a box of cold fried noodles from under the guard post.

"Who cares? Medals are just pieces of iron; they can't fill your stomach."

"It's easier being a security guard. Just keep an eye on this door, and nobody can cause trouble under my nose."

He took a couple of bites of noodles and watched a black minivan drive past the hotel's back door.

The van's windows were covered with extremely thick bulletproof film, and the vehicle was parked very low, indicating that it was heavily loaded.

Li Haotian squinted and smelled a familiar scent of rotten lilies.

"Su Wan, keep an eye on that Buick by the back door, license plate number Dong A886."

"Received, switching to backstreet surveillance footage."

Li Haotian threw down the empty box, straightened his security guard hat, and swung the metal clip in his hand.

"We haven't even finished our meal, and the work has already started again."

When he slipped to the back door, two men in black were unloading a heavy metal box from a van.

The box is covered with a purple frosted material and has a faint high-frequency vibration sound.

Li Haotian stood in the middle of the steps and patted the clip.

"Unloading is not allowed at the back door; unload on the second basement level."

The two men in black stopped what they were doing, exchanged a glance, and their eyes were full of malice.

One of them put his hand on his lower back, but before he could draw his dagger, a metal clamp struck him on the top of the head.

"Snapped!"

The man rolled his eyes and went limp, and Li Haotian took the opportunity to kick another man's knee away.

The metal box fell to the ground with a dull metallic clang.

A few wisps of pale purple smoke rose from the cracks in the box, and when they touched the ground, they instantly corroded a pit in the asphalt road.

Li Haotian stared at the box, his eyes as cold as knives.

"The special envoy hasn't even finished receiving his award, and you bunch of flies are already rushing to offer gifts?"

He lifted the metal box, which weighed several hundred kilograms, with one hand as if it were a bundle of scallions.

"Su Wan, find an empty space where no one is around. I need to return these goods to these people."

He slipped on his slippers, avoided the surveillance cameras, and disappeared into the shadows behind the hotel.

The applause in the hall was still thundering, and no one noticed the commotion in the backyard.

Standing on the stage, Chen Dong looked at the medal in his hand, feeling a sense of unease.

In that deserted alley, Li Haotian crushed the metal box into scrap metal.

The purple liquid inside flowed down Li Haotian's fingertips and turned into wisps of smoke before it even hit the ground.

He wiped his hands and walked back to the front door.

"Hey you, your car's parked in the fire lane, move it!"

Li Haotian's voice pierced through the magnificent ceremonial music, echoing in the parking lot.

It was as if that medal, symbolizing the highest honor, was not as worrying to him as a haphazardly parked private car.

In the distance, a man wearing a monocle stood on the rooftop, staring at the point where the signal disappeared on his phone screen.

He crushed the controller in his hand with force, his lips moving.

"The harvester has malfunctioned... Li Haotian, how many more surprises do you have in store?"

The wind blew across the hotel's red carpet, swirling up a few fallen leaves.

Li Haotian remained seated, meticulously watching everyone who came in and out.

It was as if the peace of this city depended entirely on his tattered check-up form.

Just then, a Hongqi sedan with a special license plate slowly glided to the front of the guard post.

The car window rolled down, revealing a wrinkled old face.

"Young man, the Dragon Shield ceremony is almost over. Aren't you going in for a celebratory drink?"

Li Haotian glanced at the gold star on the old man's shoulder and casually closed the clip.

"I'm not going. The wedding wine is too strong. I'd rather have my five-yuan bottle of loose liquor."

The old man laughed heartily and pointed to his security guard uniform.

"How long do you plan to wear this outfit?"

Li Haotian lit a cigarette and exhaled a thick cloud of smoke.

"I'll wear this until I retire, provided no one comes here to sneak in without paying."

The car slowly drove into the hotel.

Li Haotian looked down at the several urgent text messages Chen Dong had sent him on his phone.

He snorted coldly and immediately added the character to the blacklist.

"The bonus hasn't arrived yet, what's the rush?"

He looked towards the distant horizon.

The purple clouds there seemed to have thickened a bit more.

Reserved hook:

Li Haotian tossed away his cigarette butt and noticed a strange layer of frost seeping from the floor of the security booth; despite it being the height of summer, it was bitterly cold. A purple paper crane, exuding the scent of rotting lilies, wobbled and landed on his registration form.