Special forces soldier demobilization: Starting from the county government compound, a meteoric rise

In the city, on the West Second Ring Road, at the National Development and Reform Commission building.

The morning mist had not yet dissipated, and sunlight streamed through the French windows onto the mahogany desk, but it could not penetrate the pale yellow files covered with the "Top Secret" red seal.

On the cover of the file, a line of bold, powerful black characters, like a drawn blade, stung the eyes of every clerk who passed by.

—Draft Security Assessment of Core Topology Drawings for "Sixth Generation Fighter Jet Pulse Engine".

This was originally a secret project jointly undertaken by the Kyushu National Academy of Sciences and the military, but it has now suddenly appeared on the desk of the High-Tech Industry Department of the National Development and Reform Commission.

The news spread in an extremely strange and "unintentional" way.

At the small briefing session that was originally supposed to discuss the "disbursement of subsidies for integrated circuits," Liu Ming seemingly casually flipped open the folder, and then, in full view of everyone, locked it into the titanium alloy safe behind him, which was said to be "unbreakable."

"Director Liu, isn't this drawing... misplaced?"

Zhao Ruihu, the deputy director sitting at the lower end of the table, had his eyelids twitch wildly a few times.

Although he was a defeated general whose spine had been broken by Liu Ming, his greedy eyes were now flashing with an almost insane, desperate light.

Liu Ming picked up her teacup, gently blew on the floating leaves, and wore a tired yet self-satisfied smile.

"This is the fate of our Kyushu for the next thirty years."

Liu Ming's voice was soft, yet it carried a solemnity that could instantly lower the temperature in the entire conference room.

"The leaders are pushing us hard. We've already broken through in the chip sector, but there are still a few 'Achilles' heel's not quite figured out in the engine sector. I've been put in charge to lead a team to assess the cost of mass-producing this solution from a macroeconomic perspective. There's no way around it, this stuff is just too expensive. Every second of testing burns through the equivalent of a county's annual GDP."

Liu Ming spoke slowly, even with a hint of arrogance and negligence befitting someone in a high position of power.

He was observing.

Observe the micro-expressions of everyone present.

That was an instinct he had honed during his time at "Dragon Fang." In a high-level interrogation room, a blink, a swallow, or even the slightest tremor of a fingertip could be a fatal flaw.

Zhao Ruihu's breathing quickened for a fraction of a second.

Another veteran cadre, who had been transferred from a provincial or ministerial level position, unconsciously curled his fingers.

Liu Ming took in these details, a cold smile creeping across his face.

Big fish and small fish are all in this pond.

"Alright, that concludes today's meeting."

Liu Ming closed her notebook, stood up, and adjusted her crisp black Zhongshan suit.

"No one but me is allowed to touch these blueprints. If anything goes wrong, everyone here should know what the law of 'treason' means in Kyushu's secrecy regulations."

After saying that, he strode out of the conference room.

The leather shoes tapped on the marble floor, producing a series of steady, subdued sounds.

……

Back in her office, Liu Ming closed the door and pulled down the blinds.

In that instant, all the arrogance and weariness on his face vanished, replaced by an extreme coldness and deathly stillness.

He pressed a very discreet red button under the table.

"Sizzle—"

After a slight crackling sound, a hidden door slowly slid open behind the previously empty bookshelf.

Liu Ming went inside.

Behind the hidden door is a data monitoring room with a futuristic feel.

Tank, shirtless and carrying a thick crowbar, stood guard behind the door like a gatekeeper. Ghost Hand, on the other hand, sat in front of a dozen monitors, his fingers leaving afterimages on the keyboard as green code flowed like a waterfall across the screens.

"Boss, the bait has been laid."

Ghost Hand took off his headphones, his eyes revealing a bloodthirsty excitement.

"In those three minutes, I recorded the airflow speed, infrared sensors, and vibration frequency of the ceiling in this office."

"Is someone interested?"

Liu Ming walked to the main screen.

"It's more than just being moved; it's like my soul has been stolen." Ghost Hand pulled up the hidden surveillance footage from the conference room earlier.

The image was magnified tenfold.

In the scene, after Liu Ming left, Zhao Ruihu didn't leave immediately. Instead, he stared at the safe for a full three seconds. His eyes were like those of a wolf that hadn't eaten for half a month, eyeing a fresh, tender lamb.

"He not only looked at it, but also secretly took a picture of the safe's model number with his phone."

Ghost Hand sneered, "But this guy is just a pawn charging into battle. The real 'Shadow' is still waiting."

Liu Ming pointed to a series of fluctuating red lines on the screen and asked, "What is this?"

"It's the signal source of our 'fake technology'."

Ghost Hand revealed a smug smile.

"That so-called 'pulse diagram' was created by me and some senior academicians from the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The appearance, logic, and algorithm are all genuine. Even the derivation process of each formula can withstand the calculations of top experts."

"But within the core parameters, I hid a tiny logic trap that only triggers when the actual operation reaches one ten-thousandth of a second."

"and."

Ghost Hand's eyes turned cold. "I buried a nanoscale radioactive isotope tracker in the paper fibers."

"If anyone dares to make a copy, take a photo, or take it out of this building, my back office will immediately call the police."

Liu Ming stared at the motionless red dot on the screen.

That red dot is now locked in that specially made safe.

It is more than just a blueprint.

It is a death warrant.

It was Liu Ming who personally wove the funeral white cloth for that "ultimate traitor" who was hiding deep in the city, betrayed his father, and sold out the interests of Kyushu.

"He will take action."

Liu Ming murmured softly, her voice revealing a chilling determination.

"He's been in a high position for thirty years. He knows the current situation all too well."

"Western powers have already retired their aircraft carriers, but their technological blockade will only tighten. This so-called 'sixth-generation fighter jet engine' is their only bargaining chip that can turn the tide."

"If he doesn't use this to exchange for a lifetime of wealth and luxury, he's not 'Shadow'."

……

Night falls.

The neon lights in the city gradually lit up, adorning this ancient yet modern city like a dream.

However, beneath this prosperity, the undercurrents have turned into a roaring tsunami.

At 11 p.m., the National Development and Reform Commission building was completely quiet. Only the sound of patrolling security personnel's boots echoing on the floor in the empty corridors could be heard.

Liu Ming sat under the jujube tree in the courtyard.

He was holding an enamel mug that was half chipped of paint.

The aroma of tea wafts through the air.

In front of him was a specially made electronic receiver.

"drop--"

A sharp but very soft electronic sound suddenly broke the silence in the courtyard.

Liu Ming's eyes suddenly narrowed.

The teacup in his hand remained as steady as a rock.

"Boss! It's taken the bait!"

In the headphones, Ghost Hand's voice trembled slightly with extreme excitement.

"The safe on the third floor was physically opened! The perpetrator used ultrasonic fingerprint simulation! A master! Absolutely a top expert in this field!"

"Did anything move?"

Liu Ming stood up, and every cell in her body instantly went into battle mode.

"It's moving! That bastard photographed the blueprints into miniatures, and now it's moving along the sewage pipes... Holy crap! This escape route is absolutely brilliant!"

The red dot on the screen began to move slowly.

It passed through thick concrete walls, avoided all public exits, and was moving rapidly toward an old alleyway on the East Third Ring Road in the city.

"No rush. Let him run."

Liu Ming put on the black trench coat and took out the "Dragon Fang" military dagger, its cold gleam concealed, from under the stone bench.

"Tell the tanks to activate 'Operation Wolf Seal'."

"I need to know which hole this 'mouse' will eventually move the food to."

In the city at this time.

In the dark alley, several shadowy figures darted about like ghosts.

Foreign spy networks, a massive cancer that has lurked in the land of Kyushu for decades, have finally revealed their most ferocious fangs because of the lure of this "fake technology".

Countless secret radio stations began transmitting frequently in the dead of night.

The signals intertwine to form an invisible net.

Liu Ming, at the very top of this net, coldly surveyed everything.

"To catch big fish, you need the most fragrant bait."

Liu Ming exhaled a breath of stale air, and with a flash, disappeared into the shadows of the alley.

The game has only just begun.

He glanced at the red dot in the distance, which had begun to beat wildly, and sneered:

"You're biting so hard, it seems you really want to go to hell sooner this time."