The Last Sentinel

Blue Star, the old city of Suzhou.

The midday sun made the road surface scorching hot. Under a makeshift plastic shed by the roadside, several truck drivers sat around a folding table, eating boxed lunches and chatting.

The boxed lunches contained a mix of meat and vegetables. As everyone ate, they laughed and talked loudly, their rough laughter spreading through the sweltering air.

"Old Ma, I heard your kid's taking the martial arts exam this year? With his skills, he'll pass with a bang, right?" A driver with a full beard patted the arm of the man next to him, his tone tinged with amusement.

"Need I say more? Old Ma's kid has been mischievous since he was a child. When it comes to fighting, he's second to none in this area!" Another tall, thin driver chimed in, which drew another round of laughter from the crowd.

"Don't you think this is a case of the son following in his father's footsteps? Old Ma, when you were young, didn't you also rely on your strength to never suffer a loss in the transport team?"

"Hahaha—" The laughter grew even louder.

The truck driver, known as Old Ma, sat to the side with a wry smile on his face. He didn't say anything. His square face was covered with a messy, gray-black stubble of dust, and his bangs were wet with sweat and stuck to his forehead. His faded work jacket had a few oil stains on it.

Old Ma finished eating quickly, wiped his mouth with an old towel, folded the empty lunchbox and stuffed it into a plastic bag, got up, patted the dust off his trouser legs, and looked toward the parking area not far away.

There was a silver-gray magnetic levitation heavy truck parked there, standing out among the old-fashioned trucks.

This maglev heavy truck is a tax-free citizen benefit provided by the China Democratic League. It has a load capacity of less than 5,000 tons, but it is equipped with a 2.0 anti-gravity maglev engine. It can achieve A0-class cruising without paved roads and has a top speed of 800 kilometers per hour, which is the confidence that Lao Ma has for long-distance driving.

The bearded driver beside him followed his gaze and said with a smile, "Old Ma, to be honest, if you have connections in the Human Alliance, pulling some strings, your son getting into the Advanced Martial Arts Academy won't be a problem at all! After all, the martial prowess to suppress fifteen junior high schools in a county by himself is a talent that you can't find many like him in the entire Suzhou City."

A complex emotion flickered across Old Ma's bitter face. His fingertips clenched slightly, as if he were recalling something from the past, but he quickly suppressed it, shook his head, and remained silent.

Seeking connections? Others might find themselves with nowhere to turn, but Old Ma truly knew a big shot in the Human Alliance.

However, just because he remembers the other person doesn't mean the other person still remembers him, an old acquaintance from over a decade ago. He has long since stopped wanting to mention that past.

As everyone was chatting, a low hum suddenly came from above.

Looking up, everyone saw several blue and white armed spaceships swooping down, completely surrounding the noodle shop and plastic shed. The large gold-plated characters "Great Ming Northern Garrison Command" on the hull of the ships were particularly eye-catching.

"It's the Embroidered Uniform Guard!" someone whispered, and the drivers sitting around instantly fell silent, forgetting to put down their lunch boxes, their faces full of panic.

"What happened? Who committed a crime that prompted the Imperial Guards to be mobilized?"

"I don't know either. We were just having lunch, we didn't offend anyone..." The group looked at each other, not daring to breathe, filled with fear. On Earth, the Embroidered Uniform Guard enforced the law strictly, and those targeted by them almost never had a good ending.

The hatch of the lead spaceship opened, and dozens of Imperial Guards dressed in black, with short blades at their waists, filed out in unison, their steps precise and their presence exuding a chilling aura.

The centurion, who was leading the group, wore a silver combat testing device on his chest. His gaze swept over the crowd and quickly locked onto Old Ma. A green light flashed on the screen of the testing device.

Old Ma had never seen anything like this before. His heart sank, cold sweat broke out on his back, and his hands and feet went weak.

He instinctively shrank back, his lips trembling, unable to utter a single word.

Unexpectedly, the Jinyiwei commander did not sternly order the arrest. Instead, he removed the testing device, forced a warm smile, and slowly walked over, asking in a calm tone, "Ma Mengqi?"

Old Ma froze, then quickly stood up, bowed, and stammered, "Sir, it's me! I'm Ma Mengqi, a law-abiding citizen, I haven't committed any crimes, I'm just a truck driver..."

"Don't panic, we won't arrest you." The centurion waved his hand, a hint of urgency in his eyes. "Let me ask you something. Fifteen years ago, did you play the SLG online game 'Land of Glory'? Tell me the truth, don't hide it."

Old Ma was taken aback, not expecting the other person to ask this. He nodded subconsciously, "I've played it. Back then, when I had some free time while running my transport business, I would play it with my friends."

"Which guild are you in the game?" Baihu pressed, his eyes fixed on him.

"【Restoring the Han Dynasty】." Old Ma blurted out, still remembering the name of the guild.

"Who is the guild leader?" Baihu's voice sounded more urgent.

"Xinye Hanzhong King, surnamed Liu, I don't know his exact name," Old Ma recalled. "In real life, he owns a shoe store. In the guild, he's called Boss Liu, and the enemy alliance calls him Liu the Straw Sandal."

The centurion's eyes lit up with excitement. His deputy quickly stepped forward and whispered, "Sir, the information matches perfectly; it's consistent with the list provided by our superiors."

Baihu nodded slightly, his smile widening, but his tone left no room for argument: "Guards, take Mr. Ma away!"

As soon as he finished speaking, two Imperial Guards stepped forward and grabbed Old Ma's arms. Old Ma struggled desperately, but he couldn't break free at all and could only be half-supported and half-dragged into the spaceship.

As the spaceship roared into the sky and disappeared into the horizon, the pilots finally came to their senses and began to discuss among themselves, filled with doubt and unease. The otherwise peaceful noon was thrown into turmoil by this unexpected turn of events.

Inside the spaceship's sealed compartment, Old Ma was strapped to a cold metal operating table, unable to move. Several doctors in white coats, masks, and goggles surrounded him, holding syringes and instruments, their cold eyes sending chills down his spine.

"What are you trying to do! I haven't done anything wrong, why are you arresting and tying me up!" Old Ma struggled desperately, the operating table creaking, his voice filled with fear and anger.

At this moment, the electronic screen above the operating table lit up, and the face of the centurion appeared on it, still gentle: "Mr. Ma, we are from the Northern Garrison Command. Cooperating with us will not do you any harm."

"Is this what you call cooperation? What are you trying to do by tying me to the operating table?!" Old Ma roared, his eyes reddening.

Baihu smiled and said in a relaxed tone, "I'll inject you with the latest compound number five."

"Compound No. 5? What's that? I won't inject it. You're arresting me randomly, it's illegal!" Old Ma was stunned for a moment, then struggled even more fiercely, his fear growing stronger.

"Illegal? We have the highest law enforcement authority in this matter." Baihu interrupted him, his tone becoming more serious. "To be honest, your guild leader Liu Ye is planning something big and needs a large number of people, and you are one of them."

"After injecting Compound No. 5, when Chairman Liu summons you, you will gain superhuman strength to do things for him," the centurion added. "This compound is extremely rare. As a centurion, I might never see it even once in my life. You being able to inject it is an immense blessing."

"A wise person knows when to yield; you should know when to quit while you're ahead."

"Inject!" Baihu gave the order, and the lead doctor first gave Lao Ma anesthesia.

Old Ma felt his eyelids getting heavy, his strength gradually fading, and in his blurred consciousness, he only saw the syringe filled with a deep blue liquid pierce his arm.

Meanwhile, in the command center, Baihu respectfully reported through an encrypted communicator: "Reporting to superiors, we have located Ma Mengqi, one of the Five Tiger Generals of Shu Han, and successfully injected him with Compound No. 5. His condition is stable."

A calm and authoritative voice came from the other end of the communicator: "Very good. Huang Zhong is the only one missing from the Five Tiger Generals. I have already arranged for people to stake out the nursing home. Given his age, he is most likely there, and we will find him soon."

The centurion quickly replied, "Understood, sir. By the way, is there any news about Zhuge Liang, the Marquis of Wu?"

A sigh came from the other end of the communicator, full of helplessness: "Not yet. Zhuge Liang seems to have awakened ahead of time and gone into hiding. The generals are simple-minded and easy to investigate, but the strategists are shrewd and cunning. They can sense danger even without the injection of the compound and run away extremely fast. We can only send out the Human Alliance containment team to intensify the search. Hopefully, they won't let us down."

Baihu gripped the communicator tightly, his tone firm: "Please rest assured, superiors, I will make all the necessary arrangements and keep up with Chairman Liu Ye's call. I will not make any mistakes."

After a few seconds of silence on the other end of the communicator, a "OK" was heard and the connection was cut off. Only the hum of the spaceship's engines remained in the command cabin, and the outline of Suzhou City outside the window gradually faded into the distance. A conspiracy that would sweep across the blue planet was quietly unfolding.