"Open storage unit thirteen," the person pushing the cart shouted through the walkie-talkie.
Storage unit thirteen was opened, and the cart was pushed in. Following that, Luo Zheng felt himself being rudely thrown onto a bed. A pair of large hands pressed down on his arms. Then, the handcuffs were unlocked, and the person with the cart left swiftly, calling the headquarters to close storage unit thirteen.
Luo Zheng slowly opened his eyes and surveyed his surroundings. The room was tiny, with a bed, a narrow passageway, and an adjacent squat toilet with a faucet. The bedding on the bed, which was sowhat slly, was the only furniture, besides the steel-cast walls and a small ventilation duct on the ceiling.
The environnt was poor but bearable. Luo Zheng thought optimistically as he slowly got up, moved his body a bit to stimulate blood circulation, walked to the door, and leaned to one side to look outside. He saw several inmates of various ethnicities standing motionless at the doors of similar small rooms, deep in thought.
After observing for a while, Luo Zheng noticed that the surrounding area was laid out in a swastika shape, with a courtyard in the middle allowing for natural light. The structure stretched over five floors and was entirely made of steel—an absolutely secure, technologically managed prison from which no one could escape.
Luo Zheng glanced at the prison door next. Thick steel bars, as thick as an arm, allowed only enough space to stretch out an arm. The steel bars automatically retracted; when the door opened, they slid out from the wall, and when it closed, they returned, controlled remotely. It seed impossible to escape through such a door. Even if one could get the door open, there were multiple steel gates in the corridors outside, also controlled remotely and impossible to open. Without external help, who could escape from such a prison?
After a while, Luo Zheng sowhat understood Song Yan's thinking. No wonder he was confident leaving him here. How could anyone escape from such a secure facility? Given the nature of this high-security prison, the inmates here were probably not simple either. It seed prudent to be cautious. The most urgent task was to recover from his injuries quickly.
After pondering for a mont, Luo Zheng didn't want to waste ti. He laid on the bed and began practicing the traditional "Breathing Skill" to heal himself. Only with a healed body could he survive. Although Song Yan did not want him to die and the prison guards had said they couldn't let him die, the other prisoners might not feel the sa. He had to rely on himself for everything.
Ti passed slowly. Suddenly, Luo Zheng heard footsteps approaching, which startled him. He quickly ended his ditation and sat up, seeing a cart appear at the door with a man dressed like a prisoner. The man, who appeared to be over fifty with ssy hair and a frail body, looking Caucasian, pushed two ceramic bowls through the gap under the door, then left with the cart without ever looking at Luo Zheng or saying a word, moving like a zombie as he continued his tasks. Luo Zheng walked over and saw that the bowls contained clear water and so black mush, the ingredients of which he could not discern. Knowing it was food and necessary for survival, he couldn't afford to be choosy.
After tasting the black mush, which was similar to what he had previously in the dark room, Luo Zheng, fighting off disgust, swallowed the entire bowl. He firmly controlled his urge to vomit, grabbed the clear water, and gulped it down to suppress the discomfort. Breathing deeply, he slowly retreated to the bed, sat cross-legged, and continued to ditate and heal.
There was no use in worrying while he was in prison. Complaining would not help and would only make him the subject of ridicule. Better to use the ti to recover fully. As long as his body was completely healed, Luo Zheng would have nothing to fear. He did not know how many days he had lain in the dark room. His external injuries had mostly healed, but his internal injuries still needed ti to recuperate. After adjusting his mindset, Luo Zheng quickly settled into his ditation and resud healing.
...
In a military base compound in Beijing, Lan Xue looked at her grandfather with urgent eyes, heart pounding. Three days had passed since the incident, and despite utilizing all her resources, Lan Xue still could not determine Luo Zheng's whereabouts, nor Song Yan's. It was as if the two n had vanished suddenly. She said anxiously, "Grandfather, what exactly has the higher-up decided? Please, tell ."
"That old fox, Song Haitian, said that after Song Yan was expelled, he was disowned by the Song family a long ti ago. Everything Song Yan does is his own doing and has nothing to do with the Song family. The Song family is obliged to assist the state in capturing Song Yan, but we truly don't know his whereabouts. That old bastard has washed his hands clean of the matter," Mr. Li said, his eyes glittering with a cunning light, his expression as heavy as iron, truly angered.
"I knew it would be like this, that old bastard... wait, I will take my revenge," Lan Xue said bitterly, her face icy and her eyes gleaming murderously.
"It's good that you can control your emotions and keep calm," Mr. Li forced himself to calm down, then looked at Lan Xue with so relief and continued, "Don't worry. I will not ignore this matter. I have already ordered the National Blade Intelligence Team to find 'Ghost' at all costs. As soon as we have any information, we will organize a rescue. I promise."
"Yes, but that bastard Song Yan is cunning and won't sit around waiting to be captured. It's difficult to find one person in such a vast sea of people. Moreover, even if we find Song Yan, if he has hidden 'Ghost', we are still at a disadvantage. Revenge is necessary, but it's not the imdiate priority. I believe we should focus all our efforts on gathering information and rescuing 'Ghost.' Then, we can consider revenge. This is a setback that 'Ghost' and I must resolve ourselves," Lan Xue said earnestly.
Mr. Li, understanding how furious Lan Xue was, nodded in agreent and replied, "Alright, I promise you."
"Thank you, Grandfather. Song Yan has gone to Sam Country, and I plan to go there to look for clues," Lan Xue continued.
"No problem, I will have 'Shadow' accompany your team, but you must follow Shadow's commands and keep a clear head to avoid making inappropriate decisions. Also, I will send 'Ye Laixiang' there too. Be careful. Any exposure could make it more difficult to find 'Ghost,'" Mr. Li promised wholeheartedly.
"Thank you, Grandfather." Lan Xue was delighted. With 'Shadow,' a likely candidate for the strongest soldier in the National Blade Special Combat Team, and the intelligence expert 'Ye Laixiang' assisting, finding Luo Zheng might be challenging, but locating Song Yan should be feasible unless he had gone into hiding.
"'Ghost' is a good kid and your destiny, granddaughter. I, like you, hope nothing happens to him. Go and be safe. I will handle matters here with the Song family," Mr. Li said with a weighty expression.
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