Nightmare

The ride home took only half an hour—quick and easy. Actually, five minutes would have been plenty. Most of it was a twenty-minute detour: to convince Erniu of Little Niuma's maneuverability and safety, Ji Jue had decided to give her a live demonstration. "Look ahead, see that traffic cop? Watch this... We're gonna overtake him!" ... "Look, I'll honk the horn at him." ... "See? He's mad! He's pissed now!" ... Through the pouring rain and heavy traffic, Little Niuma darted nimbly through the rush-hour gridlock, weaving forward and back with ease, now and then showing off a wave of drifts and two-wheel cornering tricks it had picked up from Brother Kunpeng the other day. With effortless ease, it shook off all the pursuing vehicles and vanished into the labyrinthine alleys of Beishan District, cementing itself as an urban legend on par with the terrifying Little Sheep that had once blasted down the highway at two hundred kilometers per hour in the dead of night. The moment the truck came to a stop, Lao Yao was the first to scramble out. His legs gave out, and he hit the ground, throwing up violently. Beside him, Lu Ling was clutching her seatbelt for dear life, eyes brimming with tears. Tugging on Ji Jue's sleeve, she begged pathetically, "Second Brother, if you ever go out to commit crimes in the future, please, I'm begging you, remember to peel off that Dalu Auto Repair Shop decal first." Ji Jue patted her shoulder and comforted her with earnest gravity. "Relax. As long as I drive fast enough, nobody can read it." In rain this heavy, people were lucky if they could even make out the make and model. As for the surveillance cameras? Every traffic cam in the city belongs to my people! How are they supposed to compete with me? "We're a family of law-abiding citizens!" Lu Ling wiped her tears, sighing weakly. "Right, right, exactly! If anyone asks, that's what you tell them!" Ji Jue nodded approvingly. "Eldest Brother loves peace, Second Brother loves studying, and we all have bright futures ahead of us!" Lu Ling was struck speechless. Just then, a small minivan pulled up beside them. Lu Feng poked his head out the window and inspected Ji Jue's new ride. "Well, well! Got a new car? Why'd you stick an ad on it?" Hearing that, Little Niuma spun its tires in annoyance, splashing water right at his face. Fortunately, Lu Feng dodged in time. Lu Feng was long accustomed to the bizarre occurrences around Ji Jue. He slapped the truck bed and clicked his tongue in wonder. "Why is there only an ad on one side? Put one on the other side too!" "Big Brother!" Lu Ling's fists clenched. "Putting one for our security company works too. Just make sure it's big! Saves us the ad fees!" Chuckling, Lu Feng deftly dodged Erniu's swinging fists and unloaded the groceries. Then he turned around and hauled two more plastic bags out of his own van—both packed with cauliflower, the very vegetable that made Lao San and Lao Yao shudder. At the sight of it, Lao Yao burst into wails. "Why cauliflower again?!" Lu Ling groaned in exasperation. "Hey, I installed some cameras for a produce farm, and they gave it to me for free. Can't say no to free stuff! Besides, doesn't it taste great? All-natural and organic—they say they don't even spray pesticides." "Once it's cooked, you're eating it all yourself! And Second Brother has to eat it too!" "What does this have to do with me?!" Ji Jue gasped in horror. "Tough luck!" A fuming Lu Ling carried the groceries upstairs. Beneath the warm glow of the switched-on lights, familiar clatter soon drifted from the kitchen, filling the quiet little apartment building with lively bustle once more. After seeing all the cauliflower hauled back, Mother Lu flew into a rage and gave Lu Feng a furious tongue-lashing. The two boys ducked their heads and fled out to the balcony for some peace and quiet. Having changed out of his work uniform into boxers and an undershirt, Lu Feng sprawled out on a lounger with a cigarette, lazily picking at his foot like a pro. "Ah, nothing beats the chairs at home. Layla, that cheapskate—making so much money and still refusing to buy a couple of armchairs. Everyone's still stuck on plastic stools." "Sounds like business has been picking up since the company opened." Ji Jue leaned against the railing and chuckled. "You're keeping busy all of a sudden. Even Erniu said you've been less annoying lately." "Busy, my ass!" Lu Feng rolled his eyes. "Running around like a headless chicken all day, ordered around by Layla to pour tea and fetch water like a waiter." After what had happened last time and mulling it over for a long while, Lu Feng had ultimately been unable to resist Layla's warm invitation, joining the security company formed by military veterans. Relying on his past service record, plus Ji Jue's backing, he held a twenty-percent dry share, making him a bona fide shareholder. All Ji Jue had to do was drop by every now and then to help maintain their gear, and occasionally play the role of an occult master to "consecrate" items lined up for inspection. Even for that little effort, half of Lu Feng's twenty percent could be credited to him. An artisan's name carried immense weight, even for a mere apprentice. In all fairness, the fact that Ji Jue was willing to associate with a fledgling startup like this was already doing them a huge favor out of loyalty to old friendships. Besides, it was mutually beneficial. Although Lu Feng had severed all his old ties clean after his discharge, refusing contact and effectively vanishing into thin air from the eyes of his former comrades, Big Sister Layla had real capability to pull together a crew of old veterans, establish a framework, and secure connections—even the Yacheng Veterans Club held an equity stake in the security company. Even if it was just a symbolic one percent, that was the Veterans Club endorsing the security company's pedigree. —*They are one of us.* On that alone, this newly founded company was guaranteed a solid seat at all kinds of relevant conferences held each year across Yacheng and even Haizhou. In Yacheng, club-style organizations numbered in the thousands, if not tens of thousands, including Young Master Chen's sports car club. But in a real comparison, weighing their lousy sports car club on the scale wouldn't amount to a single hair of the Veterans Club. In Yacheng alone, registered members exceeded sixty thousand, every single one a veteran of the Federation military. They spanned every service branch, from army transport drivers to airship maintenance crews, and their ranks ranged from front-line cannon-fodder grunts to colonels stationed at the Haizhou military base, with even a retired general listed as an honorary figure... And the financial sponsors backing them year-round were none other than Universal Heavy Industries' numerous defense-contracted enterprises. Nominally, the Veterans Club was merely a mutual-aid society helping retired soldiers with employment, psychological therapy, and disability convalescence. But in reality, who the hell didn't know it was the military's civilian front? Though usually keeping an extremely low profile, if someone actually crossed them, even the governor would probably break into a cold sweat, waking in the middle of the night terrified that someone had snuck onto the opposite rooftop... Seriously, why on earth would anyone pick a fight with them? With this stamp of approval as "one of our own," the company gained the qualifications to take subcontracted contracts from the Military Department, effectively earning a seat at the table. No matter if it was just unfolding a folding table beside the main banquet to eat leftovers, countless people outside weren't even allowed in the private room and had to squat in the hallway waiting for scraps. Everyone was just trying to make a living; there was no shame in that. Unfortunately, their track record was still too green and their scale too small. The entire company had barely over forty people and seventy or eighty firearms. They couldn't compete with the corporate leviathans for big contracts, so they could only wait for lower-risk gigs like armed escorts and private security to trickle down. For now, they got by on everyday security services. "Running around all day just to install cameras for people," Lu Feng grumbled. "I crisscrossed Yacheng today installing over forty of the damn things. Aside from a few bags of cauliflower, I didn't even get a sip of water. I would've been better off fixing cars at home." "At least you're not mooching off your parents anymore!" Ji Jue laughed. "Mother Lu gets to brag to people too—her son started a company and became a boss. Who knows, if business takes off, we might have to address you by your official title at home." "Get the hell out of here!" Lu Feng rolled his eyes, casting a sideways glance at him. "When we opened a couple of days ago, Chen Xingzhou's little brother sent over flower baskets. Only then did I find out that fatty had a brother like that. You sneaky bastard, stirring up such a huge storm without making a peep." He suddenly asked, "I heard the underground boss changed recently. You had a hand in that?" "Just a little." "Oh, so a whole lot, then." Lu Feng understood immediately. How could he not know this rascal Ji Jue? Habitually low-key, he rarely stole the spotlight. If it was ten parts, he'd say seven; if it was seven, he'd say three; and if it was three, he'd claim it had nothing to do with him at all. "How's your body holding up lately?" Ji Jue abruptly changed the subject, asking without warning. Lu Feng's expression froze slightly, then he flexed his bulging biceps. "I eat well and sleep like a log. Everything tastes great, sleep comes easy. What are you worried about?" "Good to hear." Ji Jue reached out, lifted the hair at the back of Lu Feng's neck, and inspected the metallic structure hidden beneath—thumb-sized, seemingly fused into the flesh and blood, thoroughly inconspicuous. It was a spinal interface for power armor. Nothing seemed amiss. He breathed an inward sigh of relief. According to Lu Feng, back when he clawed his way up from a frontline grunt to the Airborne Battalion, he had undergone cybernetic modification surgery to synchronize with specialized power armor. Even though many components were removed upon his discharge, interfaces still remained in his spine and brain... In a sense, Lu Feng was now half a state asset. He had to live within the boundaries designated by the Military Department and report in every month. Thanks to that surgery, his memories were plagued with gaps. Recollections of many critical operations had been locked away, completely out of reach. Out of four years of service, he could only remember two and a half. However, Ji Jue had quietly checked before: the lock placed over his Heart Pivot wasn't actually that tight. It acted like a lead weight on a scale, serving merely as a warning. Yet that warning alone was sufficient. Leaving it alone caused no real harm; forcibly removing it was what would actually prove fatal. Now that Lu Feng had retired and bid farewell to his past, why drag it all back up? Let bygones be bygones. Amid the steadily swelling drumming of the rain, Ji Jue asked curiously, "Brother Feng, when you look back on the past now, do you still feel any regrets?" "Don't know." Lu Feng thought about it for a moment, then shrugged. "Bringing it up out of the blue like that, I can't really tell... But there's no point in dwelling on it, right? If you really want to look out for your bro, don't just pay lip service. Throw more gigs my way in the future, Great Benefactor Ji!" Ji Jue chuckled. "Will do, Boss Lu!" "Get outta here!" Lu Feng laughed too and aimed a kick at him, missing. "Dagou! Xiao Ji! Where'd you two go?" Mother Lu's shout came from inside, accompanied by a wooden spoon banging against the pot. "Dinner's ready!" "Coming, coming!" Ji Jue's eyes lit up, and he rubbed his hands together as he hurried inside. Leaving Lu Feng behind on the balcony, smoking in the rain. The ember flared and dimmed. Silently, he let out a sigh... Regrets? Looking back on the past now, of course it was all fucking regrets! He loathed being a tool, loathed killing the innocent, loathed those wars devoid of any future or justice. Deep down, he wanted to vomit—that was how it should be. There was no other possibility. Those were nightmares. He told himself that, more than once. Yet he could never answer... Why was he smiling every time he woke from those nightmares? "Fuck this shit." He sighed, cursing under his breath. Though he didn't even know whom he was cursing. "Big Brother, hurry up!" Lu Ling's urgent shout came from inside. "Help carry the dishes!" "Alright, coming, coming! Don't rush me!" With a flick of his wrist, Lu Feng tossed the smoldering spark of bitter resentment into the rain and turned away. The gale howled past. Lightning flashed. A rolling boom of thunder echoed through the clouds, sweeping with the wind toward the outskirts of Yacheng. Amid the roaring tide, dazzling beams of headlights cut through the gloom along a rugged highway. Through the torrential downpour and churned mud, an armored convoy advanced in grand formation.