Dusk arrived.
As twilight deepened, the farm villa stood quietly in the afterglow of the setting sun, gleaming with a soft golden sheen.
Because this farm had been abandoned for quite some time, the weeds grew tall and dense. As the earth gradually sank into gloom, pitch-black darkness enveloped the surrounding area. An ordinary person walking through it would find it difficult to detect any movement just a few meters away.
"That young man in the villa is no simple character. He almost noticed our presence."
"You're overthinking it. No matter how capable he might be, he's just an ordinary person in the end."
"True. Haven't you seen that he hasn't made a single move over the past few days?"
At that moment, three figures crouched low in the overgrown weeds, creeping forward cautiously as though terrified of being discovered.
They wore black tactical suits, each holding a compound crossbow. In the quivers on their backs were sharp alloy bolts glinting with a cold light.
Compound crossbows possessed tremendous power and could fire in rapid succession. On a hunting trip in the mountains, they could easily bring down wild boars and black bears. Their lethal force even exceeded that of typical compact firearms. They were strictly outlawed, yet all three men carried one openly.
"If you ask me, there's no need to be this cautious at all," one of them said. He was short of stature but spoke with a fierce rasp, displaying utter disregard for human life. "So what if we're discovered? We can just shoot him dead on the spot."
"What nonsense are you babbling?"
The leader frowned. "Timing is too sensitive right now. The higher-ups specifically instructed us not to take any lives, or it'll be difficult to clean up the mess."
Though their backing was formidable, prudence was still necessary—especially since this was not a deep, remote forest. If they killed someone, traces would inevitably be left behind. Unless driven to absolute extremity, they could not act recklessly.
"I was only talking," the short man muttered, lowering his head. Yet his eyes remained venomous, like those of a viper.
The leader did not press the matter further. He raised his wrist and checked the time. "According to the company's forecast, the meteor should fall around eight o'clock. When the time comes, remember: don't hesitate. Move in immediately, take the object, and our mission is complete."
"Understood," the others replied, before curiosity prompted another question. "Captain Zhao, I heard that many meteors are falling across different locations today, and ours is just one of many teams assigned to this task."
"That's right," Captain Zhao nodded. "There should be over a hundred teams. However, when some meteors enter the atmosphere, friction burns them up completely. Who knows if we'll be lucky enough to see one hit the ground. If our luck holds, we won't have to worry about money for the rest of our lives."
He clearly possessed more inside knowledge and understood the enormous importance the company placed on this operation. Otherwise, they would never have mobilized so many resources.
"Over a hundred teams?" one of the men blurted out in astonishment. "Who on earth is our company's boss?"
He knew that just for their three-man squad, setting aside personnel costs, the gear on their bodies alone was worth millions. For over a hundred identical teams, wouldn't the total cost exceed hundreds of millions?
"Don't stick your nose into things you shouldn't, or you won't even know how you died," Captain Zhao barked in reprimand. He clearly considered this a taboo topic and was unwilling to discuss it further.
To put it bluntly, their group was at most a band of thugs trained by the company. In ancient times, they would have been mere servants. For a servant to pry into the master's affairs was nothing short of courting death.
"Right, right, I won't ask again."
Realizing he had crossed a line, the man dared not say another word. The other member shrank his neck as well, focusing his mind and staring ahead. Of course, they did not forget to keep watch on the nearby villa, prepared to strike the moment anything went awry.
Meanwhile, inside the villa.
Lu Yuan had long since turned off the lights, sitting alone on the living room sofa.
"This is the final day. If their objective really is the meteor, those hiding in the shadows will definitely make their move tonight," he murmured to himself, gazing out at the fully darkened sky.
By now, Lu Yuan was certain that someone was present on the farm, and their target was not him. The logic was simple: had he been the target, they would have made their move long ago instead of waiting indefinitely. Therefore, the only possible explanation was the extraterrestrial meteorite.
He knew that certain factions possessed heaven-defying means, capable of observing celestial conditions through modern technology. Spotting and calculating the impact site of a falling meteor would not be difficult for them.
The only questions now were whether that mysterious power knew about the extraterrestrial sword core, and why—if they were ordinary mortals—his current abilities had failed to pinpoint them.
Deep in thought, he watched the time slip by, minute by minute.
Soon, eight o'clock in the evening arrived.
Above, the moonlight was clear and bright, and the stars shone brilliantly, as peaceful as any ordinary night.
Yet before long, the night sky began to blaze with light.
Streaks of fiery illumination burst into view, tearing across the darkness. A colossal roar accompanied them, like fighter jets screaming past, deafening the ears.
Looking up, one could see tens of thousands of shooting stars, packed densely together like falling rain.
Unwitting civilians across the region hastily pulled out their phones to snap photos and record the spectacle.
The sight was ethereal, yet chillingly terrifying.
Most meteors would burn to ash upon entering the atmosphere due to intense friction. But among this swarm, a portion actually punched through the outer air and plunged into the stratosphere.
One meteor in particular came hurtling straight down.
Though relatively small, its speed was blistering. If it slammed into the earth, the impact would rival that of a compact bomb.
"Here it comes!" the three figures hidden in the weeds exclaimed in unison.
None of them moved just yet, well aware that getting too close right away would put their lives in jeopardy.
*Boom!*
At last, accompanied by a deafening roar, the meteor struck the ground. An explosion of fiery light blasted outward over dozens of meters, setting the surrounding weeds ablaze.
"It's less than a kilometer away from us. Let's go!" the leader commanded at once.
Their mission was straightforward: retrieve the fallen meteor at the earliest possible moment.
Upon hearing the order, they did not hesitate in the slightest, bursting forth at a speed far exceeding that of ordinary men. Moving with nimble agility, they charged straight through the blazing fire without fear. As it turned out, the tactical suits they wore had remarkable fire-resistant and heat-dissipating properties.
Before long, the three-man squad arrived at the site.
Because of the meteor's impact, a crater several meters wide had opened before them. In the center of the crater lay a steaming stone surrounded by molten slag. The stone was not large, roughly the size of a soccer ball, its surface pitted and jagged. Yet upon closer inspection, faint strands of golden light could be seen flickering within.
"What incredible luck! We actually caught a real meteorite! If we take this back, the company will definitely shower us with massive rewards!"
Seeing this, Captain Zhao wore a look of intense excitement. He had not held high hopes to begin with, but things were different now. Out of a hundred teams, how many would actually manage to secure a real meteor? The three of them had struck it rich. Going forward, the company would invest heavily in them.
The other two were equally thrilled and immediately prepared to step down into the crater to retrieve the stone.
Right at that moment, a youthful voice rang out abruptly.
"Gentlemen."
"Trying to take something from my property without saying hello... isn't very polite, you know."
Chapter 20