Chapter 320: Double-World Agent
These two people are definitely not here to check the water meter, and I've seen one of them on TV!
Ye Xing recognized Jubian, who had appeared on television to popularize nuclear weapon protection.
“This guy!”
He yanked the door open.
“Why are you here? Who is this uncle next to you? Is he Black Smoke?”
Black Smoke: “Indeed. Can we go inside and talk?”
“Of course! Come, come, come in. Why didn’t you tell me in advance? Is this a surprise party?”
This wasn’t the first in-person meeting among Star Alliance players, but it was Ye Xing’s first, and he was quite excited.
However, both guests had rather solemn expressions.
“You must know that after Song Xue disconnected from the expedition team, she hasn’t logged back on, right?”
After sitting down, Black Smoke took a sip of cola and asked.
“Of course I know. What happened? She didn’t get into a car accident, did she?”
“Why do you always wish bad things on people—have you ever heard of anyone playing Star Alliance on a busy road?”
“She didn’t get into a car accident. She’s fine for now, but her situation is very grim.”
Jubian handed his phone to Ye Xing, which was playing an interrogation room video.
“This is… she was arrested by the FBI!?”
“No, it’s worse. There’s no FBI involved here at all.”
The two explained the situation in detail to Ye Xing.
“In short, the speculation is that she refused to provide technical blueprints to the Federal Government and then got into trouble.”
“Why did she never mention this?”
Ye Xing felt puzzled.
“She probably thought it was useless to say anything. After all, Milligan controls everything, and we don’t have the bad habit of extraterritorial jurisdiction.”
Black Smoke said.
“But the Americans are too stupid. Didn’t they ever think of contacting domestic beta players and buying game data from them at a high price?
Do you think everyone can resist the temptation of money? That’s not necessarily true.”
“I think they tried, but such attempts might have been intercepted by some unknown force. Otherwise—you’re right, with over ten thousand beta players now, not everyone can resist temptation, and the other side of the ocean should have achieved some results.”
Jubian said.
“I think Black Smoke is wrong,” Ye Xing gently shook his head, “Song Xue probably didn’t tell us because she was afraid we’d think she was involved with the American government, causing a rift, mutual estrangement, and not wanting to play with her anymore.”
Jubian and Black Smoke remained silent.
“Yes. That possibility exists too.”
“In short, now—”
Jubian vigilantly scanned his surroundings.
“You don’t have any wiretaps installed here, do you?”
“How could that be—I’ll go unplug the webcam, okay! Speak quickly!”
“In short, the higher-ups plan to rescue Song Xue, and for this, they specifically entrusted us two to come and personally invite you to join!”
“Me? Go to America to rescue someone? And the other party is being held by the CIA?”
Ye Xing pointed at the tip of his nose, standing up excitedly.
“No—are you two mistaken? Have you gone crazy from playing too many games? I’m the Chief Investigator in Star Alliance, but I’m not an agent in the real world.”
“Just let us finish talking first!”
Black Smoke waved his hand, signaling him not to be so nervous yet.
“First of all, this isn’t the kind of action movie-style rescue you’re imagining, nor are we asking you to star in ‘Wolf Warrior 3’! Logically speaking, there shouldn’t be any gunfights—”
“Logically speaking? Wait, first explain to me what the hell ‘logically speaking’ means!? I can’t revive in real life, buddy!
One bullet, and I’ll be waiting for my first seven days to pass before going home!”
“Not interfering in other countries’ internal affairs is our international commitment,” Jubian reassured, “So, after arriving in America, we will not, and cannot, actively conflict with local Federal Government agencies.”
“Afterward, you’ll meet with Song Xue and ask if she is willing to reside across the ocean. If she gives an affirmative answer, then you will accompany her to leave Milligan territory in a completely legal manner, following the predetermined evacuation route.”
“Uh…”
Ye Xing raised his hand.
“Teacher Jubian, I have two questions. First, how will I meet Song Xue? Second, she’s currently being held by the NSACIA and all sorts of other agencies. In this situation, no matter how she leaves the country, she’ll definitely be violating the law and arrested, right?”
Jubian said: “The Star Alliance operations team will be responsible for resolving both of these issues. You only need to arrive at the correct place at the correct time.”
“The game operations team—”
Ye Xing felt a little unreliable.
In his impression, wasn’t this just a state-owned or central enterprise?
Did it really have the power to make the entire United States submit?
However, they did possess a lot of black technology, and since they said so, perhaps it was worth a try.
“Understood. But why must it be me?”
“Because you and Song Xue are alike; your game avatars and real-life appearances are the same. As soon as you two meet, you’ll immediately confirm each other’s identities,
and there will be no mutual suspicion,” Jubian explained.
“That’s true. But she also knows you, so will you come with me?”
Jubian shook his head.
“No. Unfortunately, when I studied at MIT, my personal information already entered the American archives system, and after returning to China, I joined the aerospace sector. As Song Xue’s former classmate, this face will definitely be under close scrutiny.”
“Then won’t I be scrutinized? I’m a big streamer, the highest-level player in the game!”
“Cough—”
Black Smoke patted his shoulder: “Actually, the officials are mainly focused on Scholars and Engineers in the game, and then those who play tactics like Xian Yu and Prairie.
“As for regular gamers, the level of attention isn’t very high, especially those streamers who are obsessed with grinding monsters and leveling up, and are always making a fuss.”
Heh!
Ye Xing glared at him.
So, just a stinky gamer, huh?
This kind of prejudice was truly detestable!
“Alright. Can I call my cousin?”
Black Smoke: “No. Guo Li Cheng’s image is too striking, too easy to attract attention. Your talent as an agent far surpasses hers.”
“Damn it! You’re insulting me without using dirty words—then can we call Prairie? At least I’d feel a bit safer.”
Jubian gently shook his head.
“Prairie — is not convenient.”
“Why isn’t he convenient? With his personality, he’d definitely be at the forefront of something like this!”
Jubian merely shook his head, offering no explanation.
“In short, you can only rely on yourself. The lower profile this kind of thing is, the better. If more than two foreigners gather, it will attract the attention of locals anywhere.”
“Alright—”
Ye Xing felt that this statement made sense.
He had previously attended two game exhibitions in America as a contracted UP host for a certain website, and his visa hadn’t expired yet. Plus, the higher-ups would definitely find a way, so entering America wouldn’t be a big problem.
As for language, his broken English combined with gestures and translation software would be perfectly sufficient.
“Last question, what if I fail?”
“The authorities will probably never admit that they ever launched a rescue operation for Song Xue,” Black Smoke said.
“And you must remember, as a civilian, you were just on a trip to Boston, where you coincidentally met an online friend you knew from the game,
and then invited her to visit China for a few days.
“As for whether Song Xue is willing to return after she arrives, that’s a matter for later.
“Since your actions do not violate any local laws, in the worst-case scenario, the higher-ups will definitely be able to get you back!”
Jubian checked his watch.
“We need to speed things up. If you agree, we’ll take tonight’s flight to Youzhou. Once there, the comrades in charge of foreign affairs will give you emergency training for three to four days, and then you’ll depart to carry out the mission.”
Although Ye Xing wasn’t a professional agent, his 8 months of Investigator experience in the game told him that this plan sounded poorly thought out!
Too many details were missing!
How exactly would the game operations team achieve all of this?
He could indeed get out unscathed, but could Song Xue really be rescued?
Now, he could only muster up his confidence, stay alert, and take a gamble across the ocean. “If the mission succeeds, will anyone know I did it? Can I brag about it? Can I post a video?”
“No,” Black Smoke answered decisively, “Even in the game, you cannot mention any details of this mission to other players.”
“But the deeds will definitely be spread,” Jubian said with a smile, “Your name will be unknown, but your achievements will live on forever!”
Alright!
Ye Xing rose from the sofa.
“You two wait 20 minutes.”
Black Smoke: “Do you need to think for so long? To go or not to go, it’s just one sentence. Can’t you be a man about it?!”
“Get lost! I’m packing my luggage!”
Two hours later, the flight carrying the three took off.
“Look over there!”
Black Smoke pointed out the window at a vast, new factory building outlined by streetlights.
“That’s Shenfei’s new plant area, originally intended for producing fifth and sixth-generation aircraft. Now, half of the production lines are busy manufacturing our first-generation space fighters.”
“Amazing—” Ye Xing exclaimed, “Wait, how do you know? I live here and I don’t know.”
Black Smoke looked smug.
“My friend, I’m an important technical consultant, roughly equivalent to a chief Engineer both in and out of the game.”
“You’re full of it~”
“Believe it or not! I’ll tell you secretly, the newly established Space Force is impatient! As a result, the first batch has already launched into space with high-performance aero engines and hydrogen-oxygen rocket engines, just like the aerospace fighters in the game! Equipped with infrared laser autocannons!”
Jubian, who was truly equivalent to half a chief Engineer, nodded.
“This, is indeed true.”
Five days later, the expedition fleet completed the dismantling of the Oka.
Various materials and components removed were hastily secured to the exterior of the warships with ropes, like bundled luggage, increasing the size of these warships by more than double.
In addition, the Infinite Deep Space space station was also dismantled, and the cube armored box containing the Relic-grade psionic communication equipment was temporarily welded to the two “Wuyi” class frigates on the left and right.
This way, it could be transported, albeit with considerable difficulty, without the need for a transport ship.
As for the remaining parts, including the massive main cannon and reactor, they could only be left in the Brown Dwarf orbit for now, to see if there would be a way to bring them back to Li Star on the return journey.
Now the entire Star Alliance knew there was a “great enemy” in K063, so no one would dare to step half a step closer for a while.
After these rough modifications, the Cangyuan Fleet’s already precarious radar stealth profile was completely destroyed, making them even easier to detect than pockmarked asteroids.
However, with the Zerg fleet providing escort, these were minor issues and completely tolerable.
Anyone who dares to object, come!
Because the warp bubbles created by the Zerg were enormous, the expedition team was essentially hitchhiking, not even needing to activate their own warp engines.
Finally, the well-fed Zerg larvae joyfully returned to their adult counterparts, and amidst the rippling spacetime, they entered warp travel alongside the Cangyuan Fleet.
At the same time, Ye Xing, alone, landed at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport.
He disguised himself as a regular tourist, sightseeing in Manhattan for half a day, confirming he wasn’t being followed. Then, he rented a car and drove north towards the New England region, arriving in Boston that night.
“One week is up!”
In the basement of an NSA branch, a CIA agent entered Song Xue’s cell.
“Your answer?”
Song Xue shook her head.
“Very good! Then congratulations, you have become a puppet under our control!
“Remember, log off every six hours to report your work progress. If the results don’t satisfy us, hmph… congratulations again, what awaits you is 10 minutes of ‘recess’.”
“Meaning waterboarding, or electric shock!”
His fat partner explained with an excited fervor.
“Hmm—I should kindly remind you, 10 minutes of waterboarding and electric shock can feel like an entire century. Some people always think they can resist with willpower, but in reality, no one can withstand it!”
Song Xue, with her hands cuffed, was escorted by four heavily armed agents to the underground garage, preparing to take a car from there to the airport, and then fly directly to a secret CIA detention facility in the Great Desert of the Midwest.
In the garage, she saw Supervisor Morgan, and the negotiator from that day.
Smiles of triumph were on their faces.
The NSA would also send a convoy to accompany them, completing the final handover of work.
“Goodbye, Dr. Song. Oh, no—the place you’re going is comparable to hell on earth. I don’t think we’ll ever meet again in this lifetime.”