Just as Simon Wei ordered the armed police officers to handcuff Shawn Young and Helen, several armed helicopters suddenly swooped down from the sky. Their hulls were painted in ocean-blue camouflage, flying at ultra-low altitude. The cannons and missiles mounted on them were clearly visible, and even the pilots could be seen from the ground.
Not only that, but a series of deep engine roars echoed from outside the construction site, causing the ground to tremble. Some scaffolding on the sheds even shook loose and fell. Everyone at the scene quickly turned to look—there were more than a dozen tanks draped in camouflage netting charging into the site, followed by dozens of troop transport trucks, each covered in layers of camo netting.
“Whoa! This is wild! Which army is this? They look pretty serious!”
“Hmm... Looks like armored troops! Maybe special forces? What are they doing here, a military drill?”
“Probably not. Westwood City is hundreds of kilometers from the Southern Military District, and we've never had such a large-scale exercise here before. Where did these high-tech troops come from? They're moving so fast!”
“Maybe they're just here for the excitement. Things are about to get interesting!”
The residents of Eastwind Old Street began to chatter among themselves.
David Kay and Simon Wei were both stunned. They couldn't figure out why such a well-equipped regular army would suddenly show up in the suburbs of Westwood City for drills, especially without notifying the local Armed Forces Department or government. It all happened so quietly and suddenly—it was just too unexpected.
Only Robert Luo, standing not far away, seemed to have known this would happen all along. He watched David Kay and Simon Wei with an amused and sympathetic expression, as if enjoying the spectacle.
One of the armed helicopters hovering above the crowd landed on a vacant lot outside the sheds. Two middle-aged men stepped out. One wore a black flight leather jacket and glasses, while the other was dressed smartly in a navy officer’s uniform, his face tanned and imposing, with several dazzling stars shining on his shoulders!
They quickly walked up to Shawn Young and Helen. The man in the black flight jacket looked at Helen in surprise. Helen, noticing this, tactfully said to Shawn Young, “Shawn, you guys go ahead. I’ll ask the Eastwind Old Street residents over there if they know anything about Xiaomin and the others.”
“Okay—be careful!” Shawn Young understood what she meant. Helen politely nodded to the two middle-aged men who had suddenly appeared, then turned and left.
The man in the black flight jacket watched Helen’s departing figure and caught sight of a unique tattoo on her bare shoulder. He then smiled at Shawn Young and said, “An elite from the UK Special Boat Service! And a stunning beauty, too. Haha—Little Shawn, you’re really something! Did I arrive too late for the show?”
Shawn Young knew exactly what he meant. His face flushed, but he smiled and replied, “Haha, Director Cui, you always like to show up at the last minute. But you’re just in time for the main event this time.”
This middle-aged man was none other than Director Tyler Cui of the Intelligence Bureau. The other man, a navy officer with the rank of admiral, was unknown to Shawn Young. But as soon as the admiral saw Shawn Young greet Tyler Cui, his eyes lit up and he turned to Cui, asking, “Hehe—Old Cui, is this the Little Shawn you mentioned?”
“Haha—that’s right, it’s him!” Tyler Cui replied with a hearty laugh.
“Oh, I knew it! Old Cui, you kept dragging me over here so mysteriously, and now I see why! Haha—well, it’s worth the trip just to meet Little Shawn!” The admiral laughed heartily and said to Tyler Cui.
“Director Cui—who is this general?” Shawn Young was a bit embarrassed by the admiral’s praise, but could sense his genuine goodwill, so he politely asked Tyler Cui.
Tyler Cui habitually adjusted his glasses but hadn’t yet answered when the admiral strode forward, reached out, and warmly shook Shawn Young’s hand, giving it a firm shake. “Haha—I’m Nathan Holland of the Southern Fleet! I’ve heard of your heroic deeds before, Little Shawn. Meeting you today, I can see you truly are a young hero!”
Shawn Young’s face flushed again. He had no idea which 'heroic deed' Admiral Holland was referring to—he was completely confused. Still, he replied humbly, “Oh, no, no! I haven’t done anything earth-shattering!”
“Haha—you’re really modest for such a young man! That case you handled was absolutely exhilarating! You even received a Special Merit from the Military Commission! You’re a top-tier combat hero—isn’t that earth-shattering?” Admiral Nathan Holland laughed.
At this point, Director Tyler Cui quietly explained to Shawn Young, “Oh, Old Holland is talking about that time you brought back the American exoskeleton combat system from Afghanistan. But that’s a military secret, so let’s not go public with it!”
“Oh—that’s what it was! Haha—” Shawn Young finally understood.
“Hehe—Little Shawn, you have no idea. That ‘exoskeleton combat system’ was reverse-engineered by weapons experts in Baicheng, Inner Mongolia, who obtained first-hand data and successfully produced our own special operations system. It’s now being tested by the navy, and our Southern Fleet’s Marine Special Operations Brigade is equipped with it. Our combat power has increased exponentially! In small-scale island assaults and complex terrain drills, it’s absolutely unbeatable—a real battlefield game-changer! And it’s all thanks to you, Little Shawn!” Admiral Holland explained, clearly excited.
This chapter isn’t finished yet~.~ Click next page to keep reading the exciting story!
At this moment, Tyler Cui added, “Haha—Old Holland is a notorious heavy drinker. When you called me, I was actually drinking with him. As soon as I mentioned you were having trouble in Westwood City, he got all fired up and insisted on coming along…”
Hearing Tyler Cui’s explanation, Shawn Young finally understood what had happened. It turned out Tyler Cui was handling business with the Southern Fleet, and after finishing, he went drinking with Admiral Holland. When Shawn called Tyler Cui, he planned to borrow an emergency squad from Holland to help out. But as soon as the hot-tempered Holland heard about the situation, he flipped the table and roared, “Those bastards dare mess with us! They even picked a fight with our top combat hero! This is outrageous!! I’m taking the troops to Westwood City for a drill right now!”
“Uh… Old Holland, maybe don’t go so overboard? Isn’t this a bit much? It might not look good,” Tyler Cui quickly cautioned.
“Are you kidding? When have I ever gone overboard? The central leadership even said that, to help the navy—especially our Southern Fleet—adapt to new warfare conditions, we should run more military drills in the south. I’ve been thinking about where to stage urban air assaults and tank cluster attacks, especially with our new equipment. I want to test its power in urban combat! … Now I’ve found the perfect spot: Westwood City! For this little place, a regiment-level drill will do!” Admiral Holland declared confidently.
“Uh… Well… It’s true, this is good practical training! All right, let’s join in the fun!” Tyler Cui realized that Holland had made up his mind—after all, Holland was a man of his word. Plus, Cui wouldn’t have to drink with the legendary heavy drinker anymore, so why not go along with it?
So, thanks to Admiral Holland’s swift mobilization, a regiment of navy special armored troops was quickly assembled and headed for Westwood City—leading to the dramatic scene at the beginning of the chapter.