Chapter 161

Chapter 161

Xiao Liu's vehicle pulled up in front of the church.

Liao Yu scrutinized the feed transmitted by the drone and reported:

"There are three people at the church entrance, plus Da Jun and Xiao Liu, bringing the total to five. There are no ambushes around—at least none visible for now. As for how many people are inside the church, that's still unclear. However, there's a helipad and a helicopter behind the church... Something feels off."

After speaking, he handed the remote control to Chu Yi, instructing him to brief the team.

After a moment of thought, Uncle Li added:

"It’s not that strange. Da Jun and Xiao Liu already confirmed our numbers beforehand. To them, Xiao Nian is just here to meet his family at his father’s request. Plus, it’s dark now—if there are any traps or ambushes, they’d most likely be set up inside the church..."

In short, it was a classic "setting up a trap" scenario. Judging by the people in their car, they'd be sitting ducks.

"Mmm..."

Jiang Nian nodded:

"Uncle Li's got a point. Besides, we knew from the start that Xia Weiwei took people to support her father—the main event's happening there. As for the helicopter... I suspect they plan to capture me and haul ass to S Base overnight."

It was an intuition born from familiarity with those people. If he were caught, Brother Jing’s side would go to shit.

After speaking, he lowered his head to study the map and some related information, then turned to Chu Yi and added:

"Most churches have basements, and the helipad's gotta connect to a hidden passage. Brother Chu, no matter what, we have to make sure the helicopter doesn’t take off—but don’t damage it either. It’s prime loot."

Helicopter as war booty—hell yeah.

With their "numbers advantage," they couldn’t afford a bullshit movie trope where the leader escapes at the last second.

"Got it."

As soon as he finished speaking, Chu Yi took out the walkie-talkie and relayed the orders. Here, he only needed to follow orders. Jiang Nian’s reasoning was sound, leaving no need for additional reminders.

From this perspective, Cheng Jing really had been overprotective. This type of "pampered rookie" could easily be left to fend for himself.

After assigning tasks to each team, Chu Yi asked:

"What next? What’s your plan?"

"..."

Jiang Nian rubbed his chin and replied:

"I originally wanted to keep a low profile, but since they tricked me with the route change, I’ve had a change of heart. If there’s a reason to raise hell, I’ll take it."

Chu Yi raised an eyebrow. "So?"

After a moment of consideration, Jiang Nian said seriously:

"First, we’ll subdue Da Jun, Xiao Liu, and the people spotted by the drone. If restraint isn’t possible, we’ll just waste them. Then, you deploy the troops to take the high ground—scratch that, secure the church. Once the situation’s under control, I'll handle the rest."

Because they looked down on him and were familiar with Liao Yu and Uncle Li’s capabilities, Da Jun and Xiao Liu had their guard down—making them easy targets.

Chu Yi nodded:

"Copy that. That’s what I was thinking too. They all believe you’re here for a family meet-up, so taking them by surprise will be even easier."

"That's how it is," but did this guy just say "occupy the high ground"?

Do they really think they're here to fight a war?!

"..."

Uncle Li kept his distance, stopping at a relatively "safe" spot.

Everyone remained in the vehicle, motionless, squinting at the church ahead in the fading light.

The town’s church wasn’t large—a distinctive three-story domed structure, a fusion of Eastern and Western architecture. According to the map, the church covered less than 300 square meters and could barely fit a hundred people.

Surrounding it was a community square and an intersection, with no other buildings except for a public restroom and an abandoned convenience store, leaving the place feeling empty and isolated.

While there was still some light, Jiang Nian spotted three figures standing outside the church’s perimeter wall:

It turned out to be Chen Shanmin, his wife, and Chen Lin.

To be fair, Chen Shanmin was decent-looking—standing at 1.8 meters tall with a bookish, polished air.

Unfortunately, while others might see him as a cultured and gentlemanly middle-aged man, Jiang Nian found him utterly fake.

His stepmother, Chen Xiuling, always looked put-together and stylish due to her privileged upbringing. Together, they made a handsome couple.

Their children, Chen Yue and Chen Lin, were also attractive. At a glance, they seemed like the picture-perfect middle-class family.

However, perhaps because this life hadn’t been as kind to them as the last, the three of them now looked rather disheveled:

Chen Shanmin wore gray slacks and a plaid short-sleeved T-shirt, both stained and crumpled, his hair messy, making him appear much more haggard.

Chen Xiuling had cut off her curls, her hair tied back haphazardly in a stubby ponytail, dressed in drab, mom-style workout clothes, her face weary.

Chen Lin, in a school-style pleated skirt with her hair in a ponytail, looked much darker and thinner compared to her past life, hugging her mom’s arm, tears streaking her face.

It was clear that Chen Yue’s infection had worn them down completely.

Jiang Nian suddenly wondered:

In their past life, did this family live so well in Z Base, with S Base showering them with supplies, because of him—the "special experimental subject"?

Otherwise, why would their circumstances differ so drastically this time, despite similar experiences?

"..."

"The hell?! You just gonna sit here and wait to die?!"

Amid the angry shouts, Da Jun and Xiao Liu marched over, muttering curses. Chen Shanmin and the other two hesitated, edged forward, then stopped to watch.

The people in the car exchanged glances, bracing themselves.

Watching the approaching men and the family of three in the distance, Jiang Nian was eerily calm:

Even as memories of his past life—images that had once tortured him—flooded his mind, he felt nothing.

This, too, was probably a form of psychological distortion—just beneath the surface.

"Hey!"

Xiao Liu and Da Jun rapped impatiently on their car window:

"Are you fucking dragging your feet or what—"

Before he could finish, the car window rolled down, and what greeted his foul mouth were two pitch-black gun barrels. At this distance, unless you had exceptional superpowers like Chu Yi, there was no escaping.

Sucking in a sharp breath, Da Jun gritted his teeth and asked,

"What the fuck is this?"

Xiao Liu’s expression shifted, but he held his ground.

Liao Yu and Li Liang aimed their guns at them while the others stepped out of the car, surrounding the two.

With a metallic clatter, Chu Yi pulled out two pairs of superpower-proof handcuffs and swiftly cuffed them behind their backs.

He then fastened two equally specialized electronic collars around their necks, his movements fluid and seamless. When done, he offered a matter-of-fact warning:

"If your superpower fluctuations or struggles reach a certain intensity, the handcuffs and collars will trigger a high-voltage shock. This is the latest generation—very sensitive."

After efficiently stripping them of all their belongings, he gave Uncle Li and Li Liang a nod, handing the captives over to the father-son duo for supervision.

Jiang Nian loathed the way Da Jun looked at him—raw and predatory. They were both men; did that bastard really think he didn’t know what was going through his mind?

He couldn't just let that slide!

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Chen Shanmin and his family approaching, sensing something was wrong. Seizing the moment, he drew his gun and pressed it hard against Da Jun’s forehead, using it as an excuse:

"Why the hell didn’t you tell us the route didn’t match what Chen Shanmin sent us? Playing games with me?"

Shit, he really felt like the bad guy now. Having a gun to someone's head felt incredible—though his authority uniform didn't quite match his current bad-cop act!