Chapter 2 Reality (2)

Chapter 2: Reality (Part Two)

Before anyone else could react, Bao Yan's eyes regained their sharpness. He stepped forward, tapped the side of his ear, and transmitted a command:

"Level one lockdown, east wing corridor. Take them alive."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than red lights flashed at both ends of the corridor, accompanied by the piercing shriek of alarms.

Shi Wu's face instantly darkened. "Damn."

He spun around and bolted. The high-frequency blare of alarms screamed in his ears, and the faint sound of footsteps closing in from behind felt like death itself drawing near.

Like a startled wildcat, Shi Wu relied on instinct, weaving left and right. Within a few breaths, he had navigated around two corridors, rapidly scanning for escape routes on his terminal map.

Soon, he heaved open a heavy blast door and slipped inside, locking it behind him. The heavy, solid door would hold off a search party, at least for a little while.

In the cramped space, only his ragged breathing remained. Beads of sweat slid down his temples. He lowered his head, quickly pulling out his terminal to check the backup escape map, only to freeze the next second.

Outside the door, there were no footsteps.

The entire space was like a stagnant pool of water, eerily silent.

Shi Wu jerked his head up, instinct making him sidestep—

BANG!!!

The door was kicked open!

The metal door, weighing dozens of kilograms like a massive iron block, was now flung aside like a rag, crashing against the back wall with a deafening roar.

Shi Wu retreated to a corner of the room, squinting at the figure standing in the doorway.

Bao Yan, hands in his pockets, walked in slowly. The immaculate hem of his uniform stirred up a faint cloud of dust with his movement, glittering motes drifting down from his shoulders. His expression remained unchanged, his eyes glinting with a hint of gold, his aura carrying a pressure as sharp as an ice blade. Step by step, the "tap, tap" sound of leather shoes on the floor echoed.

"Shi Wu." His voice was a low growl before he let out a cold laugh. "Not bad with the disguise."

"Ah, Officer Bo, you flatter me." Shi Wu blinked, a roguish smile spreading across his face as he pushed himself up. "This disguise almost had me believing I was the Federation's good little boy."

A slight shake of his sleeve, and a Quantum Blade slid into his fingers, a cold glint flashing.

Bao Yan didn't even glance at the blade, a mocking curve lifting the corner of his mouth. "This old trick again?"

"Of course—we're old acquaintances, aren't we? Shouldn't we say hello?"

As he spoke, he slowly shifted his footing, widening the distance between them, yet never moving out of attack range.

Bao Yan's gaze bore down on him inch by inch.

They moved almost simultaneously.

The Quantum Blade clashed against the high-energy electromagnetic armor with a piercing shriek, metal slicing through the air, beams of light scattering. Shi Wu lunged forward fiercely, his assault swift and violent, his steps like a raging storm, a relentless barrage of strikes, the blade edge constantly pressing closer.

Bao Yan didn't yield an inch, his reactions preternaturally fast, each parry executed with inhuman precision. It was as if he had already calculated every possible next move of his opponent in his mind, his strikes steady, accurate, and ruthless, ready to deliver a fatal blow at any moment.

In less than a few dozen exchanges, Shi Wu was forced back against the wall, cold sweat beading on his forehead.

Close-quarters combat like this was hardly his forte.

"Do you Federation folks all have a screw loose?" he panted, his tone still brazen. "Eavesdrop a little and you want to silence me?"

Bao Yan took a step closer, staring at him. "What you eavesdropped on was top-secret information."

"So how should I make it up to you?" Shi Wu forced a casual smile. "Strip and dance for you?"

Bao Yan's eyes suddenly darkened, a faint, inscrutable smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. A glint of silver flashed at his fingertips before disappearing into his sleeve. Then, unhurriedly, he pulled out a pair of special handcuffs from his coat.

"Fine. But no need for a dance. Strip and put these on." He spoke in a low voice. "Maybe then I'll consider letting you live."

Hearing this, Shi Wu's face instantly darkened. He snorted coldly. "You Federation types have quite unique tastes, huh?"

The fight rapidly escalated in intensity again. The alloy walls of the room were torn with long gashes, sparks from the struggle spraying from the ceiling and pipe joints, forming a beautiful arc—though no one was in the mood to appreciate the scenery now.

"You're insane," Bao Yan said coldly, kicking away the figure lunging at him and countering with an elbow strike aimed at Shi Wu's throat.

"You're no different." Shi Wu bent to dodge, driving his knee towards Bao Yan's side. "We've been hunting each other down for years now. I'm starting to suspect you're even more obsessed than I am."

They weren't "old friends." They were mortal enemies, the ones who hated each other most bitterly.

Bao Yan was the Federation's youngest strategic officer. Shi Wu was the mad dog among the space pirates. Over the past few years, these two had hunted each other across the starfields at every turn. Neither had managed to kill the other, yet both wanted to chop the other into mincemeat.

They were too familiar with each other's moves, familiar to the point where a single glance or pause could predict the next step. Every clash was like a game of brinkmanship at the edge of a black hole; whoever let their guard down would die horribly.

Shi Wu suddenly closed the distance, a ruthless glint in his eyes. The blade tip grazed past Bao Yan's ear, severing a strand of hair. But Bao Yan didn't block or evade. Instead, he swiftly seized Shi Wu's wrist, twisted it, and ignoring the Quantum Blade as it sliced a bloody line across his own cheek, slammed Shi Wu hard against the wall.

Shi Wu's back hit the cold alloy wall, his waist pinned firmly, unable to move.

Only a few centimeters remained between their noses.

Suddenly, his wrist was grabbed and yanked up.

"Not just an eavesdropper, but a petty thief too?"

Bao Yan's emotionless golden pupils looked down at him from above. Those slender fingers flipped over the sleeve of Shi Wu's uniform. And along with it, that golden thread became visible—

no.001.

Every mid-to-high-level Federation personnel had their own insignia, and no.001 was Bao Yan's personal identification number within the Federation Military Department, a custom marking exclusive to high-authority military uniforms.

"Stealing my clothes to wear?" Bao Yan's voice was laced with sarcasm. "What? Are you space pirates that destitute now?"

"Fuck," Shi Wu cursed under his breath. Who knew the uniform he'd casually bought on the black market belonged to this big shot? Not only did it fit poorly, but it had also cost him a fortune in star credits.

Bao Yan's fingers tightened. With a sharp "crack," Shi Wu was twisted around and slammed even tighter against the wall.

"Tch... Can't you be a little gentler, damn it!" Shi Wu swore, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

Bao Yan didn't speak, but his movements showed no sign of relenting. He pressed even closer, locking Shi Wu firmly in the corner like an iron cage.

"Struggle," he said in a low voice. "Weren't you good at running?"

Before the words fully faded, Shi Wu suddenly jerked his knee up violently!

It shot straight towards Bao Yan's lower region.

In that instant, Bao Yan's face stiffened, his body faltering slightly.

"Even the toughest man has to dodge this move."

Shi Wu sneered, taking advantage of the moment to twist his wrist. With a light crack of joints, he broke free from the hold and immediately slashed towards Bao Yan's shoulder!

"Tsk, heads up—" His movements were almost too fast to see, leaving only a mocking voice trailing in the air. "I made my name by running away!"

Bao Yan reacted instantly, raising his arm to block the attack and planting his feet, ready to counterattack—but he was already a beat too late.

Shi Wu’s moves were vicious yet agile, a scoundrel's style: run if you can't win, cheat if you can't run, pulled off perfectly.

He leaped backward, flicked his wrist, sending a streak of silver flying.

"Fzzzt—"

The next moment, the air was ripped away, a vortex of blue-white particles swirled up around them, gravity and light warped at once, and the sharp alarm was instantly swallowed by the blast.

Bao Yan was forced half a step back by the sudden intense light, a flicker of killing intent flashing in his eyes.

A quantum disruption mine: the Federation’s new tactical explosive.

"How did you get this?"

"Not stolen—‘borrowed’ from your armory." A taunting voice floated down from above.

Bao Yan looked up slowly. A hole was torn in the ceiling, the ventilation duct still swaying gently. A light leather boot tapped the pipe's edge, then vanished.

"Chase me again, and I'll blow the whole Security Bureau sky-high!" Shi Wu’s voice echoed distantly from deep within the duct, carrying unrestrained, wild laughter.

"I'm still packing five kilos, you know—Chief Bao. You really wanna corner me?"

Bao Yan stood still, his gaze as deep and chilling as an undercurrent beneath glacial ice.

Wind whistled through the shattered doorway. He tilted his head, watching the still-swaying ceiling panel.

Just then—

"Report, sir!"

Several tactical officers rushed in, geared up and grim-faced. They snapped a salute to Bao Yan before speaking.

"The east wing and west sector have been sealed off. We accessed the central surveillance, but the feeds were compromised—we only saw a suspected enemy red dot heading to the west sector."

"Tactical AI mapped eight possible routes. All three lowest-risk routes lead to the west sector, and we found a box the intruder left behind there."

One member handed Bao Yan the box.

Bao Yan was silent a moment before taking the small black box.

It was a simple round box, its surface clean and dust-free.

Bao Yan twisted it deftly, his fingertips brushing over it.

With a soft click, the lid popped open. The tactical officers instinctively held their breath.

Yet nothing happened—no explosion, no trap—only a white slip of paper lying quietly inside.

Bao Yan’s expression remained unchanged as he slowly picked up the paper and unfolded it.

Scrawled on it was a line:

"Bao Yan is a dog!!!"

Below it was a comical, lopsided face—tongue sticking out, eyes drawn as two circles, deliberately colored gold.

An awkward, eerie silence fell.

The tactical officers exchanged tense glances, then quickly lowered their heads, not daring to move or even breathe.

Bao Yan, though, didn't seem angry. He even calmly slipped the note back into the box and pocketed it.

"Remember this?"

"Wh-what, sir?" The officers were confused.

"This lesson. The box he deliberately left in the west sector was what disrupted the surveillance."

They instantly realized their mistake, expressions shifting as they snapped to attention in unison.

"Yes, sir!"

"You rely too much on tools. Remember—not only do we have advanced equipment, but the enemy might too, possibly even more sophisticated." Bao Yan’s sharp gaze swept over the young, somewhat reckless soldiers before him.

"A single small box tricked you for a full five minutes. On the battlefield, how many of your comrades would have been sacrificed in that time?"

The tactical officers hung their heads in shame.

"Enough. Redeem yourselves—resume pursuit now."

"Yes, sir!"

Reinvigorated, the team saluted and left.

Bao Yan, however, looked down at the flickering light on his wrist display, his expression darkening.

On the screen, a tracking blue dot was steadily approaching a blank restricted zone—Shi Wu.

Author's note: