"Put this on."
David, stepping out of the safe house, looked at the body armor Shi Qiang was handing over and asked with slight surprise, "Where are we going?"
"A good place."
Shi Qiang offered David a cigarette. David hesitated for a moment before taking it.
"We don't know the specifics either, but by the looks of it, the UN is about to give you a promotion."
The body armor was soft to the touch, but the Kevlar material combined with the ceramic strike plates made it quite heavy. Aside from Shi Qiang, two tall young men stood at the bedroom door. As the four of them crossed the corridor, David noticed they were all armed. The nearby playground, usually teeming with people, was now eerily empty.
The snow at the entrance had been cleared in advance, leaving only a small path for vehicles.
"Get in." Shi Qiang patted the black six-seater pickup truck parked in the courtyard. Sitting in the driver's seat, he let out a whistle. "This is a rare piece provided by the Americans. It has a load capacity of about three tons, and it can tank a missile strike without a problem."
As David boarded the vehicle, Shi Qiang had already started the engine. To the roar of the motor, the world outside the window began to spin rapidly. The entire landscape was a vast expanse of white; the flat snowfields were terrifyingly quiet. The only sounds were the whistling wind and the rhythmic thrum of the attack helicopter rotors overhead.
David remained silent. Looking at the desolate snowfield, he could roughly guess why the UN had summoned him. After more than a month of interrogating Ye Wenjie and the captured ETO rebels, the UN government—now fully aware of the Sophons' existence—had decided to launch the Wallfacer Project.
"Don't let the fact that there's only one car fool you. The EU's Taurus missile defense system and an entire helicopter squadron are watching this spot at all times," a red-haired agent with distinct Nordic features explained in a low voice, as if worried David felt neglected. "The surrounding snowfields have been cleared. Under the surveillance of the Galileo space monitoring system, any potential danger will be eliminated by the escort helicopters before it can get close."
"True. The pomp over here might not look as grand as back home, but the cost is anything but low, everything is high tech" Shi Qiang chimed in. He pulled a document from a compartment and handed it to David. "Sign this later. The big bosses are in a real hurry for it."
David, seated between the two agents in the back, opened the folder. Inside were two statements. One declared his complete belief in the ideals of the United Nations and his commitment to upholding the UN Charter, promising to mediate international disputes without bias, defend peace, and build a better world. The other was David's personal certification that he had no relationship with Ye Wenjie beyond academic contact.
As David finished signing, the agent beside him breathed a sigh of relief.
"Is the other faction of the ETO handled?" David asked after handing back the documents. He had been waiting for news of the UN forces raiding Judgment Day, but nothing had surfaced yet.
"Not yet." Shi Qiang stubbed out his cigarette and habitually moved to toss it out the window. However, looking at the pristine blue sky and the pure white snow, he hesitated and stuffed the butt into his pocket.
"Still haven't found them?"
"Those rebels are too clever," Shi Qiang replied. David heard the roar of an engine nearby. Through the tinted window, he saw a modified J-20 landing, escorted by two air force squadrons bearing the EU flag. "Before we could move, they seemed to get the news in advance. They vanished in a flash, leaving only an empty ship drifting on the high seas."
As Shi Qiang spoke, his face flushed slightly with excitement. "To be honest, Chang Weisi and his lot prepared every high-tech toy they had—AWACS, radar, Starlink, search-and-rescue robots—but in the end? Heh! Useless!"
"In the end, it still takes people like us. We play the magician, checking the traces left on the ship and then following the trail to dismantle several outposts the rebels didn't have time to evacuate."
"Why wasn't I notified of the operation?" David asked.
"Wasn't your status a bit... delicate back then? You were Ye Wenjie's student and Yang Dong's boyfriend, but the higher-ups couldn't bear to lose your talent in dealing with aliens."
Shi Qiang gestured with his chin toward the aircraft that had just landed. "Fortunately, someone else is in a similar situation as you. That finally made the big shots make up their minds to give you a pass."
David saw the red-painted fighter come to a steady halt. Security personnel quickly cordoned off the area. Accompanied by Chang Weisi, a man in blue casual wear stepped off the plane.
"Oh! Right! According to the records we found, you two actually know each other."
Luo Ji.
Looking at the young man walking off the plane, David grew pensive. Clearly, there was a reason why his own screening hadn't been as harsh as expected. Luo Ji, who had been told of the Dark Forest Law by Ye Wenjie, was destined to be a Wallfacer. If the screening were too strict, Luo Ji—as Ye Wenjie's neighbor, student, and colleague—would have had a much harder time passing than David.
"I've met him a few times at Professor Ye's house," David said. He noticed Chang Weisi standing beside Luo Ji, sweating profusely and speaking urgently into a walkie-talkie.
"Is something wrong over there? Do they need help?"
Hearing this, the two agents beside David nearly stood up in place, their eyes locked onto David without blinking, as if fearing he might vanish the next second.
"I'll ask." Amidst the roar of the helicopter squadron returning to base, Shi Qiang turned on his radio for a brief inquiry as he slowly drove the truck into the UN headquarters.
"There was a small issue with the aerial refueling schedule for Chang Weisi's escort formation. Seven fighters on the escort mission jettisoned their external fuel tanks directly. The American tanker on the other side triggered its missile lock alarm. Luckily, the tower reacted in time, so a tragedy was avoided."
"Alright, we're here." Shi Qiang opened the door and hopped out. The surrounding soldiers watched the perimeter with intense focus.
David stood beside Shi Qiang, looking up at the place he had only ever seen on television.
"The meeting is about to start. The reporters have been waiting for a long time. We need to hurry," a senior Under-Secretary-General of the UN stepped out from the doors and made a welcoming gesture to David.