Invasion of the United States

When Lucy waved at him to follow, he heard clear footsteps coming from the corridor. At least four people, with heavy and hurried steps, definitely not the relaxed feeling of regular people returning home.

When he stepped over the window and reached the fire escape outside the apartment, someone was already knocking on Lucy's door, while Lucy had already slipped into the old gentleman's house next door.

Mr. Ande didn't forget to poke his head out from the window and called softly to Zhou Qingfeng, who hadn't come inside yet, "Don't be dumb, close Lucy's window and get over here quickly."

With a dull clang, the police, who got no response from knocking, forcibly broke down Lucy's door and, with experienced movements, rushed to the window in front of the fire escape, flinging it open and looking outside...

Zhou Qingfeng was already standing in Mr. Ande's living room, everything was thrilling but without danger.

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Two "Cleaners" from the Department of Homeland Security stepped into Lucy's small but tidy one-bedroom apartment, their hawk-like eyes scanning every corner.

One of them casually grabbed a few scattered pieces of clothing from the sofa, while the other went to the kitchen and glanced at the unwashed dishes in the sink.

"She's not alone," one of them said softly, "There's a man with her."

"She just left," the other sniffed the lingering scent of perfume in the air, "The perfume she just sprayed is still in the living room, no more than two minutes ago."

"She must have slipped away through the fire escape, but her car is still downstairs. She hasn't run far, probably hiding in a neighbor's house."

The two quickly walked to the window, stuck their heads out, and looked around the fire escape, then coordinated with the community police who had arrived.

The two police officers were polite, knocking on doors and inquiring from house to house.

But the two "Cleaners" were much more brute, directly targeting the nearest window of Mr. Ande's house.

One of them wrapped his fist in his sleeve and smashed the window glass with a punch.

Shards of glass flew everywhere, and Mr. Ande, who had just sat down in his rocking chair, was startled by the sudden loud noise, trembling all over.

He stood up abruptly, glaring at the two strangers who barged in, and shouted sternly, "What are you doing?!"

The two "Cleaners" scanned the old man's living room expressionlessly, deliberately sniffed the lingering scent of perfume in the air, then smirked and took out their badges:

"We are from the Department of Homeland Security, apprehending a suspect named Lucy. Any harboring behavior will be held legally accountable. Where is she?"

Mr. Ande trembled with anger, his hand shaking, and roared, "I don't know what you're talking about! This is my house, you have no right to barge in!"

The two "Cleaners" were unmoved, instead, they sneered, drawing their guns from their waists and sneering:

"No, Congress has granted us the authority to investigate anyone who may pose a threat to national security at any time."

The old man's house was also a one-bedroom apartment, the two "Cleaners" quickly searched the kitchen and bathroom but found nothing. They immediately realized something, turned, and opened the door, stepping into the corridor.

In the corridor, the two police officers were still knocking on other neighbors' doors. Seeing the two from Homeland Security coming out of the neighboring unit, they just nodded slightly, accustomed to such 'efficient' investigations.

"Didn't find the suspect?" a police officer asked.

"No," one of the "Cleaners" answered coldly, "That bitch isn't being chased for the first time, she's very experienced in escaping. By the time we entered her place, she had already slipped away."

"No, she didn't get away," the other squinted his eyes, "Her car is still downstairs, without her car, she can't run far. She's just found another place to hide, definitely still in this apartment building."

Within a few minutes, all the residents on the same floor were alarmed. Several doors were forced open, and the residents' complaints and screams could be heard one after another.

The two "Cleaners" didn't care at all, brusquely searching every corner with their guns drawn. They even called in more local police in the name of the Department of Homeland Security to join the search.

Immediately, the entire apartment building was in chaos, with commotion up and down, inside and out.

Residents watched in horror as these unfamiliar armed men burst into their homes, rummaging through their belongings, some even being roughly pushed to the corners of the walls.

The air was thick with tension and fear, as a silent war quietly unfolded within the old apartment building.

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At this moment, Lucy tightly gripped her small suitcase, leading Zhou Qingfeng through the shadows of the apartment rooftop, finally hiding by the edge of the roof.

The two crouched low, looking down through the cracks in the railing, seeing several police cars already parked downstairs, their flashing lights glaring in the night.

More police officers were pouring out of the cars, quickly entering the apartment building.

"It's over, they will catch me sooner or later." Lucy's voice was filled with desperate panic, her fingers tightly gripping the suitcase handle, at a loss. This version was sourced from M|V|L^EMPYR.

Zhou Qingfeng did not respond, his eyes calmly scanning the scene below before turning to the nearby apartment building.

The heights of the two buildings were almost equal, but a corridor of more than two meters wide separated them.

Such a distance might be easily jumped over on the ground by an ordinary person, but on the rooftop of an eight-story building, it seemed particularly dangerous.

He observed the thickness of the rooftop wall, looked carefully at the structure of the opposite rooftop, then grabbed Lucy's suitcase without hesitation and threw it across.

The suitcase drew an arc in the air, lightly flying several meters before landing with a "clunk" on the opposite rooftop, sliding a distance before stopping.

Lucy was stunned for two or three seconds, then suddenly realized what Zhou Qingfeng intended to do, shaking her head vehemently, her voice filled with fear: