Invasion of the United States

The police dog circled back and forth on the apartment rooftop, its nose close to the ground, occasionally lifting its head to bark loudly at the rooftop of the opposite building.

The dog handler stood by the rooftop fence, gripping the leash tightly with a furrowed brow.

He leaned over to look at the two-meter-wide gap between the buildings, scanning the opposite rooftop before shaking his head at his superior behind him, "The target escaped, jumping directly to the building across."

A group of pursuing officers gathered around, staring at the clear half-footprint on the steel pipe fence — the force of the step had even slightly bent the railing.

Everyone's mind conjured up a scene of 'leaping through the air,' both absurd and miraculous.

On the rooftop of the opposite apartment, two "Cleaners" stood at the edge, solemnly staring at several clear footprints on the rooftop.

The tread patterns were clearly visible, as though etched into the surface. One squatted down, fingers gently touching the edge of the prints, furrowing his brow tighter and tighter.

"With guts and luck, it is possible for an adult to step on the rooftop rail and cross a more than two-meter gap."

One "Cleaner" said in a low voice, "But such a high-difficulty maneuver, who could land without stumbling? It would be normal to break your head and bleed."

The marks on the rooftop silently contradicted this view.

The distance between the footprints was even, the steps steady, as if the person was walking on flat ground, reminiscent of a wild horse jumping over a stream, calm and unhurried.

"The man who took Lucy must have had professional training, both in strength and courage, far surpassing an ordinary person's."

The other 'Cleaner' cast his gaze on the smaller footprints on the rooftop.

Those footprints were evidently left by a woman, similarly clear and steady, likely Lucy's. The woman had also crossed the two buildings without hesitation.

"This defies logic," the 'Cleaner' said softly, "It's one thing for a man to be so strong, but a woman too?"

The other "Cleaner" walked to the rooftop edge, gripping the railing with both hands, looking down toward the ground.

The rooftop was less than thirty meters from the ground, which was nothing horizontally, but vertically, it could be life-threatening.

The two 'Cleaners' imagined themselves leaping between these buildings, a chill involuntarily running through them, "The situation is unusual, we need to summon a stronger team."

-----------------

Zhou Qingfeng and Lucy were currently hiding in an apartment a hundred meters away.

Through the window, they could clearly see local police officers bustling around downstairs, flashing police lights, shadows flitting, all efforts directed at tracking them down.

"That was close," Zhou Qingfeng murmured softly, "The speed of the military police's response was much faster than anticipated.

This is not something average investigators could pull off. The people coming after us have significant backgrounds and resources."

Lucy nodded, turning to walk towards the dining room.

The apartment belonged to the middle-aged father who had once asked Zhou Qingfeng for help in "finding his daughter".

At this moment, his daughter—a ten-year-old girl—was sitting at the dining table, angrily slapping the table, her face full of dissatisfaction as she complained about something.

"I really envy that you have a father to take care of you." Lucy approached the dining table and said softly, her gaze falling on the colorfully dressed young girl.

The girl's hair was dyed a bright purple, heavy eye shadow, a sparkling nose ring, looking every bit like a rebellious teen escaped from an asylum.

The girl heard Lucy's words, lifted her head, and sneered, "Is your father dead?"

Lucy didn't answer immediately but slowly sat down, holding a steaming cup of coffee, nodding slightly, "Yes, my father died ten years ago."

Her voice was somewhat low, hinting at sadness, "At that time, I was your age, equally rebellious, thinking my father was a useless coward, who did nothing but control me."

The atmosphere at the dining table instantly cooled. The figure of the middle-aged father busy in the kitchen paused slightly, but he didn't speak, continuing to prepare dinner silently.

The young girl was still unconvinced, provocatively asking, "How did your father die?"

"I don't know." Lucy's eyes were somewhat out of focus, "My father traveled frequently for work, sometimes gone for half a month or even several months.

I never knew what his exact job was until one day, two men in government uniforms came to my house and told me he died for the country."

She paused, recalling that painful past, "I was taken to Arlington National Cemetery to attend my father's funeral.

Later, they took me to the Langley Headquarters Building in Virginia. There, they pointed to a star on the wall and told me it represented my father."

The young girl's eyes widened in disbelief, "Wait, Langley Headquarters? Your father worked for the CIA? He was an agent?" Enjoying the story? Discover more on M|V|LEM6PYR.

Lucy nodded slightly, with a tinge of pride, "Not only my father, but my grandfather was as well.

I could have joined too, but my grandfather said at the time, there should be one normal person in the family.

So, I didn't join, choosing to stay in a small town, living as an ordinary person."

The young girl was stunned, clearly overwhelmed by this information. After a moment, she retorted even more angrily:

"Impossible! You're lying! If your father was a CIA agent, how could you be living so miserably?"

At this point, Zhou Qingfeng came over from the window, hearing the young girl's words, he couldn't help but interject, "How do you know Lucy had it miserable? Maybe she had a better life than you."