Invasion of the United States

"The mother and daughter are probably unaware... right?" Zhou Qingfeng muttered to himself, trying to comfort himself with these words.

"If Conges really did kill someone and flee, there really is no need for his family to inform me. Not involving me is the best choice."

Zhou Qingfeng stood in the living room, whispering to himself. His voice was particularly clear in the empty room, trying to persuade himself to accept this seemingly reasonable explanation.

However, deep down, he felt an indescribable sense of loss.

Turning off the dining room light and closing the door to the living room, he slowly walked out of the Congers' front yard, his steps heavy as though filled with lead.

The night deepened, and the streetlights cast a dim yellow glow, stretching his shadow long.

Zhou Qingfeng walked towards the car parked by the roadside, absentmindedly rubbing the car keys, while memories of his interactions with the Conges family played repeatedly in his mind.

Julia's gentleness, Selena's vivacity, Conges's sternness—these images interwove, making him feel a mix of emotions.

Just as he was about to start the car, he suddenly remembered something and abruptly turned around to look at the doormat at the door.

It was an ordinary doormat, gray and worn at the edges. At this moment, it seemed to have become a crucial clue.

Selena's words flashed through his mind: "If there's anything inconvenient to contact directly, you can write a note and hide it under the doormat."

He had just smiled at the time, thinking it was a little romantic gesture between lovers, never expecting that this agreement would actually come in handy.

Now, he stopped in his tracks, as if driven by some unseen force, walked back to the doormat, bent down, and casually lifted it.

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

A hastily written note lay quietly under the doormat.

The handwriting was scrawled, written hurriedly with lipstick: "Victor, my dad is not a bad person, but don't come looking for us."

Zhou Qingfeng couldn't help but laugh.

No need to guess, this must be Selena's doing.

The girl was usually lively and cheerful, but in such a panic-stricken moment, she still thought of using this method to convey information to him.

This message was practically saying nothing, but it was the girl's effort to prove her family's innocence.

He picked up the note and turned it over, finding another line of text.

This time, the handwriting was neater, obviously written by Julia: "The password to the master bedroom safe is *********, and there's some money inside."

Zhou Qingfeng's heart skipped a beat. Julia, in her haste to escape with her daughter, still didn't forget to leave him a lifeline.

Julia knew her sudden departure would cause Zhou Qingfeng significant trouble, so she used this way to express her apology and compensation.

This delicacy and consideration made Zhou Qingfeng feel a pang of sadness. Although he hadn't spent long with this family of three, their sincerity touched him.

"If I don't get involved, I would be less than human," he said softly, his voice tinged with resolve.

He had been in despair countless times in the apocalypse, hoping someone would come to help him. Friends and companions were hard to come by.

Now, he knew he couldn't stay uninvolved.

Regardless of whether Conges really killed someone, whether Julia and her daughter knew or not, he couldn't let this family struggle in peril alone.

Zhou Qingfeng carefully folded the note, put it in his pocket, then quickly walked to the master bedroom to find the safe and input the password.

Sure enough, there was a stack of cash inside, roughly four to five thousand US dollars, approximately half a month's income for Conges.

Leaving Zhou Qingfeng such a sum during their escape was no small feat.

Next to the cash lay a handgun, an M9 model.

This gun had some years on it, with some wear marks on the body, but it was reasonably well-maintained.

It was larger than a typical handgun, heavy in the hand, giving a sense of solidity.

The M9's prototype was Italy's Beretta 92F, likely Conges's backup gun; after all, as a chief constable, he had to be prepared.

Along with the gun were two magazines, a portable underarm holster, and two boxes of one hundred nine-millimeter loose rounds.

Zhou Qingfeng didn't hesitate, reached for the gun, skillfully pulled the slide, confirmed the chamber was empty, and tested the trigger for strength and feel.

The trigger travel was moderate, the force even, indicating the gun was in good condition.

He quickly loaded a magazine, engaged the safety, holstered the gun, all in one smooth, practiced motion, as if he had done it countless times.

With the gun and money, Zhou Qingfeng began to think about how to help the Conges family.

Just then, his phone rang suddenly. The screen showed an unlisted number.

Answering the call, 'Gray Shark's' distinctive synthesized electronic voice came through, cold yet slightly smug: "Victor, I found something interesting."

Zhou Qingfeng didn't interrupt, quietly listening.

"First," 'Gray Shark' continued, "The person threatening you used a prepaid phone, essentially a disposable number, making simple tracking meaningless.

However, I had a friend check the telecom provider's system logs and found that the caller's access base station is in White Beach Town." Love this story? Show support at MV2LEMPYR.

This was expected; the person threatening Zhou Qingfeng was likely someone from White Beach Town.

"Second," 'Gray Shark' went on, "The person threatening you has some anti-tracking abilities, using voice-changing software during calls.

But the software he used is a free version downloaded online, quite basic.

I'm reverse-engineering his voice, it should take a few hours to complete the match. Then, you'll be able to hear his original voice."

Hearing the threatener's real voice would allow them to determine gender, age, greatly narrowing the suspect pool, definitely good news.

'Gray Shark's' technical skills were indeed impressive.

"Third, the video of you was too clear. Only one brand of drones in the United States market can achieve this level.

I'm checking the sales records of these drones, hoping there aren't too many drone users in White Beach Town, this could lead to some clues."

"Fourth, the video link you sent, I found the uploading user's account, which used the same prepaid phone number.

The guy was very careful to hide, but not careful enough. I'm tracking where that phone was sold, maybe we can directly find the guy's identity."

Four clues, each could potentially expose the threatener's identity. These weren't things Zhou Qingfeng could solve alone, but now paying some money, someone helped him catch his opponent.

"Gray Shark, you're really something. In less than three hours, you've gathered so much information. How did you do it? Hacking, cracking online information?" Zhou Qingfeng didn't mind complimenting his 'helper'.

'Gray Shark' disdainfully replied: "Does this even need hacking? Not at all. Just knowing people, spending a few hundred or thousand US dollars, and you can easily check with telecom service employees.

But you... bastard, how do you know my identity and address? I can't figure it out. How was I exposed?"

Zhou Qingfeng wanted to laugh.

'Gray Shark' was extremely sensitive and conceited, always feeling like a hidden 'Dark Night Monarch'.

But Zhou Qingfeng exposed him with a word, nearly giving him a heart attack. He certainly wouldn't sleep well for the next few days.

Now 'Gray Shark' was pleading with Zhou Qingfeng not to get into trouble, "Catching the guy threatening you won't take long, be patient, and preferably hide. I don't want you getting caught by the FBI now."

Zhou Qingfeng heard the concern in 'Gray Shark's' tone. He knew the other party was genuinely worried about him now.

After all, the two held each other's secrets; if one fell, the other would be implicated. This delicate balance was both the foundation of their cooperation and their mutual shackle.

But...

"Gray Shark, I have a new problem I need your help with," Zhou Qingfeng said.

'Gray Shark' on the other end sounded impatient: "Don't tell me it's about the family you were staying with."

Zhou Qingfeng said in surprise: "You already know?"

"Of course," 'Gray Shark' said with a hint of sarcasm, "The law requires ordinary police communications to be publicly accessible in real-time.

Even if I were deaf, I could hear the police setting up everywhere to catch that Chief Constable Conges."

Zhou Qingfeng asked gravely, "I want to help them, do you have any suggestions?"

There was a three-second silence on the call, then 'Gray Shark' coldly replied, "Don't meddle. Add some money, I'll find you an Hourly Worker."

Zhou Qingfeng almost burst out laughing; talking money was a good thing.

Just as he was about to agree, he heard a slight "click" from outside, like the front door was gently pushed, followed by barely audible footsteps.

Someone was sneaking in.