Invasion of the United States

Yeager sensed the tension, and he coughed heavily to cut off the hostile confrontation.

The US Military's "X" Project in poor areas transformed a bunch of uneducated bottom-tier people into "monsters."

These "monsters" had incredible combat power but lacked intelligence; one wrong word could make them flip the table on the spot.

Logically, such emotionally unstable test subjects should be destroyed after testing.

But Yeager had no choice — the last time six "Cleaners" were hunting Zhou Qingfeng, he was the one who cleaned up the scene.

Ordinary people were no match for Zhou Qingfeng, so Dias had to request this "monster" from the military, hoping he could at least harm the target severely.

Monica glared viciously at the dark-skinned strong man, biting down her anger, but the frustration in her heart erupted like a volcano.

She leaned back in her seat, and Old Lady Grey's confession before her death flashed in her mind.

The most crucial part was "He drove a pick-up truck south." Judging by the timeline, Zhou Qingfeng was definitely trapped in Washington D.C. Surveillance footage also confirmed this.

However, once the pick-up truck entered the district, the National Guard began to block roads, causing chaos.

Surveillance footage showed Zhou Qingfeng's pick-up truck suddenly turning around before the blockade, driving against traffic for a segment, then going off-road, turning around again, and disappearing.

Monica found the abandoned pick-up truck on the road. It was evident that the kid was highly cautious and switched vehicles halfway.

After all, he had money and could use it to accomplish many things. Finding him became suddenly more difficult. YoursupportonM|V|L8EMPYRkeepsthisseriesgoing.

The good news was, he was definitely still besieged within Washington D.C.; the bad news was, with hundreds of thousands of people crammed in the district now, he could be hiding in the streets, hotels, or even sewers.

Who knows which corner he is shrunken like a rat?

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

While people elsewhere in the United States still thought the virus was a hoax, Washington D.C. and its surroundings, under lockdown, were experiencing immense fear.

The Arlington Community was eerily quiet, everyone stayed indoors, and the streets were deserted even in broad daylight.

At this moment, a sudden knocking shattered the silence at the Thomas family house.

Lucy opened the door, her gaze cold and alert. Outside stood a middle-aged man, his hand still hovering in mid-air after knocking.

"Can I help you?" Lucy asked.

The man didn't rush to respond but peeked inside the house.

His gaze passed over Lucy's shoulder, seeing Old Hammer sitting on the couch in the living room and the news on the TV.

"I'm the neighbor from across the street. I saw someone here, so I came over to check." The man paused, "You don't look like the owners, do you? Do you have authorization to stay here?"

"No," Lucy replied curtly, her eyes coldly staring at the man, evaluating how much trouble he could cause.

The man awkwardly laughed, pointing inside, "This house... it was actually a crime scene. You know, just a few days ago..."

"We saw," Lucy interrupted. Dark red stains still decorated the wall of the living room, and there were dark spots on the couch's backrest, "The blood is still there, no one has cleaned it."

"So you..." The man frowned as if he wanted to say something but swallowed back.

"We have nowhere to go, so we chose this unoccupied house to settle," Lucy stared directly at him, "Do you have a better constructive idea? Like letting us stay at your place?"

The man waved his hands repeatedly, "Oh... no! No! I have no objections! I just... came to check out of neighborly duty, I understand completely now!"

He awkwardly smiled, instinctively stepping back a few paces, turned around, and dashed back to the house across the street.

As soon as he entered, he shouted to his wife, "People really moved in across the street! A young woman, an old man. And a young guy, though I didn't see him."

They must be locked in the community, unable to get out, so they took over the Thomas family house. I told them they're in a crime scene house, but they clearly have no choice."

The man's wife wore a worried expression, shaking her head at her husband's information-gathering behavior, "With the virus spreading, don't go out and contact others, bringing the virus to our home would be terrible.

Did you notice the security personnel haven't appeared, not even managing anything? They all know it's not safe going around knocking on doors now."

Ugh... the man sighed heavily, nodding in agreement with his wife's correct assessment.

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

The iron curtain of lockdown had descended over Washington D.C. for three full days.

The community streets were desolate, trash cans lined with discarded empty cans and packaging, even the stray cats were too lazy to scavenge.

On the first day of the lockdown, there was still some noise in the community, neighbors visiting each other, exchanging rumors about the virus.

On the second day, the atmosphere began to feel oppressive; people shrunk back inside their homes, windows sealed shut, phone rings became the only sound.

By the third day, the tense mood spread like a plague. As internet communications were cut off, relying on online material deliveries completely collapsed.

Supermarket shelves were emptied before the lockdown, and delivery workers heard virus rumors, not daring to approach the Washington D.C. boundary.

All the government could mobilize was the military, but those camo-wearing soldiers were better at holding guns than delivering bread and milk door-to-door.

When supply trucks drove into the community, normally elegant, composed middle-class residents turned into frantic poor folk like in a slum.

Supplies from the boxes scattered everywhere, some milk spilled on the ground, some bread squashed to pieces, the scene chaotic like a war refugee camp.