Invasion of the United States

"Victor, just admit it, you are from the future!" In the temporary campsite of the forest resort, "Gray Shark" Porter, sitting in a wheelchair, glared at Zhou Qingfeng, his tone full of irritation.

His wheelchair was parked on a soft grassy patch, with towering pine trees behind him, their shadows mottled, and the air filled with the refreshing scent of pine resin and the dampness of the soil.

"Alright, alright, I come from the future, from more than a decade later."

Zhou Qingfeng casually brushed it off, as if coaxing a child. Yet his eyes kept moving, surveying the camp refuge constructed by "Gray Shark".

"Gray Shark" gritted his teeth in anger, but had no way to deal with him.

The scene looked like he was forcing Zhou Qingfeng to admit to something utterly preposterous, yet received no serious response in return.

Florida has not only sunny beaches, but also many lakes surrounded by dense forests.

The state government-planned forest parks are popular destinations for residents' daily vacations, secluded and secretive with few people around.

Such places are a nightmare for the military and police to search - as long as a few hidden cameras are installed on the small roads in and out, they can provide ample warning time.

Even if the military and police use helicopters for surprise strikes, the military listening devices installed on the treetops can capture the roar of the rotors in advance.

This kind of equipment was already an old hand at artillery positioning a hundred years ago; with slight modifications, it became the "eyes and ears" of the camp.

The camp itself was well-organized.

A few simple wooden cabins built against the tree trunks, tents and trailers scattered about, with enough wilderness survival supplies piled in the corners - water, food, fuel, all available.

Living here, isolated from the world for a few months, would be no problem at all. Thecanonicalsourceforthiscontent:M|V|L2EMPYR.

After some idle chat, Zhou Qingfeng put away his playful expression, his gaze turning serious, and he asked, "Porter, do you have the ability to help me check on Department of Homeland Security personnel?"

"Gray Shark" rolled his eyes exaggeratedly upon hearing this, sneering, "Do you think I'm an omnipotent god?

I'm just a small-timer who provokes the local police and dabbles in some gray-market operations.

Check on the Department of Homeland Security? They have satellites, supercomputers, a national network, and a bunch of professional agents. I'd be thankful if they don't check on me!

You just took out our governor, and now you want to mess with the Department of Homeland Security? If you want to die, don't drag me down with you; my mom and I are doing just fine now!"

His words were crisp, his attitude clear, bluntly laying out the difficulty.

Zhou Qingfeng was at a loss for words, unable to do anything but smile bitterly. On the surface, his troubles seemed to be just military and police pursuit, but the real threat was lurking deeper.

"The Tree of Justice," that organization entrenched like a tumor in the United States Deep State, was his real enemy.

Monica, that crazy woman, was just a clown; the scary part was the people behind her. Even Hammer, who had dementia, was no ordinary person.

"The Tree of Justice" could be seen as a cancerous group of self-proclaimed "righteous" professional bureaucrats, wielding immense power and influence.

Confronting them was several times more difficult than assassinating the governor in public.

"Why do you want to check on the Department of Homeland Security?" "Gray Shark" asked, frowning, his tone carrying some doubt.

Zhou Qingfeng fell silent for a moment, then slowly said, "I've mentioned 'The Tree of Justice' to you, right? Those guys think my usefulness has run its course and are plotting to get rid of me.

Even if they can't get to me immediately, they'll start with the people around me. Kelly, Jennifer, Selena..." He paused, as if about to list more names.

"Stop!" "Gray Shark" suddenly interrupted him, with a hint of indignation in his voice, "Why do you only care about women? Don't you care about my safety at all?"

A serious topic was instantly turned ridiculous by "Gray Shark's" interruption.

Zhou Qingfeng was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help but laugh, shaking his head, "Buddy, you sure know how to pick the right moment to argue."

"Gray Shark" straightened his face and said, "Victor, I can't help you fight 'The Tree of Justice', but there is an organization that can help you."

"What organization?"

"The Ministry of Efficiency."

A single sentence enlightened him, and Zhou Qingfeng almost slapped his thigh, "Yeah, I should find those loyal 'dog' agents."

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

The outside world always thought the Ministry of Efficiency was supported by six young people in their twenties, which was completely wrong.

The real helm was held by a group of senior bureaucrats, carrying ambitions for government system reform. They naturally had no good feelings towards Zhou Qingfeng, but their disdain for "The Tree of Justice" ran deeper.

Earlier, the "Holy Light" smuggling AI chip operation had attracted an investigation team from the Ministry of Efficiency.

In the end, all the clues were there, and the evidence was available, but the obstacles were too great. As time dragged on, the team's morale was blown away like sand in the wind, and the case had to be shelved.

Captain Thomas, who was in charge of the case, was stewing with anger because of this.

He was a middle-aged man with graying hair and sharp eyes, who had worked as a civil servant for half his life, considering himself well-experienced, but was stumped this time.

The Ministry of Efficiency was, after all, a newly established department with shallow foundations, its greatest capability was auditing; in terms of action ability, it was far inferior to the Department of Homeland Security, which integrated multiple intelligence agencies.

Now, shocking assassination cases of two consecutive Florida governors had thrown the state into chaos, and Thomas had no choice but to prepare to return to Washington with his team in defeat.