Shi Lang was sitting in the vehicle observing the scene flashing outside. He was not told where they were going and neither did he ask. He did not even ask for the name of the lady driving the car. Finally, after two hours, the lady spoke up first, “Are you not curious?”

The boy asked, “About what?”

“Things like, Where are we heading? Who am I? etcetera, etcetera?” said the girl.

Shi Lang said, “We are heading to the base of Shadow Executioner Division’s regional headquarters. Your name, I do not think is important for me to know.” then he fell silent again. His tone had a strong indifference.

The lady almost did not choke on this behavior. She asked, “How do you know?”

Shi Lang gazed at her and asked, “How many times have you read the code of a soldier when you were in the academy?”

The lady replied, “A dozen times at least, why?”

“How come you still ask me this stupid question? The code of soldiers clearly states that one must report to the regional headquarters of the division,” he said with contempt on his face. Then closed his eyes as if he did not notice the girl tightened her grip on the steering wheel. She could have sworn that she will kill him if not for the fact that this boy was sought out after her boss.

The vehicle became silent and whenever the lady tried to look at the boy’s visage, she would find him opening his eyes and looking back at her. She sighed and focused on driving the vehicle. After two and a half-hour of commute, they reached a town. The towns had undergone a lot of change in the age of technology however, they were not crowded like the city.

The vehicle entered the town borders and Shi Lang sat up straight. He looked outside carefully and could sense a lot of eyes locked on the vehicle. He mumbled, “This whole town is under our division?”

The lady in the driver’s seat nodded. She said, “This town is a secret location. It is not shown on the map, and civilians are not allowed within a hundred kilometers of this town. This place is classified as a military research facility and thus not many people have the idea to visit.”

Shi Lang nodded and understood why the civilian vehicles on the last hundred kilometers were scarce. The lady continued speaking, “The vehicles you saw on the road were all operatives being dispatched for tasks or vacation.”

The boy nodded listening to her explanation. The lady moved the vehicle to the center of the town, where a building with old architecture style stood tall. The building looked very mundane, and unguarded, it looked like a town hall. Shi Lang could tell that if someone tried to even point their fingers at the walls, they will turn into blood mist.

He said, “The security is overwhelming.”

The lady nodded and said, “That is necessary, otherwise, how will the secrets be kept safe? We have to stay ready for all contingencies no matter how small the chance.”

Shi Lang nodded, the car stopped in front of the building entrance and the two people alighted the vehicle. Then, without any words, he followed the lady. Subconsciously he traced her footsteps. This has become his habit, when he was inside an unknown area, he would follow and trace a local’s footsteps.

Upon entering the building the two of them were checked for security reasons and then let go. The lady in the front said, “I will take you to Commander Arkham now.”

Shi Lang nodded and walked behind her watching the surroundings and registering them to his memory. The town hall was not very big. It took them a few minutes to walk over to a room with a big mahogany door. The lady knocked on the door and said, “Commander, may I come in?”

“Yes.” sounded a voice. The lady gazed at Shi Lang indicating him to stand by. The boy nodded and the lady entered.

..

Inside the room, there were no decorations, only a professional smart table, and a chair. The lights were embedded in the ceiling. The room was a square box. Behind the table sat Archie Arkham, reading through some holographic documents.

She raised her head and saw the lady in black saluting her. She nodded and said, “Gamma, is he here?”

The lady was called Gamma, one of the three most adept trackers in the division. Gamma nodded and said, “Standing-by outside.”

Archie said, “March him in.” and went back to her work.The debut release occurred at N-ov3l=B(j)n.

Gamma said in a loud voice, “Captain Shi Lang, March In.”

The only way to get through the soundproofing of this room was to make a six-star Terran shout at the top of their lungs.

..

Shi Lang heard the voice and walked in with a stoic face. He pushed open the door and walked up in a standard military march style, quick and crisp. Then he turned to face right using his heels. Then followed by two loud stomps he stood in attention with his right hand on top of his heart position as he said, “Captain Shi Lang reporting for duty, Sir.”

Archie Arkham raised her head and smiled at him. She said, “You did well in the entrance exam. My favor was not used in vain, I guess. The colors also look good on you.”

Shi Lang replied, “Thank you for your praise, Commander.”

Archie said, “You will be following, Gamma. She reports directly to me. I wish I could have given you the time to learn the ways of the secret division, however, time is our eternal enemy. Gamma will lead you to the holding cells, and you will have your inauguration ceremony today itself. I would like to have the results on my table after dinner so that I can enjoy them as my dessert. Do you understand?”

Shi Lang replied, “Sir, Yes, Sir.” in a loud tone.

“Dismissed.” said the lady and send the two of them away.”

Gamma and Shi Lang saluted her before they moved out. The two people closed the door and Shi Lang asked, “How do I address you, Sir?”

Gamma was surprised by his change of tone and said, “I am Lieutenant Colonel Sabrina Gamma. You will call me LC Gamma. Understood.”

Shi Lang replied with a clear, “Yes, Sir.”

Gamma nodded and said, “I prefer, Ma’am.” and then she walked ahead.

Shi Lang walked behind her. Usually, the senior officers were all addressed as Sir. The ranks are gender-neutral, and this address was to show that the males acknowledged the equality of the females. This was an amendment made by a female Joint Chief of Staff, the highest-ranking military officer. Second only to the Federation President.

The two walked outside the town hall and Gamma said, “Check your communicator, your recent missions commands are sent to you. Read the relevant data and details before we reach the holding cells.”

Shi Lang nodded and accessed his communicator. He would salute any senior officer that he met on the way and Gamma would introduce him as her junior. The people were all at the least six-star terrans and they gave off a strong killing intent. Shi Lang finished reading the material and asked, “This case is not simple, right?”

Gamma nodded and said, “What is your opinion? Tell me?”

Shi Lang said, “Brigadier Jun, posted on a remote planet is accused of rape, arson, and genocide. He has been in service for thirty years now and is a decorated officer. There have been no prior complaints about him. His record is clean. The accusation was filed by his juniors and then the military police investigated.

The accusations were found to be true, however, the culprit pleaded non-guilty. He even asked for the secret division to take over at the cost of his service merits. This is definitely not simple. How desperate was he to use his service merits for the secret division to be involved? Later on, your team discovered a lead, and a suspect was taken under custody, this person is an adjutant beside the accused.

The more curious thing is the place this event happened is a remote planet called Carta-shyn. The inhabitants are peace-loving species and they all surrendered at the first notice. No blood was shed, so what made the brigadier go on such a rampage?

Either he broke down mentally or someone is pulling a big number on him. However, it is not simple. After thirty years of service, the mentality should not break down in face of non-violent masses. Moreover, if it is a number being pulled, then what is the motive, because the brigadier looks to be just person.”

Gamma was surprised by listening to his deduction and then she nodded after regaining her composure. She said, “We will be interrogating the suspect, or to be precise, you will be. Extract the intel from her and then we will proceed.”

..

A special mention and thank you to Daoist9qZqni, for bestowing three ice cola’s to my thirsty soul. Thank you very much, I am gratified.