The Guest: Book 3

by Yufeng Zhuang

Chapter 21

  Your Excellency senator

  The sound of the gunfire, echoed in the ears of those marching forward nervously, echoed on the quiet northern suburb highway of the university town, and echoed across the world covered by the ice and snow.

  Charlie Tai held back his staring at the screen eyes, tightened the coat on his body a bit, looked at that badly broken black mecha on the distance, frowned and didn’t say a word for a long time.

  He didn’t know what the name was that dead soldier, it might be assumed that he could check it out before long. Obviously this soldier is the ace pilot of the federal troops, from the most beginning sudden strike in the gymnasium, to the later manipulation on the highway, all showed the very intrepid military quality of this man.

  Charlie Tai looked at the other side of the road, a flicker of not accord with his age heavy flashed across on his slightly pale face. Today he almost died in the attack of the mecha, until he could confirm the safety at this time, then he felt a bit of fear after the event. But he didn’t show it out, just the showed outside of the sleeves hands trembled slightly.

  The sound of the helicopter came from the end of the road.

  The steward Ken had the blood stain dried up on the forehead, he took off the phone by his ear, came to the side of Charlie Tai and said in a low voice, “the soldier in the mecha is major Randy, the four pieces of Purple Star Medal winner, the combat hero, and he belongs to the special mecha brigade of the Second Military Region, appointed the deputy district chief. He should attend a training hosted by the Ministry of National Defense today in the Capital District.”

  Charlie silenced for a moment and said, “the Second Military Region… the spring offense of the Ministry of National Defense, should be with the Second Military Region as the main force. If I don’t guess it wrong, this major Randy must have many colleagues sacrificed in the encirclement to the anti-government army.”

  “Yes, this time the training in the Capital District, is aiming at the spring general offense to the anti-government army base in the Green mountains.” the steward Ken took a look at the side face of his master, “the senator Palmer reached the preliminary settlement agreement with the anti-government army yesterday, then today have an assassination action aiming at you. It looks like that the military hawks are very angry for our family this time taking part in this event.”

  “No need to get hurry to lock who is the suspect, the afterward investigation and trial are the things of the federal government. Although I am very angry, but I also can’t place myself above the law to sentence some people guilty.” the eyes of Charlie Tai were calm same as before, “if this matter relates to the settlement agreement, the people don’t want the government to reach the settlement agreement with the anti-government… should still have a lot.”

  The steward nodded his head, although two of them didn’t say it frankly, but they all knew it clearly, behind the scene of this most appalling assassination in almost twenty years in the Federation, shouldn’t be that simple.

  The senator Palmer had already made the most solid one step on the path to become the federal President. Those families and economic big alligators in the Federation, in the Presidential candidates, all had their cooperation partners. If the assassination this time, is in order to eliminate the biggest support of the senator Palmer have in the Federation, then there might have the shadows of those family forces in it as well.

  At this time, the simple style phone in steward Ken rang again, he got the phone through, listened quietly to the phone for a long time, then he apologized to Charlie Tai in a soft voice, “the police and the FBI have already blocked the underground parking lot of the gymnasium, the family representatives also went in there with them… but they still couldn’t find the whereabouts of your that friend temporarily.”

  “Have not found him yet?” earlier still in the being pursued tense moment, Charlie Tai had already let steward Ken track directly how the government aspect deal with the gymnasium. He just wanted to know… whether Sheilor could survive in that kind of hopeless situation. When he heard that they still couldn’t find his whereabouts, Charlie Tai raised his tone slightly, and said with the slight anger, “life can see the people, death can see the dead body as well… what’s the meaning couldn’t find him?”

  “The firepower of the military is too fierce, the left… remains basically have been incomplete.” the steward Ken took a look at Charlie Tai worriedly, he adjusted his tone, “the government staffs are cleaning up the site at this time, it’s very normal that they couldn’t find it in the short time. According to the report over there, with the site situation to see, even to have the chip identification, also will take a long time. So they would probably use the biological symbol recognition program, but that will take two weeks time as well.”

  In Charlie Tai that always calm eyes, suddenly had a bit of bleak. When he thought of that probably Sheilor had already become some pieces of incomplete meat loaf in the dark underground, his stomach began to twitch up. If Sheilor could survive, he should be still in the underground parking lot of the gymnasium at this time, but if he… died unfortunately…

  He forcibly calmed his emotion down, turned his head around, and looked at steward Ken and said, “no matter dead or alive, I can’t wait this long to know the news, try to think of a way to ask the Charter Bureau elder to help.”

  The easiest way to confirm the death of a federal citizen, of course, is through the confirmation by that central computer of the Charter Bureau. However, the Charter Bureau computer would be responsible for the electronic monitoring network of the entire federal territory, seldom would especially confirm the death of a specific objective, unless it’s the special case. The present old director of the Charter Bureau, is the collateral relative of the Tai family. Although he has separated with Charlie Tai for eight generations, but in the seven generations no more than one heir Tai family, he is the only relative Charlie Tai has in this world.

  “If the Charter Bureau have confirmed that Sheilor is still alive, ask them to help to find out the whereabouts of Sheilor.” Charlie walked to that worm-eaten black car, and left this last sentence.

  Steward Ken that grey hair waved in the cold wind, he looked at the back figure of his master with the complicated expression. Although he knew that this is the first time his master experienced the death blow of a friend in the development history, but he still didn’t think of, his master that always calm almost couldn’t conceal the emotion in his heart. Of course Sheilor had already died, tried to use the help of the Charter Bureau, it’s really not what a wise practice.

  “Send out the application to the Charter Bureau through the government department, and then have the approval, the soonest also takes two days.” the steward Ken said behind his back.

  Charlie Tai didn’t look back, just indicated that this thing must be done as soon as possible with the silence.

  “The task failed.”

  In the Capital District of the Federation, a certain room of an apartments on a certain quiet street, the room window was covered with a layer of filter film, that could prevent the surveillance or even the pry of the military thermal imagine system.

  In the slightly dark room, an about thirty years old soldier, put down the phone, looked at his cooperation partner across the table with the dignified face, and said quietly.

  His partner is very mysterious, but he provided enough information to the force of their this party. The news about that Charlie Tai would go to watch the concert today, had the final confirmation last night.

  This soldier stood up by the desk, began to clear up the documents on the desk, lowered his head and said, “although until now I still don’t know who is the people exactly behind you, but this cooperation also was not successful. But I still hope that we could have more cooperation opportunity in the future.”

  Across the desk that in the grey synthetic sweater ordinary man had a smile, didn’t stand up, also was in no hurry to leave,
he just looked at him profoundly and said, “who said that our cooperation was not successful? Although the master of the Tai family escaped the hook, but I think, the goal of those people behind your back also should reach the better part.”

  The soldier silenced for moment, then he laughed, “we are the small potatoes put on the stage, the objects we serve, what on earth they want to do, nobody can know fully well… but I’m very curious about how you know about it, I don’t belong to those warm-blooded officer forces of the Second Military Region.”

  “Because you are too calm.” that man cleared up his that slightly crumpled synthetic sweater a bit, walked to the side of the window, looked carefully at that on the opposite side building, which has the extremely amazing momentum and rigid style. “We are all the bystanders, the people who really start this matter… are still in one certain office in the Ministry of National Defense.” he said in a soft voice.

  The soldier had already cleared up his personal belongings, walked to behind that man, narrowed his eyes and looked at the Ministry of National Defense building of the federal government, he heaved a sigh and said, “as a soldier, actually I admire these ignored the law for the fate of the Federation colleagues.”

  “But you make them go to prison.” the wearing synthetic sweater man had his eye pupils shrunk severely, watched on the street more than ten military vehicles rushed into the training center, which is next to the Ministry of National Defense building, “the officers of the Second Military Region, didn’t know how many would be purged away this time.” he said.

  “Didn’t think of the reaction of the government and the Tai family would be this quick.” the soldier stood up straight slowly, and said with a bit of fear, “the assassination was just ended over there, incredibly they have already checked to the training center.”

  “Her son nearly died, everybody could imagine how angry that lady would be. And in a certain sense, even Your Excellency President, in the anger of that lady, also would make a concession.”

  “I have to go now.” the soldier turned his body around without any hesitation and left this dark room. He walked on the stairs of this welfare apartment which belongs to the Defense Department officers, took out the phone from his arms, and began to report to his superior.

  “Your Excellency senator, the task failed.”

  In the dark room, that wearing synthetic sweater man, also dialed through a phone call, after he calmed down his breath a bit, then he said softly, “Your Excellency senator, the task failed.”

  It’s silenced for a while on the other side of the phone, then a somewhat old voice sounded, “throw out the bait. I don’t want to become the angry victim of Tai family, I also don’t think you wan to be neither.”

  The expression on the face of that man suddenly became very shocked, he seemed to never think of, His Excellency senator would be so afraid of the Tai family, even not spare to cut off the relation with the biggest supporter he had in the federal government without any hesitation.

  That soldier and that wearing the synthetic sweater man, exactly as what they said, they are all only the small potatoes which are not eye-catching in the Federation. But the crowd they served, were the high position and extremely profound influence people in the Federation.

  They didn’t know the names and identities of each other, just for a common goal, then they came together, reached a tacit understanding with some big shots of the federal military, began to carry out the most incredible assassination in the nearly twenty years in the Federation.

  Now the task was confirmed failed, they all smiled at each other, comforted themselves, his this party still could get some political interests from the follow-up development. But they knew it clearly, failure is failure, and it’s a very complete failure.

  They and those big shots behind their back, must have to break away from the storm which is going to be lifted by the Tai family as soon as possible. So they must thrown out the bait immediately, let the eyes of the federal government turn to the mountains.