I Have A Super USB Drive

by <unknown>

Lane could taste the scent of blood swelling up in his throat. He could tell he had sustained significant internal damage because his entire body was throbbing with pain. The armor he wore was certainly impressive since even when he was only mere meters away from the point of explosion, he was only blasted away into the distance without losing consciousness as the armor had absorbed most of the kinetic and thermal force of the explosion.

  Lane picked himself up with sheer determination this time. Then, he sprinted off into the distance in the same direction the crowd went...

  The armor of the bionic police had many high-tech implementations. The moment he started running, he instantly accelerated to a speed of a hundred and twenty kilometers per hour like a high-power sports car. He continued to run for several minutes until he was no longer surrounded by his foes and arrived at a barren plot of land in the neighborhood.

  Even after making it out here, his armor was still under the effect of the signal disruption.

  "Hack, hack, hack..."

  Lane had another round of violent coughing fit. His helmet retracted on its own and he spat out a mouthful of blood. "D*mn it, why is the signal still disrupted? I should've made it out of the signal blockage range..."

  "Because I've been next to you all this time."

  Lane suddenly heard a low voice uttered right behind him. His eyes shrank as he snapped around. For a moment, he could not believe his eyes!

  It was... Captain Brooke!

  Brooke was wearing the same armor as he did. There was a device strapped to his chest that was constantly emitting blue light at regular intervals. Amid the surrounding darkness, it illuminated Brooke's face with its periodic glows.

  "You, why are you here..."

  Lane's voice was hoarse. The shock in his tone could not be any more clear.

  "Is it so surprising for you to find me here?"

  Brooke answered blankly, "Didn't you come out here to collect evidence of my drug trafficking? I figured I might as well come in person to greet you properly."

  As he said this, he slowly approached the distraught-looking Lane. "So, what do you think about this surprise appearance?"

  "Brooke..."

  Lane gritted his teeth, his eyes beaming with rage. "I knew it, you already know I was spying on you..."

  "That's not the only thing I know about. I also know that you were once a part of the little squad that Christina assembled."

  Brooke smiled. "Isn't that right, Lamb?"

  When Lane heard Brooke uttered his old nickname, he was so shocked that he was temporarily at a loss for words. He stumbled several paces backward and looked at Brooke like he had seen a ghost.

  "I know even more than that. I know of your background as well. You lost your mother due to a mistake I made in the middle of an operation, which is why you've been holding a grudge against me. You joined Christina's squad because you think that I was the one who killed your mother and you want revenge by destroying me..."

  Brooke slowly inched toward Lane. "I know what's on your mind. You must be dying to know how I've come to know all this."

  "The answer is simple. It's because I'm 'Cain'. I'm the mysterious benefactor of the little revenge squad you joined..."

  As soon as Brooke mentioned this, he suddenly planted his feet into the ground and charged at Lane. Lane did not even have time to process everything that he was just told when he saw his captain coming toward him with a balled fist hovering in front of his face!

  Despite his condition, Lane's military training had honed his senses enough to make him instinctively put his arms up to guard himself against this devastating blow!

  Little did he know, this attack was merely a fluke. As Brooke jabbed his right fist toward Lane, he also held a dagger in his left hand and plunged it into Lane simultaneously!

  "Thud!"

  Lane heard an ominous rattle produced by the dagger cutting into him. He was so mentally disjointed by everything that had been revealed to him that his body could not react in time to avoid the blow. All he managed was to hold his breath and dodge backward ever so slightly.

  "Swoosh!"

  Bright sparks burst from Lane's chest region. The sharp screech penetrated the dead silence of the night!

  Lane backed away as far as he could when he recognized an opening. After he separated himself and investigated the damage done, he saw a foot-long crevice cut into the breastplate of his armor!

  An armor that even a bullet fired from a sniper rifle could not penetrate was sliced open by a mere dagger!

  "High-frequency vibration nano dagger, sharp enough to cut diamonds..."

  Brooke sneered and dashed forward again before Lane had time to catch his breath.

  Lane tried his best to jump out of the way, but with his body encumbered from all the damage sustained so far, he could not keep up.

  After several more strikes, Lane's armor was completely torn apart by the dagger. This time, the dagger found its way straight into his chest. He felt a throbbing pain that spread from his stomach region. His body could not hold out any longer and collapsed stubbornly onto the ground...

  "Hack, hack..."

  As Lane lay on the ground full of despair, he coughed out several mouthfuls of blood.

  "After you die, I'll tell everyone that you were killed by gang members while in the middle of an operation with me. You'll be remembered as a hero..."

  Brooke mocked his victim with a wry smile. He pressed Lane into the ground with his feet and raised his dagger into the air!

  Lane closed his eyes.

  However, death did not come to him even when he expected it. Lane, with his eyes closed, heard the abrupt clank of an object clattering against his chest.

  Lane slowly opened his eyes and saw Brooke frozen in his pose with his arms raised high in the air. The dagger had slipped away from his grip and dropped onto the floor.

  "What, what's going on... Impossible..."

  Brooke was utterly baffled by what was happening. He tried desperately to wring himself free, to command his body to move, but the armor seemed to have been disconnected and would not budge no matter what. He stood still in place like a statue...

  Lane immediately registered what was happening. Without a moment's delay, he grabbed the dagger and plunged it into Brooke's face that was frozen with horror!

  "Ah!"

  The sharp, excruciating scream only lasted for a brief instant before it was muffled.

  After that, dead silence...

  After a minute had passed, Lane slowly pulled himself up and rooted himself to the ground. He looked at Brooke who was lying lifelessly on the ground. Brooke with a nano dagger penetrated through his helmet and planted in the middle of his face.

  There was certainly no hope of Brooke coming back to life from this.

  "What's going on..."

  Lane heard a familiar, feminine voice whispering to him through his earpiece, "Lane, is Brooke dead?"

  "Aus, Austin?"

  It was the voice of the manager of the BHB Combative Police Force!

  Lane gasped. "What's going on, wasn't the signal disrupted?"

  "I have no idea what happened either. I relayed what was happening to the higher-ups when your signal was suddenly cut off just now. The signal was restored just as Brooke was about to kill you..."

  Austin sounded very anxious. "My fingers immediately went to the termination button to suspend Brooke's usage of the armor!"

  Chapter 522: The World Mourns |

  Austin began to question Lane through the earpiece, her tone urgent, "Lane, what happened? Why were you fighting with Brooke to a point where you two were trying to kill each other?"

  Lane opened his mouth, but the sentences would not come out.

  How could he explain his reason for being here and why he and Brooke were trying to kill each other?

  Was he supposed to tell her the truth, that his reason for joining the BHB was to kill Brooke?

  That the reason he was here in the first place all start
ed from Brooke's phone call which he successfully spied on?

  Lane knew that he could not possibly tell them the entire truth since he would also be subject to Blackwatch's punishment. Still, it was extremely difficult for him to provide a reasonable explanation for what had happened.

  Lane found himself bathing in sweat.

  Just as he was dealing with this internal conflict, he heard a deep voice of another man coming from the earpiece. "Lane, I reported this incident to the higher-ups, the company will dispatch a proper team to clean everything up very soon. Your task now is to hide Brooke's body and ensure nobody sees it, do you understand?"

  "Manager Liu?"

  Lane immediately recognized who this person talking to him was. It was manager Liu, the department head. He rushed to explain himself, "Manager Liu, I wasn't intending to kill him!"

  "I know."

  To Lane's surprise, manager Liu began to lay everything out clearly for him. "Brooke secretly colluded with the CIA and was acting as a spy for them to collect intel on Blackwatch. His signal jamming device and other weapons were all provided by the CIA and even the organization you were involved with in the past was connected to the CIA as well. There are many more such small organizations scattered all over the world.

  "It may seem like Brooke was behind this ambush you faced, but it was all the work of the intricate planning of the CIA. We've been collecting evidence of Brooke's schemes long before you started doing it, but we didn't expect you to act so soon."

  "What..."`

  Cold sweat continued to pour down his neck and his back. Could this mean that everything he had been doing was closely monitored by the company all this time?

  His opponent all this time had been the renowned CIA belonging to his very own country?

  On one side was his country while on the opposite side was his company. Lane found himself at a loss for which side he was supposed to take...

  "But there's no need for you to worry. The higher-ups are pleased with how you've handled this situation. Although you have a previous track record of engaging in organizations against Blackwatch, you've made up for it by exposing their location to us. You have great potential and we're eager to see your continued development."

  Manager Liu suddenly paused to allow Lane to digest the message, then noted. "Lane, don't disappoint the company..."

  "I, I won't..."

  At this point, the back of Lane's shirt was completely soaked in sweat.

  "It's not that we want you to betray your country."

  The manager continued. "The truth is that despite our company and Northern America's public collaborations, there have been many hidden conflicts. On one hand, we have to unite to fight against evil forces. But on the other hand, Northern America is afraid of our continued growth, which leads us to situations such as what happened today... But none of this has anything to do with you or me. It's only the higher-ups in the company that have to be concerned with these developments. All you need to do is keep your head down and do your job. Don't try to be like Brooke and get yourself involved in the giant vortex of the two major forces, do you understand?"

  "Yes..."

  Lane's voice came out in the form of a dry rattle.

  "Alright, the special team will be arriving at the scene shortly, just leave the rest to them, they know how to take care of it."

  With that, manager Liu had effectively laid out everything there was to do and proceeded to hang up.

  "Phew..."

  With that, Lane let out a deep sigh. He looked at Brooke who was starting to turn stiff, then he proceeded to drag the corpse into the bushes nearby and waited silently.

  After around ten minutes, several black Wrangler jeeps appeared out of nowhere and screeched to a stop in front of Lane. Lane was slightly perturbed by this and shot up nervously. He then saw dozens of Blackwatch personnel clad in black robes and tactical helmets swarming out of the vehicles.

  They each carried a pulse rifle and wore a combat suit underneath the black robes. They quickly formed a circle around Lane and gave off a slight air of hostility.

  Lane quickly put his hands in the air and asked tentatively, "I'm part of the bionic police department, are you guys sent by the company to clean up the mess?"

  "Yes, we received the mission to reclaim the company's property."

  Lane glanced behind the crowd and saw a woman who did not wear a helmet hopping out of a Wrangler jeep.

  She had minimal makeup on and an icy attitude around her. Even the combat uniform could not conceal her full and robust hourglass figure. With a quick signal from her, the group surrounding him lay down their weapons and began inspecting the surroundings.

  "Pedro Lane?"

  The woman asked, but not before eying Lane up and down as she walked in a circle around him.

  "That's me..."

  Although Lane knew what the suit of armor he wore was capable of, he was still filled with agitation when confronted by this otherworldly woman. It seemed that this person in front of him was not an ordinary human being, but a black leopard in disguise. She could very well tear him into pieces at any given moment.

  It was apparent to Lane that she could hardly be bothered by what Lane thought of her. She suddenly produced a gun-shaped detector from her pocket and aimed it at him. The indicator on the detector immediately flashed green light and announced, "Identity confirmation: Pedro Leon, member of Bionic Police Project Department. Code number 113304."

  "Alright."

  Seeing this, the woman put the detector back into her pocket and remarked without much regard, "The higher-ups have given specific instructions for us to handle everything from here on, you may leave now. Let me remind you that as per the company's agreement, you're prohibited from telling anyone who is unauthorized, especially outsiders, about everything that has happened today. Otherwise, the company will be sure to deal with you accordingly, understand?"

  "Alright, understood..."

  Lane took a deep gulp and left without so much as sparing another glance.

  While he was on the way out, he did manage to take note of the department printed across the chest section of the woman's uniform. It read 'B.S.S.'.

  "It's the B.S.S. Department..."

  The B.S.S. Department was short for Black Security Service Department. However, Lane knew that this name was merely a facade for the true nature of the department. It should instead be named as Blackwatch Quick Reaction Security Force!

  Just like the Bionic Police Department, the Black Security Service Department was also affiliated with Blacklight Biotechnology. To the outside world, the B.S.S. was seen as an equivalent of the Bionic Police Department, but the truth was this department had far more administrative authority. Instead of being labeled as a special force department, it would be more apt to label it as the company's private armed forces!

  The very purpose for the existence of this department was to oversee the safety of Blackwatch's property and to annihilate whatever evidence that may prove to be unfavorable to the reputation of the company.

  This piece of information was only known to a handful of selected individuals. The only reason Lane was informed of this was that he was once a member of the Blackwatch Resistance Organization. Otherwise, it was nigh impossible for him to be told of such matters based on his current rank in the company.

  Lane walked alone in the dark. When he passed by the Bartlett Bar, he saw that the section of the neighborhood was illuminated by a radiant column of flame where the Bartlett Bar once stood! The fire was spreading to the nearby buildings as well. People were running in a fit of mania and panic, the flames were visible from a great distance away!

  It seemed like Blackwatch had a lot of business to take care of tonight...

  Lane felt a great chill that seeped into the deepest crevice of his heart. All along, he knew that Blackwatch was far from your average company, but now, he had fully realized the full extent of what this company was capable of. The mere thought of it was thoroughl
y disturbing.

  Dozens of lives lost in the span of a single night and yet the Northern American Continent would simply brush off this matter. This was a testament to the ridiculous influence of this company...

  Lane returned to his bike he parked in a secluded corner and drove back to the bionic police base. His mind was overwhelmed with a mixture of emotions.

  Lane had a feeling that he would have trouble falling asleep tonight...

  ...

  The sun gradually rose along the horizon to welcome the dawn of the next day in Northern America. A young man named York who had just recently graduated from university and was now working in a small media company called PUB yawned lazily at his desk. Fortunately, he had just got to the office five minutes from his appointed working hours.

  "Sigh, another boring, ordinary day."

  York mumbled to himself as he lazily turned on the computer. Suddenly, the display immediately showed a high-resolution poster of the BHB Combative Police Force on his desktop. It was evident enough that he was a superfan of Blackwatch's BHB Combative Police Force.

  "York, York!"

  Before York even had time to settle into his seat and get his mood ready for today's work, he heard what sounded like the agonizing yelp of a dying chicken coming from somewhere behind him. This voice immediately evoked a sense of irritation deep inside York, but he put on his best smile to conceal his annoyance and enquired nicely, "Yes team leader, need anything?"

  The man whom York addressed as team leader was a middle-aged man whose hairline was barely clinging on for dear life. He continued howling as he approached York's desk and slapped an evaluation form on the desk. Then, he ranted with his fingers repeatedly tapping against the form. "Look at the articles you've written last week. Two articles out of three were rejected and the only one that got approved was ridiculed by our readers. This is your admirable work from last week!"

  York seemed troubled and complained, "But team leader, wasn't it you who wanted me to write articles on these current affairs?"

  "But it wasn't me who told you to write such garbage content!"

  The team leader roared. "The manager isn't happy with you. If you still can't give us some proper articles this week, get ready to pack up and go home!"