Shi Lang ran the distance of a few dozen kilometers on his feet, the place his escape pod landed was nothing but a barren patch, away from any source of residence and civilization. Fortunately, both his speed and power had increased and he covered the distance quite easily. His performance was a surprise to himself, as he ran and his body got used to this new pace he found that if he exerted himself, then his output could match a six-star Terran.

He reached the road and using his communicator, he began to run. This road will lead him to a human settlement or he might encounter a passing convoy and hitch a ride. Well, fine, asking them to hand him the vehicle is a better way to put it.

He changed into a casual set of clothes. If other cultivators were to find out that the spiritual tattoo space of a fellow cultivator has changed to a portable wardrobe, then would they die from laughter? I guess that is a question we will never find the answer to.

Shi Lang ran for a couple of hours at a speed that could put a normal car to shame. Suddenly, he sensed a slight vibration coming from behind the road. He slowed down and as predicted an old-designed motorcycle was moving in his direction. The outer shell was old, but the engine inside was a mini nuclear battery.

The bike was moving in his direction at a fast speed. Shi Lang did not budge from his spot in the middle of the road. However, the biker seemed to have been irritated by his presence and turned the accelerator more to hit him. As the vehicle moved closer, Shi Lang reached out inside his shirt and took out his phasor handgun. He said, “Stop or die.”

The rider was baffled at the scene, he was not going to hit the guy in front of him, and would have just shaved close, but he did not expect the guy to take out a gun and point it at him. The confused rider was aware that if he did not stop then the guy might shoot him dead. He slowed down his bike and came to a stop.

Shi Lang did not give him time to say anything and charged right over. He placed his handgun at the temples of the rider and said, “I need you to sit back and let me take you for a lap. How does the deal sound? Till the next Terran Settlement.”

The rider was surprised but then he thought about it, ‘This guy must have been robbed or stranded here by his partner, thus he needs a ride to get back to the settlement, no wonder he took out the gun so quickly.’

He nodded and Shi Lang waved the gun in his hand, asking the guy to sit back. He sat down on the front seat and said, “Do not try to play a good samaritan, I can shoot you without looking back, and even more, I can push you off the bike.”

His aura and voice were so cold that the boy shivered. He did not utter a word, even breathing felt stifling to him. Shi Lang sat down on the bike and put the handgun back in his t-shirt. He ignited the bike and said, “Hold tight.”

The passenger did not dare to take his words lightly and grabbed onto the support grooves made at the back of the bike. Then Shi Lang twisted the throttle and the boke shot.

…

Sharpnel and Hunk were standing, stuck to a wall. Hunk asked, “When will Ace be here?”

Sharpnel replied, “My guess is as better as your brother. He shared his location with you?”

Hunk did not reply and shook his head. Carole was sitting on the ground and said, “Do not worry, his skills are good enough to take get things done.”

“I am not doubting his skills, Commander must have set him over us for some reason only. However, the more time he takes, the lesser chances girls will have inside. If they thought that we have given up on them…” said Sharpnel.

Carole shook her head and said, “You think too shallow of us, Sharpnel. As a member of the secret division, we all were aware of the risks. We were told that if you are to be captured, then it is better to end your misery before it begins. This is the first time I think such an incident has happened that two agents were caught at the same time and the team was allowed to rescue them.”

Her words were true, never before have they heard of such a rescue task. Hunk said, “Calm down and maintain strict surveillance at the duke’s manor. These bastards, god knows what they are doing all holed up.”

Carole nodded as she laid down on the ground to peek through a high magnification lens. She was a sniper and her rifle was the perfect device to monitor a target. After five minutes she said, “They took them to torture yet again.”

These words made them clench their fists, this inhumane behavior was committed by a family that has devoted themselves to the military for generations. This was unfathomable.

…

While on one hand the team at stakeout was getting frustrated from all the waiting. Shi Lang, on the other hand, was riding a bike at the highest speed possible. The passenger behind was already half dead from the speed his bike was traveling. He checked the meter from looking over the shoulder and when he found the bike moving at the top speed almost every time, he was afraid that the rider want him to commit a double suicide, but that was not it as Shi Lang would let him experience a close shave, almost everything on the road including the road.

Shi Lang did not know what the person riding along with him was thinking, but if he did, then Shi Lang would probably start crying and cursing at how slow the bike is. It was close to sunset when Shi Lang reached the destination. He did not have any time to console the weeping passenger and quickly got off the bike and rushed for it.

…

Shi Lang sneaked inside an abandoned building two kilometers away from the manor. His movements were noticed by the stakeout team. Or it could be said that he alerted them on purpose. Hunk sat on the stairs with his gun aimed below to intercept the intruder.

Suddenly, he heard a calm voice, “What are you doing with that gun pointed at my face?”

Hunk shivered and said, “Captain Ace.” as he lowered his gun.

Since the team had only code names, his designation as the leader was highlighted by the word ‘Captain.’ Shi Lang climbed the stairs quickly and found Sharpnel holding the gun similar to Hunk. Carole was still in a bubble, gazing at the duke’s manor.

Sharpnel saluted Shi Lang who nodded to him and asked, “What is the status?”

Carole replied, “Captives are just brought back to the holding cell. This is the third day of capture and I get the feeling they are not going to hold back any sooner before they implement extreme measures.”

Shi Lang nodded and asked, “Do we have any map of this manor?”

Hunk nodded and said, “We do.” he tapped on his communicator and brought up a holographic three dimensional map of the manor.

Shi Lang studied the map for a few minutes and then marked a few points. The manor was built with an early victoria style of architecture. He said while pointing at the highest tower, “Carole, Hunk, you two will secure this point to play the eyes in the sky.”

Then he pointed at the several points marked around the manor, “Sharpnel, you will cover these bases with your bombs. Make sure that when we come out after rescuing our people, nothing that stands for stepping over our heads shall remain standing, either it be a man or a monument.”

His words made Sharpnel and the rest shiver. Shi Lang said, “I will be taking down their sentries and patrols. Carole, before we I would like to hack in their systems and record a loop of their patrol movement, so that when we are taking them down the main forces do not react before we want them to.”

The plan was ready, all that was left now was to take action and get it over with. Shi Lang did not waste a minute of his time and got on his communicator to breach the monitor system and start killing people. As they were waiting to act, Sharpnel asked, “Captain, how many people do you think they have inside the compound?”

The youngster replied, “A few hundred at the least. Why?”

Sharpnel asked, “Are these people all combatants?”

Shi Lang nodded, and said, “The dukes are a military family, they start training at the age of five. So set the gun at stun when you deal with children below ten.”

The atmosphere became tense, tonight was going to be a long one.