156: Chapter 156 American Astronaut: I Want to Apply for Political Asylum!

The surface of the Moon was a deathly shade of gray.

Less than fifty meters from the gate of the Star Base, the barrel of a broken kinetic rifle was stuck crookedly into the lunar soil.

Tied to the top of the barrel was a piece of white gauze torn from a first-aid kit.

It was ghastly white.

And awkward.

Because there is no wind on the Moon.

That white flag, symbolizing surrender, did not flutter in the wind as it would in a movie; instead, it hung limp and stiff, like a dried salted fish.

Steve knelt beside the white flag, his hands raised high above his head.

His expensive powered exoskeleton had completely paralyzed, turning into a pile of heavy scrap metal that made it almost impossible for him to breathe. The HUD display on his visor was pitch black, with only the red warning light of the oxygen supply system flickering stubbornly.

[Oxygen Remaining: 3%].

This was the final countdown.

"Captain... will they open the door?"

Behind him, a team member's voice, laced with tears, came through their pressed-together helmets, "I don't want to suffocate here... That mouse is too terrifying, I'd rather go to jail."

"Shut up, maintain your position."

Steve gritted his teeth, staring fixedly at the tightly closed airlock door.

He was gambling.

Gambling that the Eastern man capable of building interstellar warships still needed a few living captives to show off to the world.

Finally.

"Hiss—"

The indicator light on the airlock door changed from the red of refusal to the green of passage.

That thick alloy door slowly rose.

There were no flowers, no red carpet.

Only a rugged-looking lunar engineering vehicle rumbled out.

A person jumped off the vehicle.

Zhao Gang was wearing that enviably lightweight protective suit, carrying an alloy chain used for dragging ore, and strode over like a foreman.

He walked up to Steve, looked down at this group of special forces soldiers kneeling on the ground like scrap metal, and curled his lips in disgust.

"What bad luck."

Zhao Gang muttered, and although it couldn't be heard in the vacuum, Steve understood his lip movements.

"Click."

The alloy chain was unceremoniously hooked onto the attachment point of Steve's exoskeleton.

Then the second, the third...

Six top American agents were strung together like a bunch of grasshoppers about to be thrown into a pot.

"Off you go!"

Zhao Gang jumped onto the engineering vehicle and stepped on the gas.

"Boom—"

The engineering vehicle kicked up a cloud of dust, dragging this "trophy" like dead dogs, and roughly hauled them into the base's gate.

...

"Hiss—hum—"

The pressurization sound of the airlock chamber rang out.

As the air pressure balanced, the indicator light turned green.

Steve reached out impatiently and ripped off the helmet that had been suffocating him.

"Hoo—ha—!!"

He greedily took deep breaths, his lungs stinging painfully from the lack of oxygen, but the air, smelling of machine oil, was more fragrant to his nose than Chanel No. 5 at that moment.

He had survived.

He had really survived.

He wiped the cold sweat from his face and looked up.

He saw Jiang Chen sitting on a folding chair, holding a cup of hot tea in his hand, and holding that... damned, terrifying yellow demon in his arms.

Pikachu was gnawing on a new high-energy battery, not even glancing at them.

But Steve still instinctively shivered, his legs went weak, and he actually knelt down again.

"Mr... Mr. Jiang!"

Steve's voice was hoarse, the exhaustion after extreme fear, "Don't kill us! We surrender! Unconditional surrender!"

Jiang Chen blew on the tea foam without even lifting his eyelids:

"Surrender?"

"Weren't you quite arrogant just now? Didn't you want to conduct special operations? What's wrong? It hasn't even been ten minutes, and you've already wilted?"

"That was a misunderstanding!"

Steve was anxious. He glanced at the fully armed Dragon Country soldiers surrounding them, then at Jiang Chen's nonchalant demeanor, his brain spinning rapidly.

There was definitely no going back.

The mission had failed, the equipment was destroyed, and he had embarrassed his country so badly. If he went back to the US, a court-martial was inevitable, and he might even be silenced.

Since that was the case...

He would just have to broaden his path!

"Mr. Jiang! I want to report something!"

Steve suddenly looked up, his eyes burning with a raging fire called "desire to survive," and he shouted righteously:

"I want to apply for political asylum!"

"We were tricked into coming here! We are victims who were fooled by that damned Department of Defense!"

Jiang Chen raised an eyebrow, becoming interested:

"Oh? Fooled?"

"How did they fool you? Did they say there were weapons of mass destruction here?"

"No! It's even more ridiculous than that!"

Steve gritted his teeth, his face full of indignation at being deceived by capitalism:

"They told us..."

"That oil had been discovered on the Far Side of the Moon!"

"They said there was a huge, undeveloped oil field here! As long as we occupied this place, we could control the future lifeline of energy!"

"Pfft—"

Jiang Chen sprayed out the mouthful of tea he had just taken.

Zhao Gang, standing nearby, slipped and almost lost his footing.

Oil?

On the Moon?

What the hell kind of hellish joke is this?

"What a talent."

Jiang Chen wiped his mouth, looked at the indignant Steve, and couldn't help but give a thumbs up, "As expected of the US, this reason is... very fitting for the national situation."

"As long as there is oil, then it is inherently their territory since ancient times, right?"

"Yes! It's exactly those scammers!"

Seeing Jiang Chen laugh, Steve quickly climbed up the pole, tearfully expressing his loyalty:

"Mr. Jiang, I have already seen through the faces of those politicians!"

"I quit! I want to switch sides!"

"I am a retired Navy SEAL, proficient in demolition, reconnaissance, vehicle operation, and I can even fix air conditioning!"

He pointed to the few team members behind him who were also looking expectant:

"My brothers are also technical backbone staff! Even if it's just guarding your gate, it's better than risking our lives for those scammers!"

"Please! Take us in!"

"We just need a bite to eat! No social insurance, no two-day weekends!"

Looking at this group of crying American elites scrambling to sign an indentured servitude contract, Jiang Chen rubbed his chin.

Although these people were enemies before, it had to be said that their physical fitness and technical skills were indeed ready-made labor.

The group of alien gray-skins were strong but dim-witted and couldn't do detailed work. These people would complement them perfectly.

And...

Having American ace agents mine for him on the Moon—if that image were sent back, it would probably give The President a cerebral hemorrhage on the spot.

The satisfaction was doubled.

"Fine."

Jiang Chen put down his teacup, his eyes revealing a kind of kindness unique to capitalists:

"Since you are so sincere, I am not an unreasonable person."

"It just so happens that I've opened a new mining area here, and I'm short of a few foremen."

He stood up, walked over to Steve, and patted his still-trembling shoulder:

"As long as you work hard."

"Never mind oil."

"In the future, you can dig as much lunar soil as you want."

"Room and board included, no days off all year round."

Steve was stunned for a moment, then ecstatic.

Although it sounded like he was about to enter a black coal mine, at least his life was saved! And he was working for this ruthless guy who could hand-craft warships! Wasn't this better than taking abuse at the CIA?

"Thank you, boss! You're the best, boss!"

The six burly men kowtowed in unison, and it was quite loud.

Jiang Chen nodded with satisfaction.

"Old Zhao, take them to get their work uniforms."

"Remember to strip off those ragged mechs and change them into our Pinduoduo-style work clothes."

"By the way..."

Jiang Chen walked to the observation window of the airlock chamber.

Through the thick glass, he looked at the vast, boundless gray-white wasteland outside, and the azure Earth in the distance.

Since he had captured the people and occupied the land.

It was time to set some rules for this world.

"Help me connect to a global live stream."

Jiang Chen adjusted his collar, a domineering glint flashing in his eyes:

"I want to announce something."

"From today on, this territory..."

"Belongs to Jiang."