43: Chapter 43 Onikiri's Doomsday Escape, and the U.S. King's Bared Teeth and Claws!

The white pillar of light that pierced through heaven and earth came quickly and vanished just as fast.

The night sky returned to a dead silence.

Only the buzzing sound of electricity from the overloaded equipment and everyone's rapid breathing remained.

Onikiri abandoned the glass bottle containing the Kunlun Alloy powder, as well as Captain Li Jun, who was right in front of him.

Twisting his body at an unnatural angle, he drifted back several meters like a weightless leaf.

Right at that moment, outside the courtyard wall, gunfire erupted like popping corn.

Over a dozen gunmen dressed in black broke through the outer cordon of the Ministry of State Security and the military from all directions, charging recklessly toward the small courtyard in an attempt to tear open an escape route for Onikiri.

"Protect Engineer Su!"

Captain Li Jun roared, no longer paying attention to Onikiri as he turned to face the incoming enemies.

A brutal close-quarters firefight instantly erupted in the small courtyard.

Bullets flew wildly through the air, hitting the walls and kicking up clouds of dust and debris.

Onikiri glanced with cold, sinister eyes at Su Che, who was protected behind Captain Li Jun, and the glass bottle shards on the ground.

He did not linger to fight.

Taking advantage of the chaos his comrades created with their lives, his figure flashed, melting into the shadows of the corner like a true specter.

"He's trying to run! Stop him!"

Qin Lan and Gao Jian's voices came from outside the courtyard, filled with urgency.

However, as a top agent, if Onikiri was determined to escape, it was indeed difficult to keep him there.

Under the cover of a series of smoke grenades, when the smoke finally cleared, only the bodies of over a dozen black-clad gunmen and a few slightly injured guards remained in the courtyard.

Onikiri had vanished.

"Damn it!"

Gao Jian punched the wall, his face filled with frustration.

Qin Lan inspected the scene and calmly gave the order.

"He's injured, he won't get far."

"Lock down the entire city! Turn it upside down if we have to, but drag him out for me!"

...

The courtyard quickly fell silent again.

The pungent smell of gunpowder, mixed with the scent of blood, permeated the air.

Su Che ignored all of that and immediately rushed back inside.

Lin Waner was still sitting on the camp bed, her face pale, clutching her neck, her entire body trembling.

"It's okay now, Waner."

Su Che walked over quickly, squatted down, and gently pulled her hand away.

A thin, long bloody scratch on her snow-white, delicate neck looked exceptionally striking.

Su Che felt a deep pang of heartache.

He turned around, took out iodophor and cotton swabs from the first-aid kit.

"Does it hurt?"

Lin Waner looked at him and shook her head, but her tears betrayingly spilled over.

"It doesn't hurt."

"Liar, it's bleeding."

Su Che murmured softly, dipping a cotton swab in iodophor to carefully disinfect the wound for her.

As the cold liquid touched the wound, Lin Waner's body shuddered slightly.

Su Che slowed down his movements even further.

He blew gently on the wound.

"There, it's just a superficial wound. It won't leave a scar."

He applied a small band-aid for her.

Only after finishing all of this did he let out a sigh of relief, plumping himself down on the floor.

As the adrenaline faded, a wave of lingering fear and exhaustion instantly washed over him.

Lin Waner looked at him, reaching out to gently caress his face.

"Su Che, I'm scared."

"Don't be scared."

Su Che held her cold hand in return.

"With me here, you can sleep soundly tonight."

After sending Lin Waner back to her room to sleep, he stood up and walked over to the device in the courtyard that had caused the massive disaster.

The device had been hit by the glass bottle, and its lens group was covered in grayish-white Kunlun Alloy powder and glass shards, looking like an absolute mess.

Frowning, he connected the backup power supply and tried to start it up.

"Hum—"

The device emitted a hum that was steadier and smoother than before.

To his surprise, all the parameters were completely normal.

In fact, the stability and efficiency of the energy output were more than a grade higher than before.

Su Che was dumbfounded.

This piece of crap wasn't broken; instead, it had been accidentally upgraded by the Kunlun Alloy powder?

Now, there was no need to worry about tomorrow night's fireworks show.

But the trouble he had caused was only just beginning.

...

Three in the morning.

In America, it was two in the afternoon, Washington time.

At the headquarters of STK Starlink Company, alarms blared throughout the entire data center.

"Report! Satellite S-2377 has lost contact!"

"Last signal coordinates: 112 degrees East longitude, 27 degrees North latitude!"

"The satellite power supply module has failed, and the inter-satellite link communication board signal has vanished!"

"Extremely high-intensity directed energy reactions have been detected in that area!"

The place was in utter chaos.

Soon, STK Company held an emergency press conference. With a face full of grief and indignation, the spokesperson accused the Dragon Nation of conducting illegal, offensive space weapon testing without prior notification, and demanded massive compensation from the Dragon Nation.

The news reached The White House.

America's President Trump slammed the table, put his hands on his hips, and issued the harshest condemnation to the global media.

A new international storm was quietly brewing.

...

Su Che was woken up by the ringing of his phone, a call from General Zhang.

"You kid, you've pierced the heavens!"

As soon as the call connected, the general's thunderous voice came through.

Su Che yawned and glanced out the window at the dark sky.

"Yeah, I know."

"Know my foot!"

General Zhang cursed on the other end.

"You shot down an American satellite with one blast! Now The White House is acting like a mad dog, shouting everywhere that we're developing space weapons!"

Su Che briefly explained what had happened last night.

There was silence on the other end of the line. Taking out an American satellite during a fireworks show—who on earth could you even argue this with!

After a long pause, General Zhang finally squeezed out a sentence.

"Well... done."

"Alright, don't worry about this matter anymore."

"Even if the sky falls, the nation will hold it up for you."

"You kid, just have a peaceful Chinese New Year for me."

"Leave the rest to us."

Hanging up the phone, Su Che snuggled back into his blanket to sleep.

Nothing in the world is more important than sleep. It's the New Year—can't a man even get some sleep?

...

By the time Su Che woke up, the sky had just begun to brighten.

Outside the window, Su Pingan had already started pasting spring couplets in the courtyard.

The red paper and black ink exuded a simple, rustic festivity.

Lin Waner had also gotten out of bed and was helping Su Pingan, the two of them chatting and laughing.

Su Che smiled as he watched this scene.

Yes.

No matter how big of a deal it was, nothing could top celebrating the New Year.

...

New Year's Eve.

Every household in Su Family Village was brightly lit.

Su Che's family's New Year's Eve dinner was very simple—just three people and a few home-cooked dishes.

Having had a bit of alcohol, Su Pingan became quite talkative, pulling Su Che over to ramble on about embarrassing stories from his childhood.

Lin Waner sat to the side, listening quietly, occasionally bursting into laughter and putting a piece of cured meat into Su Che's bowl.

After finishing the New Year's Eve dinner, the young and old of the entire village spontaneously gathered at the threshing ground at the entrance of the village.

Children held candied hawthorns, chasing and playing in the crowd.

The adults gathered in small groups of three to five, their faces beaming with anticipation.

At exactly eight o'clock in the evening.

Su Che walked to the center of the courtyard and took a deep breath in front of the strangely shaped "large cannon barrel."

He looked back and glanced at Lin Waner, who was standing at the doorway.

The young woman wore a newly bought red down jacket, her cheeks rosy like a ripe apple under the glow of the lanterns.

She nodded at him vigorously.

Su Che smiled slightly.

He turned around and pressed the start button.

Under the expectant gaze of the entire village, a brilliant green beam of light shot into the sky, piercing through the New Year's night sky.