Ephemeral clouds and works

Chapter 188: A Complete Performance

    

he woman speaking had half-white hair, but it was still meticulously combed and tied back. A closer look revealed a five-point resemblance to Lian Yi's appearance."It probably won't happen again."Gene..."Nineteen, you said these were Nationalist Party people. What do they want with me"

Liàn Yī sat in the back seat of the car, sandwiched between two people. She feigned resistance while asking Shí Jū, if there was any danger, she would be ready to run away.

At the previous negotiating conference, your quick thinking prevented casualties among the negotiators from both sides. Moreover, as a highly skilled individual, you were present when the KMT's intelligence chief was also there. He was interested in recruiting you to join the KMT's intelligence department.

This time, the stone mill's answer was very confident.

"Humph! They wouldn't be targeting me if it weren't for the fact that I am favored by Elder Wu and, well, this young lady is quite beautiful."

The ripples silently rolled their eyes.

"This is not quite what you have in mind. Joining them will give you access to more and more valuable information."

"Let's see the situation first!"

Half an hour later, the car stopped and she was pulled out of it, dragged into a house, and then the mask on her head was lifted and the cloth covering her mouth was torn away.

Ripples adjusted to the indoor lighting, wiped her mouth, and then forced herself to look around calmly. She found herself in a conference room. She was seated at one end of a rectangular table, while two men and one woman in military uniforms sat on the other end, looking her up and down.

The ripples ran across their military uniforms, confirming that they were Nationalist soldiers. All three lacked any rank insignia, making it impossible to gauge their positions at the moment. She could only furrow her brows, a mixture of displeasure and even anger evident in her voice as she spoke:

"What are you taking me here for What have I done wrong"

Miss Wu Lianyi

The man sitting in the middle spoke first.

"You can still call me Teacher Wu!"

Ripples didn't hesitate to interrupt.

The female officer sitting at the far right smiled after hearing Ripples' words, then opened the book in front of her, picked up a pen, and began to record. She was obviously the scribe.

"Well, Teacher Wu, I apologize for bringing you here this way."

The man rested his hands on his chin, speaking earnestly but with an indifferent attitude.

Just say what you need to say, don't beat around the bush.

The tone of ripples is still bad.

We have been observing you for a long time, especially your performance at the talks. We are very impressed.

"Are you trying to give me a reward"

Ripples sarcastically asked.

"We want to provide you with a platform that is more tailored to your needs, allowing you to access a wider world."

The man spoke in a seductive tone.

“As a frail woman, I never considered joining the army. Gunfire and chaos are not suited for me. There is only me left in my family, and I will have to marry into another family to ensure the continuation of the Wu lineage.”

Ripple spoke with a straight face, though what he said was utter nonsense.

The man's lips twitched, while the female scribe beside him was already suppressing a smile.

"Don't you think we'd kill you"

The man sitting to the right of Lian Yi spoke first, breaking the silence.

Ripples glanced at the man, who was the oldest of the three, probably in his forties. He had tanned skin, severe dark circles under his eyes, and deep frown lines. His lips were slightly blackened, and his gaze towards Ripples was very sharp.

"I don't know what you want from me, but if you want to kill me, there's no need to go through all this trouble of bringing me here. Just shoot me."

The ripples did not dodge any response.

"You're brave and your analysis is correct. We didn't intend to have you lead the charge, that would be a waste of your talents. But we will offer you a better chance, as long as you pass the test and aren't eliminated, you might have the opportunity to leave this place alive."

The man spoke slowly and deliberately.

"What if I don't pass the test"

"You might end up in the military police's missing persons file."

"How can you force me!"

Ripples stood up, anger radiating from him.

"All this is to defeat our enemies faster, and using some special means is unavoidable. You should be glad that at least you passed the first test of courage."

After the man finished speaking, he ignored Lianri's cries and beckoned to the soldiers at the door. The two of them carried Lianri out of the conference room again, this time without covering her face.

She cursed all the way, struggling and silently observing. She realized she was in a military camp, and it was a mixed-gender unit.

She saw on the vast square, rows of men and women running laps, as well as teams practicing shooting, martial arts, and obstacle crossing, with officers in uniform supervising and guiding them.

The ripples' scolding was loud, some people looked away distractedly and were kicked out of the queue by the officer, punished to do push-ups on the spot. The rest just glanced at her furtively with the corner of their eyes before continuing their training.

Once the ripples had been thrown into an empty room, two soldiers locked the door and left.

"Open the door! This is kidnapping, murder! I'm going to sue you all!"

Acting the whole part, Lian Yi sold her effort by knocking on the door with all her might. Of course, she had to control her strength, fearing that one forceful knock would shatter the door.

When she was tired of taking pictures and her voice was hoarse, she finally turned to look at the room where the army cot was placed. The flat sheets, neatly folded blankets, all were in military green, without any personal belongings.

Only a new set of military uniform was placed on the bed near the door, apparently prepared for her. She curled her lips and sat directly on it, shaking the blanket over her head and began to sleep.

"Instructor Chiang, this Wu Lianyi is not easy to tame."

The woman, who had previously served as a clerk, now laid down her pen and leaned back in her chair, smiling.

"We hope she will surrender before we destroy her beliefs. If we use extreme methods to subdue her, we will face repercussions in the future."

The man known as Coach Chiang, the oldest middle-aged man, spoke.

"Officer Jiang, since that's the case, let's put her in a special operations squad to assassinate Japanese officers. This way, she can act according to her beliefs, and the mission carries high risk and casualties. That will leave us without any worries."

The man who spoke first immediately said.

"Lieutenant Wei, this doesn't sound like something a man who is known for his compassion would say."

The woman teased playfully.

"Everything comes before the interests of the Nationalist Party, and I can't control anything else."

Vice-Captain Wei shrugged and said.

In just a few words, the three of them had already mapped out a future filled with ripples. Whether or not it would unfold as they wished, however, remained to be seen.

When the door opened again, Lian-Yi was awakened by the sound. She sat up and looked at the women who walked in one after another. After a moment's hesitation, she spoke aloud:

"What place is this Was I kidnapped Were you too What do they want to do"

But no one paid her any attention, treating her like air. Ripples was left with nothing but frustration, so she jumped off the bed and dashed toward the wide-open door.her whisk. A black mist shot toward Lianyi. With a deafening "boom," a deep pit appeared on the ground, but Lianyi had vanished."Why would you merge a cursed artifact with your flesh Do you know the c...