True Solution of the Sword Dao

---------------

Here are two books I recommend; both are quite good.

And, they should both be quite popular now.

---------------

United States, Washington

FBI Headquarters

The FBI headquarters in Washington is a white rectangular building, with countless tiny windows embedded in its facade, looking like a block of cheese that is vented all over.

In an office window located on the upper floors towards the right, there is a lavishly decorated small office.

High-end black leather sofas, black wood carved desks. The light yellow wall coverings have patterns like those of a church. Both the ceiling and the floor were the same color: cream.

The difference, though, is that the ceiling is elliptical, its edges adorned with numerous fine lace patterns. A small bookshelf is embedded into the wall, framed in the same light yellow, filled with large tomes resembling dictionaries, arranged in impeccable order. The bookshelf is positioned next to the desk, within easy reach of anyone sitting in the leather chair.

At this moment, the leather chair was occupied by an old man with white hair and blue eyes. He was methodically scanning a stack of documents in front of him, occasionally flipping through the pages with one hand. The other hand held a small bronze seal, ready for stamping.

There was no other sound in the office; it was very quiet, save for the rustling of paper as the old man turned the pages.

Page by page, the old man slowly flipped through the white paper documents. As his pace quickened, his brows gradually furrowed.

Dong! Dong!...

The rhythmic sound of a clock chimed from afar, clear and lingered with a faint echo, further accentuating the peacefulness of the afternoon.

The old man in the office listened intently to the bells for a moment before gently setting down the documents and picking up the phone on his desk.

"Hello, Kenu, have Andy come over to my office."

"Okay," a woman’s voice responded quickly from the other end of the line.

It was only a matter of minutes before there was a gentle knock at the office door.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

"Come in," the old man said without lifting his head, standing up and walking to the window behind him. He looked out at the scenery with his hands clasped behind his back as the breeze tousled his white hair and the hem of his clothes.

The door opened gently.

A tall, thin man dressed in a black suit walked in calmly. With his sinister gaze, hooked nose, and deep-set eyes, he looked like the very image of a secret agent from a movie.

"You were looking for me, Director?" the man with the hooked nose asked in a low, respectful tone.

The old man at the window didn’t immediately respond, but instead gazed out at the expanse of trees, their green leaves tinged with yellow, as if he was lost in thought.

The man stood there quietly, waiting without a hint of impatience.

After a moment, the old man slowly turned around.

"Andy, there’s something I need you to handle," the old man paused, then emphasized, "I need your people to handle it."

"Please instruct me," the man with the hooked nose said, his expression unchanged.

**************

Washington Dulles Airport

As the Airbus gradually descended, the massive white body of the plane stabilized.

Lin You was the first to dash out of the cabin, taking the stairs three at a time and jumping down. Then, the rest of the passengers followed, along with Chris and Merrill, who slowly mingled with the crowd and descended. Finally, there were Cheng Guang and Feil.

Lin You turned to look at her companions and suddenly realized that up to now, her travel companions were all females, with the only males being the Metal Scepter Contractor and Antos, who was about to join them as the Staff of the Earth Contractor. It seemed there was a slight imbalance...

That’s what she thought.

Assessing her companions, Lin You formed her judgments accurately.

Merrill was dressed like a professional businesswoman, in a skirt suit paired with black stockings, embodying both sexiness and composure. Chris was entirely in a black, tight-fitting dress, a typical rich girl attire, where her normally hidden figure was now revealing its curves.

Lin You’s gaze fell on Feil and Cheng Guang.

Feil was all smiles, wearing standard faded blue jeans and a black T-shirt, the epitome of a student’s garb, looking suspiciously youthful. Cheng Guang, however, was dressed in black from head to toe, long-sleeved shirt and trousers, with a visibly haggard face and slightly swollen eyes, making her look utterly lifeless.

Once everyone was off the plane, they didn’t head to the transfer bus but instead slowly made their way to the airport terminal.

The strong wind blew the hair of the several women in all directions.

Before Lin You could even open her mouth, her hair almost got blown into her mouth. "What should we do now that we’re here?"

Merrill squinted her eyes and pulled a pair of sunglasses from her bag.

"Let’s first find a place to settle down, and then we’ll do some reconnaissance. We need to get a better understanding of the situation first."

"The United States... Washington, it feels like we’re on a holiday..." Lin You was a bit excited, "Last time it was Romalia, and now the United States, it’s like a world tour."

"Give it up, we’re here on business, not for fun," Feil said, exasperated. "It’s a pity that brother didn’t come this time. What a shame... If brother Lin Fei were here, it would have been a good opportunity to grow closer..." Feil said with an intentionally sappy tone.

Lin You rolled her eyes. "Build your relationship, what’s that got to do with me?"

"Your brother is now our financial source. Don’t you think you should go back and sweet-talk him a little?" Merrill joked.

"Why don’t you do it yourselves?" Lin You shot back, rushing ahead, clearly not wanting to talk any further.

The others laughed as they followed behind.

The group of five exited the airport and hopped directly onto a bus. It was not until about four in the afternoon that they reached the hotel at the airport. Then, they checked into two rooms to save money. Merrill practically dragged Lin You into one room, while the three smaller figures, Feil and the others, took another room. Thankfully, both were double rooms—comfortable enough for three people to share.

They stayed there for one night.

The next morning, they all headed out, making their way to the address they had gotten from their info.

In the suburbs of Washington, over an expanse of yellow-green grassland, small clusters of green trees were scattered about.

A gray little road stretches in twists and turns through the grass. Trees of all shapes and sizes line the road, some with dense leaves that block most of the golden sunlight, allowing only a few fragments to filter through, mixing with the fallen leaves scattered on the road.

A beige Chevrolet is wobbling down the road, its rear end belching out puffs of black smoke like it’s gasping for breath.

The car sways left, then right.

Squeak...

The Chevrolet spews out a plume of black smoke, finally losing power and coming to a stop right on the road. It shudders all over, rocking in a raucous dance, until it finally falls silent.

"No worries, no worries!!" The driver side door opens. A man in blue overalls clamors out loudly, "It’s nothing! Back in the day when I drove the heavy tank Sherman M4, that time... uh... that time..." He mutters to himself, burping from the alcohol as he walks to the rear of the car.

Bang, bang, bang!!

Three solid kicks.

Squeak...

With a half-dead cough, the Chevrolet belches another cloud of black smoke. Astonishingly, the engine starts up again.

The old man’s face is flushed as he lets out another burp, staggering back to the driver’s seat.

"Back in the day... back in the day..." He pauses, then suddenly turns around. "Where was I just now?"

In the back of the car, Lin You and company don’t quite know what face to make...

"You were saying... there’s a Sherman M4 inside a heavy tank?" Merrill says with a confused look.

"That’s a medium tank..." Cheng Guang also looks blankly.

"Remember that time... I was driving an M5 tank across the march bridge... the bridge broke down five times!! Uh... five... five times... Each time, I first had to prop the tank’s gun barrel on the riverbank... to keep it from falling... then... get down and fix the bridge. Fixed it five times..."

"Are you talking about Transformers or something..." All five are completely speechless.

"I say, Cheng Guang, where did you find this gem?" Merrill asks quietly.

Cheng Guang manages a smile that, ironically, looks more like a cry...

"Just now when I asked for a taxi to go to Arlington National Cemetery... he came right out..."

"Oh..." The other four look speechless.

Clang...

The car stops again...

The five huddle together, blankly watching the old man mutter as he opens the door and gets out.

Bang, bang, bang!!

Three more loud thuds from the rear of the car.

Squeak...

The old man quickly climbs back in.

"Getting older... not enough energy... uh... back in the day... I could pull the car for more than a mile alone..."

"......"

The car wobbles on its way down the road.

Whoosh...

An black Mercedes whizzes past the Chevrolet. A cigarette butt is flung from the Mercedes straight into the Chevrolet.

"Stupid old bucket!! Haha!!" The sound of a young man’s voice quickly fades with the Mercedes.

"F*** your shit!! Shit!!" The old man explodes in rage, flipping the bird at the Mercedes before angrily jumping out of the car.

"Just wait till I fix this car... uh... I’ll kill you!"

After a round of clattering...

The old man returns to the car, seething.

He drops a wrench and several tools in his hand.

"Huh? Why is there a screw here?" He suddenly seems puzzled, pulling a large screw from his clothing. "I’m sure I got them all on there, right? How can there be an extra screw?"

The five passengers want to cry but have no tears.

Who can manage to have surplus parts after fixing a car... what level of skill does that require?

Thankfully, although the Chevrolet had constant problems, it was still much faster than walking. There were many bumps along the way...

Filled with trepidation, the five passengers finally arrived at their destination.

Arlington National Cemetery

The five people stand on the side of the road outside the national cemetery’s parking lot, watching the Chevrolet wobble away into the distance, all of them breathing a sigh of relief.

"Glad we made it without any accidents..." Merrill can’t help saying.

Cheng Guang’s face is pale, having become carsick even though she usually isn’t, all thanks to the overalls-clad old man’s driving. "Next time, I won’t just go for the cheapest option..." she regrets...

Squeak...

In the distance, the Chevrolet emits another puff of black smoke.

The old man unsteadily gets out of the car, walks to the rear, and with a bang, bang, bang, the entire car jumps with his kicks. Then he unsteadily gets back in.

The car continues its precarious journey down the road until it disappears completely.

"Alright... alright..." Merrill takes a deep breath. "We finally made it here safely; now it’s time to focus on our objective." (To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for recommended tickets, monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)