"Mobile unit commander repatriated, code 157."
Like one awakens from a dreamless deep sleep, Li Weigang suddenly opened his eyes, the UI in his helmet came back online, and started the release procedure.
The sound of mechanical gears reached his ears, his body, strapped in shock-absorbing padding and a restraining frame, suddenly relaxed. A brightness came into view—the ceiling of the Time Diving Department.
He immediately sat up, leapt down from the dive platform in one move, wearing only a black tight-fitting combat suit.
"Report the situation! Where are the others?" Li Weigang barked at the surrounding researchers fiddling with their computing devices.
"Captain Li, we’ve had casualties, KIA18," replied a Caucasian woman researcher in her forties, dressed in a white lab coat.
"KIA? How is that possible?" Li Weigang was stunned for a moment; KIA was the military acronym for Killed In Action.
"Except for you, 412, and 321, none of the others made it back," said the female researcher, shaking her head.
At that moment, two other armors were also activated. A Black man and a Caucasian man crawled out. Read full story at ɴovelfire.net
"My leg... damn, my leg’s broken..." the Black man cursed while checking his left shin.
"Calm down, your leg’s still there," said the Caucasian man, impatiently.
They came down from the platforms, stretched their limbs, and then looked at the others.
"No vital signs, and heat sources are undetectable," said the female researcher as she looked at the EKG and various vital statistics on the screen, but suddenly she realized something. She rushed to the console.
"Get my people out of there," Li Weigang ordered.
The female researcher tapped a few keys, and the other armors on the platform began the release procedure as well; the sounds of machinery rang out, and everyone in the Time Diving Department turned their gaze towards the armors on the dive platforms.
"Where are they? Could it be..." the female researcher frowned.
"Where did you put my people?" Li Weigang roared, grabbing the researcher’s arm.
"Captain, the repatriation failed. Your people were left in 2009-2 and are already dead," she explained.
"That’s illogical! We don’t actually exist in 2009-2; it’s just our projections that are there!" Li Weigang shouted.
"Enough, Captain Li, she’s right."
At this point, the Time Diving Department’s electromagnetic door whooshed open, and a woman entered.
Li Weigang looked at Xu Jing, his face displeased.
"Your people were trapped by the Clan in 2009-2; they can’t come back," Xu Jing said.
"The Clan? Why do you not think it was Chen Ke-2’s doing?" Li Weigang asked.
"We still need him, I’ve told you before, there are many dangerous Clans and deities in 2009-2, we want him to use HCP0001 to neutralize the danger before performing the containment operation," Xu Jing said.
"You actually expect a high-risk target to do you a favor with HCP0001? He’s a threat, not a human, not something worth communicating with. We’re supposed to control him, destroy him, then find a controllable host for HCP001," Li Weigang said.
"He helped us take down Chen Ke-1," Xu Jing said.
"But you also promised him half a year, and look what he’s done in just a few months? Who knows if you haven’t slept with him to gain his trust! Is the Foundation going to haggle with every containment target in the future?" Li Weigang accused.
The others all involuntarily looked towards Xu Jing, but she showed no reaction.
"This isn’t haggling, Li Weigang, it’s strategy, and I achieved my goal. You didn’t; you failed; you couldn’t bring your people back home," Xu Jing said.
"Don’t talk to me about that! If you had controlled Chen Ke-2 during the last operation, he would be obediently sitting in Confinement Station 52 right now!" Li Weigang shouted angrily.
"Confining him isn’t the Foundation’s original intent; he is key to combating the Clan. How would you cooperate with an enemy?" Xu Jing asked.
"We don’t need to cooperate with him. HCP0001 has changed hands multiple times in history; he’s just a heartless freak," Li Weigang said.
"Whatever you say, you can’t change the outcome of the failed operation. You’ve angered him. Now, do you want to lead more people to their deaths, or do you want me to handle it?" Xu Jing said.
"Uh..." Li Weigang was at a loss for words; the two team members behind him hadn’t yet recovered from the shock of their unit’s fatalities.
"Look, we still have a chance. As long as you don’t interfere again," Xu Jing said.
"Human problems should be solved by humans; I refuse to leave the fate of humanity in the hands of those things. Chen Ke-2’s threat level has already exceeded our expectations, and I will report this to the O5 Council. You know what they will do," Li Weigang said, huffing past Xu Jing and leaving the Temporal Infiltration Department.
Xu Jing watched his retreating figure with a flicker of worry in her eyes. Li Weigang was an extremist in the Foundation; he disliked using his brain, indulging in brainless, blood-fueled combat and his own delusions of heroism.
In his report to the O5 Council, Li Weigang would surely embellish the seriousness of the situation. The situation with 2009-2 was indeed dangerous, but not to the extent that it called for obliteration.
"He helped us take down Chen Ke-1," Xu Jing said.
"But you also promised him half a year, and look what he’s done in just a few months? Who knows if you haven’t slept with him to gain his trust! Is the Foundation going to haggle with every containment target in the future?" Li Weigang accused.
The others all involuntarily looked towards Xu Jing, but she showed no reaction.
"This isn’t haggling, Li Weigang, it’s strategy, and I achieved my goal. You didn’t; you failed; you couldn’t bring your people back home," Xu Jing said.
"Don’t talk to me about that! If you had controlled Chen Ke-2 during the last operation, he would be obediently sitting in Confinement Station 52 right now!" Li Weigang shouted angrily.
"Confining him isn’t the Foundation’s original intent; he is key to combating the Clan. How would you cooperate with an enemy?" Xu Jing asked.
"We don’t need to cooperate with him. HCP0001 has changed hands multiple times in history; he’s just a heartless freak," Li Weigang said.
"Whatever you say, you can’t change the outcome of the failed operation. You’ve angered him. Now, do you want to lead more people to their deaths, or do you want me to handle it?" Xu Jing said.
"Uh..." Li Weigang was at a loss for words; the two team members behind him hadn’t yet recovered from the shock of their unit’s fatalities.
"Look, we still have a chance. As long as you don’t interfere again," Xu Jing said.
"Human problems should be solved by humans; I refuse to leave the fate of humanity in the hands of those things. Chen Ke-2’s threat level has already exceeded our expectations, and I will report this to the O5 Council. You know what they will do," Li Weigang said, huffing past Xu Jing and leaving the Temporal Infiltration Department.
Xu Jing watched his retreating figure with a flicker of worry in her eyes. Li Weigang was an extremist in the Foundation; he disliked using his brain, indulging in brainless, blood-fueled combat and his own delusions of heroism.
In his report to the O5 Council, Li Weigang would surely embellish the seriousness of the situation. The situation with 2009-2 was indeed dangerous, but not to the extent that it called for obliteration.