Chapter 2 Chapter two

John Puller looked through the porthole at the vast expanse of Kansas a kilometer or two below.He moved closer to the window and looked down. The plane carrying them crossed Missouri, west into Kansas, and was circling close to Kansas City International Airport.Pilots will have to perform a series of bank turns as they descend, then bring the nose up again and let the plane land in a show-off position.The jet is currently flying over federal government properties.The federal government property mentioned here refers to prisons, and there are more than one, including both the government and the military.In the cells of these prisons above ground are thousands of inmates mourning their lost, many of them forever lost, freedom.

Puller narrowed his eyes and raised his hand to shield him from the harsh sunlight.The plane is flying over the US military corrections camp, which is also known as "the castle".For more than a hundred years it has been responsible for detaining the most serious criminals in the military. It turned out that the old "castle" of stone and brick really looked like a defensive fortress in the Middle Ages.The new U.S. military correctional battalion rebuilt in a new location is like a community college.You would not think so, though, if you noticed the two fourteen-foot iron fences surrounding it.

The Leavenworth federal prison, where civilian criminals are held, is located more than six kilometers south of the U.S. military corrections camp. Correctional battalions in the U.S. Army house only male criminals.Female offenders from the military are held at the Naval Prison in San Diego.The prisoners in the U.S. military correctional camps are all persons who have been sentenced by military courts for violating the relevant provisions of the U.S. Uniform Code of Military Justice.They are all prisoners who have been sentenced to more than five years (including five years) in prison or convicted of endangering national security.

National Security.That's why John Pooler is here. The wheels touched the runway smoothly, and the passenger plane landed at Kansas City International Airport.Half an hour later, Pooler got into his rented car and drove out of the airport, heading west toward Kansas.It was hot and there was no wind. The lush green peaks are rolling and rolling.Puller didn't turn on the air conditioner in the car.He likes the natural air, hot or not.His barefoot height is more than 1.92 meters, and the extra bit is 0.48 centimeters to be precise.He knows his exact height because his employer, the U.S. Army, has been unequivocal about measuring its own workforce.His weight is 105 kg.Puller, who was thirty-five years old, could be considered 4.5 kilograms overweight by the Army's correlation standards for height, age, and weight.But people who saw him didn't think so. If Pooler had an extra ounce of fat, people could only find it with a microscope.

① Kansas (Kansas): east of Missouri.Kansas City is located at the junction of the two states and is divided into two parts: one is Kansas City (Missouri), namely Kansas City, Missouri, which is the largest city in Missouri; the other is Kansas City (Kansas), namely Kansas City, Kansas , is the third largest city in Kansas.The two face each other across the river, are closely connected, and form a seamless whole.Kansas City International Airport is located in Kansas City (Missouri), so Puller had to drive to Kansas after leaving the airport. Puller was taller than most Army men, and almost all the Rangers who had served with him.His size has its advantages, but also disadvantages.His muscles are strong and full of tension.The superhuman strength and endurance of his limbs are definitely his advantages.The downside is that he is an easier target for the enemy than the average soldier.

① Rangers (Rangers): Refers to the 75th Ranger Regiment of the US Army and its officers and soldiers.It belongs to the light infantry and has nothing to do with the cavalry. It is under the command of the US Special Operations Command. Together with the Delta Force and the Navy Seals, it belongs to the elite troops of the US military that perform special missions.Therefore, there is a saying "Rangers, lead the way". He was a pretty good football tight end in college, and even now, he still seems to have what it takes to play on the weekend.He's always lacked the speed and quickness that would have made him an NFL player, but that was never his ambition.There is only one career that John Puller yearns for since he was a child, and that is to wear the uniform of the US Army.Today he didn't wear the uniform, which he never wore when he came to the correctional battalion.

The car continued on, past the sign for the Lewis and Clark Expeditionary Way.Then there is the blue bridge.He drove across the bridge.Now he's in Kansas.More precisely, now he was at the Leavenworth military base. ①Lewis and Clark Trail (Lewis and Clark Trail): In 1804, US President Jefferson sent Captain Meriwether Lewis and Second Lieutenant William Clark to lead more than 40 people to form the "Exploration Corps" and began the first expedition across the mainland to the Pacific coast. The round-trip inspection activities completed a great military development in the history of the United States.The Lewis and Clark Expedition Road spanned four time zones and was about 4,600 kilometers long. It has become an important historical and cultural relic and a tourist route in the United States.

He was checked at the main checkpoint.After the sentry checked the documents and registered the car plate number, he saluted Warrant Officer Puller and said in a crisp voice, "Thank you, sir. You can pass now." Puller started the car.Accompanied by Eminem's singing on the car radio, he drove down the Grand Avenue, looking at what remained of the old "castle."Over the courtyard of this historic prison, there are still remains of the iron grille.It was set up to prevent prisoners from escaping under helicopter pick-up.The military always strives to be infallible. ① Eminem (Eminem): American rapper, has won many Grammy and Oscar song awards.

The car drove another three kilometers, and Puller came to the current US military corrections camp.The whistle of a train is heard in the distance.A Cessna is taking off from nearby Sherman Air Force Field, its bulging nose and strong wings battling a strong headwind.Puller pulled over and left his wallet and most of his other personal belongings in the car, including his standard-model SIG P228 pistol (known to the US military as the M11).On the flight, his pistol and ammunition were inspected and placed in a hard-shell case.Puller's profession required him to carry a weapon at all times.

Still, Puller doesn't think it's a good idea to bring a gun into a prison, and once inside, the prison will lock his gun in a locker.The reason is simple, no weapons can appear in front of the prisoner. Standing by the security scanning gate was a bored young military policeman.He seemed to have been assigned to the job straight from boot camp, though Puller knew that couldn't be the case.Puller handed him his driving license and ID card all at once. The stocky, chubby-cheeked gendarme stared at Puller's badge and papers.They showed that John Puller was an investigator with the U.S. Army Criminal Investigative Division, or CID.The most prominent feature on his badge is the eagle with its head turned to the right, poised for flight.Its two thick claws tightly grip the upper part of the shield, one eye protruding from the side is full of murderous looks, and its long beak is always ready to attack.The young gendarme stood at attention and saluted, staring at the tall, broad-shouldered man before him.

①U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division (Criminal Investigation Division): referred to as CID, the headquarters is located at the Quantico military base in Virginia. There are several military police groups (MP Group). The military police group is at the same level as the military police brigade, and has a military police battalion under it.Among them, the 701st Gendarmerie Group is stationed at the headquarters. "Are you here on business, sir?" "no." "John Puller, Jr. Could it be that you—" "That's my dad." The young gendarme immediately filled with awe: "Oh, sir. Please pay him his respects, sir." The U.S. Army has some legends revered as God of War, and John Pooler Sr. ranks pretty high on the list. Puller stepped forward to be scanned by the magnetic sensor.It beeped.The wand responds.Always.The instrument screamed harshly against his right forearm. "Bone-setting titanium rods," Pooler explained, pulling up his sleeves to show the scars on his arms. The wand blew again at Puller's left ankle. The gendarme looked up questioningly. "Screws and titanium plates. I can pull up my pant legs," Puller said. "If you don't mind, sir." As Puller lowered his trouser legs, the young MP said apologetically, "My duty calls for it, sir." "You'll be in trouble if you don't, man." The soldier opened his eyes and asked, "Are these wounds from the battlefield, sir?" "I'm not going to shoot myself." Puller snatched the car keys from the tray and pocketed them, put the license and ID back in his shirt pocket, and signed the visitor book. The heavy iron door opened slowly with a low sound.Puller walked some distance and entered the meeting room. Three prisoners are meeting with their respective visitors.Children play on the floor, husbands whisper to their wives or girlfriends.A hug, kiss or formal handshake is permitted at the beginning and end of the visit.Neither the prisoner nor the visitor's hands should hang below the waist. When talking, the fingers of both parties can be intertwined.All conversations must be conducted at the usual volume.Outsiders can only talk to their own visitors.Writing implements are allowed, but no paints or crayons.Puller figured the rule was there because someone, maybe a kid, had painted the prison mess up with stuff like that.But he thought it was a stupid rule, because a ballpoint pen or pencil could easily be a weapon, and crayons weren't much of a threat. Puller stood watching a woman who looked like the prisoner's mother reading the Bible to the prisoner.You can bring a book in here, but you can't give it to a prisoner, nor can you give magazines or newspapers.You can't bring in any food, however you can buy food for the inmates from the vending machine that stands next to it.Prisoners are not allowed to buy things themselves.Otherwise it might look too much like a normal life, Puller reckons, and that's not what prisons are for.As soon as the specified time is up, the visitor must immediately end the visit and leave the prison.An exception to the rule was allowed, but Puller would never enjoy it: a visiting woman who was breastfeeding her own baby could be moved upstairs to a room dedicated just for that purpose. A door at the other end of the room opened, and a man in an orange jumpsuit walked in.Puller watched him come towards him. This man was also tall, but he was two or three centimeters shorter than Puler, and his figure was thinner than Puler's.His face was very similar to Pooler's, but his hair was darker and longer, with a streak of white in it that Pooler didn't have.Both of them have square jaws, the same slender nose line, and they are both slightly skewed to the right, and the teeth are the same large and straight.They also both show a dimple on their right cheeks, and their eyes are green in artificial light and blue in sunlight. Puller, however, has a long scar on the left side of his neck that runs down his back.There are other visible scars on the front and back of his left leg, right arm and upper torso.These are the remains of foreign bullets firing into his body at an insane rate.The other man did not have these scars, and his skin was fairer and smoother.There will be no sunbathing here. Puller's skin was rough, the result of harsh sun and wind and an equally harsh icy cold day.His features were rough and grim.Not to mention handsome.It was never pretty.At best, he might be attractive, or rather, he's kind of interesting to look at.But Puller never thought about such things.He's a soldier, not a model. The two of them didn't hug, just briefly shook hands. The other man smiled and said, "Nice to meet you, brother." The Pooler brothers sat down.