Chapter 20 Chapter Eighteen

The city doesn't look right.I tried to shake off my nerves to see what was really going on there--of course, neither I expected to see any apparent anomalies, nor did the old man expect me to see them.But here's what's wrong.Everything looks normal on the surface, but in fact it is not right, like a play directed by a bad director, everything is right, but it just lacks flavor.I tried my best to figure out what was wrong, but I couldn't figure it out. Kansas City has many residents, many of whom have lived here for hundreds of years.Time seemed to pass by them without touching them.The children are rolling and playing on the lawn, and the residents are sitting in the cool front yard on a summer night to enjoy the cool air.The quaint, sprawling, ancient houses, built brick by brick by ancient guild craftsmen long gone, have an unpretentious charm.Looking at these neighborhoods, one wonders how Kansas City got its risqué reputation.The ancient settlements are impenetrable and untouchable.

Dodging dogs, balls, and chasing children, I wandered through residential neighborhoods, trying to get acquainted.It's that relaxing time of day when people have time to drink, water the lawn or chat with the neighbors. That seems to be the case.I saw a woman in the flower bed in front of me, bending over to tend the flowers and plants.She was wearing a sundress and her back was as clean as mine.No, cleaner than me, after all I still have a ball of cloth tucked in my jacket.Neither she nor the two children next to her had an owner on them.What is the problem? Hot day, even hotter than Washington.I started looking for barebacked guys, women in sundresses and men in sandal shorts.Despite its bad reputation, Kansas City's Puritan influence in the "Bible Land" means that people don't change with the weather the way people in Laguna Beach or Coral Gables do. Excited to undress collectively.So it should come as no surprise that adults are well-dressed even in the hottest atmosphere.

I found people dressed in both styles - but obviously in the wrong proportions.A lot of kids were wearing very little clothing because of the heat, but I drove for miles and saw only five grown women and three grown men with bare backs. Ordinarily, I should have seen at least 500 naked people, because it was a hot day. I suddenly understood that some people wearing coats obviously don't have masters on them, but a simple calculation of the proportions shows that dozens of percent of them are controlled by their masters. The city was "fixed," but not in the way we were in New Brooklyn.The city is saturated.The master not only controlled the important officials in the city, but also occupied the whole city.

I just felt a panic, and I wanted to start the car immediately, take off directly from the street, and drive away from the red zone at full speed.They had noticed that I had escaped from the trap at the entrance to the tollbooth and must be looking for me.Maybe I'm the only free man driving around the city - their people are everywhere! I tried to stay calm. Being an agent, being nervous doesn't do me or my boss any good, and it doesn't help me get out of a situation.But I haven't fully woken up from the nightmare of being possessed by slugs. It is really difficult to restore calm.

I counted to ten, to gather my mind and figure it out.It appears I was wrong; there's no way they'd have enough masters to infiltrate a city of a million people.I think about my experience less than two weeks ago and how we recruited and made every host count.Of course, we also know there is a second shipment, and Kansas City is almost certainly one of the second shipment points, and there must be a UFO landing site near it. But it still can't be done. To infiltrate a city like Kansas City to saturation, they definitely need more than one spaceship, at least a dozen.But if there are so many spacecraft, our space station must have spotted them by tracking the landing track with radar.

Maybe they don't have orbits we can follow?Instead of landing on a trajectory like a rocket, it just pops out of nowhere?Maybe they use those old "wormholes" that people talk about?I don't know what a wormhole is, and I doubt anyone knows, but this method is indeed a way to avoid radar detection.We don't know how capable the master is in terms of engineering technology, so it's obviously not safe to guess the weakness of the alien master based on human's own standards. But according to the information I have, what I have drawn is a conclusion that is contrary to common sense. Therefore, I must sort out my thoughts before reporting to the headquarters.One thing seems certain: if the hypothesis that the slugs actually control nearly the entire city holds true.So obviously they haven't torn off the mask of camouflage, but temporarily make the city look like it's still the city of freedom.I'm also not as conspicuous as I feared.

I wandered off for a mile while thinking about it, and I slipped into the retail area surrounding the plaza.There were a lot of people there, and there were police, so I made a quick U-turn and edged through the retail area, passing a public swimming pool.I watched it, analyzed it. In a word, the results of the analysis threw me into a paradox. The gate was closed, and there was a sign on it - "Closed for this season". A swimming pool closed in the summer heat?what does this mean?Apparently the pool is out of business and won't be opening again.However, closing the swimming pool during the most profitable season is by no means in line with economic laws. Unless it is absolutely necessary, it will lose a lot.

But places like swimming pools are not easy to camouflage.From a human perspective, the fact that no one visits the pool on a hot day is more noticeable than the fact that the pool is out of business.And the puppet master has always paid great attention to the way of thinking of human beings, and uses this way to design scams.I know it all too well, I have experienced it myself! Clue 1: There is a trap at the entrance of the toll station in the city; Clue 2: There are too few people wearing sundresses with bare backs; Clue 3: The swimming pool is closed. The conclusion to be drawn from this is that the number of slugs has exceeded anyone's imagination-not even me, who has been possessed by "them", can't estimate it.

Therefore, it can be inferred that the "counter-impact plan" is based on a miscalculation of the enemy, so implementing this plan is tantamount to catching rhinos with a slingshot, and it is self-defeating. Counterargument: What I thought I saw was impossible.I can almost hear Martinez tearing up my report, taunting me with restraint.Saying all my speculation about Kansas City is groundless, and thanking me for taking a serious interest in it, but I need to rest my nerves now, and now, gentlemen— Pooh! I had to get strong evidence for the old man to convince the President, overrule the official advisers, and make a rational decision, and I had to get it right away.Even without considering traffic regulations, I couldn't cut the time back to Washington to less than two and a half hours.

How can we unearth strong evidence?Should I go deep downtown, mingle with people, and then tell Martinez, I'm sure almost everyone I've seen has been possessed by the owner.How to prove this?How could I be so sure of it myself?I don't have Mary's superhuman talents.As long as the Titans continue to put on the "everything works" repertoire, I'll have only a handful of cases: a town full of round-shouldered people, and very few bare-backed ones. Yes, there is a trap at the entrance to the toll booth.I'm starting to see how they can infiltrate the city, if there are enough of them.

I had a hunch that similar traps would be encountered at exits, launch pads, or other points of entry in the city. Everyone who leaves here becomes a new agent for the master; likewise, every visitor becomes a new servant. I'm so convinced of this verdict that I don't even have to go to the launch pad to verify it.I once set up such a trap at the Constitution Club, and none of the people who got in escaped it. Turning the corner I noticed a newsstand selling the Kansas City Star.I turned a block and turned back.Stop and walk down.I stuffed a dime into the coin slot and waited for the newspaper to be printed.The waiting time was extremely long, but it was caused by my own nervousness, and I felt that every passerby was staring at me. The "Star" routine has always been dull and boring, with no excitement, no urgent matters, and no mention of the bareback project.The headline was "Sunspot Storm Disrupts Telephone Communications" and the subhead was "Sun Static Semi-Quarantines Kansas."Accompanied by an image of the three-color semi-dimensional surface of the Sun marred by cosmic spots, this image is attributed to Palomar Observatory. The photo may well have been fabricated, or perhaps it was a real photo pulled from the newspaper library, with a convincing but not very interesting note explaining why Mamie Schultz (person not Possessed by slugs) unable to get on the phone with grandma in Pittsburgh. Other content in the newspaper is normal once it is printed.I tucked the newspaper under my arm for a closer look, then turned and walked towards the car... At this moment, a police car came quietly, blocking the front of the car, and a policeman got out of the car. The police car seems to have the ability to conjure a large crowd out of thin air. The street was empty just now, otherwise I would never have parked, but in an instant there were people everywhere, and the police were walking towards me.I secretly moved my hand to the gun, I couldn't be sure if most of the people around me were equally dangerous, otherwise I would have knocked him down long ago. He stopped in front of me and said kindly, "Let me see your license." "Of course, Mr. Inspector," I replied. "The license is in the suitcase." I walked past him so that he could follow.I felt him hesitate, then take the bait.I led him around to the far end of the two workshops, so I would know if there were any accomplices in his car.It couldn't have turned out better.More importantly, the car separated me from innocent passers-by. "There," I said, pointing to the trunk, "the license is tucked in there." He hesitated again, and looked inside. Taking advantage of this moment, I resorted to a new kung fu that I just learned in practice.With a blow from his left palm, he slashed at him, grabbed his shoulder, and squeezed hard with all his strength. It turned out to be "the cat hit by a car" again, and his body trembled violently and began to twitch.Before he fell to the ground, I got into the car and stepped on the accelerator.Immediately, just as in Barnes's outer office, the mask was lifted and the crowd closed in on me.A young woman gripped the slick body of the car with her fingernails and was dragged more than fifty feet before she fell.At this point I was speeding up, weaving through oncoming traffic, ready to take off, but suffering from lack of space. At this time, there was a crossroad on the left, and I drove in, but found that this step was wrong.The criss-crossing of leaves over the boulevard prevented me from taking off.The next intersection was even worse, and I cursed the city planners for making Kansas City like a park. As a last resort, I had to slow down.Right now I'm driving at the city speed limit, looking for a major road wide enough to take off illegally.My brain is spinning, but I know I can't find such a way.At this time, familiarity with the master helped.In addition to "direct talks", the Titans ride on the puppet to give orders. He sees with the eyes of the host, and uses any organ of the host to receive and transmit information in various ways. I know this well, so I know: except for the one attached to the policeman, no other slug hiding in the corner will find my car, and then the problem is solved! Of course, other hosts present will also look for me, but they only have the physical condition and quality of the host.I decided to ignore them, let them go, and go to another block. With nearly 20 or 20 minutes left, I decided to use the host as a witness.Because of being possessed, he can tell what happened in the city, and I must rescue a host. I must capture a man possessed by a slug, remove or kill the host without harming the host, and kidnap him back to Washington.It is already too late to make careful planning, and to choose such a person, I must act immediately. Just as I was thinking, there was a man walking in the block in front of me.He had a briefcase in his hand and looked like he was going home for dinner. I stopped beside him and said hello, "Hey!" He stopped in his tracks, "What's wrong?" I replied, "I just came from City Hall, so I don't have time to explain. Get in the car and we'll talk." He asked again: "City Hall? What are you talking about?" I said: "The plan has changed, don't waste time, come up!" He backed away, and I jumped out of the car to grab his bulging shoulders.But there was nothing, all my hands caught was flesh and blood with bones sticking out.He started screaming for help. I jumped in the car and sped out of there.It took a few blocks before I slowed down and reconsidered the matter.Am I mistaken?Is it because I am too nervous to create something out of nothing? Never will!I uphold the old man's indomitable willpower, face the facts, and seek truth from facts.Tollbooths, sun suits, swimming pools, policemen at the newspaper machines...these facts are in front of me - this last incident can only be explained by accidental coincidence, no matter how low the odds, I have picked a person who has not yet been mastered. requisitioned person.So I went full steam ahead looking for the next victim. A middle-aged man was watering the lawn. He looked rustic and old-fashioned. I kind of wanted to let him go, but there was no time now, and he was wearing a heavy singlet that bulged suspiciously.If I saw his wife in the hallway, I'd let him go because she was wearing a bra and a skirt and couldn't possibly be possessed by her master. I stopped the car and he looked up in surprise. I repeat the old saying, "I just came from City Hall, we need to talk right away, get in the car!" He replied calmly: "Come in and talk in the house, the car is too conspicuous." I wanted to refuse, but he had already turned and walked towards the house.When I followed him and walked past him, he whispered, "Be careful, that woman is not one of us." "Is your wife?" "right." We stopped on the porch and he said, "My dear, this is Mr. O'Keeffe, and we're going to the study to talk about something." She smiled and replied, "Of course, dear. Good evening, Mr. O'Keeffe. It's hot, isn't it?" I agreed, and she continued knitting.We entered the house, and he led me into the study.In front of this woman, we both maintained a disguise, so I had to enter the house as a guest.But I really don't like turning my back on him. So, when he hit me at the base of the neck, I was a little wary.I rolled over and fell, unharmed.Then rolled again, stopped and lay on the ground. In the training school, the coach beat down the students trying to get up with sandbags.I thought of what the boxing coach said in a deep Belgian accent: "The brave man stands up again, only to die. Be a coward - lie on the ground and fight back." So I lay down, intimidated him with my heels, and fought back at every opportunity.He backed away and I couldn't reach him.He didn't have a gun and I did, but there was a fireplace in the house with pokers, shovels, and pokers.He walked around the fireplace. I was just able to sit on a small table.So I rolled over and threw him on the table legs, and before he got hold of the poker, the table was hitting him in the face, and I was on top of him. His master was about to be strangled to death by me. While the master was dying, he himself was also convulsing.That's when I heard a splitting scream.His wife stood by the door.I jumped up and punched her again, right in the middle of her double chin, and she fell, and I went back to her husband. It is extremely difficult to lift a limp person.It took me longer to pick him up and put him on my shoulders than it took for him to be quiet.He is not light!Fortunately, my hands and feet are sharp and my body is strong.I managed to quickly haul the hulking thing towards the car.I don't know if the sound of the fighting just now disturbed the neighbors, but his wife's scream must have woken up everyone in the half block.Someone opened the door on the west side of the street and poked his head out.But so far, no one is around.I was very happy to see the car door open and hurried over. What follows is a pity.A nuisance, exactly like the brat who got me in trouble earlier, is fiddling with the controls in the car.Cursing, I stuffed the prisoner in the backseat and grabbed the little guy.He flinched and struggled, but I picked him up and threw him, right into the arms of the first man who rushed out after me. Now I was saved, and while he was throwing Dan the kid, I jumped into the driver's seat, and I didn't have time to close the door, put on my seat belt, and gallop away.I managed to close the door on the first turn, and I nearly flew out of my seat myself.And then onto a straight road so I could take the time to put my seatbelt on.I took a sharp turn, nearly hit a car, and continued on. Finally turning into a wide avenue, I slammed the takeoff button.Maybe some damage to the bodywork, but I didn't have time to think about that much.Unable to wait until I reached my desired altitude, I slogged eastward while continuing to climb.I manually flew the Skycar over Missouri, using all the propulsion rockets to keep the car flying at full speed.This reckless illegal takeoff saved me from death.Over Columbia, just after the last rocket was launched, I felt the body vibrate violently.Someone fired an interceptor missile, I think it was a hypervelocity missile - the nasty thing exploded right where I was. Luckily no more missiles were fired, otherwise I would have been a target with no power to fight back.At this moment the starboard spreader started to heat rapidly, maybe because the body was almost shot, maybe it was because the machine was overloaded, I could only let it heat up, and pray that the machine would not fall apart for another ten minutes.Then I sailed across the Mississippi River, the needle swung, it showed "danger", I turned off the starboard thruster, and let the air car barely fly with the port thruster.Three hundred miles is the top speed, and I'm out of the red zone, back to free humans. Only then did I have time to glance at my passenger.He was still in the same place, lying on his back on the floor mat, and he didn't know whether he passed out or died.Now that I'm back among my own people, I have no right to speed and no reason not to use autopilot.I turned on the transponder with a bang, and sent out a signal requesting airspace, and before I heard back, I switched the control panel to the automatic driving gear.ATC may be cursing me, recording my signal.They would still admit me into the system though.I slowed down and looked over my witness again. He was angry, but still unconscious.I hit him with a table and got paint on his face, luckily the bones didn't break.I patted his face and pinched his earlobe with my nails, but I couldn't wake him up. The dead slug started to stink, but I couldn't do anything with it, so I let him go back into the driver's seat, unconscious. The timer showed that it was 21:37 Washington time, and there were more than 600 miles to go.I fired up one engine at full blast and headed straight for the old man in the White House, and I'd be in Washington just after midnight.The task was not completed this time, so the old man will definitely not spare me, he will definitely let me stay in school and punish me, and will not let me go home. I wanted to try my luck and try to activate the starboard thruster.If the result is not good, it may be that the machine can't stand it and needs a complete overhaul.It seemed dangerous for any instrument to turn too fast, so I dismissed the idea and tried to put the old man on the phone. But the phone couldn't get through, maybe it was too much bumps during the mission that day, and it was damaged. This is an unprecedented thing.The whole package of printed circuit boards, transistors, etc. is embedded in plastic, which is almost as shock-resistant as the induction fuze.I had to put the phone back in my pocket, thinking I had enough for the day and it wasn't worth the fuss.I turned to the car's intercom and pressed the emergency button. "Console!" I called. "Console! There is an emergency!" The screen lit up and I saw a young man.It is a relief that he appears on screen naked. "Console Reply - Fox District Eleven. What are you doing in the air? I've been in touch with you since you entered the precinct." "Don't mind! It's too late to explain." I said sharply, "Connect me to the nearest military line, there is an urgent mission!" He looked puzzled, but the screen flickered and went blank.Another image gradually became clear, showing a military intelligence center.I was delighted to see that everyone was bare to the waist.In the front is a young guard, I really want to kiss him.But I said, "Military emergency—get me through the Pentagon and the White House." "Who are you?" "No time to explain, no time! I'm a government agent, and you won't recognize me even if you look at the ID card. Hurry up!" I could have persuaded him if an older man hadn't pushed him away.It can be seen from the cap badge that this person is the commander of the flying wing.All he said was, "Land now!" "Look, sir," I said, "I have a military emergency, and you must get me connected, and I..." "I'm here for the military emergency," he interrupted. "All the civilian planes landed three hours ago. Land now!" "But I have to..." "Land! Or I'll shoot you down. We've been tracking you, and I'm going to dispatch an interceptor to stop you half a mile in front. Either land or stick to it and wait to learn how powerful the interceptor is." "Listen, I'm going to land, but I have to..." He hung up.I'm tongue-tied. The first interceptor suddenly appeared half a mile ahead of me and I had to land. My landing maneuver was abysmal, luckily my passengers and I were uninjured.They fired flares at me, and they came down on me so suddenly I thought I was going to be blown to pieces.I was then taken inside to meet the Wing Commander himself.He even put me through the phone, of course after the psychoanalysis team had hypnotized me and woke me up. It was already 1:13 minutes in District 5 time, and the "offensive plan" had been implemented for thirteen minutes. The old man listened to the report, cursed under his breath, and told me to shut up and see him again in the morning.