Chapter 104 Chapter The Change Begins
"Why is Liu Peiqiang coming so slowly?" Xu Yanbo frowned and looked down at his watch, his tone filled with impatience. His eyes scanned the surroundings from time to time, appearing a little anxious.
Lu Mingfei leaned against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. “Maybe Liu Peiqiang can’t come today because he has a mission.” His voice was as calm as always, and he always seemed to have more patience than others.
"No, I called him yesterday and he agreed." Xu Yanbo muttered dissatisfiedly, and his eyes swept towards the crowd in the distance again, obviously not convinced by Lu Mingfei's speculation.
Just when Xu Yanbo was about to continue complaining, a familiar voice came from not far away: "Brother Lu, I'm here!"
As he said this, Liu Peiqiang ran towards this side from the crowd, waving his hand with an apologetic smile on his face. The crowd in the distance was bustling, but his figure was particularly conspicuous.
"You're so slow!" Xu Yanbo complained, with a hint of helplessness in his tone.
Liu Peiqiang ran to them, bent down slightly and panted, with a few drops of sweat on his forehead. He scratched his head and smiled innocently: "Hehehe, isn't this to accompany Duoduo..."
"How are you and Duoduo? When are you getting married?" Lu Mingfei's voice was still calm, but there was a subtle concern in his tone.
"It's almost there, it's already in the plan." Liu Peiqiang showed a happy smile on his face. Although he tried to act natural, his eyes revealed a kind of satisfaction and expectation.
"Sure. Remember to invite me and Brother Lu to the wedding." Xu Yanbo patted Liu Peiqiang's shoulder with a smile, his tone full of teasing.
"Sure, sure." Liu Peiqiang nodded with a smile, then he seemed to suddenly remember something, and immediately frowned, pretending to be serious and said: "By the way, Xu Yanbo, you said you would take us to have some fun, where are you going to take us? I have a girlfriend, don't take me to those messy places."
Xu Yanbo glanced at him, waved his hand, and chuckled, "Don't worry, just follow me. Who do you think I am?"
After saying that, Xu Yanbo took the lead and walked in front, humming a little tune, looking in a very good mood. Lu Mingfei and Liu Peiqiang looked at each other, both with a hint of doubt, but followed reluctantly.
They walked through the crowded streets. Lu Mingfei observed the people around him as he walked, remaining alert out of habit, while Liu Peiqiang kept his head down at his phone, sending messages to Duoduo from time to time, with the smile on his face never fading.
Finally, they followed Xu Yanbo to their destination. When they looked up, they were both stunned by the scene in front of them.
"So... this is the happy place you were talking about?" Liu Peiqiang widened his eyes and looked at the huge sign in front of him in surprise. It read "Shanghai Disneyland".
The bustling tourists, laughter, colorful balloons and carousel background made this park seem out of place in their daily lives.
Lu Mingfei was also a little stunned, he didn't expect to come here. He had faced life-and-death battles countless times, but he never thought that one day he would stand at the gate of an amusement park and face such a peaceful and joyful scene.
Seeing their reactions, Xu Yanbo couldn't help but burst out laughing: "Yes, Shanghai Disneyland! Where do you think I'm taking you? This is my 'stress relief place' since I was a child. Whenever I feel bad, my parents will bring me here.
"Hey, what are you guys in a daze about? Let's go!" Xu Yanbo had already walked into the Disney park. He turned around and saw the two people still standing at the door in a daze, so he waved at them.
Lu Mingfei and Liu Peiqiang looked at each other, and Liu Peiqiang shrugged helplessly: "Let's go, now that we're here, we can't just stand here."
Lu Mingfei nodded slightly and followed. The two of them walked slowly into the park. His eyes swept across the surrounding scene, and in his ears was the cheerful music and the laughter of tourists. All of this made him feel strange and distant.
Xu Yanbo is open-minded and knows how to relieve stress, while he and Liu Peiqiang are used to keeping the pressure in their hearts and not facing these emotions.
After entering the park, Xu Yanbo was obviously familiar with the place and led them through the crowd towards the various amusement facilities. He pointed at the Ferris wheel and roller coaster excitedly and said loudly: "Wow! Roller coaster! Do you dare to try it? This is super exciting!"
Lu Mingfei took a look at the roller coaster track that soared into the sky, and his eyes twitched slightly. He had never frowned when facing dangerous tasks, but he really had no interest in this kind of entertainment.
Liu Peiqiang took a look and grinned, "Exciting, right? Let's see if you can stand steadily when you get down. I fly a fighter jet, which is much more exciting than this."
"Hey! Don't underestimate me!" Xu Yanbo challenged, "Just wait and see how I take you around Disney today!"
Along the way, Xu Yanbo was like an excited child, running around to introduce various projects to them, while Lu Mingfei and Liu Peiqiang remained relatively silent and followed behind him.
Lu Mingfei looked at the tourists around him who were laughing and talking happily, especially the parents holding their children, and he felt a little strange in his heart.
"I've never been to a place like this." Lu Mingfei suddenly said in a low voice, with a hint of emotion in his tone.
After hearing this, Liu Peiqiang glanced at him sideways, revealing the same complicated expression: "Me too. When I was a child, my parents were extremely busy, so they had no time to bring me to a place like this. Later, they went on a peacekeeping mission, which made it even more impossible."
The two of them sat in silence, seemingly lost in their own memories, while Xu Yanbo was completely unaware of their emotional changes and was still excitedly directing them to line up to play various projects.
When they finally got on the towering roller coaster, Xu Yanbo was full of pride: "Brother Lu, Peiqiang, this is not a military training mission, this is pure relaxation, don't be so tense, relax a little, and experience the speed and passion!"
As the roller coaster slowly climbed, Lu Mingfei held the handrail tightly and looked at the Shanghai city skyline in the distance, but his heart gradually calmed down. He never thought that one day he would sit on such an amusement facility and spend a day without any mission pressure with his comrades.
The moment the roller coaster began to accelerate downward, the sound of wind whistled past his ears and the surrounding scene quickly became blurred. Lu Mingfei felt a long-lost sense of relaxation. This experience of not having to stay alert all the time actually made him feel a little unfamiliar.
Xu Yanbo raised his hands above his head and shouted excitedly: "It's so cool! It's so cool!" His laughter spread as the car turned rapidly.
Liu Peiqiang laughed and held the handrail tightly, as if he was struggling with the power of the roller coaster: "This thing is much faster than I thought. I didn't expect it to be so interesting!"
Xu Yanbo was shouting beside him, Liu Peiqiang couldn't help but burst into laughter, but Lu Mingfei just took it all in quietly with a slight smile on his face.
When the roller coaster slowly stopped and the three people unbuckled their seat belts and got off, Xu Yanbo was still shouting excitedly, "Let's do it again! Brother Lu, Liu Peiqiang, you can't be so calm this time!"
"Calm? You're so scared that your legs are weak, and you're still talking about others." Liu Peiqiang teased, but the smile on his face was relaxed, "But it feels really good."
"Let's go and try some other projects!" Xu Yanbo excitedly took them to continue to play around the park. Like an energetic tour guide, he kept introducing them to the various projects in the amusement park, sometimes laughing at their "slow reactions" and sometimes having a great time himself.
In this way, under the leadership of Xu Yanbo, they spent a rare relaxing day. The lights, laughter and noise of the amusement park seemed to briefly pull them away from the cruel reality and return them to the world of ordinary people.
When night fell completely, they sat on the bench in front of the castle and watched the gorgeous fireworks in the night sky. Every firework blooming in the sky illuminated their faces and also illuminated this paradise full of laughter and hope.
Xu Yanbo patted Liu Peiqiang on the shoulder and said with a smile: "How about it, I was right to bring you to Disney, wasn't I? This is what we call happiness!" Liu Peiqiang smiled and shook his head: "You are really unexpected."
Lu Mingfei was still looking at the night sky. The light of the fireworks reflected in his eyes made him forget the burden on his shoulders for a moment. After a brief relaxation, he knew that when all this was over, the pressure and responsibilities of reality would still come like a tide.
But at this moment, he chose to enjoy it all.
He whispered, "Thank you, Xu Yanbo."
Xu Yanbo was stunned for a moment, then scratched his head and laughed: "Brother Lu, what are you thanking me for? We are all brothers!"
"The earth is still very beautiful..." Liu Peiqiang suddenly said, with a hint of emotion in his tone.
“Yes, the earth is still beautiful…” Lu Mingfei responded in a low voice, his eyes still fixed on the night sky illuminated by fireworks.
The fireworks were still blooming in the night sky, illuminating the figures of the three of them. At this moment, they were no longer soldiers with heavy responsibilities, but just three young people who were temporarily relaxing, enjoying the brief tranquility and joy.
On this day, Lu Mingfei finally felt the long-lost peace.
…………
Lu Mingfei stood in the command room of the Gabon base, staring at the various data displayed on the screen. Officials from the United Government were reporting to him on the progress of the mission and were preparing to transfer the last batch of space elevator attackers to another safer prison.
"Colonel Lu, we are here to receive the last batch of space elevator attackers." A United Government official in formal uniform said with a serious and businesslike tone.
"Yeah." Lu Mingfei nodded, still maintaining a calm attitude, indicating that they could start the action.
When the officials left, Xu Yanbo walked up to him and sighed, "After three years, the Digital Life School has finally been done."
It is now 2047, and three years have passed since the space elevator attack. During these three years, Lu Mingfei led the Ranger Team to travel around the world to capture those who participated in the space elevator attack.
In the past few years, at least more than 6,300 people have been arrested, including elites in various fields, even a Nobel Prize winner and the head of artificial intelligence at the United Government Academy of Sciences.
Some time ago, Lu Mingfei and his team completely arrested all these people and brought them to justice. Lu Mingfei was also promoted to the rank of colonel because of this.
"Brother Lu, your military rank is like riding a rocket. Do you think it is possible that you will become the youngest major general?" Xu Yanbo said.
"The record of the youngest general in our country was set almost a hundred years ago. He was awarded the rank of major general at the age of 33. Brother Lu, maybe you can break this record..." Xu Yanbo chattered on the side, but before he finished speaking, he was slapped back by Lu Mingfei.
"It's not up to me to decide whether to get promoted or not. What's the point of saying this? Liu Peiqiang got married last year, and you don't even have a girlfriend. You might as well think about when to find a girlfriend." Lu Mingfei said.
“Brother Lu, didn’t you look for it either…” Xu Yanbo retorted, but when he saw Lu Mingfei raising his fist, he changed his words.
"Ahem, actually, I already have a goal..." Xu Yanbo said somewhat embarrassedly.
"Oh, who is it?" Lu Mingfei was stunned when he heard Xu Yanbo's words. He just wanted to change the subject, but he didn't expect to actually ask something.
"It's that diplomat..." Xu Yanbo said softly.
"Hao Xiaoxi?" Lu Mingfei asked with a raised eyebrow.
Xu Yanbo's face immediately turned red and he nodded slightly.
"You are really good..." Lu Mingfei said with emotion. When they were arresting digital factions all over the world, they had dealt with those diplomats several times. They hoped to get more information from Lu Mingfei and his team, and then make better speeches at the United Nations General Assembly. Unexpectedly, after just these few dealings, Xu Yanbo had hooked up with the female diplomat opposite.
"So, Brother Lu, when are you going to find a girlfriend? You are not a child anymore." Xu Yanbo said.
Hearing Xu Yanbo's words, Lu Mingfei was stunned. He had never considered finding a girlfriend before. Ever since his confession was rejected by Chen Wenwen, he had been either fighting in a war or on the way to a war, and had never really thought about this issue.
"Let's talk about this later. There have been frequent floods and earthquakes around the world in recent times. Now that we have dealt with the Digital Life Force, our next task is to go to those areas that are most affected by the disaster to provide disaster relief." Lu Mingfei abruptly changed the subject.
Xu Yanbo saw that Lu Mingfei didn't want to talk more about this topic, so he continued talking along with what Lu Mingfei said.
"By the way, my parents are planning to sell their house in Shanghai and move. The water level is getting higher and higher, and I heard that many places have been flooded."
When Lu Mingfei heard the word "water level", his brows unconsciously frowned slightly. He knew that the recent frequent natural disasters and rising sea levels around the world have begun to affect more and more ordinary people.
"What's the situation in Shanghai?" Lu Mingfei asked in a low voice.
"The situation is relatively stable, but some coastal areas have been flooded and housing prices have begun to plummet. My house used to be quite valuable, but now it's no longer worth it," Xu Yanbo said helplessly, with a hint of self-mockery in his tone.
He looked into the distance and saw that the Libreville Dam not far away was still standing tall. Although it looked magnificent, the water level had dropped to a level significantly below normal.
"You said that this dam has been built for such a long time, but it has only been used a few times." Xu Yanbo shrugged, "But then again, after the earth stops rotating, won't this place become dry land? I'm afraid the dam will be of no use."
At the beginning, the sea level did begin to rise, posing a threat to the generators and the underground cities being built. However, as more and more engines were built, the Earth stopped rotating faster and faster, and the centrifugal force of the sea water began to disappear, leaving only gravity, causing the water in the ocean near the equator to flow to the poles. When the Earth stops rotating completely, this place will completely become a land.
Lu Mingfei nodded silently, looking at the dam in the distance with deep eyes and said, "The water level has begun to drop. As the rotation gradually stops, more seawater will flow to the poles, and the waters near the equator will gradually dry up."
Xu Yanbo shook his head and said with emotion: "It's hard to imagine that the earth has become like this."
"So, our mission is not over yet." Lu Mingfei looked into the distance with a determined look, "We still have a lot to do."
(End of this chapter)
