The Legend of Chu Qiao - V1P
The Legend of Chu Qiao:
Division 11’s Special Agents
Prologue: Military Court (Part 1)
Present days, People's Republic of China.
Major Chu Qiao, age 26
May 12, 116, at 2 a.m. in the middle of the night, in the countryside of X, a city of the empire. ✦•······················•✦•······················•✦ Four hours ago. ✦•······················•✦•······················•✦ The hearing slipped into a stalemate. After Chu Qiao had been taken away, the judges and generals retired from the courtroom, with CCTV capturing their every move. However, under the chair one of the generals sat on, there was a little device with a blinking red light; its screen glowed with numbers counting down. ____________________
Seven jet-black vehicles sped down the country highway, two in front, two at the rear, and two flanking a sedan in the middle of the convoy. The vehicle was built to military specifications; its high-powered engine emitted a smooth, steady hum. It was covered with a high-performance alloy. Upon closer inspection, spiral patterns on the windshield revealed it was bulletproof. This vehicle was without. The soldier showed no emotion as he replied, "Major, the superiors issued their orders just now. " This convoy inevitably caused suspicion. How on earth did this convoy emerge from the highly secured city? After an hour, the convoy pulled into an ordinary yellow building in the city's countryside. Four camouflaged soldiers approached, signaling to the convoy that they were subject to security checks. When the doors of the front vehicle opened, a young man in a black suit stepped out and handed the soldier a dark red card. After inspecting the card for a long moment, he said softly, "I need to seek approval from my superiors."
The man in the black suit furrowed his brows and looked slightly annoyed as he muttered, "General Jin's signature is on the card. Whose approval do you still need?"
No one is to enter this military facility unless they have the permission of both General Jin and Mr. Zhang, the Chief of Staff, unless the head of state comes here in person."
"You…"
"Li Yang."
A deep voice suddenly sounded from the vehicle behind him. One of the black cars moved gently forward. The driver rolled down the window, and behind it was an old, seemingly weary face. The soldier was stunned. He immediately stood to attention while offering a salute. "General Sir!"
General Jin nodded mindlessly and asked, "Can we go in now?"
The soldier paused and said, "Sir, Chief Zhang has ordered that vehicular movement within the camp be prohibited; only walking is allowed."
General Jin frowned; patting his leg, he asked, "Even I have to walk?"
Looking increasingly uncomfortable, the soldier gazed into the car to examine the General's injured leg. Even so, he emotionally said, "Sorry, Sir. These are the orders from the top. No one is to ride in vehicles; only walking is allowed!"
Li Yang was furious, with his face flushed red.
General Jin gently waved the soldier away and turned towards Li Yang. "Li Yang, go in yourself. Bring my documents; you must bring Agent 005 out safely and securely. We cannot afford to suffer a loss like with Agent 003. These agents are all treasures of the empire," he instructed.
Li Yang froze, facing this exhausted and aging elder. He respectfully paid a salute. With a voice of determination, he said, "Rest assured, General, I will complete this task."
However, at that moment, a massive blast echoed through the air. Bright, blazing flames erupted, with a dark, enormous mushroom cloud looming above. Li Yang's eyes widened in shock. He sprinted straight into the military camp, veins bulging on his forehead.
That night, X's citizens were still peacefully asleep, but just outside the city limits, at the fourth military prison, a massive explosion occurred that would shock the world. In the darkness, everyone's eyes across the country were glued to that spot, waiting for dawn to arrive in a few hours.
Four hours ago.
In the courtroom of the country's fourth military prison, seven high-ranking military officers sat in their uniforms, with their rank insignias shining on their shoulder epaulets. They were all generals. Five military judges stood on the judges' stand, each representing different military divisions, which were not necessarily governed by the same military system. Beneath them were over 20 men wielding Kurt MOD733 5.56 caliber machine guns, all of whom were top special forces operatives in the country. They looked prepared to take down anyone who stood in their way.
The atmosphere in the courtroom was solemn and severe. All eyes were concentrating on the defendant's stand. At this moment, one of the judges in military uniform cleared his throat and said in a deep voice, "Name?"
"Chu Qiao," a calm and gentle voice replied softly. Although it was slightly hoarse, anyone could easily tell the speaker's gender.
As expected, a woman sat on the defendant's stand, dressed in light-green military pants and a white shirt. She rolled up her sleeves, revealing fair arms. She sat there calm and composed, without a hint of nervousness.
The judge continued the dry judiciary process, "Gender?"
"Female."
"Birth date?"
"October 8th, 90."
"Hometown?"
"Luo City of Yun Tu Province."
"Past military positions?"
I enlisted in the empire's military academy in 109. 111 I was selected and transferred to the 5th intelligence unit within the military command center to receive training. The same year, I joined the Hawk squad in the 7th Army to begin my training. On August 27, 112, I was officially inducted into the 5th intelligence unit, working in section 2 on data analysis and distribution. In December 113, I transferred to the intelligence department in City Y, carrying out Plan HL with the 9th Military Intelligence Division. In June of the following year, I went abroad working as a spy. I returned in November 114 and have been serving as the assistant commander of the 11th division command center since then.
"During your tour of duty, what operations were you on?"
"The 11th division executed 97 operations of all types, 29 of which I conducted. Among the missions are 11 one-starred missions, nine two-starred, five three-starred, four four-starred, and no five-starred missions."
"Which operations did you participate in during your time in service? Please elaborate on missions that are classified as four-starred and above."
In August 114, with intelligence gathered from the 7th intelligence division, the 9th intelligence division participated in 'Operation Sea Salt,' planned by Colonel Li and me, successfully obtaining 3 tons of uranium ore. In November of the same year, the 11th division and the 6th outpost division joined forces for the 'Bait and Capture' operation, successfully capturing the rebel leader 'Mica Half Rat' and destroying the nuclear reserves of country F. In April 115, I planned and coordinated the efforts of super-powered beings from country E and successfully regained the passwords to the loophole within the Central Bank. In June of the same year, with assistance from country X and the plans of the 11th division, supported by super-powered beings, Agent 003 of the 9th division carried out Operation Ximo, successfully obtaining the blueprint of HK-47.
The judge adjusted his glasses and read the documents before muttering, "Can you please elaborate on your relationship with Agent 003 of the 9th military intelligence division?"
The lady raised her eyebrows, her unchanged expression turning cold as she carefully looked at the seven military officials on the stand. Finally, she said, "When I was training in the 7th Army, I lived in the same bunk as Agent 003, Agent 007, and Major Huang Minrui, the operations planning officer in the 11th division. In 115, I was part of operation Ximo with Agent 003."
The judge asked sincerely, "How would you describe your relationship with Agent 003? A comrade, colleague, or an acquaintance?"
She remained calm and raised her brows once again. After a while, she answered, "We were friends."
The jury started murmuring among themselves. She looked at two judges with a penetrating stare, glimpsing at the smile they could not hide.
"Can we also infer that Agent 003 and you were close friends who shared everything?" a female judge asked. She was in her forties and dressed in a dark green military outfit.
Chu Qiao turned and faced the judge, her gaze fixed on her as she studied her for a moment. She finally said, "Your Honor, Agent 003 and I have undergone the country's professional training and are top-tier soldiers. We are very aware of what we are supposed to say and what we are not. Therefore, when you said that we shared everything, I feel you are doubting our professionalism, which is utterly disrespectful to a hero who risked her life for the country's interests."
The female judge paled and sealed her lips, with an awkward atmosphere surrounding her.
The primary judge continued, "Agent Chu Qiao, please elaborate and defend Operation M1N1 as of now."
At this point, the hearing was reaching a critical moment. After hearing that sentence, two judges in their forties leaned forward and stared intently.
Chu Qiao lowered her head and straightened her neck after a long moment. She spoke slowly and clearly, "I wish to meet my superior, or I will be tried in the highest military court. Before that happens, I will not elaborate further on Operation M1N1."
The judge frowned and snarled, "Are you questioning the authority of a hearing conducted together by five different military districts that the leading law experts set up?"
"I am not." With her head held high, Chu Qiao repeated, "I just want to see my superior; without a handwritten note to declassify this operation by General Jin, I am afraid I cannot elaborate on the details and data of Operation M1N1."
With his brows tightly furrowed, the judge continued, "Then, please defend and elaborate on your orders to storm and raid the main operations building, causing the death of hostages from 23 different countries."
"They are not hostages." Chu Qiao raised her head and muttered, "All of my orders are per military law, and I have not killed a single innocent person. If I see the document signed by my superiors and General Jin, I will explain the entire operation to the military court. Before that, I will not accept any questioning."
There was little time left.
Chu Qiao sat silently on her metal bed with her head hung low. The place she was imprisoned in was surrounded by steel-reinforced glass, allowing full view of the cell from the outside, but those on the inside were clueless about the outside world. There was no form of privacy. These hardened glass walls were so rigid that one could only blast a tiny hole after shooting it with a rifle all day. To escape, only a nuclear bomb would be sufficient.
Although she could not hear or see the outside world, as the senior commander of one of the most classified intelligence units in the country, she knew the entire layout of the complex. Resting her hand on her pulse, she felt her heartbeat signal the approaching mealtime.
As expected, the hatch at the bottom of the reinforced glass opened with a loud click, and a hand holding a tray slid into the cell.
Chu Qiao sat motionless on her bed with her head down. She seemed motionless, but a small pebble flew out and hit the watch strap of the soldier who brought her meal silently and precisely. After only a faint swoosh, the watch fell to the cell's floor.
The soldier was stunned; he reached in and tried to feel for the watch, but he couldn’t find it. Chu Qiao heard the clank and turned toward it innocently, furrowing her brows in confusion. She knew that besides the soldier, another guard was watching her. Normally, when meals were served, inmates weren’t allowed near the cell door, but this time, she pointed to herself. The soldier outside saw it clearly and tried to reach for the watch again, but to no avail, and he hit the floor twice, accepting her help.
Chu Qiao jumped off her metal bed, picked up the watch, placed it into his palm, and smiled at the reinforced glass. After which, she picked up her tray and returned to her bed.
It soon became quiet outside the cell.
All these seemed natural, with no anomalies.
After finishing her meal, Chu Qiao walked towards the simple bathroom in her cell and opened the door.
The government, being moral, designed the bathroom with some privacy. Below the shoulder, the bathroom was made of opaque plastic. Chu Qiao sat on the toilet and lowered her head. She knew people were watching her, and she could not spend more than 20 minutes in the bathroom.
When no one could see what she was doing in the bathroom, Chu Qiao opened her fair palm. Earlier, when she had come into contact with the soldier's fingertips, she had a sheet of plastic on her hand, which she used to obtain his fingerprints secretly. She knew that the clock was ticking; she had to move.
This story is identical to that of 'Princess Agents'.
