Invasion of the United States

As the first ray of morning sunlight penetrated the thin mist on the outskirts of Miami, the metal fencing of Chris's Farm glimmered coldly under the backlight.

A dozen farm workers trod across the dewy grass, carrying coiled barbed wire on their shoulders, and walked through the morning fog to encircle the entire testing field with clanging sounds.

Zhou Qingfeng stood in the monitoring room, his gaze sweeping across the wall of LCD screens — which consisted of dozens of fixed cameras and six 24-hour patrolling drone views.

Day or night, the entire test flight farm would be under tight surveillance.

When Kongges reminded him to strengthen security, he also realized that he must provide a safe working environment for the 'Electric Flight' testing team.

These people could be his strongest support in the future; he must train and take care of them, building a closer relationship.

"Chen Rui, I'll give you half a year to teach the farm's testing staff how to use guns." Zhou Qingfeng patted the new security chief on the shoulder.

Previously, he mentioned recruiting some people with military experience; now this batch is being used for farm security, and the paperwork for their gun permits alone was a significant effort.

As the head of security, Chen Rui was a burly man.

With a height of 1.9 meters, he had served in the military, practiced martial arts, reportedly worked in Africa, and could speak English and French. Physically, he was on par with Kongges.

Nominally, the dozen security personnel were considered 'Electric Flight' employees. With them around, Zhou Qingfeng felt more confident.

Lux and Yeager grew somewhat wary because of this; the two clearly sensed Zhou Qingfeng's subtle attempts to regain control.

Yet, Zhou Qingfeng didn't completely break ties and instead entrusted significant tasks to the two bodyguards — promoting them, each leading five subordinates, responsible for training Chen Rui and the new security personnel.

Upon learning that one bodyguard was from the CIA and the other from the Special Service Bureau, Chen Rui and his men were in 'awe,' eager to learn something from these 'seniors.'

Even Kongges was no exception, doubling as a security instructor to teach employees from 'Dongda' the daily skills required of a small-town sheriff in the United States.

Some skills made the 'rookies' exclaim... it's too violent, isn't it?!

As a result, Lux and Yeager could no longer guard Zhou Qingfeng simultaneously 24/7. The two bodyguards by his side now were at least half of his own men.

Aside from changing his personnel configuration, Zhou Qingfeng applied to open a gun shop and then stockpiled a batch of firearms and ammunition.

A small shooting range was built inside the farm, and sporadic gunshots were heard early in the morning.

Every day, young members of the testing team would go to play with guns. However, after a few sessions, they grew tired.

Since the smell of gunpowder and gun oil wasn't pleasant, gun training soon became a mandatory task.

-----------------

In the hangar, converted from a farm barn, five validation aircraft were neatly lined up, their silver-gray bodies reflecting the cold light from the overhead fluorescent lamps.

The air was filled with the scent of engine oil and metal, occasionally punctuated by the crisp collision of tools.

A dozen dark-skinned South American workers busied themselves around the aircraft. They wore uniform work clothes and, with the help of a translator, listened intently to the test staff's explanations, learning to become ground crew.

Zhou Qingfeng strolled into the hangar, and a Mexican mechanic walked toward him.

The mechanic, who was older, had a sun-dried face like bronze, deeply lined forehead, calloused hands like tree bark, and large knuckles from years of labor.

He stopped a few steps away, removed his hat, and bowed slightly, slowly saying in less-than-fluent English, "Boss, good morning."

His words were laborious, but his tone was sincere and respectful.

Zhou Qingfeng couldn't ignore him and stepped forward to shake his hand. The hand, worn from years of work, was rough and strong. For a better reading experience, visit M(VLEMPYR).

"Boss, my name is Juan. I want to thank you," the old mechanic said in a low voice, gesturing for a few young workers to step forward and stand neatly behind him.

"These are my grandsons," the old mechanic introduced, "Thank you for giving them an easy job, so they don't have to suffer in the fields anymore. And thank you... for avenging them."

Zhou Qingfeng was stunned, unable to react before the young workers took turns to kneel down and kiss the ground at his feet.

This sudden act left him somewhat at a loss. Instinctively, he took half a step back, frowned slightly, and asked in surprise, "Revenge? What do you mean?"

"Yes, revenge." Juan's voice remained calm, but a strong pain flickered in his cloudy eyes.

He raised his arm, pointing to a distant orchard on the farm, where lush trees glistened under the sun, casting a particularly peaceful scene.

"My two sons died over there," the old mechanic said in a flat tone, but each word carried underlying grief and anger,

"The Chris Clan hired them. They worked for half a year, only to be notified by the immigration authorities before payday, attempting to deport them.

The family was waiting for the money. With no choice, they resisted, trying to claim their wages... only to be buried alive."

The young men behind the old mechanic bowed their heads, their shoulders trembling with silent tears.

Zhou Qingfeng was momentarily speechless. He opened his mouth but didn't know what to say, finally asking softly, "Were the bodies... ever found?"

"No." Juan shook his head, his calloused hand gripping his hat tightly, "I went to identify the bodies, but they were not among the thirty-seven that were unearthed.

I also tried searching the orchard, but it's too vast. No one knows which tree they're buried under."