Invasion of the United States

His gaze fell on his left shoulder, where a patch of tender new skin stood out—a remnant from the early morning convenience store gunfight.

A nine-millimeter bullet had grazed him, tearing open a shallow wound that had now begun to heal.

Zhou Qingfeng stared at his reflection in the mirror, his eyes cold and stern as he muttered to himself, "Nutrition, I need more nutrition to strengthen my body. Otherwise, this frame and these muscles can't sustain my power."

The hunger felt like a raging fire in his stomach, making him feel like he could devour an entire cow in one bite.

He threw his dirty clothes into the washing machine, grabbed a towel hanging on the wall, wrapped it haphazardly around his lower body, and padded barefoot into the kitchen.

The kitchen was clean, not a place that saw much cooking. On the dining table sat a twelve-inch roasted meat pizza next to a box of milk.

Without hesitation, Zhou Qingfeng sat down, tore open the pizza, and stuffed large pieces into his mouth, the cheese stretching out in long strings and the sweet and sour taste of tomato sauce filling his palate.

He then grabbed the milk, tilted his head back, and drank it all in one go, his Adam's apple moving up and down as the cold liquid slid down his throat, temporarily quelling the gnawing hunger.

As he licked the milk residue from the corner of his mouth, the door creaked open, and a sleepy young woman walked out.

She was wearing a loose T-shirt, her hair a messy tangle, yawning as she lazily made her way to the kitchen, clearly just awakened.

"Are you Lisa's new boyfriend?" The young woman leaned against the door frame, rubbing her eyes as she casually asked.

Her voice was slightly hoarse, her eyes half-open, not yet fully awake. This apartment had two bedrooms; she was evidently the other tenant.

"No." Zhou Qingfeng didn't even look up, shaking his head calmly as he continued to gnaw on the pizza in his hand.

The woman chuckled, just about to grab a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from the table, when he suddenly barked in a low voice, "Don't smoke in front of me."

Her hand, which was reaching for a cigarette, froze in mid-air; she hesitated for a second, then narrowed her eyes angrily and retorted, "Fuck you!"

As soon as the words left her mouth, Zhou Qingfeng's hand shot out, the dining knife slicing through the air with a swish, a cold gleam trailing behind it.

With a clang, the knife's tip embedded itself an inch deep into the wooden wall beside the young woman's ear.

The handle vibrated with a hum, the sound echoing in the quiet room.

The young woman's mind cleared instantly, her face turning pale; the cigarette and lighter dropped from her hand with a clatter to the floor, and her body froze in place, terror etched on her face, barely daring to breathe.

"Is there a computer?" Zhou Qingfeng's voice remained calm.

"Y-yes, there is." She swallowed hard, her voice trembling, not daring to meet Zhou Qingfeng's eyes.

Note from the editor: Always check MV2LEMPYR for corrections.

"Bring it to me." Zhou Qingfeng lowered his head and continued eating.

She turned stiffly, stumbled into her room, and returned shortly with a laptop, placing it carefully on the dining table before retreating a few steps, head lowered, afraid to speak.

Zhou Qingfeng took a deep breath, fingers typing "Ellison Parker" on the keyboard, and hit enter.

A familiar half-body photo appeared on the screen—Ellison Parker, donned in a suit and tie, smiling, hair meticulously combed, giving off an aura of confidence and intelligence.

The bio read: "Acting Governor of Florida." Below the photo were a few news links about his recent speeches and political agendas.

As this typical politician's smile lit up the screen, Zhou Qingfeng instinctively felt a surge of extreme loathing toward the man, a voice echoing in his mind, "Take him out."

This guy was like Goebbels, the Nazi propaganda minister of World War II. Asian Americans, especially Chinese, had suffered immensely due to his demonizing propaganda.

The capital of Florida was in a 'small town' called Tallahassee.

Ellison Parker's governor's office was on the fourth floor of the state capitol building, with information online detailing his residence and interior layout.

Searching 'Florida Governor' brought up news of the previous governor being killed on a cruise ship, along with reports that the Federal Secret Service was beefing up security for senior officials across the United States.

Another search revealed the latest news that Ellison Parker had ordered an investigation into 'Electric Flight' for allegedly threatening national security, citing nonsense about collecting user data.

And on finding 'Electric Flight,' Zhou Qingfeng saw a slew of reports about 'Warthog.' "Isn't this the aircraft I flew in last night?"

Instinctively, he searched his own name online and quickly found a piece of information—the ninety-day period was over, and the 'Power Ball' had officially announced the super prize winner's identity.

Then there was the... FBI wanted notice online, where Zhou Qingfeng finally saw his detailed information.

"I have a net worth of over a billion US Dollars, created a tech 'unicorn' valued at more than a billion US Dollars in a few months, and led a globally acclaimed short-distance transportation revolution.

And now I'm wanted by the United States Internal Revenue Service and FBI for crimes like illegal business operations, environmental destruction, tax evasion, and national security threats?

What on earth did I do before injecting the 'X' fortifier?"

Zhou Qingfeng's brain was currently formatted, leading to emotional indifference; otherwise, his head would surely be filled with a string of question marks.

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

The apartment door emitted a faint sound of a key turning, followed by the click of the lock, and Lisa pushed the door open and entered.

She was holding a bulging grocery bag, the edges slightly deformed, showing glimpses of a box of milk and several bags of chips inside.

Upon entering, she first glanced at her roommate, who looked like a frightened kitten in the corner of the living room, then directed her gaze toward the man typing at the dining table.

"Hey, what's going on? The atmosphere is weird." Lisa barely set down the grocery bag when her roommate grabbed her by the hem and pulled her to the corner of the foyer.

"Who is that man?" Her roommate's eyes widened in terror, pointing at the knife in the wall, "He almost killed me!"

Lisa pursed her lips, her gaze complex as it drifted toward Zhou Qingfeng. That question was indeed hard to answer. She recalled the experience at the convenience store earlier that morning, still shaken.

In her view, Zhou Qingfeng's performance was near perfect: when she had urgently sought help, he hadn't immediately assisted, maintaining a calmness that bordered on cold.

Facing the robbers' firearms, he hadn't panicked or fled but bravely confronted the danger—his courage was commendable.

And handling three armed robbers with such efficiency, turning the tide in his favor, his combat prowess was startling.

As for not calling the police afterward? That was the most normal thing—calling the police would only cause a heap of trouble. She even felt that contacting the authorities wasn't within this man's realm of consideration.

To Lisa, Zhou Qingfeng was shrouded in a mystique, akin to a lone hero from a movie, both dangerous and alluring.

This was why she had dared to bring him home instead of passing him by.

After placating her roommate with a few words, Lisa went to the dining table, sat across from Zhou Qingfeng, propped her chin up with her hands, and asked with a smile, "Hey, you still haven't told me your name."

Zhou Qingfeng shifted his gaze from the screen, giving her a cold glance before replying icily, "Knowing me does you no good. I'll be leaving soon; forget about last night."

"Cool!" Her roommate hadn't left and peeked out from behind Lisa, emitting a meaningful sigh.

Lowering her voice, she spoke with gossip-laden excitement, "How did you meet him? Did you sleep together last night?"

At that moment, the sound of the washing machine's drying cycle ending beeped, breaking the odd atmosphere in the living room.

Zhou Qingfeng stood up and walked towards the bathroom to change back into his clothes.

Lisa's eyes followed him, shaking her head with a sigh, "I really wanted to sleep with him, but hauling him in here almost killed me—he's as heavy as a rock."

Her roommate leaned in closer, teasing, "If you need help, feel free to ask me. I don't think you can handle him alone. This man has a fatal attraction—he's too dangerous and too thrilling."

In the bathroom, Zhou Qingfeng put on his freshly washed and dried jacket, stashing the two confiscated guns at his ribs and ankle.

He looked at his reflection again, pondering how to eliminate the 'former' Secretary of State of the apocalyptic United States, now the Acting Governor of Florida.

Either a long-range sniper shot or a close-range assassination, both methods had their advantages and disadvantages. But being a wanted man meant he couldn't rely on connections and resources from 'Holy Light.'

He needed to come up with another plan.