Chapter 18: Why Are They Proceeding Directly to the Execution?

"What do you mean by 'exceeding the coverage limit'?"

"I bought five million in coverage."

"What kind of piece-of-junk truck costs more than that to repair?"

"Hey! Answer me!"

Shen Yihan was left utterly bewildered after the call was disconnected. The insurance company had promised to send someone to the scene, but the operator had warned that the costs might exceed her policy limit, and she would have to pay the remainder herself. She couldn't wrap her head around it. Could a minor scrape on the tire of a beat-up truck really be worth five million?

While Shen Yihan remained dazed, Sun Guosheng had already seen through it all. That vehicle was worth at least ten million to start with. Even if it was just a tire scrape, the truck carried precision instruments. If the collision had caused those instruments to malfunction, the repair costs would be astronomical. Furthermore, if the accident caused any delay in a military operation, Shen Yihan would be held liable for those additional losses as well.

"Stop yelling," Sun said. "I suggest you let them go immediately. The longer you delay them, the less your insurance will cover."

Shen Yihan didn't believe him. "Are you all colluding to scam me?"

Sun Guosheng couldn't be bothered to explain. "Who's scamming you? That's a HQ-9 anti-aircraft missile system; it costs way more than ten million. See that tube? A single warhead inside is worth several Porsches."

"I give up." Sun had tried his best to mediate so that Shen Yihan would lose less money, but this girl was truly hopeless. She lacked both intelligence and common sense. He couldn't imagine how her mother had raised her. Giving up on her, he turned to Wei Xiu. "I suspect her mother threw the baby away and raised the placenta instead."

Wei Xiu nodded in understanding. "It's not a big deal. Fortunately, it's not an urgent mission. At worst, she'll just have to pay a million or so. Alright, thanks for your cooperation. You go ahead and do your job; I'll handle this."

No sooner had Sun Guosheng finished speaking than—

*Beep! Beep! Beep!*

The truck behind them suddenly began to roar. Sun Guosheng tensed up. The alarm frequency was incredibly high and piercing.

"Did your truck get damaged in the collision?"

"Damn it!" Yang Wu’s nerves tightened instantly. He jogged over to the command vehicle. "What's going on!?"

"Radar has detected an unidentified flying object! Signal analysis is underway!"

Following Wei Xiu’s orders, the command vehicle and radar truck had been operating normally since leaving the base to test the system's coordination while in motion. It was normal for the radar to detect signals, but what was this about an "unidentified flying object"?

"Is it a test signal?" Yang Wu asked urgently.

Wei Xiu spoke first: "No, the IFF (Identification Friend or Foe) module is functioning normally."

Hearing Wei Xiu’s answer, Yang Wu was stunned. If the vehicle was equipped with a standard IFF module, it shouldn't be sounding an alarm. They were deep inland; even if there were aircraft in the sky, they could only be friendly military or civilian planes. There was no way for an unknown frequency to appear!

"Report, Company Commander! RCS signal analysis complete!"

"320 kilometers to the southwest!"

"Target identified as an F-35!"

As the soldier in the command vehicle shouted the report, the air turned suffocating.

"Company Commander, what do we do?"

Yang Wu stood frozen like a stone statue. He had never encountered such a situation. He had never even imagined it. Deep in the heart of the mainland, an enemy stealth fighter had been detected!

"Company Commander, we have a strike window. What are our orders?"

Before Yang Wu could react, Wei Xiu picked up the command radio.

"An 'extraordinary merit' award just flew right into our laps. What else can we do?"

"All units, attention! Enter combat status immediately!"

Wei Xiu didn't care about the details. If it was detected, it was an enemy plane; there was no possibility of a misjudgment. He stared intensely at the command terminal and immediately issued orders to the radar vehicle: "Enemy target detected, one F-35. Bullseye coordinates 220/78, altitude 70! Speed 750, heading 350! Calculate the flight trajectory immediately! Launch vehicles, elevate!"

Amidst the shouts, Yang Wu finally snapped back to reality. Regardless of the circumstances, if an enemy plane was invading their airspace, there was nothing more to say. Blast them to hell.

"All units, follow Wei Xiu’s command and complete launch preparations immediately!"

Handing over command to Wei Xiu, Yang Wu hurried over to Sun Guosheng. "Officer, I need you to cordon off this intersection immediately! No vehicles are allowed in or out!"

Sun Guosheng looked stunned. "Huh? Me? What are you doing?"

"Military operation. I cannot disclose details. Cordon it off now!"

...

Ten meters away, next to the totaled Porsche, the claims adjuster who had just arrived looked at the car with a face full of sorrow. The supervisor was right; he really had walked into a massive mess. The Porsche was smashed to pieces. Repairing it would be a struggle, and there was a high chance it would be written off as a total loss. Even if it could be repaired, the cost would be astronomical. And that was just one side of the accident, not to mention the military vehicle parked nearby.

"Ms. Shen, I think this is going to be tough. Your car will likely be declared a total loss. We haven't even assessed the damage to that other vehicle yet."

"Five million might really not be enough."

Shen Yihan exploded. "Why? You didn't even look at their car!"

"I took a quick look. That's an HQ-9. It’s a thirty-million-dollar vehicle. Even a scratch is a disaster." The adjuster took out his phone to record the accident as a matter of routine. "We will fulfill our contract, but I'm afraid you'll have to cover the excess yourself."

Shen Yihan felt a pang in her heart. "How much?"

"It's hard to say without an assessment, but perhaps a million or so."

*Crack!*

Shen Yihan’s fragile heart shattered. She hadn't been a streamer for long, and she didn't have many wealthy patrons. It had taken ages of "acting cute" to finally get this Porsche, and she had zero savings. Now she had to pay a million? She was going crazy! Her patrons couldn't handle being milked for this much!

"What if I can't afford to pay?"

The adjuster, keeping his distance, replied coldly, "Then you'll probably be sued by the military."

"I'm done! What kind of idiotic missile is this!" Hearing the word "sue," Shen Yihan’s composure crumbled. Who would have thought that buying a new car would lead to an accident on the first day, and she would end up in court? She really hadn't checked her horoscope; she had hit rock bottom.

*Clunk! Clunk! Hiss—!*

Just as she was scratching her head, a strange sound erupted from behind her. Everyone’s eyes were instantly drawn to the other side of the intersection. That accident-damaged truck, like a Transformer, was raising its missile bay vertically!

At the same time, the traffic officer, Sun Guosheng, came jogging over: "Everyone, get back!"

Shen Yihan’s pupils dilated in shock. "What’s wrong? What are they doing?"

"There's a launch mission! Get out of the way!"

???

???

???

The adjuster was stunned. The assistant was stunned. The other onlookers were also stunned.

Just a traffic accident? Was this necessary!?

"Wait, what happened to being sued?"

"Why are they skipping the trial?"

"And going straight to the execution?"

Shen Yihan was filled with questions. "You got hit, is it really necessary to use a missile to blow us up?!"