Chapter 322: The Disappearing Bullet
Translator: BeetleBarker Editor: Tennesh
After filming wrapped up, actors left in batches according to their own work arrangements.
Staff members handling postproduction still had to remain on planet Wai for an extended period of time. For actors, most were in a rush to return, as they had busy schedules. Only a small portion of actors were not in a rush. Besides staff members in charge of postproduction, there were also a few actors that decided to stay on planet Wai for a bit to have a vacation and tour the place before they returned.
During this time, Fang Zhao and the stuntmen street raced twice.
The roaring of engines and billowing of dust made the blood within one’s body seem like it was boiling.
Zaro watched enviously and wished to join them for a round.
But with Zaro’s driving skills, where he even needed to turn on the autopilot when driving a flying car, if he were to operate one of those two-wheeled motorcycles from the Period of Destruction, he would probably flip over immediately.
For the sake of Zaro’s safety—and taking into consideration his own occupational future—Zaro’s agent had stopped him. Although Zaro’s agent wouldn’t be able to avoid a scolding from Zaro, he had long gotten used to it, and he was at peace with himself.
As a last resort, Zaro had sat on the motorcycle and struck a cool pose for a photograph. Fortunately, he could still flaunt and act pretentious online, conning all those netizens that did not know the truth.
Perhaps these stuntmen got some inspiration from street racing. These stuntmen decided that when they returned, they would propose a few of those super motorcycle companies in MaErsizhou set up a large-scale cross-country race here.
“The competition venues at MaErsizhou are too congested. In recent years, it feels as if the competition venues are being more restricted, and racing doesn’t seem as refreshing as before,” one of the stuntmen said as he removed his helmet. Although he had lost to Fang Zhao in a race, this reckless speeding made him extremely excited.
The majority of these stuntmen were from MaErsizhou, and people from this continent seemed to carry a fanatical competitive gene. Even if they fell down and were in pain during an event, they would still be captivated by the spirit of competition.
Advances in technology had given rise to a lot of new sporting events, and now, people of Mazhou were once again starting ancient sporting events from the Old Era. The few of them had been riding imitation cross-country mountain bikes from the Old Era and racing around the sandy dunes outside the film sets.
Those stuntmen had fanatical glints in their eyes. “Under the wind and rain, when lightning flashes and thunder rolls, when the engine roars and dirt splatters while climbing a steep dirt hill, at the moment when the wheels of the bike leave the ground, that sort of feeling is just like an ancient knight of old, how glorious! Fang Zhao, I can see that you also really love these sorts of sports and you can understand how we feel. You have an extremely high amount of talent in this aspect! Visit Mazhou! Duke it out on the racetrack! Experience the charm of ancient sporting events! That is a totally different experience from e-sports competitions!”
Fang Zhao: “Not interested.”
He’d had his fill of racing in his previous life.
Under the disappointed gazes of the stuntmen, Fang Zhao rode the motorcycle back and returned it. After paying for the rent and maintenance, Fang Zhao headed for the music center.
There were always many people in the music center. Actors and crew members waiting for the next trip back would watch performances at the music center if they did not wish to head out.
Nowadays, every time Fang Zhao went over, it was to see Mo Lang.
Mo Lang had sent Fang Zhao a message yesterday asking him to drop by in the following few days if he had the time. It wasn’t an urgent matter; Mo Lang just wished to exchange some composing insights with him.
Mo Lang’s 10-minute ending tune was already 90% completed. There were only some tiny areas left that he wasn’t satisfied with and wanted to amend. Once he was satisfied with the final product, recording could begin.
As Fang Zhao had contributed significantly during this period where the ending tune was being composed, Mo Lang had let Fang Zhao sign a confidentiality agreement. When the time came, he would place Fang Zhao’s name in the credits for this composition, second only to Mo Lang.
After signing this agreement, Mo Lang let Fang Zhao see the completed score sheet. This way, it would be easier for them to discuss composition-related problems.
Today, after discussing with Mo Lang for half an hour, Fang Zhao’s communications device produced a hurried noise.
If it wasn’t an urgent matter, it wouldn’t be this sort of tone. Looking at the caller, Fang Zhao’s eyelids twitched. “Sorry, I have to take a call.”
The caller was Huo Yi. As Wai base’s commanding officer, he wouldn’t personally contact Fang Zhao unless it was an urgent matter. And for stuff on Wai base that concerned Fang Zhao, there was only Curly Hair.
Fang Zhao walked over to an empty room to the side and answered the call.
Huo Yi’s heavy tone appeared to have some restrained fury. “There is a problem at the kennel. You have to come over now. Turn on your GPS and I will get the nearest base personnel to pick you up.”
“Is Curly Hair all right?” Fang Zhao asked.
“He is healthy and active, but he is a little excessively stirred up. Now, nobody is able to go near him. Come out now. We will brief you on the way.” Huo Yi did not elaborate further and ended the call.
Fang Zhao informed Mo Lang and left quickly.
As Fang Zhao exited the large main doors of the music center, others entering and leaving the music center saw Fang Zhao’s hurried footsteps and were about to inquire with him when they heard surprised exclamations from people around them.
Raising their heads to look over, a huge and menacing flying transport was descending. When Fang Zhao boarded, the transport left immediately.
“Was that a… military flying transport?” someone wondered aloud.
“I think it belongs to Wai base’s internal department. It is equipped with the latest propulsion and weapons system, and generally, people on the outside can’t use it,” said an actor who had acted in many military serials. He understood these sorts of things a little better and frequently paid attention to these aspects.
“So the rumors that Fang Zhao has a formidable military background are true? Otherwise, why would Wai base let Fang Zhao use such a destructive flying machine?”
“This, I have no idea. But I see that Fang Zhao has special qualities that military talents possess. If I were him, I would surely stay on with the military to develop. With such a background, I would be even better off and would be able to climb much higher. Why does he want to muddle along in the entertainment circles? That really puzzles me.”
The people of the entertainment industry had all sorts of guesses from watching Fang Zhao hurriedly board Wai base’s flying transport in that manner, but the main point that made even more people curious was this: did Fang Zhao really have a formidable military background?
On the flying transport heading for Wai base, Fang Zhao wasn’t in the mood to bother about what those people at the music center were thinking. On the journey there, Fang Zhao contacted the base to better understand the matter.
Previously, when Huo Yi had said that Curly Hair might be targeted, that hadn’t just been chatter. Having intercepted so many goods, he had damaged quite a few people’s interests. Even if the base was able to keep it confidential, over time, there might be times when they overlooked stuff. Furthermore, Wai base’s internal teams were not a singular organism. After the expansion, it had gotten more complicated.
Today, there hadn’t been any transport ships arriving, and there were few security check assignments at the airfield. In the morning, the person in charge had brought Curly Hair out for a round and then returned him to the kennel to rest. Today, the dogs in the kennel were all resting, and they did not have training either. The people guarding the kennels had never expected that someone would dare try to assassinate a dog in broad daylight!
Although the other party had not succeeded, the soldiers stationed at the kennels had not caught the perpetrator. Afterward, in the blink of an eye, Curly Hair had run out from the kennels!
After that, the staff there locked the other dogs inside and got a team to guard the kennels. They then dispatched another team to chase Curly Hair.
That team caught up to Curly Hair very quickly, but his manner had changed. From his originally gentle and friendly nature, he was now especially fierce and kept barking.
When Fang Zhao entered the base, he heard a dog barking.
A stockman at the kennel explained to Fang Zhao, “Since we found and brought him back, he hasn’t allowed anyone to get near him. He starts barking frantically, bares his teeth, and his body goes completely taut whenever someone gets close. I have never seen him so ferocious before. The vet has come over and observed, but he didn’t discover any injuries. After using an apparatus to do a rough scan, the vet said Curly Hair’s internal organs and bones are fine too, but he has no way of getting close to do a proper check, so we still can’t be certain Curly Hair is completely fine. The commander said to wait for you to come over. If you too have no way of making him calm down, then we will have to adopt other methods.”
The stockman and instructor, as well as the lieutenant colonel normally in charge of handling Curly Hair, had all received the same treatment. They were unable to get close and couldn’t do anything but wait for Fang Zhao to come over.
When he saw Fang Zhao, Curly Hair speedily ran over to Fang Zhao’s side and whimpered as if he’d been wronged. Although he was no longer barking, he still wasn’t friendly to others, baring his teeth and growling to anyone else who got too close.
Fang Zhao put out his hand to stroke Curly Hair’s fur, firstly to pacify Curly Hair and secondly to check whether he was hurt in any way.
“He’s all right,” Fang Zhao said.
Huo Yi heaved a sigh of relief. “That’s good. Let the vet give him a checkup, do some blood tests, and so on, to ensure that he hasn’t received any harmful drugs or the like.”
However, the moment the vet moved a step closer, Curly Hair once again started barking. This time, he only barked twice before stopping, but as before, he stared at the vet, low warning growls originating from his throat as he revealed his sharp canines.
Fang Zhao patted him lightly before the growling stopped.
“Tell me what happened. Just that which can be said will do.” Fang Zhao glanced at Huo Yi. “Previously, when I brought Curly Hair over, we agreed that I would have the right to know anything that happened.”
Huo Yi took a deep breath, his brows constricting, and he raised his hand, indicating the lieutenant colonel that normally handled Curly Hair should explain to Fang Zhao.
The lieutenant colonel gave a brief recount, which was similar to what Fang Zhao had found out on the way here.
“The perpetrator still hasn’t been caught?” Fang Zhao asked.
When this was mentioned, Huo Yi’s face became even darker and he fell silent. Evidently, he also felt ashamed.
The lieutenant colonel frowned helplessly. “The perpetrator is probably an old hand. We have yet to find him. We even brought out two dogs that are good at tracking, but they lost the scent. Our surrounding monitoring system did not catch anyone on film, and our sentinel system didn’t release any warnings. From the leads we have now, there was only one person that opened fire.” That lieutenant colonel handed over a set of analytical results. “Although we were unable to catch the perpetrator’s figure, the sentinel system recorded a sound. After filtering it out, the system’s analysis results indicate that the perpetrator opened fire thrice. Luckily, none of them hit the mark.”
Fang Zhao’s hand that was patting Curly Hair halted. He knew that what had happened here at the base was not just limited to this, but he would not chase further answers. The base would have stuff that they weren’t liable to reveal too.
Thinking about it, Fang Zhao asked, “The perpetrator fired three times. Where did they hit? Can I see the bullets? I remember that over here, you all are still equipped with live ammunition, not with energy firearms.”
A flash of embarrassment lit up across the lieutenant colonel’s face as he looked towards Huo Yi.
Huo Yi nodded his head.
That lieutenant colonel said, “Three shots, but we only found two bullets. One was on the ground in the dog shed, and the other was near the entrance of the kennel. As for the remaining one… we have yet to find it. We have already widened our search radius, and I believe we will find it very soon.”
“Could I trouble you to arrange a guest room? I want to bring Curly Hair over for a little rest. He has just experienced quite a scare, and his mood isn’t all that well. Right now, he is very guarded against outsiders. Perhaps he needs some time alone. I’ll bring him out again when he is feeling better,” Fang Zhao said.
This time, Huo Yi gave an instant reply. “All right.”
“Can I have a copy of the monitoring footage from the kennels as well as the sound recordings from the surrounding sentinel system? For the sound recordings, can I have the original source, not ones that have been filtered?” asked Fang Zhao.
There was bewilderment on the lieutenant colonel’s face. “You can’t really hear anything from the original source. The perpetrator had a silencer on his gun, and because it was broad daylight, there were many random noises nearby. Without processing them, you won’t be able to hear the sound of gunfire.”
Fang Zhao nodded. “That’s the sort I want.”
“No problem.” Huo Yi’s face was a little gloomy. However, it wasn’t directed at Fang Zhao but at the day’s happenings.
Fang Zhao brought Curly Hair to the room the base assigned them. This was a guest house in the base, for treating guests when they came over.
Curly Hair followed closely beside Fang Zhao. Only after there was nobody else inside the room did Curly Hair’s tense body relax slightly, and he wagged his tail.
Fang Zhao paced the guest room, then fished out an object around the size of a palm from his pocket. This was an instrument for taking readings. After checking for surveillance equipment in the room and not finding any, Fang Zhao waved to Curly Hair, who was scratching his back with his hind legs. “Come over.”
The people from the base viewed Curly Hair and those elite dogs from Muzhou Police Dog Academy the same way. They felt that these dogs had IQs much higher than other dogs. Just from some little drills and instructions, they could understand a lot and were similar to 10-year-old kids. But in the end, they were only dogs, and no matter how high their IQs were, they still could not compare to an adult.
In Muzhou’s history, there were many dogs with especially high IQs. During those extraordinary circumstances of the Period of Destruction, many outstanding combat dogs had come about. There were many graves for meritorious service dogs in the Muzhou Cemetery of Martyrs alone.
But 500 years later, in the New Era, there was still a disparity for Muzhou dogs even if they inherited their forefathers IQ. In all that time, the number of dogs with really high IQs could be counted with the fingers on a person’s hands, and every one of those dogs was considered a Muzhou treasure.
As for Curly Hair, Fang Zhao did not think that he was in any way inferior to those Muzhou treasures recorded down in history.
Because Curly Hair stood out from the masses, Fang Zhao had taught him a long time ago to pretend to be clumsier than he seemed and to be wary of outsiders. Today, in front of Huo Yi and the others, Curly Hair’s barking might not have been because he’d received a shock but for other reasons.
Fang Zhao crouched down and stroked Curly Hair’s head. “There are no outsiders here. What do you wish to tell me?”
Curly Hair whimpered, groaned, and growled, as if trying to tell Fang Zhao something, but the language was different.
Fang Zhao watched as Curly Hair whimpered then growled. He knew Curly Hair was trying to tell him something, but… the language was different, so he really had no way of completely understanding what Curly Hair wanted to say.
Curly Hair’s scratched his paws twice on the ground, as if he was trying to write something, but he gave it up quickly. Following that, he paced up and down on his spot and twirled around a few times.
Fang Zhao watched Curly Hair twirling around, his paws moving up and down. If this were a grass patch outside, this sort of action would generally be done to flatten the grass to prevent the grass from poking his butt. Then, Curly Hair… took a crap.
In front of Fang Zhao, Curly Hair took a long crap.
Fang Zhao: “…”
After Curly Hair was done, he leaned in to take a sniff, then abruptly withdrew his neck, took two steps back, and cried out softly. Curly Hair looked at Fang Zhao, then turned to look at that fresh poop and continued to bark.
Fang Zhao remained quiet for a few seconds, then got up to get a pair of tweezers.
Thirty seconds later, Fang Zhao stared at the deformed bullet shell he had picked up with the tweezers from inside the dog poo, and he continued to remain silent.
