Chapter 3: Surprise Appearance of the Special Ops

The emergency response services of the intergalactic era were the best of the best. No matter where a calamitous incident happened, emergency response units would always arrive at the scene within twelve to fifteen minutes. They were that efficient due to their superior technology and highly-trained personnel.

However, that day wasn't quite the same. The first to arrive on the scene was not one of the emergency response units of Asia Metropolitan Region's 4th district but the military.

No sooner had Tang Mu started helping out the victims than six pitch-black military aeromobils that looked a bit like the Hummers of the 20th century arrived. Their powerful antigravity thrusters left bluish glimmers in the atmosphere, causing all survivors to look up to the sky in wonderment.

Was the incident so significant in the big scheme of things that it prompted the military to arrive first on the scene? The expressions outlining the faces of most survivors expressed their confusion.

It was common knowledge that the appearance of the military after any incident usually signified that there was more to that 'incident' than previously imagined. After connecting the dots, a few lucky survivors who only suffered minor injuries couldn't help themselves but begin to discuss the situation.

"Those are military aeromobils with a flaming phoenix insignia," a man with an almost square face mumbled subconsciously. "The people within must be mighty psionics from the Flaming Phoenix Special Ops Regiment..."

"This is huge!" A middle-aged survivor exclaimed. "The Flaming Phoenix Special Ops Regiment is one of the top four special forces units of our Earth Federation. What are they doing here?"

"They must be the ones that took the Vegroid ship down," another survivor said. "The ship must have intended to attack some important infrastructure in our district. That must be why it caught the attention of the special ops."

"But isn't the government spending trillions and trillions of Earth Dollars annually to fortify our planetary and solar system defense systems!" A middle-aged lady with an injured arm said. "How could a small Vegroid ship get through all those defenses and approach our home planet? A few died, and many got injured because of the government's negligence."

"What do you know!" A man who seemed to be in his early thirties scoffed. "The Vegroid remnants also have their own special ops units. It's not impossible for those units to infiltrate Earth's defenses..."

The discussions continuously made their way into Tang Mu's ears as he did his part in helping out the critically injured survivors. His heart was not at ease, especially after recognizing that the arriving aeromobils belonged to the Flaming Phoenix Special Ops Regiment.

Earth's special ops regiments were specialized military units trained to conduct special operations against enemy forces such as the Vegroids. They were the cream of the crop of Earth's entire military, always only appearing when an incident that could threaten Earth's future happened.

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Tang Mu knew that a fallen Vegroid remnant scout ship didn't warrant such attention from the mighty special forces. So, most likely, they were at the scene for something else.

They should be after that strange crystal orb.

Tang Mu narrowed his eyes and made a few speculations.

Although rare, incidents of alien ships being taken down after infiltrating Earth's defenses had happened several times during the past seventeen years of Tang Mu's life. But after all those incidents, it was always the emergency response services, like the police, emergency medics, and firefighters, who handled the aftermath, but never the special ops.

Of course, if the incident threatening Earth went beyond the handling capacity of the police, the Planetary Defense Regiment would take action.

For instance, nine enemy ships infiltrated Earth during the small-scale Vegroid invasion twelve years ago. Tang Mu's parents, who were relatively high-ranking psionics of the Planetary Defense Regiment, took action and lost their lives while defending Earth. But even then, even after two highly decorated psionics perished, the special ops didn't make a move.

So, why would the special ops appear just for a fallen Vegroid spaceship? Could it really be that they were the ones who shot it down?

Tang Mu let out a heavy breath to calm his racing heart down. He quickly rejoiced in the fact of leaving the scene of the crash before the military arrived. Moreover, he resolved to keep the matter of the strange orb a secret as he didn't wish to catch the attention of mighty psionic warriors who could crash him without exerting much effort.

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"Whoosh... Whoosh..."

In the meantime, the six military aeromobils slowly flew in from above and came to a halt above the crash site of the Vegroid Ship.

The door of the first one opened, and a tall beauty who looked to be in her early twenties stepped out before floating in the air like a queen.

Her obviously curvaceous figure was wrapped in the all-black Earth Federation standard military uniform, with a fitting flame-resistant combat shirt, slightly loose matching pants, and all-terrain combat boots.

A black military baseball cap hid a large part of her perceptibly gorgeous face, leaving a shy peak of her short mercury-red hair. Her clear blue eyes, peering from beneath the cap's barely concave visor, shone like two bright gems to further enhance her unique beauty and elegance. Her nose was tall and straight, her lips full and luscious, and her expression as cold as a thousand-year-old iceberg.

"Heavens! It's Xia Na," A young survivor near Tang Mu exclaimed. "I heard she is one of Asia Metropolitan region's most outstanding young talents."

"That's true," a middle-aged man replied. "I heard she unlocked her base chakra in high school to become a true-blue psionic at sixteen. Eight years have passed since then, and she is now twenty-four. Considering her talent, she might already be a rank-3 or rank-4 psionic."

"Rumor has it that she awakened a rare mutated ice ability. Back in her university days, she once froze a half-a-mile radius area while fighting against some terrorists from the underworld. Since then, many have always referred to her as the Ice Queen."

"What a monster!" Another young man exclaimed. "I wish I had a quarter, no, an eighth of her talent..."

"Dream on... But all of you are forgetting what is most important. Aside from having incredible talent, she's also the young princess of the Xia family. She possesses wealth, background, and unmatched beauty. She's the pride of our Asia Metropolitan Region."

"I really wish I could marry her..." A young man lamented. "I could die without regrets."

"Young man!" A middle-aged man said. "Saying such things might lead you to an early death..."

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