Chapter 20. The Company in the Shadows & Meteor Shower

As the last light of day bled across the horizon, dusk settled in. The farmhouse stood silently in the golden afterglow of the setting sun.

The farm had been neglected for a long period, so the surrounding area was overgrown with tall, wild grass.

The sky dimmed, shrouding a cloak of darkness across the earth. Soon, it was pitch-black. Any ordinary person walking through the area would barely notice anything beyond a few meters.

"That young man in the villa isn't that simple. He almost sensed our presence."

"You're overthinking it. No matter how strong, he's still just a normal human."

"Exactly. Haven't you noticed that he hasn't made any move at all for the past few days?"

Amidst the sea of wild grass, three shadowy figures crouched low, and were moving slowly with caution. They were clearly afraid of being caught.

Clad in black tactical gear, each held a compound crossbow in their hand. On their backs were quivers full of alloy-tipped bolts that shimmered with a cold, lethal gleam.

Compound crossbows were deadly powerful and could even be fired in rapid succession. If one were to hunt with it, they could bring down wild boars and even bears in a heartbeat. Its might was stronger than the typical small firearms. They had been banned but yet, these three men were holding one each.

"I would say, we don't even need to be this cautious," One man muttered. He had a short stature but his words were laced with malice. "If he noticed us, we could just kill him. Simple as that." Clearly, he had no regard for human lives.

"Watch your mouth," the leader said with a frown. "This is too sensitive a time. HQ gave strict orders to not cause any casualties. Things will end badly if someone is found dead."

Though they had strong backing, there were still lines that couldn't be crossed. Furthermore, they weren't in some deep mountain or forest.

In a place so close to civilization, taking a life would surely leave traces. So unless it was absolutely necessary, it wasn't worth the risk.

"I was just saying." The man lowered his head and didn't say anything more. However, the venom in his eyes remained apparent, like a viper waiting to strike.

The leader didn't press the issue. He raised his wrist and glanced at his watch before saying, "According to the company's projections, the meteor should land around 8 p.m. When it happens, don't hesitate. Act immediately, secure the target and the mission's done."

"Understood." The other two men nodded in affirmation.

One of them couldn't help but ask curiously, "Captain Zhao, I heard that multiple meteors are supposed to land in different areas tonight. We're just one of many teams?"

"Yes." Captain Zhao nodded. "There's probably over a hundred teams sent out. But some of the meteors will burn up on entry due to atmospheric friction. It's hard to predict if we'll be lucky enough to secure something. But if it does land, and luck is on our side, we don't have to worry about our future."

Captain Zhao clearly knew more than the rest and understood just how seriously the company viewed this operation. Otherwise, the company wouldn't have poured in this many resources.

"Over a hundred teams?" The other gasped. "Just who the hell commissioned us for this operation?"

Even for just their unit, hiring them and providing the equipment alone easily cost over a million. And with over a hundred teams? That would put the figure in the hundreds of millions.

"Don't ask questions to answers you're not supposed to know," Captain Zhao snapped in an icy tone. "Otherwise, you wouldn't even know how you died."

It was clear from his tone that the subject was taboo and he didn't want to discuss it further.

To put it plainly, their unit was at best, just thugs trained by the company. In ancient times, they were as good as servants. A servant trying to dig into their master's affairs was as good as courting death.

"Yes, yes. Got it. I won't ask anymore." The man backed off immediately, realizing he had crossed the line.

The other man shrank back slightly and turned their focus back onto the area ahead. Of course, from time to time, they continued to keep a close eye on the villa in the distance. The moment anything looked off, they would act without hesitation.

Meanwhile, in the villa, Lu Yuan had already turned off the lights long ago. He sat alone in the dark on the sofa in the living room.

"Today is the final day. If their target is the meteor, then whoever's hiding in the dark will surely make a move tonight," Lu Yuan muttered to himself as he peered out of the window at the ink-dark sky.

By this point, Lu Yuan was already certain that there were more people lurking out there within the farmland. But he wasn't their target.

That much was obvious. If he had been their target, they would have taken action long ago. They wouldn't have waited until today.

As such, there was only one possibility left: the meteorite.

He knew that some powerhouses had an array of methods at their disposal. Using cutting-edge technology, they could track celestial shifts and pinpoint impact zones with terrifying accuracy. It wouldn't be hard to do so.

Now the real problem was, did this mysterious powerhouse know about the Celestial Sword Embryo within the meteor.

And if the opponents were just ordinary people, why couldn't he detect them with his current enhanced senses?

Just as Lu Yuan pondered over these questions, time ticked by.

Soon enough, the clock struck eight.

The sky remained clear and tranquil. The moonlight bathed the world in silver, and the stars twinkled like usual.

But then, after some time, the black canvas above began to brighten up.

Without warning, streaks of blazing light tore through the dark. Accompanied by thunderous roars, they were like fighter jets soaring overhead. The air quaked from the deafening boom.

Lu Yuan looked up to see tens of thousands of meteors streaked through the sky in unison like a dense rainfall.

Ordinary folks who didn't know about the underlying situation fumbled for their phones to capture the beautiful meteor rain.

The sight was breathtaking but yet also somewhat horrifying.

Most meteors upon entering the atmosphere would burn up and vanish due to the atmospheric friction. Yet, at this very moment, some of those meteors broke through the atmosphere and entered the stratosphere.

Among them, one particular meteor dived straight down. Despite its small size, its speed was terrifying. If it crashed into the earth, the resulting impact would rival that of a small explosive.

"It's here." The three figures hidden within the overgrown grass of the farmland spoke at the same time. However, none of them moved. They knew that if they were to get too close to the site of impact, it would be too dangerous.

Boom!

Finally, a deafening boom shattered the silence as the meteor slammed into the earth. A blinding burst of flames erupted, spreading in a fiery ring dozens of meters wide. The surrounding bushes and grass instantly caught fire and blazed with intensity.

"Less than a kilometer away. Move out," Captain Zhao ordered immediately.

Their mission was simple—retrieve the meteor as quickly as possible.

At the command, the group darted forward without any hesitation. Their speed was swift and far beyond that of an ordinary human.

And they didn’t seem to be afraid of the wildfire. They picked up speed and dashed into the blazing field. It turned out that their clothing had been specially treated to be resistant to flame and was capable of lowering surface temperature.

Soon, the team of three reached the crash site.

The meteor's impact had gouged a wide crater that spanned several meters into the earth. At its center lay a stone, still steaming in the aftermath. Roughly the size of a football, it was encircled by bubbling magma. Though its surface was rugged and scarred, a closer look revealed faint streaks of golden light flickering beneath the rock's exterior.

Our luck is insane! We actually got a real meteor. We'll definitely get a handsome reward once we take this back!

Excitement flashed across the face of Captain Zhao. Initially, he didn't hold much anticipation for this assignment.

But things were different now.

True, there might be over a hundred teams deployed, but how many of them would actually encounter a meteorite?

The three of them had basically struck the lottery. The company would surely reward them handsomely and pour the resources to groom them.

The other two team members were equally elated. They stepped forward, ready to take the meteor and leave.

But just then, a young voice sounded out.

"Gentlemen," the voice said. "Taking something from me without even saying hello first. That's so rude of you."