Danga, originally the second largest member of the federation.

Its sudden announcement to separate from the federation created a sensational effect, akin to dropping an atomic bomb on a calm sea.

Mo Xin immediately called Mo Qi.

It wasn’t until the call was about to hang up automatically that the phone was answered. There was some background noise on Mo Qi’s end, sounding like a discussion was underway.

“Wait a moment,” Mo Qi walked out of the council chamber with his phone, and the surroundings quieted down. He loosened his tie and sighed, smiling, “These days, it’s been noisy, giving me a headache. Finally, I can have a moment of peace.”

Mo Xin got straight to the point: “Why the sudden announcement of independence?”

“What’s sudden about it?” Mo Qi smiled nonchalantly. “Besides, didn’t you already understand my intentions from the beginning?”

When he asked Liang Qiuchi to take him to Lugo to see Pei Ji, he felt that they had already reached an unspoken agreement.

Mo Xin frowned, coldly saying, “You didn’t mention this when we talked yesterday.”

Mo Qi just smiled. “I thought you were solely focused on Liang Qiuchi and didn’t care about this matter at all, so I didn’t bring it up.”

He paused for a moment and continued, “Actually, I planned to announce it half a month ago, but I didn’t want it to affect the investigation into Liang Qiuchi’s father’s case, so I deliberately waited until after the investigation report came out.”

Mo Xin and Liang Qiuchi exchanged a glance, and Liang Qiuchi leaned toward the phone and said, “Thank you.”

Mo Qi wasn’t surprised at all that he was being eavesdropped on. “Since I’ve said it, I won’t hide it. Lugo will also issue a statement declaring independence tonight, just to give you a heads up.”

At this point, his secretary came out to find him, and Mo Qi didn’t have time to chat further.

He said: “You two come back first, and we’ll talk more when we meet.”

After the call ended, Mo Xin and Liang Qiuchi stood in silence for a moment. Liang Qiuchi was the first to speak. “Then let’s go back to Danga first and see the situation.”

Mo Xin agreed in a solemn tone.

There was no time to lose. After leaving the cemetery, they drove away.

Mo Xin sat in the passenger seat, watching the television address of the Danga government declaring independence twice, and then buried himself in browsing news online.

Suddenly, Liang Qiuchi tapped the steering wheel twice with his finger, and called out to him in a deep voice, “Baby, look ahead.”

Following his words, Mo Xin looked outside the car window and saw a long line of armored vehicles speeding southward along the interstate highway.

“This is the Army Combat Team,” Mo Xin said, familiar with the camouflage paint on the vehicle.

“Uh-huh,”Liang Qiuchi responded. This meant that the federal troops were already on the move, and a conflict might be inevitable.

The air was thick with tension and danger.

Liang Qiuchi pushed the accelerator to the floor, and it took a full three minutes to surpass the armored vehicles.

Mo Xin watched the convoy gradually recede in the rearview mirror and said heavily, “There are a total of 30 vehicles, probably just the vanguard.”

“Your brother kept it well hidden. We didn’t hear a whisper beforehand,” Liang Qiuchi analyzed. “The Federation was caught off guard, and now the initiative is in your brother’s hands.”

Mo Xin leaned against the passenger seat, looking disheartened. “If it really comes to fighting, having the initiative at the beginning won’t matter much. The strength of the troops and cutting-edge modern warfare technology is key.”

Liang Qiuchi glanced at him when he had a moment, “You’re the expert in this regard. It’s a significant loss for the Federation to lose you.”

Mo Xin turned his face to meet his gaze, “But I don’t want to fight. I just want to be with you.”

To be safe and healthy together.

This was what they had agreed upon when they eloped.

Liang Qiuchi understood his meaning and freed up a hand to interlock fingers with him. “There might not necessarily be a fight. Let’s go back and assess the situation first. I promise you, no matter what happens, I’ll stand by your side.”

In his most difficult times, Mo Xin had stood by him without hesitation, so there was no reason for him to separate from Mo Xin now.

“Okay,” Mo Xin tightened his grip on Liang Qiuchi’s fingers.

They traveled day and night, heading south along the interstate towards Danga without wasting any time.

But the situation deteriorated rapidly. That evening, Lugo indeed issued a declaration of independence. Within half an hour, checkpoints were set up along the interstate, scrutinizing suspicious individuals and preparing to clear the road for military vehicles.

“What do you think ‘suspicious individuals’ mean?” Liang Qiuchi rolled down the window, letting the night breeze in to clear his groggy head.

Mo Xin leaned wearily against the passenger side, “What else could it mean? It’s me.”

Liang Qiuchi chuckled and ruffled his head, “Are you that certain?”

Mo Xin shook his phone, “Freshly issued federal arrest warrant, suspecting me of leaking military secrets by suddenly resigning.”

“Wow,” Liang Qiuchi glanced at him, intentionally adopting a playful tone to cheer him up, “An arrest warrant! Oh, sir, you’re so dangerous, I’m scared.”

Mo Xin chuckled as expected.

Liang Qiuchi laughed along, “Baby, do you think the two of us are just incompatible with the Federation? Taking turns being wanted.”

“Possible,” Mo Xin rested his chin on his hand, gazing at the endless darkness outside the car, “Whether Reinis steps down or not, this Federation is equally disgusting and beyond redemption.”

“There’s a checkpoint ahead,” Liang Qiuchi suddenly slowed the car down.

Mo Xin snapped out of his thoughts and looked over. The flashing police lights were particularly glaring in the darkness.

He said coldly, “Drive through.”

Liang Qiuchi shook his head, “Even if we break through this one, there will be another. The priority is to leave the range of the federal police checkpoints first.”

He glanced at the navigation map, then at the roadside signs. “If I remember correctly, there’s a small road about a kilometer ahead that leads to Lugo.”

He raised the window, gripped the steering wheel tightly, and accelerated once again.

Liang Qiuchi turned off the headlights, relying only on sporadic streetlights to identify the way. Mo Xin retrieved a modified automatic rifle from under the seat and loaded two magazines from the storage box in the front of the car.

“Hold on tight, baby.”

Liang Qiuchi abruptly turned the steering wheel, and the car burst out of the interstate, leaving deep tire tracks in the soft soil, then they descended down into a drainage ditch.

The drainage ditch had long been neglected and was full of potholes, causing the car to jostle violently.

Mo Xin held the gun with one hand and the overhead handle with the other, his voice trembling slightly as the car bounced, “Is this the ‘small road’ you mentioned?”

Liang Qiuchi said, “The small road is above the ditch.”

They avoided the main road to avoid any potential checkpoints set up by villages ahead. By traveling without lights in the ditch, they could quietly turn back if necessary without attracting attention.

Luckily, the road wasn’t long, and before Mo Xin could vomit from being tossed around, Liang Qiuchi floored the accelerator and the car surged up the ditch.

The car briefly lifted all four wheels off the ground, then with a loud “bang,” it slammed heavily back onto the asphalt road, and the headlights snapped on with a “whoosh,” cutting through the darkness like a sharp sword.

Mo Xin glanced back, and the sparse lights of the village were already behind them.

“Another hour ahead is Lugo’s territory. We’ll take a detour back to Danga from there,” Liang Qiuchi patted Mo Xin’s hand holding the gun. “You rest for a while, I’ll wake you when we arrive.”

“…Mm.”

Mo Xin closed his eyes, but he couldn’t sleep no matter what.

Liang Qiuchi had only recently regained his status as a lawful citizen, yet his name had already appeared on the list of A-level wanted fugitives, which was ironic and absurd.

He resigned from his position, firstly to be able to leave with Liang Qiuchi, and secondly, now that his older brother had become the governor of Danga, given the tense situation between the Federation and Danga, his identity was also somewhat awkward.

He had thought that resigning would keep him safe, but he hadn’t expected the Federation to resort to the same old tricks and use those crude methods against him.

Mo Xin couldn’t help but feel a chill.

Those days when he risked his life on the front lines, quelling conflicts and rebellions for the Federation, seemed like a waste.

Was there any need for such a rotten Federation to exist?