The original military operation had to be postponed by two days due to the firearms issue.
Armed police officers, in teams of five, went door-to-door with metal detectors to search for guns. The carpet search lasted for a day and a half, and indeed, four individuals were apprehended for illegally possessing firearms. All were arrested and none of the hidden firearms or ammunition were recovered.
Ju Lanlan, Isabella, and Tian Rao were, of course, not among these four. Jiang Ye had pre-arranged with the police force to not search their homes. The officers skirted around their houses during the operation; connections indeed had their privileges.
That morning, after Jiang Ye woke up and finished breakfast, he received two messages on the base's panel.
The first message was a report from Shao Wan:
The gun search operation has officially concluded. A total of six firearms offenders were apprehended, all of whom have confessed and are temporarily detained at the station, awaiting your disposition. The details and quantities of firearms hidden by the four individuals are as follows:
Burwell Quiniel, black-skinned male, hid one assault rifle and three magazines.
Blumer Biviss, white-skinned male, hid four assault rifles, one shotgun, two handguns, and a total of 360 rounds of ammunition.
Songshi Hiroko, yellow-skinned female, hid two shotguns, four handguns, and 124 rounds of ammunition.
Kit Nicole, white-skinned female, hid one 3D-printed plastic handgun and 10 rounds of ammunition.
Jiang Ye stared at the name Songshi Hiroko for a long time, scratching his head awkwardly. He didn't recognize the middle character.
He typed a reply to Shao Wan:
Received. I will head to the police station immediately.
The second message was from the captain of the Rapid Response Unit Team 3, who was responsible for the security of the military base this week.
Team 3 Captain: Report, all soldiers have completed their relocation. The armored vehicles are ready, and the military base is in good condition. The planetary development plan can commence at any time!
Jiang Ye: All personnel, take a temporary rest. I will arrive around noon to get you started.
Team 3 Captain: Yes!
Slipping on his jacket, Jiang Ye went out and headed for the police station.
He went straight to the detention room at the end of the second floor of the police station. The four gun-hiding offenders were shackled to iron bars, squatting pitifully on the ground. Several on-duty police officers followed Jiang Ye into the room, some carrying batons, others with handguns in their holsters, and some with keys to handcuffs. No matter how Jiang Ye decided to deal with them, they were ready to act immediately.
The four prisoners looked up, their eyes weary as they gazed at Jiang Ye, their expressions as numb as fish in a supermarket's refrigerated section. Since being brought into the station, they hadn't been able to sleep. As soon as they dozed off, they would be hit with batons, and now they were so tired they were about to faint.
Jiang Ye spoke, "You four idiots, how many times have I told you not to hide guns, why do you still hide them? Do you really want to be locked up?"
"Mistakes must be paid for. You now have three options, listen carefully!"
"First, leave here, drive your base vehicles away, go wherever you want, as far as you can."
"Second, perform labor service, go plant trees. No wages. Go home after planting the required number."
"Third, pay a fine to remember this lesson."
"Alright, you idiots, choose."
The four prisoners exchanged glances, then timidly looked at Jiang Ye.
"How much would the fine be?" Nicole inquired.
"You hid one handgun and ten rounds of ammunition, right?" Jiang Ye paused for a moment. "Thirty thousand yuan."
Nicole hesitated for a moment, then sighed, "I'll pay the money."
Jiang Ye waved his hand, and a nearby officer immediately unlocked her handcuffs and led her downstairs to pay.
Biviss spoke, "I'll pay too!"
"Three million," Jiang Ye glanced at him.
Biviss's face turned green. "Why do I have to pay a hundred times more?"
"Nonsense, you hid over three hundred rounds of ammunition and seven guns, what do you want to do? Start a gang?" Jiang Ye kicked him hard twice. "Pay the fine or choose something else?"
"How many trees do I have to plant?" Biviss asked again.
"Three thousand."
Biviss was on the verge of tears. Three thousand trees, even working tirelessly from morning to night, would take at least half a year. It was too arduous.
"I don't want to leave. I was just temporarily confused. I've liked firearms since I was a child, and I really don't have the guts to cause trouble," Biviss knelt on the ground, pleading with a tearful voice. "Are there any other punishments? Please! I truly know I was wrong!"
Jiang Ye blinked, a sudden idea striking him.
"The fine is one hundred thousand yuan, but you have to wear a sign on your chest that says 'I am a shameless gun hoarder.' You will walk around all the streets for a week. While walking, you must also shout to people, 'I am Biviss, I hid firearms, I have no shame'," Jiang Ye said. "For a week, you will sleep at the police station at night, and officers will accompany you the entire time. After a week, you can go home."
Biviss wore a mournful expression for a long time. He probably felt that the original fine and tree planting were too costly, and finally agreed.
Songshi Hiroko chose to pay the fine, which was one hundred and twenty thousand yuan. Quinniel chose to plant trees, needing to plant eight hundred.
After dealing with the prisoners, Jiang Ye immediately left for the Spider Armored Vehicle Factory.
The factory was constantly rumbling, sparks flying as armored vehicles were assembled and rolled off the line. A strange odor permeated the factory area, possibly from the internal pipelines of the spiders.
Coincidentally, an armored Spider vehicle had just been assembled. Jiang Ye, without hesitation, got into it and drove it, quickly leaving the factory.
He had driven it many times before, being an experienced driver. He pushed the speed to its maximum, and in a short while, he reached the military base.
"All personnel, assemble. Get into the armored vehicles and line up by team," Jiang Ye directly sent the message through the armored vehicle's communication channel and waited silently.
The assembly bell rang loudly, alarming the entire military base. Batches of soldiers ran out, took elevators to the underground, and then Spider armored vehicles emerged one after another, lining up in a chaotic fashion.
"Faster, faster! Team leaders, find your team members. I want to see which team assembles last," Jiang Ye messaged casually on the channel.
It took a full half hour for all 14 teams to assemble.
Each team had 20 armored vehicles, totaling 280 Spiders, which impressively filled the entire base. Each Spider carried two people, making a total of 560 soldiers. The remaining soldiers were on leave, stationed at the military base, or on duty in the residential areas. All available personnel were present.
Jiang Ye connected via video and voice with each team leader and began issuing instructions:
"All teams, first connect to the combat formation."
"We have a large number of Spiders deployed this time. We will have a two-level command structure: I will command the team leaders, and team leaders will command their team members."
"Everyone, first check the status of your Spiders, their integrity and energy levels. Report any anomalies to me."
The team leaders quickly reported back. All Spiders were in good condition, and their energy levels were full. The underground parking level of the military base had wireless charging, and Spiders could be fully charged within two hours of parking.
"Good. All units, depart. After leaving the military base, form a single-file serpentine formation with a five-meter interval," Jiang Ye said. "Please wait, a mini-map will pop up on your screens shortly, and I will mark the direction of travel on the mini-map."
The silent Spiders moved collectively, and the entire military base was instantly filled with dust, the clanging mechanical sounds carrying for miles.