The Wheel of Chronos

December 12, 28:10 am.The Whitechapel area in the east of the city is the junction of the London area and the Mecca area in the east.Inheriting the tradition of law and order chaos in the old London city, this place has always been the most chaotic place in the London area.

Footsteps sounded in a narrow and inaccessible alley.Sharon came in a hurry with Old Jack, and when he reached the middle of the alley, he opened an inconspicuous iron gate next to him and got in.Behind the door was a dark staircase, which went straight down and walked about 30 steps. They passed through the open fence door at the top of the stairs and came to a double-opened elevator door.Sharon walked over and placed the prosthesis of her right hand on the digital board on the edge of the elevator for scanning. After the chip inside the prosthesis was recognized, the elevator door opened. She and old Jack walked in and took the elevator to go down two floors.After the elevator door opened, a scene of a science laboratory appeared in front of him.

"Earl." A slender, tall Asian young man in a white coat came forward and greeted Sharon, "But is there any action tonight?"

Sharon smiled and said:

"That's right, I'm here to do some maintenance and overhaul. I hope my arms and thighs won't fail at critical moments."

"This way please." The young man smiled and said politely.

Here, Sharon jokingly called it a "toy store". For those who knew what this place was, the name sounded somewhat black humorous.This is an armed mechanical prosthetic research center run by Sharon privately. There are only three employees in the center, led by this young Asian man, and two assistants.

The young man's name is Igarashi Hiroshi, Japanese, 35 years old, currently working in the Institute of Mechanical Prosthetics, Academy of Sciences.Here with Sharon, he only works part-time.Armed mechanical prosthetics are a scientific research project of the military, private manufacture is not allowed.Sharon obviously didn't intend to ignore the government's ban, and Igarashi Hiroshi was an avid fan of armed mechanical prosthetics, especially obsessed with mechanical transformation of the human body.In the Academy of Sciences, his research was limited, but here, Sharon provided him with sufficient research resources, so he was naturally very happy to cooperate with Sharon.Over the years, the two have cooperated tacitly. The prosthetic limbs and eyes that Sharon is currently equipped with are all Igarashi's masterpieces.

The other two assistants, a man and a woman, are both Igaranbo's graduate students. They have been working with him and are his confidantes.The boy was a black German named Tony.The girl is French and her name is Clara.The toy store is not open every day, but Igarashi will definitely ensure that the toy store has 30 hours of scientific research time every week.

In the process of overhauling Sharon, Igarashi chatted with her:

"I never ask about the count, but I really want to know what the count is going to do tonight."

"Why?" Sharon asked.

"Don't you know? There's a massive sit-in tonight, right near Westminster Abbey."

Sharon frowned and asked, "Where is the source of this news?"

"Just now, a friend of mine forwarded the message to me. It's on Link. I think it was posted an hour ago, and now it's going viral on the Internet."

Link is currently the largest online social self-media platform in the entire empire. Of course, Sharon also has an account, but she rarely logs in and doesn't add any friends.

An hour ago, Sharon had just left Hyde Park and was on her way to Whitechapel.

"Is the authenticity of the news reliable? Why did these people sit in and demonstrate outside Westminster? Has it been officially approved?" Sharon asked one after another.

"I can't guarantee whether it's reliable, but I heard it was a protest against high-level clergy in Westminster suspected of illegal organized sex-trading. Several victims came forward to identify them, but due to lack of evidence, the police were unable to arrest them Only those who are identified will cause public resentment."

"Illegal sex-trafficking?" Sharon felt a little overwhelmed. She really couldn't associate a sacred place like Westminster Abbey with the word "sex-trafficking".What's more, in this era, the relationship between the sexes of human beings has long been different from the old era. With the disappearance of fertility, human beings are now completely relying on artificial reproduction for life reproduction. This situation has been going on for almost 100 years from the federal period .The disappearance of fertility is followed by a decline in sexual desire year by year. According to scientific research, compared with people in the early years of the empire 20 years ago, the frequency of sexual behavior among people today is even lower.In this era of fewer heterosexual and same-sex couples, "sex-transaction" and other related words have become very unfamiliar words.

The low fertility rate has always been the most troublesome problem for the imperial government. The population has been severely reduced in successive years of war. It is the time when a large population is most needed to promote the development of the empire. Although it has tried every means to encourage fertility, it has not been effective.The sexual assault statute in the criminal law seems to be a nonsense, because almost no one will commit this crime.

Thinking of this, Sharon suddenly remembered that she had just prevented a sexual assault a day ago.Claude Williams... This person seems to be a bit abnormal.As a child of a priest's family, why would he have such a strong sex-desire?It stands to reason that clergy should be more able to control themselves than ordinary people.

Sharon was lost in thought.

After the overhaul was over, Igarashi finally adjusted the connection between the prosthetic eye and the monocle for Sharon, and said with a smile:

"Okay Earl, you have a new look once again."

Sharon stood up, put on her hat and said, "Thank you, this is a wonderful feeling that people with healthy limbs cannot experience."

On the way Sharon and Old Jack left the toy store, she said to Old Jack:

"You arrange for Miranda to come and see me tomorrow, in that cafe next to Eton College."

"Good lady."

The Nokia mobile phone in her pocket suddenly vibrated, Sharon answered the phone, and Peister's voice came from the opposite side:

"The phone you gave me is really difficult to operate." The other party couldn't help complaining when he came up.

"Talk about something." Sharon answered the phone while striding forward with a blank expression.

"The news of the bar explosion was officially blocked, and the National Security Bureau was dispatched. The dead bodies and vehicles at the scene of the car accident were confiscated by the National Security Bureau, including the body of Bob who died in the bar. This is what my police friend told me , The more detailed situation is still unclear. It is hard to say whether the National Security Bureau is black or white, and it is not clear whether what they did is the intention of the imperial government. We can only observe."

"Okay, I understand. Do you know about the sit-in demonstration tonight?" Sharon asked.

"Oh, Westminster protests? I know."

"This is real?"

"It's true. People I know are also planning to participate."

"Let me ask you, is the clergyman who was reported Cardinal Charles Williams?"

"That's right, Charles Williams did enter the police station to assist in the investigation some time ago, and my father has received news. After all, my old man was baptized by that old ghost Charles. Earl, you are well-informed about this matter all know?"

"Help me keep an eye on tonight's sit-in demonstration, and contact me immediately if there are any special circumstances." After finishing speaking, Sharon hung up the phone.

***

12月28日，晚间11:35。致远号驱逐舰正以35节的速度行驶在太平洋西南海域，距离第一岛链疏勒岛还有5海里。

The sea at night is as black as ink, except for the hazy starry sky above, only the waves are beating against the ears.The hull is stable, and it is difficult to feel the bumps of the waves, but the fishy sea breeze is still enough to mobilize the discomfort of land creatures.

Tianyang didn't feel unwell. She stood on the deck and basked in the cold sea breeze, looking at the dark silhouette of the first island chain that had already appeared outside the searchlight at the bow of the ship.There are dots of light like a starry sky, like the image of the Milky Way reflected on the sea.

The destroyer Zhiyuan gradually slowed down and entered the port, which took about 10 minutes. Soon, Tianyang got the captain's order and prepared to land.

A welcome team of about 50 people gathered at the port pier. Most of them wore navy camouflage combat uniforms, fully enclosed helmets, and held the standard-issued M16 Empire Edition. They stood in two rows.Facing the direction of the ship landing bridge, there were three officers standing, all dressed in military uniforms. The leading officer with the rank of colonel was a middle-aged Caucasian man of medium build. Hidden under the military uniform is a muscular body.Beside him stood two female lieutenant colonel officers. On the left was an Asian woman with short black hair, wearing glasses, with a cold expression and beautiful features; on the right was a European woman with dark brown curly hair. The long hair is coiled up, the body is well-proportioned, and the appearance is sweet.

Tian Yang walked down the landing bridge behind the captain, and the leading colonel led two lieutenant colonels to come forward to meet with the captain of Zhiyuan and Tian Yang.

"Military Chief Smith of Shule Island, hello to Major General!" the leading colonel stood at attention and saluted.

"Hello Colonel Smith, nice to meet you." Tianyang saluted him, and then extended his hand with a smile. The two shook hands vigorously, and Smith secretly marveled at Tianyang's terrifying hand strength.

"This is Lieutenant Colonel Jiang Ting, chief of armaments." Smith then turned around and introduced the Asian female lieutenant colonel wearing glasses to Tianyang.Jiang Ting saluted immediately, Tianyang returned the salute with a smile, and Jiang Ting's face turned red inexplicably.

"This is the chief of staff, Lieutenant Colonel Hannah Beckman." He introduced the European female lieutenant colonel.

Hannah seemed more calm, and after saluting, she took the initiative to shake hands with Tianyang, and Tianyang returned the salute with a smile.

Tianyang introduced Durant who was behind him to everyone. After exchanging pleasantries, everyone got on the military jeep and drove to the military camp on the island.According to the long-established military plan, the Zhiyuan only docked at Shule Island for an hour this time, and will go to the third island chain to participate in military operations after preparations. Therefore, the senior officers on the warship just disembarked to say hello. They all boarded the ship, ready to leave the port again.The first island chain is located at the westernmost end of the island chain group, closest to the frontline battlefield of the Lemuria mainland. Destroyers have a low strategic level and are not the main military weapon for attacking the subcontinent.The main function of the destroyer is to escort the aircraft carrier carrying the amphibious mecha. The strategic position is generally set behind the left and right wings of the frontline battlefield, so it goes to the third island chain to stand by.

This was the first time Tianyang met Colonel Smith. Before that, the two had only heard about each other.Smith is the president of the Supreme Military Command Academy, which is two terms higher than Durant, and he is also one of the first batch of high-level military talents trained by the Supreme Military Academy when it entered the empire.Being able to be assigned to Shule Island at the southernmost tip of the first island chain and become the chief of the military here is a testament to his ability.

"The major general has just arrived, and I haven't had time to greet you. I'm really sorry. In fact, our situation here is quite urgent." Just above the military jeep, Colonel Smith said.

"The task is important, and it won't be too late after the completion of the task." Tian Yang replied quickly.

"According to the intelligence sent back by the drone reconnaissance in front, it is basically certain that the enemy's first batch of air strikes will arrive tomorrow at the earliest. Right now, the enemy's aircraft are on the edge of the resistance field. I don't know when the resistance field will be launched. .Once the resistance field is out, the aircraft accelerates, and it takes less than two hours to reach our first island chain. The only uncertain factor is that we don't know why the enemy aircraft has been hovering on the edge of the resistance field and cannot come out. .”

"It's reasonable to guess, maybe it's waiting for a certain opportunity. The Lemurian continent has always been secretive. So far, we haven't seen what the Lemurians look like. They manipulated unmanned aerial vehicles and dragged the empire into In the long war that lasted three years, we guessed that they should have more advanced weapons that could destroy human civilization in an instant. But for some reason, they just didn’t use them. Now this happens again, whether to launch an attack or just Probing, I really don't know what the other party is thinking." Lieutenant Colonel Hannah said.

Tianyang smiled: "No matter what the other party's plan is, the soldiers come to cover up the water and the soil, we just need to keep the same and respond to all changes. We must believe in the authenticity of the three-year war and the subjective initiative of human beings, don't we?"

"Yes, it's because the subordinate's belief in victory is not in place." Lieutenant Colonel Hannah said ashamedly.

"At present, it is generally said in the empire that the Lemuria continent did not launch a large-scale attack in order to preserve the earth's ecological circle intact. This statement sounds reasonable, but it is very unreasonable. The earth's ecological circle Long before the return of Lemuria, it was almost destroyed by humans themselves, but the creatures on this planet are still tenacious, and a brand new ecological circle has been formed soon. The earth does not need the protection of the Lemurians, Limo Before they became environmentalists, the Asians were ruthless killers, returnees who want to regain their right of residence. We have only one way to deal with them, and that is to completely wipe them out." Lieutenant Colonel Jiang Ting said coldly.

Tianyang looked sideways, and Jiang Ting blushed again under her gaze.Tianyang smiled and said:

"Well said, you are a soldier with firm convictions."

Immediately, she looked at the sky and the starry sky with some regret, and secretly sighed: Unfortunately, she is not.

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