Rise of the Wasteland Chapter 4 - First Priority

Chapter 4        First Priority

The Lawrence family was having spaghetti, grilled fish fillet and stewed chicken as their main course. Their side dishes were cream soup and vegetable salad. The meal was considered sumptuous and luxurious for an average-earning family, so it was probably a welcoming dinner for Zhou Qingfeng.

Rachel led a quick prayer before their meal, praising the Lord for the nourishment that He had provided. Zhou Qingfeng, on the other hand, felt that everything was ridiculous. I’m not sure if the food was actually provided by God, but I am sure that the impending cataclysm was conferred by God.

During the meal, David Lawrence casually chatted with Zhou Qingfeng about the recent issues in American society. As an insurance broker, he saw many cases of bankruptcy caused by the current financial crisis.

“Nowadays, New York is experiencing increasing instability. Both Brooklyn and Queens are also affected. A lot of illegal immigrants have flooded into our country, and we are currently experiencing a social disorder. I would love to help those in need, but I can’t.”

David Lawrence displayed deep grievance, and his conversation had caused awkwardness in the atmosphere throughout dinner.

However, Zhou Qingfeng knew that when the cataclysm would arrive, those illegal immigrants who had no fixed income would be the last straw for the inevitable riot. Over millions of illegal immigrants from Brooklyn, New York will be flooding into Manhattan after the law that constrained the country was lifted, consequently turning the nation’s finest business hub into a living hell.

“David, stop talking about these kinds of things during dinner.” Rachel Connor frowned.

“I’m sorry, honey. I’ll stop talking,” David Lawrence replied as he put a smile on his face.

Angie threw her knife and fork to the side, and said, “I’m full,” before trotting back to her room.

Zhou Qingfeng quickly shouted after her, “Wait for me, Angie! I might need your help.”

“Well, let’s go to the garage in the backyard.” Angie waved at Zhou Qingfeng and led him to her secret base.

It was referred to as “The Secret Base”, but in fact it was only a comfortable niche decorated by the little girl. David Lawrence tried his best to build a small attic in the garage for his daughter, so that his daughter can have her own comfort zone. No one could enter the secret base without her permission.

There was a rug on the floor of the secret base with a lot of stuffed toys piled upon it; a set of mini tables and chairs with a lot of electronic gadgets on the tables; and a fridge at the corner. Angie took out two cans of drinks from the fridge and threw one of them to Zhou Qingfeng. She sat on the rug, frowned, and said, “I don’t like my father when he’s talking about his work during dinner. Everything just feels like bad news.”

Woohoo…. Americans have always been far too self-centered! I can’t believe she refused to eat simply because of such a small matter. 

Zhou Qingfeng kept himself calm in the face of the unexpected as he opened the can and said, “Let’s talk about something meaningful. Do you know anything about DogMeat?”

“DogMeat?” Angie was interested in it, as expected. “Are you talking about the latest smart dog which Columbia University designed for the military? I’ve seen their protocol video, and it was truly exceptional! It’s almost identical to a real dog.”

I knew it! You’ll definitely be interested on this topic!

According to the movie’s setting, Angelina Lawrence was a prodigy with an IQ of over one hundred sixty. In addition to her typical girl’s hobbies, she was extremely interested in messing around with smart electronic devices. She re-programmed ET, the smart robot in her house, and had increased its intelligence level by twenty percent.  

“You’re spot on. Anyway, I’m planning to get my hands on it, so I’m here asking for your collaboration.” Without equivocating, Zhou Qingfeng identified his intention, “I know that you've always been trying to get your hands on military grade accessories and batteries. I can help you with those.”

“Oh, this will not be easy.” Angie laughed. Although she verbally disagreed, one can see from her expression that she was extremely interested in the matter. She was waiting for Zhou Qingfeng to come up with a specific plan.

The key to hooking up with a girl is professionalism. Zhou Qingfeng will doubtlessly be despised if he was to steal a bottle of yoghurt from the supermarket. However, if he was to steal a robotic dog from the labs under tight surveillance by the military, he will for sure be admired by this lady.

“Can you help me locate the smart dog?” asked Zhou Qingfeng.

“It’s in the Babylon’s Smartlab at Columbia University.” Angie lightly tapped on the table and a virtual screen arose from it. She entered a string of characters using her virtual keyboard and the screen instantly showed the information which Zhou Qingfeng had been looking for.

“Two months ago, I’ve visited the Babylon’s Smartlab, and I even saw the team who developed the smart dog. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to see the dog, but I did see the biological brain that was equipped for the dog.” Angie was proud as she showed him a few photos and whispered, “I’ve taken a few photos without their knowledge.”

The virtual screen displayed a bright and clean laboratory where several robotic arms were manipulating an artificial dog’s brain, which was DogMeat’s control center. 

“Can you identify the coordinates as well as the internal structure of Babylon’s Smartlab?” Zhou Qingfeng continued asking.

“Don’t tell me you’re really planning to steal the dog. You are one of my few friends, and I don’t want you to end up in prison. I’m disgusted with recent news;  it’s always full of violent crimes,” Angie replied.

“I won’t use violence, I promise. I will, at most, steal the dog. I’ll even return it after borrowing it.”

Zhou Qingfeng shrugged as he thought to himself, There’s no way I can win a fight if I were to use violence. My body is way too petite. Infiltrating the lab will be my only chance. New York will be in chaos anyway once the dog is in my possession. So I don’t think anyone will request me to return it.

Stealing was never a big deal for the American youngsters who entertained themselves by smoking weed. After ensuring Zhou Qingfeng will not be using violence, Angie casually clicked some icons on her virtual screen.

“Babylon’s Smartlab is located in the Engineering and Applied Sciences Department of Columbia University. They originally had a joint project with NASA when they were researching the smart dog. The U.S. military became interested and joined the research in the later stages of the development.

“I can point you to the approximate location of the lab. I can even guide you on solving the electronic door lock and activating the robotic dog, but you’ll have to get past the lab’s security system by yourself.” Angie stared at Zhou Qingfeng as if she was looking forward to him creating a miracle.

At that instance, a voice came from outside of the garage, “May I come in?”

Damn it, don’t tell me it’s the henchman. Zhou Qingfeng soon saw a young American hipster with fluorescent hair. The hipster was wearing earrings and uber-ripped jeans. He was clearly a hypebeast, and he walked as if he was having a jumping performance.

Tony Parker, aged nineteen, one point seventy-five meters in height, was a dodger. Rumors had it that he was the son of David Lawrence’s comrade. He played the comedian, trouble-maker and supporting role during the cataclysm. He was Angie’s admirer and it seemed that they had became lovers at last.

F*ck…. Zhou Qingfeng loathed this kind of hipster, especially since his attitude stinks, proclaiming YOLO and never giving a f*ck about his life.

In the movie however, this fellow was known for his luck even though he had always caused trouble. David Lawrence was the one who cleaned up the mess, but Tony Parker was still able to embrace the beauty in the end.

Tony Parker entered the attic after getting their attention. He greeted Zhou Qingfeng, “Hi, Victor, how are you doing? What are you guys talking about? Oh… are you guys discussing DogMeat? I came here for this robotic dog as well.”

Tony Parker basically ignored the presence of Zhou Qingfeng as he squatted down in front of Angie. “I sent you a voicemail not long ago via ET. I’m hoping you can help me with providing a set of cracking protocol so that I can get my hands on the robotic dog.

“Let’s think about it, I’m gonna overcome every single hurdle and avoid every single hazard. Then, I’ll be able to get my hands on the one and only pet in the world. Don’t you think it’s so cool?”

Tony Parker’s silly facial expression gave the little girl a good laugh, but still, she was embarrassed. “Well… Victor wanted my help as well. Both of you….”

Tony Parker once again looked at Zhou Qingfeng as he mocked him, “Hey, my friend, you wanted to get your hands on the dog as well? How are you supposed to get past the security system? Trust me, you’ll get caught in an instant the moment you appear in the lab. I’m the only one who can succeed.”

“You don’t have to worry about it. The security system won’t be a problem for me,” Zhou Qingfeng calmly replied. He had to deal with three major parts of the security system. First, he had to face the campus police of Columbia University. Then, he had to take on the military camping outside the lab. And last, he had to deal with the security guards employed by the lab.

Among them, the police and military will completely disappear in three days. The security guards employed by the lab were all that Zhou Qingfeng had to deal with. Moreover, the number of guards can be counted on the fingers of one hand.

Tony Parker laughed sarcastically. “Are you kidding me? That’s impossible! No one is allowed to enter the area, not to mention with your Asian face. Last week, the military successfully caught an Asian spy who sneaked into the lab. There’s no way they’ll let you get near it.”

“Since you’re so confident, why don’t we bet?” Zhou Qingfeng took a few deep breaths as he saw the three-dimensional model of DogMeat projected on Angie’s virtual screen. He then turned his attention to Tony Parker and said, “Let’s see who’ll succeed!”

Zhou Qingfeng swore, The dog will be mine!

Chapter end