Xia Lei was immediately welcomed by loud cheering and crisp applause the moment he boarded the military ship. His presence in the ship’s bridge was celebrated by a neat line of military men saluting him. Yu Zhenhai was one of them and this was an honour of a lifetime. While Xia Lei wasn’t a soldier, he still returned the gesture and saluted back.
Yu Zhenhai came over and hugged his shoulders. With a delighted smile, his praise was nothing but the best. “Brother Xia, you’re the only person I admire. You helped the country solve a pressing problem and did a great job! If we weren’t on board a military ship and have a strict no-alcohol rule, I would love to drink to our heart’s content together.”
Xia Lei chuckled, “Sure, we will definitely have a drinking session next time!”
“Alright, that’s a promise.” Yu Zhenhai guffawed.
The military ship departed to join the fleet. This time, they were not headed back for Dagua Island military base but straight home.
Xia Lei was not the least bit bewildered by Yu Zhenhai’s decision. After all, Dagua Island was only an artificial island. If the Americans found out he was there, there was no telling what they would launch. An underwater missile was hard to detect, Yu Zhenhai’s decision was merely for safety considerations.
After staying on the bridge for a while, Xia Lei left for the cabin to rest after engaging Yu Zhenhai and other military officers in conversations. Space was scarce on board. But despite the tight squeeze, they managed to reserve a private and comfortable place for him to lounge in.
Xia Lei laid on the narrow military bed, finally releasing the tension in his mind and muscles. He had done something so shocking that he was confident that the events that transpired tonight would not be reported in both American or Filipino media.
If America had gone ahead and reported this standoff, their prestige would be the first to go. Subsequently, so would their reign over the Middle East. Compared to Asia, they have larger interests in the Middle East. And for the Philippines, if they attempted to attack China through the power of words and try to garner sympathy from other countries by playing victim, they would still lose. There was no benefit to earn from that. Doing so would only let other countries realize China’s rising power and convince them to take China’s side instead.
This was a dog eat dog world.
Eased, fatigue began to catch up to Xia Lei. He shifted around, trying to find a comfortable position to rest his body. He had just engaged in something so intense. The usage of his left and right eye had been relentless and he was beyond exhausted.
Before long, he was lulled to sleep. He dreamt. In that dream, he had swallowed the very last of the AE capsules. Full evolution of his body took place and he became an entity similar to Zhu Xuanyue. He was no longer interested in the delicacies the mortal realm had offered. He too needed to eat brains to survive. Then, he dreamt of the black-robed man, adamant to take his life…
Doot doot doot! Doot doot doot!
The satellite phone rang.
Xia Lei clambered up from the bed and accepted the call. “It’s me. Sa’im, go on.”
Sa’im began, “Boss, I found relevant information. The Americans had already located an ancient tomb beneath the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. They managed to find two faceless warrior statues from within and have plans to transport all six of the statues back to their land.”
“How are they planning to do that?” asked Xia Lei.
Sa’im replied, “ I don’t know. But Qian Jun is interrogating an Israeli. I heard some things about it though. The six statues were able to interrupt some equipment and gear functionalities. I think they won’t be using planes to transport it, they’d most probably use sea freight instead and do relevant radiation management.”
“Did you find out anything about how the Americans and Israelis are able to find out about the tomb?” questioned Xia Lei.
Sa’im hummed. “No. I found nothing on that. But Qian Jun seems to know a little about it. Give me a second, I’ll put him on the line.”
The thudding of footsteps and the sound of a door creaking rang over the line. Following that was an agonizing scream. Xia Lei couldn’t help but manifest the image of Qian Jun tormenting an Israeli. He shuddered at the thought. Qian Jun was tortured for years by Mossad. He loathed Israelis.
Sa’im said something to Qian Jun and the latter’s voice was soon heard over the device. “Boss. It’s me, Qian Jun.”
Xia Lei said, “Sa’im mentioned that you managed to find out something. Tell me.”
Qian Jun replied, “It’s just a baseless story that I got off an Israeli archaeologist. But of course, I had to do a number to get that.” Pausing momentarily, he sorted his words. “That archaeologist said that on the day they brought out the four faceless warrior statues, a storm with lightning and thunder loomed over. The rainfall was exceptionally heavy and one of the statues had even smashed one of their military engineers to death. They said they saw a woman... “
“A woman?” Xia Lei impatiently interjected. “W...what does she look like?”
Qian Jun answered, “No one could see it clearly but she seemed to be riding a horse. Many felt that it was most probably a mirage caused by rain and light. But as soon as the rain stopped, a blood message appeared on a statue. The message had directed the Americans and Israelis to excavate the bottom of the church to find the other two statues.”
Xia Lei fell silent. “Do you think this is legitimate?”
“I’d say it’s most likely true.”
“Alright, got it. Who are you interrogating by the way?”
Qian Jun uttered, “A Mossad agent. I think he might know what route the Americans are planning to take.”
Xia Lei pondered for a moment before replying, “No matter what you get out of the interrogation, come back straight with Sa’im after you’re done.”
“Alright, noted.”
“Be careful on your way back.” Xia Lei ended the call, plunging his mind into a sea of thoughts.
Israel was a dry place and rain was such a rare occurrence. Why did a heavy downpour and lightning suddenly appear? And that woman… A woman on a horse… Who the hell was she? Was she the one who left them the blood message? How did she know about the ancient tomb beneath the Church of the Holy Sepulchre? Why would she want to direct the Americans and Israeli there to excavate the faceless warrior statues?
“Could she be Zhu Xuanyue?” Xia Lei abruptly thought about her. “She was the one who destroyed the prehistoric chosen one. It’s no wonder that she knew about the tomb’s existence. If it really was her, why did she reveal it to the Americans and Israelis?”
Zhu Xuanyue was a worm that resided in Xia Lei’s heart. After her inexplicable disappearance in America, there was essentially no way to get a hold of her news. But a call from the black-robed man afterwards implied that he was well, which could only mean that Zhu Xuanyue was most probably injured. Despite heavy injuries, those damages must’ve healed. And if she was healed, what hadn’t she reached out to him? Where was she now? What was she up to?
A flood of questions tormented his mind, refusing to let him sleep.
Knock knock.
Rappings on the door were heard.
Xia Lei shifted his gaze over. With his left eye, he noticed Tsukino Kyoko, who was standing on the other side of the door.
Tsukino Kyoko was fresh out of the shower, judging from the slight dampness that clung to her hair. The fresh set of naval uniform that consisted of the same navy blouse and skirt did not hide her proud front and round bottom. Not only did she possess the intensity of a soldier, but she also radiated the merciless coldness of a killer. This look was fantastic on her.
Despite the eye-candy, all Xia Lei could feel was an oncoming migraine. He knew what Tsukino Kyoko had in mind. What else could she be here for? She had even bothered to take a shower beforehand. There was no mistake about her intentions.
Knock knock knock.
Tsukino Kyoko’s knuckles came in contact with the door three more times. The squeeze between her brows was a telltale sign of her impatience.
Xia Lei couldn’t help but smile wryly at the display. He climbed down the bed and answered the door. He feigned shock as soon as he met her eyes. “Oh? I wasn’t expecting you, Kyoko. What’s the matter? I was sleeping earlier.”
Hopefully, she would take the cue and leave.
Sadly, Tsukino Kyoko directly went past Xia Lei and entered his cabin. “Boss, close the door. I’ve got something very important to discuss with you.”
“What’s wrong?” Xia Lei was genuinely curious now, closing the heavy metal door behind him.
Tsukino Kyoko uttered, “Come take a seat on the bed. I’ll tell you.”
Xia Lei smiled. “Jeez, why are you being so mysterious? What the hell is going on?” Despite saying so, he still heeded her request and sat atop his sheets. In his impression, Tsukino Kyoko was never one for jokes. She meant her words.
Xia Lei took a seat. Tsukino Kyoko came over to the edge of the bed. Without warning, she kneeled and placed her palms atop his knees.
What kind of position was this?
Tsukino Kyoko placed her unwavering gaze on Xia Lei, mouth still shut.
“Uh.” Xia Lei cleared his throat. “So… Didn’t you say that you had something important to say? What’s the matter?”
Nervousness began to take form across Tsukino Kyoko’s face. “Well… It’s about what you’ve promised me.”
Xia Lei was speechless. While he had guessed her motive, he had foolishly let himself believe that she was here on important business.
“I want you to fulfil your promise,” drawled Tsukino Kyoko.
Xia Lei’s smile was turning wobbly. “Kyoko, I’ve already fulfilled it last time on the beach of that small Turkish island…”
Tsukino Kyoko took the moment of hesitation to plaster her lips against the shell of his ear. “Let me tell you a secret. Kunoichis are the best in this world at treating men right. The Iga-ryu ninjas are most excellent at this. And I am a woman of its teachings.”
Was this for real?