In the later hours of the night, V Science Corp branch office was shrouded in darkness. Painted black, the building radiated an abandoned aura. However, this was merely an illusion. Protected by the confinement of a crazily bulletproof conference room, a large hoard of Japanese were in the middle of an important discussion.
“President, Thompson is not back at his residence yet. The informants we planted at Area 51 have reported that he hasn’t left the facility ever since his arrival.” The Hattori clan fighter relayed his report.
Hattori Mei’s brows were knitted. “Is he busy working on something?”
Yagyu Yuichi replied, “There’s no way we’ll find out if he’s busy or not. The only thing that matters now is the impact Alloy X will bring to our country. This matter is too important and it is definitely a once in a lifetime opportunity. Why are you hesitating still?”
Hattori Mei turned to face him. “Master Yagyu, I can’t explain this but I keep feeling like something is off about this whole thing.”
“What do you mean?” Fuma Kotaro scoffed coldly from aside. “Have you become a coward just because some assassin had taken out most of the Hattori clan?”
“Fuma Kotaro, what exactly are you trying to say?” Now Hattori Mei was pissed off. “My mother has fallen into the grasp of a certain someone. The future of my clan is non-existent. And how did that happen? This all happened because I and my clan have been putting ourself in danger’s way for the sake of Japan’s interest. If you and your family have become that person’s target and I continue to spew unhelpful bullshit like this into your ear, how would you feel?”
The certain someone in mention was none other than Xia Lei.
The slight outburst of emotions seemed to have shut up Fuma Kotaro effectively. While he was blessed with a menacing build like General Zhang Fei of the Three Kingdom Period, his thought process was surprisingly delicate. Although the Hattori clan was evidently falling to its doom, Hattori Mei was still a core member of Japan’s HyperTech. To offend her would not be beneficial.
“Mei, have you heard anything about your mother yet?” Hatano Naoka asked.
At the mention of her mother, Hattori Mei looked pained. “No. The mastermind behind this is definitely Xia Lei. He has more wealth than the Hattori clan’s centuries-old treasury. He does not care about money.”
“Mei, let me be frank. With the current circumstances, I think your mother might have already met her demise,” said the Koga-ryu leader, Sanada Saruo.
Tears began to escape the corner of Hattori Mei’s eyes. One eye cried for her mother while the other eye cried for Japan’s mighty samurais. Women were naturally-gifted actors and Hattori Mei was one of the best among them. If a few tears could easily buy over empathy and tie her allies closer to her, what was so bad about letting a few tears loose?
“Mei, please do not let your sorrows get to you. Forget about revenge and pull yourself together. We need a smart and calm leader.” Yagyu Yuichi patted Hattori Mei’s shoulder. While he was unable to read into the other’s emotions, he had to admit he was moved by the woman.
Her clan was close to being slaughtered off. Yet, Hattori Mei was still standing strong in the frontlines against her mortal enemy. To Yagyu Yuichi, she was worthy of his admiration and respect.
Expectedly, Hattori Mei’s tears had worked extremely well. Voices that talked bad about her were completely diminished. Amazingly, there was even a hint of shared grief and resentment among the Japanese samurais.
Hattori Mei wiped her tears away. With a trembling voice, she spoke, “In the name of a brighter future for the Land of the Rising Sun and its people, the Hattori clan has paid a hefty price. I don’t wish for everyone else to be met with the same fate. Xia Lei must die! He is now in Las Vegas and I must warn you, he is at least ten folds more cunning than your estimations. This is the reason why I’m extra paranoid.”
This speech, however, dealt no visible impact on the group of Japanese samurais. They had never once engaged Xia Lei in battle and have not yet determined what kind of person he was. Xia Lei is powerful; Xia Lei is cunning. These were merely mindsets Hattori Mei had fed them and that was all they knew about the man. Plus, they were top figures of the Japanese samurai community, how on earth would they put down their pride and admit defeat to some Chinese man?
“Despite everything, I believe that as long as we work together to destroy Xia Lei. Getting hold of Alloy X’s secrets will not be difficult. To show my sincerity, I have decided to offer twenty million dollars as an operation fund. Everyone who partakes in this operation shall receive one million dollars each as well. Let me remind you again. You are not working for me nor the Hattori clan. You are offering your services to the Great Japanese Empire and its people. I am the same as you. I too am a warrior representative of the Hattori clan,” said Hattori Mei with an air of confidence.
To move them through feelings and buy their loyalty with money. Hattori Mei’s mind game execution was absolutely flawless!
At this rate, all the Japanese warriors no longer had any reservations. How could they continue to whine when someone whose family was at the brink of complete wipeout was still willing to fight and fund the operation? Her sincerity was genuine!
Honestly, while they were important characters of the Japanese samurai community, the era of mighty warriors was long bygone. Most of them were struggling financially in modern society. The fact that Hattori Mei was willing to pay them one million USD each just to be involved was tempting enough. Their hearts were soaring beneath the guise of a stoic face when they heard about the money. What was not to love about money?
After having successfully calmed everyone down and regained their trust, Hattori Mei diverted her attention onto her employee. “Resume your report.”
The Hattori clan fighter continued, “Our team and the agents from HyperTech have surveyed the whole of the one hundred and thirty-kilometre route. No abnormalities and suspicious people were detected. No ambush point was spotted as well.”
Yagyu Yuichi hummed. “In that case, we have just missed a good opportunity.”
Sanada Saruo too chimed in, “Alloy X is very important to us all. It holds more value to the country over killing Xia Lei. Mei, I think we should go through with Thompson’s deal first and come back to discuss how to take down Xia Lei.”
“I agree.” Hatano Naoka supported, “Plus, that Thompson guy mentioned that the information is highly sought after. If he sells this secret to someone else, our losses will be immeasurable this time.”
Fuma Kotaro, who had been against Hattori Mei all this while too agreed. “Thompson is a brigadier general of the American Army. Xia Lei can’t possibly bribe him and collude with him to bring harm. I can almost confirm that Thompson has no idea who Xia Lei is. With that said, how is it possible for Xia Lei to be involved in this?”
The majority had supported the idea of going to Area 51 to finalize the deal. Everyone’s eyes were on her now. Hattori Mei would have to give her final word on an important decision like this.
There was a stretched silence before Hattori Mei finally announced, “I’ll try to invite him over again tomorrow. If he insists on completing the transaction at Area 51, we will wait for him to return and get it done in Las Vegas city.”
“Mei, what do you mean?” Yagyu Yuichi was perplexed by the surprising statement.
Hattori Mei explained, “If he’s working the night shift tonight, will he still do so tomorrow? He’s a brigadier general. His shifts per month will not exceed three sessions and it’s practically impossible for him to work two-night shifts in a row. If he’s not working and yet insists that we go to Area 51, that’s a red flag. Plus, his salary is not impressive. Three million dollars is supposedly a huge amount to him, he should be the one proactively reaching out to us instead. Why is he so adamant on having it done in Area 51 on his terms? Think about it, he’s shouldering the risk of getting charged for treason to see this deal through. Under normal circumstances, he should avoid Area 51 as far as he can, right? So why the insistence?”
The amount of detail ever-present in her thought process was downright terrifying.
Hatano Naoka argued, “Didn’t he make it clear that the deal will take place outside Area 51’s compound? I think this is just his way of self-defence. No one would dare to brandish their weapons in Area 51’s proximity. That’s literally his turf. Xia Lei wouldn’t be so dumb as to attack us there, right? If he does, there’s no escape.”
Analyzing the same thing through different perspectives would arrive at different outcomes.
Hattori Mei suggested, “How about this? I’ll call him again tomorrow and make a decision after learning more about the situation. I understand that everyone is eager to get Alloy X for the country but acting rashly would end us up in the enemy’s trap. We have one chance with no room for error.”
The large group of Japanese samurais were dismissed following that. Hattori Mei was now the only person left in the conference room. She prompted her desktop computer and stared at a satellite map displayed on its screen. “Xia Lei… Where could you be? Aren’t you desperate to kill me? Why are you not coming yet? You have your eyes on Project Shepherd too. Why haven’t you made you move? Is this a battle of patience, hmm? Well, well, let me tell you this. I have more patience to spare…”
Seventy kilometres away, in a valley on the sole route that connects Las Vegas to Area 51.
Xia Lei paused his tracks as soon as he reached a stretch of hills. He spared a glance at the tar road at its foot, his brain immediately offering a set of data. Altitude: 511 m, Displacement: 593 m, Wind speed: 3.5 m/s, Breeze: Level 3. Without a doubt, this was the optimum ambush point.
“Alright, this is it,” decided Xia Lei.
Tsukino Kyoko too had stopped her trek a few steps behind Xia Lei to switch on her tactical flashlight. She shone it ahead, clicked it off and turned it on again. This was the visual signal they agreed on earlier. She was informing Anjum Khan and Sa’im who were on the opposite hill that Xia Lei had found an ambush spot right at her current position.
A few seconds later, they replied by flashing their lights twice. Anjum Khan and Sa’im had also found a spot for themselves at a similar altitude and location.
Qian Jun was tasked with solo work this time. At the moment, he was in the woods at the foot of the hill. As soon as he spotted Hattori Mei’s convoy, he would trigger the TM83 anti-tank side armour mines as Xia Lei had instructed. Then, he would sneak in the opposite direction to cut off the Japanese’s retreat from behind.
After a round of flashing lights, Tsukino Kyoko removed her backpack off her shoulder. “Everyone is ready now. But still… What if Hattori Mei doesn’t show up?”
Despite her obvious doubt, Xia Lei remained confident. “Trust me. She would not come if her mother wasn’t about to be executed in a different location. If she receives word that her mother was executed in another location tomorrow, she’s bound to show up here.”
“Okay, I believe you.” Letting her sentence fall, Tsukino Kyoko turned around and ventured deeper into the woods.
“Where are you going?” Xia Lei raised a brow.
“I need to pee. You better behave yourself,” said the female ninja as she resumed her trek.
Taken aback by the abrupt randomness of the situation, Xia Lei sheepishly nodded as his mind unhelpfully manifested the mental image of a peeing Tsukino Kyoko. A super brain was super in more situations than one.
It hadn’t been one minute since Tsukino Kyoko left for the woods when he heard her shrill scream. “Kyaaa! Snake!”
Xia Lei merely heaved a sigh at that, not bothering to move a muscle.
Would a female ninja who could kill without an ounce of hesitation be terrified of snakes?
“Shit! It bit me!”
Xia Lei finally dashed into the woods.
“Where’s the snake?!”
“On your lower half.”
It suddenly hit him. He had made a gigantic mistake when designing his battle formation. He should’ve been with either Anjum Khan or Sa’im. He should’ve avoided Tsukino Kyoko at all costs!