Next evening, four blonde Italian women with uniformly mesmerizing sapphire eyes had boarded a direct flight to Africa alongside a diverse group of people.
As soon as the private plane had taken off, one of four Caucasian men in a Ford sedan parked outside the airport premise made a call with a satellite phone.
“Xia Lei’s people have already boarded the plane but I did not see him. I didn’t even catch sight of Vientiane’s chairperson, Shentu Tianyin.”
“Noted. However, we’re confident that Xia Lei must be on that plane. The man’s an expert in disguises. But it’s okay, no worries. Our team will use facial recognition to weed him out at the Nigerian airport and later kill him off.” A masculine voice rang from the satellite phone.
“Shentu Tianyin’s smartphone signal shows that she has been at Xia Lei’s home till now. She has received eighteen calls but none was answered,” reported the Caucasian man.
“Ignore it. Just continue monitoring Vientiane Group’s activities and direction. The moment Shentu Tianyin leaves Xia Lei’s house… You know what to do, right?”
“Yes.” The Caucasian man hung up.
The driver ignited the engine and travelled forward. A black car abruptly appeared out of the blue and caught up to glide alongside the Ford sedan.
The driver’s suspicion was raised by its sudden appearance. The man spared a glance at the black vehicle, allowing him to catch a glimpse of a man dressed in black robes on the driver’s seat. The odd stranger had a dark hood over his head, leaving no chance to spy on his face.
Suddenly, a large lorry rammed out of a highway exit and straight into the Ford sedan. The multi-tonne impact had severely deformed the sedan. Weirdly, the lorry driver had no plans to stop. He floored the pedal and flattened the Ford sedan further into a tin pancake!
The black vehicle continued to zoom forward and the black-robed man driving it snorted lightly…
Meanwhile, a young couple was seen boarding a commercial plane. They were headed towards Moscow. The dark-skinned male had a face full of pimples. His female companion had a fair complexion but she looked like a plain Jane.
The couple seemed like university students that were heading to their Moscow campus.
However, it was merely an illusion. Their true identities had consisted of Xia Lei and Shentu Tianyin.
Xia Lei’s private plane, boarded by the four female knights and the Relief Society members, was bound to reach Africa directly. Despite that, its destination was not going to be Nigeria but the neighbouring Republic of Chad. They would enter Nigeria through the borders and then arm their brothers and sisters of the African Relief Society branches.
This was done to avoid any interception or missile launches from the American army.
This was what Xia Lei had planned- He had instructed the female knights to bring the Relief Society members into the Republic of Chad first while he and Shentu Tianyin would fly to Russia. Following that, they’d be on a transit flight from Russia to Cameroon, which would be their entry point into Nigeria.
The Chinese Zodiac Battle Team members were the first group, the female knights and their Relief Society armed force were the second group while he and Shentu Tianyin were the third group. Three distinct groups of forces would travel along different paths and enter Nigeria at different intervals. The CIA and the Pentagon wouldn’t have expected such an arrangement from Xia Lei.
The commercial flight heading towards Russia took off. Shentu Tianyin watched the sky through the window, immediately flooded by a weird feeling. At that moment, she felt like a bird, free from all restraints. She was about to flee for absolute freedom among the blue skies and fluffy clouds en route to her desired happiness…
Xia Lei interrupted her, “There are only clouds out there. Do you really fancy clouds that much?”
Shentu Tianyin was a little surprised. She turned around to face Xia Lei instead and smiled. “You still remember what I like?”
Xia Lei need not think further. “Your favourite colour is black and your favourite dish is steak au poivre. Your favourite book is ‘Dream of the Red Chamber’ and your favourite movie star is the late Marilyn Monroe. Am I correct?”
Shentu Tianyin let out a light giggle. “So you do remember.”
“Then do you still remember my favourites?” Xia Lei asked.
Shentu Tianyin thought for a moment. “Mm… Pretty ladies.”
“...”
“Nah, I was just joking.” Shentu Tianyin slapped his arm lightly. “Your favourite colour is white and your favourite dish is sweet-sour pork ribs. Your favourite movie star is Wang Baoqiang.” And then she inched closer to whisper into his ear. “And you like me best when I’m wearing that white see-through lingerie. Am I correct?”
Xia Lei smiled and nodded. Her words had prompted his mind to conjure the mental image of Shentu Tianyin in that particular lingerie. The subtle temptation and artful beauty had never failed to excite him.
“Would they wear lingerie like that for you?” Shentu Tianyin asked.
Evidently, she was asking about his five wives.
Xia Lei returned her a stiff smile. “You’re never one to ask things like that. Why are you in the mood for questions like these today?”
Shentu Tianyin replied, “Your wives are not here beside you. There’s nothing to be afraid of.”
Xia Lei relented, “They’re all built differently, each of them has their favourite colours and styles. It’s always a diverse array of colours.”
“But you like white the most. Why did you not request them that?”
Xia Lei sheepishly answered, “How can I request for something like that?”
“When we were still married, you always requested me to put it on. Why is that so?”
“...”
Yeah, points were made. Why was he so persistent back then?
Xia Lei could not offer an answer. However, he must admit that he loved seeing her in white translucent lingerie back then and Shentu Tianyin never had an issue with indulging him.
Sadly, those were all in the past now. To talk about their days together certainly made time feel like it was reversed.
“Do you still have feelings for me? You’ve never repeated your requests on them because I have a special spot in your heart, right?” There was a veil of water across Shentu Tianyin’s eyes.
“Tianyin…” Xia Lei’s heart clenched. After all, she was someone he was once deeply infatuated with and his first wife. Even though they were divorced, how could he have wiped her out completely from his mind? The answer to her question was a definite yes but that something Xia Lei could not mutter.
His silence caused her to turn away. She reached an arm up to wipe away her tears.
Xia Lei’s heart was not made of iron. At that moment, his heart was completely melted into a puddle by Shentu Tianyin. He extended his arm over to thumb away her tears and murmured gently, “I’ll make your wishes come true. I can promise you that. Please don’t cry.”
Shentu Tianyin whipped around, her tears escaping her duct at an increased pace. “D-Do you really mean it?”
Xia Lei replied, “Of course. Since when have I ever lied to you?”
He was only left with a year to live. Since she yearned for a child, a child was what he’d give to her. It wasn’t entirely impossible to do.
Shentu Tianyin let out a small whine and buried her face into his shoulder.
Xia Lei caressed her crown softly. “Shh… Don’t cry. If you continue to weep, they might think I’m bullying you.”
“But I like being bullied by you.” Shentu Tianyin uttered between sobs.
The Russian seated beside watched the exchange and commented in his language, “What a fucking bastard. I can’t believe he made his girlfriend cry in public.”
A Russian woman on his left too chimed in, “I thought Asian men were known as caring partners. Looks like the statement is flawed.”
It was obvious that they thought Xia Lei could not understand their language, hence the unfiltered comments. However, Xia Lei was not about to exchange words with the couple. He shifted his eyes to gaze at them for a moment.
The Russians returned his attention with a searing glare geared for a challenge.
Xia Lei could only force a smile and look away. Suddenly, a creepy desire manifested in his mind- Xia Lei had the sudden urge to look for something delicious within the Russian couple’s brains!
Xia Lei’s eyes were on the Russian couple again. This time, he felt the sudden awakening of the mysterious energy within him. Inside of him was an eerie energy field force. It was spiralling like a wormhole, the hunger he felt was unprecedented!
He abruptly realized something. Xia Lei promptly left his seat and suppressed his evil lust through sheer willpower.
Shentu Tianyin was just enjoying the familiar scent of Xia Lei and his existence. Xia Lei’s abrupt movement had made her feel hollow. She stared at him, a little anxious. “Where are you going?”
Xia Lei answered, “I need to use the washroom. I’ll be right back.” He didn’t dare to stay any longer, quickly striding towards the cubicle as soon as his words died.
He barged into the washroom and turned on the tap. He splashed his face and head with the cool water, allowing the shock to calm him down. Xia Lei stared at himself dead in the eye through the mirror. All he could see was a pair of creepy irises staring back at him. His eyes looked like a spiralling black hole capable of pulling and swallowing everything around him!
“S… So that’s how Zhu Xuanyue feeds! It only requires thought to kill!” Xia Lei was shocked to the core! He could never understand how Zhu Xuanyue consumed human brains but now he had finally experienced it personally. Fear gripped his sinking heart.
The man was also reminded of Zhu Xuanyue’s suggestion; she had urged him to swallow the last AE capsule and mass feed himself. Through doing that, he’d be able to become so strong that he’d stand a chance against the prehistoric chosen one in a battle!
However, if the path to gain power had required killing the innocent, what difference would it make between him and a demon? In any case, Xia Lei was not about to commit cannibalism!
Anyone who could feed on a human was no longer human.
In all honesty, Xia Lei had thought about feeding on vile criminals. But as fast as the idea had surfaced, the flood of guilt was equally speedy. The very thought was tormenting because Xia Lei was fully aware that he would never be able to quit as soon as he began. Just like Zhu Xuanyue, his appetite and urge would grow exponentially. In the end, he wouldn’t be able to tell apart good and evil. All he could see at that point was food, food,food!
Worse, with the activation and further refinement towards complete evolution, his appetite and lust would only grow intense. Would he be able to restrain himself?
Xia Lei had no idea for he could not see the light in this mess at all.
It took ten solid minutes for Xia Lei to swallow back the urge to feed and regain his composure. He finally left the washroom and returned to his seat.
Shentu Tianyin expressed her concern. “You were gone for so long, I was even thinking of coming to find you. Is everything alright?”
A faint smile addressed her question. “I’m not sure why but my stomach doesn’t feel too well.”
“Does it hurt? How about I rub your stomach?” offered Shentu Tianyin in a gentle voice.
Xia Lei replied, “It’s fine. Try to catch some sleep, we’ll reach Moscow when you wake up.”
“Okay.” And with that, Shentu Tianyin placed her head on his shoulders and dreamt of a sweet paradise…