A few Mercedes-Benz G-class military-use off-road vehicles cleared the way for a long convoy of the CIA’s Chevrolet Suburban off-road cars. They went along the road by the coast, in the direction of the airport.
The Valhalla Box Town shrank gradually in the distance. Oil-green forest lined both sides of the road, and Lucerne flowers bloomed on the nearby meadows. The multi-colored Lucerne flowers seemed to weave themselves into a carpet of flowers, so beautiful that it would be a waste to blink.
Would he ever see such beautiful scenery again?
Xia Lei was heavy-hearted. He’d thought that Sean would stab an anaesthetic into him with a needle, and wouldn’t bind his hands and legs, but Sean didn’t do that. Instead, he had had his hands and legs bound together with iron chains which were usually used on the worst of criminals. Xia Lei’s plan to pretend to be knocked out by the anaesthetic, then ambush them and escape became useless.
This Sean was one of the most difficult opponents from the CIA which Xia Lei had met.
“Tell me, Mr Xia, you went to Afghanistan, then to Jerusalem, and then Japan. We believe you were on some sort of mission. What is this mission?” probed Sean. He stared at Xia Lei. They were in a Chevrolet Suburban in the middle of the convoy.
“Holiday. Pick up girls,” said Xia Lei flatly.
Sean frowned. “Mr Xia, I am being polite. You’d better be polite too. You know my methods well; there is no need for you to anger me and let yourself suffer.”
Xia Lei smiled. “You saw, didn’t you? My two girlfriends are very beautiful. I took one of them when I went to Afghanistan and I took the two of them when I went to Jerusalem. When I went to Japan, I took the other one. My mission is to make them happy.”
Sean suddenly punched Xia Lei’s cheek.
Xia Lei’s head was knocked violently to one side, almost smashing into the car window. A small line of blood spilled from the corner of his lips, but he laughed. “Is that all you got? You’d better not end up in my hands.”
Sean sneered. “Heh, you think you can escape? Let me tell you this — you will be sent to Nevada’s Area 51 military base. An entire army wouldn’t be able to save you, even if they attacked the place, much less you escaping on your own.”
America’s Area 51, the legendary base which studied aliens. It was also the base where America conducted her secret weapons research and experiments. That place was very mysterious. None of the countries’ spy organisations were able to obtain information on Area 51, even to this day. If Xia Lei were truly to be sent to that place, he would have no way of escaping.
“The AE Research Center is in Area 51?” Xia Lei probed.
“Do you like that place?” Sean’s response was like a confirmation.
“I do. I have been wanting to see what it’s like and I finally have a chance to do so now,” said Xia Lei with a smile.
“Hehehe…” Sean laughed. “You took what should have belonged to America. The AE capsules. We are quite certain that you have superhuman capabilities. You will become a subject of research. AE’s secret, and the technology related to AE all belong to America. I really admire your character, but I wonder if you can still laugh once you’re lying on the ice-cold operating table, dissected for research like a frog or little white mouse.”
“Hahaha!” Xia Lei laughed, but his laughter was filled with bitterness and helplessness.
Right then, in one of the seconds of Xia Lei’s laugh, came the sound of a violent explosion from up ahead. The shock wave of the explosion shook the ground, making the roads tremble.
The flames shot towards the sky, and bullet-proof glass shattered. The car shook and went off course. The car had been travelling normally just one second earlier, but everything was in chaos in the next second.
Xia Lei’s head smashed into the car door. In that instant, he saw a Mercedes-Benz G-class military-use off-road vehicle flying through the air. It was on fire. The people in the car were on fire too. The fire danced splendidly in the sky, like some sort of top-notch special effect.
BOOM! A Mercedes-Benz G-class military-use off-road vehicle which was blasted into the air by a roadside bomb, and it fell back to the ground, slamming into another military-use Mercedes-Benz driven by the German Special Forces.
“Enemy attack!” Someone yelled angrily in German.
Bang, bang, bang...
The German Special Forces gunners fired at the hill on the right. The unique heavy metallic thunder of a heavy-duty machine guns thumped in their hearts. Flames, bouncing shells, bullets falling like rain — the forest on that side of the hill were torn to shreds. A person hiding in there would be done for, and even a tree would be thoroughly ripped to pieces!
However, the German Special Forces soldiers’ suppressive fire had only lasted for less than ten seconds when a bullet lodged into the forehead of a German Special Forces machine gunner. The bullet had come from nowhere. His head was torn open, and his skull, brain matter, and blood were all mixed together as they splattered through the air.
Some militant appeared on the hill. They wore black combat gear, and had black headgear. The weapons in their hands were very advanced, on par with what the German Special Forces soldiers had. They made use of the trees and rocks on the hill, to rush down. They were quick, and moved well together; they were the picture of elite combat skills.
“Who are they, damn it? Who are they!” roared Sean in the car.
Sean had no idea who these militants who suddenly appeared were, but Xia Lei knew. He had already spotted the sniper in the forest who had shot the German Special Forces machine gunner in the forehead. It was none other than Dark Mona, who he had fought against in Oshino Hakkai!
The FA Organisation was making their move.
Sean had not expected something like this to happen, and even Xia Lei had not expected it either.
However, it was quite logical for the FA Organization to make a move now, because once the CIA brought Xia Lei to Area 51, even a national army wouldn’t be able to breach it, much less the FA Organisation. Whether it was for the interests of the AE Research Center, representing the Americans, or Dark Mona, who represented the FA Organization, their target was him. The CIA was taking him to Area 51 now, so the FA Organization obviously wasn’t going to just sit and do nothing. Doing so would not benefit them at all!
Now was the last chance for the FA Organisation to steal him away!
Xia Lei watched with his left eye. Dark Mona stood, gun in hand, and shot. Every shot she fired meant the death of a German Special Forces soldier or a CIA agent. There was not a single trace of emotion on her face. She was indifferent, ice. However, what shocked Xia Lei was not her gun or her marksmanship, but the cigar she held in one corner of her mouth.
Killing people while smoking a cigar — what sort of woman was she?
Sean screamed into the walkie-talkie, “Call for reinforcements! Call…” He suddenly paused mid-scream, then dashed the walkie-talkie violently onto the car door.
There was no signal. This was the FA Organization’s usual method. It was the blitzkrieg strategy, and there was no calling for reinforcements in a battle with them.
Another German Special Forces soldier who just climbed onto the Mercedes-Benz G-class military-use off-road vehicle was shot by Dark Mona. No one dared to take over the machine gunner’s position again. Go, and you die.
“Retreat! Turn around, retreat!” Sean roared at the driver.
A heavy truck suddenly appeared from behind, and its driver twisted the steering wheel, causing the body of the truck to block the road horizontally.
The road behind them had also been cut off.
Sean suddenly pointed a gun at Xia Lei’s head. “Get out of the car! Quickly!”
He’d just finished talking, when...
BOOM! Another violent explosion.
The Chevrolet Suburban off-road vehicle in front of them was struck by a rocket. The vehicle turned to scrap immediately, and the CIA agents who had been using the car as a shield were blasted away.
The shockwave of the explosion went straight to the Chevrolet Suburban which Xia Lei was in. His body was lifted by the impact, and thrown on top of Sean. And in that very moment, Xia Lei reached into Sean’s clothing and grabbed the key which could unlock his chains.
The thieving techniques he had learnt from Qin Xiang now became a skill for self-preservation.
“Ok, ok. I will get off.” Xia Lei reached over and grabbed the car door, pushing it open.
Sean’s hand came out of the car door. He kept the gun pointed at Xia Lei’s head as he moved, and got ready to get out of the car.
Xia Lei’s legs landed on the ground. He abruptly moved his head to the side, and slammed his back against the car door.
Sean’s hand was crushed in the car door.
Xia Lei did a snatch, and immediately got hold of Sean’s gun.
The CIA agent in the driver’s seat burst out of the car and fired at Xia Lei.
Xia Lei rolled, dodging the bullets flying at him. He stuck out his arm at the same time, and fired. The bullet hit the driver between his eyebrows.
Sean wanted to chase after Xia Lei but he dared not, not after seeing Xia Lei kill his subordinate right after he got free. He threw himself flat against the backseat of the car, and didn’t even dare to show his head.
Xia Lei’s continued rolling, heading towards the meadow by the road. He held the gun he had grabbed from Sean’s hand tight, and the key he had stolen from him. These two items concerned his freedom, life, and whether he would be able to escape in the next half an hour!
The battle raged on.
A free agent of the FA Organisation with a mini multi-barrel machine gun on his back appeared suddenly, shooting at the defensive line formed by the CIA agents and the German Special Forces soldiers. The appearance of the mini multi-barrel machine gun immediately upset the balance between the two sides. The dense concentration of 7.62mm bullets dropping like rain was invincible. Wherever the muzzle of the gun pointed, ruin happened, and even the Mercedes-Benz G-class military-use off-road vehicles were torn apart, much less a human body. A human body would be shredded right away!
Who had the time to care about Xia Lei at this time?
Xia Lei stopped rolling, and he sat with his legs crossed. He used the key and unlocked the iron chains.
Ding! A string of sparks suddenly spluttered from the iron chains. A sniper rifle bullet had zoomed between the narrow gap of the iron chains and went into Xia Lei’s thigh.
He didn’t need to look to know that Dark Mona had fired that shot.
Dark Mona had not brought the FA Organisation’s free agents here due to any good intentions. Her and Sean’s aim were the same. She would not give him a chance to escape.
The sniper rifle bullet buried itself in the flesh of Xia Lei’s thigh. The scorching hot bullet brought him an indescribable pain. Xia Lei clenched his teeth and tugged the unlocked iron chains off, then rolled towards the dense underbrush.
Fortunately, the iron chain had absorbed some of the bullet’s impact, or the sniper bullet would have crippled his left leg!