The clump of buildings looked like a village from far, but it sure wasn’t the case. The footage Predator B had returned not only showed multiple armed men around the premise but also tanks and armoured vehicles. There were even planes and plane tracks. It was clearly an independent military base.
The premise was huge, occupying an area of about two kilometres.
Studying the image of FA’s headquarter, Xia Lei couldn’t help but furrow his brows. One ‘Key to Hell’ was not sufficient to clear it off due to its sheer size.
A cross aim appeared on the screen. Predator B had locked a target on the ground below. It was a three-storey tall building, a result of keying in the coordinates Xia Lei had obtained from the Knight Hospitaller.
A three-second countdown emerged.
Xia Lei’s attention moved the top floors of the building, where the lights were still on. He saw some regular armed members along with some that did not carry weapons. They seemed to be producing something. Though Xia Lei couldn’t make out what it was, the answer was obvious. What else could be made in the Mexican desert? If it was not socks or clothes, it would be drugs.
The drug trade was lucrative. How would the FA not seize the opportunity? Without sufficient funding, how would it sustain so many armed members?
One second left…
Abruptly, Xia Lei tapped the keyboard and halted Predator B’s auto firing mode. He focused his mind onto the laptop screen, studying the headquarter buildings carefully. There was nothing wrong with the coordinates. It was indeed FA’s headquarters. However, it was clear that this building was not worth being the target. If Predator B was carrying nuclear bombs, then Xia Lei would’ve had an easier time. The man could just toss it down just like that. However, he had only one ‘Key to Hell’ to spare. He had to fire at something worthwhile
Where would the FA leader be?
Xia Lei would love to find out.
But for something that even the CIA had no answers to, how was Xia Lei going to solve the question?
Predator B continued to round the premise, the night skies shielding it from sight.
Xia Lei resumed his pursuit of something worthy of an explosion through the screen.
Suddenly, Predator B had captured some chaos from above. Many ran out of the buildings in hoards and started their vehicles.
Xia Lei jolted. “Did they find out? Does the FA have its own air defence radar?”
Regardless, all outcomes would end up the same. The chaos that erupted indicated that they had noticed Predator B.
Suddenly, a flash of fire was headed straight into the sky.
It was a Stinger Missile, a shoulder-mounted anti-aircraft missile produced by General Dynamics!
Beep! Beep! Beep!
An alarm was triggered urgently, ringing through the speakers of the laptop. ’Xiao Qian’ sent out a notification. “You’ve been targeted by a Stinger. ETA 5 seconds to contact.”
The more dire the situation was, the calmer Xia Lei’s was. The moment the Stinger rose to air, his mind absorbed everything he had seen from buildings, barracks, warehouses, sentry towers, hangers and so on. A calculation of valuables was executed in his brain at the same time.
The way Xia Lei’s brain worked with computation and analysis was as flawless as a computer. Xiao Qian had warned of five seconds while Xia Lei’s analysis had only taken up a mere one second to complete. In the next second, Predator B fired the ‘Key to Hell’. The missile flew towards a ground target with a whistle.
Its target was the petrol warehouse of the base. There were a few large petrol tanks lying around along with some fuel transport trucks.
Stinger and ‘Key to Hell’ brushed by each other mid-air, ignoring each other to head towards their respective targets.
Xia Lei abruptly moved Predator B into a steep dive.
Stinger made an urgent turn and chased after the drone.
‘Key to Hell’ had collided with a fuel storage tank and at that split second, terrifying flames burst towards the clouds. Everything in the picture trembled. The ignition of one petrol tank triggered a string of explosions. The initial energy resulting from the missile combined with the aftershock waves produced by the petrol tank explosions had produced an effect akin to that of a small nuclear bomb!
In the shaky footage, the buildings of FA’s headquarters were like vulnerable dominos met with the wind. The building interiors rumbled one floor at a time, everything soon reduced to a flat land!
Predator B launched itself into the sea of fire.
The Stinger following behind closely.
And the footage feedback was cut off.
The operation to destroy the FA headquarters had come to an end. Though Predator B had only brought one precision-guided missile to battle, the petrol storage on the premise had helped elevate the effect tremendously. The combined effect was like a mini nuclear explosion. Though he did not have the chance to witness its aftermath, the FA headquarters wouldn’t be left with much judging from the explosion earlier.
Xia Lei folded his laptop and drove the vehicle away. There was finally a smile plastered on his face. He felt that as long as the FA leader was still in the buildings when the explosion occurred, there was a high possibility that he managed to kill him off. If not, Xia Lei was fine either way. After all, he had successfully destroyed their headquarters!
The Land Rover Defender zoomed along the highway.
Xia Lei made another call again to a certain Chinese Zodiac Battle Team member. This time he contacted the pig, which was Liang Siyao.
“Siyao, it’s me.” The tenderness in Xia Lei’s tone was filled with love and longing.
“Hubby… Give me a moment.” Footsteps rang over the phone. It took about ten seconds later for Liang Siyao’s voice to come through. “I’m worried sick. Where are you now?”
“I’m in Mexico.”
“Huh? What are you doing in Mexico?”
Xia Lei huffed a small laugh. “I’ll tell you about it when I return. What is it like back home?”
“Zhengnan is doing well. No one has found out until now. However, it’s better for you to come back soon. He can’t keep up the front any longer. People are bound to find out, especially Tang Yuyan. There’s no way Zhengnan’s cover could fool her. It’s a relief that she hasn’t been looking for you. If she’s coming to the office, she’ll definitely find out.”
“I see. Got it, I’m coming home soon,” said Xia Lei.
“I miss you so much.” Liang Siyao’s gentle voice was a whisp. “I dream of you every night. Have you been thinking about me?”
“Yes, of course.”
“That sounds like a lie.”
Xia Lei chuckled. His stay in America and Mexico had been nothing but an incredible roller coaster. There wasn’t even a second of rest for his mind to wander. However, women do tend to fancy sweet words of love, even if it was a lie to pacify them.
“What do you miss most about me?” There was a teasing edge to her tone.
“Uh…” Xia Lei smiled. “I miss everything about you.”
“Your son wishes to talk to you, would you like to hear him?”
Xia Lei was taken aback. “He can speak already? Quit teasing me.”
Abruptly, Xia Lei’s ear was filled with the sound of rustling fabric. What followed after it was unintelligent gurgling sounds. It was obvious that Liang Siyao had plastered the phone taut against her stomach, letting its noise travel through the receptor. However, it wasn’t the sound of his developing child. The odd noises had resulted from peristalsis within her body. Everyone’s organs made sounds like that.
Listening to the bewildering organ noises, Xia Lei couldn’t help but picture Liang Siyao standing in his office with her phone close to the skin of her abdomen. He was sure that her smile was that of happiness and contentment.
Women were the prettiest and happiest when expecting a child.
“Do you hear that?” Liang Siyao’s voice rang again. “He said he misses you too.”
Xia Lei wished he could fly home at that instance. Despite such lovely sentiments, the words that he uttered were the complete opposite. “Siyao, I heard that. I think you have diarrhoea.”
“Fuck you. You’re not romantic at all. When you chased after me in the past, everything I did you’d praise. Now you got me pregnant and you’re here telling me that I got diarrhoea. Just you wait. Watch how I’ll take care of you when you’re back.” Her threats were empty, uttered with extreme glee and anticipation.
Xia Lei and her could be considered a married couple. It wasn’t uncommon for cheesy jokes between husband and wife.
“Alright, there’s something serious that I must tell you.” Xia Lei regained his composure, speaking sternly into the phone. “I received intel that the FA Organization is planning to launch an attack on our Thunder Horse headquarters in Jingdu.”
“Huh? That’s insanely bold.” Liang Siyao panicked. “What is the plan like?”
“They’ll hijack a plane in Japan and fly it into the headquarters.”
“Isn’t that a blatant replica of the 911 incident?! How dare they!” Her voice shook with wrath.
Xia Lei replied, “This is real. The FA Organization is working for America, they’ve got governmental support. There’s nothing that they’ll shy away from. You need to tell this to Ah Bing, she’ll know what to do. Try not to involve yourself in this mess, take good care of our home, okay?”
“Got it, I’ll tell her right away.” Liang Siyao paused. “Oh, right. I’ve got some good news for you.”
“What is it?”
“Ah Bing…” Liang Siyao hesitated.
“What’s with her?” Xia Lei could feel his pulse hike. “Quick, tell me.”
“Hehehe.” Her laughter twinkled like bells. “I’ll tell you if you give me a kiss.”
Xia Lei was bewildered but kissed the satellite phone once anyway, letting the sound of a moist peck reach Liang Siyao’s ear. He urged again, “Quick, tell me!”
“Ah Bing is expecting.”
“What?! What?!”
“Idiot, she’s pregnant!” She yelled at him with a grin. “You’re going to be a father again!”
“Hahaha…” Xia Lei guffawed.
That was amazing news. All of his four women, Liang Siyao, Fan Fan, Jiang Ruyi and now Long Bing were pregnant. He had four children on the way. Now he wouldn’t feel any regret if he were to die two years later. His four children would carry his legacy.
“Okay, I know you’re driving so I’m going to end the call now. Come home soon, have a safe trip. I love you.” Liang Siyao kissed her phone.
“I love you too.” Xia Lei reciprocated the gesture and ended the call.
He slammed on the pedals hard, bringing the Land Rover to a maddened dash like an agitated beast.
The driving man pictured his wonderful future. “Siyao does martial arts. She’s probably carrying a son, right? A son would suit her well. Fan Fan is a researcher. She’s more of a mild and gentle person so a daughter would be fitting for her. Perhaps her daughter might become the next top scientist that will contribute greatly to the country. Ruyi is very soft-spoken and kind, a daughter will suit her too. I can cultivate her into a business talent and have her enter Thunder Horse’s management in the future. Long Bing… She’s a special case, perhaps she’s carrying a son? Her son could join the military and become her successor and continue to protect this country.”
None of his children was officially born, but he was already on cloud nine.