Xia Lei was not the least bit worried that Hattori Mei would see through his cover. Hattori Mei’s abilities were certainly not as sharp as Yang Shan’s or Sperry’s. The men were both seasoned intelligence officers. The experience they had was sufficiently valid to point out Xia Lei’s flaws.

Xia Lei was more worried about the contents of the brocade box.

An urge manifested in his mind, causing his left eye to twitch slightly. There was a bottle of liquid nestled within the box. The container and liquid within were both transparent. He noted its existence but was unable to detect the nature of the mysterious fluid.

“What is she trying to do? Is she planning to kill me?” Xia Lei thought to himself darkly, all while keeping his calm facade as he received the box. He feigned confusion. “What is this?”

Hattori Mei answered, “It's poison. We call it the Grim Reaper. It’s currently the most lethal poison to exist. It’s able to deliver its effects in ambient temperature. Upon contact, the target will die within five minutes. Anyone who comes into contact with the victim will die too. There’s no way to save the target.”

So it really was poison. One that could spread through the air and kill many unassuming souls. The efficacy of this substance was weak when used in open spaces because the wind would bright it away and diffuse it. However, if this were to be used in a closed environment, it would do its job well.

Xia Lei chuckled coldly. “You failed your operation and you’re asking me to kill Xia Lei in the dark? Let’s forget about my consent for a minute here and look at this realistically. You claim that this poison could kill anyone within five minutes. There’s no way I’ll make it out alive within that time. Plus, this poison can spread through the air. I’ll be done for the moment I use it on Xia Lei. Blatantly put, do you think I’m stupid?”

“Mister Li, please don’t misunderstand me.” Hattori Mei continued, “Of course I’ll provide you with its antidote. But do note that this wasn’t mine or Mister Yang’s idea, this was Mister Williams’s instructions.”

“How is that possible?” Xia Lei feigned offence.

Yang Shan dug into his pocket to produce a satellite phone. He dialled a number and passed the device to Xia Lei. “Here, take it.”

Xia Lei pressed it to his ear. Immediately, Williams’ voice rang through. “Li, Williams speaking.”

“Mister Williams.” Xia Lei did not beat around the bush. “Is this true?”

Williams replied, “Yes, this is part of the new operation. Operation S. You play a vital role in this operation. You are the only one who could come in close contact with Xia Lei.”

“But I only just…”

“I know what you’re about to say and I completely understand where you’re coming from. However, this was based on a common agreement settled by the White House and the Pentagon. If you do this right, you won’t be discovered. Xia Lei’s death will not stop China from resuming its production of new materials. But when that happens, you will be put in charge of the new material. Based on our analysis, your success rate of obtaining the formulation of Alloy X and relevant production technology is up to ninety-five per cent. You need to do your job,” insisted Williams.

“Alright.” Xia Lei paused. “But…”

Williams interjected, “I know what you want. Do note that Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Raytheon, Northrop Grumman and General Dynamics are funding this operation. They’re offering you one billion USD as the reward. You’ll receive one-tenth of it as a deposit. After this mission, you can live your life to the fullest.”

Xia Lei pretended to be touched. “Mister Williams, please rest assured that I’ll see to the end of this. But I would like to ask for half the amount as a deposit.”

On the other end of the line, Williams fell silent. “Very well then, that’s settled.”

“Goodbye, Mister Williams.” Xia Lei returned the device to Yang Shan.

A call with Mister Williams had provided Xia Lei with a comprehensive perspective of the situation.

Hattori Mei’s presence was no coincidence. Not only was she a representative of Japan and the Hattori clan’s interests, but she also had another identity to live to. She was also the representative of Lockheed Martin. The most surprising revelation was that the top four arms dealer alliance had a new addition. The Northrop Grumman Company was America’s largest naval ship and defence technology company. It had ranked third in the list of America’s most prominent arms dealers.

Currently, the Thunder Horse Organization had no plans to venture into the realm of naval technologies. Even if they did, it would have to wait for a while. Hence, the Thunder Horse Organization had posed no threat to the interests of Northrop Grumman. However, the company had joined the alliance and shared the will to kill Xia Lei and destroy Thunder Horse Organization.

It occurred to him that his existence had reached a new height among the five arms dealers. Xia Lei was now a man who was deemed better off dead. As long as he was alive, Thunder Horse Organization would continue to produce new weapons and soon it’ll monopolize the market. China’s national defence would be fortified and stronger. It was only natural for them to wish that they’d stop at the new material and unmanned aircraft.

From the perspective of the White House and Pentagon, Xia Lei was now a dangerous existence. The new material had posed an unprecedented threat to America. As soon as China obtained Alloy X, America would lose all of its air battle advantages! Thunder Horse Organization was only skirting around the field of drones. However, as soon as Alloy X was thrown into the production of fighter jets and bomber aircraft, America would be completely vulnerable! This was why the White House and Pentagon’s will were aligned with that of the five arms dealer’s intention. They needed to put a stop to Xia Lei’s advancements.

Hence, they gave their all to aid Li Youdun’s infiltration into the central management of the Thunder Horse Organization and later came up with Operation S.

With his new knowledge, Xia Lei’s couldn’t help but smirk internally. “Since you don’t wish to see Thunder Horse Organization thrive with the Alloy X and drones and have a dying wish to not see us produce fighter jets and bomber planes, I’m determined to shove it in your faces. Since you want me dead, I will put on a show and die for you. To not earn this easy one billion USD by killing myself is a waste.”

“Mister Li.” Hattori Mei studied him. “I’m sure that answered your questions, right?”

Xia Lei nodded. “Since this is Mister Williams’ orders, I will do it. Hand me the antidote.”

Hattori Mei reached into the pocket of her blouse and pulled out a tiny vial. She shook it lightly, making the pills within knock against each other.

Xia Lei’s left eye twitched to inspect the pills inside. It was three white-coloured pills. He mused, “Could this also be poison to wipe me out after I’m done with my job?”

Hattori Mei let out an amused chuckle. “Mister Li, please do not joke around. You’re one of the most important agents in the CIA. The companies, the White House and even the Pentagon has high hopes for you. They are determined to have you obtain the Alloy X formulation and technical information from the Thunder Horse Organization. You’re too important to their goal, who would want to get rid of you?”

Xia Lei urged, “Hand it over.”

Hattori Mei pressed the vial into his palm and said, “These two substances can’t come in contact with each other, which is why I decided to keep them apart. You must consume the antidote one hour prior before using the poison. Take another pill an hour after exposure to the poison. The last pill must be consumed eight hours later.”

Hattori Mei must’ve sensed his doubts. “Don’t worry, these pills are formulated by the AE Research Centre. The human trial conducted in Africa has returned with promising results. All who have been poisoned have died and those who had the antidote lived.”

“That’s good to hear.” Xia Lei kept the vial carefully. “Is there anything else? If there’s nothing, I need to head back now. Thunder Horse Organization has entered its final phase of preparation for the building of the new material workshop. I need to be there working or Xia Lei might suspect me.”

“Sure, but I’ve got a question for you,” piqued Hattori Mei.

“What is it?” Xia Lei faced her.

“I wish to know the details of your plan.”

“I’ve just gotten a briefing about this just now and you’re already asking for a plan? What do you take me for? I’m not invincible.”

The woman seemed to be unfazed by Xia Lei’s tone. Instead, she smiled sweetly at him. “I’ve got a plan. Perhaps you can take it as inspiration.”

“Do tell me.” Xia Lei stared at her intently.

Hattori Mei began, “Try to enter the Peace Mansion and poison him at home when he’s distracted by his lovers. Men always put down their guards around pretty women. It’s an added benefit that he has plenty of them.”

“Do you wish for me to kill his women as well?” Xia Lei raised a brow.

Hattori Mei nodded. “This is nothing personal. It’s essentially the best time for you to attack.”

Nothing personal?

Xia Lei had stolen the Hattori clan’s Artificial Intelligence technology and used it on the ZTZ100 main battle tank and the Sweeper infantry fighting vehicle. The man had also killed Hattori Geppa and Hattori Hyakusai. If this wasn’t personal, vengeance would not be a word in the dictionary.

Xia Lei nodded with a faint smile. “I’ll consider it.” He turned around and left.

Exiting the tower, he turned back and used his vision through the wooden structure above him. He saw Hattori Mei conversing with Yang Shan in English.

“Is he trustworthy?” Hattori Mei was sceptical.

“Of course.” Yang Shan assured her, “There’s no need to doubt his capabilities. He is a product of the CIA’s ‘Project Peerless’. While I don’t know much about the training, I do know that agents trained under the programme only take on high-risk operations. Their success rate is terrifyingly high too.”

“Project Peerless, huh?” A smirk of disdain played on her lips. “He seems too normal.”

Yang Shan argued, “You can’t judge his capabilities with the standards of an armed agent or an assassin.”

“Perhaps…” Hattori Mei paused. “He’s got something up his sleeve. There’s something very unique about this guy. However, no matter what agent rank he is, as soon as he gets ahold of Thunder Horse’s Alloy X formulation and information, he’ll…”

Yang Shan nodded.

Xia Lei peeled his attention away and strode away.

If it wasn’t for Hattori Mei and Yang Shan’s conversation, Xia Lei would remain clueless that Li Youdun was an esteemed product of ‘Project Peerless’. While the information had seemed rather meaningless, it had its use. ‘Project Peerless’ must’ve produced more than one agent like Li Youdun. On the surface, Li Youdun had been given the mission to assassinate Xia Lei but there was no guarantee that the CIA would try to sneak in another ‘Peerless’ agent into Thunder Horse Organization to replace Li Youdun. After all, there was still a possibility that Li Youdun would fail and die on the job. This was likely to happen because the Thunder Horse Organization was about to organize mass recruitment!

“We must be careful with the recruitment this time. You’ve got Operation S and I’ll help add a B behind it.” Xia Lei smirked dangerously.

[Note: SB is the abbreviation for 傻(shǎ)逼(bī), most commonly used on the internet. It’s essentially a profanity that is equivalent to ‘Fuck’.]