Death seemed to be inevitable. Approaching it with an alternative would also lead to death. The three possibilities Xia Lei had brought up had a great likelihood of disaster, especially the last one. As long as the American ships came close, two cannonballs would be all it takes to sink them all.

“Boss, I’m sure you’ve got a plan, right?” Tsukino Kyoko’s gaze was unwavering. “You summoned us here to tell us your plan. What would you like us to do?”

Tsukino Kyoko had always been obedient. She never demanded reasons, only heeding to Xia Lei’s instructions loyally.

Xia Lei fell silent. “There’s a speedboat on this ship. We’ll lower it down, bring along enough fuel, food and water then avoid Cyprus. We need to leave the danger zone before deciding on anything else.”

“Yelena, let’s go,” Tsukino called.

Yelena nodded in acknowledgement and left with her.

“Anjum Khan, you should go with them too. Help Kyoko and Yelena with the food supply but I must remind you. No curry from the kitchen,” said Xia Lei.

Anjum Khan was speechless. While Xia Lei’s reminder was borderline questionable, he still went nonetheless.

Xia Lei returned his gaze onto Sa’im and Qian Jun. “You two, go tie up the captain and the crew. Best if you can give them some wounds, you’re allowed to go a little heavy-handed.”

Qian Jun nodded. This was the first time Xia Lei had assigned a task to him as the current leader of the Chinese Zodiac Battle Team. It was impossible for him to decline the job.

Sa’im, on the other hand, was hesitant. He wanted to say something but no words were produced.

Xia Lei uttered, “Sa’im, I know this is difficult for you. But you must understand that we cannot bring your friends along on our escape. They’ll be captured by the Americans and may be subjected to interrogation. We’re creating an illusion that we’ve kidnapped them so they could be exempted from possible trouble. Tell your friends that we’ve kidnapped them and they know nothing about us. I’ll pay him two million USD and five hundred thousand USD each to his sailors as compensation.”

“Alright, I know what to do now,” replied Sa’im. He and Qian Jun took their leave.

To leave the cargo ship with the speedboat was the best way Xia Lei could’ve come up with. Other than this idea, the man could not settle on any alternative to dissipate their danger.

For Sa’im’s friends, it was true that they’d shoulder a heightened risk. But if they could live past this obstacle, they would be able to enjoy the rest of their lives comfortably. They’d no longer need to drift along the sea for work. Everything had its price and this was theirs to pay.

A few minutes later, Xia Lei came to the deck. Tsukino Kyoko, Yelena and Anjum Khan had played their parts well. The three of them had completed relevant preparations for the speedboat and managed to store sufficient fuel, food and water. Meanwhile, Sa’im and Qian Jun too were done with the captain and his crew.

“Farewell, my friend. May Allah bless you.” With his bruised up face, the Iraqi ship captain squeezed out a friendly smile and bid Xia Lei farewell. If his hands weren’t restrained, he would probably rush over and embrace Xia Lei.

The tightly rope bound sailors were grinning from ear to ear, smitten by the promise of five hundred thousand USD. While the sum was nothing to the rich, it was a life-changing amount for these tough sea-dwelling men.

“Remember what Sa’im had told you, push all the blame onto us and act dumb. Better keep the act up well, try not to screw it up. May Allah protect you.” Xia Lei told them firmly in Arabic and descended the rope ladder down onto the released speedboat beneath.

The rest of the Chinese Zodiac Battle Team members boarded the speedboat as well.

Sa’im seized the wheel and brought them towards the east.

The standard capacity for a speedboat was five adults, but Xia Lei and his team had totalled up to six grown humans. Having one additional passenger was honestly no big deal but it would impact the sustainability of the fuel, food and water supply. Assuming that the average weight was sixty kilograms, to convert this weight into the essentials would have provided them with enough to last for days. Other than that, the converted fuel would’ve allowed them to venture further and stay longer on the ocean surface.

“Boss, the food and water available on the speedboat will only last us three days. I wanted to bring more but the speedboat could no longer withstand more weight,” said Anjum Khan.

Xia Lei furrowed his brows, troubled. “What about fuel?”

Yelena snapped her head up. “I’m in charge of that. If the journey stretches on continuously for twenty-four hours, fuel will be exhausted after thirty hours.”

Xia Lei chuckled bitterly. So it seemed that fuel was a bigger issue. After all, this was a speedboat. Its size could not transport so many passengers and bring along more supplies at the same time.

“If the situation is dire, we can row the speedboat.” Tsukino Kyoko’s shoulders were surprisingly lax. “We can even fish if we’re running low on food.”

“But what about water?” Sa’im turned to look at her.

She glared at him, hard. “You can settle that yourself!”

The issue with the water supply dampened everyone’s mood immediately. Tsukino Kyoko had a point. Without fuel, the speedboat could still be propelled with manpower. The lack of food could be easily solved by the seafood available around them. But they couldn’t just resort to drinking seawater, right? If that was the case, death would come sooner than expected.

Xia Lei thought hard. Abruptly, an idea clicked in his mind. “Kyoko, are you wearing a bra?”

“Huh?” Tsukino Kyoko froze, expressions adorned with something akin to embarrassment and bashfulness. If Xia Lei had pointed this question to her in private, not only would she answer him, but she would have probably stripped to reveal it to him. She was willing to show him the real stuff beneath. But now that the man had asked her that in the eyes of many others, she really was at a loss for words.

Xia Lei studied the shape of her chest carefully. “Ah, yes. You are wearing one. Keep it well and when we run out of the water, give it to me.” Then, he turned around and looked at Yelena. “Oh, you too. Pass it to me when we’re out of the water, yeah?”

Yelena was speechless.

Anjum Khan cackled unhelpfully. “Boss, you can’t be thinking about using their bras to provide us with drinking water.”

Yelena slapped the back of his skull harshly without warning.

While the Indian had gotten a beating, he was still laughing joyfully.

Qian Jun spoke, “Boss if you’re thinking about using their bras to filter seawater, the filtration rate of their underwear is negligible.”

Anjum Khan had mentioned their bras and he was beaten. But Qian Jun had mentioned the same thing but no one had even raised their hands.

And this was also the first time Qian Jun had called Xia Lei ‘Boss’.

While it may seem like nothing, to call him that was a promise of loyalty from a man like Qian Jun!

The snake of the Chinese Zodiac Battle Team had officially returned!

Xia Lei was delighted. He flashed him a smile. “I’m not thinking about using them as a filter, I’m only considering the absorption rate of the garment. There sponges in the bras and it offers strong absorption. Other than that, we’ve got food packaging. Most of it is lined with a layer of aluminium. We can create a pot cover shape with the aluminium and place it on top of a bra that is fully saturated with moisture. The heat from the sun would evaporate the seawater and there will be condensation on the back of the aluminium. We’ll collect the condensation and we’ll have distilled water.”

Qian Jun did not see that explanation coming.

“Wow! Boss, you’re just like Ganesha!” Anjum Khan cackled lewdly. All he could conjure was the mental image of Tsukino Kyoko and Yelena deprived of their bras while they collected condensation off their undergarments half-naked.

Smack! Yelena’s palm collided with the back of his skull once again.

“What the fuck? Why do you keep hitting me? Why aren’t you doing the same to Qian Jun?” Anjum Khan was annoyed now, but his heart was still amused. He could easily dodge her attack but he did not. He loved getting slapped by the Russian lady. Xia Lei could do nothing and yet still manage to woo the female population but that was not the same for Anjum Khan.

Qian Jun only offered them a smile and nothing else. There was still a gap between him and the Chinese Zodiac Battle Team members. The man needed more time to blend into the team well.

The speedboat braved through winds and waves at a quickened pace, the cargo ship long-abandoned behind them.

An hour after the departure of the speedboat, a shadow reconnaissance aircraft entered the sea area where the cargo ship was under the escort of three large Super Hornets. At this moment, the cargo ship had come to a complete halt atop the water surface. It did not break down, letting the waves bring them on a peaceful drift with almost negligible distance.

“Command centre, we have arrived at the destination coordinates. Currently scanning the target.” On the shadow reconnaissance plane, the pilot reported to the command centre of the Sixth Fleet through a communicator.

The three Super Hornets flew over the ship. One of them dropped a cluster bomb onto it.

Ka-boom!

The cluster bomb detonated underwater triggering pillars of water. The cargo ship rocked and swayed along the turbulent waves.

This was a deliberate miss on their part. The pilot had heeded the instructions from the Sixth Fleet to test the situation.

There was nothing wrong with the ship.

The three Super Hornets and the shadow reconnaissance plane were fine too. There was no disruption or what sort ever.

“No disruption, all equipment is working fine.” The pilot continued to report his progress. “The scan is completed, no armed forces onboard. All the crew are restrained… Please lay instructions for further action…”

Meanwhile, in the CIA headquarters in Langley.

Williams stared at the central screen plastered to his office wall pointedly, carefully observing the satellite feedback fed by the Sixth Fleet Command Centre. The pilot’s report had reached his ears in real-time but his words had riddled Williams with frustration.

There was only the ship captain and his crew on board and there were no signs of Xia Lei and any of his underlings. This was the Mediterranean Sea. How could those bastards disappear without a trace within a mere hour?

Through the speaker, the pilot continued to report. “Radar detection shows that there are no other vehicles around the area…”

Williams could no longer stomach another word. He grabbed the landline phone on his desk hastily. “Have the Sixth Fleet Commando board the cargo ship and arrest everyone. Conduct interrogation and let the shadow reconnaissance plane expand their search area. Do not miss any ships! Also, let the spy satellite do its job in the Mediterranean right away. That person must be found even if we need to drain the ocean dry!”

“Yes, sir. Right away!” The recipient answered.

Williams returned the phone to its machine and tapped his fingers against the oak tabletop. Ten seconds later, he picked up the phone and dialled for another number.

This time, it was for Yang Shan, the CIA Jingdu informant base’s leader.

“Yang Shan, retreat immediately. Close down the base temporarily.”

“What’s going on?”

“Xia Lei might still be alive.”

“What?” Yang Shan’s confusion and shock were prominent even over the line. “How is that possible. Our agents had verified his death, there’s no way he is still alive.”

Williams pressed on, “Go verify it again. Other than that, contact Li Youdun and urge him to steal the formula for Alloy X. If Xia Lei’s is not dead, his identity might be exposed at any given second.”

“Got it, right on it.” Yang Shan answered.

Williams placed the phone down again, his fingers resuming its thumping against his tabletop.

Thump thump thump… Thump thump thump…

How reliable was Israel’s intel?

Was Xia Lei truly dead or alive?

These were things Williams was eager to find out.