Hu Lei knew that there was no escape, so she told Zhong Feng about Harriet Brown mentioning an adoptive daughter on the ship. She did not even inform the Interpol agents about the young woman because she knew they would cause chaos.

"I told Kaito to investigate her and find out how she was related to the Brown sisters. It did not seem like she had a close relationship with them, so I decided to let it go. I also thought it was a bit convenient, the way Harriet mentioned her name." Hu Lei said.

​​

"Kaito found some suspicious points in her background. She was obviously hiding something, but I could not believe that she was involved with those women, at least not closely. I did not think Kaito would take his curiosity so far."

She still remembered the devious twinkle in his eyes on her wedding day. She should have known that he would not let things go. She suspected that he had been losing interest in his life at that time and was looking for excitement.

Her frown deepened. But it seemed that he was serious about this Akira. Otherwise, he would not have sent her to Azure Woods. But that did not matter for now. The primary question on her mind was: where was he?

Zhong Feng nodded. "You should have told me about it. Her identity is quite well-hidden, but she is not a simple person. She is involved in plenty of things including a covert government agency in Japan. She is either a good hacker or knows someone with good skills."

"I am still trying to retrieve the full information on her life. But so far, she does not seem to be in cahoots with the Brown sisters or the International Health Alliance. Her only current bad association is your senior brother."

There was humour in Zhong Feng's eyes.

"Is someone coming after her?" Hu Lei asked. "If she has wounds and felt endangered enough to use Kaito's exit strategy, someone must be hunting her."

Hu Lei was not a stranger to running for her life. She could recognise the signs of fear and paranoia. And that Yamazaki girl was on edge.

"I am still running that through my systems, but I have some suspicion that it is related to the International Health Alliance." Zhong Feng replied.

"Why do you think that? She should not be directly connected to them." Hu Lei said.

"That might be the case, but Harriet Brown words could not have been an empty threat. She mentioned this girl because she wanted you to look for her. If she was trying to get revenge against you, Yamazaki Akira would have come after you." Zhong Feng said as he pulled his breakfast tray.

"But since they do not seem close, she probably had a revenge plan against the International Health Alliance. She was probably both pleading for her life and placing a time bomb. If someone was aware of Yamazaki Akira's existence, they would knowingly or unknowingly set off the explosion."

There was a long moment of silence as Zhong Feng ate. Hu Lei was thinking about his words. If his assumptions were true, then the people after the girl were probably from the International Health Alliance. Despite their efforts, the organisation was like an undying snake.

Then, her eyes lit up. "Doesn't this mean that she has something incriminating to destroy IHA permanently?"

Zhong Feng took another sip of tea. "Don't jump to conclusions. She might not be aware of her role in the nefarious plot. We will know about it once we talk to her. Our primary focus right now should be finding Kaito's location."

Hu Lei agreed. If Kaito was under the control of IHA or even worse people, they should not take chances with his safety. The more they waited, the more he would suffer. However, something was bugging her.

"If something bad happened to him, why has the Shadow Brotherhood not taken action?" She asked. "They would not sit around while their leader is in distress, would they?"

Zhong Feng wiped his mouth. "I believe there are some internal problems. I cannot gauge the state of the group from outside, and I have not had a moment to dig. But I believe that Kaito might have dropped his management or ownership of the Shadow Brotherhood."

"Impossible!" Hu Lei was too shocked.

"The last time we talked, he seemed to be implying that he had lost his investigative resources. I will look into it. If he did part ways with the Shadow Brotherhood, he would have concealed his trusted subordinates for a time. The fallout from his withdrawal would be significant, so he would probably get them to lie low for a while." Zhong Feng theorised.

"Why would he give up the life? He always wanted to be the strongest assassin until he was old." Hu Lei rubbed her chin.

Zhong Feng was exasperated by her obvious dimness, but he could not help responding with some teasing. "Love can take down even the most vicious little assassin. If you could not escape, he could not either. I guess the answer has something to do with our guest."

Hu Lei's cheeks reddened a little. She understood the concept, but she could not comprehend the immensity of Kaito falling in love. He was always so playful and brash about life. She thought for sure he would be killed while on a job.

"I wonder what happened with Ayumi." Hu Lei mulled. "She has always liked Kaito and even saw me as a threat to her happiness. She might look like an adult woman, but her pettiness is worse than that of a pre-teen girl."

The only reason Ayumi never found trouble with her was because she saw Hu Lei's vicious methods when they were in the mountains. Ayumi tried to act like she was a magnanimous goddess, but the real reason she never tried anything had nothing to do with a generous spirit.

She was afraid of Hu Lei.

"I will try to see what I can dig up on Kaito's businesses and his associates. We should not overlook any variable when dealing with this case." Zhong Feng said.

"Oh, also look into a covert company called Luna Adventures. I have a feeling that there is something fishy about it. That girl lost a day and did not know she was in another country. If that is not suspicious, I don't know what is." Hu Lei bit her lips in thought.

"It seems like I have a lot of things into this morning." There was an unusual light in his eyes. It had been a while since he had a good challenge.

"You have a meeting at ten. You cannot miss it." Hu Lei poured cold water on him.

"I am not leaving you alone with a stranger." Zhong Feng said.

"There is nothing to worry about. I can take care of myself. If you postpone or miss another important meeting, your parents will try moving me to the old house again. I know they are trying to be nice, but that is not happening." Hu Lei stood up imposingly.

"I will find out what I can from our guest." Hu Lei smiled. "But from what I can see, we will soon be taking a long trip to knock a few heads."