One week later, above the waves of the southern waters…
The sea breeze caressed his face, the humid air bearing the unique scent of the ocean. Watching the sea extend to the horizons, the roaring of the waves brought Xia Lei into a trance.
“What are the Americans trying to do by bringing all six of the faceless warrior statues away? Those statues represent the six faces of the ancient alloy box. Are they actually trying to unveil its mysteries? That’s impossible, there’s literally no way for the Americans to be aware of its existence. All they know is the AE capsules and the sacred relic of the Knight Hospitalers. But that begs another question. If they don’t know about it, why would they be so interested in the statues?” All it took was one call from Xia Changhe to fill Xia Lei’s brain with thoughts for the rest of the week.
Footsteps were heard from behind him. It was light and almost inaudible. The approaching figure was extremely cautious or perhaps they had ulterior motives.
Without needing to turn around, Xia Lei knew who it was. “Kyoko, you’re still playing hide-and-seek at this age?”
“Boss, I’m not playing games.” Tsukino Kyoko stopped creeping over and came to join Xia Lei by his side. “I was just testing your awareness and listening abilities.”
It was only then that Xia Lei placed his gaze on her. She was dressed in a summer navy uniform that consisted of a navy short-sleeved blouse and a matching skirt. Her proud protruding chest had tented the front of her blouse tall and her ass had filled out the skirt well. This was the first time he had seen her in a uniform.
She was as attractive as ever.
“So what did you find out?” In the face of beauty, Xia Lei controlled his subconscious urge to use his left and right eyes.
Tsukino Kyoko hummed. “My steps earlier would be inaudible even to a cat. Not only did you manage to pick up on it, but you were also able to recognize me. The outcome of your test has shown that your ears are much more sensitive than a cat’s.”
Xia Lei was immediately taken aback. All this while, he had only bothered to pay attention to the state of his eyes and brain. He had never once noticed anything different about his other organs. It was only natural for him to be shocked over Tsukino Kyoko’s compliments on his hearing.
“You’re exaggerating it.” Despite Xia Lei’s shock, he kept up a cool face that betrayed no thoughts.
“My findings are not exaggerated, it is the truth.” Tsukino Kyoko went on, “I was only using a cat to illustrate the current sensitivity of your hearing. A cat’s ear is four times more sensitive. I wasn’t using a dog’s ear as a metaphor because a dog’s hearing is at least ten times better than ours.”
“Why do you know so much about that?” Xia Lei cocked his head.
Tsukino Kyoko answered, “These are what my master had taught me. We’re much more sensitive to movement, sound and vision than regular people. Knowing things like these are helpful in stealth in complete darkness. We’re able to get close to our target and kill them off.”
Xia Lei thought to himself, “She compared my hearing to a cat’s hearing but not a dog. If this is the beginning of my ear’s evolution, then it can be considered pretty sensitive. Could this evolution end in a hearing comparable to a dog?”
The creator of this universe had graced mankind with intelligence. But at the same time, they weakened the human body and the function of its organs. There were so many examples to be drawn from nature, like the sensitivity of cats, dog ears, bird wings and even the joints of a mantis. Not only was Xia Lei phenomenally intelligent, but his organs were also much stronger than any existing species!
“Boss, seriously. You’re the strongest human I’ve seen in my life. Do you not think so? I am incredibly honoured to have met you,” said Tsukino Kyoko earnestly, her gaze hot.
Xia Lei returned her a calm smile. “Keep these comments to me only. Try not to relay it to others. They’ll probably see me as a monster.”
Tsukino Kyoko nodded and watched the turbulent ocean. Abruptly, she spoke up. “Boss, is it alright if I wait for you in my cabin tonight?”
There was so much hope and anticipation in her glimmering eyes. She had never once forgotten about their promise. She didn’t have a chance to initiate it back in Jingdu but now that they were away, she had a shot.
The invitation made Xia Lei feel miserable. He needed to make a decision. But no matter what decision it was, it was bound to place him in a difficult position.
Thankfully, E’er Demutu had made his appearance at a time like this. “Boss, Chief Yu is looking for you. He wants you to join him on the fleet’s bridge.”
“Got it, I’ll be there right away.” Xia Lei continued, “You two, stay on this ship and don’t wander around. Do not touch anything that doesn’t belong to you and avoid triggering conflicts among the soldiers, alright?”
“Hehe. There’s no need to worry, boss. Kyoko and I aren’t rowdy teenagers, we won’t cause you more trouble on the ship,” assured E’er Demutu.
“That’s great to hear. I’ll be leaving now then. You guys should catch up.” Xia Lei left the deck and headed for the bridge.
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Dressed in a similar getup, E’er Demutu moved to stand beside Tsukino Kyoko. “Kyoko, he's still not yours yet?”
“What are you trying to say?” The initial warmth and gentleness in her voice were stripped away, unlike when she was with Xia Lei.
E’er Demutu shrugged nonchalantly. “The best waters shall not flow to an outsider’s field. You’re the prettiest member of the Chinese Zodiac Battle Team. You getting together with the leader will be the best outcome. What I’m trying to do is to offer my help. If you should require any form of assistance, all you need to do is ask.”
Tsukino Kyoko was admittedly a little interested. “What can you help me with?”
“I can help guard the door while you get it on. I can even help you get ahold of sex supplies like lingerie and more. Would you need any of that?” E’er Demutu raised a brow.
“You have those?”
“Of course.” E’er Demutu hummed. “But it is not for free. I’m selling it to you at a discounted price. ten thousand RMB.”
“What the fuck? You’re better off robbing me straight up!” Tsukino Kyoko pointed her middle finger at him.
“Then what about eight thousand RMB? On this ship, I am the only person who can provide for your needs..”
Tsukino Kyoko was rendered speechless.
On the bridge, Xia Lei spotted Yu Zhenhai.
“Ah. Brother Xia, you’re here.” Yu Zhenhai waved at him. “Come here and take a look.”
Xia Lei went closer and watched the screen with Yu Zhenhai. It was an image provided by the BeiDou satellite. An American fleet was sailing in from the Pacific Ocean. Among their ships were a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, three defence cruisers, three chasers, two frigates and one supply ship.
Yu Zhenhai pointed to the sailing ships on the screen and commented, “This is the seventh fleet of the American navy. The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier fleet is the USS George Washington. We’re only able to see warships on the surface, there should be two or three nuclear-powered submarines underwater.”
The faces of the military officers beside Yu Zhenhai were solemn. While they had swallowed the flames of their anger and did not wish to admit defeat, they had to acknowledge America’s strength. Based on sea battles alone, China’s navy was most definitely no match for the American navy.
Yu Zhenhai uttered, “If they wish to enter through the Malacca, we might not be able to stop them. Our ships are far weaker than theirs. The military facilities on the island have yet to be completed either. Damn it. If time could spare us ten years, I’ll be the first one to beat them up.”
Under various circumstances, the world had graced China with thirty years to develop from an impoverished country to the current world’s largest economy body. The results were impressive but America was no idiot. They wouldn’t wish to hand China more years to grow. So there came the trade barriers and technical blockades. After these tactics had fallen through, it had turned to brute force. Its resumption of the Asia-Pacific strategy was a prime example.
Even Xia Lei was shocked by the satellite images, specifically by the variety of fighter jets parked atop the USS George Washington. They were all amazing weapons for war and could easily tear apart a country’s defence network if it wished. But the purpose behind his visit was to challenge the fighters resting on the USS George Washington.
“Brother Yu, how long more till they reach us?” asked Xia Lei.
Yu Zhenhai answered, “Six days at most. But I don’t think we have six days to spare, we need to speed up our preparations.”
Xia Lei’s stare was firm. “How long would it take for my goods to arrive at the island?”
“It’ll be there tomorrow.” Yu Zhenhai tapped the keyboard and produced an image of an island. It was a man-made island created through artificial reclamation. Two runways were built on it and there were radars and other military facilities as well.
Xia Lei studied it and asked again, “When will we reach the island?”
Yu Zhenhai replied, “This island is the Dagua island. At the speed of this chaser, we’ll be able to reach the day after tomorrow. Alternatively, I can arrange a helicopter ride for you to get over there first. You’ll be able to reach the island within five hours. If you’re in a rush, you would probably be able to reach Dagua island with your goods.”
Xia Lei gave it a long hard thought. “Guess I’ll take up that helicopter offer.”
“Alright, I’ll have it arranged.” Yu Zhenhai grasped Xia Lei’s hand. “Brother, I’ll be leaving this to you.”
Xia Lei nodded. “Please rest assured. I won’t disappoint everyone.”