There were strong winds accompanied by an ensemble of thunder and lightning that evening. The gods seemed to be adamant at making Xia Lei’s visit to the southern waters extra difficult. Despite the weather offset, Xia Lei’s footsteps were not to be halted. He had travelled all the way here, he must do what he needed to do!

A military chopper moved forward in the midst of the storm. Above it was an aggressive storm and beneath it was a span of an angry sea that threatened to swallow them whole. Not only was the pilot sweating profusely, its passengers, Xia Lei, Tsukino Kyoko and E’er Demutu, were equally tense. No matter how strong a person could be, they were nothing but a speck of dust in the face of the wrath of nature.

“Comrade, how long more till we reach Dagua island?” asked Xia Lei.

“We’re only one hour away now.” The pilot went on to assure him. “Mister Xia, there’s no need to worry. Flying during a storm like this is a very common occurrence.”

“I see. We’re alright with this, don’t worry. Just focus on getting everyone there safely,” replied Xia Lei.

The chopper continued its journey.

Doot doot doot... Doot doot doot...

The satellite phone began to ring in all of a sudden.

Xia Lei brought it to his ears after sparing a glance to its screen. “Hello, it’s me. Speak.”

Sa’im’s voice rang through the device. “Boss, I’ve arrived in Israel.”

“Be mindful of your surroundings. If you can find something on it, pursue it. If you can’t continue your investigation, then stop. Your safety is of utmost priority,” reminded Xia Lei strongly. He had dispatched Sa’im off to Israel to find out more on the Americans and the faceless warrior statues. This matter was no less important than his current business. Xia Lei needed to find out how the Americans found out that there was an ancient tomb beneath the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

“Got it, boss.” Sa’im rambled on, “Yelena and Anjum Khan have probably arrived in the Philippines already. They’ll probably call you soon. I’ll cut myself short now and contact you again when there’s something new.” With that, Sa’im ended the call.

Doot doot doot... Doot doot doot...

Moments following Sa’im’s call, the satellite phone rang again.

This time, it was from Yelena. “Boss, we have made it to the Philippines.”

Xia Lei reminded, “Be careful. Do not hold the intel scout higher than your own safety. Do you understand me? Do everything at moderation, do not risk your life.”

“Got it, boss.” Yelena shifted, “There’s nothing to worry about. I will reach my contact from the Russian Intelligence Department. There’s no point risking my life when I can get the information at a price, isn’t that right?”

Xia Lei just sighed.

“Alright, that’s all I have to say. I’ll call you again when there are updates.” Yelena immediately hung up.

Xia Lei couldn’t help but rake his mind over this. Had the Chinese Zodiac Battle Team members become slothful because of the security his wealth had provided them? Had they lost all will to fight? Had they lost grip on their incredible combat skills and efficiency?

“Boss, have they arrived at their destinations?” asked E’er Demutu.

Xia Lei nodded. “Yeah, both sides have begun their operation.” The man shifted his gaze to the dark clouds outside. “We too are close to our destination.”

At this moment, his ears had captured a faint odd noise. It wasn’t the angry howl of the wind nor was it the fervent splash of rain. It wasn’t even close to the deafening thunders. He peered into the direction it came from. Sadly, his vision was impeded due to the heavy veil of storm clouds.

“Boss, what’s going on?” Tsukino Kyoko detected his unease.

“I heard something...” Xia Lei frowned. The noises of the wind and ocean were too overwhelming. It interfered with his hearing.

Tsukino Kyoko closed her eyes and concentrated her thoughts. She listened. After a brief moment, she turned to him. “I didn’t catch anything other than the wind, ocean, rain and thunder.”

E’er Demutu chimed in, “Yeah, I heard nothing different too. Boss, could you have misheard it?”

Xia Lei was convinced that he heard something. It was just that he didn’t know what could’ve elicited such a sound. Remembering how Tsukino Kyoko closed her eyes and focused her thoughts, Xia Lei’s mind birthed an idea. He too mirrored her, closing his eyes and blanking out his mind.

He halted his train of thoughts. In this created tranquillity, his subconscious desperately searched for the source of the sound. The desperate urge had turned Xia Lei’s hearing into the dominant sense of the body. This entire process felt like the eve of a long jump, where the athlete would focus all of their strength before an explosion exertion!

Boom! In that split second, his eardrums received light tremors. Every sound was amplified greatly. The howling sound of the wind sounded like it was big enough to flip the fleet over! The shaking sounds of thunder shook his body to its core! The waves crashed into each other furiously! And from the midst of everything, Xia Lei finally managed to close in on a faint sound. He amplified it... It was the sound of a helicopter engine!

And it wasn’t just one of them. There was a group of them!

Xia Lei’s eyes shot open in urgency. He exclaimed, “Comrade! Did General Yu arrange for someone to get us?”

The pilot whipped his head around to stare at Xia Lei. “Mister Xia, from what I know, no. I would’ve gotten word if that was the case. Why the sudden question, sir?”

Xia Lei felt dread. “There are helicopters approaching us. Four of them!”

“Huh? But there’s nothing on the radar.” The pilot observed the radar that showed no abnormality.

“Are you sure about that?” Xia Lei pressed the question.

The pilot offered him a smile to soothe his nerves. “Mister Xia, I’m sure that there’s nothing approaching us. If there is something, the radar would’ve detected it earlier.”

Xia Lei closed his eyes again, ending his hearing process in a matter of five seconds. He growled, “I am certain that it is four helicopters, it’s closing in soon. Contact General Yu immediately, tell him we’re in trouble!”

“Mister Xia, but...” The pilot spared another long hard glance at the radar before mustering a wry smile. “There really isn’t anything near us. What would you want me to tell General Yu? He’s really going to yell at me.”

Xia Lei insisted loudly. “Quit believing your radar! The ones coming might be America’s top-secret Comanche helicopter!”

“Huh?” The pilot was startled.

Before he knew it, Xia Lei was already reaching for the life vests on the cabin wall. He swiftly put it on and screamed, “E’er Demutu, Kyoko, get ready!”

Tsukino Kyoko and E’er Demutu looked at each other and immediately sprung into action. Whether there was a Comanche helicopter or not was unimportant, all they needed was a little faith in that. After all, Xia Lei was hardly wrong!

𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

“Alright, I’ll contact the commanding department.” The pilot brought up the communicator.

Crackle crackle crackle...

The sharp crackling of electricity in the device was painful to the ear.

The pilot’s expression abruptly shifted. “Shit, our wireless signal has been disrupted!”

At that very moment, four intense rays of light appeared from four different directions. The chopper was surrounded!

It was indeed America’s most advanced and secretive stealth helicopter. The Comanche!

“What the fuck?! What are they trying to do?!” The pilot was so angry his face turned green. “This is our waters and territory. How dare they surround us here!”

Xia Lei quickly lowered the rim of his navy cap, avoiding any possible recognition from the opposing force. Certainly, if he was recognized here, the White House and The Pentagon would’ve laid orders to wreck this helicopter!

Seemingly sensing his worries, Tsukino Kyoko and E’er Demutu quickly avoided all positions that would allow identification.

At this moment, an amplified voice was broadcasted from the Comanche. “You have invaded American Navy jurisdiction territory. Turn around and leave!”

The pilot activated the onboard loudspeaker. “This is China’s airspace! You’re the ones invading it. Leave at once!”

“You’re given one minute to leave or we’ll fire.” The other party threatened with arrogance.

“Impossible!” The pilot was enraged. “This is our airspace! Plus, our fuel is only enough for another half an hour. Having us turn back is equivalent to killing us!”

“That is none of our concern. Turn around and leave!” The other party demanded forcefully.

“Damn it!” The pilot roared, “So you want war?!”

A flash of red was released from underneath the Comanche!

“Quick, jump!” Xia Lei did not dare to hesitate for another second, quickly pulling the hatch open and dove for the raging sea below.

Tsukino Kyoko and E’er Demutu did not need to be told twice.

Right after the three escaped the helicopter, an air-to-air missile hit its body.

Ka-boom! The chopper was reduced to a ball of flames. The young navy pilot did not make it out alive, succumbing to sudden death. Till his demise, he could not believe that the American helicopters had launched a missile on him. His tragedy did not reach the ears of the commanding department.

Crash! Xia Lei’s body plunged into the water. The forceful impact rendering the life vest’s buoyancy useless. His body was quickly swallowed by the waves. E’er Demutu and Tsukino Kyoko too were in the same predicament, bodies pushed underwater as soon as they made contact with water.

The sea continued to roar.

The chopper debris too fell for the waters.

The four Comanches began to move east.

On the commanding helicopter that shot the missile, a military officer brought its communicator to his lips. “Target cleared. Aquaman 11, you may follow.”

Behind the four Comanche emerged a multi-purpose Aquaman anti-submarine helicopter.

These helicopters were clearly here on purpose. They were on a mission to locate Chinese submarines, tasked to figure out the situation of this area for the approaching Seventh Fleet.

Watching the helicopter convoy leave, Xia Lei’s head emerged out of the turbulent ocean surface. All he could see was red as his eyes burnt with the crazy flames of wrath!