Yu Zhenhai’s reply came quickly through the satellite phone, the man was audibly excited. “Brother Xia, excellent work! Hahaha... It feels great!”

𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

Xia Lei answered, “Oh, Brother Yu... I’m finding it quite difficult to laugh as you have. I’m stuck on the island. Can you arrange for someone to come get me?”

“We’re on our way.” Yu Zhenhai smiled. “You did such a great job. There’s no way we could just sit down and do nothing! I’m coming over personally to pick you up. Without support from the American soldiers, the Filipino navy is nothing but boy scouts. If they dare fire at you, I’ll make them pay ten times over!”

Xia Lei chuckled over the phone. “Then I’ll wait for you on the west side of the beach.” Pausing for a moment, he rearranged his thoughts. “My Phantom drone has already landed on Dagua Island. Could you have someone load it with new split-force air-to-air missiles? I think we might need it soon.”

“Sure, I’ll see to it right away. I’ll see you soon.” Yu Zhenhai ended the call.

From the conversation, Xia Lei could hear the faint crashing of waves. It was obvious that the man had already left the Dagua Island military base. As the main figure of the South China Sea navy, Yu Zhenhai’s presence would mean a majestic lineup. Without the Seventh Fleet’s support, the Filipino navy and American soldiers stationed in the Philippines were no big deal!

Xia Lei kept away his satellite phone, expression evidently lax. “I booked a ship. We’re going to be home soon.”

The Chinese Zodiac Battle Team members relaxed slightly.

But right at this moment, the Filipino soldiers searching the west side of the beach finally noticed the fishing boat hidden behind the rocks. A second lieutenant exclaimed, “We found their boat! They are still on this island!”

“Fuck them up!” Someone roared.

“Destroy those barbarians!” Another vigorous scream.

The beach was instantly filled with yells and noises. A colonel ranked Filipino officer began to command his subordinates into the forest along the beach for a search. At the same time, he used a communicator that was spared from water damage to contact the Filipino military base to request for support.

Before the soldiers had even made it inside the forest, four Comanche helicopters and a Chinook aircraft appeared above the island. The Comanche helicopters immediately dispersed off into different directions to surround the island area. The Chinook let down a few ropes and more armed marines began to descend from above.

Above the waves, tens of armed patrol speed boats were zooming over fast. Each of it had carried Special Force members of the US Marine Corps and CIA agents in civilian clothing.

With this situation, it was not hard to tell that the CIA had deduced that Xia Lei was indeed on this island by piecing together occurrences and new intel!

The Seventh Fleet had left but that was a strategic decision. It was important to know that the CIA acted independently of the Seventh Fleet. If a great chance to kill off Xia Lei was presented, the CIA would definitely do all they can to accomplish their goal. As long as the CIA could show convincing information, the White House and the Pentagon would approve their operations without hesitation. They would even dispatch the stationed American soldiers to support them!

The incoming American party was a sight that elicited excited screams from the Filipino soldiers. The highest-ranking Filipino colonel quickly went over to discuss with the American military commander in charge of this operation.

Xia Lei ducked down low between the trees and locked his focus on their lips. Then, he activated his lip-reading ability.

The Filipino colonel and the American commander conversed in English.

“Our men found their boat on the west of this beach.” The Filipino colonel reported. “The fact that their boat is still here means that they’re on this island. We’ve surrounded them from all directions, there’s no room for escape!”

The American commander hummed in thought. “We too suspect that Xia Lei was on this island. Tell your soldiers this. Shoot immediately as soon as you spot the man in this picture. Those who took out Xia Lei will be rewarded with five million USD.” He held up a picture of Xia Lei.

“No problem!” The Filipino colonel answered.

“Lead your soldiers on a search in the forest and we’ll provide you with weapons, equipment and aerial support,” said the American commander.

“I will make sure to kill him personally,” promised the Filipino colonel. Five million USD was more than enough to let him live comfortably for the rest of his life.

In the forest, E’er Demutu whispered, “Boss, looks like we need to return to their base. They’re about to conduct a carpet search and we can’t fire at them. As soon as we fire, it’ll give away our hiding spots. The Comanche helicopters above also have targeted shooting. We won’t be able to escape their machine gun assault.”

Surprisingly, Xia Lei had something different to say. “We cannot return to the island’s base.”

“Why?” E’er Demutu was perplexed.

Xia Lei explained, “Can’t you see that the American soldiers are merely surrounding the edges and not joining the search? They’re just here to confirm the situation. As soon as they confirm our presence, I can guarantee that missiles will be fired. The landing spot was most probably the military base at the centre of the island and the radar station.”

E’er Demutu finally understood his rationale. “No wonder they’re not coming in even though they are very menacing. It’s so rare for them to be providing the Filipinos with ammunition. Turns out, they’re aiming to use the Filipinos as cannon fodder.”

Yelena let out a cold snort. “Americans treasure their lives greatly. Why would they willingly toss themselves to death? The Filipinos had always been their cannon fodder. With what happened in front of our eyes, if the Filipinos refuse to be cannon fodder, they would lose their value as an ally to America.”

On the beach, a few armed patrol speed boats rammed up against the shores. Boxes of weapons and ammunition were quickly handed off to the Filipino soldiers.

Giovanna couldn’t help but worry. “Boss, the Filipinos will reach us soon but we can’t shoot them. How are we supposed to fight this battle?”

Tsukino Kyoko turned to face her. “These are times when knives are better than guns.”

Giovanna met her eye, gracing her no emotions.

Anjum Khan, who was observing the sea surface with his binoculars, abruptly yelped, “Boss, your prediction was spot on. The American fleet is back again, it’s an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer ship!”

Xia Lei had actually noticed it. The Arleigh Burke-class destroyer ship was the largest of its kind possessed by the American navy. Judging the amount of firepower it packed, it wouldn’t be an issue for it to blast this island flat.

The CIA’s strategy was not complicated. First, they’d surround this island and have their Filipino counterparts do the island-wide search. The island was small, it was inevitable for them to come across Xia Lei’s team. When that happens, a shower of bullets would ensue and the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer waiting for them in the waters would not hold back. Added with the hovering four Comanche helicopters, they could kill whoever they wished!

“Boss, when is your boat coming?” Anjum Khan was evidently on edge.

“Soon, I hope. There’s a high chance that the destroyer has already detected our boat.” Xia Lei began to strip off his bag to retrieve his laptop. “But I still need to exert some real stress on the Americans or else a fight will happen.”

“What do you mean?” Yelena was confused. “If the Chinese military ship refuses to fire and the American and Filipino soldiers do not battle as planned, would the Americans let us go? They definitely think we can’t escape this island.”

“Well, of course, we need to engage in battle. But we’re not going to involve the Chinese military ships, I will fight alone.” Xia Lei’s fingers began to dance along the keyboard.

One hundred kilometres away, Dagua Island.

With a full tank of fuel and loaded ammunition, the Phantom drone was driven out of the garage and sprinted along the tracks. Gradually, it left the ground and accelerated for the skies above. In that split second, it disappeared out of sight.

On the beach, the American commander received a call. “What? The Chinese military fleet is coming over? Four destroyers? Xia Lei must be here, there’s no mistake! They’re here to pick him up! We need to get rid of him no matter what!”

The call was obviously made from the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer. The radar must’ve picked up signals from the Chinese fleet.

“Order our fighter jets to take flight, scare them off this instance and blast the island base apart! I’m guessing that Xia Lei and his underlings are waiting for them here.” The American commander hastily ended the exchange.

In the next second, the cannons of the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer lifted its head and fired the first cannonball.

Ka-boom!

The military base went up in flames!

Thud thud thud...

Alongside the cannon, the artillery arrays went to work, firing relentlessly at the military base. Within seconds, the military base located in the heart of the island was overwhelmed by bullets and reduced into nothing but smoke and debris.

Whoosh!

A Tomahawk cruise missile was launched. It flew ahead to the area behind the island which regular machine guns and cannons could not reach.

Ka-boom!

A mushroom cloud was born.

“What are you still waiting for?” The American commander roared at the Filipino soldiers. “Resume the search immediately. Find them no matter what it takes!”

The Filipino colonel screamed at his man to enter the forest.

A large group of Filipino soldiers began entering the bordering forest in a fan formation. Their entry point was merely three hundred metres away from Xia Lei and the Chinese Zodiac Battle Team.

The four Comanche helicopters slowly circled the sky, narrowing down the search area to support the Filipino soldier’s efforts. As soon as Xia Lei and his team were spotted, they would start firing without regards to the Filipino soldiers below!

From the sky to land and to the sea, they were entrapped in a cage made of bullets!

Doot doot doot...

The American commander, still on the beach, received another call.

He quickly accepted it with a solemn expression. “Mister Williams. Yes, I’m sure he’s on this island. There’s no need to worry. Before the Chinese fleet can make it here, this island will be burnt down to crisps. Xia Lei is done for this time. I will personally bury him.”

Williams’s voice rang from the device. “I’ll repeat my reminder. Kill Xia Lei at all costs! Just ignore the Chinese fleet!”

“Yes, sir.” The American commander hung up and watched the never-ending flame and smoke on the island with a cruel smirk.