America, Nevada State, Las Vegas.

The Caesar Palace Hotel was a marvellous sight at night. It shone with a bright golden hue in the middle of Sin City. The top dogs of society, businessmen, avid gambles and attractive women were part of its diverse crowd. Humans, hotels and the city had created a captivating art piece.

In the presidential suite on the hotel’s top floor was Hattori Mei.

Seated comfortably on Room 404’s couch, Hattori Mei’s laptop was perched atop her lap. The woman was currently watching a video that took much effort to get a hold of. That was because this footage was an extract of the exchange that took place between the Seventh Fleet, Phantom drone and the Jing Ke drone.

The Seventh Fleet had endured severe losses and embarrassment, thus the video was labelled as top secret. Despite this, Hattori Mei had her own ways to obtain it.

On the screen, three Hornets fired Sidewinder air-to-air missiles at the Phantom drone simultaneously. The Phantom drone dodged the missiles with ease and the Sidewinders glided on by with no signs of returning. It behaved like a launched spear that was thrown into the sea.

That triggered a frown from Hattori Mei. “The Sidewinder couldn’t even lock it as a target! How is this possible?!”

The video went on uninterrupted. The ‘invisible’ Phantom drone finally fired back. The first one to go down was an F35. In the face of the Phantom’s split-force air-to-air missile, the world’s strongest fifth-generation fighter plane was essentially unresponsive. It was reduced to a flaming ball of scrap.

Hattori Mei inhaled sharply, shocked beyond words. As a higher employee of Lockheed Martin and the future successor of the Hattori clan, she was equipped with extensive military knowledge. She knew very well that the situation had indicated that the Phantom drone’s split-force air-to-air missiles were invisible to the F35’s radar!

The video was far from over but it had already shown her a fact that she was uneager to accept. If China were to initiate war with Japan, Japan would be reduced to rubble!

Even a hegemony like America had decided to keep mum about what transpired above the waves of the South China Sea. What choice was there left for Japan?

Ding dong. Ding dong.

The doorbell rang.

Hattori Mei folded her Macbook and sent a look at the Hattori clan fighters stationed at the back of the couch. The family fighter went over to answer the door.

As soon as the door was opened, the man quickly bowed to salute the new presence.

It was no one else but the current lord of the Hattori clan. Hattori Masao.

Hattori Mei quickly clambered off the couch to greet her father. Respectfully, she began, “Father, I was under the assumption that you’d arrive in Las Vegas tomorrow.”

Hattori Masao replied, “The America-Japan Military Coalition will be holding a meeting in the Pentagon the day after tomorrow. I decided to arrive one day earlier than scheduled and make a pit stop to check on you.”

Hattori Mei uttered, “The six statues seem to require another three days to reach this place. I don’t know much about it other than the fact it is coming from Israel.”

“You must be clear about it. Anything related to the AE is no simple matter. They’re equally important to Japan too.” Hattori Masao’s expression was rock solid.

“Understood!” Hattori Mei bowed over. “Father, you’ve arrived at the nick of time. I just managed to gain access to a recording of the events that happened recently in the South China Sea.”

“Where? Show it to me!” Hattori Masao was impatient, not willing to waste another second to find out what had happened during the recent America-China exchange.

The woman swiftly brought up the Macbook on the couch and showed it to her father.

Hattori Masao immediately woke the device and resumed the video. That instance saw an abrupt shift in his gaze. It shifted from shock to fear.

Hattori Mei dutifully stood beside her father, eyes no longer glued to the screen. All she could think of now was a familiar face. Bright, handsome, someone women tend to gravitate to. Despite all attractive qualities, this face brought her unprecedented terror. Any reminder of him would elicit an involuntary shudder from her core.

Xia Lei was the person in her mind.

If she hadn’t sent assassins out to harm his women with the poison with a fantasy to destroy all of Xia Lei’s future bloodline, perhaps she would be spared. Against all odds, she did it. Hence, she needed to face his wrath!

This was exactly why she decided to stay low and erase her tracks after the failed assassination.

But how long more would she be able to stay out of reach?

Now, she was probably the most eager person to see Xia Lei die in this world. Her desire was even stronger than that of the White House and the Pentagon.

Ten minutes later, Hattori Masao shut the window and tossed the Macbook lightly on the couch. “This is worse than what we’ve anticipated. If we don’t reach a solution soon and allow Xia Lei and his Thunder Horse Organization to spread their wings, China’s military sector will surpass America in ten years. When that happens, America would be powerless in Asia. What Japan will face is another eastern empire as strong as China in the Tang dynasty. We’d have no other choice but to surrender ourselves.”

Hattori Mei supplied, “Father, don’t forget what we’ve done to China during World War II. Japan and China had no bad blood. But after World War II, a good majority of Chinese bear grudges against our people. If we let China become an eastern empire and dethrone America from its current international status, our future will be bleak.”

“Is there really no other possibility to get rid of him?” questioned Hattori Masao.

The woman could only offer a bitter smile. “If we could, there wouldn’t be a need for the Americans to invite you to a meeting in the Pentagon.”

That earned an unfriendly snort from the man. “The Americans are the best at using others as cannon fodder. The Japanese will not simply serve as anyone’s weapon. We will never forget the nuclear bomb they dropped on Hiroshima. This old debt must be paid soon or later.”

There was a moment of silence before Hattori Mei had mustered the courage to speak again. “Father, the past few battles had depleted most of our elite fighters. We need skilled fighters to protect and serve us. You are very influential among the samurai community back home. Is there any way for you to recruit someone?”

“Why question about this now? This concerns the whole of Japan. Those traditional Japanese bears a burning passion for the country. Before I departed, I paid a visit to the Iga-Ryu’s Yagyu Ruichi and the Koga-Ryu’s Saruo Sanada. They are two powerful figures in the samurai community so I had to visit them myself. Other smaller branches like the Hatano-Ryu and Zaga-Ryu were invited by your mother instead,” answered Hattori Masao.

“Will they come?” Hattori Mei tilted her head.

The man replied, “This has nothing to do with the Hattori clan but much to do with Japan’s national development and its future. The Japanese samurais have their set of traditions. Pledging loyalty to the emperor is one of them. That’s why I’m sure that they’d be willing to help us.”

“That’s great news.” Hattori Mei sighed shallowly. “Father, how about you stay a night here and leave for the Pentagon tomorrow morning?”

Hattori Masao merely nodded in response.

Suddenly, chattering was heard from the other side of the closed door.

“Why are you here?” A heavily-accented English rang out.

“You ordered dinner and I’m here to deliver it.” The respondent was a woman with a standard American accent.

“Stand aside, I need to check your cart and your body.”

“Why? This is America, who are you? Are you the bodyguards of a Middle Eastern prince?”

“You better cooperate!”

“Alright. But only if you pay me a small tip.”

The argument continued, prompting Hattori Mei to check on the situation outside. She was welcomed by the sight of a Black woman in her forties.

A woman like this posed no threat, allowing Hattori Mei to ease off the built tension in her nerves. She spoke, “I was the one who ordered dinner. Just check her cart and body would do.”

“Understood!” The Hattori clan fighter speedily began his routine security check.

Another fighter brought out a metal detector and ran it over her body to check for spy bugs and weapons.

Beep beep beep...

The instrument abruptly rang out in alarm as it reached the area between the lady’s legs.

Hattori Mei immediately ducked into the room.

The fighter in charge of checking the woman quickly drew his pistol and jammed it harshly against her skull.

At that same moment, a handful of bodyguards armed with assault rifles and submachine guns gushed out of the rooms beside the presidential suite in a flurry. Their response was lightning fast!

The woman was scared shitless. She frantically raised her arms high, unsure of what to do.

The fighter nearest to her lifted the corner of her skirt.

Upon inspection, there were no weapons hidden underneath the fabric. All he saw was a panty with a metal zipper front.

Obviously, this was the culprit that alarmed the metal detector.

“I... I can give you all my money!” The woman fumbled with the zip and dug out a crumpled hundred dollar bill. She shakily passed it over to the Hattori clan fighter that lifted her skirt.

The fighter instinctively backed away. The dollar bill had a smell clinging to it.

This was nothing more than a harmless scare.

The Hattori fighters put away their guns and returned to their stations.

“Danger dissolved,” reported one of the fighters.

It was only then that Hattori Mei exited the room. She languidly threw two hundred dollar bills at the bottom of the woman’s feet. “This is your tip. You better not utter a single word about this or you’ll regret it!”

“Alright, alright. Thank you.” The woman cautiously picked up the bill and meekly questioned, “So... Do you still want your dinner?”

“Leave the cart behind and go. You may come back to retrieve it after an hour,” instructed Hattori Mei.

One of the fighters rolled the cart into her room.

“Understood.” The woman fled as soon as she finished her word.

Five minutes later, in the kitchen’s washroom.

The same woman brought up a tattered phone to the side of her cheek. “Someone important is here...”