Hernandez led a team over to take care of the bodies. Lobo Negro and his underlings were dragged to a burial spot, which was basically a span of a desert area beside the small town. The pickup truck too was towed to an abandoned garage to be ripped apart into spares and metal scraps. While Hernandez and the Relief Society members were out taking care of loose ends, Xia Lei and his team ran through Lobo Negro’s recordings.

The contents of the recordings were true to Lobo Negro’s subordinate’s description. They had merely frightened those innocent pastors and followers, church after church. It seemed that they were inhumane enough to rape some of the church’s female followers. Lobo Negro and his good-for-nothing gangsters were absolutely ruthless.

When the video came to an end, Tsukino Kyoko spoke up, “Boss, Lobo Negro were doing as my master had asked. But I believe this has to be Hattori Mei’s idea. There was no way Lobo Negro and his men had any idea that we’re here. This means my master and Hattori Mei are equally clueless. And my master and Hattori Mei would be right where Lobo Negro had said they would be. How is this a trap?”

“Yeah.” Anjum Khan agreed. “This is our chance to destroy that bitch. We should march over to the Japanese branch office and kill her and her people.”

There was a moment of silence before Xia Lei spoke again, “If we head over, I’m afraid we won’t be up against a few samurais but the whole of Japan’s samurai community. That is not even the worst-case scenario. There could be CIA agents stationed there as well. Can we win against an army troupe? Can we even defeat a hoard of CIA field agents?”

The thought of taking Hattori Mei, Yagyu Yuichi and even Yan Fo and Augustan was no doubt enticing to the Chinese Zodiac Battle Team members. But if this was really a trap, the outcome would be disastrous for them. As soon as they arrive at the destination, the ones waiting for them would not only be Japanese samurais but CIA agents and America’s best Special Force too!

Tense silence enveloped the room. Everyone present, regardless of Tsukino Kyoko, Anjum Khan or even the Grey and Russo sisters were brave. However, there was no way that they’d muster enough guts to win a battle against the American Special Force, let alone CIA agents, samurais and the FA.

“I must see the end of Hattori Mei. This is the main reason why I’m here.” Xia Lei narrowed his gaze. “But we must approach this rationally. We must leave Mexico soon. Pack up and make relevant preparations. We’ll move in half an hour’s time.”

Tsukino Kyoko and Anjum Khan darted out of Xia Lei’s room to begin packing. Both Chinese Zodiac Battle Team members bore no sentimental value over the place. On the other hand, the four female knights showed some hesitation when asked to return to their rooms to start packing.

Giovanna felt a little reluctant but said it anyway, “Boss, it wasn’t easy for us to be able to build this church here. Everyone in this town is our followers. If we leave them behind at a time like this, they’d be vulnerable to the Tijuana gang’s revenge. We...”

Xia Lei turned to look at her. “Lobo Negro and his team were running a private errand. They have no plans to share their one million USD. Rest assured that the people running the Tijuana gang know nothing about this. I’m more worried about the FA Organization. I think there might be a possibility that the FA had sent someone to follow Lobo Negro and his men around until they found the church housing the Relief Society. If that’s the case, all of the town’s residents and Relief Society members will be in danger.”

“What do we do?” Stella grew anxious. “Are we going to abandon them?”

Rosa and Theresa stared at each other. It was obvious from their expression that they wished to not do so. However, they were clear that they alone were not enough to protect the people. To abandon their followers here and leave with their armed members was the right choice. Despite that, to cast away those in need for the sake of themselves was very much against their oath and religion. This was a difficult choice to make.

Their moods soured but Xia Lei had broken out into a smile at this moment. “I understand that you’re different from Tsukino Kyoko and Anjum Khan. I will not force you to abandon your brothers and sisters. In fact, I have a task for you.”

“What is it?” The female knights asked in unison.

Xia Lei said, “I will bring Tsukino Kyoko and Anjum Khan to Las Vegas while you four will lead the armed members here to Colombia. I’ll hand you five billion USD. After you reach Colombia, hire as many criminals and mercenaries for their service, just like what you did in the Siberian operation back then. There’s no need for us to fight this battle ourselves. We have enough funds to afford a proxy battle.”

The four female knights were shell-shocked.

Xia Lei continued, “Oh, right. Buy some assassins too. Contact assassin organizations and offer them a higher price to take down the FA members and the Hattori clan members. Payment will be performance-based. More kills more money. Simply put, no matter who it is, anyone who willingly works or fights for us will get a pocket full of our money.”

“How... How much will that cost?” Giovanna found it difficult to stomach that this was Xia Lei’s plan.

Xia Lei smiled faintly. “Do you think I’m running tight on money? If five billion USD isn’t enough, I can give you another five billion USD.”

Casting aside his main income generator, the Thunder Horse Organization, the net amount of money he made off the American stock market was more than enough for one proxy battle!

Mercenaries, assassins and criminals would never say no to money. As long as the amount was enticing enough, they’d gladly destroy anyone you wish! They did not care about the target, only the money!

A smile finally appeared on Giovanna’s lips. “Then we’ll head out to Colombia. That’s a haven for crime and murder. Five billion USD should be sufficient to build our own mini-army.”

“Can you find out more about those involved with the Hattori clan?” asked Xia Lei.

“Of course.” Stella uttered confidently, “I’m fairly certain that we can even find out more information on the higher management circle and important figures of V Science Corp.”

Xia Lei smiled. “Do it as you see fit. My only request is to get things done as soon as possible. I would like the Hattori clan and FA Organization’s numbers to dwindle by the time I arrive there.”

“Ah, I understand now!” Stella clapped her hands excitedly. “Our task is to distract the Hattori clan and FA Organization and bring chaos to their internal system, right?”

Xia Lei nodded with a smile. “This shall be the Mad Dog Operation. Our proxies will gnaw at them like dogs!”

𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

“Mad Dog? That sounds terrible,” Giovanna complained.

“How about Rose instead?” suggested Stella.

“The Sword of the Relief Society!” Rosa chimed in.

“The Knight’s Holy War!” Theresa suggested.

Xia Lei just sighed and left them to their musings.

Half an hour later, a Ford pickup truck left the town for the American borders. It was Anjum Khan’s turn to drive this time, leaving Xia Lei and Tsukino Kyoko in the back row.

Not long after the three had left the Blue Straw Hat town, a convoy of different-sized cars began to pour out from the town too. This had transported not only the four female knights and the Relief Society armed members but also all residents of the town. The money Xia Lei had given the female knights was enough to house the residents elsewhere.

With everyone gone, the town was vacant. The lack of its typical lights in the night was an eerie sight to behold.

One hour later, a few off-road vehicles arrived in the town. They observed their surroundings within their vehicles before making the decision to drive into the area. Shortly after, a hoard of armed men equipped with American gears exited the car. They first checked the church before expanding their search radius.

Soon, a dozen of them gathered back at the church’s entrance.

“Boss, we found pieces of Lobo Negro’s vehicle in an abandoned garage.” One of them reported, “There were bullet holes on its roof and bloodstains on the bottom.”

Another armed member said, “This is certainly the so-called Relief Society’s base. Lobo Negro and his team had found out their secret so they were killed. We were one step late.”

Their leader’s expression darkened. He brought out a satellite phone and made a call. “Mister Yan Fo, we found out where their Mexican base is.”

“Don’t touch anyone there, just act like you’re just passing by. Commence operation when they’re done spreading the information and have returned to their base. Wipe out the entire town.” Yan Fo’s voice rang through.

“No, there’s a bit of a problem.” The leader revealed, “They’ve evacuated the town. The members that the Japanese bought over have been killed.”

“That arrogant Japanese bitch!” Yan Fo seethed with unhinged fury. “Where are your current coordinates?”

“We’re in the western suburbs of Tijuana. In a small town named Blue Straw Hat Town.”

“Tijuana west suburbs?” Yan Fo paused. Abruptly, he laid out new instructions, “Gather all members in Tijuana and San Diego immediately. We must find those bastards! There might be someone major hiding among them!”

“Right away, sir.” The leader quickly ended the call and instructed his men, “Board the car! We’ll be heading for the American borders! Other than the ones driving, everyone else is tasked with contacting all of our members in Tijuana and San Diego!”

The FA armed members leapt into action.

Meanwhile, in the opposite direction, in a minibus...

“Hey, my friend. I am in need of some assassins. Who’s the target? Well, there’s a lot of them. No need to question it, this might be your best chance at getting rich in your lifetime. Can you recommend some to me? Money? Oh... You’re definitely getting paid too, don’t worry. I’ll even double up your payment. The assassin will be getting double the amount too...” Giovanna was on the phone.

“I’m offering you a shot at getting rich. I need assassins, lots and lots of them... Target? The target is Japan’s Hattori clan. Anyone killed that belongs to the clan will be paid for per head...” Stella too was on the phone.

“There’s nothing to be sceptical about. After this gig, you can afford a small private island and live the rest of your lives in peace... The target is Japan’s Hattori clan. As long as they belong to the family, be it their dog or whatever, I’ll be willing to pay you one hundred thousand USD for...” Theresa continued on.

“It’s a great business opportunity. You’ll be paid for as many as you can kill. I’ll send you the target details in a moment... Yes, the FA Organization. Would you like to take this job up? You do? Great! You’ll be paid ten million USD for authority figures, five million USD for mid-tier figures and fifty thousand USD for regular armed members. You’ll earn as much as you can kill...” Rosa spoke confidently.

A storm was looming over.

Mad dogs. Heaps of mad dogs were on their way.