It grew tense in the living room again.

“Is,Is it Shentu Tianyin?” Jiang Ruyi’s courage failed and she retracted her criminal hands in a panic.

Xia Lei was nervous too. “I d,don’t know.”

“W,What are you afraid of? Pick up.” Jiang Ruyi faked calm. “It’s just a call, right? No one caught us in bed!”

Xia Lei was speechless.

Ring ring ring, ring ring ring. The phone kept ringing.

Xia Lei took a deep breath and fished his phone out of his clothing, then stood from the sofa to take the call. He looked at the display - it was not Shentu Tianyin calling but a phone number from South Korea. “It’s not Tianyin’s number.”

Xia Lei accepted the call.

Ahn Geungan’s voice came from over the line. “Mr Xia, I have prepared the things you wanted. I am on Haizhu’s Sanshen Island now. I’ll give you two hours to come to the island and make the exchange with me.”

“Sanshen Island?” said Xia Lei. “Why must I go to that island? I’m the one with the upper hand, not you. The time and place shall be decided by me, not you.”

“Mr Xia, Haizhu is Chinese soil. Are you still afraid of me? I can do the exchange with you on the island but not at the time and place you specify. I will never step upon the soil of the mainland again.”

“How many people did you bring?”

“Just me, and two bodyguards,” said Ahn Geungan.

“And why should I trust you?”

“You have what I want. Would I lie to you?” said Ahn Geungan. “And I want to tell you that I know where Gu Kewen is. I will tell you as a gift. I know you’ll want to know where she is.”

Xia Lei wrinkled his brows. “Two hours. It’s night right now too - where will I get a boat to take me there?”

What was of interest was not the dirt which Ahn Geungan had on Shentu Tianyin but the Gu Kewen who was alive and kicking. She was like a ticking time bomb wound around Shentu Tianyin, and could explode at any time. This ‘gift’ of Ahn Geungan’s was something Xia Lei wanted.

However, Xia Lei was not the young hothead he used to be. A string of life-and-death situations had tempered him and turned him into an experienced agent. Ahn Geungan was asking to meet late at night, and on a little-known island - how could he not be suspicious?

Ahn Geungan let out a scoff over the line. “I am anxious to get my items back, otherwise I wouldn’t come personally. And this is just a one-time gift. You’ll have to think of your own ways to find Gu Kewen next time.”

Xia Lei thought for a bit. “Fine. I’ll see you on Sanshen Island in two hours.”

A sketch appeared in Xia Lei’s mind after he hung up. He had a feeling that this Hyena killer whom even his father felt dangerous was most likely on that island. And the blonde-haired bodyguard who had been following Ahn Suhyeong around would likely be on that island too. He was no featherweight either.

If he was right, then Sanshen Island was a battleground. A battleground full of danger.

Xia Lei pondered, ‘One of the Ahn father-son pair must be on the island. What I have in my hands is much too important for them to send anyone else. They have to get it themselves and destroy it. Based on Ahn Geungan and Ahn Suhyeong’s personalities, they definitely wouldn’t let a third party touch those things for fear of being blackmailed again. This is a great opportunity to take care of this Ahn family business. I’m going!’

Opportunity and danger went hand-in-hand.

He would dash on even if he knew there were tigers there!

Xia Lei felt relaxed after making his decision. Hyena was the king of the killers’ world but Xia Lei was The One on this Earth! Princess Yongmei had said it too. He was The One in this world, and he was confident he would kill off the enemy!

Jiang Ruyi drew close. “What happened, Lei?”

“Nothing. You stay out of it,” said Xia Lei.

Jiang Ruyi was unhappy. “I even took your trousers off. That person called and told you to go meet on some island - how can I not care?”

She had endured for over twenty years, and that bastard had called to ruin it when she was just about to make her wishes come true. How could Jiang Ruyi not get angry over this? How could she not care? If that person who called were standing in front of her, she would definitely kick him!

“Stay out of this, Ruyi.” Xia Lei grabbed her shoulder. “You wait for me at home. I’ll go out and come back.”

“What is it about?”

“Don’t ask. I’m leaving.” Xia Lei hurriedly pulled his trousers up and belted himself up.

“I heard you say ‘Sanshen Island’. I know that place. It’s remote and no boats go there. Why is that person asking you to meet in such a place? Something must be going on.” Jiang Ruyi grabbed at Xia Lei’s hand to stop him from leaving. “Let me help you. You’re my man too. How can I just let you go to that sort of place alone?”

This was Jiang Ruyi’s first time saying Xia Lei was her man. They had not gone to that step earlier, but Xia Lei had already acknowledged her existence.

Xia Lei sighed, then checked his watch. “You really want to help me?”

“Duh! You’re my man. Who else am I going to help?” Jiang Ruyi called him her man again but she blushed this time.

“Fine, then can you get a speedboat? Help me find one, then go home and wait for me,” said Xia Lei.

“The SWAT has speedboats at the training base by the sea. I can borrow one. I’ll take you there.” Jiang Ruyi pulled Xia Lei by the hand as she walked.

Xia Lei went down the building and into his car to drive towards the seaside.

“Say, Lei...” said Jiang Ruyi haltingly in the car. “If Shentu Tianyin were the one calling earlier... What would you have said?”

Xia Lei laughed dryly. “Don’t know.”

“You’re so stupid. Come, I’ll teach you.” Jiang Ruyi thought for a bit and said patiently, “You should talk to her like everything’s normal. If she asks where you are, you say you’re working overtime at the company. If she hears my voice, you tell her your secretary’s talking and asking if you want tea or something. You just need to pretend that nothing’s happened.”

Xia Lei was speechless.

As expected of a police chief. Her anti-detection skills were no joke.

Half an hour later, Xia Lei’s BMW M6 came to a training ground by the sea. He opened the boot and took out the case containing an XL2500 sniper rifle, then followed Jiang Ruyi in.

He did not have the right to carry firearms before but it was different now. He had fought for the country several times and killed many people. Bureau 101 had not given him official papers to allow him to carry weapons but they quietly agreed to let him carry firearms and use them.

Jiang Ruyi talked with some people in the SWAT training grounds and successfully borrowed a speedboat.

Xia Lei took the keys and got on the boat at the jetty. Jiang Ruyi made to get on too but Xia Lei pushed her back. “Be good, Ruyi. Go home and wait for me. I’ll be back soon.”

“I...” Jiang Ruyi stared at Xia Lei with wide eyes, her face full of worry.

“Go back. Wait for me to come back.” Xia Lei said nothing else and turned the speedboat towards the sea.

Jiang Ruyi stamped her foot on the jetty and shouted, “Be careful, Lei!”

Too bad Xia Lei could not hear her anymore. He and the speedboat disappeared into the night sea.

Before Xia Lei got very far, Jiang Ruyi took out a set of keys from her trousers and smiled. “Trying to shake me off? Not that easy. Not letting me follow? I’ll follow you! I’ll follow you my whole life! Shentu Tianyin, just you wait. This girl will make your man cheat on you! Humph!”

Jiang Ruyi drove her speedboat to Sanshen Island and soon caught up.

The voice of the sea drowned out the noise of the speedboat. Xia Lei did not discover that Jiang Ruyi had caught up but while he was heading to Sanshen Island, images of Jiang Ruyi kept surfacing in his mind. The Jiang Ruyi as a child, the Jiang Ruyi as a girl and a grown up Jiang Ruyi. Finally, the Jiang Ruyi who had been hot and heavy with him on the sofa. These Jiang Ruyis swirled about in his head and refused to leave.

“Ay...” Xia Lei sighed, “How did I get a mistress? And which mistress gives lesson on how to avoid detection by the wife?”

This was a problem but even the gods wouldn’t be able to give Xia Lei the answer he wanted.

Xia Lei drove the boat for a solid thirty minutes before he saw Sanshen Island on the navigation system. This island was small; only a few square kilometres. There were three peaks on this island and the peaks and their surrounding were covered with dense forest. There was no light on the island. It was uninhabited.

Xia Lei cut the lights and slowed just before he got close to the island. He approached the shore cautiously. As the speedboat moved slowly, Xia Lei used his left eye to scan the beach and the forest beyond the beach.

The beach was silent and devoid of people. The forest beyond the beach was thick and dark, and he did not see anyone hiding in it.

‘Could Ahn Geungan and his people be on the other side of the island?’ thought Xia Lei.

Xia Lei drove his speedboat to the other side. The few kilometres passed in the blink of an eye and the situation on the opposite beach entered his field of vision. He did not see any speedboats but he saw traces of a helicopter’s landing.

𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

Xia Lei stopped his speedboat and looked up at the three peaks on the island. A sneer appeared on his lips. ‘What exchange is this - you want to kill me on this island. Fine. I want to kill you all on this island too!’

Xia Lei quashed his anger and anchored the boat. He then took out the XL2500 from the case, and a box of bullets. Following that, he plunged into the icy waters of the sea and headed towards a more rugged section of beach.

The night was very dark.