Judging from the footsteps he heard, Xia Fei was certain that there were two men outside his door, one with a thick voice while the other sounded nasally like a duck.
‘Are they talking about Avril?’ Xia Fei felt his heart stir. He got up, quietly went to the door, and placed his ear on the surface of it to eavesdrop.
“Avril’s family owns Starlink Corporation, ranked eleventh across the Alliance. They’re filthy rich, so we need to be careful handling this matter.”
“Hush.” the duck-voiced man seemed to be much more cautious. “Careful. The walls have ears; best if we talk inside.”
“Yeah.”
The two men called for the elevator and made their way down.
‘Were they really discussing a secret about Avril? I wonder what sort of secret it is? Would it harm Avril?’ These were the thoughts running through Xia Fei’s mind.
He changed into his combat suit at top speed. Xia Fei was now like a gecko in the dark night, crawling out of the window as he swiftly made his way down the floors, searching for traces of those two men.
Soon, Xia Fei discovered the two along the path heading toward the landing pad for the tournament venue. One was tall and pudgy, while the other was short and skinny, walking side by side as they strolled along that lonely path deep in the night.
Xia Fei used his Breath Control to hide in the copse of trees that flanked the path, trailing them the entire time in order to clearly make out just what they were talking about and what purpose they had, but it was unfortunate that neither spoke a word as they walked as if they were in a hurry to get to some place.
Xia Fei was all the more unsure of what was going on, deciding that he would track them down to the end. He was not about to give up until he made sense of everything.
Xia Fei treated anything that had to do with Avril as his own. Ever since that time when Avril nearly got kidnapped, Xia Fei had already secretly decided that he would never let him come to harm ever again. There was no way Xia Fei would not be startled now that there were two suspicious characters talking about Avril as if they had obtained some secret about her.
His finger hovered over the cold surface of his Celestial Moon. The security in the capital ring was exceptionally tight, and killing someone in such a place was hardly an easy task. The local police would not give up on the apprehension of the perpetrator, but Xia Fei could hardly care about that. If these two men were really a threat to Avril’s safety, there was no way they would see the next day’s sun.
The two were moving faster and faster, glancing to their left and right as they walked, acting extremely vigilant toward their surrounding.
All of a sudden, the communicator in the short man’s arm vibrated. He gave it a glance before chuckling. “Let’s go. Brother Lucien has already arrived.”
The tall one nodded as they sped up toward the landing pad.
The moon hung high in the sky. No. 7 spaceport, which was located north of the event center, only had few ships parked in it. The hundreds of high-powered lights shone in dim yellow, giving an entrancing glow to the wide, open clearing.
There were two drowsy men standing guard by the entrance. After they flashed their IDs, the two mysterious men were allowed into the spaceport.
Xia Fei inched his way closer to the six-meter high fence, his eyes alert as he observed his surroundings once. He then leaped right up like a spry sparrow, going up and over the fence before landing safely on all fours within the confines of the spaceport akin to a spider, keeping his body close to the ground.
The northwest corner had an old and small transport ship, with both its boarding bay doors and cargo doors open. A bald man in his forties was standing in that ship with his hand holding a silver hip-flask, looking extremely bored as he took swigs from it.
Seeing the two mysterious men walking over, the bald man waved in their direction, beckoning them to quicken their pace.
“Brother Lucien,” called the tall and pudgy man.
The bald man nodded in response. “this isn’t the place to talk. Get onboard.”
With that, the three men used the automatic stairs and got inside the transport ship.
Xia Fei could hear the electronic motors operating as the boarding bay doors slowly shut; the cargo doors then also began to lift and shut slowly.
“Nothing ventured, nothing gained.” Xia Fei gritted his teeth and zoomed right out for the back of the transport ship about a hundred meters away. With a light tap of his foot, his two hands grabbed hold of the still closing cargo doors, his body slinking right in like an agile cat right before the cargo doors completely shut.
A dull thrum was heard. With the entire ship sealed shut, the cargo hold’s lights turned red as the containers of various sizes got tossed all over.
It was not exactly safe to get in the cargo hold because most transport ships had monitoring systems installed in such places to keep an eye and make sure that their goods were not tampered with or that no rats or other such vermins had snuck onboard and ruined their cargo.
Xia Fei’s figure darted and quickly hid himself in a wooden crate. He lifted his head, only to spot the two mounted surveillance cameras still rotating, observing everything in the cargo hold.
Xia Fei used his peripheral vision to scan his surroundings and take every detail in. It was approximately seventy meters from the cargo hold to the crew quarters. The two cameras had a 0.5 second interval between their separate rotation, which meant that Xia Fei had to clear the cargo hold and make his way into the crew quarters within this time.
He limbered up, kneeling down on the ground like a short distance sprinter, and pressed his fingers against the ground.
“Five, four, three—” He did a mental countdown as he burst forth in that moment the cameras panned away, reaching the sealed doors in the blink of an eye.
The crew quarters were sealed with a conventional design, requiring someone to turn the metal handwheel three full rotations before it would open. Xia Fei exerted strength as he grunted, “Open.” The sealed door opened and Xia Fei darted in. By the time the second camera turned to the position, Xia Fei had already escaped from the cargo hold and the sealed door was also closed as if nothing had happened.
In front of him was a narrow and long walkway, with plenty of beer bottles, food, and equipment strewn all over the ground. It was apparent that the owner of this ship did not care to keep the cleanliness of his ship regularly.
There were no cameras in this corridor, so Xia Fei headed straight forward. All of a sudden, he could feel the entire transport ship shuddering violently as it began to take off.
“Oh, no! They’re leaving the planet, and who knows where they’re headed?” Phantom furrowed his brows worriedly.
Xia Fei did not make a comment. He waited until the ship stabilized some more before he continued his way on tiptoes to the command deck, alert to everything around him.
“Don’t forget that you have a tournament event tomorrow. Best if you leave as soon as you can,” Phantom reminded.
Xia Fei dismissed him with a wave of his hand. “Avril or the tournament, which do you think is more important?”
Phantom simply sighed, completely speechless.
…
Inside the command deck, the bald man sat on the wide seat, and in front of him was a small screen, where a white figure was making his way slowly down the corridor.
Any expert familiar with the Pan-Human Alliance electronic detection systems would be able to tell at a glance that this was the most advanced air detection system, and the person displayed on the screen was none other than Xia Fei.
Air detection systems were able to detect the subtle changes in the molecular structure of the air, so even an insect flying across the said space would have nowhere to hide. Though Xia Fei’s Breath Control technique was brilliant, it was unable to control the air flow all around him, so such an advanced detection system would of course reveal his presence.
…
It was said that such a system was still in its experimental phase, so aside from a handful of high-level clients, the average citizen would hardly even know of its existence, yet it was unbelievable that this crappy transport ship actually had such an advanced air detection system installed.
A screen suddenly leaped out from the mainframe computer, and the person was of course that mustached man who was always by Li Mo’s side.
“Has the fish taken the bait?”
The bald man nodded. “Just as you said; everyone has their achilles heel, and this rascal is Avril. We barely even had to waste any effort; all we did was mention Avril’s name, and the fish bit the bait, hook, line and sinker.”
The mustached man smiled. “Heh, he’s not a bad kid. Too bad he chose the wrong rival. Proceed as originally planned and send the fish to the desert.”
The bald man flashed a sinister smile. “Don’t you worry. We’ve already made the necessary preparations with Hook. I guarantee that he won’t even have a corpse left at the end of this.”
The mustached man waved dismissively. “Leave the corpse intact and find a place to bury him; there’s no need to be extreme.”
…
The bald man had already disconnected his call with the mustached man when Xia Fei slipped into the command deck. The three of them were presently crowded around the table, dining on barbecued fish and beer, chatting, and eating happily.
…
“Brother Lucien, is Hook really going to go for the big score this time?” asked the tall man.
The bald man took a gulp of beer as he mysteriously said, “Anyone in the Alliance knows just how powerful Hook is. Since this is what he wanted this time, then of course we’ll be going big on this.”
“Alright!” The tall and short pair was ecstatic.
Xia Fei gripped his fist tightly. He suddenly had the impulse of rushing down the three men and giving them a severe flogging. He could tell from what the three men had said that they had designs on Avril. A conspiracy had to be severed at its head, and Xia Fei had absolutely no intention of letting Avril come to even an iota of harm.
That was when the bald man said, “I’m going to let you guys in on this; we’re off to Hook’s base.”
“Where is this place? Back then, the naval headquarters sent two fleets in search of that place just to clear out them all in one fell swoop, yet the Navy spent three whole months searching, and still they turned up empty-handed, unable to find him anywhere. How did you learn this, Lucien?”
The bald man smiled. “Actually, I have no idea myself. Hook’s very cautious, so why would he tell me, but the address he gave me this time means that, as long as I can find the place, someone will naturally be able to point us toward him.”
“So that’s how it is. Our trip out will not have been in vain if we can have a look around Hook’s base; we’ll also be able to boast about it when we return.”
The bald man’s face turned grim. “I’m only telling you two because I trust you bros. If any of you dare to speak a word of this, someone will easily take care of you before I can even lift a finger myself.”
The tall and short men shook their heads vigorously when they heard this as if to show that they would not leak this secret to anyone.
Xia Fei clenched and unclenched his fists after he heard this exchange. It appeared as if these people were hardly noticeable henchmen, and the real big fish was still hiding behind the curtains. He figured that he should take this chance to delve deep and learn the truth behind this conspiracy once and for all.
…
As the transport ship sped through the darkness of deep space, Xia Fei kept himself hidden in the shadowy corner of the ship, watching their every move. Time passed quickly, and it had already been over ten hours. Xia Fei was already very far away from the capital ring by this time.
“Being alone behind enemy lines without any hope for back up or reinforcement just isn’t right. Shouldn’t we send a message to Thuram or Pang Xing so that we can get them to respond accordingly?” Phantom proposed.
Xia Fei shook his head. He poked a finger out to point at a machine that had a blinking light on it. This machine was square-shaped and was not particularly large in size. It had been mixed in together with many other electronics, looking hardly conspicuous. The indicator light was flashing at a very uniformed pace, even making the occasional beep from time to time.
“That’s a precision signal snare!” Phantom gasped softly. This machine was able to capture the electronic signal around, track easily and intercept automatically any communication signal onboard. Phantom had not noticed that it was there precisely because of how well concealed it was.
…
As long as the signal snare was working, there would be no way for Xia Fei to contact the outside world. It was pointless even if he sent out a message, for it would intercept the signal and turn it into jumbled codes.
“If there’s a need, I’ll use the nether bell to contact the Assassin Sect, but I have no plans to loop them in at the moment,” Xia Fei said.
Phantom nodded. Since Xia Fei was an envoy of the Assassin Sect, he had a nether bell in his possession. The signal frequency from that particular device was not known to anyone in the Alliance, so there would be no way for a signal snare to intercept and jam its signal.
Phantom was put slightly at ease, though he knew very well that any attempt to reach out to the sect was tantamount to fishing for the moon in a lake as the Assassin Sect was too far away to render any timely assistance.
…
It was midday by the tournament venue for the Golden Finger Cup, and the molecular engineering event was already over. Li Mo cinched the first place in this segment just as he wished, closing in his gap with Xia Fei and Constantine.
The audience and other participants were perplexed on why the miraculous, double max scorer from yesterday, Xia Fei, was a no-show today. They could not help but wonder just what could be even more important than participating in this tournament.
…
News media outlets would never miss a chance to speculate upon groundless rumors, with all of them interviewing the tournament committee for their opinion on why Xia Fei had not joined the event today, but the committee’s answer was equally disappointing, for they had no clue where Xia Fei was, either.
Out of everyone, perhaps the one who knew the most would be Avril. This was the legendary ultimate move that Xia Fei had, habitually disappearing when people least expected him to. Ever since they first came to know each other, Avril had already lost count of the times when Xia Fei would abruptly disappear, and just like each and every instance before, Xia Fei’s disappearance was so strange that it was completely impossible to predict.
“Let’s go.” Avril stood up and left the venue with a look of disappointment. A whole morning of waiting was more than enough to let her know that Xia Fei was gone once again.
“My lady, I’m sure Xia Fei must have something important, which is why he left without saying a word.” Pang Xing hated seeing Avril sad, so he did what he could to console her.
“I know,” Avril said in a small voice.
“This isn’t the first time, either. I’m sure Xia Fei will reappear by your side with a bright smile in a few days,” Pang Xing continued.
“I know. Let’s head back home first. I’d still like to practice the ceremonial decorum this afternoon. Grandfather’s birthday is coming up. I don’t wish to be ridiculed when that time comes,” Avril said.
“Understood. I’ll send men to wait here, twenty-four seven. They’ll inform me the moment Xia Fei returns.”
Avril thought about this for some time. “There’s no need. He’ll always give me a ring the moment he comes back; that’s always for certain.”
The calmer Avril was, the sadder Pang Xing felt. Just like how bystanders had a clearer view of the situation, Pang Xing knew just how important Xia Fei was to Avril.
Pang Xing even felt that Xia Fei was very detestable, causing Avril to be on her nerves for some time every time he disappeared, which only made Avril cherish the time they got to spend with each other all the more whenever he came back.
Absence made the heart fonder. Perhaps it was Xia Fei maintaining such a removed relationship with Avril that she was unable to move on from him.
In the distance, Li Mo came by with Bai Ye and that mustached man in tow, a delighted smile plastered over his face.
Avril pretended not to notice him, lifting her breathtakingly beautiful face as she passed him without sparing a glance.
“Avril, why did Xia Fei not participate in today’s event? He isn’t afraid, is he?” Li Mo’s flippant words caused the mustached man and Bai Ye to laugh happily with him.
“Xia Fei’s busy,” Avril said, without turning to face him.
“What is he busy with? Did he not tell you?” Li Mo lightly slapped his face in mockery. “Oh, that’s right; if he told you in advance, then you wouldn’t come here at all today. This clearly shows that he isn’t particularly nice to you, so why do you still protect him so?”
Li Mo’s words stabbed right into Avril’s heart. She came to a halt as her face went a bit pale. Pang Xing could no longer stand to watch and stood right in front of Li Mo, angrily glaring at Li Mo with eyes that were as large as bronze bells, balling up his two fists hard.
The mustached man next to Li Mo lightly stepped forward and used his body to protect his master, saying, “Brother Pang, there’re many people watching around here. Nothing good will come out of creating a scene here.”
Pang Xing did not say a word, his chest burning with rage, almost as if he was about to explode.
That was when Avril laughed mirthlessly. “Let’s go. These people aren’t fit to know about the things between me and Xia Fei.”
Pang Xing coldly harrumphed, turning to follow Avril behind. “My lady, I feel that you’ve changed. Had it been you two years ago, you would’ve surely burst into tears all by yourself, yet you’re now able to retaliate, unperturbed.”
Avril did not say a word. Pang Xing understood that she had changed so much all due to Xia Fei’s influence, and he secretly made the decision to reduce his hostility toward Xia Fei in the future. If Avril really did marry Li Mo one day, he could tell that there would surely be no good days ahead. When taken together, Pang Xing instead felt more at ease if she married Xia Fei, since Xia Fei would take on the responsibility of protecting the lady without a shred of fear.
…
Xia Fei had been onboard that transport ship for over ten hours before it finally reached a rundown planet. The world looked tumultuous and polluted when he looked at it through a porthole, and the streets were all muddy. Scantily clad women were standing by the street soliciting business. Their faces had this strange whiteness to them, their eyes glazed over, most likely the result of long term substance abuse.
“Let’s go; this is our stop,” said the bald man. “Remember to act properly when we meet Hook. He’s not someone whom you want to mess with.”
“Don’t worry, brother Lucien. We know how we should conduct ourselves.”
The three took the automatic stairs and alighted from the ship. Xia Fei, who was hidden, slipped out as well while they were distracted. He silently stalked behind the trio as they entered a city that stank of rot.
