Ten minutes after the explosion, a Nighthawk helicopter made its way to the desolate outskirts of Jerusalem. It flew to the settlement and carried a few armed men to emerge. They were all dressed in sleek black suits. Inhabitants of the settlement scurried towards different directions in cars, all of them armed with some form of weapon. The people of Israel were all soldiers. The country had subjected every adult to military service. After retirement, they were still considered as part of the militia. The people were ready to head into battle anytime.
Following that, a few drones began to fly over from Jerusalem. The formation split directions to provide aerial detection to the personnel on the ground.
The Desert Raider zoomed widely in the vast wilderness. Without its headlights, it was running like a beast in the dark.
At one moment, Xia Lei lifted his head to study the night sky, halting the vehicle abruptly. They were about one hour away from Gaza at this point.
Tsukino Kyoko seemed to have noticed something too, quickly whipping her head around to investigate. However, having found nothing, she asked, “Boss, are they catching up to us?”
Xia Lei answered, “It’s the Israeli drones.”
Tsukino Kyoko couldn’t help but wonder. Her eyesight was impeccable and yet she saw nothing while Xia Lei was able to notice drones. Did he possess the eyes of a hawk? Despite her curiosity, she did not press on.
“I wasn’t expecting to catch up so soon. I guess the couple was working for Mossad.” Xia Lei felt the pile of his anxiety.
“When I asked them of their mission, the dude named Haimer immediately called for his woman to kill me. I guess they’re trying to protect the secrets within the pyramid.” Tsukino Kyoko remarked.
“It’s close,” said Xia Lei.
Tsukino whipped her head around again, still finding nothing.
Xia Lei’s gaze studied their surroundings carefully, finally landing it on the trunk. Sparing it one glance, Xia Lei opened the car door and went to the rear. He opened the trunk. There was a bag of flour, a bottle of olive oil and a huge roll of aluminium foil. Looks like the vehicle’s owner had planned for a barbeque.
Xia Lei brought the foil out and scurried to open the passenger cabin’s door. The man picked Tsukino Kyoko up and ran for the bushes.
“What… What are you trying to do?” Tsukino Kyoko was confused.
Xia Lei placed her down into the bushes and ran back to the Desert Raider. The man swiftly retrieved their gear bags then returned to the shrubs. Xia Lei was in such a hurry that he had not bothered to close the door. As soon as they were surrounded by greens, he grabbed the foil roll and pulled everything out. “Quick! Wrap these around your body!”
“Wrap my body with foil?” Tsukino Kyoko was dumbfounded.
“The drones have heat-seeking capabilities. If we get caught, Mossad will definitely utilize air weaponry. We won’t be able to escape Israel when that happens.” Xia Lei explained as his fingers made a frantic effort to wrap two wide sheets of foil around his body.
It was only then that the idea clicked in Tsukino Kyoko’s mind. The female ninja had to admit that she was thoroughly impressed with his knowledge and fast thinking.
Soon enough, Xia Lei’s body was wrapped in aluminium foil. The man quickly helped Tsukino Kyoko with hers. The ninja was still recovering, hence her languid actions. He helped her wrap her legs and waist.
Tsukino Kyoko pressed a sheet onto her chest. Due to her impressive bust size, her double attempts were futile. As soon as she moved her hands away, the foil would fall. Her bosoms were just like two mischievous rabbits, pulling pranks on her at a dire time like this.
Xia Lei snatched the sheet away and poked at it hastily. The foil crinkled and soon, two holes were made. Problem solved.
Tsukino Kyoko could only gape.
Xia Lei offered no further explanation and pushed her into the bush. He raised an arm coiled with foil to cover Tsukino’s exposed chest. The foil sheet was torn with two holes to make way for the soft mass beneath.
“You…” Tsukino Kyoko was so shell shocked that she ran out of words to say.
“Shh! It’s here. Don’t move,” warned Xia Lei.
Tsukino Kyoko’s round dark eyes watched the sky through the gaps of the aluminium foil. Entering her line of sight was a Heron 2 drone that served the Israeli Defense Forces. Its huge wings and ground missiles on its launch pad faintly visible in the dark.
The Heron 2 circled the air, most probably studying the area beneath it. Its target was obviously the stationary Desert Raider in the middle of the wilderness. No one could tell how many eyes were glued to its feedback elsewhere.
“Boss, I must say. I’m really impressed.” Tsukino Kyoko’s voice was meek, almost inaudible to Xia Lei.
Xia Lei’s voice was small. “Honestly, I just want to live like a normal person.”
“You know that’s impossible,” uttered Tsukino Kyoko.
Xia Lei could only smile wryly at that. The path he took was a one-way road. It was much like his body that continued to advance with no plans of degradation.
“They said that you’re an advanced human, is that true?”
“Yes.” Xia Lei watched the sky. The Heron 2 drone was still making rounds above them. But judging from its flying course, the machine had expanded its search radius.
There was no one in the car. The best deduction its drone driver could make was that their target had abandoned their vehicle to escape. Expanding the search radius was the next best option.
“So… Are you good in bed?” Tsukino Kyoko’s question was muttered softer than before.
Xia Lei could only gape at her question.
“We’re probably going to die here. Tell me, I must satiate my curiosity.”
Xia Lei was embarrassed as hell. “…Mm.”
“What does that even mean?”
“What do you think it means?” Xia Lei switched the topic. “Jeez, how long more is the drone going to circle this area?”
“Actually I think I already have an answer. You have four wives and they always seemed happy to be with you. This means that you’re pretty capable,” commented Tsukino Kyoko.
What was she trying to achieve?
What the hell did she want?
Abruptly, the circling Heron 2 interjected his confused mind with a ground missile. With a fiery tail, the missile flew towards the Desert Raider.
Ka-boom!
The vehicle was thoroughly destroyed, sending its remains to the area surrounding it.
It was then that the Heron 2 flew away and headed towards Gaza.
Xia Lei clambered from the ground. “Mossad’s men probably figured that we’re heading to Gaza. There will be more of Mossad’s people at the borders of Gaza along with the Israeli National Defence Force.”
“Do we continue our journey?”
Xia Lei paused to ponder. “Carrying on would be suicidal.”
“Then where should we go?” questioned Tsukino Kyoko.
“Since they think we’re heading to Gaza, we’ll head in the opposite direction. The most dangerous place is actually the safest place. We’re going to Jerusalem,” said Xia Lei.
Tsukino Kyoko replied, “Even if we’re giving up on Gaza, going to Jordan is a choice. Why Jerusalem?”
“The borders of Jordan would be watched tightly. Anything you can come up with, Mossad too can think of. We’re facing off a country, not a singular enemy,” answered Xia Lei.
“Alright then, I’ll stick to your decision. I was merely offering you a suggestion. Even if you’re going to hell, I’m coming with,” assured Tsukino.
Xia Lei chuckled. “If I’m going to the afterlife, heaven is my choice. There’s nothing great about hell.” He reached out to pull her up.
Doot doot doot… Doot doot doot…
Suddenly, Xia Lei’s satellite phone rang. He quickly answered the call, voice low. “It’s me.”
“Boss, I only have thirty seconds to spare. Listen well.” It was Sa’im. “Mossad is after us. We’re hiding in Gaza. Where are you now?”
Xia Lei answered, “Tsukino and I are at the outskirts of Jerusalem.”
“Do not come to Gaza. The borders are locked. The activity of the Israeli army is rampant here.”
Xia Lei furrowed his brows. Sa’im description of their situation was just as Xia Lei had guessed.
“Where are you heading next?”
“Jerusalem.” Xia Lei continued, “Do you think you can join us?”
“We can but we need some time to prepare. Be careful, I’ll contact you soon.” Sa’im hung up.
Xia Lei checked his watch. The call had ended right on the dot of the thirty-second mark.
For Sa’im to call at such timing had a simple motivation. Other than pinpointing Xia Lei and Tsukino Kyoko’s whereabouts, he needed to warn Xia Lei of the dangers ahead. He was the intelligence expert of the team and he was Middle Eastern, the intel he held was definitely way more complete than Xia Lei.
This call had also eased Xia Lei’s nerves a little. Sa’im, Yelena and Anjum Khan were alright. This knowledge held importance to him.
The two left the bushes and turned around to Jerusalem. However, the duo had taken another new path with deliberate intentions of avoiding their earlier departure point.
They were still wrapped in foil, which crinkled at each step. Tsukino Kyoko ducked down to look at her exposed breasts that protruded out of the foil. Her mind was fixated on how Xia Lei had grabbed her bosoms earlier rather than their route to Jerusalem.
Xia Lei’s mind too was preoccupied with something else. “The tomb of the prehistoric chosen one was found underneath the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the pyramid he built was found in the outskirts of Jerusalem. The final battle between Zhu Xuanyue and the chosen one was also in Jerusalem… Why did I miss the possible involvement of Israel? What role did Israel play in this series of events?”
Truth to be told, Xia Lei’s attention had been placed on America and the FA Organization for a long time. It was only now that Israel had caught his interest. If he had to make a choice between the CIA and Mossad, he’d rather choose the former. The way Mossad operated was unique. If the enemy wishes to kill, you must kill them first.
“Boss, can I remove the aluminium foil? They’re really noisy.” Tsukino Kyoko’s voice disrupted his train of thoughts.
Xia Lei turned to face her. “No, leave it be. Mossad might dispatch a few more drones.”
Tsukino Kyoko shrugged dejectedly as her exposed breasts jiggled with each step she took.
