With the deciding factor gone, the balance of the game was preserved. Yet, the scent of fire was strong in the underground laboratory. All it needed was a little spark to set an explosion to the entire space. The tension was high.
The prehistoric chosen one rippled in silence in the underground laboratory. “I don’t understand why you fancy physical vessels. It’s bound to make you vulnerable.”
Zhu Xuanyue replied with equal coldness. “I hate the cold. Real bodies bring me warmth. Warm blood, warm food and real sensations. How long have you not felt that? I’m guessing you have long forgotten what it feels like but you’re not deserving of it. You deserve to be curled up in a dark icy corner for aeons.”
The black-robed man scoffed. He narrowed his eyes. “I don’t care about mortal feelings like that. My power is all I care about. Do you really think you can fight me in this state?”
Zhu Xuanyue replied, “You were indeed the victor of our last two battles. But I was starving before. There’s no way you can defeat me now.”
“Really?” The man cackled lightly. “Guess I got to see that myself.”
“You’ll regret this.” Zhu Xuanyue immediately spun around and said to Kestin, “I’ll handle him. Take the things and leave immediately! Go!”
“Yes, general.” Kestin lunged forward to the six cylindrical battery-like containers.
Eva and Charlotte too began to move. They quickly helped Kestin detach the alloy containers from the pipes.
The prehistoric chosen one shook his head exasperatedly.
Zhu Xuanyue smirked dangerously. “There’s no way you can stop me.”
Without warning, the prehistoric chosen one prowled towards Zhu Xuanyue. While he was covered in a long brooding black robe, its weight felt like mere specks of dust in the air. His sudden movements felt like a heavy typhoon!
Whoosh!
The wind whistled and the prehistoric chosen one was suddenly in front of Zhu Xuanyue. He whipped a sleeve over with crazed force towards her.
Zhu Xuanyue did not move away. She welcomed it by delivering a punch.
Bam!
The laboratory shook.
The strongest existences in this realm had begun their battle.
Xia Lei, who had just gotten out of Area 51, could feel the ground shake. It sounded like an explosion but he knew full well that it wasn’t the case. It was the sheer resultant force from a collision between Zhu Xuanyue and the prehistoric chosen one’s power. The man couldn’t help but feel worried. His enemies were exceptionally powerful. How was he going to get through this alive? What must he do to protect his wives and children?
In all of a sudden, piercing alarms were blared and searching lights began to flood out from all corners of the AE Research Centre immediately. Along with that were headlights of military vehicles and a large hoard of running American soldiers.
Who was he kidding? This was Area 51, America’s most important and mysterious military base. It was only natural for it to be equipped with the world’s fastest emergency response protocol.
Xia Lei did not dare to stall another moment. He took a good look at where the American soldiers were and quickly sprinted in the opposite direction.
He crossed a hundred-metre distance within five seconds. Xia Lei was almost as fast as a cheetah.
Just as Xia Lei left the radius of the AE Research Centre, the entire facility was completely surrounded by the American army. Tanks, military vehicles and even off-road vehicles with mounted machine guns and assault rifles were aimed at the centre’s main entrance.
The number of weapons was as dense as a forest. Forget about exiting the facility, even one escaping bird would be shredded apart by bullets and shells!
The commander of the operation was Thompson. The man was certainly not placed in the front but at the back of the formation.
Ka-boom!
Another muted blast was heard from inside the AE Research Centre. The entire ground trembled.
Thompson frowned, heart ablaze with anxiety. “That fucking James is too rowdy! Too fucking damned rowdy! He’s going to kill me for sure! How is he expecting me to spare him or ferry him away personally with so many soldiers around?! Fucking bastard! Fucking idiot!”
“General, we can’t see what’s going on inside.” A colonel walked up to Thompson’s car and reported through the window. “Should we send someone in or continue to wait outside?”
“There’s no need to send someone in. Just surround this place tight and as soon as anyone steps out of the facility, shoot them!” Thompson ordered with an irritated huff.
“But… What if it’s the AE Research Centre staff?” questioned the colonel.
“Well…” Thompson quickly corrected himself, “That certainly does not warrant a shooting but we can’t accommodate the invaders! In essence, play it by the ear!”
It was vague. The colonel could only shrug before bringing Thompson’s orders to the bigger crowd.
Thompson got off the vehicle and approached Jenny. He whispered into her ear slowly, “Later, no matter who comes out, signal your team to open fire. Doesn’t matter if you choose to use the guns or cannons as long as you kill them all!”
Jenny tossed Thompson a look and mirrored his volume. “This is not something a job promotion could help.”
Thompson whispered back, “I’ll pay you fifty thousand dollars.”
Jenny smiled, “Then that is not an issue.”
It felt as if that had relieved Thompson of something, the man seemed less tensed and frustrated. He stared at the centre’s entrance. He thought to himself, “James, you really think you can continue to control me? How gullible. I’ve already gotten my paws on your twenty million dollars. That amount is sufficient for me. When you come out later, I’ll watch you perish with my own eyes. With you dead, the blackmail you have on me will no longer hold real threat. It’s only with your death that I’d enjoy true peace!”
Meanwhile, beside a warehouse five hundred metres away, Xia Lei peeled his eyes away with a malicious smirk on his lips. Though he wasn’t there, he could still pick up on the hush-hush conversation between Jenny and Thompson from a distance away. While his ears couldn’t hear anything, he could read their lips as clear as day.
“Thompson, I understand your woes but I must ask for your understanding of what I’m about to pull next.” Xia Lei turned around to the warehouse’s shutters.
Stationed on guard in front of the warehouse were two full geared American soldiers. The storage facility behind them had contained a B2 bomber plane.
The B2 bomber plane was the current world’s most advanced bomber. It was capable of stealth and high-altitude flying. It was nearly invisible to radars. Its shell loading capacity was also the largest in the world, about a whopping 22680 kilograms! The B2 bomber was also the most expensive bomber, going at about 22 billion USD. There were only twenty units ever produced and one of them was here.
“Oi! Hold it!” One of the stationed soldiers noticed Xia Lei as the man rounded a corner.
The other raised his assault rifle, aiming it straight at Xia Lei.
Xia Lei spoke, “Hey brother, there’s no need to be so tense. Got a lighter? I’m about to hit a blunt. If you guys want a puff, I’ve got plenty to share.”
The two soldiers locked gazes and broke into grins. Marijuana was an inevitable necessity in the army. Who in the right mind would say no to free marijuana?
“I’ve got a lighter, hand us a joint.” The soldier placed his gun down and stared at Xia Lei with anticipation.
Xia Lei walked over and dug for his joints. But what had emerged next was not the awaited magic blunts but a military dagger. The moment his hands left the confines of his military jacket, a glint of silver flashed across the nearest soldier’s neck. It did not end there. After delivering a slice through their necks, he waved it forward and stabbed it hard into the other’s chest.
Lodged deep into his heart, the second soldier could barely get a yelp out before succumbing to the lethal damage.
Xia Lei rummaged through one of their uniforms for an access card and slotted it into the card reader. The shutters rolled up and a gigantic dark bird entered his view.
“Oh, baby. Allow me to bring you on a stroll and blast some bad boys, yeah?” Xia Lei chuckled and began walking towards the B2 bomber.
There was no need to check the magazine manually for his X-ray vision had made things easy. This lovely B2 bomber was not fully loaded. It did not house a nuclear bomb. Instead, it was loaded with eighty 227 kilogram MK82 bombs, sixteen joint direct attack weapons, sixteen 908 kilogram MK84 bombs, thirty-six M117 incendiary bombs and another thirty-six CBU cluster bombs. The sheer amount of ammunition was enough to fuck a small city over!
It was about half full of fuel. But with the B2’s flying abilities, this was enough to get Xia Lei to the West Pacific Ocean for a dip.
Opening the hatch, he climbed into the pilot seat. The complicated panel had Xia Lei dizzy. He had never once piloted a plane, let alone this world’s most advanced bomber. But for someone who was the sole person behind the Jing Ke and Phantom drones, this should not be too tough of a task for him.
Two minutes later, the B2 roared to life and its large bat-shaped glided out of the warehouse leisurely. It entered the track and began to accelerate towards the edge.
“Hey! Stop!” Inside the B2 bomber, a warning came from the aviation control tower. “We did not get clearance! This is illegal!”
Xia Lei replied, “I’ve got direct orders from Mister President to depart on an important mission. The mission reference is TMD789654.”
“Wait, I need to rectify it…”
But in the midst of his confusion, the B2 bomber plane had taken flight for the endless night sky.
“Hey! You’re going to be charged at military court! Come back!”
Xia Lei nonchalantly ripped off the communicator device. With his piloting, the B2 bomber lunged towards greater heights. Before long, it had completely vanished among the night clouds.
Down below, Thompson turned around and was stunned. He murmured in confusion, “Did a B2 bomber just take off? Without orders from the White House and the Pentagon, no one is supposed to touch the plane. What the hell is going on?”
Jenny supplied, “Yeah, it took off. Well, who knows? Perhaps it had left for Korea. I heard the army had plans to place a B2 unit there.”
“I don’t know what the hell those bastards are thinking. Anyway, it’s none of our concern. I’ve already relay orders to shoot anyone who leaves the facility.”
Thompson grinned at that. His mind quickly went to work and supplied him the mental image of James pacing out of the AE Research Centre and getting ripped apart alive with a ruthless rain of bombs, bullets and shells. The man was bound to die here tonight. Poor James would never find out what was the cause of his death. Or so Thompson thought.
And immediately, Thompson’s imagination had wandered off to a sweet island. On the side of a luxurious grand beachside villa, he would walk a few gorgeous blondes with a metal chain. They’d dress like beautiful bitches to please him. Dear lord, bikini-clad full bottoms and round chests. Thompson would have the time of his life for he now had twenty million USD to squander.
But right at this moment, the piercing air defence alarms began to sound.
