Attached inside his father’s email were a few photographs and a video file. Without even clicking onto the video, the handful of photographs had already diminished any hope Xia Lei had left completely.
Those were pictures of the new CEO of Lockheed Martin, Kestin and his bodyguards, Charlotte and Eva. The timestamp on the photographs was shown to be taken one day ago at the Lockheed Martin headquarters.
As to how his father infiltrated Lockheed Martin to capture these photos was none of his concern. The most important of this was that Kesten was still well and alive!
Kestin, Charlotte and Eva. Xia Lei assumed that if anyone were alive, it would not be these three. The bombings he brought onto the AE Research Centre days ago was definitely powerful enough to blast them apart, even if they were robot soldiers from the future. How was it possible for Kestin and his beautiful bodyguard duo to survive the ordeal?
If three of them were alive, there was no doubt Zhu Xuanyue and the prehistoric chosen one too were safe from harm.
Xia Lei tapped on the video file with a heavy sinking feeling.
It began. The video was captured during a meeting at the Lockheed Martin headquarters hosted by Kestin. Charlotte and Eva had taken their places behind the man dutifully. The audience of the meeting was a dozen of Lockheed Martin’s top management employees. In front of their boss, everyone had sat with straight backs and spoke with firm tones.
In the video, Kestin pulled up a video onto the screen. “Ladies and gentlemen, before we begin this meeting, I’d like to show you something.”
A secretary-like woman pressed play and a video was projected onto the wall behind Kestin. It was an edited excerpt of the battle on the South China Sea with the Jing Ke and Phantom drones as its main focus. This edit was made specifically to showcase the difference in both drone’s battle properties and astounding functionality.
“Were these drones made by the Thunder Horse Organization?”
“That’s insane. Even the Super Hornets are no match for it.”
“Shit. Even the F35 can’t do anything to it. We’ve lost our standing in aerial warfare.”
“What the fuck is that?! Why is it able to shoot anti-ship missiles?!”
As the footage progressed, discussions in the meeting room grew heavier. The shock and envy that filled the room were overwhelming. Oddly, Kestin and his bodyguards were unfazed by everything going on behind their backs. No responses were elicited off their beings throughout the video.
At the end of it, a simulation appeared.
It showed a few Jing Ke and Phantom drones soaring above the clouds while thick soot rolled out of the American warships beneath them. These victorious drones were about to return to their home country. The imagery was exceptionally uncomfortable for everyone in the conference room for they were long used to the long-reigning superiority America had over the world. They could not stomach the fact that someone more advanced had now appeared in the picture.
In the midst of hushed heavy talks, a black fighter jet appeared out of the blue. It zoomed by like a flash of black lightning. Its appearance made it look like the lovechild of science fiction and fantasy, almost like it was the combination of the F35 and the Super Hornet. As soon as it emerged, the Chinese drones began to attack it with the Phantom’s air-to-air missile and the Jing Ke’s self-detonating feature. These attacks that placed America’s Seventh Fleet in a gutting position was suddenly ineffective against the unnamed black fighter jet. None of their attacks had worked for the fact that the dark aircraft’s manoeuvrability and stealth performance was far beyond both Chinese drones.
The simulated battle quickly came to an end when the black fighter jet had successfully gotten rid of all Jing Ke and Phantom drones.
“What… What is this jet?!” One of the top management employees questioned in surprise. “I’ve never seen a jet like this! Is this Russia’s newest fighter model?”
“A Russian jet? That’s impossible. Russia is not capable of producing jets like these!”
“If it isn’t Russia, is it us? Is this from the Boeing Company?”
Another round of discussion ensued.
It was only then that Kestin gave them an answer. “There’s no need to guess any longer. This is something us Lockheed Martin will produce soon.”
“Since when did we have such a project? Why hadn’t I heard anything about it?”
“Yeah. This is literally the first time I’m hearing about this.”
Kestin raised a hand and effectively quieted everyone down. He began, “It’s normal for you to have not heard about this project. There’s no need for you to know who designed this jet and there’s no need to learn about its details. All you need to know is that we’re about to make this jet a reality. When that is done with, Thunder Horse’s joke-like aerial warfare advantage will be reduced into nothing.” Pausing for a moment, he let a dangerous smirk splay across his lips. “Don’t the Chinese claim themselves to be the descendants of the dragon? That would make us the dragon slayers. In fact, the name for our new fighter jet will be Dragon Slayer. I urge you to begin relevant preparations for the Dragon Slayer Project will now be set into motion.”
At that point, the video had reached its end.
Xia Lei stared at the frozen screen hard. The man could barely move a muscle. One email from his father had completely shattered the very last hopes he had. If Kestin was alive, Zhu Xuanyue and the prehistoric chosen one was certainly alive as well. While unsure of how Kestin could’ve survived the bombings, Xia Lei was fully aware that he was stuck with the worst-case scenario. Before this, he, Zhu Xuanyue and the prehistoric chosen one had shared an odd equilibrium. Now that he had dropped bombs on the both of them, they were now his foes!
A few minutes later, Xia Lei pulled himself together and closed his laptop. The man now had his attention on the Dragon Slayer fighter jet. He thought to himself darkly. “Though it’s just a simulation, if Lockheed Martin successfully birthed such a monster, it is almost certain that America will implement a tougher or extreme policy against China. Who designed the Dragon Slayer? What will its materials be…?”
Xia Lei could not think of an answer.
Allowing himself the time of the world to calm down, Xia Lei then produced his satellite phone and made a call.
“Sa’im, I need you to work your intelligence network. Collect all intel on Lockheed Martin, especially the Dragon Slayer Project.”
“No problem, boss. I’ve been bored as hell lately. This will be a great change of pace.”
“But you can’t go to America.”
“Huh? Why?”
“It’s very dangerous, trust me. If you do travel there, what you might face is an enemy you can never defeat. You’re bound to die. Stay here and just let your informants do their job,” said Xia Lei.
“Fine by me, I’ll listen to you.”
Following that, Xia Lei contacted Giovanna. “Giovanna, listen closely. Instruct your brothers and sisters in the Relief Society to start collecting every intel they can on Lockheed Martin, especially ones about the new CEO, Kestin.”
“Sure, no problem.” Came Giovanna’s response.
“Also, if it’s possible, help me find out what’s going on in Area 51. I need some current information on Area 51.”
“Alright. I’m just about to meet you to report on our operation in Mexico.” Giovanna continued, “But there’s no way for me to enter your current residence. When are you going to come out?”
Xia Lei could only offer her a bitter chuckle. “I’ll come out soon but you can report to me over the phone.” With Kestin, Zhu Xuanyue and the prehistoric chosen one still walking about the mortal realm, it certainly wouldn’t be hard for them to find out that Xia Lei was behind the Area 51 bombings. Truth to be told, his plan to feign his death had long failed. He could just call it quits now.
“Alright then, I’ll carry on with my report on the proxy battle in Mexico.” Giovanna said, “So far, we’ve spent three billion dollars on the operation. Those mercenaries had made it to the FA’s headquarters and gotten rid of a considerable amount of their armed members. Other than that, more and more are signing up for our proxy battle after they heard about the offered payment. So I’ll need more money to allocate for that.”
“Money is not an issue. Just let them fight this battle for us. However, you need to be extra cautious to not let any of the hired mercenaries come near to you and the core members of the Relief Society. There might be spies from the FA added into the mix.”
“I understand, I’ll remind them to be careful.”
“That’s all.” Xia Lei hung up.
After laying out instructions for both of his main intelligence officers, Xia Lei still found it hard to relax. If he was counting days to live and tormented with the constant pressure of imminent death in the past, the man would be considered pacing right in front of Hell’s Gate now. His judgement day would befall on the same day Zhu Xuanyue and the prehistoric chosen one decided to show up for revenge.
Zhu Xuanyue and the prehistoric chosen one had stooped low and threatened him with the safety of his wives and children. Kestin and Lockheed Martin, on the other hand, was about to do something that’d threaten not just the Thunder Horse Organization but also the future of China. These were all matters Xia Lei had taken seriously and should not be violated!
Suddenly, Xia Lei’s gaze fell on the dangling alloy pendant around his neck. In the face of unprecedented threat and the stress of losing everything he cared about, it certainly felt like he had no choice but to resort to this. He needed to consume the last AE capsule and complete his evolution. Xia Lei would then turn into an invincible existence like Zhu Xuanyue and the prehistoric chosen one!
He took off the pendant and clamped his fist around it. In that very moment, his heart was tormented in an excruciating dilemma. “Zhu Xuanyue and the prehistoric chosen one both wanted me to take the last pill. It sure seems like I have no choice but to do that. But am I willing to complete my evolution and lose my current body someday to become a cloud of energy? When that time comes, would my wives and children be able to sense my presence?”
In the past, he had thought to save the last AE capsule with certain considerations. If he were to consume it, there would be no specimen left for him to study. Later on, this decision had stuck because he had found out that it was the last puzzle to complete evolution. Xia Lei would become an intangible cloud of energy at the end of this. Fast forward to this moment, Xia Lei had grown more certain than before about the nature of the AE capsule. Once he popped it into his system, he might have to bid an eternal farewell to his wives, children, family and friends!
The premise established had made this decision extremely tough on him!
Doot doot doot…
His satellite phone was ringing again.
Xia Lei took one glance at the device and sucked in a deep breath. He answered it.
“Hey, hubby, breakfast is ready. What the hell man? Why did you spend the whole night in the underground chamber? Do you not care about your body anymore?” Liang Siyao chastised him over the phone, but her love and concern were prominent.
“Don’t worry, I’ll be out soon for breakfast.” Xia Lei ended the call and shoved the alloy pendant into the pockets of his pants.
Even if he had decided to take it, he could certainly afford to delay it a little longer, right?
Xia Lei wishfully thought away.
