India, New Delhi.
A couple exited the Indira Gandhi International Airport to wait for their vehicle by the sidewalk.
The man looked to be in his thirties. He was tall and ripped. In his hand was a toy monkey, probably for a gift for a child. The woman seemed to be of the same age. She had an average face but her body was exquisitely curvy. Together, they looked like a Chinese couple who was here in India for a vacation.
A taxi stopped in front of them. The driver popped his head out of the window to ask if they needed a ride but the two declined it. Soon, a red Ford Roadshaker came to a stop in front of them. They quickly hopped in with no words in the exchange. The Roadshaker made its way to the highway to head towards New Delhi city.
“Boss, if it wasn’t for the toy monkey, I wouldn’t have recognized you,” commented Anjum Khan who had his palms on the wheel.
The passengers in the backseat were indeed Xia Lei and Tsukino Kyoko, who had hidden their identities using hyper-realistic human masks. Xia Changhe had taught Xia Lei the techniques to this skill. Not only did Xia Lei master it, he actually further refined it. The human masks he made were very convincing and sophisticated.
Although they were in India, there was no way Xia Lei could show himself in public.
“Please give me an update,” said Xia Lei while throwing the monkey to the back seat.
“My men are still keeping an eye on activities in Might Biotechnology Headquarters from another building nearby. Ning Jing and Nahar have not left ever since they entered. Other than that, I managed to dig out more information on Nahar. He is a brilliant scientist but not a great businessman. He created Might Biotechnology from scratch but got himself kicked out of the director’s board. People still think of him as a billionaire but he’s got nothing to his name except that research,” said Anjum Khan.
It was more or less in line with what he gathered from the documents.
“Alright, I got it. Please take me to a digital mall,” instructed Xia Lei.
“A digital mall? Why? Are you sure about not heading to our safe house? Yelena, Sa’im and the rest are waiting there,” questioned Anjum Khan.
“I’d like to go buy a computer and some equipment. I’ll be taking over Amanda’s job from now on,” answered Xia Lei.
“You?” Anjum Khan couldn’t help but turn his head around to gape at Xia Lei, shock plastered all over his face.
Tsukino Kyoko was equally surprised. She wasn’t sure if Xia Lei was a great fit for Amanda’s job. Hacking was a skill that required proper training and some natural talent. Xia Lei hadn’t exhibited those traits before.
Xia Lei didn’t provide the two confused souls with an explanation. He chose to avert his gaze to the passing scenery outside, occupying his mind with that woman who was soaked in the glass container. Could she really be Gu Kewen?
“Hey, eyes on the road,” warned Tsukino Kyoko.
Anjum Khan shrugged, finally turning around to focus on driving.
Half an hour later, the Roadshaker parked itself in front of a digital mall. Xia Lei had the other two wait in the car while he went to get his equipment.
“He said he wanted to take over Amanda’s job.” Anjum Khan turned around to face Tsukino Kyoko. “Do you think he can do it?”
“The man can produce tanks and infantry fighting vehicles but I really don’t think he has what it takes to be a hacker. Though we haven’t worked with Amanda that much, her skills are admittedly top-notch. It’s a pity that she’s dead now. She would’ve been perfect for an assignment like this. I think we should give the boss some time. He’ll be able to master it soon,” answered Tsukino Kyoko.
“I hope so too,” replied Anjum Khan.
“Hey, one question.”
“What?”
“Is it true that rape cases are rampant in India?”
“Look, I’m Indian and your question makes me uncomfortable. Would you like to experience it first hand?”
Tsukino Kyoko was speechless.
It didn’t take long for Xia Lei to exit the mall. He now had a computer bag and was clutching a very huge plastic bag. The bag contained a plethora of networking equipment.
“Let’s go.” Xia Lei voiced as soon as he got in the car.
Anjum Khan started the vehicle and resumed their journey.
In the car, Xia Lei took out his newly purchased Lenovo R2000S 14.1 inch notebook from its box to alter some parts that he deemed necessary. This notebook would have cost him sixty-eight thousand RMB back home, it was only sold at six hundred thousand rupees here. It was fortified to be bulletproof and had a self-destruction function. Xia Lei had bought it due to its thick body that allowed plenty of customizability. The large bag of wares had cost him a few hundred thousand rupees. His equipment was the best money could buy on a short amount of notice.
It took only ten minutes for Xia Lei to completely piece his equipment into the notebook. The original parts he took out of the notebook were dumped out of the moving vehicle. After that, he turned on the notebook and started to install some software. His fingers danced themselves rapidly across the keyboard, the vehicle was filled with furious tapping.
Tsukino Kyoko stared intently at Xia Lei, she couldn’t understand a single command from the notebook. She couldn’t help but ask, “Boss, are you familiar with this field?”
“No, I only learned these yesterday.” Xia Lei added on, “I’m still not quite familiar with it.”
Damn, if this was what it meant to be unfamiliar, what kind of a monster would he be when he mastered it?
After another ten minutes, Xia Lei inserted a broadband stick into the USB slot to gain Internet access. He quickly instructed, “Slow down.”
Anjum Khan heeded his request.
The vehicle slowed down, Xia Lei’s fingers started to work noisily on the keyboard. The noise was crisp but boring, which did nothing to hinder Tsukino Kyoko and Anjum Khan’s curiosity.
Before the Roadshaker had even arrived at its destination, the notebook screen already displayed a wide array of camera footage.
Those were all footage from Might Biotechnology.
Tsukino Kyoko and Anjum Khan were shocked to the core.
Xia Lei zoomed in on one of the displays with a few clicks. It was from within Nahar’s laboratory. It showed the glass container that had the woman soaked in red fluids and the two female corpses.
As soon as Xia Lei’s gaze fell on a metal bed, he just couldn’t pull his eyes away.
It wasn’t a random female corpse lying on the bed, it was Ning Jing. The woman’s body was filled with tubes and wires. Her eyes were closed and she was completely stationary.
The two female corpses were in a similar state. Their bodies were also filled with wires and tubes.
The corpses and Ning Jing’s wires were all connected to that gigantic ominous red fluid-filled glass container.
It was such a bizarre sight, Xia Lei couldn’t comprehend it at all.
“If Gu Kewen’s body is in that container, that would make it three corpses in the room. What does Ning Jing have to do with this? Wait… Nahar’s Reincarnation Project did use living humans for the experiment in the early phase. Is Nahar using Ning Jing as his subject? If this project was started by Zhu Xuanyue, she would only require one corpse to carry out the process. Weirdly, there were three in this room excluding Ning Jing.” Xia Lei’s mind was on hyperdrive, plagued with countless possibilities. In the end, he just couldn’t wrap his mind around it.
“Boss.” Tsukino Kyoko couldn’t suppress her curiosity further. “Is this really your first time working as a hacker?”
Xia Lei’s thought process was interrupted. He answered, “ If Amanda was still alive, I wouldn’t even have thought about taking this job up. But we have no choice now.”
“I think you’re better than Amanda,” complimented Tsukino.
“Alright, enough about me.” Xia Lei swiftly switched the topic. “Tonight, I need to get into that laboratory. You’re coming with me, this is your forte.”
Tsukino Kyoko nodded.
Xia Lei returned his focus onto the screen.
Nahar soon appeared in it along with several other people. The new additions were all Asians who were dressed neatly, expressions stern.
Something clicked in Xia Lei’s mind. “Japanese? Could they be from the Hattori Clan?”
Truthfully, Chinese, Koreans and Japanese are all about the same. Their skin colour and features told nothing much about their identities but their mannerism and fashion sense could. The Chinese were more carefree and friendly. The Koreans were more sensitive and had a slightly prominent temper. The Japanese, on the other hand, was more formal and strict. It wasn’t difficult for Xia Lei to identify them when the knowledge of the trade between Nahar and the Hattori clan was put into the mix.
The Hattori clan’s involvement in this meant bad news.
In the footage, Nahar brought the Japanese closer to the glass container. He pointed to the woman in it and proceeded to explain some things about it, which garnered some nods of approval from his guests. Without further refinement, Xia Lei couldn’t spy on their exchange as their lips were unreadable.
Two familiar faces appeared in Xia Lei’s mind. One of them was Hattori Mei’s and the other was the Japanese assassin leader he encountered in Dawang.
“Kyoko, you’re Japanese and a Iga-ryu ninja. Do you know if the Hattori clan have ninjas serving under them?” Xia Lei suddenly asked.
Tsukino Kyoko gave it a long hard thought. “The Hattori clan has a long history. They’re descendants of the legendary ninja, Hattori Hanzo. It’s possible. To be honest, I don’t know much about the Hattori clan and I’ve never encountered any of them. I don’t know what they’re capable of.”
Xia Lei flashed her a wry smile. “Well, you’ll be meeting them soon.”
The Roadshaker exited the road to enter a gate, stopping its tracks in the courtyard. “We’re here, boss.”
Before Xia Lei could exit the car, he could already see a few familiar faces through the window. Yelena, E’er Demutu, Sa’im and Alessio were already waiting.
