Less than 30 seconds had passed since Sylvia had collapsed after drinking the beer. This was no ordinary sleeping drug, but a powerful one which could knock people out.

From this, Xia Lei could more or less confirm that this Sylvia definitely had some other identity, other than her identity as the chief machinist of Rheinmetall AG.

Sylvia sprawled on the sofa, her legs wide open in an inelegant pose. Her black g-string was exposed to Xia Lei’s view, and it was pulled tight, but pulled askew such that parts which should be kept hidden threatened to peek out, oh so lewdly.

Her sexiness was a deadly temptation to any man, and this was one such situation right now. She was unconscious and doing nothing, but Xia Lei still found it hard to wrench himself out of his state of excitement and his impulse to do something to her.

Xia Lei moved close, to Sylvia’s ear and said softly, “Miss Sylvia, what’s wrong?”

There was no response from Sylvia.

Xia Lei checked her carotid artery for her pulse, then her breathing. After he’d confirmed that her life was in no danger, he reached down and adjusted that black g-string for her. He then went straight to her study.

Whatever additional identity this Sylvia had, Xia Lei was still going to open that safe and have a look. Why? Simple. Whether Sylvia was CIA or a free agent of the FA, she was still a chief machinist of Rheinmetall AG, and she had real skill. The competition of skills a week ago was proof of that.

A ‘zzz zz zz’ sound came from her room as he walked past it. It was the vibration of a phone.

Xia Lei was struck by a thought, and he entered Sylvia’s room. He quickly found the Blackberry phone in the pocket of the black trench coat, and he saw a message when he touched the display screen.

The message read: Babe, you did it yet?

The sender of the message was saved as ‘My True Love’ by Silvia, and the country code showed that the message was from an American number.

Xia Lei opened up the phone’s message inbox and saw more messages between Sylvia and ‘My True Love’.

My True Love: Babe, I’m in a tough spot now. You have to help me.

Sylvia: What trouble are you in, my Darling?

My True Love: Babe, really, if I don’t do well this time they’ll kill me.

Sylvia: OMG, WHAT?! What did you get yourself into?

My True Love: I can’t tell you now, Babe. A Chinese guy is coming to your company. His name’s Xia Lei. Find some way to get close to him. Take him to your place.

Sylvia: Darling, what are you talking about? You want me to sleep with him? How could you say this to me!

My True Love: No, no, Babe. I love you. Why would I want you to sleep with another man? I’ll be giving you a pill. You seduce him a little, then put the pill in his drink. You just have to make him drink the drugged drink.

Sylvia: I can’t do that. He’s very clever, and he’s got bodyguards too.

My True Love: My precious, you’re so beautiful, and so sexy. Which man would dislike you? You just need to tempt him a little and you’ll succeed. He has a weakness, and that’s his promiscuity.

Sylvia: Tell me why, or I won’t do it.

My True Love: All right, I’ll tell you. He’s got some stuff from our lab on him, and those things had been stolen by him. I am responsible for this, and if I don’t get those things back I’ll be killed. Please, I’m begging you. Help me, my precious. Are you going to watch me die?

Sylvia: What did he steal?

My True Love: Babe, please believe me. I can’t tell you right now, but I will tell you when I have those things. We can go to Greece after it’s all over and have a nice relaxing time.

Sylvia: Okay, I’ll help you.

My True Love: He’ll fall unconscious soon after he drinks the drug. Send me a message right away, and someone will come in to take him away. You don’t have to do anything afterwards. Go out for a drink, and if someone asks where he went, you say that you don’t know. You were drinking in a bar.

Sylvia: Got it. That’s all, then. Wait for my good news, my Darling.

Their messages ended there.

Xia Lei then understood the situation. This Sylvia was not an agent from the CIA or from the FA Organisation. She was a woman who was being used, and the man who was using her, ‘My True Love’, was not from the CIA or the FA either — he was from the AE Research Center!

‘My True Love’ had not stated explicitly that he was from the AE Research Center, but he had mentioned a ‘lab’, and that he was ‘responsible’. The thing he had asked Sylvia to do also added to Xia Lei’s suspicions, and proved that he was one of the people of the AE Research Center.

So the research centre had made its move now, and with such an unexpected method too.

Getting a normal woman to do the job, and a sexy siren on top of that… If Xia Lei had not spotted Sylvia taking something from her bra, he would probably be drugged and unconscious right now. Truthfully, he had only become suspicious and wary after discovering that she had put something in his drink. He had not linked her to the CIA or the FA before that, much less the AE Research Center.

This made Xia Lei have new insight into the AE Research Center — it could be even more cunning than the CIA and the FA, and more treacherous too!

Zzz zz zzt…

Another message.

My True Love: What’s going on, Babe?

Xia Lei thought for a bit, then typed out a message and sent it.

No need to be anxious, Darling. He’s still taking a shower. I have the alcohol prepared. I’ll get him to drink it after he comes out.

My True Love: Okay, Babe. Don’t let him take advantage of you, or I’ll be jealous.

Xia Lei didn’t type another response. He took Sylvia’s phone with him and left the room to go quickly to the shower. He turned on the shower, and then went into Sylvia’s study.

He had managed to get some extra time for himself, but he needed to get what he wanted in this amount of time.

The passcode of the safe was no obstacle to Xia Lei. He quickly solved it with the power of his left eye and his hands, and opened the safe.

There were many drawings in the safe, and a document folder as well as almost 10,000 euros in cash. Sylvia’s passport was also in the safe.

Xia Lei took out the drawings and put them on the desk. It was a thick stack.

These drawings made Xia Lei’s eyes light up. These were all drawings of several of Rheinmetall’s artillery and armoured vehicles, as well as their specifications and parameters.

It wasn’t strange for Sylvia to have these important documents at her place. She was the Chief Machinist of Rheinmetall AG after all, and was in charge of the precision-processing workshop. Artillery, armoured vehicles, and all the parts which needed precision processing had to go through her hands first. Because she had to process these parts, she needed a deep understanding of the product, from where it would be used to what its final form would be like. This was why she had these drawings in her safe.

Xia Lei’s left eye swept quickly over the drawings, one by one. His eye was like a camera, and every detail was absorbed. He was fast too, and quicker than a well-trained agent taking pictures with a camera.

Xia Lei took a full ten minutes to finish looking at all the drawings.

Next, he opened the document folder. There was a stack of drawings in it too, but it was not of artillery or armoured vehicles — it was the latest anti-ship missile defence system.

Rheinmetall AG’s defence systems were known worldwide too, and this part of their operations accounted for 40% of their overall profit margins. The drawings’ excellence and importance was apparent.

Xia Lei’s left eye swiftly ‘captured’ each and every piece of drawing paper, and he could not help the smile which appeared in the corners of his mouth. Sylvia’s safe was like a guarantee to him. If Thunder Horse Military Factory produced automatic missiles, armoured cars and tanks in the future, as well as anti-ship missile defence systems or something, then it would be thanks to Sylvia.

The ‘My True Love’ from the AE Research Center had used Sylvia to seduce him and try to capture him, but he had managed to get an advantage out of this, and what he wanted. These drawings would give wings to Thunder Horse Military Factory, and allow it to soar!

The way Xia Lei did things, he was not going to just use the technologies he had stolen as they were. He would do his own research too, and design his own, then make a better, improved version to release to the market!

Xia Lei put back the items he had taken out to their original positions after he finished looking at them. Finally, he shut the door of the safe, and left the study.

Sylvia was still lying on the sofa, unconscious. Her body was still as tempting as ever.

“Thanks, Miss Sylvia,” said Xia Lei softly. He walked to the door.

Footsteps suddenly came from beyond the door, soft, but quick.

Xia Lei awakened the power of his left eye, and instantly saw the situation in the corridor outside. Four gunmen, two on each side, and approaching Sylvia’s flat. Their backs were to the wall, and they moved cautiously. A door to the left behind them was open, and a door to the right was open too. It was obvious that these four had been hiding in the two flats on the sides of Sylvia’s flat on the same floor all along, just waiting for her to send the signal. They would be able to enter her flat swiftly then, and take Xia Lei away.

Zzz zz zzt…

The Blackberry phone buzzed again.

Xia Lei peeked at the screen.

My True Love: Babe, you done?

Xia Lei quickly typed: He’s drinking that beer now.

He hit ‘send’, and rushed to the balcony of the living room. He leapt when he got to the balcony, and jumped straight down from the third floor.

Xia Lei landed on both feet, and rolled to disperse the force of the impact.

The tail-lights of a car parked by the side of the road lit up all of a sudden.

“What happened?” Tang Yuyan stuck her head out of the car.

Xia Lei said nothing. He flipped to his feet, and made a dash to the car. He closed the door lightning-quick as soon as he entered the car, and said, “Go!”

The driver got into the car at almost the same time, and started the engine. They left.

Xia Lei looked through the one-way glass of the car’s window, at the balcony of Sylvia’s third-floor flat.

A gunman appeared on the balcony. Unfortunately for him, all he saw were cars coming and going on the street.

“What happened?” said Long Bing anxiously.

Xia Lei let out a long sigh. “There’s CIA in that building. They want to capture me.”

“Huh?” Long Bing stared blankly. There was nothing they could do about it. This was not China, and she and Tang Yuyan were not able to get the information they needed easily. Their movements were limited too.

Tang Yuyan quirked one corner of her mouth in a smile. “Learnt your lesson now, Pervert? It’s your own fault for nearly losing your life for a bit of tail.”

Xia Lei laughed. “I don’t regret it. I gained a lot from this.”

Tang Yuyan frowned and put on an exaggerated expression. “Of course you gained a lot. I heard that German slut say you removed her hair. Yeah, and you broke her skin too. Argh, just the thought of it disgusts me.”

Xia Lei was speechless.

“Is that Sylvia one of the CIA?” said Long Bing.

“No. This is related to her boyfriend.”

The conversation went back and forth between the three while the estate car headed towards Rheinmetall AG. This was a return from a rewarding journey.

For ‘My True Love’, however, he had gone for wool but come home shorn.