In the end, Hattori Mei’s response had arrived in the form of a message.

Mister Thompson, five million dollars is no small amount. Please give me more time to get things ready. I’ll meet you soon.

Xia Lei had too received it right when Thompson had received her answer.

Immediately after, Thompson’s call came. “Mister James, Hattori Mei sent me a message instead of calling me. She said she needs more time to get the cash ready and she’ll meet me soon. What do I do now?”

Xia Lei replied, “Continue waiting at Area 51. Stay the night there. You don’t need to do anything else other than waiting for her contact for the time being. I’ll transfer five million dollars to your bank account as promised.”

“Thank you, Mister James.” Thompson couldn’t suppress his excitement.

Ending the call, Xia Lei placed the satellite phone down and gazed at Hattori Mei, Anjum Khan, Sa’im and Qian Jun in front of him. Nonchalantly, he declared, “Hattori Mei won’t be heading over to Area 51, operation voided.”

The four Chinese Zodiac Battle Team members were so ready for action. The sudden cancellation of an anticipated operation felt like a bucket of ice over their heads.

“That little Nippon bitch is one hell of a sly fox. I can’t believe she could control herself from the temptation.” Anjum Khan grumbled.

Qian Jun’s voice was eerily cold. “There’s no way she can continue to hide forever. As soon as she’s out, I swear I’ll blast her head off with a bullet!”

“So what do we do now?” questioned Tsukino Kyoko.

Xia Lei explained, “At this moment, Hattori Mei most probably had sent someone out to Area 51. Her people will do two things. One, to check if there’s anything worth raising suspicion of a possible ambush along the way. Two, to ensure a safe route.”

“That bitch sure is cunning.” Sa’im too couldn’t help but hiss as well.

Xia Lei offered them a wry smile. “All this and you’re already calling her cunning? Even if her team finds no hiding assaulters along the way and confirms a safe route, she would still try to get Thompson over to her place for the deal. If Thompson returns to Las Vegas tonight, she’d have someone pick him up and bring him over to the V Science branch office. If Thompson is brought there, she’d achieve her goal. If Thompson refuses to go there, she’ll suspect that something is amiss. That’s why I instructed him to remain in Area 51’s military base for tonight.”

“Boss, why do you know Hattori Mei so well?” Anjum Khan tilted his head and tossed Xia Lei an odd look. “It’s almost as if you’re an eel in her stomach.”

Tsukino Kyoko rolled her eyes at that. “Idiot. The right word is a parasite, not an eel. Know your shit.”

Anjum Khan pouted. “Why would someone as amazing as our boss be a parasite? He must be an eel.”

Xia Lei was speechless.

“Boss, what is the current plan?” asked Qian Jun.

Xia Lei answered, “We’ll wait till nightfall where we’ll set up ambush points along the path Hattori Mei takes to Area 51. Tomorrow, the Mechanic will bring Hattori Wendy over to the designated spot and execute her. The American Special Force and FA members will rush over to where Wendy is while Hattori Mei and her team will head to Area 51.”

“Does she not care about her own mother?” Anjum Khan was a little surprised.

Xia Lei replied, “That’s not the case. She’ll be pained but that is all. The secrets of the Alloy X bears a bright future for Japan and the Hattori clan. The temptation is just too enticing for her to resist.” He paused for a moment. “Actually, you should all rest up now. We’re about to engage in an important battle tomorrow.”

Sa’im, Anjum Khan and Qian Jun swiftly dispersed off elsewhere. Tsukino Kyoko, on the other hand, chose to remain.

Xia Lei studied her oddly tensed expression and offered her a smile. “Kyoko, you might be facing your own master tomorrow. You really should go catch some rest so you’ll have enough energy to spare. I’m looking forward to you surpassing your own teacher. We’ll celebrate your victory, yeah?”

The opponent they’d be facing was Japan’s most elite samurais. This battle was bound to be gritty and ugly. The peace they shared now was merely the calm before a storm. As time began to count down to their battle, someone was on the phone with their lover while someone was fast asleep. Someone in the other room had their eyes glued to a Playboy magazine while someone attempted to relax their nerves.

Night came. A Rams pickup truck left the Las Vegas suburbs and headed northwest. One hundred and thirty kilometres ahead in that direction laid the world’s most mysterious military base. Area 51.

The vehicle was travelling at a moderate speed. The night’s designated driver, Tsukino Kyoko, could feel her palms sweat. She was nervous. The opponent she was about to fight was no ordinary person but the man who had taught her everything she knew about ninjutsu. Yagyu Yuichi’s sword techniques were not the only thing she had to fight against, she too would have to battle her inner demons.

Qian Jun had yet to crack an eye open since the start of the journey. The upcoming battle felt like nothing but a boring ping-pong match that he had no interest in.

Anjum Khan was still not done with the Playboy magazine. It seemed like he hadn’t found out that the issue in his grip was from yesteryear.

Sa’im had been caught up in phone calls after phone calls. The man was busy laying out instructions for his team to follow. Intelligence work was of utmost important prior to a battle, he needed to have a full grasp of the Japanese’s current development.

Meanwhile, Xia Lei worked his hacking laptop on the co-driver seat. On his screen was a Google map. He needed to pinpoint a suitable ambush point along the one-hundred-kilometre route. While the Google map was a flat diagram on the laptop’s display, Xia Lei’s mind had already helpfully generated a real-world simulation internally. His brain had calculated and analyzed the terrain, weather, wind direction, lighting, evacuation route and so on in accordance with different spots along the way. Refusing to settle on a single calculation, Xia Lei repeated his calculations again and again in his mind.

Half an hour later, Xia Lei turned the laptop to face Tsukino Kyoko. He ordered, “Stop the car here.” He pointed at a spot on the screen, prompting the female ninja to briefly glance over. He supplied, “This will be our ambush point.”

The location he selected was about sixty kilometres away from Area 51 and seventy kilometres away from Las Vegas city. The spot was the most strategic choice. Those who were ready to nab him were far behind in the bustling city and it was essentially impossible for either Las Vegas military force or Area 51’s military force to rush over. When the battle was over, that place too was a great retreat point as it was the only patch of lush forest in the span of the desert. The shrubbery would help shield him and his team away from satellite and drone detection.

Tsukino Kyoko took a glance and nodded silently. It was only then that she slammed on the pedal and accelerated their journey.

Ten minutes later, they found themselves in a mountainous area. There were almost no vehicles on the winding road, which were lined with majestic American red oak trees on both sides. The dense tree canopy had effectively blocked off the already scarce moonlight. There was no doubt that this location was the best for an ambush.

Tsukino Kyoko stopped the car at the spot Xia Lei had designated and the rest of the Chinese Zodiac Battle Team immediately went into standby mode. Qian Jun brought out an ammunition case from the carriage and pried it open. The case was filled to the brim with landmines, MS3 anti-infantry mines and also several crazily powerful TM83 anti-tank side armour mines.

These were all state of the art Russian landmines. Even if the Americans were lucky enough to find out the model serial of these landmines, they would certainly let it slide. There was no way they’d engage Russia in a conflict like this.

“These Japanese better brave through these landmines if they wanna fight us. Haha.” Anjum Khan’s mocking laugh was appalling to the ears. He picked up a TM83 anti-tank side armour mine and walked over in an attempt to plant it there. This was a roadside military-grade bomb that was powerful enough to rip apart a tank. There was no question as to what Hattori Mei’s vehicle would become in due time.

With the team’s effort, the landmines were swiftly planted at designated spots in record time. Only a few TM83 mines were left in its inactive form for safety reasons. It was not time to activate them yet as every passing vehicle would be blasted to unidentifiable bits upon detection.

Done with their task, Xia Lei led the Chinese Zodiac Battle Team members deeper into the woods.