As soon as the passengers of the direct flight to Jingdu had disembarked, a few military SUVs sped out of the airport heading towards Bureau 101’s headquarters. Xia Lei was three hours away from the military base in the Dawang area. 

The skies were starting to brighten as the sun’s golden rays shone over the Eastern Horizon. The sun was about to claim its rightful place in the sky but not even the strongest sunlight could chase away the worry in Xia Lei’s heart. 

“Our men found two corpses. One caucasian and one black man. They were roughly thirty kilometers north of Dawang. There were signs of an intense gunfight at the site. Our analysts think that this might have something to do with the person who is after Tang Yuyan and yourself.” Long Bing’s voice broke the silence in the moving vehicle. 

She never was a talkative one and Xia Lei was exceptionally quiet today, hence a dull silent atmosphere filled the car for the remainder of the journey. 

Xia Lei continued staring out the window as if he had not heard Long Bing. 

Long Bing shot him a worried look. “Don’t worry about it. It will not happen again.” 

That brought Xia Lei back. He reached over to lightly pat Long Bing’s thigh. “I’m alright, no need to worry about me. Oh right, where are the two bodies you mentioned about headed to?” 

“Their bodies will be sent to Jingdu for autopsy and identification before everything else,” Long Bing answered. 

Xia Lei yearned to see Bagu and Marcus but had quickly dropped the thought as soon as he remembered the danger before him. Nothing could bring back the dead but they would always be remembered. Xia Lei’s involvement in the Chinese Zodiac Battle Team would have to stay hidden as long as the existence of the Chinese Zodiac Battle Team was confidential. 

“I think it’ll be better to have Dad manage this for me. He treated Bagu and Marcus as his own, I’m sure he’ll manage their funeral arrangements well,” Xia Lei thought to himself. 

“Is Tang Yuyan alright?” Long Bing asked out of the blue. 

“She’s fine, though she did sustain some light injuries. Why didn’t you visit her the last time you were there?” Xia Lei threw back a question. 

“I don’t wish to see her if she does not want to see me.” 

“Huh?” Xia Lei was surprised at her answer. “Why? Weren’t you guys close? Even though you might bicker a lot, I can tell that you still care.” 

Long Bing scoffed. “But I know her better than you. That was a time where she could be alone with you and her parents were there. To her and her parents, it was a family occasion and my presence would have made it inappropriate.”

Xia Lei felt very awkward so he tried to switch the topic. “Did you know that Gu Kewen is dead?”

“You already told me during the flight.” 

“Uh… Is that so?” 

“I know you’re kind to me but I…” Long Bing sighed lightly. “I can’t give you something a man like you would want.” 

“What would that be?” 

“Family, kids. If you want to get married, Tang Yuyan might be your best choice.” 

As the silence ensued, the car ride grew increasingly awkward. It was deafening. 

She was most definitely a woman but why was she not interested in the very same things other women desired? Xia Lei knew her well too but this was something he had yet to understand. 

As soon as they arrived at Bureau 101’s headquarters, Xia Lei trailed behind Long Bing into Shi Boren’s office. Present in the room alongside Shi Boren were Liang Siyao and Tang Bochuan.

“Are you alright?” Liang Siyao approached Xia Lei as soon as she saw him.

Xia Lei nodded and smiled. “Yeah, I’m alright. Don’t worry.” 

“I’d like to talk to you later.” Liang Siyao’s voice fell below a whisper. “Is that alright?” 

Xia Lei gave her another nod. 

“Alright you two, leave the talking for later,” Shi Boren interrupted them. “Xia Lei, there are a few reasons as to why I summoned you so urgently. One, to protect you and two, I need your cooperation to be investigated.” 

“What’s the matter?” Xia Lei stared at Shi Boren, he was certain the man had something else to say. 

Shi Boren hesitated his next words. “Had you discussed the current mission with anyone else?”

Xia Lei was a little taken aback. “Boss Shi, are you suspecting that there is a leak and that they are going to betray me?” 

“It’s not entirely impossible. You shouldn’t underestimate the enemy’s strategy. Think about this carefully, who had you mentioned it to? Who knew that you were off to the west province?”  

Multiple faces flashed through Xia Lei’s mind. There were a handful of people who knew he was going to the western province. They were his father, Xia Changhe, Sylvia, Annina, Xiao Xue’s boyfriend, Liu Zhengnan and, Qin Xiang. But these were his closest relatives and friends. He could not fathom why any one of them would betray him. 

“Just give me a few names. I will take it from there,” said Shi Boren. 

As Xia Lei was about to speak, he saw Liang Siyao blink in his direction.

That was a signal.

Xia Lei had never wanted anyone to investigate his family and friends. The signals Liang Siyao threw him were a sign to stay tight-lipped. “I didn’t tell anyone about it.” 

“Are you sure no one knew you were going to the west province?” 

Xia Lei shook his head. “No.”

Shi Boren’s brows were scrunched up. “Why you little… Tang Yuyan’s family was more than happy to be cooperative while you refused to even give me a single name.”

“Boss Shi, you can count on Xia Lei’s honesty. I’m certain no one knew if he said so. It wasn’t caused by him. How about you probe further into our Tang family instead?” interjected Tang Bochuan. 

As soon as he said that, Tang Bochuan flashed Xia Lei a smile. 

Xia Lei needed a quick save in this situation so he smiled back at Tang Bochuan. 

The friendly display between the two men had garnered different reactions from the two ladies in the same room. Long Bing was unamused while the corners of Liang Siyao’s lips curled slightly. ‘

Shi Boren was adorned with a bitter smile as he shook his head. “You kids formed a pact to lie to me, huh? Fine, I will play along. I too believe that Xia Lei’s relations wouldn’t be the ones at fault but these are orders from above. I’m just doing my part.”

“Summoning my presence to the headquarters while I was in the western province just to ask about the names who knew about my schedule couldn’t be for my own good. Who’s behind this?” thought Xia Lei. 

“Xia Lei, I received the report while you were on your ride here.” Shi Boren began to summarize the report. “After the gunfight that happened last night, our team had recovered ninety-eight bodies nearby Dawang and the mountain. The Japanese, Indians and Americans were all coming for you and they were all well-equipped soldiers, mercenaries or special forces. In normal circumstances, not even a hundred men could defeat them. How did you do it?”

“Why should I report this?” 

Shi Boren glared at Xia Lei. “How could you not? You singlehandedly wiped out the Indian soldiers, the American mercenaries and special forces! Don’t you think you should at least report what happened?” 

“Alright.” Xia Lei decided to explain himself. “Well… While we were carrying out our mission, a robe-clad monk appeared…” 

He simplified the entire incident but chose to keep Zhu Xuanyue’s involvement a secret. 

“So you’re telling me that you defeated fifty Indian soldiers all by yourself and the Americans who ambushed you from behind the mountain?” Shi Boren failed to hide his shock after listening to Xia Lei. 

The older man wasn’t the only one who was surprised. Tang Bochuan, Liang Siyao and Long Bing were equally baffled by it too. 

The enemies he faced weren’t regular soldiers. Despite the Indian soldiers being relatively weaker, the others were exceptionally skilled mercenaries and special forces! How could anyone believe that a single person would win against so many opponents? Odd as it was, this was undeniably the reality! The pile of bodies along with Xia Lei and Tang Yuyan’s survival was proof that it happened. 

“That was what happened that day.” Xia Lei continued, “But I didn’t do it alone, Tang Yuyan had handled a few of them too.” 

Shi Boren interjected quickly, “I called her earlier on the phone and she said that she only killed four of them while you handled the rest. She even added that if it weren’t for you, she’d be long dead.” 

Xia Lei intended to place some of the kill counts on Tang Yuyan but he hadn’t expected a phone call between Shi Boren and Tang Yuyan to have happened already. “Boss Shi, was there a rule set on the limit of kills one could have?” Xia Lei shrugged as he responded. 

“Kid, I’m not criticizing you. In fact, you should be proud that you’ve defended our borders. With this battle, you’ve protected our nation’s pride. You were excellent! As expected of Bureau 101’s unbeatable God of War!” 

Xia Lei could only return a bitter smile. If that was what it took to be a God of War, he’d rather not be one. 

Shi Boren’s palm came in contact with Xia Lei’s shoulder with a clap. “This incident is not a small one. You should lay low within the compounds of your Thunder Horse Military Factory for a while. Avoid any gatherings and meetings with strangers. Most importantly, do not show your face to the media.” 

“That I know.” Xia Lei paused for a second. “Oh right, what were you planning to do with the bodies?”

“We have yet to collect them all but we’ve already contacted relevant American and Indian authorities for an explanation.”

“There’s no way they’d claim the bodies,” said Xia Lei.

Shi Boren replied, “We’re not expecting them to either. If they don’t claim their bodies and disclose their identities, we’ll still dispose of them appropriately. For now, let’s just hope that their bodies remain safe from the wildlife surrounding them.” 

For some reason, Gu Kewen’s face appeared in Xia Lei’s mind. Surrounded by snow, she laid on the ground with a smile.

He hated her, but he had his own reasons.

She hated him, but she had her own reasons. 

But no matter what the reasons were, it was not important anymore. Their grudge and resentment came to an end with her last breath. 

When he thought of Gu Kewen now, there was no longer hatred in his heart. 

As soon as they left Shi Boren’s office, Liang Siyao quickly pulled Xia Lei into her office. 

“Boss Shi means well, do follow his words and not appear in public for now,” urged Liang Siyao softly. 

“I know, don’t worry.” Xia Lei spoke in an assuring voice. 

“I swear I’ll find out who betrayed you. Just give me some time, okay?” said Liang Siyao. 

“Don’t be hasty, I can handle this myself. They wouldn’t dare to do anything to me, but there’s no guarantee that they won’t do anything to you.”

“If I find myself in trouble, would you rescue me?”

Xia Lei furrowed his brows. “You know the answer.” 

Liang Siyao embraced him 

Xia Lei stared blankly, not knowing if he should push her away. 

“Go back, I’ll come and find you when I have more information,” Liang Siyao whispered into his ear.

“You’re really going to investigate this?” 

“Yeah, that’s the least I can do.”

Knock knock knock.

The rapping of knuckles resounded from outside the door 

“Lei Zi, it’s time to leave.” It was Long Bing. “I’ll send you back.” 

Liang Siyao quickly let go of Xia Lei. 

“I’ll be leaving now,” muttered Xia Lei as he averted his gaze to the floor. He was weak against Liang Siyao’s passionate gaze. 

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