The boss of a foreign organization called the police, claiming that he was defrauded by me

Upon hearing Meng Yin's question, Yang Xia did not answer immediately but fell into deep thought. His fingers unconsciously tapped lightly on the table as he sorted through the information he currently possessed: the Xingyun Kingdom's fleet was acting suspiciously, its supplies were being guarded tightly, and it was deliberately avoiding other ships... These clues, when pieced together, pointed to a result that was probably not good.

He pondered for a long time, trying to find a way to ascertain the other side's supplies without alerting them. But whether he sent someone to approach stealthily or tried to make contact with the other crew, both seemed to carry significant risks. The other side was so vigilant; the slightest misstep could expose their intentions and even trigger a conflict.

After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Yang Xia slowly raised his head, his eyes filled with a mixture of solemnity and determination. He looked at Meng Yin and solemnly instructed, "Since you also feel that something is wrong with the other side, then we can't let our guard down even more. In any case, we have to find out what they're carrying on their ship."

His gaze fell on the window, and his tone carried a hint of worry: "If those supplies are really harmful to our Yan Kingdom, we must stop them before they make a move. We must not let their conspiracy succeed. But we don't know what they're up to yet, so we can't act rashly. We need to plan carefully."

Seeing that Yang Xia had made up his mind, Meng Yin quickly said, "Lord Yang Xia, please give me your plans, and I will cooperate fully. Whether you need me to gather information or arrange manpower, I can do it."

Yang Xia nodded and said, "Don't rush. The most important thing right now is to further confirm the other side's situation. You continue to keep an eye on them on deck and pay attention to their every move, especially whether they are carrying out any secret operations at night, such as secretly transferring supplies or making contact with other ships. In addition, you can also ask the old sailors on our ship if they have seen similar situations. Perhaps you can get some useful clues from them."

"Okay, I understand!"

Meng Yin immediately replied, "I'll arrange it right away and make sure I don't overlook any detail."

"Um,"

Yang Xia added, "Remember, be extremely careful and don't let them discover our intentions. If you notice anything unusual, come back and tell me immediately, and we'll discuss a solution together."

"Don't worry, I know what to do."

After Mengyin finished speaking, he turned around and walked out of the cabin again, heading towards the deck.

Yang Xia was left alone in the cabin. He walked to the window, gazing at the distant direction of the Nebula Kingdom's fleet, his eyes growing increasingly profound. His fingers gently traced the windowsill, his mind racing with various possibilities: Could the Nebula Kingdom be transporting weapons this time? Or perhaps some kind of special material detrimental to Yan Kingdom? Where did they intend to take these materials, and what were they for?
A series of questions swirled in his mind, but he couldn't find the answers. He knew that to unravel these questions, he needed to find out the supplies in the enemy's hold. But the enemy's defenses were so tight that gathering information silently would be no easy task.

He paced back and forth in the cabin, trying to find a feasible solution. Suddenly, his gaze fell upon a nautical chart on the table. The chart meticulously marked the routes, islands, and reefs in this area. A thought flashed through his mind: Where was the Nebula Kingdom's fleet headed? Could their destination hold the key to solving the mystery?
If we knew their destination, we might be able to deduce the purpose of their transported goods from the information about that destination. But the problem is, how can we know their destination? Although their shipping route is fixed, we currently cannot determine where they will ultimately be heading.

Yang Xia frowned and began to think again. Perhaps he could send someone in a small, fast boat to follow the Nebula Kingdom's fleet at a distance, observing their course until they determined their destination. However, this also carried risks. If they were discovered, it could alert the enemy and even lead to an attack.

Moreover, our own fleet is limited in number, and if we were to send a small boat to track them, we would be ill-equipped to handle any unforeseen circumstances. While this method is feasible, the risks are too great and require careful consideration.

Just as Yang Xia was struggling with his decision, footsteps sounded outside the cabin. He looked up and saw Ni Qing, who was in charge of logistics, walking in. Ni Qing held a list in his hand, walked up to Yang Xia, and said respectfully, "Lord Yang Xia, this is our ship's current supplies list. Please take a look. In addition, our ship's fresh water can last for about ten days, and food can last for about half a month. If we add cured meat and dried goods, it should last for a month. However, if we have to sail for a long time, we will probably need to find a supply point as soon as possible."

Yang Xia took the list, glanced at it briefly, and then said, "Thank you for your hard work. I'm leaving the supplies to you. Make sure the ship has a sufficient supply of provisions and there are no mistakes. As for the resupply points, I will arrange them as soon as possible. Keep an eye out for resupply point information in the nearby waters, and let me know if you find a suitable place."

"Yes, Lord Yang, I'll take care of it right away."

Ni Qing responded and was about to turn and leave when he suddenly stopped as if he remembered something. He said, "By the way, Lord Yang Xia, when I was counting the supplies just now, I heard the sailors on deck talking about something. They said that the Xingyun Kingdom's fleet seemed a bit strange. They couldn't explain the specifics, but they felt that the atmosphere on the other side was very oppressive, unlike a normal transport fleet."

Upon hearing this, Yang Xia's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly asked, "What else did the sailors say? Did they mention any other unusual circumstances surrounding the other fleet?"

Ni Qing thought about it carefully and said, "It seems that someone else said that last night they saw lights flashing on a ship of the Nebula Kingdom fleet, as if it was transmitting some kind of signal, but because it was too far away, they couldn't see it very clearly, and they don't know if it's true. That's all."

"Light signal?"

Yang Xia's eyes lit up slightly; this was indeed an important clue. If the other party was really transmitting signals at night, they were likely contacting other forces or engaging in some kind of secret communication.

He quickly asked, "Do you know which ship emitted the light signal? And exactly where?"

Ni Qing shook his head and said, "I'm not too sure either. Those sailors just mentioned it casually and didn't go into too much detail. If you want to know the specifics, I can ask those sailors."

"Okay, go and ask now. Make sure you find out which ship it was, when it was, what kind of light signal it sent, and whether there were any other ships nearby at the time."

Yang Xia immediately gave the order, his tone tinged with urgency.

"Yes, I'll go right away!"

Ni Qing responded and quickly left the cabin.

Watching Ni Qing's departing figure, Yang Xia's thoughts began to race again. If he could figure out the meaning of the other party's light signals, perhaps he could find a breakthrough. He walked to the table, picked up a pen, and roughly sketched the distribution of the Nebula Kingdom's fleet on a piece of paper, then began to guess which ship was most likely to send the signal.

Just then, Meng Yin returned to the cabin, a hint of excitement on his face: "Lord Yang, I just discovered something else on the deck!"

Yang Xia quickly looked up at him: "What's going on? Tell me quickly!" "It's like this,"

Meng Yin walked up to Yang Xia and said in a low voice, "I just saw one of the ships in the enemy fleet. It seemed like someone had quietly opened a crack in the cabin window. Although it was quickly closed, I could vaguely see some black boxes piled up inside. The boxes looked very heavy, and there seemed to be some strange symbols printed on them. However, it was too far away, so I couldn't see what the symbols were."

"A black box? Strange symbols?"

Yang Xia's eyes sharpened instantly. "Are you sure it's a black box? What do those symbols look like? Are they text or patterns?"

Meng Yin thought about it carefully and said, "It should be a black box, because the sunlight shone through the crack at the time, and I could clearly see the color of the box. As for the symbols, because the window was closed quickly, I couldn't see them very clearly. They just looked like some crooked lines, not like the characters of our Yan Kingdom, nor like the characters commonly used by other countries."

Yang Xia frowned, his doubts deepening. The black box, the strange symbols, the tight security... all these clues seemed to point to an unusual outcome. He had a feeling that the supplies transported by the Nebula Kingdom this time were probably more dangerous than he had imagined.

"Did you see what's in the box?"

Yang Xia asked again.

Meng Yin shook his head: "No, the window was only opened a tiny crack and then quickly closed. I didn't have a chance to see what was inside the box. But judging from the size and weight of the box, it probably doesn't contain ordinary goods."

Yang Xia nodded and didn't press further. He knew that it was already quite an achievement for Meng Yin to have observed all this. He stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the Xingyun Kingdom's fleet again, secretly resolving in his heart: no matter how much effort it took, he had to find out what was inside those boxes.

Just then, Ni Qing returned, his face showing some excitement: "Lord Yang, I've found out! The ship that sent out the light signal last night was the largest ship in the middle of the Xingyun Kingdom's fleet, around midnight. The sailor on night watch said that the ship sent out three short and two long light signals from its cabin, and shortly after the signal was sent, a small boat sailed from the direction of a distant island, quietly approached the large ship, stayed for about fifteen minutes, and then quietly left."

"Three short light signals and two long ones? And a small boat to provide backup?"

Yang Xia's expression grew even more serious. "Which island did that small boat come from? Have you found out?"

"I've found out."

Ni Qing quickly replied, "They came from Black Reef Island in the east. That island is very small, and few ships usually dock there because it is surrounded by reefs, and they could easily run aground and sink."

"Black Reef Island..."

Yang Xia searched his memory for information about the island. He remembered that the island was marked on the nautical chart. Indeed, as Ni Qing said, the island was surrounded by reefs and there were no residents on the island, only some abandoned wooden houses. It was said that these were built by fishermen when they temporarily stopped there in the early years. Later, due to the increasing waves and the danger of the reefs, the fishermen gradually stopped going there.

Yang Xia lightly tapped the location of Black Reef Island on the nautical chart, pondering: the contact between the Nebula Kingdom fleet and the small boat coming from the direction of Black Reef Island late at night was no coincidence. Who were the people on that small boat? What did they exchange with the Nebula Kingdom fleet? These questions, like wisps of fog, made him feel even more compelled to uncover the secrets of the Nebula Kingdom's supplies as soon as possible.

Just then, Meng Yin returned to the cabin and saw Yang Xia staring intently at the nautical chart. He walked up to him and asked, "Lord Yang Xia, are you still pondering the matter of Black Reef Island?"

Yang Xia looked up and gestured for him to sit down, saying, "Well, Ni Qing just brought news that the Nebula Kingdom fleet had contact with small boats heading towards Black Reef Island last night. There must be something going on behind this. But what's more important right now is tonight's plan."

Upon hearing this, Meng Yin's eyes sharpened: "You mean... we should use the cover of night to investigate the enemy's supplies?"

Yang Xia nodded, his tone firm: "The enemy's defenses are tight during the day, so a direct assault is impossible. We can only look for an opportunity after nightfall. I've already come up with a plan, but I need your cooperation."

Meng Yin immediately straightened his back: "Just give me your orders, and I will not fail you!"

"You make the arrangements first,"

Yang Xia lowered his voice, "At midnight tonight, have the crew turn off all the lights on the ship, including the emergency lights on the deck, leaving only a dim indicator light in the helmsman's cabin to ensure navigational safety. Also, have the two best swimmers prepare their diving equipment and stand by on one side of the ship, ready to provide support if needed."

Meng Yin frowned slightly. Although he didn't understand what Yang Xia was planning to do, he knew that this matter was of great importance, so he replied, "Alright, I'll go and arrange it right away. But... the other crew members are extremely vigilant. Won't suddenly extinguishing the lights arouse their suspicion?"

"Doubt is inevitable,"

Yang Xia had already considered this point. "But they can't figure out our intentions, so they will only be more cautious in guarding the supplies, which will make it easier to expose our weaknesses. You just need to tell the crew to stay calm. If the other side sends someone to ask, just say that there is a temporary electrical fault on the ship and it is being repaired. Just buy some time."

Meng Yin suddenly realized and quickly stood up: "I understand! I'll go and inform the crew right away, and remind them to keep their mouths shut and not to leak a single word."

Watching Meng Yin's hurried departure, Yang Xia walked to the window, gazing at the gradually darkening sky. (End of Chapter)