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

There weren't many crew members in the corridor; most were busy moving supplies, and no one noticed his unusual behavior.

He walked quickly to the stern of the ship, and after confirming that no one was around, he quickly opened the window of the restroom—the most secluded spot at the stern, overlooking the sea and far from the crew's activity area, making it the best place for the puppet to escape.

He peered out at the sea; the night was deep, the water shimmering under the moonlight, and the lights of the Yan Kingdom's fleet were faintly visible in the distance. He took a deep breath, controlled the puppet to climb onto the window, and then leaped into the sea.

"thump"

With a thud, the puppet fell into the water, creating a small ripple. Yang Xia immediately manipulated the puppet to swim towards the Yan Kingdom's fleet at an astonishing speed—he knew that time was running out.

Sure enough, just as the puppet swam about fifty meters, a notification sounded in his mind again: "Countdown over, puppet is beginning to dissipate."

Immediately afterward, the puppet in the water began to change—first its limbs became transparent, then its torso, and finally even its head gradually melted into the seawater, as if it had never existed. The instant the puppet vanished, Yang Xia's consciousness was pulled back to reality, abruptly returning to his body.

He slowly opened his eyes and found himself sitting in the cabin of a Yan Kingdom fleet, with Meng Yin anxiously sitting opposite him. Seeing him awake, Meng Yin immediately stood up and asked, "My lord, you're awake? How's the situation with the puppets? Have they been exposed?"

Yang Xia rubbed his throbbing temples, a relieved smile appearing on his face: "Don't worry, we haven't been exposed. The puppet escaped successfully, and I've already gathered all the supplies in the Nebula Kingdom's cargo hold—the situation is more serious than we imagined."

He paused, then relayed the quantities of supplies he had memorized to Meng Yin: "The Xingyun Kingdom ship has 300 rifles, 50,000 rounds of ammunition, 200 phosphorus bombs, 10 heavy machine guns, and 50 mortar shells, and possibly even explosive charges. In addition, they are carrying enough medical supplies for a battalion to use for three months. Clearly, they are preparing to attack Yan Kingdom, and their target is likely the eastern port."

Upon hearing this, Meng Yin's expression instantly turned grave: "So many heavy weapons? If these weapons are really transported to the eastern port, the consequences will be unimaginable! Sir, we must take immediate action and not let them succeed!"

"I know."

Yang Xia nodded, stood up, and walked to the window, gazing in the direction of the Nebula Kingdom's fleet in the distance. In the darkness, the Nebula Kingdom's ships resembled black behemoths, silently resting on the sea; no one knew what these "behemoths" were.

Inside its belly lay weapons powerful enough to destroy a port.

His fingers tapped lightly on the windowsill as his mind raced, searching for a solution. A direct attack? No, the Nebula Kingdom's ship was armed with heavy machine guns and mortars; a direct confrontation would result in heavy casualties. Sending someone to sabotage the cargo? The cargo hold was heavily guarded, and the puppet had already been exposed once; sending someone again was too risky. Waiting for naval support? The navy wouldn't arrive until tomorrow morning at the earliest, and if the Nebula Kingdom set off for the eastern port tonight, they might not be able to intercept them in time.

"Is there no other way?"

Mengyin asked anxiously from the side.

Yang Xia didn't answer immediately, but fell into deep thought. He recalled the scene he had seen in the cargo hold: weapons were neatly stacked in wooden crates, each crate secured with brass nails, and ammunition boxes stained with machine oil needed to be carefully wiped with cotton cloths—machine oil! Suddenly, a crucial piece of information came to his mind.

"Mengyin, do you remember I said before that the Nebula Kingdom's ammunition boxes were stained with engine oil?"

Yang Xia turned to look at Meng Yin, a hint of excitement in his eyes. "Although machine oil can cause ammunition to become damp, it's highly flammable if it comes into contact with an open flame! Moreover, phosphorus bombs are extremely flammable. If we could get the machine oil into contact with the phosphorus bomb and then ignite it..."

Meng Yin immediately understood his meaning, and his eyes lit up: "Sir, you mean we can use engine oil to ignite the weapons in the cargo hold, and let their weapons burn themselves?"

"That's right!"

Yang Xia nodded. "The cargo hold of the Nebula Nation is full of weapons and engine oil. Once it catches fire, the fire will spread rapidly, and they won't have time to put it out. Moreover, the phosphorus bombs will explode when they come into contact with the fire, turning the entire cargo hold into a sea of ​​flames. Their weapons will not only be unusable, but will also be completely destroyed!"

"But how can we set the cargo hold on fire?"

Mengyin raised a new question: "The cargo hold is heavily guarded now, we can't get close at all, let alone start a fire."

Yang Xia's lips curled into a cold smile as he pointed to the Nebula Kingdom fleet in the distance: "We don't need to get close. Remember what we discovered earlier—that the Nebula Kingdom fleet had made contact with the small boats on Black Reef Island? There are many abandoned wooden houses near Black Reef Island, which should contain flammable wood and kerosene. We can send a small boat, carrying kerosene and tinder, to quietly approach the stern of the Nebula Kingdom's ship. We can use the ventilation vents at the stern to pour the kerosene in, and then ignite the tinder—the ventilation vents are connected to the cargo hold. Once the kerosene burns, it will quickly ignite the engine oil and phosphorus bombs in the cargo hold."

He paused, then added, “Moreover, the sea breeze is very strong tonight, and the fire will spread with the help of the wind. Even if they wanted to put it out, they wouldn’t have time. Most importantly, this way we won’t expose our identities. They will only think that the engine oil in the cargo hold accidentally came into contact with an open flame and caused the fire—after all, they did have a previous case of ‘oil seepage through the tarpaulin,’ so this excuse is reasonable.”

Upon hearing this, Mengyin excitedly exclaimed, "My lord, this plan is brilliant! We can completely destroy their weapons without engaging in a direct confrontation, and we won't expose ourselves! Let's prepare now!"

"Don't worry."

Yang Xia raised his hand to stop him. "We need to first confirm the location of the Nebula Kingdom's stern ventilation shaft and the movement of the small boats on Black Reef Island. In addition, the sailors sent to carry out the mission must be the best swimmers and the most agile, and they must carry signal flares. Once the mission is completed, they should send a signal and we should immediately withdraw to avoid being discovered by the Nebula Kingdom's fleet."

He walked to the table, spread out the nautical chart, and pointed to the location of the Nebula Kingdom fleet: "Go and select ten elite sailors. Have them prepare small boats, kerosene, tinder, and signal flares, and wait at the stern. I'll contact Ni Qing and have her take stock of the ship's first-aid supplies, so that anyone injured during the mission can be treated promptly. Also, have Su Qi go to the deck to observe the Nebula Kingdom fleet's movements, especially the ventilation openings at the stern; make sure their location is accurate."

"Yes! I'll do it right away!"

Meng Yin immediately turned and left, his steps light and quick, clearly full of confidence in the plan.

Yang Xia was left alone in the cabin. He stared at the Nebula Kingdom's fleet on the nautical chart, his gaze growing increasingly resolute. The Nebula Kingdom's conspiracy had been exposed, and these weapons must not be used to harm the people of Yan Kingdom. Tonight was the perfect opportunity to thwart their plot.

He glanced at his pocket watch; the hour hand pointed to one in the morning—just half an hour since the puppets had vanished, and six hours until naval reinforcements arrived. Time was of the essence, but he was confident that with a meticulous plan, success was assured.

"John, do you think these weapons will help you defeat Yan?"

Yang Xia silently vowed to himself, "Tonight, I'll show you what it means to 'play with fire and get burned.'"

He stood up, straightened his clothes, and walked towards the deck. He needed to personally check the readiness of the small boat and observe the ventilation openings at the stern of the Nebula Kingdom's ship with Su Qi—every detail had to be perfect, as it would determine the success or failure of the entire plan.

The sea breeze on the deck remained biting, carrying the salty taste of the sea. Yang Xia gazed at the lights of the Nebula Kingdom fleet in the distance, his heart filled with no fear, only unwavering determination. He knew that the next few hours would be a race against time, and a battle against conspiracy. But for the safety of Yan Kingdom, he had to give it his all.

Just as Yang Xia was deep in thought, Meng Yin suddenly knocked on the door.

Yang Xia glanced up and slowly replied, "Come in..."

Meng Yin pushed open the door and entered. Seeing that Yang Xia seemed to be pondering something important, he quickly walked to his side.

"what's up?"

Yang Xia asked with a surprised expression.

"Your Majesty... We have just received news that Captain John of the Nebula Kingdom has requested to borrow some rainproof and moisture-proof tarpaulins from our fleet."

"They also said that some of their cargo had been contaminated and corroded, and pleaded with Your Majesty for help."

"Your Majesty, I have come to inquire about your opinion."

Meng Yin reported solemnly, and Yang Xia listened intently.

Upon hearing Meng Yin's words, a cold smile crept onto Yang Xia's lips.

"Humph……"

"They've finally arrived... I thought the Nebula Kingdom was so powerful, but in the end, they're the ones bowing their heads and asking for help." Meng Yin was puzzled when he heard Yang Xia say this, and he was somewhat at a loss for words.

He always felt that Yang Xia was mysterious, as if he had already figured out the details of the Nebula Kingdom's ship.

Before Meng Yin could ask any further questions, Yang Xia turned around and gave the order:

"Alright... Since the Nebula Kingdom has asked for your help, our Great Zhou Dynasty will naturally respond to your request."

“Since Captain John has asked, I will definitely help him.”

"Go and get them some oilcloth to help them through this difficult time."

"Yes, Your Majesty! I will take care of it immediately."

A smile flickered across Yang Xia's face, for he knew perfectly well what Captain John intended to do with these oilcloths.

After receiving the order, Mengyin was about to turn around and relay it to John, instructing him to prepare the necessary oilcloth as soon as possible.

Just as he was about to step out of the room, Yang Xia suddenly called out to him with a look of delight: "Mengyin, wait..."

Yang Xia suddenly spoke up to stop him, and Meng Yin turned around in surprise to look at him.

"Your Majesty... is there anything else you require? Please give your instructions."

"Does Your Majesty intend to retract your order? I also believe that we should not lend it to them; we should clean up our own mess."

Hearing Meng Yin's words, Yang Xia smiled mysteriously, approached him, and whispered in a low voice:
“Here’s what we’ll do… Although I promised to lend Captain John the tarpaulin, you’ll have to do something with it beforehand.”

"Tampering with things... Your Majesty, what is the meaning of this?"

Mengyin looked puzzled.

Yang Xia smiled and said, "What's so surprising? Can't you do something underhanded?"

“I command you to make five small holes in each of the four corners of the oilcloth with a very fine needle.”

"In this way, the tarpaulin will not break immediately, but its durability and stability in terms of rain and moisture protection will be greatly reduced."

"Do as I instruct, and remember... use an extremely fine needle to make five small holes."

Yang Xia repeatedly gave instructions, as if this matter was of utmost importance.

When Meng Yin heard Yang Xia say these words, he was greatly shocked and couldn't understand what Yang Xia was up to.

Despite his curiosity and doubts, Meng Yin did as Yang Xia asked.

He knew that Yang Xia's actions must have a deeper meaning, but he didn't want to ask too many questions, lest he appear foolish.

Meng Yin quickly left the cabin, keeping Yang Xia's words in mind, and secretly tampered with the oilcloth.

He then delivered the tampered oilcloth to John, who was extremely grateful for Yang Xia's willingness to help.

"Yang Xia... thank you so much, thank you for your timely help!"

"Rest assured, we will never use your things for free. No matter how much compensation you ask for, we are willing to pay."

“Just name your price, and I will pay it in full.”

Upon hearing John's words, Yang Xia waved his hand amicably and said, "Captain John, you're too kind. We're just helping each other out."

"Why would I want any reward? You're being too polite. It's just a few pieces of oilcloth, nothing at all."

"I'm happy to be able to help you."

Yang Xia politely declined John's offer of payment, exchanged pleasantries with him for a while, and then returned to his cabin in a cheerful mood.

Meng Yin remained puzzled, unable to understand why Yang Xia would tamper with the oilcloth.

Unable to contain his curiosity any longer, he finally asked, "Your Majesty... I still can't understand why you would tamper with the oilcloth?"

Yang Xia smiled slightly and explained, "Because I discovered John's conspiracy—their ship's hold was full of guns and ammunition, all weapons."

After hearing Yang Xia's story, Meng Yin was utterly shocked, never expecting this...

Yang Xia managed to find out about the cargo in John's hold so quietly, and in such a short time.

Meng Yin looked at Yang Xia in disbelief and said, "Your Majesty...you are too amazing! You found out about the other party's background so quickly!"

"I bet John couldn't have predicted this even if he racked his brains."

"However, I am still surprised. Could it be that their entire ship is loaded with weapons and ammunition? Is there nothing else?"

Yang Xia nodded slowly and told Meng Yin everything he had seen.

Meng was taken aback and hurriedly asked, "Your Majesty... what are your plans next?"

"If they are indeed transporting firearms and ammunition, and if this batch of weapons successfully enters a certain place in Yan, the subsequent war situation will likely be very unfavorable to Yan."

"We can't just stand by and watch these people run rampant and bully Yan Kingdom. We have to find a way to thwart their conspiracy!"

Meng Yin spoke with a solemn expression, trying hard to think of a more comprehensive solution.

At that time, we may be able to offer advice to Yang Xia to thwart their conspiracy as soon as possible and prevent them from posing a threat to Yan Kingdom.

After hearing Meng Yin's words, Yang Xia's face darkened, and his sharp gaze fixed on the other side's ship.

"What you're saying, I understand perfectly well. I see it all clearly, but now is not the time to act." (End of Chapter)