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

"Since we haven't yet figured out their overall plan and only know about the supplies they're transporting, taking any rash action now would only alert them."

“Once the other side becomes aware of it, it will be extremely difficult for us to find out their specific plans. This will not only fail to help Yan Kingdom, but will also disrupt the overall situation.”

"We must not nip their first step in the bud right now; doing so would only make Yan's situation more difficult."

Yang Xia had analyzed the situation clearly and had a complete plan in mind.

Therefore, when Mengyin brought up this matter, Yang Xia's answer was resolute. Mengyin listened carefully to Yang Xia's analysis and also felt that it made sense.

He couldn't help but feel a little helpless, and even more anxious.

Meng Yin sighed and said indignantly, "I never imagined that the Nebula Kingdom could be so despicable and shameless!"

"So they've been itching to make a move all along, but they've been putting on a show for it. What a hypocritical nation!"

"I'm actually a little worried for Yan Kingdom. Perhaps they don't even realize how serious the situation is, let alone know that Xingyun Kingdom harbors malicious intentions."

Seeing the worry on Meng Yin's face, Yang Xia slowly walked to his side.

He glanced at Meng Yin and said unhurriedly, "There's no need to worry too much. Just proceed according to plan."

"Remember this—without my order, no one is to give anything away, and we must never let the other side see through our disguise."

Meng Yin, having received Yang Xia's instructions, naturally knew that this matter was of great importance, concerning the safety of the Great Zhou Dynasty and the Yan Kingdom, and could not afford the slightest mistake.

They were not to be allowed to act on their own. Meng Yin hurriedly nodded to Yang Xia and replied, "Yes, Your Majesty! I will make the arrangements immediately."

"We must not let them reveal any flaws, and we must do everything in accordance with the king's orders."

Yang Xia nodded in satisfaction. Just then, the batch of oilcloth that Yang Xia had given to John was delivered to the Nebula Kingdom's cargo ship.

John, beaming with delight, ordered his crew, "Quickly! Lay these tarpaulins back on the bottom of the ship and get those weapons sorted out!"

Under John's command, the group quickly laid out the tarpaulin and recounted and put away the weapons.

John breathed a sigh of relief once everything was settled.

Before he could even rest, a crew member came running up in a panic, looking terrified.

John immediately sensed something was wrong and demanded sharply, "What's the panic! What happened?"

When the crew saw John, they hesitated for a moment, but finally mustered their courage and urgently reported:

"Captain John... Something's wrong! We just went to look for First Mate Louis, but we couldn't find him anywhere on the ship!"

"Do you think something might happen to him? In the blink of an eye, where could he possibly run off to?"

John was greatly surprised when he heard this news.

"What... Louis is missing? How is that possible!"

John was utterly astonished, and he tried to recall the whole story in his mind.

“Something’s not right… When did you realize Louis was missing? I saw him just a short while ago.”

"He was the first to discover the problem with the cargo in the hold and then came to report it to me. How could he suddenly disappear without a trace?"

"Have you searched thoroughly? Did he sneak off somewhere to slack off? How could a grown man just disappear into thin air!"

John found it hard to believe, and the crew member, hearing his question, replied nervously:
"We've been searching for quite a while, but we haven't seen a trace of him at all."

"What else could it be but disappearance? We only had a few ships, and they were all completely destroyed."

After hearing the crew's answer, John immediately turned a suspicious look to Yang Xia's fleet.

"Could they be behind this...? It seems we've fallen into their trap."

"So the fleet of the Great Zhou Dynasty is really something, actually resorting to such underhanded tricks against me. You just wait and see."

John made a silent vow in his heart; he had made his decision.

"Somebody come!"

"Captain John, what are your orders?"

"Search! Turn the ship upside down, find Louis!"

“I want to see where he’s hiding. There’s definitely something fishy going on here.”

"How could it just disappear like that? Go search! What are you all standing there for!"

John was furious, and the crew dared not delay. They immediately scattered and began to thoroughly search every corner.

Ultimately, John's men found Louis, who had been gagged and was unconscious, in a nearby shipping container.

John glared angrily at the scene before him and shouted, "Get him out here! This is outrageous!"

"Who did this? How could someone have gagged him and locked him in the shipping container?"

The crew members looked at each other, none of them knowing the reason.

After Louis was rescued, an enraged John slapped him twice.

Louis, who was unconscious, was suddenly awakened. He looked at the crew member and John in front of him with a dazed expression.

Louis rubbed his aching head and asked, puzzled, "What's wrong with me... why are you all looking at me like that?"

John, enraged, demanded, "Tell me! What happened? Someone reported you missing, and then they found you gagged and stuffed into this container!"

"Think carefully, see if you can remember anything? Who did it?"

Upon hearing John's question, Louis began to try to recall, and a picture gradually emerged in his mind.

“Captain John… It’s really strange, but when I got here, I saw someone who looked exactly like me.”

"I was startled at the time, but I immediately realized something was wrong. Just as I was about to call for help, I was suddenly knocked unconscious from behind."

"I don't know what happened after that. I was unconscious until you pulled me out of here."

Louis recounted his experience. When John heard him say that he had seen someone who looked exactly like him, everyone looked incredulous, even thinking that Louis had been so shocked that he had gone insane.

The crew members began to discuss it amongst themselves, but Captain John, though silent, kept it in mind.

He slowly walked up to Louis and asked with a serious expression:

"Are you sure you really saw someone who looks exactly like you? Are you sure you're conscious right now?"

"You can't talk nonsense, this matter is of great importance."

Louis nodded vigorously and said, "Captain John, everything I said is true. I really saw someone who looked exactly like me!"

"I couldn't believe it myself at the time, I was really shocked."

John's face darkened instantly after receiving a positive reply from Louis.

"Damn it...it looks like we've fallen for their trap!"

"Quick! Get those tarpaulins out of the cargo hold! It'll be too late if we wait any longer!" John ordered anxiously, and the crew immediately sprang into action. Although they were still completely bewildered, the sight before them when they opened the cargo hold astonished them.

John roared in exasperation, "I never expected it would be so late!"

"Damn it... absolutely despicable! I will never let them off easily; they must pay the price!"

"I will make them pay back double for the goods we lost!"

John's rage swept across the deck like a storm, leaving the crew looking at each other in bewilderment and fear, completely clueless about what had happened.

However, when they saw the damp, moldy, and rusty goods with their own eyes, they couldn't help but feel indignant.

"How could this happen... Logically speaking, this kind of problem shouldn't have occurred at all. We clearly took thorough precautions before loading the cargo."

"It's really strange that such a basic mistake keeps happening. Is someone sabotaging us behind the scenes?"

"It seems that things are not simple at all, and it is probably related to Louis being kidnapped."

"Could it all be the Great Zhou Dynasty's fleet? But we haven't detected anything unusual..."

The crew members discussed the situation amongst themselves, each caught off guard by this sudden turn of events.

John, however, had long harbored deep suspicions—he was almost certain that all of this was the work of the Great Zhou Dynasty's fleet.

He glared angrily at the direction of Yang Xia's fleet, while personally inspecting the tarpaulins that had just been removed.

On the surface, the tarpaulin appeared to be intact, but little did he know—

These oilcloths, which Yang Xia had ordered his men to tamper with long ago, had almost invisible holes pricked in their four corners with extremely fine needles. The oil, originally intended to prevent moisture, had been slowly seeping out without anyone noticing.

It was these "gifts" that caused the weapons and ammunition in their cabins to be corroded by moisture once again.

Although John reacted quickly and ordered immediate rescue efforts, the damage had already been done.

Louis, standing nearby, frowned as he looked at the mess in the cargo hold and asked John:

"Captain John... what on earth is going on? Why are these strange things happening one after another? Could it be that our cargo... has been targeted all along?"

John, enraged by Louis's question, whirled around and roared:
"Nonsense! Isn't it obvious?! The cargo hold was exposed long ago! I really don't know what you guys are good for!"

"We didn't even notice, we just watched them tamper with things! It's ridiculous!"

John was agitated and berated everyone, as if trying to shift all the blame onto his subordinates.

But he also felt a little relieved—thankfully, the crew discovered Louis's disappearance in time and found him successfully, thus exposing the other party's trick.

John gazed at the damaged munitions before him and sighed deeply, saying:
"Fortunately, it wasn't discovered too late, and only some of the guns and ammunition were lost."

"If we had been any later, the entire shipment would have been scrapped, and then... none of us could bear that responsibility!"

His tone was heavy, each word striking a chord in everyone's hearts. The crew remained silent, none daring to utter a word, for fear of provoking John's further anger.

Everyone just kept their heads down, anxiously awaiting their fate.

John was heartbroken—nearly 30% of the corroded weapons before him had been lost.

This enraged him to the point of finally erupting:
"Have you all seen this clearly?! This is the cargo you've been guarding day and night! It's been tampered with right under your noses!"

"Can anyone give me an explanation?! Tell me! How did this happen?!"

"This is outrageous! They can't even do the most basic moisture-proofing, allowing the people of the Great Zhou Dynasty to take advantage of the situation!"

"What use are you all?! What are you still standing here for?! -- All of you, pick up your weapons! Today, I will annihilate this fleet of the Great Zhou Dynasty!"

"I will make them pay for everything they've done! I'll show them that things from Nebula Kingdom—are not something anyone can just touch!"

At this moment, John appeared exceptionally dignified and imposing, his words revealing the captain's authority and decisiveness.

John's deputy, seeing his fury, wanted to step forward to mediate, but John didn't give him a chance to speak.

The deputy had no choice but to step down, shaking his head and sighing.

Upon hearing John's command, the crew members raised their weapons, fully armed and ready to go, displaying a menacing demeanor.

And on the other side-

Yang Xia, however, was leisurely leaning against the deck in the cabin, sipping tea and enjoying the tranquil view of the sea and sky outside the window, completely unaware that John was in complete chaos and furious.

Yu Meiren stood quietly on the deck, constantly watching her surroundings, her expression alert.

With the voyage about to enter Yan Kingdom's waters, at this crucial juncture, no mistakes can be tolerated.

Otherwise, the entire plan will be affected, and the trip will inevitably be delayed.

John gave a stern order, commanding the crew to act according to his plan.

The crowd was united in their hatred of the enemy and vowed to seek justice.

They had gone through so much trouble to transport this batch of weapons, carrying the hopes of the Nebula Nation, and now nearly a third of them had been lost without a trace. Everyone was filled with anger and resentment.

A sense of resentment naturally turned towards Yang Xia's fleet.

At this moment, all they wanted was to follow John and crush the Great Zhou Dynasty's fleet in one fell swoop to vent their hatred.

John's eyes blazed with fury as he glared at Yang Xia's fleet, determined to show no mercy. Yang Xia, hearing John's seemingly casual words, immediately understood—the other side had clearly planned this all along.

Otherwise, they wouldn't have prepared such a comprehensive selection of drinks. Yang Xia, still wearing a humble smile, politely called out to John:

"Captain John... this is really too much for you, we can't accept it."

"Our Great Zhou Dynasty has always valued etiquette, and we should have been the ones to invite you all aboard for a gathering."

"It is only because the voyage is long and we are really short of food and fresh water that we have hesitated to speak up."

"Actually, I have had this thought in my heart for a long time, but I have always found it difficult to say it. I did not expect that Captain John would bring it up first today. It is really our fault."

While dealing with John, Yang Xia secretly stalled for time. Meanwhile, Meng Yin was making arrangements in secret according to his instructions.

Meng Yin made swift and meticulous arrangements to ensure everything went smoothly. After the arrangements were complete, he secretly mobilized his crew to set up an ambush in case of any unforeseen circumstances.

They had already sensed that John's intentions were not good, and that he must have something to do with boarding the ship.

John laughed heartily and replied after hearing Yang Xia's polite words:

"It's alright... We completely understand your difficulties."

"Since the route is long and supplies are not easy to obtain, we should bring our own food and drink. We can't just come empty-handed as guests."

Seeing that John was determined and had no intention of giving up, Yang Xia had no choice but to deal with him while worrying about the progress of preparations in Mengyin.

He had to make sure all the actions were carried out in secret, and that John didn't notice anything amiss.

Yang Xia remained polite as he spoke to John:

"Since that's the case, Captain John is so kind as to refuse. If I were to decline, it would seem like I'm being ungrateful." (End of Chapter)