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

So he changed the subject at the right time: "Captain John, since the cargo is fine, let's not dwell on this. It's rare for our two fleets to be traveling together, so how about I treat you and your crew to a couple of drinks tonight as an apology for making you anxious earlier?"

John, who was looking for an opportunity to slip away, immediately said upon hearing this, "No, no, Mr. Yang Xia, you're too kind. I have some things to take care of, and I need to check the cargo hold again, so I won't bother you any longer."

He was afraid that Yang Xia would bring up the matter of going to the cargo hold again, so he took two steps back after speaking, as if he was about to leave.

Yang Xia didn't try to stop him, and nodded with a smile: "Since you're busy, I won't keep you any longer. If there's anything I can help with, just let me know. We're neighbors, no need to be so polite."

John nodded hurriedly, saying "thank you," but his steps didn't falter as he walked towards the cabin door. He walked quickly and hurriedly, as if a raging flood was chasing him, and even his farewell seemed somewhat rushed.

Watching John's disheveled figure disappear, Yang Xia's smile faded, replaced by a serious expression. He knew John wouldn't let this go easily; this "oilcloth incident" would only make John more vigilant. In the future, investigating the cargo hold would likely become even more difficult.

"Sir, you were absolutely amazing just now!"

Meng Yin leaned closer, his face full of admiration. "He silenced John with just a few words and made him afraid to mention the cargo hold. That was so satisfying!"

Yang Xia shook his head and said seriously, "Don't be too happy yet. Although John suffered a loss this time, he certainly won't give up. From now on, we need to be more careful and keep a close eye on the movements of the Nebula Kingdom's fleet. Especially the cargo hold, we must find out exactly how many weapons are hidden there and where their destination is."

Meng Yin nodded: "Don't worry, I've already arranged for people to keep an eye on them. We'll know immediately if they make any move."

Yang Xia hummed in agreement, his gaze drifting towards the Nebula Kingdom's fleet outside the window. Night was deepening, and the wind on the sea was growing stronger, as if foreshadowing an impending storm. He knew that this contest with the Nebula Kingdom had only just begun.

Meanwhile, back in his cabin, John could no longer contain himself and kicked over the chair in front of him. The teacup on the table shattered on the floor, scalding hot tea splashing everywhere.

"Bastard! Yang Xia is a bastard!"

He was trembling with rage, his voice filled with fury, "How dare they play me like this! They even tried to sneak a peek into the cargo hold, do they really think I'm a fool?"

The lieutenant quickly stepped forward and said cautiously, "Captain, please don't be angry. Although Yang Xia is cunning, we haven't suffered too much. At least, he didn't see what was in the cargo hold, nor did he find any evidence against us."

"You didn't suffer any loss?"

John sneered and pointed outside, saying, "So much ammunition in the cargo hold got damp, how can you say we didn't suffer a loss? Besides, just now in front of so many crew members, Yang Xia left me speechless, I completely lost face! Do you know that?"

The adjutant dared not speak further, and could only lower his head, silently cleaning up the broken pieces on the ground. He knew that nothing he said now could quell John's anger.

John took a few breaths and gradually calmed down. He knew that getting angry now was useless; the most urgent thing was to figure out how to deal with the damaged goods and at the same time strengthen security to prevent Yang Xia from making any more moves.

"Go check the cargo hold and see if the damaged ammunition is still usable."

John instructed, his tone regaining some of its calmness, "If it's usable, dry it and put it away quickly; if it's not usable, find a place to hide it so no one can see it. Also, strengthen the guard on the deck and in the cargo hold, and don't allow anyone to approach the cargo hold, especially Yang Xia's men."

"Yes, Captain!"

The adjutant quickly agreed and turned to leave the cabin.

John walked to the window, gazing at the lights of the Yan Kingdom fleet in the distance, his eyes filled with a sinister glint. He knew this confrontation was far from over. He would have to be even more cautious and careful to ensure the goods reached their destination safely and to complete the mission entrusted to him by the Nebula Kingdom.

"Yang Xia, we'll see."

John muttered to himself, "Next time we meet, I'll make sure you know what happens when you offend me!"

Yang Xia stood on the deck, gazing at the starry sky, lost in thought. He wondered what John would do next, what would happen to the damaged cargo, and what their destination was. These questions swirled in his mind, making him increasingly certain that this voyage would be anything but peaceful.

“Darkness,”

Yang Xia turned around and said to Meng Yin beside him, "Arrange for a few people to take turns watching the cargo hold of Xingyun Kingdom tonight. If they find any signs that they are moving goods or destroying evidence, report to me immediately."

"Yes, my lord!"

Mengyin immediately responded.

Yang Xia nodded, his gaze returning to the direction of the Nebula Kingdom's fleet. He knew the days to come would be even more difficult and dangerous. But he would never back down. For the safety of Yan Kingdom, and to prevent the Nebula Kingdom's conspiracy from succeeding, he had to persevere until all the secrets were revealed and all the conspiracies were shattered. Night deepened, the wind on the sea grew stronger, and the waves crashed against the ships, creating a resounding crash. The two fleets lay silently anchored on the sea, seemingly calm, but undercurrents were surging. A war without gunpowder was quietly unfolding.

"How about this... we can talk another day. I have some things to take care of, so I'll head back now."

"How about this... we can talk another day. I have some things to take care of, so I'll head back now."

As soon as he finished speaking, John turned and led his crew away quickly, his steps so hurried they seemed almost disheveled, as he hurried to his own ship. Ropes scattered from their earlier discussion still lay on the deck, swaying gently in the sea breeze, but John didn't even glance at them, his mind solely focused on hurrying towards the cabin, as if something was chasing him.

Yang Xia had originally intended to go forward and say a few more words, after all, although their positions differed, their conversation had still contained some information worth exploring. However, he had only taken half a step forward when he saw John's figure already disappear into the cabin entrance, his hurried manner clearly indicating he didn't want to linger any longer. Seeing this, Yang Xia had no choice but to stop and nod slightly in the direction John had left, tacitly acknowledging his departure.

"Captain John, please take care! If you have time in the future, our Yan Kingdom will welcome you anytime!"

"Don't forget to come over for a visit sometime. I'll be waiting for you at the port of Yan!"

Yang Xia deliberately raised his voice, letting his words drift on the sea breeze towards John's ship. He knew John was most likely at the cabin door, and these polite yet subtly cautionary words would surely reach his ears. Sure enough, a moment later, John paused for a second at the cabin door. Though he didn't turn around, his slightly tense shoulders betrayed his reaction to the words.

John felt a surge of anger rush to his head, his face instantly turning ashen. He clenched his fists so tightly his knuckles turned white, but he couldn't utter a single word. He truly hadn't expected Yang Xia to say such a thing at this moment, clearly a deliberate reminder of their respective positions. Yet, he couldn't refute it. He could only grit his teeth, turn around, and walk into the cabin, urging the crew to prepare for departure as quickly as possible.

Just as John's crew were busy checking the anchor and coiling up the mooring lines, only a few minutes remained until the storm's arrival time, which Yang Xia had previously calculated based on maritime weather patterns.

The once calm sea was suddenly stirred by a growing breeze, which carried the salty scent of the sea across the decks of the two ships. The humidity in the air was also quietly rising, and the metal railings on the decks were soon covered with a fine layer of water droplets, which felt cool and damp to the touch.

In just fifteen minutes, the sea suddenly became much larger. What had previously been ankle-deep waves had now surged to three meters high, forming towering, grayish-white walls of water that crashed violently against Yang Xia and John's fleets. The ships rocked violently in the waves, the wooden barrels and ropes on deck swaying and clanging loudly.

The crashing sounds were so loud that even the crew members standing on the deck had to hold onto something secure to maintain their balance.

John heard the commotion on deck and hurriedly came out of his cabin. When he saw the sudden change in the weather at sea, he couldn't help but sigh heavily, his face full of helplessness. He said to the first mate beside him, "Sigh, the weather at sea really changes in an instant. Just a moment ago it was clear and sunny, how come it's suddenly become a raging storm?"

He wiped the rain off his face, his brows furrowed, and his voice tinged with lingering fear: "Sailing on this sea is truly terrifying; a slight misstep could lead to disaster."

No sooner had he finished speaking than John seemed to suddenly remember something, his expression changed, and he hurriedly shouted to the crew, "Men! Quickly! Go to the hold immediately and make sure those goods are properly secured. There can be absolutely no mishaps!"

He paused, his expression turning extremely serious, and added in a more emphasizing tone, "If any of these goods are damaged, the lives of everyone on this ship might be in danger. Do you all understand?"

As soon as John gave the order, the crew members didn't dare to delay and rushed into the hold. Some were busy securing the cargo to the corners of the hold with planks, others found thick tarpaulins to cover the cargo, and still others were wiping away rainwater that had accidentally splashed onto the cargo. The entire hold was a flurry of activity. Only after confirming that all the cargo was properly protected did everyone breathe a sigh of relief, wipe the sweat from their brows, and return to the deck to face the wind and waves.

In fact, Yang Xia deliberately calculated the storm's arrival time to be half an hour after John's fleet left, with a very clear purpose from the beginning. He had calculated that after John and his crew hurriedly returned to the ship, they would not have time to carefully cover and protect the remaining guns and ammunition in the cabin with special tarpaulins.

Yang Xia knew very well that these guns and ammunition were precision instruments, and once exposed to humid air and rain, they would easily become damp and rusty, or even malfunction. Therefore, he planned to use this sudden storm and the surge in humidity to damage John's important cargo. This was the core purpose of Yang Xia's meticulously planned scheme: to create trouble for John's fleet and delay their journey without directly clashing with it.

Thinking of this, Yang Xia stood at the bow of his own ship, watching the busy figures of John's fleet, a cold smile involuntarily curling at the corner of his mouth. He thought to himself, "John, I'd like to see what kind of expression you'll have if the remaining guns and ammunition in your hands really get wet and damaged by the seawater this time."

"You looked so pale when I talked to you before. If there's really a problem with the goods this time, will your pale face turn purple? I'm really curious."

"You think you can get these guns and ammunition to the designated location smoothly? It's not that easy. I'm going to find out what kind of evil scheme you're plotting and I won't let you succeed."

"We'll see. As long as I'm here, I will never let your Nebula Kingdom use these weapons to cause trouble for our Yan Kingdom!"

Yang Xia had already made his plans. He was very familiar with the characteristics of firearms and ammunition, and he knew very well that once these weapons got damp, they would not only lose their original power, but they would also be prone to spontaneous explosion due to rust during subsequent handling and use, which would be a real danger to life.

This was Yang Xia's ultimate goal. He didn't seek to completely destroy John's fleet in one fell swoop; he only hoped that the storm would achieve his intended effect and cause problems in John's plan. He stood at the bow, his eyes fixed on John's fleet, silently praying that everything would go as he wished and that his goal would be achieved smoothly.

However, things did not go as smoothly as Yang Xia had expected. This time, his meticulously designed plan ultimately fell far short of his expectations, and in fact, it could be said that it left him somewhat disappointed.

Faced with the sudden storm, John showed no panic, but calmly directed his crew to respond. Judging from the decisiveness of his orders and the skill with which his crew carried out the task, they had clearly prepared for unexpected weather at sea. This time, John was undoubtedly more astute; he had ordered his crew in advance to use the thick tarpaulins and waterproof sheets in the hold to thoroughly wrap and protect the guns and ammunition, and even placed several boxes of desiccant around the cargo.

Therefore, even though this small storm came quickly and fiercely, with huge waves crashing into the cabins several times and splashing in a lot of seawater, the crews of both fleets were soaked to the bone by the wind and rain, their clothes clinging to their bodies, shivering with cold. Many items on deck were also swept into the sea by the waves, resulting in considerable losses. (End of Chapter)