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

Louis flinched at John's furious expression, his hands instinctively clenching the hem of his shirt until his knuckles turned white. Already fearful from being kicked into the sea earlier, he was now even more tense in the face of John's rage, his breathing becoming rapid and his throat feeling blocked, unable to utter a complete sentence for a long time.

John was already irritated by Louis's appearance, but out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of hesitation and urgency in Louis's eyes. It wasn't just simple timidity; it seemed as if Louis truly had something important to say. A thought suddenly struck him, and he instantly suppressed his anger, softening his tone considerably, even adding a touch of deliberate gentleness as he said to Louis, "Don't be nervous. Come and sit down. Sit across from me and we'll talk."

He pointed to the wooden chair opposite him and added, "Whatever important thing you remember, tell me everything clearly. As long as the information is useful, I won't hold your past actions against you."

Louis stood frozen in place, hardly believing his ears. How could John, who had been so fierce just moments before, have changed his attitude so drastically in the blink of an eye? He glanced hesitantly at John, and seeing that the other man's anger had indeed subsided, he carefully moved to the wooden chair and sat down gently, even making the sound of the chair legs scraping against the floor as softly as possible, afraid of upsetting John again.

After settling in, Louis took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves, before looking up at John and slowly saying, "Captain, I remember when I was knocked unconscious last time, I vaguely heard a sentence. The accent was very strange. It was definitely not the language of our Nebula Kingdom, nor was it any other language I had ever heard before."

He paused, a hint of certainty in his eyes, and continued, "Moreover, when we boarded the Yan Kingdom's fleet earlier, I overheard their crew members talking in hushed tones. I didn't pay much attention at the time, but now that I think about it, the tone and pronunciation of their conversation seem to belong to the same language system as the sentence I heard when I was knocked unconscious."

"Although I couldn't understand what the words meant at all, I was certain that the two voices spoke the same language, and I couldn't be mistaken!"

As Louis spoke, he nodded vigorously, as if to emphasize the accuracy of his memory. "I hadn't thought about this before, and I didn't think it was anything special. But just now, I suddenly started thinking about what happened before, and I realized that this might be an important clue, so I came to tell you as soon as possible."

Louis shared all his findings and speculations with a hint of anticipation in his eyes. He hoped the news would help John and also appease John's anger, making his time on the ship easier. Ever since he was kicked into the sea, he had felt that John looked at him with dissatisfaction, and he was always on edge.

John sat opposite, his fingers lightly tapping the table, listening intently to every word Louis said, his expression gradually growing serious. When Louis mentioned that the two voices belonged to the same language, John's pupils contracted slightly, as if stung by something, and a surge of anger instantly welled up inside him. He clenched his fists tightly, gritting his teeth as he cursed, "Damn it! It really was the Yan people pulling the strings behind the scenes!"

“I suspected before that this storm was suspicious, maybe they deliberately set it up. Now it seems that my suspicion was not wrong at all! It’s just that we don’t have any substantial evidence. If we go to confront them now, we will not only not gain anything, but they will also think that we are guilty, which will make us even more difficult to deal with.”

John's voice was full of resentment. He thought he had been careful enough, but he didn't expect that the people from Yan would still take advantage of him.

He frowned and began to analyze Louis's statement carefully: "If it's really as you say, that you heard the language of Yan when you were knocked unconscious, then there must have been people from Yan nearby at the time. In that case..."

Thinking of this, John suddenly stopped talking, his face turning deathly pale, his eyes filled with disbelief. He looked up sharply at Louis, his voice trembling as he asked, "Oh no! If we follow this line of reasoning, when you were knocked unconscious, did the person impersonating you already sneak into our cabin?"

"Could it be... that they already knew what was in our ship's hold?"

The moment the words left his mouth, John's heart raced, and his palms broke out in a cold sweat. He had been worried about the cargo's safety, but he had never considered the possibility of someone infiltrating the hold.

Thinking about it this way, Louis's words are like a key that unlocked the doubts in his heart, but what followed was even greater panic.

Upon hearing John's analysis, Louis shuddered, his chair leg scraping the floor with a screeching sound. His eyes widened, and his lips trembled as he said, "Captain John, you mean... someone deliberately impersonated me, infiltrated our hold, just to gather information about the cargo?"

"If that's the case, wouldn't our cargo in the hold have been exposed long ago? This... this is too unbelievable! We've deployed so many guards on the ship, how could anyone have easily infiltrated?"

Louis's voice was filled with shock; he simply couldn't believe that he had unknowingly brought such a huge threat to the fleet.

He frowned, trying to recall the scene: "Where did that person impersonating me come from? Why did it all happen so suddenly? We weren't prepared at all, we didn't even notice anything..."

John sat to the side, listening to Louis's words, and couldn't help but sigh heavily, his face full of tension and anxiety: "Yes, if someone in the Yan Kingdom fleet really knows what's in our hold, then we'll be in big trouble. Once they successfully arrive in Yan Kingdom, they will definitely report this to the Yan Kingdom's court. If our whereabouts are exposed and our plans are disrupted, then that will be terrible."

At this thought, John could no longer sit still. He abruptly stood up and paced back and forth in the cabin, his steps hurried and frantic. The candlelight in the cabin flickered in the breeze he stirred up, casting his shadow on the wall in shifting light, adding to his anxiety. "This matter is too important. If word gets out and our Nebula Kingdom's plan completely fails, it's not something that can be resolved by losing a head!"

John's voice carried a hint of madness. The thought of the Nebula Kingdom's supreme leader's furious reaction upon learning of the plan's failure sent chills down his spine. This mission was of paramount importance; if it were botched, not only would his own life be in danger, but his family would likely be implicated.

He paced around the cabin several times before finally stopping, a ruthless glint in his eyes. He turned to Louis, his tone so serious it was almost unbearable to look him in the eye: "It seems there's only one way to solve this. Go immediately and inform all the crew members to take up their weapons and stand by at their posts, awaiting my orders."

"We must act before the fleet reaches Yan Kingdom's waters. With just one order, we will completely eliminate this Yan Kingdom fleet! We absolutely cannot allow them to safely reach Yan Kingdom's territory, otherwise all of our Nebula Kingdom's plans will be ruined!"

John's voice carried a hint of determination. He knew this decision was extremely risky, but at this point, there was no other choice.

He paused, then added, "Make it clear to the crew that if this mission fails and the highest leader of the Nebula Kingdom investigates, none of us can bear the responsibility. No one will have an easy time then!"

At this critical moment, John's murderous intent was fully awakened. He knew that once Yang Xia's fleet reached Yan Kingdom, his plan would be completely exposed. Rather than waiting to be killed, he decided to strike first and annihilate the Yan Kingdom's fleet while they were still on the high seas. This would save Xingyun Kingdom's plan and his own life. The ruthlessness in his eyes grew stronger, as if he could already see Yang Xia's fleet being destroyed. He didn't realize that his decision would trigger an even greater crisis.

John's plan was to prevent Yang Xia's fleet from safely reaching Yan Kingdom territory, fearing their scheme would be exposed and they would be unable to continue. However, he didn't expect Yang Xia to have already seen through his thoughts and even guessed that the other party had likely sensed something amiss. After all, the two fleets had been sailing together for days, constantly testing each other. Yang Xia, always meticulous, couldn't possibly be unaware of John's unusual behavior.

In fact, Yang Xia had already considered all these possibilities several days ago, and knew that John would discover the flaw sooner or later. So, from that time on, he began to make preparations in secret. The ship's weapons and equipment were checked one by one, and the crew's emergency training was intensified. Even the most critical weather controller was tested several times in advance to ensure that every parameter was accurate.

At this moment, Yang Xia stood on the deck of his fleet's flagship, the sea breeze whipping his clothes. He glanced down at the controller in his hand, the flashing green light on the screen reflecting in his eyes; the pre-set activation time was rapidly approaching. He knew better than anyone that John was no easy opponent. Given John's cautious nature, he would soon discover Yang Xia's true identity. Therefore, he had to set up his plan before John could act.

Yang Xia raised his head, his gaze falling on the unusually calm sea ahead. Normally, this area would see a few waves lapping against the ship, but today it was so quiet that only the wind could be heard, like a harbinger of an approaching storm. His brow furrowed slightly, his usual gentle expression replaced by an undeniable seriousness. He muttered to himself, "It seems this time, I really need to be on my guard."

He ran his fingertips lightly along the edge of the controller, his mind replaying the details of the past few days—the tightly guarded weapons and ammunition in John's fleet, the evasive looks the crew members gave him, and the ruthlessness John had inadvertently revealed when he spoke in hushed tones to his men on deck yesterday… Every detail reminded him that a storm was brewing.

“John certainly won’t let this go,”

Yang Xia continued, his voice tinged with coldness, "He lost so many weapons and ammunition, he must be furious right now. Knowing his temperament, he might vent all his anger on our Yan Kingdom's fleet, or even try to completely destroy it."

Thinking of this, Yang Xia slowly turned around and looked at Yu Meiren, who was standing not far behind him. Yu Meiren was his most capable assistant. She was not only efficient in her work, but also extremely meticulous. These days, she had been helping him handle various affairs on the fleet. At this moment, she was quietly waiting for instructions, her eyes full of focus.

Yu Meiren also noticed that Yang Xia's expression was unusual. Normally, even when faced with difficult situations, Yang Xia would always maintain a composed demeanor, but today, his aura was tense, clearly indicating he had something important to arrange. She quickly stepped forward, bowed slightly, and asked respectfully with a hint of concern, "Chief Yang, do you have any instructions? What are our plans? If you already have arrangements, please tell me, and I'll immediately inform the brothers to implement them. The Xingyun Kingdom's fleet is watching us closely, their eyes filled with hostility; we absolutely cannot be careless at this time."

Yang Xia listened to Yu Meiren's words and nodded slowly, appreciating her thoughtfulness. He paused, organized his thoughts, and said seriously, "Here's what we'll do: go and inform all the crew members now to immediately change course and move the ship away from this area. We can't stay here any longer; we must maintain a safe distance from the Xingyun Kingdom's fleet. This will give us enough time to react and ensure the safety of our fleet."

He paused, his eyes hardening. "John will definitely make a move soon. We must be prepared to deal with any surprise attack, but we must also carefully conceal our movements so they don't discover our true intentions. If things really come to a head, we must not hold back and take strong measures. We absolutely cannot allow them to do whatever they want to our Yan Kingdom's fleet, nor can we allow them to ruin our plans to return to Yan Kingdom."

Upon hearing this, Yu Meiren immediately understood the urgency of the matter. Without the slightest hesitation, she nodded and replied, "Yes, Chief Yang, I will take care of it right away. I guarantee that the brothers will adjust the course as soon as possible and there will be no mistakes."

After saying that, she turned and walked quickly toward the cabin, her steps hurried but not flustered, clearly wanting to pass on the instructions as soon as possible.

Watching Yu Meiren's departing figure, Yang Xia's thoughts drifted away. In truth, he had anticipated this outcome when he decided to travel with the Nebula Kingdom's fleet, but when it actually happened, his heart was still filled with complex emotions. He thought of his family far away in Yan Kingdom, his compatriots waiting for the supplies they brought back, and the crew members who had silently sacrificed themselves to protect the fleet… These were things he had to protect; he absolutely could not let John's conspiracy succeed. (End of Chapter)