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

He took a deep breath, suppressing his chaotic thoughts, and looked up into the distance again. This time, his gaze was precisely locked onto the flagship of the Nebula Kingdom fleet not far away—the ship was slowly turning around, rapidly approaching their location, the Nebula Kingdom insignia on its sails particularly dazzling in the sunlight, as if announcing the impending conflict.

A cold smile curled at the corner of Yang Xia's lips, his eyes showing no fear, but rather a hint of anticipation. He murmured, "John, I've been waiting for you. I know you must have discovered something, but it doesn't matter. Even if you know my true identity, don't think your evil schemes will succeed. Even if we completely break ties with your Nebula Kingdom today, I will utterly shatter your conspiracy and will never let you harm a single blade of grass in Yan Kingdom."

At this moment, his resolve was even stronger. He already had a clear plan in mind for which path to take and what to do next. He straightened his back and stood at the bow of the ship, letting the sea breeze caress his face. His face showed no panic, but rather a confident composure.

Before long, John's ship was very close to them; they could even clearly see the crew standing on the deck and John's face, which was filled with anger. Yang Xia's previous coldness disappeared, replaced by a faint smile. He took the initiative to ask John, "Captain John, why did you come in such a hurry? Is something wrong? Are you bored on your own ship and wanted to chat with me to pass the time at sea? Or is it that we are about to enter Yan Kingdom's waters and you have something to tell me? If so, please say it quickly; our time is precious."

Yang Xia said this, but he had his own plans in mind. He knew that John was definitely not here with good intentions and might already be preparing to take action. The reason he deliberately used this tone to stall for time so that Yu Meiren could successfully move the fleet to a safe area and allow his plan to proceed step by step.

He knew very well that he absolutely could not let John follow his pace now. Even if the two sides had to confront each other, it had to happen at the time and place he set. Only in this way could he firmly grasp the initiative and dominate everything that followed.

John was stunned for a moment upon hearing Yang Xia's words, then let out a piercing sneer as if he had heard something utterly ridiculous. He put his hands on his hips, his eyes filled with disdain and anger, and roared at Yang Xia, "Yang Xia, aren't you being too arrogant? Even at this point, you still dare to put on airs in front of me. Do you really think I can't see through your little tricks?"

He took two steps forward, leaned against the ship's railing, and stared intently at Yang Xia, his anger almost overflowing: "Do you think I don't know who you people are? These past few days, you've been playing all sorts of tricks on my Nebula Kingdom's fleet, pretending to help one minute and secretly spying on us the next. Do you really think I'm a fool? Let me tell you, I've tolerated you for too long. Today is your death anniversary. Don't even think about leaving here alive!"

As he spoke, John's face instantly darkened, his previously calm expression turning ferocious. He abruptly drew a pistol from his waist, pointing it directly at Yang Xia, his finger tightly gripping the trigger, as if he would pull the trigger immediately if Yang Xia made any sudden movement.

Yang Xia looked at John's sudden change of attitude without the slightest surprise, even finding it somewhat laughable. He remained standing there quietly, his body unmoved, his eyes calmly fixed on the gun in John's hand, his face showing no fear. In his view, John's bluffing was merely a way of masking his panic by using force to cover up his perceived threat.

John's anger intensified when he saw that Yang Xia showed no fear whatsoever. He gritted his teeth, his voice hoarse with rage: "Yang Xia, I don't care what methods you used to infiltrate our Nebula Kingdom's fleet, or how you discovered our secrets. None of that matters now. Since you know our Nebula Kingdom's crucial secret, you must die. I will absolutely not let you return to Yan Kingdom alive, nor will I allow you to leak these secrets!"

He paused, his eyes hardening with even more ruthlessness, and said, word by word, "Even if I die, I'll make sure you know exactly what's going to happen. You know far too much. I can't let you live. Do you understand?"

John's voice was like ice, stinging the ears in the sea breeze. The muzzle of his gun remained fixed on Yang Xia, his knuckles white from the force. But Yang Xia seemed not to hear the threat. His previous composure vanished instantly, replaced by an innocent look, even a hint of bewilderment, as if he had been stunned by John's sudden outburst of anger.

He blinked, his eyes full of confusion, leaned forward slightly, and asked cautiously, "Captain John, what's wrong with you? Are you joking with me again? You're pointing a weapon at me. I really can't understand what I did that you can't forgive, that made you so angry?"

As he spoke, Yang Xia shrugged slightly, appearing utterly innocent, as if he were completely unaware of John's anger: "You just said today is my death anniversary, and that you wanted me to die knowing why. I'm totally confused by all that. I have no idea what you're talking about! We've been traveling together on the sea, and I don't think anything unpleasant has happened between us. Could it be that you've misunderstood something? We can talk things out calmly; there's no need to resort to violence. It's so damaging to our relationship."

Yang Xia's tone remained calm, and his eyes met John's gaze openly without flinching. He stared straight at John, as if waiting for a reasonable explanation. He looked sincere and innocent, without the slightest trace of pretense.

"Humph!"

John snorted heavily, his breath filled with obvious anger. He tightened his grip on the gun, his eyes still filled with suspicion and fury, and he shouted sternly, "Yang Xia, don't pretend to be innocent and pitiful here! You know better than anyone what you've done, don't try to fool me!"

Hearing John's indiscriminate accusations, Yang Xia's innocence faded, replaced by a perfectly measured anger. He frowned slightly, his eyes filled with grievance, and his tone rose a little, tinged with dissatisfaction, as he said, "Captain John, I'm genuinely curious. Is this how your Nebula Kingdom treats its guests? Before, when your fleet was short of oilcloth, I kindly lent you some from our Yan Kingdom's fleet; the sea conditions have been complex along the way, and I thought that traveling together would provide mutual support, so I've been sailing alongside you. I never expected to end up like this—pointing a weapon at me, do you think it's impressive or satisfying? Don't you think your behavior was a bit excessive?"

Yang Xia maintained this aggrieved and innocent demeanor from beginning to end, even her tone of voice carried a perfectly measured air of grievance, as if she had truly been hurt by John's unreasonable behavior. Looking at Yang Xia's "crying pitiful" appearance, John suddenly felt a surge of doubt, finding Yang Xia's sudden change in attitude utterly baffling.

John had anticipated that Yang Xia would either panic or confront him directly, but he never expected Yang Xia to appear so innocent and completely unaware. This was entirely beyond his expectations. John's suspicions about Yang Xia were initially based solely on his own conjecture, without any substantial evidence. Now, seeing Yang Xia's open and innocent demeanor, his doubts began to waver, and he even started to question whether Yang Xia had actually done those things.

John stared intently at Yang Xia's face, his eyes full of scrutiny, trying to find a flaw in his expression and gaze, even the slightest movement, that could prove Yang Xia was lying. But Yang Xia remained perfectly calm, his eyes open and honest, his emotions impeccably natural, without the slightest hint of panic, leaving John with no clues to prove his suspicions.

Just as John stood there hesitating, his mind churning with the decision of whether or not to act, the previously calm sea suddenly and unexpectedly changed. A gust of wind swept in, howling across the surface and whipping up layers of waves, causing the ropes on the deck to rattle and sway in the wind.

The sails rattled and thrashed violently in the gale, making a "clattering" sound.

The sound was so loud, it was as if it would be torn apart at any moment.

Immediately afterwards, less than a hundred meters away from the two ships, the sea suddenly surged violently, and a wall of water more than ten meters high appeared out of thin air, like a huge gray city wall, pressing down on the two ships with overwhelming force, blotting out the sky and inspiring awe.

John's face changed drastically, his pupils contracted sharply, and his heart skipped a beat as he was instantly gripped by immense panic. He no longer cared about Yang Xia, turning to his crew behind him and roaring, "Quick! Everyone move! Reinforce the hold immediately, protect the cargo! Absolutely no accidents! If the cargo is damaged in the slightest, you'll all be in big trouble!"

"Yes, Captain John!"

The crew members were also stunned by the terrifying scene before them. Only when they heard John's command did they snap out of their daze. They hurriedly responded and ran towards the cargo hold in a panic, staggering and clearly out of their minds.

John stood on the deck, his heart pounding as he watched the approaching wall of water grow ever stronger. He had sailed the seas for years and seen countless storms, but he had never seen a wall of water this high before. He knew very well that once the wall of water crashed down, their ship would likely be capsized, and not only would the cargo be lost, but the entire fleet would perish at sea.

Not only John panicked, but the remaining crew members around him were also terrified, their faces pale and trembling on the spot. Some even instinctively grabbed the railings beside them, their eyes filled with fear, completely losing their usual composure. For a moment, they were at a loss, not knowing what to do to deal with this sudden crisis.

Meanwhile, Yang Xia watched John and his crew in disarray, a barely perceptible smile playing on his lips, a glint of triumph in his eyes, and a surge of indescribable ease and pleasure welling up inside him. But he quickly composed himself, feigning equal shock at the sight before him. As the wall of water was about to crash down, he abruptly turned and shouted towards the cabin behind him, "Attention everyone! Danger! Quick! Full helm immediately, avoid this wall of water! Act fast!"

Yang Xia's voice was loud and powerful, carrying an undeniable authority that instantly drowned out the howling sea wind. His crew, who had received specialized emergency training, didn't hesitate for a moment upon hearing the order, immediately taking their respective duties and running towards the control room. The helmsman rushed to the helm at top speed, gripping the steering wheel tightly with both hands and turning it with practiced speed.

Because Yang Xia's fleet had already positioned itself in a wide-open area of ​​sea with no obstacles in its path, the crew operated with exceptional ease after Yang Xia gave the order. Under the helmsman's control, the flagship skillfully completed a full rudder turn, its hull tracing a smooth arc as it steadily moved away from the wall of water. The movement was swift and stable, quickly escaping the danger zone.

Meanwhile, the other ships in the Yan Kingdom fleet, following Yang Xia's earlier plan and under Yu Meiren's covert command, had quietly adjusted their course and retreated towards safer waters. All of this was done with utmost secrecy; John and his crew, preoccupied with dealing with the wall of water before them, were completely unaware of the Yan Kingdom fleet's movements.

At this moment, Yu Meiren was standing on the deck of another ship, watching the main ship successfully evacuate, and then looking at the chaotic state of the Nebula Kingdom fleet in the distance, she couldn't help but feel a mix of emotions. She sighed softly, her eyes filled with admiration for Yang Xia, and murmured to herself, "My God, Chief Yang is truly a genius! No wonder he always made us prepare in advance and repeatedly practiced emergency plans; he had already foreseen this danger. If it weren't for Chief Yang's foresight, we would probably have really been in peril this time."

She looked up at the sky; the wind was still howling, and huge waves were churning the sea. The storm was even more violent than before; she had never seen or even heard of such a fierce tempest. Yu Meiren looked at this breathtaking scene, then down at her own boat sailing steadily, feeling a deep sense of relief—thankfully, they had followed Yang Xia's instructions and made preparations in advance, allowing them to successfully evacuate from this perilous situation and reach safe waters. (End of Chapter)