Chapter 1072: Waiting

Carter hung up the phone, took a vigorous gulp of black tea, then picked up the satellite phone and dialed the direct line of Fifth Fleet Commander, Lieutenant General Moore.

As soon as the call connected, he blurted out: "Lieutenant General Moore, Shadow has appeared."

There was a two-second silence on the other end, followed by a low, cold laugh: "Mr. Carter, are you sure?"

"He just sank one of my patrol boats. I can send you the coordinates."

Lieutenant General Moore's hand gripping the receiver tightened abruptly.

Eight years ago, two destroyers and one aircraft carrier under his command had all been taken down by Shadow—though, of course, he only learned of this later.

But that debt had long been carved into his bones.

The only reason Carter could talk to a Lieutenant General was that both were alumni of West Point.

During a cocktail party, they had chatted enthusiastically, and when the name "Shadow" was mentioned by chance, Carter clearly remembered the hatred in Moore's eyes at that moment.

He knew that this blade, once sharpened, could be used.

Sure enough, when Moore heard the name "Shadow," a flicker of fire ignited in his eyes. But he quickly suppressed his anger and said in a flat voice: "I would very much like to deal with him. But I am currently executing a mission to strike Afghanistan and do not have the authority to mobilize warships on my own."

Carter had been prepared for this and lowered his voice: "You can say that based on the intelligence I provided, someone is smuggling arms to the Afghans."

Moore was silent for a few seconds, then the corners of his mouth curled up slowly: "That is indeed a good reason. Send the coordinates over, and I will send men to meet him."

Carter smiled and added: "But I must warn you—Shadow is elusive. It is best to sink that boat from a long distance; do not give him a chance to get close."

Moore gave a cold snort: "Don't forget that I am also a West Point graduate. After the aircraft carrier and destroyers fell at his hands, I have studied his methods extensively. This time, I will catch him off guard and see what kind of heaven-defying skills he really has."

"Good luck."

"I'll take your word for it; let's have a drink at Christmas."

After hanging up, Moore leaned back in his chair and took a sip of his freshly refilled coffee.

He looked up at the yellowing sea chart on the wall, his eyes as sinister as a hunting falcon.

A moment later, he grabbed the internal phone: "Pass on my order: mobilize two destroyers to sea, and I will send the target coordinates immediately. Tell the captains to open fire directly from 25 nautical miles away; do not get close, just smash him to the bottom from a distance."

He sneered inwardly: Shadow, let's see how you hide from this.

The two destroyers soon slowly sailed out of the Singapore port.

The steel hulls cut through the dark green seawater, the bows churning up two trails of white spray, while the radar antennas rotated slowly.

Captain Qiao stood in the cockpit and ordered: "Full speed ahead. That boat should be over six hundred nautical miles away. We aim to sink it before noon tomorrow."

On the other destroyer, Captain James was also urging his men: "Increase speed, don't let the prey run."

Meanwhile, over five hundred nautical miles away, He Yuzhu's fishing boat—shabby on the outside but hiding countless secrets within—was speeding toward Malacca, cleaving through the waves.

In the cockpit, only the faint light of the instrument panel flickered, casting an orange glow on Hu Bayi's face.

He Yuzhu was curled up on the small bed in the corner, breathing evenly, fast asleep.

Hu Bayi sat at the helm, his eyes fixed on the pitch-black sea, occasionally glancing down at the radar screen—it was clean, with nothing there.

Yet he always felt that this quietness was not quite right.

The night was too dark, and the sea was too still.

Wang Pangzi yawned, crawled out from the rear cabin, and poked his shoulder: "Hu, let me take a turn on watch, you go back to sleep."

Hu Bayi shook his head and lowered his voice: "You must keep your eyes on the telescopes in all four directions—front, back, left, and right. If you see any ship silhouettes or lights, call me immediately."

Wang Pangzi grinned: "Hu, you still don't trust me to handle things? Important matters. When have I ever delayed?"

Only then did Hu Bayi stand up, rub his stiff neck, and go back to the rear cabin to rest.

The next morning, before the sky had fully brightened, a thin layer of mist floated on the sea, like a gray veil draped over it.

He Yuzhu woke up feeling full of energy.

He told Wang Pangzi to go back and get some sleep, and took over the helm himself.

However, he didn't stare at the instrument panel; instead, he locked the steering wheel on autopilot, grabbed a fishing rod, wandered to the deck, found a comfortable position to sit, and cast his line into the water.

With the space to back him up, fishing was practically like using a cheat code—the hook hadn't been down for two minutes before the rod tip bent sharply. With a flick of his wrist, a plump grouper broke the surface, its silvery-white belly dazzling in the morning light.

He cast a few more times, and every catch was a big one, as if they were lining up to take the bait.

He Yuzhu grew interested and casually cast a net as well.

When he hauled the net in, it was heavy with crabs and sea shrimp.

He rolled up his sleeves, set up a stove right on the boat, and began stir-frying and deep-frying, busy as a bee.

Before long, the small table on the deck was packed full—grouper sashimi, garlic-baked prawns, spicy stir-fried crab, and a pot of bubbling seafood chowder emitting white steam, the aroma drifting far away on the sea breeze.

Hu Bayi and the others were woken up by the sheer force of the aroma.

When they crawled out of the cabin, their eyes weren't even fully open, but their noses were already twitching.

"Whoa!" Wang Pangzi rubbed his eyes and leaned in, staring at the table full of hearty dishes, his mouth almost watering. "Master He, it's not even bright out yet; is this dinner or breakfast?"

"Let's call it breakfast," He Yuzhu replied calmly.

Hu Bayi sat down with a thud, picked up a slice of sashimi, dipped it in a bit of wasabi, and popped it into his mouth, squinting in delight: "This fish is so tender!"

He Yuzhu held a bowl of soup, took a slow sip, but his gaze drifted toward the hazy horizon, and he suddenly said: "This might... be our last breakfast on this sea."

"Pfft—" Xu Damao nearly spat out the shrimp he had just put in his mouth, his face turning pale instantly. "Zhuzi, wh-what do you mean by that? Is it possible the enemy has surrounded us?"

He Yuzhu set down his bowl, his tone calm: "We sank that patrol boat last night; I reckon at least three destroyers are closing in on us."

The chopsticks in Dajinya's hand trembled, a crab leg dropped onto the table, and his lips quivered, unable to speak.

Xu Damao's face went white as he leaned toward He Yuzhu, his voice trembling: "Master He... d-do you have any ideas? We're all counting on you!"

He Yuzhu looked at their cowardly appearance and couldn't help but laugh, reaching out to pat Xu Damao on the shoulder: "Don't worry. Once you're full, go back to sleep and don't worry about anything else. This is going to be a show not worth watching."

Hu Bayi understood perfectly—Master He was about to use some special methods.

He didn't ask any more questions, finished the rice in his bowl, and stood up: "Let's go, everyone back to sleep."

He led Wang Pangzi, Xu Damao, and Dajinya back to the rear cabin.

He hadn't slept soundly during his last nap; he kept having nightmares about the boat sinking.

But hearing He Yuzhu say this, he felt at ease, and the moment his head hit the pillow, he fell asleep.

Wang Pangzi, for his part, began snoring the moment his head touched the pillow.

After Xu Damao and Dajinya lay down, they tossed and turned, unable to sleep; the two huddled under the covers, whispering in low voices, comforting each other, yet the more they comforted, the more anxious they became.

Half an hour later, He Yuzhu walked lightly to the rear cabin door and leaned in to listen—the snoring of the four people rose and fell in succession, and only then did he return to the cockpit with peace of mind, close the door, and begin to call out to the system in his heart.

"System, help me intercept the missiles. I suspect the enemy won't come close to inspect this time; they've suffered enough losses and will surely strike me directly from a distance."

The system immediately popped up, its tone impatient: Host, intercepting missiles again? I'll say this upfront: this consumes a massive amount of energy, and from now on, it will be a paid service.

He Yuzhu was stunned and nearly cursed out loud: "Why didn't you charge before? Are you starting to fleece me now?"

The system replied coldly: Before, you didn't use it more than once or twice a year, but now it's different; you constantly make me intercept shells and missiles. Those things aren't fireworks, and every time I intercept one, my energy pool drops by a huge chunk.

He Yuzhu frowned: "Fine, give me a price."

The system spat out a few words: Full ship protection for 24 hours, one ton of gold.

"One ton?" He Yuzhu's eyes nearly popped out, "Are you robbing me?"

The system reminded him unhurriedly: "I told you long ago, if you upgrade to the intelligent system, the cost would be ninety percent off. You insisted on not listening, choosing to stick with this broken, outdated version and paying per order, so of course the cost is high. Who's to blame? Isn't it popular in your society to get a VIP Card?"

He Yuzhu was so angry he laughed, but soon, he firmly said: "For now, I—I still won't upgrade. It's better this way, paying per order, it keeps my mind at ease."

The system dropped a "suit yourself" and went completely silent.

He Yuzhu leaned back against the chair, closed his eyes, and waited quietly.

The sea breeze poured in through the window cracks, carrying a salty, cold chill.

In the distance, two Destroyers were cutting through the morning mist at a speed of thirty knots, speeding toward him.

A faint, elusive smile hung on the corner of He Yuzhu's mouth, like a gambler who had calculated every hand, just waiting for the moment the cards were revealed.