Yelenaâs predictions came true. They were out of fuel before they were out of food and water. The view before them was the boundless sea that seemed to stretch on forever with no hint of an end. The end of the thirty-hour continuous journey was coincidentally in the dead of night. Everyoneâs multifunctional wristwatch was not working as intended, showing them that the current time was twelve noon and that they were near Tunisia territory. But here was the thing. The speedboat had been heading into the east for hours on end and they had been cruising with the sun as their reference. There was no way that the crystal skull could interfere with the sun. But despite that, they did not know their exact location. All they could reckon was that they were headed into Turkish territory instead.
Without fuel, the paddles on board came into handy. Anjum Khan and Saâim were assigned the job.
âShouldâve brought more fuel than water.â Anjum Khan regretted his choices of opting to ensure sufficient water and food as he rowed their boat.
Saâim grumbled, âKyoko, Yelena, come help us out. Youâve sat for long, you should roll your tendons.â
Yelena snapped, âYou have the audacity to demand us women to help you with that?â
Saâim was effectively silenced.
âHere, let me help you,â offered Qian Jun.
âSure, sure.â Saâim swiftly moved away and pressed the paddle into Qian Junâs palms.
This was Qian Junâs attempt at socializing with the team.
Xia Lei offered too, âAnjum Khan, go take some rest. Iâll take over for now.â
âItâs alright, I can go on.â Anjum Khan beamed. âYouâre my Ganesha for crying out loud. This isnât a task befitting of your positionâ
Ganesha was the deva of intellect and wisdom of Hinduism. It was the removal of obstacles and bringer of wealth. It was equivalent to Guan Eyre with a higher IQ score in the Chinese culture.
Xia Lei pried the paddle away from his grip and forced his way over.
âBoss, let me do it,â said Tsukino Kyoko.
Xia Lei smiled at her. âYelena is right, we men can handle this. Please help us with the water issue instead. From tomorrow onwards, you both would need to sacrifice your clothing for water.â
Tsukino Kyoko and Yelena couldnât help but lock gazes, sheepish expressions blossoming across their features.
Anjum Khan laughed. âBoss, just say it. Itâs just retrieving water using bras! But would the water smell like boobs if we use that method?â
A palm smacked the back of his head as soon as his sentence fell. Yelena was once again his assailant. This was a temperament that no regular men could stomach, but Anjum Khan seemed to be an obvious exception.
Without the worry of a chase, the atmosphere was relaxed. Everyone was chattering lightheartedly.
Rowing a speedboat offered a speed no faster than walking. Qian Jun and Xia Lei had rowed close to three hours without stopping and the speedboat was only propelled forward by an approximate thirty kilometres. At this rate, they could expect themselves to reach Turkey within a month of rowing. However, even if they fished to replenish their food supply and harvested condensation for water, a majority of them wouldnât last till Turkey with such an extended period of time. The human body required a variety of nutrients. Seafood was not sufficient and lacked nutrients like potassium that could affect their heartbeats along with trace elements necessary for the human body. Deprivation for a few days would not pose a threat but one month of such would result in a decline of bodily functions. When that time comes, illness would be the mildest outcome. Ultimately, it would result in death.
Xia Lei was painfully aware of that but he couldnât bear to sunken the atmosphere. He was the leader of the Chinese Zodiac Battle Team. Even when the problem was severe, he would not bring it up at this time.
âBoss, I reallyâŠâ At some point, Anjum Khanâs expression was scrunched weirdly.
Xia Lei faced him. âSpeak your mind. Whatâs stopping you?â
Anjum Khan exclaimed with exasperation. âI really canât hold it in anymore! I need the toilet!â
This was also another issue. A speedboat was far from a yacht. The scarce space could not offer a toilet. It would be easy if everyone onboard were male. All they needed to do was to head over to the edge, unzip their pants and do their business. However, they had two women among their party. Tsukino Kyoko and Yelena. They couldnât just ease themselves in their faces like that, right? Plus, the two women wouldnât be able to do the same in the face of the men.
âI donât care. I need to get it out of my system!â Anjum Khan turned around and unzipped his pants loudly.
Truthfully, Anjum Khan wasnât the only one. Everyone needed it too, Xia Lei included.
But before Anjum Khan could even dig out his penis, Yelena delivered a stomp onto his ass and sent him into the waters below.
âYouâŠâ Anjum Khan glared at her furiously.
Yelena scoffed, âDo it in the sea, yeah?â Then, she too plunged into the water.
Anjum Khan was pissed at first but seeing that Yelena was joining him in the waters, the anger was gone. He tried to train his eyes on Yelenaâs sea-soaked lower half, trying his darndest to see something interesting. Sadly, all he could see was water.
âWhat the fuck are you looking at? Keep this up and Iâll gouge your eyeballs out.â Yelena barked a threat.
Anjum Khan steeled his face and mustered a wobbly smile. âCanât you try to be a little gentler?â
Yelena looked at him. âYou like gentle types?â
Anjum Khan replied, âNo, I like women like you. But itâd be great if you can be a tad bit softer.â
Abruptly, Yelena began paddling over to Anjum Khan.
Anjum Khan stared at her approaching figure with widened eyes. He could not help but feel awkward. The situation they were in was akin to him being in the male toilet while Yelena being in the female toilet. The closing of their distance on her part was equivalent to her barging into his cubicle.
But as Anjum Khan froze at the display, Yelena extended an arm over and hooked Anjum Khanâs neck and seized his lips. Caught off guard, he was as nervous as a child. He kissed back stiffly.
âWhat is this?â Saâim peered over with a mischievous smirk. âDo we need to spare you both some privacy? Are you guys gonna start fucking out of a sudden?â
âShut the fuck up!â Their harsh screams were directed at Saâim in unison.
Saâim shrugged nonchalantly, an evil smirk in plain sight.
On the speedboat, Tsukino Kyoko cast a glance onto Xia Lei, eyes filled with anticipation and excitement. Yelena and Anjum Khan had gotten together. Shouldnât her and Xia Lei do something in a similar fashion to celebrate the occasion?
Xia Lei avoided her gaze to peer ahead. Two seconds later, his exclamation rang out. âThereâs an island ahead!â
âWhere?â Saâim quickly came over but saw nothing in that direction.
Qian Jun utilized the scope of his sniper but could not see anything clearly.
Xia Lei explained, âIt seems like an island. We should be able to see it better once we get closer.â
Yelena and Anjum Khan hastily made their way aboard. The latter reached out for Xia Leiâs paddle while Saâim resumed his position after getting his paddle from Qian Jun. The two men continued to paddle forward.
Everyone could finally see the island about ten minutes later. It wasnât large. Its coastline was only about ten kilometres long and its body was in the shape of a gourd. The main body of the island was two mountains and a forest on the top. There was no light and no dock, seemingly a deserted island.
The speedboat entered its pelagic waters. Anjum Khan anchored the boat deep into the substrate and parked the boat. Everyone else brought down their supplies and trekked toward the sandy beach.
Anjum Khan and Yelena handed out rations while Qian Jun and Saâim chopped branches and ratans to cover the speedboat. This was the only way for them to hide from the watchful American spy satellite.
Xia Lei observed the island on the beach, using both his normal and special vision. Every area that his eye could see was carefully studied. In the end, it provided enough evidence to conclude that this island was indeed a deserted one.
This deduction troubled him. Xia Lei had hoped that there would be a village. They would be able to purchase fuel and other necessities. Perhaps they would even be able to purchase a larger and faster boat that could bring them to Turkey, where theyâd depart from Istanbul to Russia and then finally back to China. This was their safest route. It would be faster to take a direct plane but the risk was too high.
âBoss, you should eat something.â Tsukino Kyoko brought him a bottle of water, a loaf of bread and a sausage.
Xia Lei plopped down onto the sand and enjoyed silence alongside Tsukino Kyoko. From the corner of his eyes, Xia Lei noticed Yelena and Anjum Khan heading into the woods. He could not suppress the smirk at the edge of his lips. To what the couple was up to in the woods, every adult knew.
Xia Lei placed his attention on Saâim and Qian Jun this time. The two men seemed to be
conversing about something on the beach. The sight filled him with joy. Qian Jun was doing his best to get along with the Chinese Zodiac Battle Team. Xia Lei appreciated his efforts.
âUh, Anjum Khan and YelenaâŠâ Tsukino Kyoko stopped herself.
Xia Lei chuckled. âAnjum Khan and Yelena are adults now. This is normal, thereâs no need to mind them.â
âNo, I meant to say that the forest is littered with mosquitoes. Their asses are going to be filled with itchy bumps when they get out,â said Tsukino Kyoko.
âHahaha!â Xia Lei broke out into laughter.
âWhat about us?â Tsukino Kyoko stared into his eyes straight.
Xia Lei was surprised but quickly clambered up from his position. âIâd like to check the other side of the island. Perhaps things might be different on the other side.â
âThis is a deserted island, what is there to see?â Tsukino Kyoko was slightly disappointed.
Xia Lei answered, âIf weâre lucky, there might be inhabitants on the other side of this island. If there is someone, weâll be able to get fuel and even a new boat. Go get some rest. This island is small, I can get there by trekking along the beach. Perhaps I can reach the opposite side within half an hour.â
âNo way. I canât let you go alone.â Tsukino Kyoko clambered up too, insisting on following him.
All Xia Lei could do was to muster up a wry smile. âAlright then, let us go together.â
Tsukino Kyoko took her place beside him as they walked. The urge to weave her fingers between his was strong but alas, she had lacked the courage.
Saâimâs voice came booming from behind. âBoss, remember to use protection or youâll be getting a fifth child soon!â
Weirdly, Tsukino Kyoko did not reprimand him this time.
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