The Japanese did not attempt to smuggle themselves onto the ship in this manner again, perhaps having learned their lesson. However, the Chinese supernatural team, which had the advantage in strength, did not take any further action. Isabel's side subtly warned the passengers that causing trouble on the Isabel would have serious consequences.
Framing someone? It's not that no one has thought of it, but under the current circumstances, it's impossible. The Isabelle reports the situation on board to headquarters almost daily, and no one is dealing with either of these groups simply because they haven't crossed Isabelle's bottom line yet.
Three days later, the Isabelle arrived in Hawaii.
These past few days, Zhang Lei has been engrossed in the new secret techniques that Xiao Bailang has taught him. With his internal energy control already reaching the point where he can reorganize his body's cells, Zhang Lei can grasp these subtle changes in techniques with ease. This has earned Xiao Bailang's high praise. Even as a researcher, he spent far more time modifying even the smallest details than Zhang Lei has now.
Xiao Bailang, who was making a living on his own, encountered far more crises and battles than Linghu, who was an instructor at the Bureau of Foreign Affairs. Zhang Lei learned a lot of combat experience from him, and the ingenious ideas that kept popping into Zhang Lei's head also impressed Xiao Bailang. He kept praising, "This kid is simply a genius born for battle. He has exhausted me in just a few days!"
These past few days, Zhang Lei has been enjoying all sorts of delicious food with Xiao Bailang, including delicacies they could find, some of which they wouldn't have dared to touch before. For example, sea snake venom sacs, which are the best food they could find on the ship. Zhang Lei had eaten snake soup before and knew that the more venomous the snake, the better it tasted, but he never imagined that the venom sacs, which would have been discarded in the past, would taste so good.
Zhang Lei and Xiao Bailang became close, and before they knew it, Tian Xiao was neglected. Tian Xiao didn't know when it started, but she preferred to stick to Zhang Lei rather than Liu Yun. Although she said that she liked Brother Liu Yun, everyone could see that this little girl had fallen for someone else.
Even after arriving in Hawaii, they couldn't disembark. Tianxiao finally couldn't hold back any longer. "What are you doing? I want to learn too! Teach me, teach me!" Tianxiao punched Zhang Lei. If Zhang Lei's body hadn't already begun to strengthen, he really wouldn't have been able to withstand her torment.
Zhang Lei looked at Xiao Bailang with a troubled expression. He had promised not to tell anyone. Although Zhang Lei was not a pedantic person, he was still quite trustworthy and kept his promises. He couldn't bring himself to break his promise to someone right away.
"Hehe, it's alright. If you want to tell your little sweetheart, just say so. But you'd better watch out, or your baby might get a mouthful of poisoned milk later!" Xiao Bailang patted his belly generously. Although it was related to his unique technique, he was too embarrassed to refuse Zhang Lei's troubled eyes. Most importantly, even if the little devil didn't say it to his face, he couldn't help but do it behind his back. Xiao Bailang himself had been through the same thing, so how could he not know?
Zhang Lei blushed and didn't bother to investigate what he was saying. Tian Xiao glared at him fiercely, but to avoid any complications arising from the hard-won treatment, Tian Xiao magnanimously decided not to pursue the matter further.
Unfortunately, Tianxiao was clearly not a genius like Zhang Lei. Despite the same explanations and demonstrations, and even though Zhang Lei thought he had missed something in his explanation and specially asked Xiao Bailang to explain it to her again, Tianxiao still couldn't understand.
In the end, Zhang Lei could only conclude: "Your foundation in chemistry is really too weak!"
"What does this have to do with chemistry!" Tianxiao retorted, unconvinced.
"How can it be unrelated? If you don't have any basic chemistry knowledge, how can you identify the components of a substance in your body, and thus determine what is toxic and should be separated, and what kind of toxic substances should be stored in a certain way? Different types of toxins require different storage methods!" Without Zhang Lei needing to say anything, Xiao Bailang had no interest in this kind of little girl and spoke without any politeness.
"Who said that? I do know a little about chemistry!" Tianxiao retorted, but her voice was not very strong and grew softer and softer.
“Alright, I’ll give you a chemistry question. If you can answer it, it proves you have some chemistry knowledge!” Zhang Lei suddenly appeared from the side.
"Fine, tell me, I don't believe you!" Tianxiao said, looking ready to fight.
"Listen carefully, there are four substances: A, B, C, and D. A can produce B, B transforms into C in boiling water, and B and C can oxidize into D in the air. D smells like rotten eggs. What are A, B, C, and D?" Zhang Lei's voice was a bit loud, and not only Tian Xiao but everyone else heard it. Several people who considered themselves to have some knowledge of chemistry fell into deep thought.
"Rotten eggs?" There aren't many chemicals commonly used in chemistry that smell like rotten eggs. Everyone was thinking about such an item, but the few that were available couldn't meet the previous requirements.
"Is it still not enough? This is such a simple question. I'll just count to ten and then I'll give you the answer!" Fortunately, Zhang Lei didn't want to keep the suspense going for too long.
"...Two, one, time's up! Listen up! A is the hen, B is the egg, C is the hard-boiled egg, and D is the rotten egg! Hahaha!" As he spoke, Zhang Lei moved toward the hatch. After he finished speaking, Zhang Lei pulled the hatch and escaped.
"Zhang Lei, you stop right there! I'll make you pay!" Tian Xiao shouted and chased after him.
"Hmph, is this how you carry out a mission? No wonder it turned out like this!" A tall, thin middle-aged man entered through the door.
"Li Yang, you're just a squad leader, stop pointing fingers here!" Liu Yun disliked him the most, the guy who climbed up the ranks by relying on his father's influence.
It's actually quite normal for Yu Yin to enjoy the company of her elders. There's no reason not to take advantage of her advantages. The problem is that this guy is also doing bad things. He doesn't have much ability, but he's definitely a master at harming his own people.
Li Yang revealed a mocking smile. "Hmph, sorry, I'm already the deputy captain, and from now on, I'm the person in charge of this operation. I can boss you around!"
Episode 3: The Bloody Path to Growth, Chapter 59: The New Manager (Part 2)
"I don't know what you guys were planning. You've wasted so much of the country's money and turned the mission into this mess. You're a bunch of useless people, and you have to listen to those useless guys from Silver Sword in everything. If they were useful, what would we need the National Bureau of Foreign Affairs for? Also, isn't this fat guy a government employee? What's he doing here? Don't you know you should minimize contact with outsiders during a mission? You can't see into someone's heart, who knows what they're thinking!" As soon as Li Yang opened his mouth, he offended everyone in the room. Zhang Lei and Tian Xiao also realized something was wrong and walked back from outside, standing at the door.
Since Xiao Bailang came in, his face has been frighteningly ugly. Zhang Lei never expected that someone with a smiling face like Maitreya Buddha could have such a face.
"Hmph, Li Yang, Li Yang!" Xiao Bailang stood up and bumped into Li Yang. "Let's see how long you can be so smug!"
Even a fool could see the deep-seated hatred in Xiao Bailang's eyes.
Li Yang turned around slightly, making way for Xiao Bailang's heavy armor. "Hehe, I'll be smug until you die. What can you do? What do you dare to do? Hahaha, all you bystanders, please get out of here. You're not welcome here!"
"Hmph!" Xiao Bailang's cold snort sounded like a ship's whistle as he walked straight outside.
"Brother Xiao!" Zhang Lei reached out to grab him. Although it had only been a few days, Zhang Lei and he really hit it off. Zhang Lei felt as if he were an old friend he had known for many years.
"Sigh!" Xiao Bailang tried to dodge but couldn't completely avoid it. He thought to himself, "Little brother, you've really gotten yourself into trouble by pulling me like this!" Xiao Bailang sighed, pushed Zhang Lei's hand away, and without saying anything more to him, squeezed straight out of the room.
Zhang Lei had just returned. Although he could roughly guess what had happened, it was impossible for him to truly understand the situation. He only had an instinctive feeling that Li Yang's gaze seemed somewhat sinister.
Tianxiao didn't quite understand and was about to say something when Zhang Lei quickly grabbed her.
Next, Li Yang showed Zhang Lei what arrogance and domineering meant. These people from the Bureau of Foreign Affairs were quite special, so even when Deputy Director Qian assigned tasks, he was very careful and had to discuss everything with him.
But this Li Yang thinks he's the greatest person in the world, bossing everyone around. And looking at his so-called plan, Zhang Lei doesn't know if there's a more stupid plan in the world. Even if you just had a blind man draw on a map with his eyes closed, it would probably be much better than his so-called plan.
Zhang Lei wasn't stupid; he could tell from Linghu's expression that Linghu was clearly also dissatisfied with him, but he didn't dare say a word. Judging from the twitching corners of his mouth, he was also holding back a lot.
Zhang Lei had a preliminary understanding that Li Yang must have some kind of powerful background and was someone he couldn't afford to offend.
It's easy to impulsively scold someone who's standing out, but what happens afterward? You'll be remembered by someone you can't afford to offend, especially now that they're under your direct control.
From their conversation, Zhang Lei could roughly deduce that Li Yang was originally a squadron leader in the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, at the same rank as Liu Yun. Liu Yun had always disliked him, and it was Liu Yun who had always spoken out against him. But now that power was in his hands, what benefit would there be in openly contradicting him?
However, the conflict between Liu Yun and him has clearly been going on for more than just a day or two. Even if Liu Yun were to start swallowing his anger now, it would probably be too late.
Zhang Lei could see the scheming in Li Yang's eyes. He probably wasn't really that stupid. He clearly wanted to eliminate Liu Yun in this operation. Zhang Lei couldn't help but worry about Liu Yun.
"Liu Yun, Zhang Lei, you two are responsible for covering the rear!" Liu Yun had already made preparations, knowing that if this guy got up again, he would definitely not let him go.
But Zhang Lei never expected that he should be more worried about himself than Liu Yun. According to Li Yang's so-called plan, covering the rear was almost certain death. He shouldn't have offended him, right? However, Zhang Lei immediately thought of the sigh Xiao Bailang had just let out and seemed to understand something.
Seeing the angry expressions on everyone's faces, Li Yang made no attempt to hide his smugness. "This mission is extremely important, so the country has granted me the authority to command independently. Unlike usual, any act of disobeying orders or refusing to carry out the mission will be considered treason!"
He darted his provocative gaze back and forth between Zhang Lei and Liu Yun, as if to say, "Come on, come on, we've been waiting for you!"
Zhang Lei still has family and things he can't give up; he can't bear the stigma of treason no matter what.