They were only two centimetres apart.

The couple urgently halted their actions, turning their heads to the door anxiously.

Tsukino Kyoko could not see what was outside the door, reaching out to grab her pistol on reflection. It was only then that she realized she was unarmed. She was only clad in a towel that was now on the carpet.

What Tsukino Kyoko couldn’t see, Xia Lei saw. Waiting at their door were two hotel attendants, one female and one male, with a room service cart. He let his eyes scan through their faces. With that, his tensed nerves were soothed.

The two attendants were Sa’im and Yelena.

Xia Lei’s gaze landed on the room service cart. And as expected, Anjum Khan was indeed hiding within its storage compartment.

Yelena reached an arm and pressed on the doorbell again.

Ding dong. Ding dong.

“Who is it?” Tsukino Kyoko was still on high alert.

Xia Lei lowered his voice. “It’s Yelena, Sa’im and Anjum Khan. They made it here.”

Hearing that, Tsukino Kyoko sighed in relief. But soon, her brows were furrowed again. “d.a.m.n…what timing...”

Xia Lei shrugged and feigned innocence.

Tsukino Kyoko clambered up from the sofa and answered the door.

The first thing that welcomed Yelena’s sight was the face of a Native American. The face of a stranger immediately prompted her to reach over to the back of her waist, preparing to draw her gun.

Xia Lei said, “Come in.”

Recognizing his voice, Yelena and Sa’im immediately responded. They pushed the cart inside without a word.

Xia Lei closed the door. “How did you find us here?”

Sa’im answered, “As long as your satellite phone is on, we’ll be able to find you.”

Yelena chimed, “Boss, aren’t you aware of that? Why the sudden question? You don’t look too good either, is everything alright?”

All Xia Lei could think of was Tsukino’s soft pale mounds. But he had intended to distract their attention with the question.

“Boss.” Anjum Khan crawled out of the cramped storage compartment with a smile. “I’m sure you’re surprised to see me here.”

Xia Lei returned him a chuckle. “I could smell your curry scent even before you came in.”

Anjum Khan shrugged nonchalantly. “Dude, I haven’t eaten a single drop of curry for the past few days. How am I supposed to smell like curry? Hey Kyoko, do I smell like curry?”

Tsukino Kyoko only glared at him, but the motion was not laced with anger.

Yelena seemed to have picked up on something. The woman moved over to Xia Lei’s side to whisper, “Boss, what were you doing with Kyoko earlier?”

“Noth...” Guilt was starting to weigh on Xia Lei.

Yelena gave a soft pat on the top of his shoulder. In a hushed tone, she said, “There’s a strand of her hair on your shoulder. I got it off for you, there’s no need to thank me.”

A chicken really was a chicken. Her observation skill was top-notch.

At this moment, Tsukino Kyoko exited her room. This time, she was already dressed in gym shorts and a sports bra. The ninja was attempting to create an illusion that she had just finished working out. She put on a shocked expression upon exit. “Yelena? How did you get here?”

The ghost of a mysterious smile appeared on the edge of Yelena’s lips. The woman could see through their facade but she had made the civil decision to stay quiet.

“Kyoko, are you alright?” Sa’im expressed his concern.

Tsukino Kyoko’s answer was curt and almost nonchalant. “I’m alright.” She knew Sa’im had feelings for her but the attraction was one-sided. Plus, she had finally gotten to share a two-centimetre relations.h.i.+p with Xia Lei after lengthy persuasion. There was just no chance for Sa’im to earn his place in her heart.

Sometimes, love had to be that way. Liking someone did not mean that you would be in a relations.h.i.+p with them. One-sided attraction hurt, but it was part of life.

Xia Lei switched the topic. “Tell me, what happened the day before yesterday? You were gone as soon as we got out. We couldn’t even reach you and then the Israeli soldiers had arrived.”

Yelena said, “After you went in, there was no signal for the satellite phone. We were not able to contact you and Kyoko in time. That place was being watched. We found Mossad’s informants moments after you’ve entered the mountain. We couldn’t contact you but we needed to distract Mossad. If they noticed that you’ve entered, all they needed was to wait at the exit for you.”

“You did the right thing. As long as everyone is safe, everything is alright,” rea.s.sured Xia Lei.

Tsukino Kyoko warned, “You need to leave this room soon. You can’t be in here for too long or else things will start to get suspicious.”

Yelena’s smirk was growing larger than before. She knew why Tsukino Kyoko was in a rush to chase them out. Again, Yelena chose to keep it to herself.

“I hid inside the cart, the surveillance didn’t capture my presence. I can stay,” said Anjum Khan.

Hearing that, Tsukino Kyoko’s lips were pulled into a tight line. Anjum Khan’s reasoning was reasonable, there was no way she could find an excuse to chase him away. She was obviously upset. Why was it so darned difficult for her wish to come true?”

Xia Lei hummed. “Anjum Khan, you can stay. Sa’im and Yelena, you need to leave for the time being. Go change your clothes and come back. No need to worry about the corridor surveillance, I’ll find a way to blind them for the time being.”

Yelena, Sa’im and Anjum Khan nodded.

The disappointment in Tsukino Kyoko’s eyes was obvious. But this was Xia Lei’s decision, she would not disrespect it.

With that, Yelena and Saim took their leave and left behind Anjum Khan.

Tsukino Kyoko returned to her room. Xia Lei engaged Anjum Khan in a short exchange before the former left to her room. He forwent the knocking to head inside straight. Tsukino Kyoko was laying flat on her chest on top of the bed.

Other than Xia Lei, who else would dare to enter her room without knocking? Hence, there was no need to turn around to check who it was.

Xia Lei went to the side of her bed. He coughed lightly. “Kyoko, about earlier…”

It was then that Tsukino removed the pillows that covered her head. She flipped around. The gaze she trained on Xia Lei was hot and desperate. Her aura was different. She s.h.i.+fted her body, forming an alluring curve with the peaks of her chest and her flat abdomen. No matter how he looked at it, the ninja’s body was mature and incredibly seductive. She looked amazing.

Xia Lei braced himself. “Kyoko, about earlier… I’m so sorry, I was too rash.”

Tsukino Kyoko’s gaze was unwavering. “Why are you apologizing?”

Xia Lei shrugged.

“Boss, they’re here.” Anjum Khan’s voice interrupted them from the living room.

Xia Lei responded, “I’ll go take a look. You should change and join us too.”

Tsukino Kyoko nodded with a small smile, bowing to send him away. In that instance, the pliant qualities of the j.a.panese women shone through.

Sliding out of the door, Xia Lei allowed himself to relax before controlling his nerves. It allowed his body to revert back to its usual state. If he did not do that, Anjum Khan and Sa’im would be able to pick up on what was going on between him and Tsukino Kyoko off the bat. Anjum Khan would probably be nonchalant about it but Sa’im… A potential problem was threatening to manifest. Xia Lei was aware of the Iraqi’s feelings towards Tsukino Kyoko. The knowledge made the entire situation ten folds complicated. It was a tough spot to be in.

In the living room, Yelena, Anjum Khan and Sa’im were already waiting for him on the couch.

Xia Lei approached them and faced his hacking laptop towards them on the coffee table. Then, he unfolded the device.

The awakened screen showed surveillance footage from 48, St. Cross Street.

“What is this place?” Sa’im asked curiously.

Xia Lei raised a brow. “You don’t know?”

Sa’im shook his head. “No. I’m from the Arabian side of the world. Israel is an enemy to us. I’m not too familiar with things in Jerusalem and I don’t dare to plant informants here. Who would dare to go against Mossad in their territory?”

Initially, Xia Lei was hoping that Sa’im could provide more answers. It was quite surprising to learn that they were both equally clueless. The man said, “Okay, let me explain.” He pointed a finger. “I suspect that this is Mossad’s headquarters or a sub-branch.”

“Boss, what are you trying to do?” questioned Yelena.

Xia Lei answered, “Yesterday morning, I found that the FA members had gotten into contact with Mossad. They entered this building. Kyoko and I had paid this street a visit and I obtained a very surprising piece of information. It seems that a very important prisoner is confined in that place. The FA members might be here for that prisoner.”

Anjum Khan gasped. “Boss, you can’t be thinking about attacking the Mossad office to rescue a prisoner we don’t even know?”

Xia Lei fell silent. “This is a very risky operation. I cannot have you all shoulder the risks for my own sake. How about we vote to decide this. If the majority opposes the idea, we’ll sc.r.a.p it.”

“I’ll do it.” Tsukino Kyoko answered from behind him. She was dressed casually this time.

Yelena snorted. “Boss, why do you always pull this trick? The Chinese Zodiac Battle Team does not need fake democracy. You’re our leader, you’re our boss. We’ll do whatever you want us to do. We’ll heed your orders.”

Anjum Khan and Sa’im agreed. “Yeah, we’ll willingly follow you.”

Xia Lei’s heart felt warm. He bent over and brought up his bag that laid against the side of the couch. He placed it on the coffee table and pulled the zipper open. Swiftly, the crystal skull was brought out and displayed to them.

Yelena, Sa’im and Anjum Khan gawked at it.

Xia Lei uttered, “This is the reason why I need to find out who the prisoner is. I think the FA’s presence had to do with our current operation.”

Yelena was fast to answer. “Well, f.u.c.k them then!”