"We're still in danger. If Old Goat's side gets exposed, we'll have to take the heat. But if they don't, then we've gotta keep the fleet moving past Colusa. By the time the enemy realizes something's off and turns back to chase us, it'll already be too late."
Yang Yang's plan was insane, but brilliant. He aimed to steal all the supplies from twenty-three cargo ships in one go. That's millions of tons of goods—two-thirds of both factions' grain reserves. As for the slaves, oil, and minerals loaded on the ships behind them, none of that mattered as much as food. Without food, China wouldn't last.
Millions of tons of supplies could feed fifty million people for half a year, maybe even a full year if they rationed carefully. This one operation could literally save China from the brink.
Of course, taking it all was impossible. Yang Yang knew where to hit and where to hold back. He left the enemy a share of the goods—just enough to keep them from going mad. If they'd stolen every last bit, those two factions would've hunted them to the ends of the earth. But now, with twenty-some cargo ships still intact, the enemy would be too busy guarding what's left to go all out.
Brother Fa checked his watch and said, "We're about to reach Colusa. Keep it together!"
Everyone was on edge. This mission would decide whether their first operation in America succeeded or failed. Ling Ling kept wiping her sniper rifle, fine-tuning the night vision scope. Ah Huang sat on the floor, restless. Monkey carefully oiled his gun. Tank was doing push-ups to burn off tension.
Only Jing Shu quietly crouched in a corner, playing with her Rubik's Cube. She'd been in America for barely two weeks, and her Cube Space was already packed to the brim. She needed to upgrade it fast, gather more supplies while she still could. Even in this land of abundance, people were starting to starve every day.
The captain slowly eased the cargo ship back, widening the distance from the one ahead. The canal was narrow, so only one ship could pass at a time. They just needed to follow in line.
Colusa at last.
Everyone stood up, watching the ships ahead with tight nerves. The freighters crept forward, one by one. The leading ship drifted farther away until it finally split off at a fork in the canal, while their captain kept sailing straight ahead.
Jing Shu's heart pounded wildly. From this point on, the ships behind them would head for Austin seeking shelter, while Yang Yang's twenty-three ships would slip away toward Williams. As long as no one caught them mid-route, they'd be home free once they reached the handoff point.
"Good. First step's a success," Brother Fa exhaled in relief. "These lazy bastards always run their ships on autopilot, just following the one in front. If nothing goes wrong, we'll reach Austin before anyone even notices."
Of course, that was if nothing went wrong.
Ships No. 1 through 23 successfully headed for Williams, while No. 24 led the rest of the convoy toward the original destination. The nobles were too busy to notice, and the slave kingdom's upper crust was holding a grand party with over two hundred aristocrats—discussing future plans, routes, and, most importantly, how to divide the spoils.
But chaos struck in the noble district. Two nobles were found dead, and the whole place erupted in panic. Murder or infighting, no one could tell. Their deaths immediately triggered a dispute over their property. Peggy's brother, George, declared that he'd inherit all her wealth, but the underground aristocratic guild had strict rules: every member's estate was to be split among the collective.
Before they could even finish arguing, they realized Peggy's valuables were already gone—her diamonds, jewelry, everything. Only a few bottles of wine and some cheap trinkets remained. Even the so-called "energy stones" had vanished. That's when all eyes turned toward finding the killer, and the two guards at the door were dragged into the mess too.
Meanwhile, the cargo ship moved steadily along. Jing Shu finally let out the breath she'd been holding. No one else in the world would've dared pull off something this gutsy and silent. The captains and crew never even considered the possibility that someone would split a convoy mid-route without a single shout or gunshot.
Everyone just followed habit. That's how this industry worked: follow the ship ahead. The one in front won't get lost, and even if it does, that's their problem.
It reminded her of that marathon where the leading runner took a wrong turn, and everyone behind followed blindly. Only one person noticed and ran the correct path, winning first place in the end.
People always follow the crowd, not just in China but everywhere. Under pressure, they ignore the details that matter most.
Just as everyone finally relaxed—
"Ship 23 to Ship 24, Ship 23 to Ship 24, why can't we see your vessel anymore?"
The voice crackled through the intercom. That was the biggest flaw of these ships—the radio system relied on the same frequency network. No one realized they were already on completely different routes.
Xiao Hei quickly translated the message. Everyone's eyes turned to Brother Fa. Whether they'd stay hidden or blow their cover depended entirely on his next move.
He cleared his throat and replied, "Oh, damn it, guess you caught us. Fine, I admit, it's on me. We had a slave uprising on Ship 24. Someone broke through the hull, so I had to slow down and deal with those bastards before patching the damage."
"Haha, man, you're in for a fine. Good luck with that! We'll go on ahead."
Everyone finally exhaled in relief. To make the lie believable, Jing Shu and the others even had to stage it for real—they quietly executed every crew member onboard.
"Ship 23 to Ship 24, hey man, why haven't you caught up yet? You're falling way behind. Damn, something feels off today. Who's running the nav system?"
"Oh hell, this isn't the route to Austin! What the hell's going on—"
The transmission cut off mid-sentence. Other captains seemed to realize something was wrong and started checking their maps.
"We're about to be exposed," Brother Fa muttered, lighting a cigarette and blowing out a slow ring of smoke.
Tank frowned. "Then what now? What do we do?"
Brother Fa sighed. "Guess we'll have to buy you some time. Draw their fire." He slammed the red alarm button, and a blaring siren echoed through the canal. "Oh shit! Ship 24's been hijacked! Pirates on board! We're under attack!"
Right after shouting, he gunned the engines to max speed. The massive freighter roared like a racing car and shot down the canal in a blur.
Might as well have shouted, "Come on, hit me with everything you've got!"