Chapter 412: Searching the Seas Translator: Tim Editor: GlobeGlotter

Ye Mo had already flown the original plane route twice. According to Xu Yuehua, the plane disappeared halfway, in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. He had searched this region extensively but found nothing.

Ye Mo stood above the Pacific. Worried, he felt his power was too weak. Searching would be much easier if his spirit sense could scan tens of kilometers, but currently, it only reached 400 meters. He knew that a tens-of-kilometer spirit sense implied Foundation Establishment or even Golden Core level cultivation.

Despite not flying at full speed, he was tired from prolonged flight. Luckily, he was deep in the Pacific, beyond the reach of US submarines. Otherwise, there would have been more trouble.

Clues seemed scarce, but Ye Mo wouldn't give up. He had two options: return to Hong Kong or continue searching. He thought of the two Japanese men he'd captured and their Black Sun Empire. If they hijacked the plane, wouldn't they have flown toward Japan?

Excited by this realization, Ye Mo flew north. His chi was depleted, but he could always use the inflatable raft to rest. Even if the plane went north, he doubted it was in Japan. Openly flying a hijacked plane to Japan would be foolish.

Even heading north, they wouldn't approach coastal countries with strong defenses. This meant they'd likely fly to deserted regions, like the Bai Lin Ocean, a shared territory of Russia and the US. The plane could be on a Pacific island or near Japan.

Two hours later, at 2 a.m., a tired Ye Mo landed on the raft. After a simple meal, his chi began to recover. An hour later, though not fully recovered, it was much better.

Nighttime sea noises didn't bother him. He planned to resume searching after fully recovering. Then, he thought he heard a faint engine horn—probably a passing ship. He packed the raft to investigate.

It was a fishing vessel, eerily located in the middle of the Pacific at midnight. A large wave could easily capsize it. Ye Mo turned invisible and landed on the ship. His spirit sense revealed numerous search tools and an advanced radar. What was a fishing ship searching for?

Suddenly, Ye Mo saw the Black Sun symbol again. Four Japanese men were aboard. They seemed to be returning after an unsuccessful search. Ye Mo didn't disturb them; he couldn't interrogate or soul-search them, so he decided to follow.

The ship, with two powerful engines, was much faster than it appeared. An hour later, before dawn, it stopped at a small, barren island—more a large coral reef. The four men stowed the radar and docked before entering the island.

The island was about 1 square kilometer. The men headed to a wooden house in the center, near a small pond. If not for its location, Ye Mo might have thought it a fisherman's temporary home, but the radar disproved that. He knew his invisibility wouldn't fool high-level radars, and he wasn't sure if the Japanese radar was superior to US technology, so he remained cautious.

Unexpectedly, after a few steps, a siren blared. The four men inside rushed out, guns drawn, muttering in Japanese. Ye Mo realized he hadn't triggered the radar, but had stepped on an alarm mine. These Japanese were cunning.

"Does anyone understand Chinese?" he asked, unfazed. If he couldn't discover anything, he would interrogate them directly.

The men looked at each other, scanning the sea, wondering how he got there. They signaled and shot at Ye Mo's legs. They aimed to capture, not kill him.

The first shot revealed Ye Mo was gone. He saw their expressions; none understood Chinese. He launched windblades, killing three and leaving one alive for interrogation.

The survivor, seeing his teammates disintegrated, stepped back, uttering something. He realized Ye Mo would interrogate him and keep him alive to take to Hong Kong. The man then swallowed something.

Ye Mo witnessed this. It wasn't an activation pill; the man's face turned black. Poison. Ye Mo checked his pulse; the poison was potent, dissolving his stomach and intestines.

Ye Mo released the man. Saving him would require significant spirit chi and lotus life pills, resources he wasn't willing to waste. Ning Qingxue might intervene anyway, rendering interrogation useless. He wanted to take him to their headquarters for revenge, not information.

Entering the hut, Ye Mo saw a wet, open parachute. Was it Qingxue's? Perhaps these people were looking for her, fearing she knew too much.

He searched the hut. Aside from diesel and daily necessities, he found nothing.