Joshua linked his account to Shermaine’s, and when she checked the balance, she had to admit that no matter where he went, he always seemed to make money faster than she did.

The amount in the account was so staggering that she let out a low whistle.

She scratched Joshua’s chin playfully. “Now that’s what I call a serious balance.” After complimenting him, she turned her attention to Orthish and opened an online marketplace that had basically everything she needed.

She’d already loaded her cart with all the essentials, and now that she had access to Joshua’s Xyperia token account, she cleared out everything with a single click—a purchase that wiped out billions of tokens in one go.

Anyone else watching would probably call her a reckless spendthrift.

Of course, if she were just repairing the fighter jets, it wouldn’t cost nearly this much, but Shermaine had upgrades in mind, which changed everything completely. The supplies would be air-shipped and delivered within two to three days.

Naturally, anything brought aboard the ship would go through standard inspection, and if any items were flagged as dangerous, she wouldn’t be able to receive them.

But that wasn’t her problem to solve—the seller claimed they had ways to get everything delivered directly to her designated cargo bay.

“All set?” Joshua asked.

Shermaine nodded with a smile—everything was bought and ready. The design plans could still use some streamlining, and several areas needed additional modifications. She turned to him with a question. “What do you think about the sections I marked with question marks, Mr. York?”

“Kiss me first, then I’ll tell you.”

Shermaine planted a quick peck on his cheek. “Now spill.”

After being ignored for three days, Joshua was finally satisfied and began sharing his opinions and ideas.

Once they’d worked through most of the blueprint revisions, all the necessary parts and equipment were shipped to her designated warehouse.

Worried that Shermaine might be overwhelmed handling everything alone, Joshua sent Damien and the others to help out.

Meanwhile, in Baykeep, Bronx was losing his temper. “What the hell is Cain playing at? Why hasn’t he made a move on anyone from the hit list yet?”

“Sir, we can’t reach Cain directly, and even his subordinates aren’t picking up their phones.”

“Could he actually be planning to break the contract?” Bronx frowned, his mind racing. Breaking contracts is absolutely forbidden in the assassin guild. How would he dare?

His face twitched with barely contained rage. “Get Simon on the line. I want to know what’s happening on that ship.”

“Yes, sir.”

Once connected to Simon, Bronx cut straight to the chase. “Is there a man named Cain on your ship?”

The moment Bronx mentioned that name, Simon’s expression darkened. His repeated attempts to eliminate Cain aboard the vessel had failed miserably, one after another. “Yeah, there is. How do you know about him, Father?”

“This competition determines whether the Moreno family stays in power over Baykeep,” Bronx explained.

“Her Highness Shirley and several other factions are circling like vultures. I’m confident you can handle the other groups, but Shirley’s people are no joke. As insurance, I hired an assassin to take them out and eliminate the threat once and for all.”

“Father, that man is the one we should be worried about. Don’t let him fool you.”

“What makes you say that?”

Simon’s face grew grim. “I’ve seen his true face. He has red hair—he looks exactly like the man Her Highness Judy put that massive bounty on.”

Bronx’s expression shifted dramatically at this revelation. “You are only telling me about something this important now?”

“It’s my fault, Father. I wanted to capture him myself and present him to Her Highness Judy after we docked, but the bastard’s too cunning.

“I’ve gone after him twice and couldn’t bring him down either time. Queen Cobra even died because of him.” Simon’s voice burned with frustration, though he carefully concealed his true motives for repeatedly targeting Joshua.

‘Queen Cobra’s dead? Well, the rumors about Cain being formidable weren’t exaggerated after all,’ Bronx thought.

“That man’s strength is no joke—half the underworld fears him for good reason. Don’t provoke him again. We’ll settle scores once we reach Baykeep.” Bronx’s mind was already working through the possibilities. “By then, we’ll have him surrounded with nowhere to run.”

“Yes, Father.”

Bronx continued, “As for the woman who killed Mandy—if you can win her over and make her useful to you, that’s ideal. If not, eliminate her.”

Something flickered in Simon’s eyes as he nodded his agreement. He definitely wanted to claim Boa Hanks for himself, but that bastard Cain stood directly in his way.

He hadn’t bothered telling his father about the connection between Boa and Cain—it didn’t matter anyway. Once that man set foot in Baykeep, he’d be trapped with no escape route. And Boa Hanks would eventually fall into his hands, becoming his woman and serving his purposes.

The thought finally eased some of the frustration burning in his chest. He found himself eagerly anticipating the day they’d arrive in Baykeep.