The rays of dawn chased away the last bits of darkness. Waves lapped against the rocks by the sea, sending up a swooshing sound. There was a forest close to the sea, and a white mist hung in it. This mist made everything in the forest a haze, made it mysterious. 

The three lifebuoys got close to the shore, and Xia Lei and Long Bing walked out of the water, dragging the unconscious Gu Kewu ashore after them. 

Gu Kewu was unlucky indeed. He had been knocked unconscious three times by Long Bing so far on this trip to Japan. This last knockout was the worst, however, and the swelling from the hit on his head had not gone down. 

“It’s cold.” Long Bing shivered, and her voice shook a little. “This damned weather. We should’ve just come through our own channels. The Russians are unreliable, and the Japanese too.” 

“And they took USD 500,000 for this service too. It’s a horrible deal.” Xia...