Zhou Tengyun drove his vehicle cautiously into the gorge. After maneuvering for a while, he reached a relatively flat area, stopped the car, honked the horn, and flashed the headlights a few times. Two men in white robes emerged from a cave within the canyon and escorted Zhou Tengyun inside.

Liu Hui slipped into the cave soundlessly, tailing Zhou Tengyun closely. After walking for some time, the two Arab escorts led Zhou Tengyun into a slightly larger cavern. This chamber was surprisingly brightly lit, where a middle-aged man dressed in a Soviet military uniform, complete with a colonel’s insignia, sat on a sofa savoring fine wine.

The colonel-clad middle-aged man stood up immediately upon seeing Zhou Tengyun enter, giving him a warm embrace. In English, he exclaimed, “Aha, my dear Muhammad, my Muslim friend, you have finally arrived.”

“Dear Colonel Booth, it is a pleasure to see you. Are the items I requested ready?” Zhou Tengyun cut straight to the chase.

“My dear Muhammad, while your required arsenal is substantial, it is a trifle to my mad self, Booth. I managed to secure everything for you in just one week,” Booth boomed with laughter.

“Dear Colonel Booth, perhaps we should inspect the merchandise first. You know, we place great importance on this shipment of munitions,” Zhou Tengyun stated.

“Heh heh, satisfying the customer is precisely the motto of us arms dealers. Please, follow me. Your goods are in another cave, let’s go take a look together. I guarantee you will be very pleased.” Booth smiled and boarded a waiting automobile with Zhou Tengyun.

The car actually began driving inside the cave system, and Liu Hui quickly followed. Due to the extremely poor road conditions within the tunnels, the car maintained a slow speed, allowing Liu Hui to keep up with ease. As he ran, he committed the cave routes to memory—after all, when arriving in a completely unfamiliar place, memorizing the paths is the most fundamental human instinct. The caves resembled a labyrinth, yet under the power of Liu Hui’s exceptional memory, every turn was recorded.

The vehicle drove for about ten minutes within the maze-like tunnels, covering a distance of perhaps seven or eight kilometers from the initial cave, before entering a vast cavern. This chamber was also illuminated, where more than a dozen masked men, fully armed, guarded forty to fifty large crates piled on the ground. Upon seeing Colonel Booth, they snapped to attention and saluted, which the Colonel returned in kind. These crates were the nine-meter by nine-meter by nine-meter wooden containers Booth had prepared for packaging the weapons, exactly as Zhou Tengyun had specified.

“My dear Muhammad, here is what you sought,” Colonel Booth alighted from the car and retrieved a stack of papers from the vehicle, handing the sheaf to Zhou Tengyun.

Zhou Tengyun took the papers; they were bound according to sequential numbers. Each sheet bore a unique sequence number, detailing the inventory, quantity, and specifications of the weaponry listed beneath it.

Zhou Tengyun personally opened several of the large wooden crates to check against the manifest, while Colonel Booth stood beside him, watching without impatience, clearly confident in his product.

“Hmm, I randomly inspected five boxes, and everything inside matches the manifest perfectly. There shouldn’t be any issues,” Zhou Tengyun thought to himself before voicing, “How about the quality of these items? They should be fine, right?”

“There will absolutely be no problems. If you don’t trust me, you can test-fire them right here,” Colonel Booth replied confidently.

“No need for test firing; I trust you. If there are genuine quality issues, I will certainly come back to you,” Zhou Tengyun asserted.

“That is only natural. For all the years I, the mad Booth, have been in business, has anyone ever lodged a complaint?” Booth declared with pride.

“I’m afraid anyone who complained has already been silenced by you,” Zhou Tengyun muttered privately, though it was none of his concern. In truth, he was quite satisfied with the munitions. “Very well, let’s commence the transaction immediately. Do you have a network connection here?”

“To facilitate our business, I specifically arranged for network installation here. Do you require a computer from me?” Booth inquired. Their current transactions were all handled via direct digital transfer; no one was foolish enough to carry cash anymore.

“No need, I brought my own computer.” For security, Zhou Tengyun avoided using Booth’s equipment. He produced a laptop from behind him, booted it up, located the wireless signal, logged into his own account, and began initiating the transfer.

Booth had his subordinate fire up another laptop, connect it to the network, and start checking his own account balance.

Zhou Tengyun finished his operations. “Done. The transfer is complete. Colonel Booth, please check your account status.”

Colonel Booth immediately accessed his account details and discovered that Zhou Tengyun had deposited the remaining payment of four hundred and five million, five hundred thousand US dollars, with the extra half-million covering the cost of crating the munitions.

Colonel Booth closed his computer with satisfaction and smiled, “My dear Muhammad, our deal is concluded. This cargo is now yours. Shall we open some champagne to celebrate?”

“Dear Colonel Booth, our retrieval team is arriving shortly to transport this weaponry, so we don’t have time for a celebration. We can celebrate next time we meet,” Zhou Tengyun politely declined Colonel Booth’s offer. This was a volatile location, and he feared complications that might arise from delay; he wanted to leave as quickly as possible.

“Oh, I understand your urgency. I won’t keep you then; I’ll take my leave,” Booth said, having secured his payment and eager to depart. The guards watching the arms immediately prepared to board vehicles and depart.

Zhou Tengyun made no effort to detain them. These men boarded their cars and vanished instantly.

Liu Hui first fired several ball bearings, shattering the cave lights, then leaped out of the ensuing darkness.

“Third Brother, stand guard outside for me; I’ll handle transporting this gear,” Liu Hui instructed.

Zhou Tengyun immediately stepped out of the cave, vigilantly scanning the surroundings.

Liu Hui activated his Planar Trade Device and summoned Alexander, who appeared instantly before him.

“My esteemed Teacher, are your items ready?” Alexander inquired.

“Alexander, my items are prepared. Take them first, and you must guard them carefully. Absolutely do not let anyone else see them, and do not attempt to open them,” Liu Hui stated gravely.

“Teacher, I understand,” Alexander replied with equal seriousness.

Liu Hui first placed the contents of his storage space on the ground, then began pulling the forty-eight nine-by-nine-by-nine meter crates into his spatial storage, finally trading them over to Alexander.

About five hundred meters from this cave, several figures lay prone on the ground, observing the area with infrared binoculars. One of them held a signal receiver.

“A.J., what’s the status?” a leader-like figure inquired.

“Chief, rest assured, everything is under control. The weapons are still in the cave, and I guarantee this group of Al-Qaeda operatives will never manage to move this arsenal out of here,” A.J. stated, slapping his chest for emphasis.

“Good. Stay sharp, everyone. Our US CIA Middle East Division is finally getting its chance. If we capture all these Al-Qaeda personnel, we’ll be ranked alongside the Navy SEALs,” the leader encouraged his team’s morale.

“Chief, when will our backup arrive?” A.J. asked.

“They are positioned two kilometers out, but they can provide immediate support the moment there’s any movement here. Not a single one of these sons of bitches will escape,” the Chief declared.

“Chief,” A.J. called out quietly.

“A.J., focus on observation; don’t speak idly,” the leader chided.

“It’s not that, Chief. I mean, our signal receiver—is it broken? It had a signal just moments ago, but now it’s completely gone?” A.J. asked, perplexed.

“What?” The Chief took the receiver and examined it; it appeared perfectly normal. “Damn it, we’ve been duped. They must have used some method to destroy the signal emitter hidden within that weapon cache. They are too cunning.”

“Chief, what should we do? Attack now? We haven’t even spotted the Al-Qaeda contacts yet. Will that alert them?” A.J. asked.

“Immediately contact Cobra Team and launch the assault. We absolutely cannot allow the Al-Qaeda elements to move this weaponry out of Yemen, not even a single wooden plank,” the Chief calmed himself and issued rapid orders.

“Cobra One Team, Cobra One Team, this is Weasel. The chickens are ill; come treat them immediately,” the communications specialist next to him broadcasted the call to the Cobra contingent waiting in ambush outside.

Liu Hui was unaware that signal emitters had been planted inside those crates. However, by transferring the crates into his storage space and subsequently trading them across the magical plane, any signal, no matter how strong, could not penetrate the planar barrier. Thus, the CIA signal receivers naturally lost reception. He was unaware that this action of his caused an immediate misjudgment outside, leading to premature action.

Liu Hui moved with incredible speed, trading all forty-eight large wooden crates to Alexander, then meticulously retrieving all the items he had originally placed on the ground back into his storage space, leaving not a trace behind.

Zhou Tengyun suddenly rushed in, looking anxious. “Boss, things look bad. I hear helicopters overhead; we’re likely surrounded.”

“Did Colonel Booth betray us?” Liu Hui frowned.

“We don’t know if he betrayed us yet, but we should retreat quickly; this place is very dangerous,” Zhou Tengyun advised.

“Are you familiar with the terrain here?” Liu Hui asked.

“There is a small trail in this gorge that leads all the way to Sana’a,” Zhou Tengyun replied, pulling out a map of the Sana’a vicinity and studying it.

“No, we aren’t going to Sana’a. We head west to the Red Sea; our chances of escaping are much higher there.” Liu Hui glanced at the map and rejected Zhou Tengyun’s proposal. If they were truly surrounded, retreating toward Sana’a would be walking into a trap, as it would surely be ambushed. Heading west meant escaping the mountains into the vast desert—an unexpected route most people would avoid. Therefore, a surprise dash westward offered a much greater chance of success, plus Xiao Hei was positioned to meet them there.

“Agreed. No time to lose; let’s go now.” Zhou Tengyun folded the map and took a rifle handed to him by Liu Hui, moving toward the cave entrance first.

“Danger!” Liu Hui suddenly sensed a whistling sound in the air and warned him just as Zhou Tengyun reacted, quickly retreating. A rocket slammed into the cave mouth, resulting in a violent explosion that enveloped the entrance in thick white smoke. Zhou Tengyun narrowly avoided injury, though his face was pale. Then, several more rockets followed, turning the entrance into an inferno.

“The other way!” Liu Hui grabbed Zhou Tengyun and sprinted deep into the cavern.

Outside the cave, three helicopters hovered, two of which lowered several ropes. Fully armed men in black were rappelling down.

“GO! GO! GO!” the Captain roared into his headset at the operatives landing below. The black-clad men immediately moved to cover each other, approaching the entrance. One operative tossed a flashbang into the opening, followed by a stun grenade and a tear gas canister, then swiftly charged inside. However, the cave contained only smoke from the explosions; the terrorists were gone, and the weaponry that had been piled on the ground had also vanished.

Liu Hui and Zhou Tengyun ran frantically through the underground passages, having already heard the explosions behind them. Relying on his astonishing memory, Liu Hui retraced the path they had taken, while mentally discarding any tunnels that clearly led to dead ends.

Liu Hui stopped at a three-way fork and pointed to one passage. “Third Brother, when we came in, I didn’t notice any tire tracks on this path, but now there are. This must be the route Colonel Booth took. Perhaps we should follow their tracks to see what situation we encounter,” Liu Hui suggested.

“I follow whatever you say, Boss. You decide the route,” Zhou Tengyun replied simply. He knew he lacked Liu Hui’s analytical prowess and decided to conserve effort; whatever Liu Hui decided, he would follow.

Liu Hui quickly dashed down the designated path, with Zhou Tengyun keeping close behind. Both men were cultivators at the introductory level, possessing terrifying stamina, and within the confined space of the tunnels, their running speed actually surpassed that of a vehicle. They ran down this passage for over ten minutes without finding Colonel Booth or his men, but the tire tracks continued ahead.

After rounding a corner, a cool breeze suddenly hit them, and they realized they had exited the cave system onto an open clearing. Liu Hui slowed down, used his sense of connection to locate Xiao Hei, and immediately realized they were heading west. He called out to Zhou Tengyun and they began sprinting toward Xiao Hei’s location.

The leader of the US CIA Middle East Division was beginning to suffer a headache. His entire team had swept the cave, finding not a single crate of munitions nor a single terrorist. This infuriated him, but he felt helpless; the terrain was too complex for a small-scale containment operation. Only a massive deployment could thoroughly search the area.

“Contact Mr. Smith immediately and ask him to petition the White House for satellite imagery covering a one-hundred-kilometer radius. We must locate these terrorists, otherwise the consequences of this arsenal falling into their hands will be unimaginable, especially now that their leader, Bin Laden, has been killed, driving these operatives into a frenzy.”

The leader’s subordinate immediately contacted Mr. Smith to relay his directive.

“Chief, Mr. Smith says he will contact the White House immediately to seek authorization. But he urges you to intensify pursuit efforts—do not let these terrorists escape,” the subordinate relayed Smith’s message.

“Immediately summon Cobra Two and Cobra Three teams. Tell them to cease setting up roadblocks on the return route and instruct them to search the surrounding ten-kilometer radius immediately. They must find those terrorists,” the Chief commanded.

Liu Hui and Zhou Tengyun were running at breakneck speed, easily exceeding one hundred kilometers per hour. Suddenly, they spotted flashing lights ahead and quickly slowed down, approaching the car with blinking headlamps.

Liu Hui’s eyes were sharp; he immediately recognized Colonel Booth sitting in the driver’s seat, apparently speaking to someone. As soon as Zhou Tengyun saw Colonel Booth, he prepared to charge and apprehend him, but Liu Hui stopped him, making a shushing gesture, and listened intently to what Colonel Booth was saying.

“God, I wonder how my Muslim brother is doing, if he was caught by the CIA,” Booth was saying.

“Colonel, those CIA agents were certainly led there by that Arab. Luckily, we noticed early and slipped away quietly. If they were caught by the Americans, they deserve it,” one subordinate remarked.

“What do you know? Muhammad was ambushed while trading with us. If anything happens to him now, we are the prime suspects. Do you think he was alone? Look at the weapons he selected—all targeted against the US military. Where are there large numbers of US troops on the battlefield right now? And where is such a large arsenal needed? It has to be Afghanistan. I am certain Muhammad is either Taliban or Al-Qaeda. God above, please ensure nothing happens to them, or not only will my reputation be ruined, but we will invite serious trouble,” Colonel Booth lectured his subordinate while making the sign of the cross over his chest.

“So what do we do now? Go back and help them?” the subordinate asked.

“Idiot, returning now to help them means certain death. We should get as far away as possible!” Colonel Booth roared, and the subordinate stomped the accelerator, causing the car to speed forward.

“Third Brother, they don’t know the full situation; they might have been set up. Keeping him around might still be useful. Our priority now is to reach the Red Sea immediately; only there will we be truly safe,” Liu Hui told Zhou Tengyun.

“If Colonel Booth didn’t betray us, then who was causing trouble in the background? But this isn’t the time to pursue that; let’s focus on traveling,” Zhou Tengyun agreed, nodding, and continued running. Ahead of them, Booth’s car began to turn, diverging from the direction Liu Hui and Zhou Tengyun were taking.

*Qian Yu Chu Hai sincerely apologizes. Due to system issues, the previous chapter, "The Joyous Occasion of the Luo Family," was posted twice. After consulting with my editor, Hong Cha, we have decided to correct this error by adjusting and revising the chapter directory. Chapter 121 has now been changed to Chapter 122, and Chapter 122 to Chapter 123. To apologize for the inconvenience caused to readers, Qian Yu Chu Hai will post two updates totaling 10,000 characters today, with the second update coming at 7 PM.*