Ryan, seeing the incoming signal on the screen, raised an eyebrow coldly. “Put it through.”
At the same time, Adolph also signaled Cobra, who was piloting the jet, to connect the comms.
It seemed both sides were about to enter a conversation simultaneously.
After a brief static, Cecily’s face appeared on the screen.
Ryan leaned back in his seat, holding Echo in his lap, absentmindedly stroking her messy hair.
Echo, for once, didn’t care that Ryan’s gesture felt like he was petting her like a cat. She stayed silent, wide-eyed, watching this three-way negotiation.
Cecily, noticing that it was Ryan and Adolph who had answered, paused for a moment before laughing. “Well, if it isn’t Mr. Ryan and my darling son. No wonder someone had the nerve to surround me. I was wondering who it could be.”
Adolph let out a cold laugh. “What, you thought we were dead? Too bad. Your little tricks weren’t enough to kill us. But now I see why you’re bold enough to show up here-you’re really lacking in brains.”
Cecily smiled slightly, reclining elegantly in her chair. “My darling son, you have quite the survival instinct. After all the trouble I went through, you still escaped. You’ve really given me a headache. So ungrateful.”
Adolph raised an eyebrow, about to retort, but Ryan raised his hand, stopping him. He stared at Cecily’s smiling face and said coldly, “You tried to kill me, Cecily. You’ve got guts.”
Cecily chuckled lightly when Ryan spoke, shaking her head. “No, no, how could I dare to make a move against your Dark family? I’m just targeting my dear son. Mr. Ryan, please don’t misunderstand; I don’t have the guts to do anything to you.”
Ryan’s expression remained icy. “Oh really?”
“Absolutely,” Cecily continued with a smile. “But, Mr. Ryan, if you want to defend my dear son, and if there happens to be any collateral damage, you can’t blame me for that.”
Seeing Cecily’s nonchalant smile, as if she didn’t take the situation seriously at all, Ryan scoffed coldly. “I don’t have time to waste with you. Are you going to return it yourself, or do I have to come get it?”
Cecily’s expression changed to a serious one as she looked at Ryan. “Mr. Ryan, you’re so straightforward. Fine, since we’re being blunt, I have nothing more to say. If you have the capability, come and get it.” With that, she raised an eyebrow and smiled, full of arrogance and disdain.
Adolph’s face turned cold as he glared at Cecily. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
Cecily smirked, looking at Adolph. “Come on, I’m actually curious to see what you can do to get that shipment back.”
With that, the screen flickered, and she cut off the connection with Ryan and Adolph.
“Ryan, cover me,” Adolph said angrily while quickly signaling to Ryan.
Ryan’s voice turned serious. “Hold on.”
“What?” Adolph paused, raising an eyebrow at Ryan.
Ryan’s gaze was fixed on the radar, tracking Cecily’s flight path and formations.
Tiger, looking grave, added, “Mr. Adolph, the most valuable part of that shipment is those fighter jets. They’re the most advanced in the world right now. Our current aircraft can’t compete with those six in terms of speed, range, or accuracy. If we go in recklessly, we’ll just get annihilated.”
Adolph’s expression darkened immediately, and he frowned at the radar display.
Ryan stayed silent, aware that the buyer for this shipment was in the Middle East, where money flowed freely, and the equipment was top-notch. It wouldn’t be good for anyone if it fell into the wrong hands.
“Shit, I’ll get a more powerful plane right away,” Adolph muttered, his eyes icy.
Nothing was invincible; if these jets were fierce, there were definitely other models that were even more so. He refused to believe he couldn’t deal with Cecily.
Ryan, watching the eighteen planes under Cecily’s command moving around, said coldly to Adolph, “Look closely at their current formation.”
As Ryan spoke, both Adolph and Echo turned to look.
The screen showed twelve transport planes flying in a circle, while the six latest fighter jets weren’t circling anymore-they were all tightly clustered around the transport planes, the distance between them almost nonexistent.
Echo rubbed her nose, puzzled. What did that mean? She noticed Adolph’s face growing even colder, his eyes filled with killing intent, making him appear fierce.
Ryan spoke slowly but coldly, “At such a short distance, if we destroy any one of them, the nearby transport planes won’t be able to withstand the impact. Besides guns, there’s a lot of artillery onboard. If one of those explosions goes off this close, everything will be wiped out.”
Echo, hearing Ryan’s cold explanation, raised an eyebrow and muttered, “That sounds perfect. One explosion could solve the whole problem.”
She didn’t understand what Ryan and Adolph were so worried about; the solution seemed simple to her.
Ryan immediately glared at Echo, his expression icy.
She pursed her lips, mumbling, “It is simple.”
“Simple, yes, but my goal is the weapons, not those heads,” Ryan said, glaring at her word by word.
Echo fell silent at that. Cecily had blown her nerves sky-high with that chemical explosion, and Echo couldn’t help but want to stomp her into the ground, shred her to pieces. After all, Cecily had caused her so much suffering. In her anger, she forgot Ryan’s goal was to retrieve the weapons, not to seek revenge.
Seeing the irritation in Ryan’s eyes, Echo shifted uncomfortably and buried her head in his chest.
Great.
This proved she hadn’t really been paying attention to Ryan’s mission. She wasn’t taking his concerns seriously.
She didn’t think she was wrong, but to Ryan, this was a huge mistake. He was like a dictator, expecting everything to revolve around him like the sun, and if he found out the little stars around him were ignoring his plans, he’d probably just wave them off-ending them without hesitation. From the cold anger in his eyes earlier, she could tell that’s exactly what he’d do.
Sure enough, Ryan grabbed her by the collar and tossed her out. Echo landed on the floor of the plane, stunned.
Ryan’s aim was perfect-every part of her body was already injured, except her backside, which now hurt too, making it a complete set of pain.
Bill glanced at Echo with a look of pity, shaking his head slightly as if to say, “You deserved that.” He then turned to Ryan and said, “We can’t attack from a distance, and getting closer will make us vulnerable to their attack. Are we just going to let them land? That’s the drop-off point. If they make the delivery, we can’t make a move.”
There were rules in their world. Wherever the goods changed hands, that’s where any problems had to be resolved. They couldn’t involve innocent parties. This shipment was still under Cecily’s control, so going after her was fair game. But once the delivery was made, the buyers would legally own the goods, and attacking them would be crossing the line.
Bill’s question hit the crux of the issue. Everyone’s eyes were on Ryan, waiting for his command.
Adolph, though a boss in his own right, wasn’t as well-versed in military-grade weaponry, especially at this level. So, even he had to defer to Ryan.
Ryan’s eyes stayed cold as he looked at the radar. “Jam their signal. We’re boarding Cecily’s planes.”
Everyone, including Adolph, was stunned.
Boarding Cecily’s planes?
That was easier said than done-these weren’t just any planes; they were fighter jets. Jamming their signal and boarding them? It was a bold, almost reckless plan.