Chapter 256: Returning Home by Stowing Away

It was late at night, already past eleven o’clock. Tang Chen and his group quietly sneaked into downtown Washington. The mission was now complete, and the data had been retrieved. The next step was to figure out how to leave Washington.

Tang Chen and the others had put on simple disguises. Combined with the darkness of the night, not many people noticed these sneaky figures.

Back at the base, Yuanyang first arranged for the still-shaken Wang Jianfeng to reunite with his family. Then, those who were injured got treated and bandaged, while the others rested.

Yuanyang walked over to Tang Chen and asked, “Tang Chen, do you have any good ideas for leaving?”

Tang Chen had already come out of Berserk Mode, but his body was weak and he felt exhausted all over. Still, he replied, “I blew up the building. Now, with such a big mess, the Big Nose authorities are sure to impose a strict lockdown on Washington. It looks like the only way for us to leave now is to stow away!”

“Stow away? You mean sneak out to international waters?” Yuanyang was sharp and immediately caught on. She continued, “Stowing away is a good idea, but to get to our waters, we have to pass through international waters. If the Americans catch up with us then, we’ll be in big trouble.”

Tang Chen hummed in agreement and said seriously, “I understand that. So we must act tonight, and leave without anyone noticing. Even if they find out later, it won’t matter. Once we reach our waters, the Americans wouldn’t dare to come after us, no matter how brave they are.”

Yuanyang nodded, paced a few steps, and then said, “Our team has been here for a while, so I happen to know a place where black-market ships go out to sea every night. As long as we pay enough money, we can definitely leave from there.”

Tang Chen clapped his hands together, satisfied. “Let’s do it. You go contact them first. I’ll call the higher-ups, just in case. I’ll ask our country’s marines to go there—on one hand, they can support us, and on the other, if the Big Nose really want to cause trouble, our marines can intimidate them.”

Yuanyang agreed and went to her room to start making calls. Tang Chen said to Ape and the others, “You all, hurry up and bandage your wounds. If you’re tired, eat something. We’re leaving tonight without delay.”

“Okay, don’t worry.” Black Fox and the others now obeyed Tang Chen without question and immediately started doing what they needed to do.

Tang Chen didn’t waste any time either. He took out his mobile phone and called Elder Du. After a few busy tones, Elder Du answered the phone.

“Hello, is that Little Tang? Are you safe?” Elder Du hurriedly asked, his voice full of concern.

Tang Chen chuckled casually and said, “Elder Du, don’t worry, I’m fine. I suppose that person has already told you—I rescued Wang Jianfeng and got the data back. We plan to stow away and return to the country tonight.”

“Well done, Little Tang! I never thought you’d really pull it off. Haha, this old man is so happy for you!” Elder Du laughed heartily and praised generously, “The younger generation truly are formidable! I was a bit worried about you when he assigned you this mission. But here you are, completing it in less than a week. You’ve really impressed me.”

Tang Chen laughed too, thinking strangely to himself that Elder Du and the one above probably didn’t know yet that he had blown up the Pentagon. After all, it had just happened tonight, and news wouldn’t have reached home that quickly. He even thought rather gleefully that if the one above found out about the huge commotion he had caused, he might regret sending him on this mission in the first place.

“Elder Du, I’ll gladly accept your praise. By the way, could you do me a favor? Can you arrange for the marines to meet us in our country’s waters?”

“No problem at all. I’ll call them right now and give the order. You be careful on your way back by stowing away.”

“Thank you then. As for safety, don’t worry. I’ll hang up now.” After saying what he needed, Tang Chen ended the call.

Just then, Yuanyang happened to come out. She said gravely, “Tang Chen, I’ve made the arrangements. Let’s head to St. Peter’s Port now.”

Tang Chen hummed in agreement, casually threw on a jacket, and said, “Bring Wang Jianfeng and his family. We’re going home.”

St. Peter’s Port was a relatively large port in Washington. Every day, cargo ships came and went in an endless stream. Of course, at night, it became the time for black-market ships to pick up stowaways.

It was already deep into the night, so St. Peter’s Port was pitch black. No ships could be seen docked there; only the water shimmered under the reflection of the moonlight, looking utterly peaceful.

Yuanyang walked straight to the steps leading down to the port and called out softly, “Mr. William, it’s Su.”

Following her voice, footsteps slowly approached. A light turned on, and a somewhat short, fat man carrying a kerosene lamp walked over.

“Su, why are you only coming now? I’ve been waiting for ages. If it weren’t for you, we would have set sail long ago.” The white, chubby William grumbled discontentedly. He looked like someone with too much fat, his face greasy, and his appearance sharp and sleazy.

Yuanyang smiled apologetically. Though she didn’t like dealing with this kind of person, she thought about needing their help to leave and suppressed her anger. She said coquettishly, “Sorry, William. We were held up by something, so we’re late. Can we set sail now?”

William stopped muttering and glanced at Tang Chen and the others. Then he said, “There are nine of you total. I charge ten thousand dollars per person, so that’s ninety thousand dollars. But since we’re friends, I’ll cut you a deal—eighty-five thousand dollars. Not too expensive, right?”

Ten thousand dollars per person—this guy was a swindler among swindlers. Yuanyang said somewhat awkwardly, “William, I left in a hurry this time and didn’t bring that much money. Do you think you could…”

“No, Su. Don’t say I’m stingy, but if I give discounts to everyone like you, how would I do business? Sailing a black-market ship at night is risky enough, and I still have to spend money bribing customs. This is the cheapest price. If it weren’t for our friendship, I wouldn’t take you tonight.”

Before Yuanyang could finish, William interrupted her impatiently. His words were hypocritical too, claiming he was giving a discount because they were friends. What friend would someone so profit-driven have?

Yuanyang was at a loss and looked at Tang Chen for help. Tang Chen didn’t hesitate. He had anticipated there might be disputes over money with the black-market ship operators here. To leave Washington as soon as possible, he decided to be the fat sheep tonight.

With that thought, Tang Chen tossed the suitcase he was carrying to William and said to Yuanyang, “Tell him this contains five hundred thousand US dollars. He should set sail immediately.”

Yuanyang was startled. Fifty thousand dollars per person was already extortionate, and he was giving him five hundred thousand! But one look at Tang Chen’s face told her he didn’t want to waste time. So she said to William, “William, this is the money my boss is giving you—a total of five hundred thousand US dollars. Can we set sail now?”

“Five hundred thousand US dollars?” William was also shocked. He quickly opened the suitcase, saw the green bills inside, took one out to feel it, then immediately put it back. Greedily, he said to Yuanyang, “Su, I never knew you had such a rich boss.”

“William, can we set sail now?” Yuanyang was slightly angry now and didn’t want to waste more words on someone so money-grubbing. She spoke coldly.

“Alright, we’ll set sail right away.” As William spoke, he treasured the suitcase in his hand, then whistled toward the sea below.

After the whistle sounded, a large cargo ship slowly approached. The front lights turned on, and William said, “Get on board. It’s absolutely safe to leave at this time.”

Tang Chen nodded in agreement, and all nine of them boarded the ship. William was the last to get on. After closing the cabin door, they set sail immediately.