Tranxending Vision - Chapter 285

Chapter 285: 285

The breakfast of bread, mutton and pulao made Xia Lei burp . The owner of the shop refused his money when he tried to pay, and even invited Xia Lei and Tang Yu-Yan to his home to be his guests . They were flustered by his invitation .  

Tang Yu-Yan had been speaking with the owner in Urdu all this while and Xia Lei understood not a word . The owner also uttered some Chinese words once in a while but it was pronounced weirdly and full of errors .  

‘Looks like I’ll have to learn more foreign languages . The popular languages I’ve learnt are not enough . Tang Yu-Yan’s Urdu seems well-practiced and this tells me that she must be very familiar with the situation in the Middle East . This should also be the reason why she was sent on this mission, and not Long Bing,’ thought Xia Lei .  

They left the restaurant and Tang Yu-Yan continued on the road towards the Afghan border .  

“What language do they use in Afghanistan?” asked Xia Lei casually .  

“Pashto and Persian - I know both,” said Tang Yu-Yan . She then said a sentence of similar meanings from each language and looked rather proud of herself .  

Xia Lei gave her a half smile . “Showoff . Know any Russian?” 

“Long Bing knows it, so the higher ups will always send her on missions to Eastern Europe instead of me . Middle East - that’s me,” said Tang Yu-Yan .  

“How about your brother?” 

“He speaks Vietnamese, Burmese, Thai and Japanese . And English, of course . So he’s mainly tasked with missions to South Asia and Japan . ” Tang Yu-Yan gave Xia Lei a look and said with a grin, “I know you speak German, English, French, Japanese, Russian and more, so you’re suitable for missions around the world . ” 

Xia Lei was speechless .  

The Ford Raptor roared out of Islamabad and towards Peshawar . Peshawar was one of the main cities along the northwestern border of Pakistan, and beyond Peshawar was Afghanistan .  

Tang Yu-Yan and Xia Lei arrived in Peshawar at noon .  

Xia Lei had thought that Tang Yu-Yan would check them into a hotel or something but she drove straight to some normal-looking residential houses . The walls surrounding the place were very tall, at least four metres high . Two Ford Raptors were parked behind those walls; the ten agents had arrived earlier than them .  

After entering the house and seeing the equipment and busy agents, Xia Lei discovered that the house was actually a stronghold of Bureau 101 in Pakistan . It was also the ‘safe point’ or ‘intelligence station’ one would often see in spy movies .  

Tang Yu-Yan brought Xia Lei to a room on the second floor . “You’ll stay here . I’ll be next door . Rest now because we’re going to enter Afghanistan at night . Feel free to tell me if you need anything . We’re going into hostile territory once we leave Peshawar . ”

Xia Lei thought for a bit . “Give me some books to learn Peruvian and Urdu . Reading is a form of rest too . ” 

“No problem . I’ll get someone to bring it up . ” Tang Yu-Yan left Xia Lei’s room .  

Xia Lei looked about his room . The furnishing were simple - a single bed, a desk, a chair and a combination bathroom .

His gaze went to the single bed and he abruptly thought of the situation with Long Bing in Germany . He had shared bed and pillow with Long Bing most nights in that period of over a month . They were also acting as husband and wife now but Tang Yu-Yan was not staying with him .  

‘What am I thinking? This is Pakistan . China’s best country-friend . This is also Bureau 101’s intelligence station . How can I sleep on the same bed as her? This status as husband and wife must be only applicable in some special circumstances,’ thought Xia Lei .

An agent knocked on Xia Lei’s door and delivered books on Persian, Pashto and Urdu language learning .  

Xia Lei said his thanks and sent the agent away, then stayed in the room to read . His speed was as ungodly as ever, with his left eye working like scanner, saving everything he saw in his brain .  

The sound of running water came from the other side of the wall after he’d done a bit of learning .  

Xia Lei glanced inadvertently at the wall with his activated eye . The wall disappeared all of a sudden and he saw right into the next room . Tang Yu-Yan’s clothes were on the bed - outdoor clothing, black lace panties, black bra and white socks . The door to the shower was not closed but not totally open either; a white figure could be seen through the gap .  

Her skin was as white and soft as snow and it seemed it could melt with one breath . Her full, firm breasts jiggled perfectly and her buttocks - they lost not to Annina’s . They were plump and had a good layer of fat, but were still electrifyingly bouncy . Her beautiful legs were long and straight, rounded yet firm, evidently due to her practicing martial arts from a young age . Her legs were a match for Liang Si-Yao’s beautiful legs…

This was an inadvertent look which had become rather voyeuristic and Xia Lei should look away but he still couldn’t help staring for a little more before he looked away . He then had a new thought in his head, ‘My left eye is getting quicker and quicker at seeing through things . I can feel that the obstacles are lessening too . Is this the result of practice and long-term use, or is this ability continuously evolving?’ 

Xia Lei had never stopped thinking about his left eye’s powers but he was still unable to get any answers .  

He gave up after thinking about it for a while and continued reading the books .  

Someone came knocking a little later and Tang Yu-Yan pushed the door open and walked in without waiting for Xia Lei to even lift his head from the book . She still wore the well-worn outdoor clothing but her hair was wet and she looked refreshed, lively . This must be because she’d just had a shower .  

Xia Lei out down the book and looked at her . “What’s up?” He’d looked at her for two minutes earlier and felt rather guilty about it .  

“Time to eat . Aren’t you hungry?” said Tang Yu-Yan, “The cook made Chinese food specially for us . ” 

“I ate so many oily foods in the morning so I don’t feel hungry now . I’m not eating; you go ahead,” said Xia Lei .  

“I’m actually not hungry either . Okay, then come with me to meet someone,” said Tang Yu-Yan .  

“Who are we meeting?” 

“A guide . ” 

“We still need a guide for a mission like this?” asked Xia Lei in surprise .  

Tang Yu-Yan smiled wryly . “Bruh, it’s Afghanistan, not Pakistan . There are American, English and EU troops on the ground there, plus armed religious groups and Afghan military forces and tribes . You can’t even imagine the chaos there . We need a guide who knows the situation there and can help us avoid unnecessary trouble to reach our destination safely . ” 

“What’s our destination in Afghanistan?” 

“Bamiyan Valley,” said Tang Yu-Yan, “Tang Xuan-Zhao went there and the world-famous Bamiyan Buddhas are there too, but they were blown up by a religious militant group . ” 

Xia Lei’s heart thudded . “Are Ning Jing and the experts trapped in Bamiyan Valley?” 

“Yes, by a Pashtun tribe . We know their location but it is in a war zone so we need to rely on the connections of locals to get in . ” 

“Does Ning Jing and the experts being in the area have to do with the Bamiyan Buddhas?” The wheels of Xia Lei’s mind spun .  

Tang Yu-Yan rolled her eyes at Xia Lei . “I really don’t know what Ning Jing and those experts are doing there so stop asking . Are you coming, or not? I’ll just go on my own then . ” 

“Of course I’m coming . Peshawar is a beautiful city and I must have a walk around since this is a rare trip,” said Xia Lei .  

Tang Yu-Yan took a gun from her waist and tossed it to Xia Lei . “Take this . It’s your weapon . ” 

Xia Lei grinned . “Finally willing to give me a gun . ” 

“This is Peshawar but it’s close to Afghanistan . Our safety here is not guaranteed so giving you a gun for your own protection is a must . Wait till we get to Afghanistan - you can have all the guns you want . Let’s go . ” 

Xia Lei shoved the gun in his belt and followed Tang Yu-Yan out the door .  

The afternoon sun bathed the streets in golden light and the exotic buildings basked quietly in the glow . The bright colours of the flowers and people in the city made it look like they had walked into a scene from a painting .  

They did not walk far before some young girls clad in black cloth walked towards them . Xia Lei gave them a friendly smile but the young girls turned away to face the walls and did not even look at Xia Lei .  

Xia Lei felt embarrassed . “What’s this?” 

Tang Yu-Yan giggled . “They have their own beliefs in Islam . No use being handsome . Don’t have any hopes of encounters with women here . ” 

Xia Lei had nothing to say to this woman of the Tang sect .  

The two of them went slowly through the streets and to a terminal market . Tang Yu-Yan told Xia Lei that the guide they wanted to meet was in that market . The guide was a Pashtun named Karam . He was selling beans and wheat in the market but that was just a cover . His real identity was a satellite member of the intelligence station and he drew a sizeable paycheque from the intelligence station every month .  

You only needed money to buy the person you wanted in this world and it had nothing to do with religion or beliefs .  

Xia Lei was stunned by what he saw at a roadside stall upon entering the market . The goods on display were not pancakes or headscarves but equipment from the US military . The items ranged from clothing to protective gear and there were even US weapons and ammunition .  

The stall owner spotted Xia Lei looking at his wares and used the unfamiliar English tongue to say, “Friend, take a look . All good things . One gun, one hundred US dollars, I give one hundred bullets free . ” 

Xia Lei wanted to go over to take a look but Tang Yu-Yan pulled him by the hand . “Careful, don’t get marked . ” 

Xia Lei waved a refusal at the stall owner, then walked off with Tang Yu-Yan .  

Tang Yu-Yan spoke in a low voice, “Who knows how many countries’ intelligence officers are here in this territory . Don’t do anything out of the ordinary or you’ll be marked . ” 

Xia Lei did a small nod . “I got it . I was just curious . I didn’t actually want to buy a gun . ” 

He surveyed their surroundings as he spoke . This terminal market was fairly messy and there were merchants from Afghanistan as well as a fair number from overseas . There were also blonde-haired and blue-eyed caucasian tourists . Some tourists held onto their cameras and snapped pictures while some tourists haggled with stall vendors .  

This environment added a twinge of worry in Xia Lei’s heart . He would have to deal with more than just the rescue mission if he were to be discovered by CIA intelligence officers .

As they went deeper into the terminal market, a black-veiled woman in a corner pointed her watch at Xia Lei and Tang Yu-Yan .  

There was a high-definition camera in her watch .