Chapter 473 Community of Shared Destiny
The gravel path underfoot was getting more treacherous by the minute, and the salty sea breeze, thick with mist, nearly knocked me off balance. I clung desperately to the jagged rocks of the cliffside, each step a nerve-wracking ordeal. Fiona, on the other hand, moved like she was on solid ground, occasionally glancing back at me with a look that said, "We're almost there."
Her voice was shredded by the wind. As we rounded the final sharp bend, the rusted lighthouse finally came into view. The waves crashed violently against its base, sending up sprays of water as tall as a person, which then fell back with a deafening roar.
We edged along the cliff, cautiously making our way toward the lighthouse. Finally, just a few hundred feet away, Fiona suddenly grabbed my wrist and pulled me behind a cluster of massive rocks. The salty sea spray mixed with my cold sweat, trickling down my neck. I pressed myself into the crevice of the rock, my fingers gripping the rough surface tightly.
Fiona was right beside me, her black trench coat flapping in the wind, revealing the outline of a gun at her waist. The same dangerous aura emanated from her as from the rusted lighthouse in the distance.
"This is the spot."
Fiona's voice dropped to a whisper as she pulled a worn map from her file bag. Her finger traced the coordinates circled in red ink.
"Jeffrey and Nicholas's shipment of arms is set to leave from this lighthouse tonight. For years, Nicholas has been using his shipping company as a front to smuggle weapons through the Southeast region, and even Interpol hasn't been able to stop them."
I stared at the dense network of routes marked on the map, a chill running down my spine. The roar of the waves seemed distant, drowned out by the pounding of my heart.
"So this rusted lighthouse is their transit point? But we have nothing—how are we supposed to stop them?"
Fiona's lips curled into a smile as she pulled a black tablet from her snakeskin-patterned handbag. The screen lit up, showing dozens of blinking red dots moving across the map.
"I bought this real-time tracking data through my family's underground network in the Southeast region."
The screen was filled with flashing red dots, each route marked with a timestamp.
"My people have already infiltrated the local ports. They'll provide solid evidence and cut off their communications at critical moments."
Fiona swiped the screen to reveal a satellite image of a cargo ship labeled "Deep Sea Fisheries" heading toward the lighthouse.
"See that ship? It's supposed to be carrying frozen tuna, but it's actually loaded with enough weapons to arm a reinforced platoon."
I stared at the data on the screen, my throat tightening. All those seemingly random overseas business directories and sand-dusted maps were meticulously laid clues. Suddenly, the roar of speedboats reached us, and three black boats approached in a triangular formation, their bows cutting through the waves like knives in the twilight.
"It's their people."
Fiona quickly put away the tablet, and I saw her hand move toward the gun at her waist, the hem of her coat lifting to reveal the cold gleam of the weapon.
Watching the three speedboats on the water, a bitter taste rose in my throat.
"Are you crazy? It's just the two of us against them? They have heavy weapons! Those guys are armed to the teeth!"
The salty sea breeze filled my throat, and I felt like I was suffocating from the absurdity of the situation.
Fiona suddenly laughed softly. Her fingers brushed the gun handle, the faint sound of metal against leather blending with the waves.
"Diana, you're still too naive. Who said I was planning a head-on confrontation?"
Her crimson nails pointed to the seaweed growing in the crevices of the rocks.
"Do you think this fishy smell is just the sea breeze?"
I was taken aback, finally noticing the oily sheen on the rocks and the half-broken mooring rope tangled in the slimy seaweed. Fiona slipped the map back into the file bag with the grace of someone adjusting an evening gown.
"The gun is just a precaution. The real ace in the hole was set up before I even came to find you."
"Why are you showing me all this?"
Doubt gnawed at me.
Fiona suddenly grabbed my wrist, her grip so tight it felt like she might crush my bones. Her warm breath brushed my ear, but she didn't answer directly.
"Remember, from now on, don't take a single step away from me. Those guys have noses sharper than sharks. Any slight movement..."
Fiona deliberately drew out her words.
"And you'll end up as a corpse floating beneath the lighthouse."
I stared at the gun peeking out from under Fiona's coat, my throat bobbing painfully.
"You could have sent your men. Why risk yourself?"
The sea breeze carried Fiona's laughter, shattering against the rocks like sharp shards.
"Watching those cunning bastards fail in my trap is more satisfying than ten glasses of champagne."
Fiona's hand paused on the gun handle, her eyes glinting with a mix of amusement and challenge.
"Besides, didn't you come along too?"
Cold sweat trickled down my back into my jeans. I thought of Skylar waiting for the surprise I promised. How did I end up following this crazy woman, Fiona, to this cliff where we could end up as fish food?
"Regretting it?"
Fiona leaned in close, and I could see the fine lines at the corners of her eyes.
"Look at you, even your hair is trembling."
The tug on my hair made my scalp tingle.
"A woman's softness is her fatal flaw. To hold your ground in this world..."
Fiona shoved me against the rock, my head hitting the rough surface with a painful thud.
"You have to be tougher and crazier than any man."
"Remember, we're in this together now."
Fiona withdrew her gun and turned to reveal a hidden camera nestled in the seaweed-covered rocks.
"If you mess this up..."
Fiona's voice was torn apart by the waves, but each word pierced my heart.
"I guarantee your daughter will see her mother being torn apart by sharks on TV."
The salty sea breeze no longer stung as much, and the dull pain in the back of my head brought me back to my senses. I stared at the gun under Fiona's coat and suddenly laughed, though the sound felt foreign even to me.
"Tell me, what do you need me to do?"
I met Fiona's icy gaze, wiping the cold sweat mixed with seawater from my face.
"You didn't bring me here just to brag about your plan."
Fiona raised an eyebrow, her crimson nails tracing the dense routes on the map. She pulled out a fresh nautical chart from the file bag.
"Do you see these glowing markers?"
Her finger pointed to several pencil-marked spots.
"Before we got here, my drone captured their heavy machine gun positions."
The areas circled in red indeed had several hastily marked crosses, clearly recent intel. Fiona handed me a waterproof marker from her handbag.
"Mark these coordinates on the main map, with an error margin of no more than 150 feet."
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