After the final instructions, the seven groups took steps towards the charter plane in the hangar. All personal phones and gadgets were confiscated to avoid compromising the whole operations.
Each group was given a laptop and Bluetooth headsets. There was no signal in Country M, hence, mobile phones would be of no use sooner or later.
As soon as the last person occupied the seat inside, the plane took off immediately.
Li Nuxie felt as if she was swaying, hence she closed her eyes. Huang Wensheng remained calm which caused a surprise to Li Chao. He knew it was Huang Wensheng's first time to be off the ground. He wanted to talk to the boy but he held his mouth shut.
Tension filled the air. Each one of the people inside the plane knew that this was a suicide mission. One mistake and they might not come back anymore.
Li Nuxie continued to feel her surroundings with her eyes still closed. She was the least worried of the people inside. In her opinion, the Vortex Team was the best. Although it was their first time to participate in this kind of mission, Li Nuxie was confident they can get it.
The other people were also quiet. The groups considered everyone as a competition. Hence, no one talked to other people. They just keep to themselves.
Three hours later, the plane's wheels slid onto the runway, putting on complete stop five minutes later.
The groups slowly descended from the plane. Their faces were mixed emotions. Some have dark expression while others have thin lines on their foreheads.
Some were gripping the steel supporting the tarmac, as if it can lend them strength and enough guts to still go.
Of the seven groups, the Vortex Team was the most calm. With the exception of Huang Wensheng whose eyes were twinkling with excitement, the rest of the team seemed calm to the point of indifference.
Li Nuxie glanced around. The runway was near the seashore. She also noticed the CCTVs attached to the posts. The hair at the back of her neck stood up. For some reason, she felt like someone was watching her beyond those CCTVs.
Well, of course, they were being watched. But --
"Something's wrong, Xiexie?" Li Chanying asked her cousin when she noticed her fidgeting while standing closed to her.
Li Nuxie shook her head. "Nothing."
The groups took steps outside the landing area, their eyes could not stay still in one direction. As they walked, only the chirp of wild birds and occasional sounds of animals can reach their ears. This was blending with their footsteps against the road that was littered with pebbles.
The groups only took a 15-minute walk before they reached the designated jumpoff point.
A man wearing black shades was already waiting for them when they arrived. He did not speak. Instead, he just motioned on the scuba diving suits and equipment.
Without uttering a word, each one of them grabbed a scuba diving suit, putting it on their bodies.
Li Chao has to help Huang Wensheng put on his diving suit. It was the latter's first time to see one, let alone wear one.
"Thank you, elder brother," Huang Wensheng uttered before lowering his eyes.
Li Chao's shoulders went stiff when he realized what the boy had told him. Growing up, he only had Li Nuxie and then Li Chanying. He doesn't have a younger brother. Come to think of it, it sounded nice. He doesn't mind.
"You're welcome," he said after a while.
Huang Wensheng raised his head, his eyes were wide. Did elder sister's brother really talk to him?
"Stop discussing nonsense," Li Nuxie cut their small conversation. The waters surrounding the island was already a few meters deep, hence they need not ride a boat to the middle of the sea.
Li Chao clamped down his mouth tightly.
A man with a bulky built jumped into the water first, creating a splash all over. He was followed by a teammate of his.
The rest of the crowd followed. Huang Wensheng looked up to Li Nuxie. "We're not going yet?"
Li Nuxie nodded. "Not yet. Practice your breathing first."
Huang Wensheng did not ask anymore. He trusted Li Nuxie. He knew his elder sister was smart and decisive.
Li Chanying just watched the crowd got smaller. It didn't take twenty minutes before the place got completely deserted aside from them.
The man with black shades just glanced at them.
"Is he not worried we might back out, elder sister Chanying?" Huang Wensheng asked quietly. However, his voice reached Li Chao's ears.
Li Chao chuckled. "He was too busy to mind about that."
"Time to move," Li Nuxie gave the go signal. They positioned themselves near the edge of the concrete benches that served as a barrier against the sea. "You know what to do, Huang Wensheng?"
Huang Wensheng nodded. Li Chanying filled him in with the basics about scuba diving. He was confident because he was a fast learner.
As they sat upright against the bench, Li Chao was the first to fall down, with his back followed by his head submerging in the water.
Li Chanying soon followed. Huang Wensheng, taking a cue from Li Nuxie, nodded before imitating what Li Chao and Li Chanying had done. Li Nuxie was the last to fall onto the water.
When all of them were accounted for, the four-man team slowly swam towards the designated route. The water was clear, as if it was waiting for them.
Li Chao swam behind Li Nuxie while Li Chanying supported the youngest member of the team.
She was also carrying a medium-sized waterproof bag which housed the laptop and Bluetooth headsets they needed when they were already inside Country M.
Huang Wensheng was flowing with happiness as he swam with the fishes. The seabed was decorated with colorful corals and sea anemones which he only saw at school. He extended his hand but the fishes avoided him.
Disappointed, he just followed behind his elder brother and sister.