After Lu Jiamei finished transferring all the seeds to the other three speedboats, Qin Haonan immediately came over. "Leader, let me stay behind, too! I’m a real pro with a speedboat!"
Ren Yuanyang nodded slightly. "Alright, you stay. Have the others escort the seeds back to the base first."
"You got it!" Qin Haonan replied excitedly.
If Yu Ren failed, they would indeed need a skilled speedboat pilot to ensure a quick getaway.
Qin Haonan had always been the one to go out on trading runs in the past, and he had more speedboat mileage than anyone else at Peach Blossom Base.
The other three speedboats set off for the base, following the route Ren Yuanyang had provided.
The four of them—Ren Yuanyang’s group—remained where they were, waiting for news from Yu Ren.
Meanwhile, Yu Ren had already swum underwater and was now near the Xi’an Base supply convoy.
To match the supply ship’s pace, the six escorting speedboats were also moving very slowly.
After a moment of consideration, Yu Ren immediately swam toward the two speedboats at the rear of the convoy.
"Fuck, this damn weather is too hot! And they won’t even let us run the AC!"
"Our power is limited. All we can do is catch the sea breeze, but everyone be careful. Don’t let any of this rain get in your mouth!"
"We’ve already left Dawn Base, can’t they just let us on the big ship for a bit? This rocking is miserable!"
"Just hang in there. It’ll be better once we’re back at the base!"
The soldiers on the speedboat were still griping.
Yu Ren cautiously surfaced and clung to the port bow of the speedboat, a blind spot from the other boats.
He opened a small bamboo tube that was hanging at his waist, placed it on the bow, then immediately let go and slipped back into the water.
He repeated the maneuver, carefully placing another small bamboo tube on the bow of the second speedboat.
It was now past midnight, and the men on the speedboat were getting drowsy.
When a faint fragrance drifted by, they fell into an even deeper slumber. The pilot, who had just taken over the helm, passed out instantly, yanking the wheel a full ninety degrees as he slumped over.
A sentry on the supply ship must have noticed the two speedboats at the rear suddenly veer off course, because he immediately tried to raise them on the radio.
"Boat Five, Boat Six, what have you spotted? Why are you breaking formation?"
But there was no response. The sentry immediately realized something was wrong and reported it to his superior.
The supply captain, jolted from his bunk by the report, gave a grim order, "Send the remaining speedboats to check it out. The supply ship is to go on high alert. Keep a sharp eye in the direction those boats went, and watch for any other vessels approaching!"
"Yes, sir!"
Following the captain’s order, the other four speedboats immediately gave chase to the two that had broken away.
Meanwhile, most of the sentries on the supply ship gathered at the stern, their eyes fixed on the direction the two wayward speedboats had gone.
With the convoy’s attention fixed on the two speedboats and all eyes scanning the distant sea, Yu Ren swam to the side of the supply ship. He used the vibrations in the hull to pinpoint the crew’s positions. Confirming that the guard on the bow had moved to the opposite side, he snapped open another bamboo tube from his waist and tossed it onto the deck.
CLATTER!
The bamboo tube landed on the deck with a crisp sound, clearly audible over the loud patter of the rain.
The guard who had moved to the other side immediately came back to investigate.
"Huh? Why is there a piece of bamb—"
THUD!
The guard collapsed.
The Confusing Fragrance from the bamboo tube began to spread, carried by the wind across the entire ship.
Since the weather was hot and stuffy, most of the doors and portholes were open, allowing the Confusing Fragrance to pour into the cabins.
Some of it even got into the ventilation system.
First, the guards patrolling the deck collapsed one by one, followed by the crew members inside the cabins.
The Confusing Fragrance Ren Yuanyang had provided was made from a potent, enhanced Mandala—so strong that not even an Evolver could resist it.
As the Confusing Fragrance permeated the entire ship, even in its diluted state, everyone who caught a whiff of it collapsed.
The supply ship had already slowed down to ascertain the status of the two wayward speedboats.
After successfully getting the Confusing Fragrance onto the ship, Yu Ren swam toward the four pursuing speedboats.
This time, he was bolder. He simply got close to the speedboats and tossed the opened bamboo tubes directly inside.
Since he was approaching from the rear, the boats up ahead didn’t notice him. The Confusing Fragrance worked so effectively that the soldiers passed out before they could even sound an alarm.
Once that was done, Yu Ren, covering his nose and mouth, climbed aboard a speedboat and sent a message to Ren Yuanyang: "It’s pretty much handled. I haven’t boarded the main ship, but all the guards on deck are down. No one’s come out from the cabins, so they should all be knocked out."
Ren Yuanyang was pleasantly surprised to receive the message. "We’re heading over now!" he ordered immediately.
"Yes, sir!" Qin Haonan replied, starting the speedboat.
Lu Jiamei frowned. "You don’t think he’s working with them to lure us into a trap, do you?"
"He’s still poisoned, so I doubt it," Ren Yuanyang said, shaking his head. "Besides, working with Xi’an Base wouldn’t be as comfortable as staying with us."
Lu Jiamei paused for a moment, then nodded.
’It’s true. Right now, there probably isn’t a single base more comfortable than Peach Blossom Base.’
Ren Yuanyang’s group quickly approached the supply convoy. By the time they arrived, Yu Ren had already brought all six speedboats back and tethered them to the supply ship.
Yu Ren could easily climb onto the speedboats, but a large vessel like the supply ship was another matter entirely. It was nearly impossible to board without a gangway.

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