After listening to the captain's explanation, Nishimura Toshihiko didn't take it seriously—after all, wasn't it just one more plane appearing behind them? What was so extraordinary about that? "The captain explained: 'By general practice, whenever a flight—whether military or civilian—occupies a segment of a route, any subsequent aircraft wishing to overtake must proceed by diverting their path rather than maintaining the same altitude and passing directly through. The Chinese ground controllers surely wouldn't be unaware of this fundamental principle. Even if the trailing aircraft has an urgent mission, they should have notified the leading one to clear the route—instead, they're simply moving in without any notice!' 'So what exactly are you trying to say?' he said, growing impatient. 'Just state your hypothesis clearly. Don't go on about these basic principles—I'm not interested in them!' The captain replied: 'At this moment, I'm only speculating that the trailing aircraft might be intent on asserting dominance. Of course, this is merely a guess; its true intentions remain to be observed.' After all, they were flying within foreign airspace, so he wasn't willing to be too definitive." Nakamura Jun-nan hummed, "Then let's deliberately slow down. I'll see if it dares to collide with us. We haven't violated any flight regulations. If the aircraft behind really has ill intentions, we'll simply report the situation to their air traffic control!" The captain nodded, "Understood!" Then he reduced the speed by one-third, bringing it down to 600 kilometers per hour. On the trailing aircraft, the first officer said to Qin Feng, "Qin, the other side has slowed down to 600 kilometers per hour!" "Excellent," said Qin, "Now our speed is twice theirs. We'll catch up soon—let's go after them." He spoke without hesitation. "Understood," the captain replied, pushing the control stick to maintain a speed of 1,200 kilometers per hour. Based on the distance between the two aircraft, it would take no more than half an hour to catch up. On the leading aircraft, the captain reported, "Mr. Nakamura, the other flight hasn't slowed down, veered, or descended—they're tailing our course and closing in straight ahead. The situation is quite serious!" "Then what are we waiting for? We'll file a formal complaint with their air traffic control. I don't believe they'll dare ignore us." Nakamura Jun-nan spoke with confident authority, stating, "Here, we are the guests, and they have a responsibility to ensure our flight safety." "Understood," the captain immediately began connecting with air traffic control. "Comrade, with deep concern, said, 'They've already filed a complaint with the air traffic control department. How can the leadership just ignore it? You claim there's a suspicious person on board, but what evidence do you have? Without solid proof, no one will allow you to act freely!'" "The point he indicated belongs to the high-seas airspace and overlaps with the air defense identification zones of three countries—legendary ground for strategic competition. 'Why, Qin Shao, are we making such a change when we're about to catch up?' the captain didn't understand his reasoning. 'Just follow my instructions. We're merely making a circuit; the other side won't escape.' He didn't feel like explaining further. However, he had a serious concern. Though he had successfully escaped the Chinese realm, and safety in his own country was certainly assured, his team of subordinates had failed to withstand Qin Feng—none of them had managed to hold him off. Even more strikingly, the high-level Wuzheli had attempted a assassination, but their efforts had also failed. This fundamentally convinced him that Qin Feng was a formidable opponent, and how to defeat him remained a major challenge. He had actually sensed this strength before, but had merely kept it to himself. If not for this, why would he have hurried so urgently to leave the Chinese realm? Although the Wuzheli delegation had assured him of completing the mission, he still felt uneasy. He believed it was unwise to place all his hopes on the Wuzheli. "By the way, I'll enlist the help of the Ninja Organization. With their involvement, my security measures will be absolutely secure." "He was thrilled, slapping his forehead and turning to his subordinate, saying, 'Immediately contact the head of the Kaga school and have him prepare fifty elite ninjas—no, one hundred! Make every arrangement to secure both my residence and workplace!' The subordinate bowed low, speaking cautiously, 'Isn't that excessive? Elite ninjas are quite expensive, and one hundred would be a substantial investment.' 'Do I need money?' he snapped, throwing his wine cup at the subordinate. 'Is it money that matters, or my personal safety? Isn't that what you're afraid of—having your job taken by ninjas? If I die, will you still have a place to eat?' The subordinate quickly replied, 'I'll go right away. Master Nakamura, please rest assured—no matter what it takes, even if it means our lives, I'll guarantee your safety!' Nakamura Junnan's expression finally eased. He had lost all confidence in these people, believing only that strong, skilled ninjas could truly ensure his safety." The plane took off from the coastline and headed toward the open sea. Chūnami Nakamura's last remaining concern vanished with the breeze.