Chapter 134: The Lead is Lost
Lanke Clubhouse erupted into chaos.
A moment later, a few hurried young men led Zhu Wenhu away from the clubhouse.
===
Cheng Yuan and Wu Mengyao sped toward Bai Jiangbo’s Lanke Clubhouse.
As they drove, Cheng Yuan raised an eyebrow. ’Interesting. Their situational awareness is pretty good! The particle tracking Zhu Wenhu suddenly started moving, and at high speed!’
"Mengyao, the target is on the move. Turn left at the next intersection."
"Got it!"
Following Cheng Yuan’s directions, Wu Mengyao weaved through the streets, heading straight for the coast.
Luocheng was a coastal city with numerous wharfs and a large population of fishermen.
The fishermen were a notoriously fierce bunch. Out on the sea, fists did the talking, and the arm of the law could hardly reach them.
Bai Jiangbo’s Maybach rolled slowly onto the dilapidated wharf, and looks of fear flickered across the faces of the fishermen.
Bai Jiangbo had grown up right here. His father had been an old fisherman, and together, the two of them had fought their way to control the largest wharf.
In recent years, Bai Jiangbo’s business had expanded, and he had branched out into more and more industries.
But he never abandoned the business that had made his fortune. In fact, he had expanded and developed it.
Driving the car was Bai Jiangbo’s godson, Song Jinlong. The fishermen all bowed and scraped before him.
The fisherman in the lead approached with a fawning smile. "Young Master Long, you’ve come."
Song Jinlong gave a slight nod. "Old Mo, Godfather is craving some fish."
Old Mo gauged the wind, his expression turning grim. "Young Master Long, the wind and waves are a bit rough today. I’m afraid we might capsize."
Song Jinlong coolly lifted his gaze. "Old Mo, Godfather says the rougher the waves, the more valuable the fish."
Old Mo quickly bowed his head. "Understood! I’ll set sail at once!"
Song Jinlong clapped Zhu Wenhu on the shoulder and said nonchalantly, "Take this brother of mine with you. He’s an expert fisherman."
"Yes, Young Master Long."
The winds were at least a Force 6, possibly reaching Force 7 out at sea. One could see wave after wave cresting on the water’s surface.
An ordinary small boat wouldn’t stand a chance against such waves, so Old Mo deployed his largest vessel—the Jiangbo No.
The Jiangbo No. was a decommissioned warship Bai Jiangbo had bought from the Great Bear Country. Of course, its main cannons had been removed.
However, Bai Jiangbo had procured two heavy weapons from the Great Bear Country’s black market and mounted them on the Jiangbo No.
Once, on the high seas, the Jiangbo No. encountered pirates. The moment they tried to approach, they were riddled with bullets.
After that, the Jiangbo No. made a name for itself, and no one dared to cross it on the high seas.
BWWAAAAH!
With a blast from its horn, the Jiangbo No. departed!
The Jiangbo No. was, after all, a decommissioned warship from the Great Bear Country. For a vessel like it, two-to-three-meter waves were just about manageable.
It had to be said, Old Mo was a good captain. Under his command, the Jiangbo No. navigated the waves smoothly.
...
By the time Wu Mengyao and Cheng Yuan reached the wharf, the Jiangbo No. was already a nautical mile out, looking like a small box on the horizon.
"Cheng Yuan, is the suspect hiding here at the wharf?"
Cheng Yuan tried to get a sense of it. The particle fluctuations were very faint.
Cheng Yuan frowned. "The wind and waves are too strong right now, making the energy particles very unstable. The fluctuations are weak. I can only confirm that Zhu Wenhu was just here."
Wu Mengyao wasn’t disappointed. She smiled. "I’m already happy we’ve narrowed it down this much. We just need to ask around."
Wu Mengyao and Cheng Yuan got out of the car. The surrounding fishermen eyed them with suspicion. ’What are these two doing at the wharf in this kind of weather?’
Wu Mengyao stopped a fisherman, pulled out a photo of Zhu Wenhu, and asked with a smile, "Sir, have you seen this person?"
The fisherman’s pupils contracted slightly, but he denied it flatly. "Never seen him. Go ask someone else."
With that, the fisherman turned to leave.
But Cheng Yuan raised a hand to stop him. "You’re lying."
"On what grounds do you say I’m lying, you punk?"
"Your heartbeat, your breathing, your micro-expressions—they all gave you away! You definitely saw him! Just a moment ago!"
The fisherman’s expression changed. Since the jig was up, he couldn’t be bothered to keep up the act.
"I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’ve got things to do, so get out of my way!"
As he spoke, the fisherman shoved at Cheng Yuan.
Cheng Yuan snorted and shot out a hand, grabbing the fisherman’s wrist. "Trying to leave? I’m not done with you yet."
A look of disdain flashed across the fisherman’s face. ’Just a pretty boy, and he dares to get physical?’
The fisherman flicked his wrist.
But to the fisherman’s surprise, while Cheng Yuan’s arms didn’t look particularly thick and his muscles weren’t pronounced, his strength was unbelievable.
Not only did his move fail to budge Cheng Yuan in the slightest, but he used so much force that he ended up pulling a muscle.
The fisherman let out a stifled grunt.
Cheng Yuan curled his lip in contempt. "Why make this difficult? Wouldn’t it be easier to just answer the question honestly?"
But the fisherman was a tough customer. Even knowing he was outmatched, he refused to back down. "Help!" he roared. "Someone’s causing trouble!"
With Old Mo out at sea, his son, Xiaomo, was in charge of things at the wharf.
Xiaomo bellowed, "Brothers, someone’s making trouble! Grab your weapons!"
CLANG! RATTLE!
A crowd of fishermen grabbed whatever they could find for weapons and menacingly closed in!
Xiaomo was six-foot-three with a body of solid muscle. In his hand, he hefted an anchor head that must have weighed hundreds of pounds. He was clearly a Practitioner.
Xiaomo pointed the anchor at Cheng Yuan and said in a cold voice, "Kid, let go of Old Sun! Or I’ll smash you into paste!"
The other fishermen roared in agreement.
"Kid, you tired of living? Daring to cause trouble on our wharf!"
"That chick’s not bad. After we deal with the kid, we should make her stay for a few drinks."
"Hahaha, good idea, Old Tian! Little Mo President gets first dibs, and we brothers can have the sloppy seconds."
Wu Mengyao’s face turned grim. ’These fishermen are utterly vile. It’s obvious they’re a bad lot. Fishermen when the catch is good, and pirates when it’s not!’
’I really regret not wearing my uniform,’ Wu Mengyao thought. She was in plain clothes, but it didn’t matter. She had her badge.
Wu Mengyao pulled out her badge and shouted, "Constable Xing, official business! All uninvolved persons, stand down!"
’This ridiculously beautiful chick is a Constable Xing?’
The fishermen panicked a little. After all, you don’t pick a fight with the law. No matter how lawless they were, even they had to give way to a warship at sea.
For a moment, the fishermen’s shouting died down.
Only Xiaomo remained unfazed. His boss was powerful and well-connected; a mere Constable Xing was nothing but a small fry to him.
Xiaomo snorted. "Chick, you can’t scare me with a fake badge! If you know what’s good for you, take this punk and get lost! Otherwise, I won’t be so polite!"
Seeing Xiaomo’s confidence, the fishermen lost their fear. ’So it’s a fake badge, huh?’
’That figures. A chick with skin that smooth and delicate couldn’t possibly be a Constable Xing, right?’
Old Tian, the one with the filthiest mouth, let out a wicked laugh. "Hey, chick, why haven’t you scrammed yet? Are you hoping to stay and warm Little Mo President’s bed for him?"