Martial Dao: Peace by Force

Chapter 143: Chapter 116: I’ll Deal with You Too

When the merchant ship was intercepted, Fang Hao thought it was just a routine inspection.

He stood on deck, waiting for the three patrol boats to close in. But their searchlights were already flooding the containers on his ship’s deck, bathing them in an unreasonable, stark white light.

Fang Hao raised a hand to shield his eyes from the glare, squinting at the lead patrol boat in annoyance.

There were quite a few men standing on the bow of the opposite boat. A burly man soon stepped forward, and those around him treated him with great deference.

In the dark of night, it was impossible to make out the man’s features, but from his stature alone, it was clear he was the one in charge.

As the boats drew closer, Fang Hao could finally see the man’s epaulets, which marked him as part of the General Inspection Corps.

"Captain Fang, I think that’s... Wei Songling, captain of the First Division."

The voice came from a subordinate at Fang Hao’s side.

Upon seeing the man’s face, Fang Hao’s brow twitched almost imperceptibly.

The man was his equal in rank, though they didn’t interact much. In their circle, the rule was usually... you don’t hit a smiling face, as long as there were no conflicts of interest.

’But this whole setup... this doesn’t look friendly.’

"Captain Fang?"

his subordinate prompted.

Fang Hao had no desire to deal with this patrol team, but he had no choice. He ordered the two vessels to come alongside each other.

A gangplank was laid across.

When Wei Songling stepped onto it, his face was already wreathed in smiles. He strode forward, his voice booming as if he were greeting an old friend. "Captain Fang, what a coincidence. What are you doing out here so late at night?"

Fang Hao suppressed his irritation and offered a faint smile. "I was wondering who it was. So, it’s Captain Wei. I’m... on official business, running a shipment. I have all the paperwork right here. Care to take a look?"

As he spoke, he gestured for his subordinate to bring over the documents.

It was unclear if Wei Songling believed him or not. After a bit of small talk, he took the official documents and gave them a cursory glance.

Then he looked up.

The smile was still on his face, but his eyes were cold. "Captain Fang, you’re... putting me in a difficult position."

He handed the documents back.

But Fang Hao didn’t take them, frowning. "What’s the meaning of this, Captain Wei?"

Wei Songling sighed, acting genuinely troubled. "The higher-ups gave a direct order. Regarding the incident in Hua City tonight, everyone... on land or on water... is to be investigated one by one. And what a coincidence, you’re the only ship leaving port right now. I have to come aboard and take a look."

Hearing this, Fang Hao’s smile faded. Seeing the other man playing dumb, he frowned deliberately. "Do you have any idea what the consequences will be if I’m stopped and delayed like this?"

Wei Songling blinked, his smile not reaching his eyes. "Captain Fang, I understand your position. But you have to understand mine, don’t you?"

He pushed the document forward again. "It’s my duty."

Fang Hao looked down at the paper, at the official red seal stamped on it.

It was the great seal of the Hua City Customs Head Office, personally stamped.

He was silent for two seconds.

Then he raised his eyes to meet Wei Songling’s. His gaze was neither cold nor warm, just flat. "Captain Wei, are you genuinely not getting it, or are you just pretending not to?"

Wei Songling’s smile didn’t waver. "Captain Fang, I get it. I get it all."

He took half a step closer and lowered his voice, as if he were genuinely looking out for Fang Hao. "But you have to be considerate of a brother, too. Tonight, nobody’s connections are going to work. How about... they just do a quick search? Just for show? They’ll be in and out, I promise not to delay you."

He jutted his chin toward the three patrol boats behind him.

Fang Hao stared at him.

Suddenly, he let out a small laugh. "Go ahead. I dare you to try."

"Captain Fang, what’s that supposed to mean?" Wei Songling’s eyes narrowed, and his smile grew colder. "If you’ve got nothing to hide, why are you so afraid of me coming aboard to investigate?"

Even on a normal day, he and Fang Hao weren’t in the same camp.

’Seeing this guy sneakily boarding a ship now,’ Wei Songling thought, ’even if it’s not related to the Hua City case, he’s definitely not clean.’

"I said no, and I mean no. I dare you to try and search," Fang Hao said coolly.

Wei Songling laughed and waved his hand. "Then I’ll search just to show you I can. Seize this ship! If anyone makes a move, you have permission to open fire!"

"Wei Songling!"

Fang Hao roared in anger.

Wei Songling just watched him with a chuckle.

Fang Hao knew more words were useless. He pulled a communicator from his pocket and dialed a number.

The call was answered almost immediately.

Fang Hao began to speak, his voice so low only Wei Songling could hear. "Director Wang, my apologies for the disturbance. I’ve run into a bit of trouble here. Captain Wei Songling is blocking my way, says he’s acting on orders from the Head Office..."

He paused.

"Alright, you can talk to him."

Fang Hao held out the communicator.

The smile on Wei Songling’s face froze for an instant.

He took it and had barely managed a "Hello?" when a torrent of curses erupted from the other end. "Are you out of your mind? You dare to stop Fang Hao’s ship? Fall back! Fall back immediately! You are not to investigate this matter any further tonight!"

Wei Songling was stunned. "...But Director Wang, the intel said..."

"There are no ’buts’! If you don’t want your job, then get lost!"

SNAP. The communicator on the other end went dead.

Wei Songling stood on the gangplank, clutching the communicator, his face a ghostly white in the harsh glare of the lights.

He hadn’t even processed what had happened.

Fang Hao snatched the communicator back from his hand and said coolly, "Captain Wei, aren’t you leaving?"

Wei Songling opened his mouth, staring at him.

But Fang Hao didn’t even spare him a glance, turning and heading for the ship’s cabin.

"Set sail!"

As the words fell, Wei Songling was "escorted" off the ship.

Then, the gangplank began to retract.

Wei Songling stood on his own patrol boat, watching Fang Hao’s ship slowly disappear into the night.

The night wind gusted into his collar, and he shivered from the chill.

He turned and walked back into his boat’s cabin.

The rims of his eyes were red.

’I’ve never been so humiliated in my entire life!’

’But... but why would his direct superior, Director Wang, protect Fang Hao?’

"Captain..." a subordinate sidled up, speaking cautiously. "The intel said that ship was acting suspiciously; there’s definitely something wrong with it. If it really is connected to Vice President Fu’s death... then we could hit the jackpot."

Wei Songling didn’t speak.

He stared at the receding ship, his teeth clenched so tightly that his words were squeezed out from between them.

"...Send a few men to follow them."

Another subordinate hesitated for a moment. "Captain, but the higher-ups..."

"I’ll deal with Director Wang." Wei Songling turned back, his eyes still red but his gaze turning icy. "That guy surnamed Fang is definitely hiding something!"

After the men left,

He personally called Director Wang, only to be chewed out again.

"I told you to investigate the cause of Vice President Fu’s death, so why the hell are you going and making trouble for Fang Hao? Are you insane?"

"Director Wang, Fang Hao was acting suspiciously in the middle of the night, he..." Wei Songling was clearly trying to tattle.

But who would have thought Director Wang would suddenly say in a cold voice, "If you want to die, don’t drag me down with you! Do you have any idea who Fang Hao is working for right now? Everything on that ship is for the Royal City! If you touch it, your entire family will die!"

Wei Songling was so terrified he broke out in a cold sweat. His legs felt weak as he hung up the communicator. He hastily summoned his men. "Don’t investigate! Get everyone back here!"

"Huh?"

"’Huh?’ your ass! Get a move on! Everyone back, now! Don’t investigate Fang Hao, or I’ll be the first one to put a bullet in you!"

...

When Fang Hao returned to the cabin, the smile was gone from his face. He couldn’t be bothered with scum like Wei Songling.

Zhai Jia was leaning against the corridor bulkhead, smoking.

He just couldn’t seem to quit.

The smoke drifted out through a vent.

He had just finished his cigarette when he saw Fang Hao approaching. He raised an eyebrow. "All settled?"

"All settled." Fang Hao came to his side. Wan Ze and Miss Ling were right behind Zhai Jia. He gestured. "Come on, let’s talk inside."

"What else can I say? My Brother Fang is just that cool." Zhai Jia chuckled, offering him a cigarette.

Fang Hao accepted it with a laugh.

The group resettled in Wan Ze’s cabin.

Zhai Jia poured himself a glass of water, then asked with a smile as if he’d just remembered something, "That guy surnamed Wei just now, that was Wei Songling, right?"

Fang Hao nodded. "That was him."

Zhai Jia leaned back. "Whoa, it’s been a few years, and that schmuck has climbed this high? Back in the day, the way he sucked up to Elder Tian, he practically wanted to peel off his own face and paste it on the man’s door. Then he ended up riding the bench for three years. Tsk, his mentality is really something else. Who’s he sworn allegiance to now?"

"That female tycoon in Hua City," Fang Hao said succinctly. He picked up a bag of betel nuts, tore it open, and popped one in his mouth.

Zhai Jia let out a whistle and tried one himself, handing them to Wan Ze and Miss Ling as well. "Not bad. He’s really playing the long game. That tycoon in Hua City really isn’t picky about her company."

Fang Hao smiled but didn’t continue the topic. Chewing on the betel nut, he said thoughtfully, "But for him to be so persistent tonight, something big must have really happened in Hua City."

Zhai Jia shrugged. He genuinely didn’t know, so his expression wasn’t an act at all.

"The hell if I know what happened. I came looking for Ah Ze, was even planning on grabbing a meal with you and Xiaojie and the guys, but the moment I arrived, I ran straight into martial law... Fucking hell! If my master finds out I brought Ah Ze bad luck again just by showing up, he’s really going to whip me this time."

Fang Hao was taken aback.

’Bad luck?’

He looked from Zhai Jia to Wan Ze and laughed. "Sounds like there’s a story there."

Wan Ze laughed too. "Before, Brother Jia said I had bad luck and wanted to take me to pray to the gods. But right after we finished praying, we ran into some evil cultists murdering someone on the street. We were a pathetic sight, scrambling away for our lives..."

"What do you mean, ’scrambling away’?! It was clearly ’extreme dodging amidst a hail of bullets’!" Zhai Jia corrected him indignantly.

Wan Ze, Fang Hao, and Miss Ling all laughed.

Wan Ze nodded with a smile. "Right, right, you’re right. Then, because of that, Brother Jia didn’t even dare go back to the martial arts hall. Master specifically asked me where he was and was furious. But Brother Jia had no sense of brotherhood; he ran off on his own without telling me, which got me grounded for a month."

Zhai Jia coughed lightly. "Don’t blame your brother. If neither of us showed up, Master really would have come after me with a sword... By the way, whatever you do, don’t tell Master about this Hua City business."

"That’s what I was thinking too."

Fang Hao looked at the two of them with a strange expression. "Man... you two are seriously unlucky."

"Tell me about it..."

The three of them continued to chat.

Miss Ling listened with pricked ears.

The night grew deeper.

Fang Hao went to rest first.

Miss Ling also returned to the adjacent cabin. Before she left, she glanced at Wan Ze, looking like she wanted to say something, but in the end, she just gently closed the door.

Only Wan Ze and Zhai Jia were left in the room.

Zhai Jia hadn’t left.

He sat at the table, leaning forward with his elbows on the surface. He lowered his voice, his curiosity having built up for half the night, finally unable to hold it in any longer.

"Ah Ze. What in the world did you do in Hua City?"

Wan Ze looked at him.

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