Martial Dao: Peace by Force

Chapter 193: Chapter 149: Iron-Blooded Methods

"No need. Stay out of this. I’ll... thank you for this later."

Wan Ze ended the call and put away his communicator. His eyes scanned the road ahead as he recalled the place Tie Feiyang had just mentioned.

Xitang Port.

It was a desolate area on the outskirts of the city, at the border between some abandoned factory buildings and an old forest. People rarely went there.

He quickly sorted through his thoughts.

The Golden Gate Sect knew Sun Fan’s origins. Besides, her fighting style was unmistakable.

Yet they still dared to make a move, despite knowing she was an Official Disciple of Dragon Eagle...

’Either they’re desperados with nothing to lose...’

’Or they have powerful backing.’

’But regardless, this isn’t the time to overthink it.’

Wan Ze spoke decisively, "Brother Ming, to Xitang Port."

Lei Ming nodded, stepped on the gas, and turned onto the main road.

Wan Ze then personally made a call to Master Qin. "Master Qin."

The other end picked up quickly, the voice steady. "It’s me."

"Sun Fan is missing. My sources say she was chased to Xitang Port by members of the Golden Gate Sect. I don’t know why, but I’m on my way there now," Wan Ze said rapidly. "The Golden Gate Sect went after her even though they knew she’s with Dragon Eagle. Something else must be going on behind the scenes. I need to ask you to step in and apply pressure on the Golden Gate Sect... Whatever they’re planning, keep them too busy to send reinforcements."

There was a second of silence on the other end. "Got it. Be careful."

With Master Qin personally making a move, Wan Ze wasn’t worried in the least.

He had just put away his communicator when he noticed Tan Xiao and Lei Ming looking at him, waiting for his orders.

Wan Ze said thoughtfully, "When we get to Xitang Port, Brother Xiao, you’re in charge of clearing our path. If anyone blocks the road, you hold them off. Brother Ming, you just drive straight in, as far as you can go. I’ll get out and look for Sun Fan."

The two of them nodded.

Ten minutes later, the car turned onto the dilapidated dirt road at Xitang Port.

As expected, people were blocking the road ahead.

Five or six men stood in the middle of the road, carrying clubs. When they saw the headlights, they raised their hands, signaling the car to stop.

Tan Xiao threw open the car door and jumped out. Without a word, he charged directly at the group of men, like a tiger pouncing on a flock of sheep.

Lei Ming stomped on the gas, and the car sped past them. The dirt road was bumpy, and the undercarriage scraped with a loud CLANGING.

They hadn’t gone half a mile when a gunshot suddenly rang out ahead.

BANG!

The bullet hit a snowdrift in front of the car.

The shot was a warning, but seeing the car didn’t stop, a barrage of gunfire immediately erupted.

Lei Ming yanked the steering wheel, and the car plunged into a patch of withered grass by the roadside as he killed the engine.

"Fuck, they have guns!" he panted, lowering his voice. "Ah Ze, we..."

"We split up." Wan Ze had already pushed the door open. "Brother Ming, I’ll leave this guy to you. I’m going to find Sun Fan. Stay in touch."

With that, he vaulted out of the car and charged into the woods without a backward glance.

The withered grass was knee-high, and the snow crunched under his feet. Wan Ze kept his body low, scanning his surroundings as he ran.

The tracks on the ground were obvious.

The footprints were a chaotic mess, all leading in one direction. The snow had been trampled into slush, leaving a dark, wet trail. Fresh black soil was turned up inside the prints. ’Someone just ran through here, and not long ago.’

Wan Ze continued the chase.

Behind an old locust tree, there was a fresh bullet hole in the trunk.

He reached out and touched it. The edge of the hole was still warm.

’They’re close.’

Wan Ze quickened his pace, following the tracks.

He ran for another fifty yards or so and spotted something snagged in a thicket of bushes.

A short, black down jacket with a torn cuff.

Wan Ze yanked it free.

It was Sun Fan’s.

He recognized the jacket. She had been wearing it just three days ago, standing at the martial arts hall entrance, talking to him. She had been in high spirits, telling him how she’d caught two thieves.

Wan Ze clenched the jacket in his fist and looked deeper into the forest.

’They’re just ahead!’

"Who’s there?"

Just as Wan Ze was about to move forward, a dark-skinned young man darted out from behind a tree. His gaze was exceptionally fierce as he stared over, his hand moving to his waist, where he likely had a gun.

Before the words were even out of his mouth, with a SWISH, Wan Ze vanished from where he stood.

The young man froze, his expression changing abruptly. He realized something was wrong, but he didn’t waste time wondering if he was seeing a ghost in broad daylight. His first instinct was to draw his gun and shoot.

But...

Too late!

A hand appeared out of nowhere and covered his face.

The five fingers closed, gripping the young man’s entire face like an iron clamp.

His vision went black as an immense force slammed him backward. With a dull THUD, his back hit the ground hard.

Snow exploded outward as the young man’s body was driven into the dirt, sinking a full half-inch deep.

Pain!

Excruciating pain!

The bones in his face creaked under the pressure. He saw stars, and though he opened his mouth to scream, only a hoarse gurgle came from his throat.

A voice, perfectly calm, came from above him.

"Where are they? Talk. Give me a reason not to kill you."

The young man trembled all over, fear overwhelming the pain.

"I-I’ll talk... They’re in the... the west woods... There’s an abandoned lumber mill there..."

"Why did you take her?"

"I heard one of the Nine Elders’ disciples was taken down by her brother... We were just hired for the job..." As he spoke, the young man suddenly realized something, and his voice began to tremble. "This was the Nine Elders’ idea! It has nothing to do with me... You-you’re not from Dragon Eagle, are you?"

He hadn’t expected Dragon Eagle to react so quickly. He struggled, wanting to say something, to explain, to beg for mercy...

CRACK!

Wan Ze stomped, crushing his head.

Without a second glance, he turned and sprinted west.

...

A section of the abandoned lumber mill’s perimeter wall had collapsed. Several figures stood in the gap.

A middle-aged man in a suit stood at the very front. This was the Golden Gate Sect’s Bai Zhishan, surnamed Zheng, a man of some renown in the underworld.

Behind him stood an old man with grizzled hair. His back was hunched and his eyes were narrowed, making it impossible to gauge his strength.

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