Chapter 364: Section 151: Treasure Chest
Tip of the Knife Town.
Holy Bright Empire secret port.
Reorganization work was underway.
“I’ll repeat it once more, your captain, General Kan Qiao, has fallen at the hands of the Justice Pirate Group. According to wartime military regulations, you will all be reassigned to the nearest Imperial Navy fleet.”
“I, Tan Mo, Navy Rear Admiral, am now your superior officer. I will lead you to the very front lines against our enemies, and perhaps we can even seek vengeance for General Kan Qiao!”
Tan Mo stood at the ship’s railing, shouting loudly.
When Kan Qiao pursued the Justice Pirate Group, he didn’t take everyone with him, and in fact, most of the warships remained in port for resupply and rest.
Upon hearing this news, the sailors who once served under Kan Qiao were incredulous, indignant, or filled with hatred, etching the name of the Justice Pirate Group deep into their hearts.
Kan Qiao was courageous and not brutal, always leading the charge at the forefront of battle, and deeply respected and adored by his subordinates.
“Although Kan Qiao took the most elite group with him, these Navy members are still quite good. They can fight and are indeed very capable.” Tan Mo was secretly pleased, though his face showed solemnity and sorrow.
“Kan Qiao Fleet’s designation has not been revoked. Is this really okay to do? To absorb these men, you need an order from Navy Headquarters,” said the City Lord of Dun Dao, standing beside Tan Mo.
He was reluctantly called upon to assist.
Despite his reluctance, there was no choice.
Such was the deterrence of the Holy Bright Empire.
Compared to the immense Imperial Navy, even though he was of the Golden Level of life, he still felt very insignificant.
At this moment, the City Lord of Dun Dao looked at Tan Mo with a skeptical and worried gaze.
Tan Mo turned his head and patted the City Lord’s shoulder, “Don’t worry.”
The City Lord was not reassured and shook his head, “Even if it’s a wartime policy, this is the Army’s practice. The Navy has never had such a policy, has it?”
“The situation is urgent, everything must be adaptable. Rest assured, if I’ve acted in this way, I naturally possess the capability to take responsibility,” Tan Mo said.
The City Lord of Dun Dao finally nodded, reluctantly accepting the rhetoric.
After the reorganization was complete, Tan Mo set off with all the warships.
“Many of these warships haven’t been fully repaired yet, Vice Admiral,” the dock receptionist advised Tan Mo.
“It’s precisely the unrepaired ones I want, otherwise how could I have an excuse to delay time?” Tan Mo had his own plans, but outwardly he sternly rejected the receptionist’s suggestion, “If our warships are in poor condition, then we will make up for it with the valor of the Navy. The military situation is urgent; we must catch up to the culprits quickly, to avenge General Kan Qiao, to raise the Empire’s prestige, and to uphold justice!”
The receptionist did not understand Tan Mo’s character and was intimidated by his righteous words, watching the fleet with admiration as it set sail.
“We’re finally going after the Justice Pirate Group.” The City Lord of Dun Dao and Tan Mo returned to the captain’s cabin, sighing with a bitter look on his face.
“No choice,” Tan Mo spread his hands, “We’ve delayed as much as we could. In order to make this ruse look convincing, we even deliberately created remnants of alchemy bombs and exchanged identities in the dungeon using death row prisoners, disguising them as pirates we had slain.”
“Can this disguise be successful? Can it fool the Imperial Navy? If they use the spy agency, what will we do?” The City Lord of Dun Dao was still worried.
“No problem. They won’t delve deep into these sorts of things,” said Tan Mo with the air of someone experienced in these matters.
The City Lord of Dun Dao could only suppress his doubts.
He wasn’t worried about Tan Mo.
If Tan Mo had done this, he certainly was confident.
What worried him was whether Tan Mo had included him in his calculations. For example, if the Navy saw through the ruse, Tan Mo might use this as an opportunity to extort and threaten the City Lord for bribes, forcing him to bleed more money.
Thinking of the past, when he was coerced into giving up treasures at the City Lord’s mansion, the City Lord felt an immense sense of loss.
As night fell, Tan Mo’s fleet continued to sail, gradually moving into the darkness.
In the early hours of the morning,
Tan Mo was still asleep in bed when awakened by a guard’s shouting.
“The Vice Admiral is resting, do not disturb him!”
“Get out of the way!!” The City Lord of Dun Dao roared, “This is an urgent military situation, are you responsible for the delay?”
The guard turned pale, trembling in the face of the Golden Level’s might.
The City Lord of Dun Dao snorted coldly, sweeping his arm aside and knocking the guard away.
He strode up to the cabin door and pounded fiercely with his forearm.
Tan Mo rolled his eyes, resigned to getting up and opening the door, “Stop knocking, stop it!”
Seeing the City Lord’s furious face, Tan Mo chuckled, “Respected City Lord, getting so angry so early in the morning is bad for your health.”
“What’s the matter?!” The City Lord looked at the bloated, pig-like Navy Vice Admiral in his white pajamas, still sleepy, and grew even angrier.
But he still lowered his voice, “The fleet’s route is off! Don’t tell me you don’t know. It’s your fleet, how could they deviate from their course without your orders?!”
Tan Mo was slightly surprised, “You know about the route as well?”
“Hmph!” The City Lord of Dun Dao City stared intently into Tan Mo’s eyes, “Since I agreed to Navy Headquarters, the information I’ve obtained is far more than you’d imagine.”
Tan Mo gave a sigh and made some room, “Come in and talk.”
With a serious face, the City Lord of Dun Dao City walked into Tan Mo’s room.
“Damn, you do know how to enjoy yourself! You’ve even set up a Space Array in your bedroom,” the City Lord of Dun Dao City complained.
He also favored spacious places; he didn’t sleep well last night in the cramped cabin.
Now that he saw Tan Mo’s bedroom, he found it absurdly large and luxuriously decorated with all the facilities one could want, almost like an emperor’s campaign tent.
Tan Mo let out a smug laugh, “You might have forgotten about my Bloodline.”
The City Lord of Dun Dao City shook his head again, his tone and demeanor filled with resentment, “So, it’s quite normal for someone like you, born with a golden spoon, to be a bit extravagant. Unlike me, who started from scratch and struggled to build up this fortune. And yet, half of it ended up in your hands.”
He made himself comfortable on the sofa without reservation, even uncorking a bottle of red wine and pouring a full glass on the coffee table.
“Let’s hear it, explain the issue with the route.”
The City Lord of Dun Dao City watched Tan Mo with a relaxed posture.
Tan Mo narrowed his eyes, a sharp glint fleeting across them. He realized the anger the City Lord of Dun Dao City displayed was deliberately feigned; the purpose was to extort him.
Tan Mo chuckled, shaking his chubby finger, “Don’t think you’ve caught me in a bind, City Lord of Dun Dao City.”
“The route is indeed wrong, I admit.”
“But why should I necessarily follow the orders of Navy Headquarters?”
“Dammit!” The City Lord of Dun Dao City couldn’t care less about the fine wine in his glass, and he growled again, “You’ve got some nerve, daring to defy military orders! Especially the orders from Navy Headquarters.”
“Navy Headquarters is determined to capture the Justice Pirate Group. They have dispatched many forces, and we are one of them. All the fleets that received orders must carry them out to coordinate with each other, creating an increasingly tightening net to capture the Justice Pirate Group.”
“What you’re doing is defying military orders, dereliction of duty, and showing cowardice in battle!”
“If the Justice Pirate Group slips away, specifically through our area, we will all have to face a military trial. We will have to stand trial.”
“You won’t make it to a military trial.” Tan Mo smiled, also pouring himself a glass of red wine.
Raising his glass, he looked up at the ceiling with his small eyes, “I have people above me!”
At this, the City Lord of Dun Dao City nearly jumped off the sofa in rage; he stomped over to Tan Mo and grabbed his silk pajama collar.
The City Lord of Dun Dao City growled menacingly, “Are you trying to get me killed?”
“You have people above you, you might be safe.”
“But what about me?”
“What about me?!”
“Don’t worry.” Despite being grabbed by the collar, Tan Mo remained calm and collected. He even took a sip of red wine right in front of the City Lord of Dun Dao City, “The people above me can keep you safe too.”
“I don’t believe you!” The eyes of the City Lord of Dun Dao City reddened, “You cunning, greedy guy, you’ve just extorted half of my fortune. You must be plotting for the other half, using this opportunity to set me up. Once I’m up for a military trial, you’ll use it as a chance to extort me again!”
“Do you think I’m a fool?”
“Do you think I’m that easy to deceive?”
“Now, you give the order, go back to the correct route immediately.”
“I’ve calculated it, if we proceed at maximum speed, abandoning some warships, we can still make it to the predetermined location on time.”
Tan Mo shook his head repeatedly, “Oh, dear. I didn’t expect you to see me in this light, my friend. You view me as a greedy, vile scoundrel? That really hurts my feelings.”
The City Lord of Dun Dao City exhaled angrily through his nostrils, “Don’t push me to violence!”
Saying so, his aura surged as his Golden Fighting Spirit appeared faintly.
“Hey, hey, hey, easy there, take it easy, buddy!” Tan Mo’s expression changed, “I’m also Golden Level. If we fight, do you want to destroy my flagship? I trusted you a lot to invite you on board!”
“And if we fight, we’ll certainly fail the military mission even more.”
“Later on, I’ll counter-accuse you of ambushing me on the journey, which led to my failure to reach the designated position on time. Who do you think the military court will believe more? Will the Imperial Navy support me, or you?”
The City Lord of Dun Dao City’s breath hitched.
Tan Mo sighed, “Friend, it seems the time has come for you to know a bit more. Rest assured, I’ll show you enough assurance that you can be at ease.”
“Come, follow me.”
The City Lord of Dun Dao City’s gaze was full of scrutiny and doubt, but eventually, he slowly let go and released Tan Mo.
“Now, you need to be calm, and not overreact in surprise, okay?” Tan Mo smiled, and in front of the City Lord of Dun Dao City, he snapped his fingers.