Chapter 381: Section 168: Caught the Justice Pirate Group
Dawn.
The sea was shrouded in a light mist, and the sound of the tide was constant.
The Treasure Chest sailed slowly through the fog.
“Vice Admiral Tan Mo, take a look at this intelligence report.” After breakfast, the City Lord of Dun Dao came to the captain’s cabin, a worried expression on his face.
Tan Mo took the report and browsed through it briefly.
The details of the intelligence concerned the subsequent developments in Dun Dao City. A team of spies had infiltrated and not only detained the person in charge of the Purple Vine Guild’s shops, subjecting them to severe torture, but also implicated others, turning the places where alchemy bombs were installed upside-down.
“These secret agents are still investigating. The scene we set up together in the beginning, it won’t reveal anything, will it?” The City Lord of Dun Dao frowned in distress.
He was already regretting it.
If he had known the Empire would investigate with such intensity, he wouldn’t have plotted with Tan Mo in the first place.
Tan Mo’s expression also changed slightly.
The Empire’s investigation was continuing and seemed to be intensifying, which brought more doubt and concern to his mind.
However, what was most important for the moment was to secure the Golden Battle Power in front of him.
The next moment, Tan Mo smiled and nodded to the City Lord of Dun Dao, “The situation does seem a bit off.”
“A bit? It’s clearly very wrong!” The City Lord of Dun Dao shook his head, “Kan Qiao was killed by the Justice Pirate Group, and the three captains of the Yao Wang clan have lost their lives. The Empire is still investigating everything related to the Justice Pirate Group. What is the deal with these pirates? We are currently pursuing them. Don’t you have any inside information? At this point, don’t keep me in the dark anymore.”
The City Lord of Dun Dao knew that Vice Admiral Tan Mo was a member of Yi Gui’s faction.
Tan Mo stroked his chin, pondering the issue.
Ever since he first received a direct military order on Blade Mountain Island from the Navy, he had sensed that something was amiss. Why did the capture of a Silver Level pirate group require two Navy vice admirals and even necessitate contracting the City Lord of Dun Dao?
Kan Qiao was dead, and the three captains of the Yao Wang clan had also met their ends.
Tan Mo knew more than the City Lord of Dun Dao.
Tan Mo knew the cause of Kan Qiao’s death and felt it was a pity. Had it not been for a moment of carelessness, the Fishman Divine Son would have had to pay a much greater price to kill Kan Qiao.
The deaths of Yao Wan, Yao Ming, and Yao Gui sent a chill through Tan Mo. These three had fought desperately to hold back the Justice Pirate Group, but Bi Tong, the supposed reinforcement, didn’t rush to the battlefield but went straight to the Sky Pillar Sea Eye instead. This made a fool of Wei Sheng, the Navy Marshal, and intensified the political strife between the two factions.
“If they hadn’t been delaying desperately, with the Glory Light Charge combat skill, the three members of the Yao Wang clan would have been likely to escape successfully.”
“Alas, the upper echelons have obviously hidden a lot. It’s better to steer clear of the Justice Pirate Group as much as possible.”
With that thought in mind, Tan Mo deliberately slowed the fleet’s cruising speed. Of course, he wasn’t overt about it but changed course to deliberately enter the Fog Zone, finding a suitable pretext.
Tan Mo looked at the City Lord of Dun Dao: “As for related intelligence, I don’t know any more than you.”
“I’ve tried to get information from Admiral Yi Gui, but to no response.”
“However, we don’t need to panic. The spies aren’t investigating us but the Justice Pirate Group. Although Admiral Yi Gui didn’t directly address my doubts, she also informed me that Vice Admiral Kushui has been dispatched. Vice Admiral Kushui majors in Water Magic and minors in Divination, and he has already tracked down the whereabouts of the Justice Pirate Group.”
“We are still a long way from the Justice Pirate Group.”
“Plus, after being attacked by sea beasts in the Fog Zone, I’m afraid we’ll need to make repairs again.”
At this point, Tan Mo gave the City Lord of Dun Dao a meaningful look.
The City Lord of Dun Dao was momentarily stunned, then nodded: “Correct, we faced a powerful sea beast attack and must make repairs. Where should we do so?”
Tan Mo smiled: “I’ve already figured it out. After passing through this foggy area, the ideal port for rest and supplies is Fire Island.”
“Fire Island?” The City Lord of Dun Dao caught on, greatly appreciating this decision, “Excellent. That island was once one of the beachheads for the Demons’ invasion of the Main World. Now, the defenses on the island are strict, and it’s home to the legendary Fire Giant. It has three ports and eight docks, with Sulfur Flame Port being a large one. It is indeed very suitable for us to resupply and rest!”
The sea surface was calm.
The Drifter sailed stealthily about ten meters below the surface.
As the captain of the Drifter, Vice Admiral Kushui from the Imperial Navy was currently in the Meditation Room.
He was a middle-aged Human Race male with bushy eyebrows and small eyes, always giving off a somber vibe.
In front of him, there was a washbasin.
The basin was filled with water.
He held a small Magic Wand in his hand, a reddish-brown wand resembling a tree branch, no longer than an arm, slender, with the thickest part being about as thick as an adult man’s thumb.
Vice Admiral Kushui chanted spells continuously, his voice very soft, almost a whisper.
This spell casting involved not just incantations but gestures as well.
His wrist moved gently, following some mysterious and miraculous rules, with the tip of the reddish-brown wand tracing patterns in mid-air.
As the wand’s tip passed through the air, it left behind a trail of light lines that were interconnected, some straight, some curved, gradually outlining a mysterious rune.
The runes emitted a faint glow, and once fully drawn, they no longer hovered in mid-air but slowly fell down. Like feathers, they landed in the basin and dissolved in the water in the blink of an eye, disappearing completely.
This was the third rune that Kushui had drawn, each different from the last, each with its own profound meaning.
Vice Admiral Kushui ceased his chanting, stared at the smooth and mirror-like surface of the water in the basin, took a deep breath, made slight adjustments, and began to chant again.
This time, his voice was several times louder than before.
Mana surged through his body, continuously flowing into his magic wand, accumulating within it more and more.
When it reached its limit, Kushui’s body shook, and the end of his wand suddenly burst into a strange and breathtaking light.
The light was brilliant and dazzling, like lightning striking into the basin.
The basin was like a painting, with not a ripple on the surface of the water. The strange light was like a burst of paint, intruding upon the canvas in a myriad of colors, leaving behind a trail of splendid marks. The various colors and lines were dissimilar, forming a stark and abrupt contrast to one another.
Then, these colors too faded away.
Gradually, a magic rune emerged from the basin.
This rune was different from the previous three, but upon close inspection, one could find similar patterns from the three runes reflected in this new one.
Kushui’s gaze immediately focused on this rune, interpreting it rapidly and with utmost seriousness.
Soon, the rune disappeared.
Kushui relaxed, his expression one of exhaustion.
This was his divination spell, and the result of this divination was auspicious.
“Based on this divination, is now the best time for me to attack?” Vice Admiral Kushui hesitated for a moment, then finally struck his palm with his fist, “Lord Yi Gui pays a lot of attention to the Justice Pirate Group; with Kan Qiao and others having suffered losses, if I can take down this pirate group now, Lord Yi Gui will surely lavish praise on me. Let’s do it!”
Vice Admiral Kushui left the Meditation Room, quickly entered the Captain’s Cabin, and issued combat orders.
The demon energy ship of the Justice Pirate Group sailed on the sea when suddenly, several alchemy flagfish swam up from beneath the water.
One by one, the flagfish pierced into the hull of the ship, and the bombs installed within them quickly activated, resulting in a fierce explosion.
“Enemy attack!” Xu Ma was the first to notice something was amiss and shouted loudly.
Violently shaken by the explosion, the demon energy ship of the Justice Pirate Group bustled with activity. The door to the Captain’s Cabin burst open, and the Fishman Divine Son, Qiu, Di Lou, and others called out, directing the pirates in combat.
Onboard the Drifter, Vice Admiral Kushui’s expression was one of cold indifference as he ordered the release of more alchemy flagfish.
This time, more flagfish charged towards the bottom of the pirate ship.
On the pirate ship, sailors dumped ice-blue oil at the ship’s railings, which merged with the seawater, reducing the explosive power of the alchemy flagfish significantly. Some of the flagfish couldn’t even detonate at all.
The Navy’s offensive effectiveness was immediately diminished.
Vice Admiral Kushui furrowed his brows, not troubled, but puzzled.
“Strange, why aren’t their higher-ups taking action?”
“I can understand the Golden Level demon energy ship not showing up. The strong ones not taking action, but using this method to alleviate our offensive, isn’t very effective. Even if the Silver Level bard hasn’t made a move, what about the Black Iron Level mages? They’re also staying put?”
Vice Admiral Kushui continued to issue orders, and the Navy changed its attack strategy.
After several successive attempts, the Justice Pirate Group deteriorated, being pressed into a disadvantage.
The Golden Level Deep Sea Monster Fish never appeared, and the island’s upper echelon continued to command without engaging in combat themselves.
Not only the Navy noticed something was amiss, but the pirates felt it too.
Finally, when Vice Admiral Kushui personally cast spells, releasing several Golden Level Water Elements, the pirates immediately collapsed, resulting in a mass surrender.
Many members of the Justice Pirate Group were exposed as illusions.
“They’ve run! These few demon energy ships left behind were just a decoy.”
“I’ve been deceived; the result of my previous divination was wrong!”
“No wonder the divination outcome before the battle was very auspicious; they must have secretly boarded that fish-shaped demon energy ship. Judging by these pirates’ behavior, they were also kept in the dark.”
Vice Admiral Kushui sighed, immediately realizing that although the battle was won, any major credit was now out of reach.
After ordering his subordinates to clean up the battlefield and imprison the captives, he returned to the Meditation Room and began divining again.
He needed to divine the whereabouts of the Deep Sea Monster Fish.
However, divination after divination, each process went smoothly, but each result was different.
“Someone is interfering with me!”
“None of these three results is likely to be correct.”
“What should I do now?”
Vice Admiral Kushui, brow furrowed with worry, could not think of a solution and, out of desperation, could only report this outcome to Admiral Yi Gui.