Chapter 153 - 126: Kill! Cheng Yang Dies

They don’t have household registrations, making them undocumented. They aren’t counted in official statistics, have no fixed abode, and drift everywhere, so they’re impossible to track.

If they kill someone, from the perspective of the authorities who rely on files for investigations, it’s no different than if a ghost did it!

They can’t even find the people, let alone their boats.

So if these people suddenly go on a rampage of arson, murder, and pillage, the police have no way to investigate. They’re completely helpless.

It’s gotten to the point that some countries have even written laws directly forbidding these sea nomads from coming ashore!

Of course, this doesn’t apply to all of them, just a small fraction.

These are the descendants of pirates, known as the Bajau people. The story goes that life at sea leads to high libido, and when combined with an inhuman tendency to abandon their children, the Bajau people came to be.

These people aren’t allowed to come ashore. They don’t even have the right to approach the coast to trade for fresh water!

There is a solution: let them come ashore and give them residency.

But...

Let’s put it this way.

In Xu Huo’s previous life, right up until he went head-to-head with the Great Calamity, the sea nomads still existed!

’If Cheng Yang has a boat like that at the docks, we’re in big trouble.’

Chu Linhai frowned, lost in thought.

They’re hard to investigate. Zhaozhou City’s entire criminal investigation force is smaller than any one of the three major divisions in my Jiangsan City.

And that’s not even counting the main bureau of Jiangsan City!

’If they had more manpower, they could investigate, but the force here... is pitifully small.’

They have plenty of regular police officers, but their responsibilities are different. It’s like they’re in another line of work; they can only conduct searches, not investigations.

Hearing this, everyone’s heart sank.

Just as they were conducting their search...

a sudden voice rang out.

TAP.

The sound of footsteps stopped at the office door. Everyone turned to look and saw a figure in a suit standing ramrod straight, though they hadn’t noticed him arrive.

"Everyone, assemble the armed police units! Rescue mission!"

Hearing this, the crowd froze, staring at Zhang Liang.

It was none other than Zhang Liang, who had arrived on the scene in the shortest time possible. His face was expressionless, his demeanor cold and severe.

"Rescue... where do we rescue them?"

"At sea!"

’Rescue at sea?’

’This means...’

’He knows the exact location!?’

Everyone paused for a moment, then shot to their feet the next second, staring at him in astonishment.

"Let’s go."

...

...

「5:00 AM.」

On the surface of the sea.

Waves surged from all directions. The boat drifted upon them like a rootless water lily in a boundless expanse, a constant feeling of weightlessness rising from beneath their feet.

The sky was not yet light. The sound of crashing waves filled their ears, but looking down, they could only see an ink-black surface.

There were no birds overhead, no trace of human life here at all.

Until...

"Do it."

On the boat, Cheng Yang, who hadn’t slept all night, pulled out a cheap cigarette.

Taking in the cigarette’s harsh smell, Cheng Yang silently watched Xu Huo before him.

CLICK!

Several men with savage expressions, who had long found Xu Huo an eyesore, immediately walked over and pinned the restrained Xu Huo against the side of the boat.

"You know, for eight million, you could have bought ten lives. How nice would that have been? But you just had to let things get to this point."

Cheng Yang said softly, looking at Xu Huo.

"It was only ten lives. If that wasn’t enough, I would have added another eight million. If that still wasn’t enough, I’d have added another ten million."

"Now look where we are. The money’s gone, and your life is gone too."

"And with them, the entire future of Zhaozhou City."

Cheng Yang stood beside Xu Huo and spoke.

"Future?"

"Do you really think the future of Zhaozhou City rests on your shoulders alone?"

Xu Huo just smiled. He looked at the gun barrel pressed against his skull without a trace of fear.

"There’s no point in talking anymore. When you get to the other side, say hello to my daughter for me."

Cheng Yang’s expression was grim.

The next second, he paused slightly, then his finger immediately tightened on the trigger.

CLICK!

The gun clicked.

But unfortunately...

Xu Huo was still smiling. He hadn’t even blinked.

No bullet!

Cheng Yang’s expression changed drastically. He pulled back to inspect the firearm.

He saw that, at some point, the magazine had vanished.

Before he could figure out what had happened, the next second...

the ropes that had bound Xu Huo suddenly went slack.

Then, an incredible force erupted from him, as if drawn from the most primal rage in human DNA. His right fist, carrying immense power, smashed violently into the man beside him!

The man didn’t even realize what was happening before his vision went black.

CRACK!

In just an instant, a crisp sound rang out.

It was...

The sound of a nasal bone shattering!

No, it wasn’t just the nasal bone...

SHLICK!

In a flash, Xu Huo yanked his right hand back, splattering blood everywhere as he did.

The man instantly lost consciousness. His face was a mess of mangled flesh and blood. The torn muscles were pushed toward the center, puckering like a chrysanthemum, as a clear, crystalline fluid trickled from his nostrils.

That wasn’t snot.

It was cerebrospinal fluid!

Xu Huo’s center of gravity dropped with the motion. His left hand snatched the other man’s hidden gun, and as he rose, he slammed his shoulder into another goon, knocking him down.

All of this...

happened in the blink of an eye!

By the time they reacted, Cheng Yang’s expression had already changed drastically, and he was rapidly backing away.

"Shoot!"

As his voice fell, the men around him drew their guns, only to find that not a single one had a magazine.

"Guns... that’s not how you use them."

Xu Huo stood at a distance, pulling a magazine from his clothes.

He was no fool. He wasn’t about to just stand there and let them kill him.

The previous afternoon, while they were driving him around in circles, Xu Huo hadn’t been idle.

Achievement Unlocked: [Bandit]!

He thought the atmosphere was a bit dull, so he decided to put on a little show to liven things up for them.

Too bad they didn’t notice.

"This... is called the frame."

"This... is called the magazine."

"You put these two together, and then..."

Xu Huo chuckled, patiently explaining to the men before him how this little thing worked.

CLICK!

The crisp sound of a round being chambered rang out.

"Just like this."

In an instant, the scene froze in a stalemate.

CLICK!

The one man who still had a magazine pulled the trigger, but no bullet fired. He ejected it, only to discover that the once fully-loaded magazine was now completely empty.