Chapter 78 - 77: Black Shark Gang Annihilated

Chapter 78: Chapter 77: Black Shark Gang Annihilated

These provocateurs from the Black Shark Gang could never have imagined it. Here, in the waters they knew best and dominated, they had actually been ambushed by the Water Patrol Bureau. The ten-mile reed marsh had always been their safest haven for hiding and escaping; they alone knew its complex, intricate waterways like the back of their hands. Yet now, the Water Patrol Bureau agents seemed to have sprouted from thin air deep within the reeds, surrounding them completely.

"Retreat! Everyone, retreat!"

The Hall Master of the White Shark Hall, who was in charge of this operation, shrieked hoarsely from the rear of the fleet. His voice pierced through the pervasive mist and panicked screams, carrying a barely detectable trace of panic.

In the end, a portion of their men did manage to pull back. But it was only half. The remaining half had been left behind forever on the surface of the River, which was gradually being dyed red.

Looking at his brethren, whose numbers had been halved, the Hall Master’s eyes were bloodshot, his teeth grinding audibly.

"We’ll go out the other way... Sooner or later, we will settle this score with the Lu Family!" He spat viciously, glanced back at the dark red waters behind him, and waved his hand, leading his men deeper into the reeds.

Weaving through the intersecting waterways, they moved like fish in water, skillfully gliding past clumps of reeds. Being blocked this time was indeed an accident, but an accident should only happen once. As he thought this, the fleet had already sailed toward the second exit.

Light leaked through the gaps in the reeds; the exit was right before their eyes. But for some reason, the Hall Master’s heart suddenly palpitated. He had no time to hesitate, however. Staying here for even a moment longer meant an extra degree of danger. If the Water Patrol Bureau were to set a fire, the entire reed marsh would turn into Purgatory.

"Charge out!" he ordered in a low voice. The small boats successively shot out from the reed clumps.

The sudden blaze of daylight was so blinding that they couldn’t keep their eyes open. When their vision finally cleared, everyone was horrified to discover the truth.

The Ironclad Ship fleet led by Chen Xuan was resting quietly across Jiang Xin, like a crouching black behemoth. On both sides of the bows, dozens of pitch-black, ice-cold gun barrels were all aimed straight at them.

CLICK! CLACK!

The machine gunners pulled the bolts to load their weapons, the sounds exceptionally harsh over the suddenly dead-silent surface of the River.

"Fire."

Chen Xuan’s voice was not loud, but it struck like cold iron hitting the ground.

The next moment, tongues of fire spat out, and gunfire ripped through the air! A rain of bullets wove into a net of death, enveloping the Water Bandits who thought they had just escaped. Screams, the splashing of bodies falling into the water, and the muffled thuds of bullets tearing into wooden boats mixed into a chaotic symphony.

The surface of the River was dyed a fresh red once again.

After a round of strafing, only the Hall Master of the White Shark Hall was left standing at the bow. He was a Martial Cultivator, relying on his Cultivation to forcefully withstand the rain of bullets. Yet he was still wounded in multiple places, his aura sluggish and weak. In front of a Great Martial Cultivator like Chen Xuan, his meager skills were ultimately not enough.

In just a few exchanges, his Protective Qi Force was shattered by a single palm strike. He was swiftly tied up and thrown to the ground. They kept him alive to secure more merit for Lu Jing’an, and to add some persuasiveness to their victory.

The Ironclad Ships slowly approached each other. The four vessels converged, adjusted their course, and continued moving forward. The man tied up on the deck looked up at the path ahead and suddenly trembled all over.

This direction... they were clearly heading toward the Water Stockade!

How could the Water Patrol Bureau know the location of the Water Stockade? They were even completely familiar with the entry and exit waterways. Impossible! The brothers in the stockade would absolutely never betray their own!

His heart was in turmoil, but he suddenly remembered something. Ever since they started dealing with the eldest young master of the Lu Family, the Water Stockade had issued a strict order forbidding anyone from casually coming and going. Therefore, it was absolutely impossible for this to be the work of a traitor.

Could it be?

He realized in horror, "We were wrong. From the very beginning, we underestimated this young master of the Lu Family!"

A chill shot up his spine to the top of his head. He watched as Chen Xuan calmly issued commands. One Ironclad Ship quietly left the formation, blocking the only waterway leading upstream. Meanwhile, the other three sailed straight for the main gate of the Water Stockade.

Cannons were pushed onto the decks.

Two Mountain Cannons glinted with the distinct blue-gray hue of cold iron beneath the daylight. Their muzzles were slightly raised, aiming at the cluster of bamboo and wooden stockade buildings built along the water.

Inside the Water Stockade, a Water Bandit stumbled and crawled into Juyi Hall, his face as pale as paper. "Dragon... Dragon King! Disaster! The Water Patrol Bureau’s Ironclad... Ironclad... Ships are at our gates!"

At the head of the hall, the dwarf-sized Dragon King was holding a Copper Wine Cup. Hearing this, he jerked his head up, a vicious light shooting from his eyes. "What did you say?!"

BOOM!!!

A massive explosion drowned out all answers.

The stockade gate shattered into pieces amidst the flames, sending wooden splinters wrapped in smoke and dust shooting into the sky. Immediately after came the second shot, then the third... Cannonballs continuously crashed into the stockade, exploding into clusters of roaring flames.

Lu Jing’an’s orders had been very direct. Fifty cannonballs. Leave not a single one behind; blast them all into the Water Stockade.

Although the power of the Mountain Cannons couldn’t compare to the rumored Void Heavy Cannons, it was more than enough to deal with a loosely structured Water Stockade that relied solely on its geographical advantage. Explosions occurred one after another; buildings collapsed and sheds burned, and agonizing screams echoed all across the docks.

BOOM!

A cannonball scored a direct hit on the roof of Juyi Hall. The beams and pillars snapped, and rubble crashed down like rain.

A short figure shot out, smashing through a window and rolling onto the ground at the very last moment. It was the Dragon King. He looked back at his home. The stockade he had operated for years had been reduced to a sea of fire, with billowing black smoke rolling into the sky.

"Lu—Jing—’an—I want you dead!!!"

The Dragon King trembled all over. His voice was as sharp and harsh as a knife scraping against an iron plate, his short body going completely taut from utter fury.

"You won’t have the chance."

An ice-cold voice suddenly rang out from behind him.

The Dragon King didn’t even turn his head; thick black smoke abruptly surged from his entire body! The smoke seemed to have a life of its own, rapidly spreading out, Devouring the light, and completely swallowing Chen Xuan’s figure.

The lineage of Smoke Cultivators was most adept at hiding their forms, employing Concealment, and using the shadows to injure their foes. The Dragon King’s figure swayed, preparing to merge into the smoke and flee.

But Chen Xuan simply closed his eyes and concentrated, his ears twitching slightly.

His fist was already flying!

BAM!

A heavy punch, packing enough force to split mountains and shatter rocks, planted itself solidly into the center of the Dragon King’s back.

The Dragon King violently spewed out a mouthful of fresh blood and collapsed flat on the ground. The black smoke around his body instantly dissipated. Chen Xuan had held back; otherwise, that single punch would have been enough to blast the dwarf into minced meat.

With the Dragon King captured, the surviving Water Bandits in the stockade were absolutely terrified. They abandoned their weapons and fled in every direction. Even though three Ironclad Ships blocked the main gate, there were still desperate outlaws steering small boats. Relying on the familiar waterways, they plunged deep into the reeds, scurrying upstream.

They didn’t dare go downstream; that was Yin Mountain County, the territory of the Water Patrol Bureau. They could only go upstream, fleeing toward a more desolate and unfamiliar section of the River.

A small squad of Water Bandits luckily managed to pass through the artillery fire, slipping past the line of sight of the Ironclad Ships. They charged into the narrow waterway leading upstream.

Just as it seemed they were about to escape, they suddenly made a horrifying discovery! The only exit to the waterway had already been completely blocked by the fourth Ironclad Ship.

Turn around! Go downstream!

The men hurriedly changed direction, speeding back toward Yin Mountain County. The boat was small and light. They quickly zipped past a River bend, entering a seemingly calm expanse of open water.

The Water Bandits had barely caught their breath. The next moment, the surface of the water abruptly collapsed inward, and a colossal shadow erupted from below! A grayish-black body covered in slime and tumorous growths rose into the air, almost blocking out the daylight. A giant maw opened, lined with sharp teeth the size of millstones, and a foul, bloody wind rushed at their faces.

It was the rumored Catfish Demon. It had been waiting here all along. And at this very moment, it was absolutely famished.

The small boat was like a toy beneath the beast. With a single sweep of its massive tail, the vessel was reduced to flying wooden splinters. Screams rose briefly, only to abruptly fall silent.

In less than an hour, everything returned to total silence. Only a few pieces of shattered wood and a gradually spreading pool of dark red were left slowly drifting on the surface of the River.