Enemies Meet on a Narrow Road

Blood Flag Fortress is located northeast of Evil Dragon Island.

The reef was littered with white bones, and the waves crashed against the blackened rocks, the spray carrying a fishy stench. The red flag with animal teeth hanging from the top of the fortress fluttered in the stenchy wind, like the wailing of countless wronged souls.

The atmosphere in the council hall was oppressive.

The nine Clippers team leaders stood in a row below, not daring to breathe.

On the tiger-skin chair on the high platform, leaned a thin, bamboo-like man—the Blood Skeleton Alliance's Chief Patrol Officer, Electric Serpent Sun. His narrow, triangular eyes were half-closed, and between his withered fingers, two highly venomous blue-spotted sea snakes were swimming back and forth, flicking their scarlet tongues.

"Thank you, Fourth Brother," Electric Snake Sun spoke, his voice like sandpaper being ground against a surface. "The other day, the Sea Shark Gang sent word that they were going to deliver something, but we haven't seen it yet?"

The leader of ship number four, Xie Heng, quickly stepped forward and reported, "Sir, we haven't even seen a shadow of the Sea Shark Gang. They haven't even received their monthly allowance. I specifically sent someone ashore to inquire, and they said they were all wiped out in Luoxia Town, Chenzhou."

"Taken down?" Electric Serpent Sun raised his eyelids, and the two sea serpents suddenly stood up. "Who did it? The Surveillance Bureau?"

"The Imperial Observatory is indeed posting notices to arrest someone." Xie Heng swallowed hard. "They say the murderer knows a martial art called 'River-Turning Force.' It's all over the news on the shores of Chenzhou. The Imperial Observatory is hunting down a fugitive, dead or alive, with a reward of one thousand taels of silver. Even the Blood-Clad Tower and the Carefree Alliance have announced that they are also looking for this person."

"One thousand taels?" The eyes of several team leaders nearby lit up.

"This fat sheep is called Chen Yuanzhi." Xie Heng took out two crumpled arrest warrants from his pocket, held them above his head, and said, "I heard that Chen Yuanzhi has an accomplice. The Observatory has also posted his portrait. He is a commoner named Guo Shan, and the reward is two hundred taels of silver."

Electric Snake Sun waved his hand, and a henchman next to him took the document.

He glanced at the portrait and sneered, "A fallen nobleman and an ordinary commoner, are they really worth that much money? Interesting."

His gaze shifted, sweeping over the nine people kneeling below, and his expression suddenly darkened.

"Where's Wang Mazi? Where did Wang Mazi go?"

The hall was deathly silent.

Team leader number six approached, trembling, and said, "Manager, Wang Mazi... I'm afraid he won't be able to make it."

With a wave of his hand, several henchmen carried a soaking wet corpse and placed it in the center of the hall.

The body's chest was caved in, blood was flowing from its seven orifices, and its eyes were almost bulging out; the death was extremely gruesome.

"These are Wang Mazi's trusted men. We pulled them out of the water near Ghost Cry Reef."

Electric Snake Sun stood up and walked down from the platform. He squatted down beside the corpse, pressed his withered fingers against the collapsed chest, and his brows instantly furrowed into a knot.

"His internal organs were all shattered, but it wasn't brute force." Electric Snake Sun narrowed his eyes. "It was a sinister, spiraling force that seeped into the flesh and tore it apart. This technique... seems familiar."

Electric Snake Sun stood up and called out from the shadows in the back room, "Third Brother, come out and see if this is your work?"

The curtain to the back room was lifted, and a harsh sound of metal hitting the ground came from inside.

Thump, thump, thump.

A middle-aged man with a pale face and leaning on an iron crutch came out.

His walking posture was extremely strange, with his legs tightly clamped together, and his eyes revealing an unyielding resentment.

It was none other than Sun Niqiu, the former third-in-command of the Salt Gang.

First, Xu Hao slashed his vital organs in Chenzhou, and then the Salt Gang got into trouble. He fled to the sea like a stray dog ​​and sought refuge with his own brother.

"Look at these wounds," Electric Snake Sun pointed to the corpse on the ground.

Sun Niqiu limped forward, and after just one glance, he was struck dumb, his whole body trembling uncontrollably.

With a clang, the iron crutch shattered the blue bricks on the ground.

He suddenly turned his head, grabbed the portrait from the henchman's hand, and stared intently at the face of "Guo Shan" in the painting, his eyes bloodshot.

"It was him... he's the one who hurt me!" Sun Niqiu's voice was sharp and shrill, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

"Why is he called Guo Shan? His name is Xu Hao! I'd recognize him even if he were ashes!"

Sun Niqiu gritted his teeth, his features contorted in rage: "Brother, it's this little beast! Not only did he steal my martial arts technique, but he also... he destroyed my foundation! He used my skills to kill and rob in Chenzhou City, pinning the blame on the Salt Gang, leaving me with nowhere to turn!"

In the hall, several team leaders lowered their heads, desperately trying to suppress their laughter.

Sun Niqiu's "unspeakable secret" was no secret in Bloodflame Fortress.

Two petals become four petals, who wouldn't go crazy?

Seeing this, Electric Snake Sun waved his hand and said, "Get out of here."

Wait until the hall is empty.

"Xu Hao?" Electric Snake Sun sneered. "Wang Mazi is most likely dead at his hands. This kid is new here and doesn't know the intricacies of the sea. If he kills Wang Mazi, he'll definitely seize the ship."

"Seizing the ship is great!" Sun Mudfish grinned maliciously. "Wang Mazi's ship's hull is coated with our Blood Bone Alliance's specially made 'Blood-Attracting Incense.' Xu ​​Hao thinks he can run away just by stealing the ship? At sea, they're sitting ducks!"

After saying that, Sun Niqiu suddenly knelt down on the ground, throwing his iron crutch aside.

"Big brother! Let me go! I want to personally lead the team to skin this little beast alive!" Sun Niqiu pleaded urgently. "We both practice the 'Overturning River Force,' but this little beast must have gotten some kind of stroke of luck, his progress has been incredibly rapid in a short time. He's definitely hiding a big secret!"

Electric Snake Sun frowned slightly and remained silent.

Sun Niqiu hurriedly said, "There's also Chen Yuanzhi. All sorts of forces are looking for him. The two of them are definitely together. Even if they're not, Chen Yuanzhi's secrets are definitely in his hands. As long as we capture him, the Chen family's resources and that brat's secrets will all be ours!"

Electric Snake Sun looked at his crippled brother kneeling on the ground, a glint of greed flashing in his eyes.

He reached out and pulled Sun Niqiu up.

"Alright, this task is yours." Electric Snake Sun took a blood-red token from his waist and slapped it into Sun Mudfish's hand. "I'm assigning you the modified 'Black Dragon,' take a team of men, and three tamed 'Blood Sharks.' If you still can't take down this little beast, don't come back to see me."

Sun Niqiu gripped the cold token tightly, the veins on the back of his hand bulging.

"Don't worry, brother." He grinned, revealing gleaming white teeth, his smile like that of a vengeful ghost. "I'll crush his bones inch by inch, making him taste the agony of wishing for death!"

"Capture him alive and make him spill the beans. I also have an important task for you: Xu Hao has something I need, something he stole from the Hai Sha Gang. Find it after you catch him!"

"I will not fail in my mission!"

Outside the hall, the sea breeze grew stronger.

Sun Niqiu, leaning on his iron crutch, limped out, his mind filled with images of wanting to tear Xu Hao to pieces.