Chapter Thirty-Nine: Vanished

“Damn it, that bastard is ruthless! Nearly knocked my teeth out!”
Deepwater Bay. The battle was over.
Despite Shanhai’s fierce resistance, in the end, two fists were no match for many hands. Seven or eight of the fish-head thugs swarmed him, pinned him to the ground. The villagers of the small fishing village lay scattered everywhere, barely clinging to life.
Shanhai had been tied to a pillar, blood covering his body.
“Pah!”
Scarface spat a bloody gob of saliva onto Shanhai and, grabbing a wooden club, smashed it down on Shanhai’s forehead. The club, as thick as a wrist, snapped in two under the force of the blow!
“Beat him! I’ll teach this little fishing village what it means to follow the rules!”
At his command, the fish-head thugs surged forward, raining blows and kicks down on Shanhai.
Before long, Shanhai’s body went limp; he passed out cold.
“Scarface, I think this guy’s done for,” one of the thugs grinned.
For them, brawling was routine, and killing for loot was nothing out of the ordinary. Each of them had blood on their hands; a single dead man meant nothing.
“Dead or not, tie him to the pillar!” Scarface ordered coldly. “Later, chop him up and toss the pieces into the sea for the fish!”
The others busied themselves packing the fish from the nets into carts, getting ready to leave.
Looking at the haul of fish and the pristine nets, Scarface grinned in satisfaction.
With this, getting rich overnight was no longer just a dream!
“When I have money, I’ll form my own crew and become the bandit king! No more being lackeys for those bastards on Hat Mountain!” he boasted. “By then, you’ll all live the good life with me—wine, women, and riches! We’ll rise together and make our mark!”
These fish-head thugs, heartless rogues to the core, cheered at his words, pledging to follow Scarface through thick and thin!
“Scarface, you’re the real deal! Compared to you, those Hat Mountain guys are nothing!”
“Scarface, word on the street is you’re righteous. With you, women are yours for the taking, silver for the spending! We’re all loyal to you!”
“When we get rich, just one word from you and we’ll have thousands of men at our backs. Then we’ll topple Hat Mountain and take over!”
Surrounded by this flattery, Scarface’s ego soared, as if the glorious future was already within reach.
Suddenly, a flurry of whistling projectiles tore through the air!
Several fish-head thugs fell, wailing!
“Shoot them all down!”
Qin Zhen’s furious roar echoed across the hills.
A volley from ten crossbows formed a rain of arrows, instantly engulfing Scarface and his crew!

“Liu Quan, keep the archers firing! The rest of you, follow me! Take back our home!”
Qin Zhen raised his arm and led the charge himself!
The villagers, hearts ablaze with fury, seized clubs and wooden spears, charging after Qin Zhen!
The roar of a hundred voices shook the mountains, striking terror into Scarface and his men!
“It’s Qin Zhen! Qin Zhen and the others are here!”
Scarface, who had seen his share of violence, recovered quickly from his initial panic and started organizing a counterattack.
“Brothers, get in there! Cut down these peasants!”
But the thugs barely had time to gather their courage before another hail of arrows forced them to the ground.
“They have crossbows!”
In a panic, the fish-head thugs were driven to the shore by the villagers. Many, desperate to escape the arrows, plunged into the sea. They thought the water would keep them safe, but Deepwater Bay was nothing like a sandy beach; within moments, rough waves dragged them under.
Watching his men fall, Scarface panicked.
He drew his knife, ready to fight Qin Zhen to the death, only to be kicked over by Chen Shu!
Chen Shu pressed his face to the ground, picked up the fallen knife, weighed it, and grinned.
“Hey! Now we’ve got a blade too!”
“Junior brother!” Miaoyun’s anguished cry echoed in everyone’s hearts.
Seeing the battered Shanhai and the devastated villagers, rage filled them all.
They had always been honest fishermen, never looking for trouble—why were they always bullied?
Is honesty just an invitation for abuse?
Qin Zhen hurried over. “How is he?”
Shanhai struggled to open his eyes, barely clinging to life. “Was… was I brave?”
“You were the bravest!” Li Han cursed and laughed, tears streaming down his face. “You’re the bravest man in our village!”
“They nearly crippled him…” Miaoyun sobbed, unable to hold back her tears.
“Damn it!”
Li Han stormed back and gave Scarface a brutal beating.
His agonized screams were music to their ears.
Qin Zhen patted Shanhai on the shoulder. “You did well!”
Then he turned to Miaoyun. “Take him home, I’ll handle things here.”
After Miaoyun led Shanhai and the wounded away, Qin Zhen took a deep breath and walked toward the shore.

By now, Scarface had been beaten beyond recognition, sprawling on the ground like a dead dog.
“Qin Zhen, you can’t kill me! My big brother is Sang Biao, the second-in-command at Hat Mountain! If you kill me, he’ll never let you go!”
At the sight of Qin Zhen, Scarface clung to him like a drowning man to a lifeline, crawling to grab his leg.
“Let me go, and this is over! We can get along, make money together—how about it?”
“Make money together?” Qin Zhen sounded interested.
Scarface rushed to say, “Yes! Trading isn’t as easy as you think. There are territories and tolls everywhere! If you spare me, you can use my contacts anytime! You’ll never have trouble! We’ll split the profits—no, you take eighty percent, I’ll take twenty! How about that?”
“But you hurt my brothers,” Qin Zhen said, narrowing his eyes.
“I did, but I lost plenty of men too!” Scarface, shaking in pain, buried his hatred for Qin Zhen deep within. He swore that if he survived, he’d make Qin Zhen pay in blood!
“Please, I know lots of people, have lots of connections—how can you get by without them? Whatever you need, I can introduce you! We’ll become sworn brothers—no one will dare bully you again!”
“Do you hear yourself?” Li Han sneered. “Sworn brothers with our Zhen? You’re not worthy!”
Qin Zhen crouched and patted Scarface’s head as if he were a dog.
“Do you know what matters most to me?”
“Money!” Scarface blurted.
Qin Zhen shook his head. “Think again.”
“Me?” Scarface’s heart sank, realizing Qin Zhen didn’t intend to spare him.
But Qin Zhen shook his head again. “Try again.”
Scarface was at a loss. After a pause, he wagged his tail and ventured, “Still money?”
“Your absence is what matters most to me.”
Qin Zhen stood up slowly. “I’m not a bandit like you. Our little fishing village is full of honest, decent people. We don’t start trouble, but we don’t fear it either. If anyone dares harm my people, I’ll make sure they disappear.”
At these words, the crowd erupted in applause, their respect for Qin Zhen deepening.
Qin Zhen turned and walked away, leaving Scarface and his men in utter despair.
Chen Shu flashed a sunny, genial smile, and with a swift motion, slit Scarface’s throat.
He announced loudly,
“Kill them all, chop them up, and feed them to the fish!”