Chapter 184

"There's not a single living person!" The adjutant in charge of registration was stunned for a moment: "Have you searched for everyone?" The ship had sunk only a short time ago, and there were no water stains on the deck. If you wiped it clean, it could be sold as new wood. In such a short time, all the people were gone.

"No. Some people were lying motionless on the ground. At first glance, they looked like they had just drowned, but when we looked closer, our necks were broken. There was no hope of saving them..." The soldiers shook their heads. Although they had no sympathy for the gamblers, if there were any survivors on the boat, they would still count them and take them away to the mines. The gamblers' wages would be sent to their families regularly, and if even one member of their family disagreed with the gamblers returning home, they would not be allowed to go home.

"So that beast killed everyone before leaving..." The general walked out of the house after finishing his work.

"General!" Seeing the general appear, everyone present saluted.

"Okay, no need to salute. I'll go take a look at the other side." General Pang ordered his men to send flag signals to the tower ship. After receiving a response, he ordered the warships to move closer to the tower ship. Then he took a few soldiers and used his lightness skills to jump onto the deck of the tower ship.

"General Pang." After the warship signaled, the captain quickly dealt with the urgent matters at hand and went to the deck to await the general's arrival. Although General Pang was well-known in the nearby waters for his friendliness, necessary etiquette still had to be observed; the general couldn't be left waiting on the deck.

Watching the warship slowly stop across from him, the captain gave a tired professional smile. "Usually, I discuss the artillery shells with the deputy general, but now the general has arrived in person, and I don't know what he's doing. Alas, we've already used up a month's supply of ammunition this time. I wonder if crying poor to the general will help."

"Captain Hua." General Pang came over and patted the captain on the shoulder: "No need to be so polite, I'm just here to see an old friend. Hey, you're not trying to avoid me again, are you?"

"No." Under the gossiping eyes of the players, the old man, who had tried unsuccessfully to blend into the crowd and slip away, walked over with his head down: "Fourth sister..."

"You still remember you have a sister!" General Pang's smile faded, and he took off his helmet and used it as a weapon, chasing the old man all over the deck, his demeanor instantly transformed into a surly old lady: "Where the hell have you been these past three months? Huh? You don't have a family to go back to, and you don't have the army to go to, so what are you doing here? Huh? You haven't sent a letter home in three months, do you know how worried your parents are?"

"They probably don't have time to worry about me..."

"How dare you talk back! Don't run... Now you finally know how to obey." Looking at the old man who stopped obediently, General Pang felt even more angry.

You beat me if I run away, and you beat me if I don’t run away. It’s better not to run and save some energy... The old man stood at attention silently: It’s really hard to please.

The captain was a little surprised to see that Lao Youzi knew General Pang, but he didn't show it on his face. He knew that Lao Youzi's surname was also Pang, and he used to be a soldier, but he didn't know why he suddenly stopped serving. Since then, he has always been traveling back and forth on the sea on his ship, and he didn't know what his purpose was.

The old man obviously didn't have much money. His clothes were always washed and his hair was a mess, but he never used this as an excuse to evade fares. There were no part-time jobs for the old man on the ship. Others asked him why he didn't switch to a cheaper ship, or one where he could find a job. To this, the old man replied: "No, other ships are too gambling, I can't handle it."

The captain was on deck to greet the distinguished guests, but that didn't mean everything else had to be put aside. Players were still scurrying around the deck, packing their belongings, and staff were also rushing in and out. For a moment, the people confined to the cabins were the most relaxed. The attackers, in particular, started to show off once more upon hearing the renewed bustle outside.

Bai Youchang didn't give them any slack. He took out a rope and tied the men up again. Together with the attempted attacker who had attacked the teenager, he dragged the three men out of the cabin. Normally, when they encountered prisoners on a ship, they would tie them up and wait for them to be dealt with after they reached the shore. But now that they had encountered a warship, things became much simpler. They could just hand the prisoners over to the army. After all, they had committed murder.

The files on these three men had already been completed, and with the endorsement of the young county magistrate who was about to take office, the army could take over directly. Whether they would be sent to the government office for execution or simply sold into hard labor until they died of old age depended on which department was free first.

After these three people were sent out, the remaining shipwreck victim, who had been picked up from the sea and had been unconscious, also woke up. Bai Youchang could no longer hold on, so he handed the victim over to other colleagues and went back to the staff dormitory to log off.

Before leaving, he noticed the stowaways were starting to act rashly again, so he smiled and told everyone in the cabin that his memory hadn't been very good recently and he might forget to deliver the food: "Don't worry, it'll only take ten days or half a month at most. Nothing will happen." Of course, other colleagues would help deliver the food, but would he be so kind as to tell the stowaways about this? Obviously not!

"No, no, you are so young, how could you have a bad memory?" The smuggler quickly became honest: Who can starve for so long, ten days or half a month? Why don't you tell me and just roll up a straw mat and throw it into the sea!

"It's my first time seeing a live general. He looks so majestic!" General Pang didn't let anyone back off when he boarded the ship. While the staff were busy running around, players quietly watched from a distance while rushing to complete repair tasks: "So handsome!"

General Pang was a towering woman, nearly two meters tall, making even the burly soldiers look petite next to her. Her appearance wasn't particularly striking, but the aura she cultivated through countless battles was genuine. Even with a smile on her face, she exuded a sense of authority without even a rip. Especially when chasing down veterans, her muscular form radiated with strength, a feat envied by players who could never achieve that level of skill.

"Arms and thighs this thick, they're just dreams..."

"I felt like she could pick me up with two fingers."

"Hold me, I'm afraid I'll go crazy and touch it!"

"You're pooping, you're pooping, wipe your drool."

Hearing the subsequent lewd words, General Pang Yue's expression remained unchanged, and he continued to chase after the old man and beat him: "Sorry, that doesn't exist!" She had heard all kinds of nonsense in the military camp. There were so many people who coveted her, and no one could beat her. She couldn't control those who talked behind her back, but those who danced in front of her... Ha, they were all beaten into submission!

"So cool!" As players drooled enviously at General Pang's muscular physique, the only remaining shipwreck survivor, who hadn't yet committed a crime, was clinging to the hatch, watching General Long chase the veteran. Her name was Shang Fan, and because Bai Youchang, the interrogator, was offline, she couldn't leave the cabin for the time being. She could only grit her teeth and watch the other two lucky shipwreck survivors being dragged away.

"So, what you're saying is that the sunken ship is yours, and the other two people were guests who rented your boat and designated its route. After the boat was deep in the sea, they suddenly attacked you and destroyed your boat." Although Bai Youchang was specifically in charge of the interrogation, the staff could still help take some notes while he was offline. "Is there anything else you need to add?"

"It's gone. Can they compensate me for the boat?" Damn it, she saved up money for several years to buy it, and it's only been nine days since she got it, and it was sunk before she could even warm up to it, without even a fragment left.

"It's definitely possible to make a judgment, but..."

"Okay, I understand." Shang Fan turned around silently, with his head against the cabin door and remained silent: I should have believed the Empress earlier. It is not suitable to travel today. Alas!

On the deck, General Pang beat the old man up in front of everyone, then put on his shoes without blushing or breathing hard: "When are you going back?"

"I violated military discipline. How can I go back?" Laoyouzi, whose real name was Pang Hun, was once a soldier. He hadn't originally wanted to join the army, having signed up out of spite for his family. He then spent two years as a private in the kitchen. A few months ago, he abruptly left the barracks and boarded the "Gold-Smelting Ship," then fled in disgrace, never to be seen again.

He had left the barracks without following the proper procedures, and he hadn't returned to face his punishment. Technically speaking, he was now a deserter.

"I'm asking you whether you are going home or not! What bad things have you done that you don't even dare to go home?" Pang Yue was so angry that he almost took off his shoes and hit him again: "If you don't want to go home, why don't you send a letter? You didn't hide it at all when you left the barracks, and you made a fuss when you boarded the Gold-Smelting Ship. Why did you stop making any noise after you got off the ship?" The family almost thought that they were going to bury their son!

"Ah? I sent a letter!" Pang Hun scratched his head. "I sent it after I escaped back to shore. Didn't you receive it?"

"What do you say?" Pang Yue said with a ferocious smile: "If I had gotten any information, would I have been so angry that I would have chased you and beat you up? If the two elders hadn't been physically broken by this incident, breaking one of your legs would have been the least of my worries!"

"But I really did send the letter." Pang Hun said he was absolutely certain he had sent the letter: "I bought the most expensive envelope at the time, wrote two large pages, and wrote down the whole story. I also said in the letter that I would go back when it was about to snow. I still remember the store where I sent the letter. There was a candied haws stall at the door..."

"If that's the case, I might know something," the captain interjected. "I heard a rumor when the ship docked. Someone bought an envelope and paid the postage for a letter, but addressed it to the place it was being sent from. As a result, the letter couldn't be sent and has been stuck in the store ever since."

"Oh? Then I wonder the sender's name..."

"I'm not sure about that. There doesn't seem to be a name on the envelope, only an address." The captain said he was helpless: "But there is indeed a candied haws stall in front of that store."