NOVEL NEXT Chapter 497 - 410: Sea Dog Gang
Chapter 497: Chapter 410: Sea Dog Gang
After dinner.
Sitting in the study and waiting for a while, Shanaela walked in directly.
Smiling, she asked, “Looking for me?”
Wu Heng beckoned, “I thought you would come for dinner!”
Shanaela came over, sat down on one side of his leg, and whispered, “I come over at night, so I thought about not coming for dinner.”
Wu Heng picked her up and placed her on his lap.
Her skirt gently slid down, revealing fair skin.
Taken aback by the sudden embrace, Shanaela wrapped her arms around his neck in a panic and complained in a sweet voice, “What are you doing!”
Wu Heng wrapped his arms around her waist and asked, “The Old Barrel Tavern has always been in charge of the dockworkers, right?”
“Not exactly, a few others as well, but many workers have taken up shares of the dockwork,” Shanaela thought for a moment and said.
Wu Heng placed his hand on her leg, and while caressing up her skirt, he asked, “What about the Sea Dog Gang?”
“The Sea Dog Gang… hmm, they can probably take a quarter of the business at the docks!” Shanaela said.
“So, what’s the origin of this Sea Dog Gang?”
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“It’s said that they came from outside. The gang has quite a few members, but who exactly they are, I’m not sure. I have had hardly any interaction with them,” Shanaela explained in his ear.
“Which side do your merchant guilds prefer when choosing workers?”
“You mean the Starflower?” Shanaela breathed out near his earlobe and said, “Starflower is a major guild, they also take care of some other powers. Generally, we allocate 30 percent of the jobs to other forces; everyone makes do.”
Wu Heng thought for a moment and then asked, “Do you think the Sea Dog Gang would go after Mackintosh?”
“That’s unlikely, to assassinate the leader of Old Barrel would mean breaking the existing rules. The other side would surely retaliate in the same way,” Shanaela said, her brows suddenly furrowing, “Are you saying Mackintosh is dead?”
“Yes, I only saw the body today. Just keep this between us for now. Don’t talk about it outside. The funeral is in a few days, then everyone will know.”
Shanaela still looked somewhat incredulous, “How did it happen?”
Wu Heng replied, “The people from Old Barrel Tavern said it was snake venom. During the chaos at the docks, a snake emerged and bit her.”
Shanaela hesitated for a moment before speaking slowly, “That… how is that possible!”
“I also find it unlikely. The association and the Guard Team of Gold and Silver Island are also investigating the matter,” Wu Heng said.
“You mean the Sea Dog Gang did it?”
“They’re indeed within the scope of suspicion.”
Shanaela cradled his face and cautioned softly, “Gang affairs are always violent. Investigating will give the association some answers, but don’t take it too seriously and risk danger.”
“Alright!”
With the conversation over, Wu Heng’s hands started to roam freely over her body.
Shanaela, previously surprised by the news of Mackintosh’s death, now looked at the man’s aggressive eyes, her breathing growing rapid.
“Lift your hands!”
Shanaela pressed down on his hand and said softly, “I promised Mini I would teach her to paint. I’ll keep you company tonight.”
“Come over early.”
“Got it.”
…
The next day, at the association.
The morgue.
Wu Heng stood at the door for a while, and the coroner came out with records in hand.
“Deputy Steward, the body was examined last night. The external injuries weren’t fatal. The cause of death should be magic-induced.”
The content after the autopsy wasn’t much different from what Wu Heng had thought.
The chaos among the workers wasn’t the cause of death. It was more likely that someone had cast magic on the severely injured worker from the shadows, leading to death and using it as a vessel for the attack.
“Hmm, thank you for your efforts,” Wu Heng nodded.
“It’s my duty,” the coroner turned to look at the body again, “Does the body need to be preserved?”
“Keep it for a few days. I’ll notify you when it’s time to dispose of it.”
“Yes, Deputy Steward.”
Wu Heng left the morgue after speaking.
He returned to the office.
Several members of Squad Eleven were waiting in the room.
Seeing Wu Heng enter, they all stood up.
“Deputy Steward!”
“Deputy Steward, sir!”
“…”
Wu Heng nodded, “Sit down!”
They sat down.
Cavina asked directly, “What did the autopsy reveal?”
“The injuries from the fight weren’t fatal. Someone used a method in secret, seized the opportunity during the internal conflict, killed him, and then released a spell “Wu Heng repeated what he had heard from the coroner.
“So, it’s very likely the dwarf mentioned during the Wenshi yesterday,” Cavina said.
“Yes, it’s quite likely,” Wu Heng nodded, then asked, “Have you gathered the information?”
Cavina handed over two sets of information, “Here are the details on Black Crow’s Nest and the Sea Dog Gang. The former runs a tavern and is involved in some gray industries, while Sea Dog Gang is a local group that’s been quickly expanding over the last two years.”
Wu Heng opened the files and began to read through them.
The owner of Black Crow’s Nest was a human professional, ranked level 12.
He was among the first to come here with assets to do business after Gold and Silver Island’s amnesty.
He had many followers and dealt in illicit goods such as contraband and smuggling.
Of course, these activities were unregulated on Gold and Silver Island, making it a suitable hub.
The Sea Dog Gang’s leader was level 14. Their territory was where Millicent’s tavern was located.
Their sources of income were quite special, dabbling in a bit of everything, taking a bite here and a bite there.
He acted aggressively and expanded very quickly.
After reading, he put it away directly.
Cavina asked, “What do we do next?”
“Let’s go. We’ll head to the Old Barrel Tavern first and then see what happens next.”
…
The carriage arrived at the Old Barrel Tavern.
As soon as they stopped, the two who had led the way yesterday came out from inside.
Approaching the carriage, they spoke in a low voice, “Deputy Steward, we checked the intelligence coming in from the harbor recently and found a dwarf with a scar on his lower lip.”
The Old Barrel Tavern has quite comprehensive information on the harbor.
Yesterday’s intelligence from questioning the dead, and today, with this method, they found a lead on the other party.
Wu Heng looked at them, “Where is he?”
“The intelligence says he went to the territory of the Sea Dog Gang,” they said, their tone growing gloomy.
Wu Heng nodded and said directly, “Let’s go to the Sea Dog Gang.”
The two from the Old Barrel took over the driver’s seat.
They drove the carriage towards the Sea Dog Gang’s territory.
…
The carriage arrived at the Sea Dog Gang’s territory.
As soon as it approached, several gang members immediately surrounded it.
Clenching their weapons, they watched the coachmen and a few carriages with vigilant eyes.
Wu Heng and his party got out of the carriage and said directly, “The Guild is here to ask your leader some questions.”
The encircling gang members hesitated but still cleared a path.
They let the group enter.
Soon, the dwarf leader who had appeared in Glenda’s investigation came out from behind and looked at the newcomers, asking, “Gentlemen, what brings you here?”
Wu Heng looked at him and said directly, “You should know about Mackintosh’s affairs by now, have all your people come out for an inspection.”
The dwarf’s eyes narrowed slightly with anger, “What does Mackintosh’s affairs have to do with us? You come here over and over, do you really think the Sea Dog Gang can be bullied easily?”
“The search isn’t only for you. If you’ve done nothing wrong, then cooperate properly.”
The dwarf stared coldly at them but finally said, “This is the last time. Call the brothers over.”
Soon, some key members and leaders of the gang came over.
There were quite a few people altogether.
Wu Heng sat on the side, casually asking the dwarf leader about matters related to the harbor.
Cavina led her team forward and sternly said to the gathered gang leaders, “Dwarves, step forward.”
The dwarves present took a step forward, the rest distancing themselves a little.
There were three in total.
“Look up, take off your helmets, and show your faces,” Cavina continued.
Hearing this, the dwarf leader’s movements stiffened slightly, but he soon returned to normal and continued discussing the harbor’s recent affairs with Wu Heng.
Cavina and her people confirmed the dwarves’ identities, but still did not find the one with the scar on his lips.
After the inspection, she looked at Wu Heng and shook her head.
Wu Heng said, “The rest may leave, but the leader stays.”
The gang leaders who had just been called over looked at each other and left, not going far and staying at the entrance.
Wu Heng continued to look at the dwarf leader, “A dwarf with small eyes and a scar on his lower lip, where is he?”
The dwarf thought for a moment and shook his head, “I haven’t seen him. There are many members in the gang, and I can’t remember everyone’s face.”
An ordinary member certainly couldn’t have killed ‘Mackintosh’.
“The affair at the Old Barrel has alarmed both the Guild and the Guard Team. Let this person come out; there is still room for resolution. If it turns out later he’s involved, it’s going to be hard to settle this,” Wu Heng reminded.
“Whether it’s settled or not has nothing to do with us. If it really was the Sea Dog Gang, we would acknowledge it,” said the dwarf, stroking his beard.
While they were speaking,
two ghosts flew back from the backyard, entering the bodies.
The scenes from behind were also shared in their minds.
The ghosts had flown all over the gang’s residence.
There were plenty of people hiding in the shadows, but few dwarves, and none that matched the description.
Could it really not be from here?
Was the intelligence wrong?
The dwarf glanced at them and spoke again, “Alright, I have things to do and can’t accompany you any longer. If there really is evidence, come and arrest me directly. Please, don’t come bothering us again without it.”
After speaking, he indicated for them to leave.
Two from the Old Barrel wanted to argue further,
but were stopped by the surrounding gang members.
“Alright, let’s go back,” Wu Heng said directly.
The group walked out of the gang’s premises.
They got into the carriage and slowly drove away.
“Deputy Steward, our intelligence is definitely accurate. Even if that dwarf isn’t one of them, he’s related to them,” the people from the Old Barrel said.
Wu Heng said, “I will continue the investigation. Wait for my news.”
“This… alright,” the man said with a sigh.
The two returned to the Old Barrel.
Wu Heng also led his people back to the Guild.