Chapter 100: Meeting with the Leaders, Bounty Rewards

Chapter 100: Meeting with the Leaders, Bounty Rewards

Blue Sea International No. 28.

In the morning, Lu Heng received a call from Lin Zeyu, informing him that some officials wanted to meet with him.

When a conflict arises in international waters with another country's vessel, even if the other party fires first, the authorities will still seek to understand the situation.

So, at 10 a.m., Lu Heng arrived with Su Muyu.

Upon entering Lin Zeyu's home, several individuals were already seated in the living room.

As Lu Heng entered, these people immediately stood up.

Lin Zeyu quickly introduced them, "Lu Heng, this is District Chief Liu Changhong of Ningyun District, and this is Miao Zainan, the leader of the Iron Blood Coastal Bureau."

Liu Changhong had a scholarly appearance, wearing a pair of glasses, and after a quick glance at Lu Heng, he immediately approached and shook hands, "Thank you, thank you, Lu, for taking the time to come here amidst your busy schedule."

Since Lu Heng's household registration was in the Ningyun District of Binhai, he was considered a resident under Liu Changhong's jurisdiction.

The emergence of such a powerful mutant in Ningyun District brought prestige to Liu Changhong as the district chief.

As for Miao Zainan, he was the leader of the Iron Blood Coastal Bureau, responsible for managing all mutants in the coastal region.

Lu Heng shook hands with the two of them, but his gaze moved past them to the two individuals seated behind.

Lin Zeyu continued, "You already know these two, so there's no need for introductions."

The two individuals behind were indeed familiar faces: Iron Blood Senior Inspector Chen Lianian and his disciple.

Initially, Lu Heng had been concerned about the officials' ambiguous attitude, but now, seeing the district chief personally present and greeting him with enthusiasm, the official stance was clear.

With a brief thought, Lu Heng understood the situation.

If it were three months ago, the officials might not have had this attitude.

Now, in the fourth month since the Abyss's arrival, and with the fifth month approaching, the situation was becoming increasingly dire.

To the general public, the emergence of terrifying monsters on Bluestar was alarming, but they didn't fully grasp the implications.

The authorities, however, had access to more intelligence, and by piecing together information from returnees from the Abyssal Battlefield, they could learn about the origins of the Abyss.

Consequently, the officials were well aware that the situation would become more challenging in the future.

Mutants' combat capabilities had reached a point where they could inflict significant damage on warships, and in such circumstances, mutants were the new-age human weapons that needed to be cultivated.

Since the first leader of Xia Country, the importance of winning over public opinion had been deeply understood.

Therefore, the attitude of the higher-ups would directly influence the attitude of the grassroots.

At this critical juncture, Lu Heng's demonstrated strength, while not unparalleled, was at least a rare and exceptional existence.

Regarding the conflict in international waters, where the other party fired first, Lu Heng's restraint in not sinking the other vessel reflected the civilized and benevolent approach of the ancient nation.

"Please take a seat."

After they sat down, District Chief Liu Changhong and Iron Blood Coastal Bureau Leader Miao Zainan's task was complete.

Their purpose was to meet and demonstrate the official stance.

The subsequent work would be handled by the master and disciple team of Chen Lianian.

"Were you sent by the higher-ups to handle this matter?" Lu Heng asked curiously, looking at the two.

"I'm mainly here to inquire about the incident and then submit a report," Chen Lianian nodded slightly.

"There's not much to ask; the video footage is clear," Lu Heng said.

"I've watched the video, and there doesn't seem to be any issue. However, the incident still needs to be documented in a written report," Chen Lianian instructed his disciple to take notes while turning on the recording device to capture the questioning process.

Lu Heng asked curiously, "How is this incident officially defined now?"

Having worked together to investigate the Demon Finger case, Chen Lianian didn't mind sharing some information as long as it didn't violate any regulations:

"Don't worry; international waters are public spaces. Since the other party fired first, self-defense is not a problem.

If I were to speak from a personal standpoint, I'd say you did a great job. Java has committed too many misdeeds and deserved a harsh lesson."

Gao Zhiting had been holding back for a long time before raising his hand and asking a question, "Why was your move so powerful?"

Lu Heng asked curiously, "Does this question need to be included in the report?"

"No, no, I'm just curious," Gao Zhiting quickly waved his hand.

Chen Lianian gave his disciple a stern look, signaling him to focus on taking notes and not interrupt.

Then, he took out a notebook and began asking, "Why were you in international waters?"

Lin Zeyu took the initiative to answer, "Of course, it was for the bounty! We went to capture the Bonebird for the bounty your Iron Blood offered. Isn't that reason enough?"

Chen Lianian nodded and continued, "After the incident, our reconnaissance team investigated the area and discovered the corpse of a Bonebird. Did you kill it?"

Lin Zeyu eagerly replied, "Yes, we did. I haven't claimed the bounty yet. Later, you can help us fill out the form to claim it."

Chen Lianian asked further, "Based on the traces left at the scene, it seems a ship sank in that area as well."

Lin Zeyu spread his hands and said, "It was a Wolf Pack's armed speedboat, which we've encountered before."

Chen Lianian's eyebrows rose, and he asked, "Did you engage in a conflict with them?"

Lin Zeyu didn't mind speaking the truth at all. "We had a verbal spat, and after being at sea for so long, my temper isn't the best. I might have cursed a bit, but that's not a crime, right?"

Chen Lianian stared into Lin Zeyu's eyes, trying to discern if he was lying.

He found that Lin Zeyu's thoughts were easier to read than Lu Heng's or Su Muyu's.

So, he was glad when Lin Zeyu eagerly answered, as he could tell if he was lying just by his tone.

Lin Zeyu waved his hand and said, "That coward Hei Lang only dared to argue with me. If he dared to fight, I would have beaten him up long ago."

Chen Lianian knew that this statement was mostly boasting, but Lin Zeyu wasn't lying.

He then asked, "How did the Wolf Pack's ship sink?"

Lin Zeyu replied matter-of-factly, "It was sunk by the Bloodline Blade Demon. You haven't seen it, but that red-skinned demon is incredibly powerful and terrifying. If it weren't for Lu Heng, we might not have made it back."

"Bloodline Blade Demon..." Chen Lianian glanced at his disciple and said, "This part is crucial and should be recorded in detail."

The reconnaissance team that went to investigate the area only found the remains of the Bonebird, and no other demon corpses.

After all, the Bloodline Blade Demon is about the same size as a human, and once it sank into the sea, it could have been carried away by ocean currents to who knows where. It was normal not to find its body.

Therefore, the authorities didn't obtain any information about the "Bloodline Blade Demon."

This information was only revealed by Lu Heng after they returned, or Lin Zeyu wouldn't have known about the demon.

"Can you describe the Bloodline Blade Demon in more detail? If the information is comprehensive, it will be of great help to the country." Chen Lianian's expression turned serious, hoping to gather more information about the Abyssal demons.

Another important task of the Ironblood was to collect data from the Abyssal Battlefield.

So, whenever an Ability User returned from the Abyssal Battlefield, the Ironblood would send someone to gather information.

Lin Zeyu didn't know much about the Bloodline Blade Demon.

Lu Heng took over the conversation, saying, "To be precise, it's a demon race called the Bloodline Demons. They have a goat-headed human body, and their blood contains toxins..."

After briefly introducing the Bloodline Demon's information, Chen Lianian listened attentively, nodding and asking about crucial details.

Lu Heng shared all the information he could.

As for the source of the information, there were many excuses; the Tempering Fortress, the Banser Tribe, or any Abyssal Battlefield could be the place where the information was obtained.

Therefore, Chen Lianian didn't delve into the source of Lu Heng's information, focusing solely on the information itself.

After asking about the incident, Chen Lianian stood up to leave, adding, "If you encounter similar situations in the future, you can contact us. We will strive to protect the interests of our country's Ability Users."

...

After leaving the Blue Sea International, Lin Zeyu drove Lu Heng and the others back, saying, "By the way, there's something I need to tell you. Someone anonymously reported that we sunk a ship from our own country in international waters."

"Do you know who reported it?"

"I had someone look into it, and it was the Springtop Group that reported us."

The Springtop Group was the backer of the Wolf Pack's Ability User team, and the armed speedboat that Hei Lang was on was quite expensive, funded by the Springtop Group.

"No wonder the Ironblood asked about the armed speedboat. I thought it was strange, but now I understand." Lu Heng finally realized the situation.

"They made an anonymous report, so I'll make a formal report against the Springtop Group for spreading false information. Let's see what happens," Lin Zeyu directly confronted the Springtop Group.

...

The next day at noon, the Ironblood released an announcement regarding the "Shipbreaker" incident in international waters.

The incident was defined as a self-defense counterattack by domestic Ability Users in international waters, a reasonable and legal action.

Regarding the anonymous report, the announcement mentioned that there was no evidence of a battle between the Universe Yacht and Hei Lang's boat.

Furthermore, the announcement named several media outlets for spreading false information and imposed penalties.

With the official announcement, the government's stance was clear, and the IP addresses of the remote farming species within the country went silent, not daring to spread rumors further.

The Springtop Group's anonymous report was ineffective, and the media they bribed was also penalized. The holding consortium behind them was displeased, but they had no way to deal with Lu Heng and Lin Zeyu.

...

This offshore hunting expedition successfully eliminated the Bonebird, and after verification, the Ironblood awarded a bounty of 6 million.

The bounty of 6 million was quite a substantial amount.

However, compared to the threat posed by the Bonebird, the bounty was well-deserved.

If the authorities hadn't offered the bounty but instead sent their own ships to eliminate the Bonebird, aside from the question of manpower, even if they had the resources, they would need to dispatch dozens of ships to search for several months to have a chance of finding the Bonebird.

The cost of such an operation would far exceed 6 million.

After receiving the bounty, Lin Zeyu and Lu Heng decided to split it evenly among the twelve crew members of the Universe Yacht.

Lin Zeyu also added a little extra, giving each person a bonus of 600,000.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end