CHAPTER 107: CHAPTER 107: PROBING AND CAUTION (PART 3)

The sea vessel continued its journey.

Initially flamboyant and restless, the few crew members had become quiet and were standing idly on the deck. Even the Salted Fish’s signature activity, fishing, had ceased.

The Salted Fish sailed onward, and after a day’s voyage, it soon arrived among the islands where the military factory was located.

"Halt the vessel ahead! Stop in place and wait for our dispatched sailors to inspect. Otherwise, we have the right to fire upon you!"

The Ji Clan Trading Association’s military factory was an enterprise fully controlled by the Vice President’s faction.

The military factory was situated on an archipelago within a non-safe sea region.

Only the central island housed the actual military factory.

As for the other islands, they were all equipped with military forces.

This was even more exaggerated than before at Sea Ore Island.

Even Lu Kun was unaware of where these military forces originated. He had previously investigated the Vice President’s faction’s records and procedures related to the factory, but crucial leads always got cut off, leaving him unable to pursue further investigations.

The Vice President’s faction seemingly had highly skilled accountants and professional managers who could flawlessly sever all unclean ties, leaving only deceptive reports to mislead.

Just like now.

Under normal circumstances, a legal commercial island, as long as it is located in an important island within a non-safe region,

can apply to the Duorong Federation for stationed military forces.

Yet Lu Kun, after extensive investigation, found no evidence of the Vice President’s faction applying to the Duorong Federation for military stationing.

Even Captain Kong Huaao confirmed that no such application had been received.

This was peculiar...

Fang Yu ordered the sea vessel to stop in its tracks, not proceeding further, while he discreetly surveyed the surrounding islands, noticing heavy artillery and numerous camouflaged military personnel lurking among the islands.

Despite no official request for military presence, signs of such stationing at this military factory were evident.

At this moment, who exactly were the stationed troops around the islands, and where did the artillerymen operating the heavy guns come from?

Fang Yu felt his heart sink.

Naval warlords? Or perhaps... mercenaries?...

At this moment, a small sea vessel sailed over from a nearby island, quickly aligning parallel to the Salted Fish.

A man in military uniform descended from the vessel, walked to the edge, looked across at Fang Yu, and loudly inquired, "Where is your vessel from? Ahead is a commercial confidentiality island; the captain is prohibited from approaching or landing."

"I am from the Ji Clan Trading Association, dispatched to transport goods as the captain, and here are my transport documents."

Fang Yu presented the prepared documents to the man and stood silently, waiting for his response.

The man took Fang Yu’s documents, glanced at them, and nodded slightly.

However, he did not let Fang Yu pass easily but shook his head and said, "Although you have documents, the shipment confidentiality is high, so I need to board your vessel for an inspection."

Hearing this, the crew members on the Salted Fish felt a slight tension and grew nervous.

Yet Fang Yu maintained a composed demeanor and casually opened the rail, gesturing with a "please" motion.

The man nodded, leapt across several meters, and landed onto the Salted Fish.

This person was a Transcendent...

And his energy level was not weak.

Fang Yu glanced at this person and remained relatively unfazed.

His energy level did not surpass Fang Yu’s, making it impossible to detect the vessel’s disguise, so Fang Yu remained calm.

He accompanied the man around the Salted Fish.

The cargo hold, deck, even the captain’s room, and crew quarters were inspected, and the man seemed to find nothing unusual.

However, this did not entirely erase the man’s caution.

Casually, as if by chance, he asked, "Why haven’t I seen you before? Are you new? Who recommended you?"

Fang Yu shook his head, his tone deliberately rough as he replied, "Brother, you know what this cargo is. If I weren’t in debt, I wouldn’t get involved in this."

"I’m new, referred by a friend I previously transported cargo with. He told me if you ask, just tell you Wang Chen went in, and his vessel got under surveillance, so they need new vessels."

Upon hearing Fang Yu’s words, the man was slightly startled but then nodded: "That sounds reasonable, but your ship’s guns... and this Transcendent on board, what’s their deal?"

The man grinned and pointed at the Salted Fish’s cannons and then at Luo Kuan, inquiring.

Luo Kuan had an Alchemy义眼 in one eye; it was something he couldn’t conceal and naturally caught the man’s attention.

When questioned, Fang Yu casually laughed and shook his head, saying,

"Brother, you’re questioning a novice? We’re all doing shady work; who doesn’t have some lifesaving tools at hand?"

The man chuckled, then nodded and waved his hand: "Alright, be cautious with this matter, so don’t blame the scrutiny, come on, follow me in."

"But once inside, don’t look around or wander off. Just follow the rules, remain where we designate."

"Don’t worry, I’m well aware of the rules."

Fang Yu replied with a smile.

The crew saw this and let out a slight sigh of relief.

Looks like the first hurdle was over?

...

The small sea vessel sailed ahead, leading the way for the Salted Fish.

The crew on the Salted Fish breathed a sigh of relief, but Fang Yu did not immediately let his guard down, as his hand discreetly held a scroll just acquired from a black market cargo ship.

His mind remained slightly tense, quietly communicating with the Salted Fish’s Thick Armor Breath Enchantment Ability, ready to activate the shield ability at any moment.

On the surface, everything seemed friendly, but in reality, there could be underlying treachery, ready to attack upon entry.

As the Salted Fish entered the archipelago, surrounded by military-patrolled islands, if an outbreak occurred, they would be besieged with no time to react, possibly getting obliterated instantly.

It’s always wise to be cautious...

...

Fang Yu was relieved to find...

The other side truly didn’t suspect the Salted Fish much. The man allowed the Salted Fish to dock at an open pier, with only an empty space ahead and mountains surrounding, far from any sight of the military factory.

Presumably, the factory was hidden within the valley shielded by the mountains, out of sight for the arriving cargo vessels.

Cargo ships that came here were directly transported by the factory’s vehicles to the dock for loading.

The man glanced at Fang Yu and casually instructed, "The fleet departs tomorrow; tonight, you’ll stay here, moving the cargo in the morning, then leave the island."

"Come, disembark, and I’ll arrange your lodging." The man casually said, looking at Fang Yu.

"No need, we’ll sleep on the vessel for the night; special lodging isn’t necessary."

Fang Yu responded in a low voice, secretly cursing.

Even at this point, still probing? How cautious could they be?

A captain doing shady work would never choose to sleep in accommodations provided by cargo owners.

Outside the safe sea region, nowhere is safer than one’s own vessel.

This is common sense for all captains operating in shady dealings.

If Fang Yu had agreed, the next moment he’d likely face not lodging, but...

Artillery fire!