Chapter 164 - 116: Bad News, Chief

Chapter 164: Chapter 116: Bad News, Chief

A cacophony of shoving, shouting, and cries of alarm erupted.

An old Shopkeeper was pushed to the ground, and someone’s skullcap was sent flying. The scene was pure chaos.

Not far away was a young man in a flat cap with a camera hanging from his chest.

He rapidly pressed the shutter, faithfully documenting the scene.

Scarcely a quarter-hour after the crowd had been dispersed,

the expensive, brass-cased telephone in the commissioner’s office began to shriek, "DING-A-LING-A-LING!"

Bai Lang stared at the phone and took a deep breath.

He straightened his slightly crooked collar before stepping forward to pick up the receiver.

Bai Lang clearly knew who would be on the other end of the line.

Sure enough, the moment the call connected, he heard Bai Si’s voice.

The voice from the earpiece was steady, betraying no emotion.

And yet, it was this very voice that made the hairs on the back of Bai Lang’s neck stand on end:

"Bai Lang, you truly are a fool.

A single Snake Demon has you running in circles, bringing utter disgrace to the Bai Family.

Sending you to Yin Mountain was clearly a miscalculation on my part."

A fine sheen of cold sweat instantly broke out on Bai Lang’s forehead.

Having followed the Commander for many years, Bai Lang knew all too well the terrible, thunderous rage that lay hidden beneath that calm tone.

Bai Lang subconsciously straightened his back as if the Commander were standing right in front of him.

"I... I have been incompetent! My handling of the matter was inadequate. Please punish me, Commander!"

Bai Lang’s voice was hoarse.

"I will rectify this at once! I will salvage the situation!"

"Rectify this?"

The voice on the other end of the line seemed to carry a faint hint of mockery.

"And how do you propose to do that?

For five days, you haven’t even caught a glimpse of that beast. It’s played you for a fool, like a three-year-old child.

Now the merchants are raising hell in the Provincial City, and the Commerce Association has already submitted a formal complaint.

Several of their most influential presidents are here ’having tea’ with me right now.

So you tell me, how exactly do you plan to salvage this situation?"

Bai Lang’s Adam’s apple bobbed. He spoke with urgency:

"Commander, the Snake Demon is cunning, but I’ve already devised a plan.

I’ll hunt it day and night. Three days!

Within three days, I swear I will have it skinned and flayed, and its head hung at the docks!

As for the protesting merchants, I’ve already intimidated and dispersed the ones here in Yin Mountain.

As for the ones in the Provincial City, if you give the order, Commander, I can dispatch the Wolf Camp..."

"Enough!"

The voice on the other end of the line turned cold, cutting off his foolish proposal.

"You are a fool, an absolute, incorrigible fool!

Without these merchants moving goods and circulating silver coins, what use is a dead city to me?

Without the Li Jin taxes they pay, the food, supplies, and munitions for my tens of thousands of troops...

...do you expect them to just fall from the sky?!"

"I was foolish! I was wrong!" Bai Lang stammered, cold sweat pouring down his face as he repeatedly admitted his fault.

The other end of the line fell silent for a moment.

The suffocating pressure didn’t lessen one bit, even through the receiver.

After a long pause, Commander Bai’s voice was heard again.

It had returned to that flat, steady tone, which was all the more terrifying:

"I am giving you three final days.

After three days, if you cannot bring me the head of the Snake Demon, then bring me your own."

"Yes, sir! I obey! I will not fail you!"

Bai Lang agreed at once, not daring to show the slightest hesitation.

Just when he thought the tirade was over, Commander Bai suddenly changed the subject, asking in a seemingly casual tone:

"Has there been any unusual activity from the Lu Family recently?"

Bai Lang froze. Though he didn’t understand why the Commander was suddenly asking about this, he replied at once:

"To answer the Commander, everything is as usual with the Lu Family.

We have men watching them day and night, both inside and out. There has been no unusual activity.

Lu Huaiqian has been reclusive, and Lu Jing’an rarely leaves home, aside from occasionally Practicing Boxing in his own courtyard."

Bai Lang paused, a thought suddenly striking him.

"Are you suggesting, Commander... that the Lu Family is involved in this?"

Commander Bai’s voice drifted from the other end of the line, laced with cold calculation:

"The Snake Demon causes trouble, trade routes are cut.

Whoever can put a stop to this the quickest will regain the merchants’ support and control of the waterways.

Across all of Yin Mountain, and even the three surrounding counties, who stands to gain the most?

Naturally, it’s the Lu Family, who just lost the commissioner’s seat.

Besides, the way this Snake Demon has been behaving is drastically different from before.

If there really is someone pulling the strings, it has to be the Lu Family."

Hearing this, Bai Lang felt a sense of sudden clarity, as if the fog had lifted.

But on second thought, it seemed a bit of a stretch:

"Your insight is profound, Commander.

However... from what I’ve gathered, when the Snake Demon first appeared...

...it didn’t attack any merchant ships. It seemed to be just passing through.

The Lu Family was already under my strict surveillance at that time.

Furthermore, in the past few days, while the Snake Demon has been on its rampage...

...my men have been watching the Lu Family around the clock.

Not a single key member of the Lu Family has been anywhere near the banks of the Canglan River.

Even if the Lu Family did have some way of controlling demonic creatures...

...I doubt they could do so from such a great distance."

Commander Bai was noncommittal, stating flatly:

"Keep a close watch on the Lu Family. Any sign of trouble...

...even if they just buy an extra pound of meat, I want it reported.

If you find conclusive evidence linking the Lu Family to that creature, you have my authorization to act first and report after."

"Rest assured, Commander! If the Lu Family makes a move, it won’t escape my sight! I will see to it that their entire family is exterminated to prevent any future trouble!" A vicious gleam flashed in Bai Lang’s eyes as he gave his guarantee.

The call ended.

Commander Bai looked out the window, muttering to himself.

"I didn’t expect the Lu Family to have such self-control."

"To get rid of them like this... it really would be a bit of a waste."

After muttering those two lines, Commander Bai’s thoughts returned to the Snake Demon.

’This sudden change in the Snake Demon’s behavior... something’s not right,’ he thought.

’But I have no proof.’

’And without proof, I can’t move against the Lu Family directly.’

’It would be unjustifiable on moral grounds.’

’Of course, I myself don’t care about morality.’

’But too many people in this world do.’