Chapter 148: The Enforcement Squad

"Sun Lin! You can't swallow a giant in one bite! First, get your personnel together, and then establish intelligence outposts along the border between the Haotian Empire and the Blue Moon Empire as soon as possible. Also, focus on setting up more intelligence outposts deep within the Blue Moon Empire; we must keep ourselves constantly updated on the military movements of that country!" Du Long smiled as he looked at the two men, who were still dumbfounded by the five million gold notes, and continued.

"This subordinate understands!" This time, Sun Lin's reply sounded significantly more confident. With such a massive financial backing, coupled with three gold mines constantly producing gold, he could seemingly foresee a bright future for Fengli County!

Tremblingly putting away the five million gold notes, Uncle Fu finally began asking Du Long some detailed questions. As the actual implementers on the ground, they did not view matters as simply as Du Long did; any mission required careful and thorough consideration to be successfully completed.

The three of them continued chatting for a long time before Du Long finally dismissed his two core assistants in Fengli County. He was not in a hurry to enter the Magical Beast Forest to deal with matters there; there were still some things he needed to figure out first.

"My lord must be tired, right?! Let me massage your shoulders!" Seeing that he was finally free, Princess Huofeng eagerly offered her services.

"Young Master, please have some tea!" Xia Qinglian also obediently handed over a cup of warm tea. She had been sitting alongside Princess Huofeng the entire time, and neither of them had interfered with Du Long handling official business.

Huofeng gently kneaded Du Long's shoulders while sweetly laughing, "Hehe! Feels good, doesn't it?! Husband, when are we heading into the Magical Beast Forest?!"

Placing his teacup on the table, Du Long leisurely replied, "No rush! We were ambushed this time around—don't you want to know who was behind this mischief?"

"Could it be that my husband knows who instigated it?!" Princess Huofeng asked, her eyes wide with astonishment. "Tell me quickly! Hmph! How dare they ambush this princess? Are they trying to start a rebellion?!"

"Hehe! When we first entered the Magical Beast Forest, we also encountered an ambush. Do you think those people care whether you're a princess or not?" Du Long sneered.

"Could it be the Fan family making trouble again?" Princess Huofeng narrowed her eyes, a trace of murderous intent flashing subtly. Experiencing one ambush after another was more than ordinary people could bear, let alone an imperial princess of her noble status!

"Nonsense! In our Haotian Empire, besides them, who else would be so bold as to repeatedly assassinate the reigning princess and her husband? Furthermore, now that Grandfather has broken through to the Spirit Realm, given my status, how can we allow those surnamed Fan to carry out wanton assassinations?!" Du Long said, burning with anger.

"Detestable Fan clan!" Princess Huofeng brandished her fist fiercely as she said, "No way! I must report this incident to my father and grandfather! If we don't take action now, those Fan family members will only become more insatiably aggressive!"

"The ones who ambushed us yesterday were the Fan clan's elite Black Hawk Death Squad! They were sent by that idiot Fan Tong! Unfortunately, the Black Hawk Death Squad members will never betray the mastermind behind the scenes, which is why I didn't plan on leaving any of them alive yesterday," Du Long mused. "However, we must inform our two grandfathers about this incident! As for what they decide to do, that's no longer something we can control!"

"That's right! Even if we lack direct evidence, the fact that we were ambushed is undeniable! Since that's the case, who in the entire imperial capital would dare make a move against us? I reckon Grandfather and the others already have an idea in their minds!" Princess Huofeng said, gritting her teeth.

And so, Du Long and Princess Huofeng each wrote a letter, having Sun Lin dispatch reliable and elite subordinates to secretly deliver them to the imperial capital. As for the letter intended for the aged Emperor, it would be handed over to Elder Du along with the rest; he surely had his own ways of delivering Princess Huofeng's personal letter directly into the Emperor's hands!

Having finished all this, the three of them mounted the great lion, Little Fierce, and rode out of the county lord's manor. Leaving Fengli County behind, they galloped at lightning speed toward the Magical Beast Forest!

Such a striking and distinctive creature as the great lion naturally could not escape countless watching eyes. News of Du Long's appearance within his territory was promptly sent out, and soon, the various factions keeping an eye on Du Long all received the report.

***

Back in the courtyard of that small town, Min Guo froze on the spot upon receiving the news that Du Long had appeared in Fengli County!

Rubbing his aching temples, having stayed awake the entire night, the intense mental strain was more than even a martial cultivation expert like him could endure!

'Those three actually appeared safely in Fengli County?! If that's the case, then Second Brother is in grave danger! To be able to leave over twenty experts without a single survivor, and without even a drop of blood remaining at the scene—what kind of enemy could possibly accomplish all of this? Could it be that Du Long's brat had foreseen this and had the Du family's elder, who just broke through to the Spirit Realm, take action?!'

Min Guo pondered for a long time, ultimately arriving at this sole conclusion. If a Spirit Realm expert had not stepped in, he truly could not fathom any other possibility!

Quickly, he compiled a report and dispatched it upward to the Fan residence in the imperial capital!

At the Fan residence, Left Prime Minister Fan De stared at the two intelligence reports in his hands. One of them had been sent back by Min Guo, while the other was the result of investigations conducted by Black Hawk's operatives!

Both reports matched remarkably: the more than twenty Black Hawk Death Squad members had vanished into thin air, while Du Long and his entourage, who should have been dead, were alive and well in Fengli County!

"Black Hawk! Do you also agree with Min Guo's analysis?" Left Prime Minister Fan De asked after a long, contemplative silence.

"Reporting to my lord! This subordinate also believes that Min Xing and the others are facing grim prospects and are unlikely to survive! Otherwise, even if any of them failed their mission, they would still be required to report back to Min Guo within a stipulated timeframe. However..." Black Hawk stepped forward and respectfully replied, "All signs indicate that to render over twenty Qi Sea realm experts, plus one Qi Dan realm expert, completely incapable of resistance, nothing short of a Spirit Realm expert's intervention could possibly make it happen!"

"Black Hawk! I understand all of this, but have you noticed that the events this time feel somewhat vaguely familiar?" Fan De murmured, his expression turning solemn.

"Vaguely familiar?" After a brief moment of thought, Black Hawk widened his eyes and said, "Could my lord mean that this incident is connected to what happened inside the Magical Beast Forest over a year ago?!"

"Exactly! These two incidents share several common traits. First, both involved ambushes targeting Du Long and Princess Huofeng halfway through their journey! Second, all participants involved in the ambushes left no survivors! Third, both incidents carry an air of the uncanny!" Fan De analyzed one point after another.

"However! The final conclusion reached regarding the incident in the Magical Beast Forest back then was that they were attacked by a Spirit Realm magical beast! The skeletal remains of those hundreds of people were still left behind! As for this recent matter, we cannot even confirm whether Min Xing and the others are dead or alive; for all we know, they might all have been captured alive!" Black Hawk followed up with his analysis.

"That's right! In any case, because old man Du has broken through to the Spirit Realm, the balance of Spirit Realm power in the Haotian Empire has now been disrupted! If those three old men learn about Du Long and Princess Huofeng being ambushed this time, the consequences will be severe!" Fan De continued with a dark expression.

At this point, the study fell silent. The two men seemed deep in thought. After a moment of rumination, Fan De suddenly straightened his expression and shouted loudly, "Black Hawk!"

"This subordinate is here!" Black Hawk immediately stepped forward and bowed respectfully.

"Given the utmost gravity of this matter, make arrangements immediately! Leave not a single one of the Min brothers alive, and eradicate everyone else who knows about this ambush. Clean up every single trace without leaving a single soul behind!" Left Prime Minister Fan De ordered, his gaze shifting with a chilling, murderous intent.

"This subordinate obeys!" Black Hawk cupped his fists in acknowledgment and immediately turned and strode out!

Gazing thoughtfully at the retreating back of Black Hawk, Fan De muttered to himself, "Let us hope this matter does not disrupt the grand plan that has been running smoothly for decades."

Far away from Fan De, the previously expressionless face of Black Hawk suddenly relaxed. He could feel that his back was gradually soaked in cold sweat!

'Hmph! No matter if you sell your life for the Fan family your entire life, and regardless of whether a mission succeeds or fails—the moment you threaten the interests of the Fan clan, you will be wiped out! How ruthlessly vicious the Fan family is!'

Such a thought flashed through Black Hawk's mind. For countless years, whether in front of others or behind closed doors, he had never voiced any of his thoughts, nor allowed them to show on his face, always presenting a cold and ruthless demeanor.

In truth, deep within his heart, he held a profound terror toward the Fan family. It was just that he was always able to bury this terror deep down, never letting it show on the surface in the slightest!

Shaking his head, Black Hawk arrived at his usual office. Outside the heavy doors, four guards dressed in black immediately bowed respectfully upon seeing him, "Commander!"

The cold-faced Black Hawk nodded and stepped expressionlessly through the doors into a large hall where more than a dozen people were busy at work. Seeing him enter, they immediately stopped what they were doing, straightened up, and looked over with utmost respect.

Striding up to the master seat and taking his place, Black Hawk spoke in a chilling, resolute tone, "By order of the Patriarch! Dispatch the Black Hawk Law Enforcement Squads to eliminate all three of the Min brothers! Eradicate everyone connected to the ambush mission! Leave no one alive!"

"Understood!" Upon receiving the latest directive, the dozen or so individuals immediately sprang into action like machinery, rapidly relaying various orders outward.

At a certain large estate outside the imperial capital, several squads of black-clad law enforcement riders mounted on warhorses flashed outward, quickly disappearing down the southwestern post road.

Back in the courtyard of that small town, Min Guo was anxiously waiting for a reply from Fan Tong. Without receiving further instructions, he could not leave the town since his mission had yet to be officially concluded.

Perhaps due to waiting for too long, he had felt a sense of stifling anxiety and heart palpitations since early morning. To this, he could only comfort himself by assuming it was simply the result of two consecutive sleepless nights and mental exhaustion.

Unfortunately, the moment he saw the Black Hawk Law Enforcement Squad appear before him, he was instantly struck dumb with shock!

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