After the food disappeared from the base, an immediate report was made to superiors, and the guard who had been asleep was apprehended. He was deeply asleep and took a considerable amount of time to wake up.
"You were supposed to guard the warehouse, how could you fall asleep? The food was stolen, see how you'll explain this to the boss!" everyone said to the sleeping guard.
"I was really tired. I had been guarding the warehouse for three consecutive days without closing my eyes. I never expected that after just a short nap, the warehouse would be robbed!" the guard said, feeling wronged and helpless.
"Alright, alright. The base has been short-handed lately. If it was stolen, it was stolen. The main thing is to find out who did it. Let's go check the surveillance footage!" the supervisor said helplessly.
The supervisor also tallied the missing grain from the warehouse. Only a few hundred catties were missing, so the amount of stolen food wasn't particularly large, and the loss wasn't significant. However, this matter needed to be handled seriously. If it was someone from within the base who stole the food, they would have to be killed as a warning once found!
Following this, the group quickly headed to the surveillance room to retrieve and review the warehouse footage. The cameras were infrared, capable of filming even in darkness. On the monitor, they discovered the perpetrators. There were only two of them, each carrying four hundred catties of flour.
Seeing the footage on the screen, the supervisor couldn't help but rub his eyes and murmur, "Such strong physical fitness, they must be evolved or gifted individuals. But I've never seen them before. Could they be outsiders?"
"It's definitely not just this one surveillance camera that captured the thieves' tracks. There must be other cameras that successfully recorded them. Let's continue to retrieve the footage and, at the same time, alert everyone to be vigilant. This could very well be an enemy infiltration!" someone nearby suggested.
The supervisor nodded quickly, instructing people to retrieve more footage while simultaneously reminding those below to remain vigilant.
Finally, the supervisor spotted a surveillance camera by a streetlight that captured a clear image. Two people were seen carrying the grain and fleeing rapidly. The camera had managed to capture this scene, and the faces of both individuals were within the frame.
"Huh? Aren't these Shen Feng and Yue Hengyi? Why are they appearing in our base? And why haven't they contacted us?" The supervisor was stunned when he saw their true identities. He had never expected the thieves in the warehouse to be Shen Feng and Yue Hengyi. After all, both of them were gifted individuals, yet they had resorted to theft.
"Aren't these the people the higher-ups specifically ordered us to find? We've already dispatched more than half our personnel to search around the island for them. Haven't they found these two yet?" someone asked with confusion.
The supervisor frowned and thought for a moment. "Take a hundred men, and we'll immediately search along the coastline. These two are the ones the higher-ups said we absolutely must find. Once found, we'll receive a generous reward. Also, quickly notify the superiors about this matter; there can be no delay!"
After clarifying the identities of the thieves, everyone at the base became busy. Finding Shen Feng and Yue Hengyi was now the most important task, and other matters could be set aside for the moment.
It was then that the supervisor realized Shen Feng and Yue Hengyi had left from the mountaintop. Despite the numerous searchlights and watchtowers on the peak, choosing this route was a clever move of "hiding in plain sight." If they had gone from the foot of the mountain, the dense forest would have been riddled with surveillance, making it easier to track their direction. It was evident that Shen Feng and Yue Hengyi's chosen route had been carefully considered.
Shen Feng and Yue Hengyi had slept for two hours when they were suddenly awakened by distant commotion. Yue Hengyi looked out of the ship's cabin and immediately panicked. He rushed back inside and shouted, "Brother Feng, something's wrong! There's a group of people by the sea with flashlights, searching everywhere for us. They're probably here for revenge."
Shen Feng scratched his head helplessly and said, "Is this too unlucky? It's just a few hundred catties of grain, is it necessary to chase us so urgently? It looks like we have to set sail early again!"
Although Shen Feng wasn't worried about his combat ability, believing he could handle any number of pursuers, he had just stolen eight hundred catties of grain. If a fight broke out, he would be in the wrong. Therefore, Shen Feng could only reluctantly choose to leave.
Yue Hengyi lowered the sail, secured it, and then raised the anchor. Shen Feng took the helm, using his abilities to sail towards the north.
"Shen Feng, don't run! We are from the Qing Hong Gang, and our leader said he must keep you here!" The supervisor, seeing Shen Feng about to leave without a word, quickly shouted to stop him, urgently revealing his affiliation.
Hearing this, Yue Hengyi couldn't help but look at Shen Feng and ask, "Do you know anyone from the Qing Hong Gang?"
"No, I don't. I've never heard of any Qing Hong Gang in Yuzhou, nor do I know their leader. Let's go quickly, lest we get into a dispute!" Shen Feng said blankly. He had never heard of the Qing Hong Gang. If it were the Qing Gang, he would know, but they had ceased to exist a hundred years ago, and he certainly wouldn't know them.
Thus, the two continued to head north, leaving over a hundred people shouting on the shore.
The supervisor could only watch as the people his leader wanted to find sailed away, no matter how much he shouted, they had no intention of returning.
"Damn it! I already announced our identity, why are they still running? Didn't the leader say he had a good relationship with Shen Feng?" the supervisor muttered to himself on the shore. He realized that the credit he was about to receive had just flown away!
The warehouse supervisor thought for a moment, then led his men back. As he returned, he said, "Notify everyone on the island to return to the base. Say that Shen Feng and Yue Hengyi have left and there's no need to search for them. Sigh, notify Luzon Island and tell them to be careful not to let the credit slip away!"
In the middle of the night, Wang Ao Ye in Meizhou was suddenly awakened by an urgent knocking at his door. He couldn't help but ask, "Who is it? Disturbing me at this hour?"
Yi Xing Zhong's voice came from outside the door: "Big Brother, there's news from the Philippines. They say Shen Feng was seen heading towards Luzon Island. The people at the Coconut Tree Base couldn't stop them, and it's heard that Shen Feng and Yue Hengyi stole several hundred catties of our grain."
Wang Ao Ye got up displeased, pushed away Gu Xu's hand, and comforted her, "You rest first, I'll go handle something."
Gu Xu said softly, "Then go quickly, the matters outside are important."
Wang Ao Ye put on his clothes and went out, saying to Yi Xing Zhong outside the door, "Can you stop disturbing me with every trivial matter? It's just a few hundred catties of grain, if it's gone, it's gone, why bother?"
Yi Xing Zhong said in a low voice, "But our people have inquired, and they found that most bases in Southeast Asia are offering a bounty for Shen Feng's head, with a price of two ability-enhancing potions. Shen Feng and Yue Hengyi have been deliberately hiding their tracks recently, possibly out of fear of their location being exposed!"
Upon hearing this, Wang Ao Ye was immediately confused and asked, "Who dares to put a bounty on Shen Feng's head? Are they bored to death? Shen Feng and Yue Hengyi are together, one is fifth-tier and the other is sixth-tier. Aren't they worried that they won't be able to kill them and will ultimately face retaliation?"
Wang Ao Ye truly didn't understand now. Shen Feng and Yue Hengyi were merely trying to return to China, yet they were being hunted. This was truly perplexing.
Yi Xing Zhong pointed towards the office and said, "Shall we talk in the office?"
Wang Ao Ye sat down in the office. Yi Xing Zhong quickly said, "I haven't been able to find out who issued the bounty order, but any force that dares to directly put a bounty on Shen Feng and Yue Hengyi must be significant. I suspect it's from Yanjing!"
"From Yanjing? Yanjing again! We couldn't contact Qin Ke Wei before, and now what is Yanjing up to?" Wang Ao Ye frowned in confusion.
Yi Xing Zhong then brewed a cup of tea for Wang Ao Ye and one for himself, and then shared the news he had recently received. He said quickly, "I heard that the headquarters in Yanjing has established a new organization of gifted individuals, but we have no idea what members it has. We also don't know what they are doing. Could this matter be related to these people?"
"What is headquarters thinking? Don't they already have two organizations of gifted individuals? Reorganizing at this time, do they have that many gifted individuals?" Wang Ao Ye was very confused.
Yi Xing Zhong analyzed, "Boss, in winter, over forty gifted individuals went to sea, but only four returned! The Chosen Bureau was directly dissolved, Gong Changfa is still under confinement, and the Bureau of Ability Administration is almost crippled. Important personnel are still in Siberia resolving pipeline issues. At this time, Yanjing headquarters lacks gifted individuals to maintain order, so forming a new organization is understandable. They can't possibly recall the people from the Bureau of Ability Administration, can they?"
"The situation in the country is becoming increasingly complex. It seems we need to speed up the development of our strength in Southeast Asia. Let the people in the country fight amongst themselves. Also, have the people at the Luzon Island base try to find Shen Feng. If they can't find him, that's fine. If Shen Feng is lucky, he might return in a month!" Wang Ao Ye shook his head, feeling that the current situation was becoming more and more bizarre, seemingly beyond his prediction. Fortunately, most of his forces were in Southeast Asia.
Wang Ao Ye himself had wanted to make a name for himself in China, just like Shen Feng. However, he no longer had the same opportunities as Shen Feng. Shen Feng had occupied Yuzhou by chance, at a time when Yanjing was under threat, so headquarters chose to compromise and exchange for Shen Feng's help. But after the battle in Yanjing ended and troops from various regions could return, trying to snatch territory from headquarters would have been foolish.
After much thought, Wang Ao Ye chose to develop his power in Southeast Asia. By establishing bases in Southeast Asia, he could obtain superior conditions for grain production, and combined with the domestic smuggling network, he engaged in a highly profitable business, and without paying taxes. Although Wang Ao Ye's overt influence couldn't compare to the large and prosperous Yuzhou of Shen Feng, he had accumulated considerable wealth and resources in secret.
On the sea, Shen Feng was unaware that he had just missed his friend's subordinates. Guilt-ridden from his theft, he dared not show his face and fled to the sea. Shen Feng finally felt relieved, realizing he wouldn't have to confront them directly.
Spring had arrived, and the Pacific high pressure was gradually forming, bringing the southwest monsoon. Shen Feng no longer needed to use his abilities to propel the ship. As the sun appeared on the eastern horizon, Shen Feng handed the helm to Yue Hengyi and went into the cabin to rest.
Yue Hengyi was originally from the north, and his city was an inland city. Furthermore, the north was scarce in water resources, so he had basically no experience with boats. However, over the past few months, Yue Hengyi had learned to sail. Forced by circumstances and the desire to return home, he had to learn.
"I wonder if we'll be assassinated on the way ahead. It seems the closer we get to China, the more we need to be careful. Perhaps our enemies are from within China," Yue Hengyi said to Shen Feng in the cabin.
Shen Feng yawned as he lay on the bed, saying, "I have even fewer enemies in China. You're overthinking it. I think it must be some people in Southeast Asia who don't know their limits and want to kill me to obtain my abilities. Didn't we encounter a group of frogs in a well in Australia?"
"Then why would others offer two ability-enhancing potions as a reward? Isn't that a loss?" Yue Hengyi continued to ask.
Shen Feng pointed to a small box on the ship and said, "Don't even mention it. I have seven ability-enhancing potions with me. If they kill me, all these things will belong to those people. Who wouldn't be tempted by so many potions?"
Yue Hengyi thought about it and agreed. Shen Feng carried seven ability-enhancing potions, and he himself had two. Moreover, there was a large piece of meteorite on the ship. Who wouldn't want such good things?
"If I find out who is offering a bounty on us, I'll be the first to eliminate them. Do they really think we're easy to bully?" Yue Hengyi couldn't help but grumble.