章 18: Chapter 18, It's a Pity to Burn into Ashes the Monster
The Governor's assertiveness had rendered Hodgson silent.
He knew that silence at this time was quite disrespectful, but he indeed felt very embarrassed.
What could he report to the Governor?
But he knew he couldn't keep silent forever.
"I will try my best to find out who did this..."
"No," Gu Hang interrupted him, "If you simply bring out a group of mercenaries or some looter to take the blame, then there's no need. What I want is simple: the eight-day deadline was set, and by tomorrow, I want to see everything I was promised, not a thing less. Otherwise, have Revival City send a new batch right now—it's still possible to make it on time; or I could go get it myself."
Hodgson felt his throat was very dry.
Asking Revival City for a new batch of supplies was nonsensical. One hundred tons of grain and ten thousand pieces of textiles couldn't just be conjured up. Even in Revival City, not everyone could have their fill.
The core of the Governor's speech lay in the latter part: he could go and get it himself.
Where would he go to get it?
It seemed to depend on his response.
If he could provide a satisfactory answer, perhaps the Governor could go after the thieves, and he would only need to provide a name.
If he couldn't provide an answer, then the Governor would likely come to Revival City to retrieve it.
Wherever he went to fetch it, the process would probably not be gentle.
So who would have to endure this harshness?
By this point, Hodgson knew he had no other choice.
He gave Gu Hang a name, then added, "Give me two or three more hours, and I will send you the exact address as well, Governor."
"Fine, I'll give you one final three hours."
After the communication had been cut off, Hodgson pressed another button, summoning an attendant. He wanted to say something but, before he could speak, an unbearable itching sensation caused him to cough loudly.
The cough was fierce and intense.
On the other end, the attendant's voice was also filled with panic: "Councilman? Councilman? What's happened to you?"
Hodgson couldn't speak.
"I'm on my way! Hold on!"
A few minutes later, two people burst into Hodgson's office.
One was the attendant, and the other, brought by the attendant, was Lambert Hodgson, Hodgson's grandson.
By that time, Hodgson had stopped coughing; he was slumped in his chair, gasping for breath.
Seeing that his grandfather was not in serious trouble, Lambert finally relaxed a bit.
"You..."
"Don't talk about that now." Hodgson raised his hand to stop his grandson's questions, "Go immediately to the Wohan Company, and make sure to find out where those mercenaries they hired took the goods intended for the Governor."
Lambert was stunned. "Did he really make a move?"
"Yes."
"But..."
"No more 'buts,' we only have three hours."
"Has the Governor lost his temper?" Lambert guessed.
"Yes." Hodgson sighed, "Our Governor is much more decisive and ruthless than I imagined..."
...
Gu Hang did not consider himself to be ruthless.
He just knew, and insisted on one approach: He could not afford to engage in squabbles or resort to political tactics with these people.
It wasn't about whether he could outsmart them with schemes and deceptions; the main issue was, even if he could, what would that accomplish? It would be inefficient and time-consuming, and Gu Hang did not have that time to spare.
He preferred a straightforward, decisive approach.
He called his men, took the radio, and with a hundred men, leaving another hundred behind, they set off.
Gu Hang planned to catch up with the team led by Yan Fangxu, which had set out earlier, to see if they could find any leads at the scene of the incident and attempt to track the enemy. If there were gains, all the better; if not, he would wait and see what news Hodgson would bring him in three hours.
The worst-case scenario was simply that he would have to take more than two hundred men to Revival City to demand the supplies he needed.
His own men were definitely not enough; when the time came, he might even need to ask Colonel Yelisia for some modest help.
He believed Yelisia wouldn't refuse, by then she should be able to achieve quite a bit of merit.
Gu Hang hoped that scenario would not happen, but if it came to that, it would be unavoidable. And he would definitely take the most thunderous, resolute measures.
How could a swordsman not command a deterrent presence?
If anyone thought the Governor's deterrence was insufficient, he did not mind setting an example through concrete actions.
Let's see if Revival City would be willing to be that example.
Two hours later, Gu Hang and his troops arrived at the site of the incident and met up with Yan Fangxu.
The Navy Captain had made some discoveries here.
"We've found some clues. The raiders tried to cover their tracks when they left, but their methods were rather amateurish. I've dispatched a squad to follow them and we should be able to obtain further information soon," Yan Fangxu reported.
After hearing Yan Fangxu's report, Gu Hang nodded, "Finally some good news, then let's wait. Let's see whether Revival City's response will be quicker, or if your squad finds those raiders first."
"Revival City?" Yan Fangxu sounded puzzled, "I thought we were talking about raiders. Are you suspecting people from the so-called Alliance in Revival City?"
"Is that hard to guess?"
"Er..." Yan Fangxu scratched his head, "Yes, it's quite easy to guess."
Even though I didn't guess it, I won't admit it.
Gu Hang looked at Yan Fangxu with a bit of helplessness.
Good at warfare, but so obtuse with things like this.
Gu Hang said no more. His gaze swept around the vicinity; the traces of the raid weren't that obvious.
There had been almost no fighting, no deaths, hence no bodies, and not even much blood; all the transport vehicles had been taken, and almost nothing was left behind at the site.
From this perspective, being able to track the raiders hours after the crime, especially since they attempted counter-surveillance, indicated Yan Fangxu was not incompetent.
Thinking this, Gu Hang felt somewhat satisfied.
It was fine as long as their military skills were solid; he didn't expect them to be all-rounders.
What followed was a period of patient waiting.
News from both sides arrived almost simultaneously shortly after.
The elite marines dispatched had returned a telegraph; they had found traces to continue the pursuit, deducing several possible escape routes and destinations for the raiders.
On the other side, the Chairman of the Revival City Council had contacted Gu Hang through telegraph, providing three specific locations and ranking them according to the likelihood of accuracy.
Both sets of intelligence, examined against each other, shared some overlap.
Finally, Gu Hang roughly identified the target: Mantan River Valley Manor.
It was a private domain belonging to an Alliance Councilman named Wohan. Mantan River Valley Manor was his property, the foundation of his wealth, and one of the few pieces of quality land around Revival City suitable for agriculture.
After Wohan made his basic wealth accumulation, he didn't just produce grain, he also engaged in the grain trade and made quite a profit, which led him to become an Alliance Councilman.
Now, Wohan's main business was in the grain trade, with Mantan River Valley Manor's grain production being only a small fraction for him, but he still valued it highly, treating it as a holiday spot, his stronghold.
"It sounds like a beautiful place, a shame to reduce it to ashes."
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