Martial Dao: Peace by Force

Chapter 215: Chapter 159: Two in One

Something seemed to occur to him. He looked away and turned to follow.

But after a few steps, he stopped again.

”You guys go on ahead.”

Sun Beixi looked back at him, his gaze questioning.

”I’m going back for a bit.”

Before they could react, Wan Ze’s figure had already vanished into the darkness.

Sun Beixi opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but swallowed the words back down.

Clutching the pickaxe, he stood rooted to the spot, staring into the pitch-black woods. A sudden chill ran down his spine.

”What in the hell!”

...

...

「Overseas, on a secluded island.」

While the Holy City was submerged in the deepest darkness of early morning, the sun here was slowly sinking into the sea.

The afterglow burned the entire sky orange-red. The edges of the clouds were rimmed with gold, like a sea of flowing, shattered gold, shimmering and stretching to the horizon.

In the distance, waves rolled in, one after another, crashing against the reefs on the shore. They exploded into white foam before receding.

A few white yachts were moored in the harbor, bobbing gently with the waves.

Palm trees along the shore rustled in the evening breeze.

The street in the small town closest to the sea was home to the most famous bar here. It only got truly wild at night, so right now, it wasn’t very crowded.

Inside the main hall, the lights were dim.

Behind the bar, the bartender polished a glass, occasionally glancing across the room.

The door to the innermost private room was closed.

Inside, the lighting was a little brighter than outside.

A man sat on the sofa. Opposite him stood several bodyguard types, all stone-faced with wary eyes.

Crouching beside them were a few girls in black stockings and bunny ears, their faces heavily made up.

The man on the left was leaning back on the sofa, a cigar between his fingers, puffing out clouds of smoke. He was in his early forties, with a shaved head. A scar ran diagonally across his left face, from the end of his eyebrow to his jawline, appearing and disappearing in the smoke. A venomous snake, its tongue flicking out, was tattooed on his arm, its body coiled around the word ”Revenge” in stylized lettering.

His name was Marcus, and he was one of the regional leaders for the Dark Hand Organization.

As a man entered through the doorway, Marcus waved his hand, and everyone—including the cute girls—obediently exited the room.

”Hey, Victor. This isn’t a great time,” Marcus said with a smile.

Victor looked to be in his early thirties. He had a neatly trimmed beard and wore a crisp, dark blue suit with a meticulously knotted tie.

He was the intelligence chief under Marcus.

He didn’t show much amusement at his boss’s teasing. Instead, he took a file from his briefcase and handed it over. ”You need to see this first.”

”The damn council extorted a lot of money from us this month... Those goddamn brutes!” Marcus only glanced at it before viciously exhaling a puff of smoke. He then shrugged and looked sideways at him. ”But I care more about the situation in the East Sea Federation. Did you see the message from Kate?”

Victor nodded. ”I saw it.”

”Someone else has their eyes on that thing?” Marcus raised an eyebrow. ”Who do you think it is? One of our rivals? Or... some other organization from that ancient country?”

Victor shook his head. ”I’ve already had people look into it. Based on the clues Kate provided, we did find something.”

Marcus waited for him to continue.

But Victor paused.

Marcus frowned. ”And? Hey, dammit, you’re not expecting me to guess, are you? Bastard!”

Victor looked up, as if choosing his words carefully. ”The results of the investigation... are very strange.”

”What do you mean? Fuck, can you just spit it out?” Marcus said, annoyed.

Victor had no choice but to take a deep breath and say, ”This group... they’re mysterious. There are very few clues about them. I sent three of my most experienced veterans to investigate—”

He paused again.

Marcus sat up straight, as if he’d made a connection. ”And?”

”And then... they were silenced,” Victor looked at him, enunciating each word.

Marcus froze.

The cigar paused between his fingers for a second, and then he shot to his feet.

”Who? Dammit! Who’s so arrogant? Who dares to oppose us?”

Victor didn’t answer right away.

He looked down, staring at the file on the table as if organizing his thoughts.

After a long moment, he looked up, his expression complex.

”I can’t quite describe the feeling. It might be best... if you reported this to the Lord Holy Envoy?”

Marcus stared at him for a few seconds, then slowly sat back down on the sofa. ”Even you aren’t sure?”

Victor nodded. ”This group... is mysterious. I’ve been in this business for so many years, and I’ve never seen an opponent like this. They’re like ghosts. You can’t find anything when you get close, but just when you think you’re safe, they suddenly appear and deliver a fatal blow... This time, I have a bad feeling.”

Marcus was silent for a long time.

Then he stood up, walked to a corner of the private room, and took a secure communicator from his pocket.

It rang three times before someone picked up.

”Lord Holy Envoy.” Marcus’s tone became reverent.

A low, age-unidentifiable voice came from the other end. ”Speak.”

Marcus briefly explained the situation, placing special emphasis on Victor’s concerns.

The other end went silent.

Five seconds.

Ten seconds.

The palm of the hand Marcus was holding the communicator with began to sweat.

Then the person on the other end spoke, their voice suddenly turning sharp. ”Dammit, get them back! Now! Immediately! You bastard, why didn’t you say so sooner!”

Marcus was stunned. ”Lord Holy Envoy?”

”I said get them back!” The voice on the other end was practically roaring. ”Cut off all contact! Erase all traces! Now!!!”

Marcus opened his mouth, wanting to ask why, but the other person didn’t give him a chance.

”Those are a terrifying bunch of people!” The voice on the other end held a trace of... panic?

Marcus had never heard the Holy Envoy speak in such a tone. Before he could speak, the Holy Envoy yelled, ”A bunch of devils! You’ve provoked them! Do you understand!”

The line went dead.

Marcus stood motionless in the corner, clutching the communicator.

Victor watched him, his expression gradually changing.

”Marcus?”

Marcus slowly turned to face him.

The look in his eyes sent a chill down Victor’s spine.

Marcus’s voice was hoarse. ”Listen, it seems we’ve... stirred up some big trouble.”

Victor stood up. ”What trouble? What did the Holy Envoy say?”

Marcus didn’t answer, looking down to dial a number.

It was Kate’s number.

RING...

RING...

RING...

No answer.

Marcus hung up and redialed.

Still no answer.

A third time.

Still no answer.

The private room was terrifyingly quiet.

The sound of the waves outside was distant but clear, yet also somewhat chaotic.

Marcus and Victor looked at each other.

They said nothing, but they both saw the same thought in the other’s eyes.

’Kate... is probably already dead.’

Marcus’s hand was trembling slightly.

He took a deep breath and dialed the Holy Envoy’s communicator again.

This time, the call was answered quickly.

”Speak.”

”Lord Holy Envoy, about Kate...” Marcus’s voice was a little rough. ”We can’t reach her.”

The other end went silent.

Fifteen seconds.

Every second felt like a century.

The next moment, the voice erupted in fury. ”Dammit! Immediately sever all contact with Kate. Erase all traces of her in the organization. Pull back everyone involved in this matter, have them disperse and go into hiding. If anyone asks, you know nothing.”

”Lord Holy Envoy...”

”Just do it, you bastard! No more nonsense! You have no idea who these people are. They’re trouble! You understand, trouble?!”

The line went dead.

Marcus stood there, clutching the communicator, motionless.

Victor walked over and lowered his voice. ”What do we do now?”

Marcus didn’t answer.

Outside the window, the setting sun had mostly disappeared, leaving only a streak of dark red on the horizon. The sea had turned from shattered gold to a dark blue, its waves churning as if something was rising from the depths.

”Let’s go.” He took a deep breath and suddenly spoke.

Victor was taken aback. ”What?”

”We leave now.” Marcus was already heading for the door. ”Get out of here! We’ll split up. Don’t let anyone see us together.”

He pulled the door open, paused for a moment, and glanced back at Victor.

In that gaze was something Victor had never seen before.

It was like some kind of premonition.

Victor followed him out of the private room, through the corridor, and pushed open the bar’s main door.

The street outside was quiet.

The shadows of palm trees swayed under the streetlights, and the sound of waves could be heard in the distance.

Marcus stood in the doorway, looking around.

On the street were just a few strolling tourists, a couple holding hands, and an old man walking his dog.

Everything seemed normal.

But Marcus couldn’t shake the feeling that something was watching them from the shadows.

He quickened his pace and disappeared into the night.

Victor stood in place, watching his retreating back, and suddenly shivered.

He glanced back at the now-closed bar door, then at the quiet street around him.

Then he turned and walked quickly in the opposite direction.

The thought of a terrifying, hidden presence was what truly unsettled them. They didn’t know what had happened to Kate, but one thing was certain: they no longer had the guts to go back to the Holy City and investigate.