Too many female prisoners, a special forces soldier transmigrates and marries wildly.

The atmosphere in the state capital remained tense for the next two days.

Feng Zhen's massive search did not stop, and he arrested many suspicious people, but the real Di Rong "Shadow Hawk" and the clues to the stolen goods seemed to have vanished without a trace.

Inside the courtyard house, the injured brothers' conditions gradually stabilized under medication and meticulous care. Liu Sandao, with his arm in a sling, led the remaining brothers to clear the burned-down warehouse and begin reconstruction. Business at the docks was somewhat affected, but it didn't stop; under Liu Neng's management, it basically kept running.

On the surface, everything is recovering.

But Lin Feng knew that beneath the calm surface, a far more terrifying whirlpool was brewing. Ye Qingli had been gone for two days, and there was still no news from Black Wind Valley, which intensified his unease. "Shadow Hawk," the leader of Di Rong's "Shadow Hawks," lurked nearby like a venomous snake, ready to strike at any moment. The silence of Zhou Wenyuan and the Prince of Qi was like the deathly stillness before a storm. And that shipment of goods, whose whereabouts were unknown, remained a sword of Damocles hanging over his head.

That morning, Lin Feng was checking on Sun He's crossbow team's training in the backyard when Hou Qi hurriedly walked in, his face showing a strange and hesitant expression.

"Master Lin, Liu Neng... something's not right."

"Speak." Lin Feng turned his gaze away from the crossbow target.

"These past two days, he's been going to the docks a lot more often, especially at night. Our brothers have noticed that he's been meeting with several people in private, none of whom are familiar faces who frequent the docks. One of them, one of our brothers caught a glimpse of from afar, and thought he looked a bit like... like that Di Rong man who met with Zhou An at the entrance of 'Fu Gui Gambling House' last time!" Hou Qi lowered his voice, his tone urgent.

"Are you sure?" Lin Feng's eyes suddenly sharpened.

"It was far away and nighttime, so it wasn't very clear. But the figure and the way he walked were about 70-80% similar! Moreover, after meeting that person, Liu Neng seemed a bit uneasy and wandered around the dock for a long time before going back," Hou Qi said.

Liu Neng secretly contacted a suspected Di Rong assassin? What was he planning? Was he going to defect to the Di Rong? Or was he being coerced? Or... was there something else going on?

Lin Feng's mind raced. Liu Neng was shrewd and opportunistic, adept at assessing situations. He betrayed the Canal Gang and joined the "Three Harmonies" for survival and a better future. If Di Rong's "Shadow Hawk" approached him, it wasn't impossible for Liu Neng to switch sides again under the Hawk's methods of coercion and enticement. Especially now that the "Three Harmonies" had just suffered a major blow, Feng Zhen's attitude was unclear, and the situation in the prefecture was unpredictable. It was perfectly normal for a weathervane like Liu Neng to want to secure his own future, or even betray his master again for personal gain.

"Any other abnormalities?" Lin Feng asked.

"Yes." Hou Qi nodded. "Yesterday afternoon, Qin Wuye from the Grand Canal Gang sent someone to the dock. He didn't look for us, but went straight to Liu Neng. The two talked in the dock shed for almost half an hour. Our men couldn't hear exactly what they were saying, but when Liu Neng saw the man out, he bowed very low, smiled, and even slipped him a small cloth bag, which looked like silver. After the man left, Liu Neng sat in the shed for a long time, looking very unhappy."

Qin Wu also sought out Liu Neng? Was it to win him over? Was it a warning? Or... to send some message?

It's no coincidence that Liu Neng was simultaneously in private contact with the Di Rong assassin and Qin Wu of the Canal Gang! He must be plotting something, or he might have been drawn into a conspiracy targeting the "Three Harmonies" or even Lin Feng himself!

"Keep a close eye on him," Lin Feng said in a deep voice. "Don't alert him!"

"Yes!" Hou Qi replied sternly.

"Also," Lin Feng paused, "have our informants at the Grand Canal headquarters try to find out if Qin Wu has made any unusual moves recently, especially regarding the docks, that batch of 'goods,' or... Di Rong."

"clear!"

Hou Qi left in a hurry.

Lin Feng stood rooted to the spot, his gaze icy. Beset by internal and external troubles, Liu Neng, this thorn in their side, would inevitably lead to disaster if left unremoved. But acting now lacked sufficient evidence and might alert those behind Liu Neng. He had to wait—wait for Liu Neng to slip up on his own, or… wait for a suitable opportunity to make him disappear "naturally."

in the afternoon.

Zhao Hu knocked on the door and came in, his expression somewhat grave.

"Mr. Lin, something's happened at the docks."

"What is it?"

"Our labor team and a few troublemakers left over from the old canal gang at the dock got into a fight over the order of unloading cargo, and almost came to blows. Liu Neng came to mediate, gave both sides a stern talking-to, and fined them for this month's wages. Those troublemakers were not satisfied and kept demanding to see you, saying that Liu Neng was biased towards our own people. Liu Neng couldn't control them and sent someone to ask for instructions," Zhao Hu said.

Arguing over the order of unloading? Lin Feng frowned slightly.

With Liu Neng's experience, he shouldn't have been unable to handle such a trivial matter. Why did those troublemakers left behind by the canal gang have to cause trouble now of all times, and why did they want to see him? Was it a coincidence, or... was someone instigating it?

"Let's go take a look." Lin Feng put down the list, got up and walked outside.

A large crowd had gathered in front of the dock shed.

On one side were a group of "Sanhe" laborers led by several minor leaders under Zhao Hu, and on the other side were four or five men with open chests, showing their tattoos and arrogant expressions. They were former members of the Canal Gang, and the leader, a scarred man named "Wang Laizi," used to be a henchman under Huang San and had a rather fierce reputation. Liu Neng stood in the middle, rubbing his hands, looking troubled.

Upon seeing Lin Feng approach, the crowd automatically parted.

Liu Neng hurriedly came forward, his face contorted with worry, and said, "Master Lin, you've finally arrived. Look at this mess! It was just a little argument, I've already taken care of it, fined them their wages, but Wang Laizi and the others are still not satisfied..."

"Third Master Lin!" Before Liu Neng could finish speaking, Wang Laizi, neck stiff, pointed at the "Sanhe" people opposite, "You be the judge! This batch of 'Yongfa' goods should clearly be unloaded by us first! We brothers have been working at this dock for years, we know the rules! These 'Sanhe' people have only been here for a few days! Don't they understand first come, first served? Manager Liu fined us without even asking what happened, isn't that favoritism?"

"Bullshit!" a low-ranking member of the "Sanhe" gang roared. "It's clearly written on the manifest that this batch of goods belongs to 'Furuixiang,' and we've already made our schedule! You tried to cut in line and even pushed people! Manager Liu punished you; you deserved it!"

The two sides started arguing again, spitting everywhere.

Lin Feng ignored their argument and calmly glanced at Wang Laizi and the people behind him.

These men's eyes flickered. Although they shouted fiercely, there wasn't much real anger in their eyes. Instead, it seemed like they were...acting? Moreover, their positioning subtly surrounded Liu Neng, seemingly unintentionally blocking his retreat route.

Not right.