The emperor faked his death? Never mind, I will ascend the throne directly!

In the prison.

After being tortured, Liu Xu collapsed to the ground covered in wounds.

When Zhao Yong was about to report the information he had obtained through torture to Li Chengfeng.

Liu Xu, who was lying paralyzed on the ground, sneered. His voice was weak after being tortured.

"You... think you can shake... shake the sea shark like this? You are so naive!"

After he finished speaking, he bit his tongue with his last bit of strength.

Seeing that something was wrong, Zhao Yong immediately stepped forward to stop it.

But it was still a step too late. Blood flowed from Liu Xu's mouth, staining his entire face red.

His body was still twitching in the same place, but soon there was no movement.

Zhao Yong released Liu Xu's hand, stood up, and ordered, "Go call the prison doctor!"

The prison doctor rushed over and after an examination, he shook his head helplessly and said to Zhao Yong, "Sir, this man's injuries are too severe, and he...bit his tongue to commit suicide. There's no way to save him."

Hearing this, Zhao Yong took a deep breath and tried to keep himself calm.

This big and strong man seemed a little helpless in this situation.

Zhao Yong had to find a way to explain Liu Xu's death to Li Chengfeng.

At the same time, he understood that what Liu Xu said before his death was probably more than just a threat.

Whatever deeper meaning is contained in it needs to be reported to His Majesty so that we can discuss it together.

"Clean it up." He ordered in a deep voice.

After saying that, he turned around and strode out of the prison.

……

Inside the palace, the imperial study.

Zhao Yong walked in quickly, knelt on one knee, and reported: "Your Majesty, Liu Xu... is dead."

"How did he die?" Li Chengfeng was a little surprised.

Based on his understanding of Zhao Yong, he would not be so reckless.

Zhao Yong answered truthfully: "Your Majesty, Liu Xu bit his tongue and committed suicide."

"I called the prison doctor for emergency treatment, but... he couldn't be saved."

Seeing that Li Chengfeng looked unhappy, he added, "I have inquired about the location of the Sea Shark stronghold, which is on Qionghua Island in Dongzhou."

He reported in detail the specific location of the Sea Shark Base Camp.

This is exciting news. With the sea sharks' stronghold, there is hope that we can catch them all in one fell swoop.

Before Li Chengfeng could finish his thought, Zhao Yong mentioned something Liu Xu said before he died.

"He said, 'Do you think you can shake the sea shark like this?' To me, this was a death threat."

After hearing this, Li Chengfeng suddenly had an idea and said.

"Pass the order down. You and Feng Rusi will lead the troops to Dongzhou. I suspect that Liu Xu has already passed the message."

Feng Rushi and Zhao Yong took the order and left.

……

Dongzhou.

After four days of non-stop travel day and night, Zhao Yong and Feng Rushi finally arrived at Qionghua Island before sunset on the fourth day.

The atmosphere on the island was unusually quiet, with no signs of human activity.

Zhao Yong was already very angry after running around for days.

However, when they arrived at Qionghua Island, the scene before them made him even more furious.

The rest of the island was bustling with activity, except for the pirate hideout, which was completely deserted!

The howling sea breeze makes people feel even colder.

Zhao Yong dismounted, looked around, and his face was gloomy.

Looking at the scene in front of him, he realized that the sea shark had escaped in advance.

He immediately ordered: "Search! Search the area carefully to see if there are any clues left behind!"

The imperial guards quickly dispersed and conducted a carpet search in the vicinity, looking for clues of the sea shark's escape.

After walking around the place, Feng Rushi and Zhao Yong walked to the beach and looked at the turbulent sea.

"Your Majesty's prediction is indeed correct. News among the sea sharks spreads very quickly." Feng Rusi said helplessly.

Zhao Yong scratched his head, feeling so angry that he had no place to vent.

"These pests ran away so fast that I didn't even have a chance to do anything."

After searching the place, the guards came to report that no useful clues were found.

Zhao Yong's team was left behind to continue guarding, while Feng Rushi took the remaining troops back to the palace to report.

……

Another four days of travel.

Imperial Palace, Imperial Study Room.

"The sea shark escaped?" Li Chengfeng was not too surprised when he heard Zhao Yong's report.

Since Liu Xu dared to say that, it proved that the news about the sea shark had been passed on, and he was confident that he would not be caught by Li Chengfeng.

"Yes, when I arrived, the Sea Shark Base Camp was deserted." Feng Rushi answered truthfully.

Li Chengfeng paced back and forth with a gloomy expression.

It took a lot of effort to get this thing to this point, but I didn't expect it to fail at the last moment.

A cunning rabbit has three burrows. If this fails, the sea shark will definitely be silent for a while.

When will the next clue be found?

"Summon Song Yuwei and Qin Feng into the palace." Li Chengfeng thought of something and said.

The eunuch took the order and left.

After a while, Song Yuwei and other ministers arrived at the imperial study one after another.

Li Chengfeng sat on the dragon throne, his eyes sweeping over the crowd as he spoke in a deep voice, "The sea sharks have escaped. I now need your advice on how to bring them to justice!"

Feng Rusi stepped out of the line, glanced at Qin Feng and said, "Your Majesty, I believe that General Qin Feng, as the deputy commander of the Shen Ce Camp, must have an unshirkable responsibility."

"At the same time, we must strengthen patrols and defenses in coastal areas to prevent sea sharks from causing trouble again."

Looking at Feng Rusi who was provoking Li Chengfeng, Qin Feng simply said, "Your Majesty, I second what Lord Feng said."

"In addition, I believe we should offer a reward for the capture of the sea shark and encourage the public to provide clues. This way, we will surely achieve twice the result with half the effort."

Looking at his righteous expression, Li Chengfeng was a little surprised. Could it be that Qin Feng's contact with the Sea Shark was cut off?

Qin Feng said, thinking of Zhao Yong who is still guarding Qionghua Island.

"It's a shame that Commander Zhao failed to capture the sea shark this time. So why not let Commander Zhao make up for his mistake and work with me to bring the sea shark to justice!"

After he finished speaking, no one in the hall said a word, and everyone waited for Li Chengfeng's instructions.

"General Qin, where do you think the sea shark will escape to?"

Qin Feng pondered for a moment, then clasped his fists and said, "Your Majesty, sea sharks are familiar with water and are well-versed in coastal terrain. I suspect they are most likely hiding on overseas islands."

This person is hiding well. Li Chengfeng already knows his connection with the sea shark, so he must make the best use of him.

"Approved. General Qin, I give you three months to bring Haisha to justice!"

After receiving the order, Qin Feng stood aside.

Li Chengfeng swept his gaze over the crowd again and said in a deep voice, "My dear ministers, as long as the sea sharks are not eliminated, the people along the coast will never have peace."

"This matter is of great importance. I hope that all of you, my dear ministers, will do your utmost to bring Haisha to justice as soon as possible!"

All the ministers responded in unison: "We obey your order!"

The ministers left the imperial study one after another, and Song Yuwei and Feng Rushi stayed in the hall.

"Your Majesty sent Qin Feng to chase Haisha, because you think he might find time to meet Haisha?" Song Yuwei really didn't understand Li Chengfeng's arrangement.

"Not only that, if he goes in, he will definitely be unable to resist contacting the sea shark during the journey."

"If he retreats, we will have to use the clues in our hands to kill the sea shark." Li Chengfeng said.

The two were secretly shocked by Li Chengfeng's plan and did not mention the matter again.