Chapter 1396: Chapter 1396 - 1381: Three Plagues of North Sea

Official Chii Jingshan of the West Patrol Office directly attributed the list of secret agents, spies, and strongholds of the Second Route Wind Patrol Envoy to the dead Second Route Wind Patrol Envoy Wangg Ling, making it impossible to verify against the deceased.

However, Ye Zhen was not anxious at all. He was well-prepared for this. It was absolutely impossible to effortlessly obtain that crucial list from the West Patrol Office.

"Official Chii, although I haven’t been with the Heavenly Patrol Department for long, I’m still quite familiar with the internal rules!"

"According to the rules of the Heavenly Patrol Department, secret agents, spies, and secret strongholds developed by each Wind Patrol Envoy must be submitted and sealed for archiving by the Civil Affairs Bureau of each Patrol Office. Additionally, any changes in these secret spies must be updated annually to be sealed and archived!"

"According to what Official Chii said, it seems it’s the negligence of the Civil Affairs Bureau!" Ye Zhen said, his gaze turning to the two Chief and Junior Envoys of the Civil Affairs Bureau, as if in deep thought.

"I remember, five years ago, the Seventh Route Wind Patrol Envoy of the Southern Patrol submitted a supplementary list of seven secret agents to the Southern Patrol Office, but the personnel of the Civil Affairs Bureau carelessly forgot to add it. Later, the Heavenly Patrol Office executed the two Junior Envoys of the Southern Patrol Office’s Civil Affairs Bureau, and their families were exiled as slaves!"

"Additionally, nine years ago, the Civil Affairs Bureau of the Northern Patrol lost the documents of thirteen secret strongholds of the Fourth Route Wind Patrol Envoy. Coincidentally, the Fourth Route Wind Patrol Envoy died in the line of duty, leading to long-term loss of contact with the secret strongholds.

Finally, the Chief and two Junior Envoys of the Northern Patrol Hunting Office’s Civil Affairs Bureau were executed, especially the Chief, who was publicly punished, and his entire family exiled as slaves!"

At this point, Ye Zhen looked at the Chief and two Junior Envoys of the Civil Affairs Bureau, whose faces had turned as pale as paper, with even their fingers trembling.

"Now, the West Patrol Office has lost all the secret agent, spy, and stronghold lists of the Second Route Wind Patrol Envoy. According to the rules of the Heavenly Patrol Department, it seems that everyone in the West Patrol Office’s Civil Affairs Bureau might be executed, and the Chief and Junior Envoys could have their families exterminated!"

Ye Zhen played along, looking worriedly at Official Chii Jingshan, "With a case of this magnitude, even the Official in charge of the Civil Affairs Bureau might not be able to get away unscathed?"

After a pause, Ye Zhen suddenly said, "Such a major case must be reported to the Heavenly Patrol Office immediately!"

As soon as he finished speaking, all the subordinates of the West Patrol looked with a peculiar expression, instinctively glancing at Official Chii Jingshan of the West Patrol.

The Chief and Junior Envoys of the Civil Affairs Bureau were sweating bullets all over.

At this moment, the expression on Chii Jingshan’s face was as if he had swallowed a fly, incomparably ugly.

Ye Zhen’s few words had cornered him relentlessly.

The rules within the Heavenly Patrol Department were strict. If they followed the rules, the West Patrol Office’s Civil Affairs Bureau might be completely obliterated. If all personnel in the Civil Affairs Bureau were indeed removed, then as an Official, he couldn’t continue either.

Moreover, the worst part is, sacrificing the entire Civil Affairs Bureau’s colleagues for the sake of a struggle would inevitably lead to disunity within the West Patrol Office.

Pretending to suddenly realize, Chii Jingshan slapped his own forehead and laughed self-deprecatingly, "Look at my memory, I even forgot this rule.

Yes, there is indeed such an archive!" While speaking, he glared at the Chief Envoy of the Civil Affairs Bureau, "Go, bring the archive of the Second Route Wind Patrol Envoy."

With Chii Jingshan’s concession, his demeanor became immensely dejected. In the confrontation with Ye Zhen, he was thoroughly defeated today.

However, Ye Zhen showed no intention of letting the Chief Envoy of the Civil Affairs Bureau go, shouting after the hurrying Chief Envoy’s back, "Lord Yue, make sure the year isn’t wrong or that a list isn’t missing. If any omission is detected upon my return, none of you in the Civil Affairs Bureau will be spared!"

The body of Chief Envoy Yue trembled at this, and he walked even faster.

Seeing this, Official Chii Jingshan sighed again inwardly. The crucial list regarding the Second Route Wind Patrol Envoy was probably lost.

But, there was no helping it. The rules within the Heavenly Patrol Department were strict. No matter how powerful the West Patrol Office was, they had to follow these rules.

It wasn’t long before Chief Envoy Yue returned, handing over a Jade Scroll, heavily sealed, to Ye Zhen in public.

After Ye Zhen signed for it, he used a special technique to undo the seals. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief.

With this list in hand, the Second Route Wind Patrol Envoy could operate in the eleven states and one hundred and forty-two counties under its jurisdiction, allowing intelligence to be collected normally without major dereliction of duty.

However, this was only a temporary solution.

If Ye Zhen were normally to take office at the West Patrol, this might be the end of it, but Ye Zhen came to challenge the West Patrol Office. This list in Ye Zhen’s hands was also in the hands of the West Patrol Office.

As long as the West Patrol Office wished, they could deliver a fatal blow to Ye Zhen at any time, crippling his intelligence system completely.

Ye Zhen had already planned for this, first relying on this list, and then in five years’ time, rebuilding another intelligence system.

As for the personnel on this list, they could still be used within five years. After that, they could serve as bait or cover.

The details, Ye Zhen need not worry about at all; the Heavenly Patrol Divine General Fengg Jiumo and Spirit Scout Niu Er will handle it well.

"Lord Official, since we have the list, but the elite of the Second Route Wind Patrol Envoy have nearly been wiped out, reconstruction requires bonuses and resources from Hai Li, for these, please allocate them, Lord Official!" Ye Zhen said.

Upon hearing this, Chii Jingshan was filled with anger. After all that, still trying to sponge off?

He waved his hand irritably, "The budget at the West Patrol Office is also extremely tight. The reconstruction bonuses cannot be supported by the West Patrol Office. You’d better apply to the Heavenly Patrol Department!

However, the funds for the Second Route Wind Patrol Envoy for this year, I can allocate to you now!"

"Is that so!" Ye Zhen puckered his lips helplessly, "My Lord, whether it’s the funds for the Second Route Wind Patrol Envoy this year, or that list, they all rightfully belong to our Second Route Wind Patrol Envoy. My Lord has not provided us with any assistance or cooperation. But on the Imperial Decree..." Saying this, Ye Zhen waved the Imperial Decree in his hand.

Chii Jingshan’s scalp almost exploded. He realized that Ye Zhen was like sticky candy, extremely difficult to deal with, but his words made sense.

After pondering for a long time, Chii Jingshan reluctantly said, "Since that’s the case, our West Patrol Office will tighten our belts and allocate 2 million Low Grade Spirit Stones, 100,000 Mid-grade Spirit Stones, 2,000 Low Grade Thought Spirit Pills, 100 Mid-grade Thought Spirit Pills, and 1,000 Low Grade Soul Artifacts. Will that be enough?"

"Yes, yes!"

This time, Ye Zhen nodded cheerfully but once again waved the Imperial Decree in his hand, "This special decree, I need to report back on it soon to the Grand Celestial Official Lord Wu and His Majesty, and by then, this ’generous aid’ from the West Patrol Office, every bit will be documented in the report!"

Jingyan and Chii Jingshan were stunned again, a sudden urge to curse arose.

Sending this little amount of supplies was merely a gesture, but if it was to be documented in a report, it would be a laughingstock for the West Patrol.

These supplies are decent for a few dozen people, but for the reconstruction funds of a Wind Patrol Envoy, they are just a drop in the ocean!

If this reaches His Majesty, seeing this ’generous aid’, it might cause the dragon’s wrath.

"This...."

"10 million Low Grade Spirit Stones, 500,000 Mid-grade Spirit Stones, 10,000 High Grade Spirit Stones, 10,000 Low Grade Thought Spirit Pills, 1,000 Mid-grade Thought Spirit Pills, 100 High Grade Thought Spirit Pills, 5,000 Low Grade Soul Artifacts, 1,000 Mid-grade Soul Devices, 10 High Grade Soul Artifacts, various Healing Pills, 10,000 bottles, hmm, that’s it!

Not more, I really don’t have any. If you want to report directly, feel free to do so!" With that, Chii Jingshan left with a black face, flicking his sleeves.

Ye Zhen, however, was all smiles.

Just by waving the Imperial Decree casually, he managed to get nearly seven or eight times more than before, which was quite a bargain.

Although in terms of Ye Zhen’s current wealth, this aid is nothing significant, taking someone else’s silver to fill one’s own pocket, that feeling is really delightful!

With this Imperial Decree as a tiger skin, the allocation of resources inside the West Patrol Office was extremely swift for Ye Zhen.

In less than two hours, Ye Zhen received the aid supplies promised by Chii Jingshan from the West Patrol.

Then, before the Ancient Teleportation Formation closed at night, Ye Zhen left Qingzhou State City, also the location of the West Patrol Office, as quickly as possible. Ye Zhen dared not stay overnight there.

From the Qing State Ancient Teleportation Formation directly to the Tongzhou City Ancient Teleportation Formation, after leaving the city, Ye Zhen once again took out the Commander level Heavenly Spirit Ship, and the group flew swiftly toward the direction of North Sea County.

Not even half an hour into the flight, the sky resounded with a series of thunderclaps, brilliant Thunder Snakes crisscrossed the sky, and in an instant, torrents of rain poured down.

"It’s raining, it seems the rainy season is coming!" Looking at the darkened sky pressured by clouds, Ye Zhen sighed lightly. North Sea County is near the sea, experiencing a rainy season lasting up to half a year annually, with rainfalls lasting two to three days at the minimum or ten days to half a month at most.

Rainfall is a normal celestial phenomenon, initially, Ye Zhen didn’t mind.

But due to the continuous thunder, the torrential rain pouring like a waterfall, the flight altitude of the Commander level Heavenly Spirit Ship was lowered significantly. But Ye Zhen was all the while speeding up, this inexplicable uneasiness lingered in his heart.

Ye Zhen flew for two days and nights, and the heavy rain persisted for two days and nights. Upon entering the North Sea County territory, the ground was flooded, with a trend towards stagnation.

However, North Sea County is sparsely populated, and the cities where commoners reside are mostly built on high grounds. Despite the heavy rain, there was no significant impact.

"My Lord, look at that county city!" Suddenly, the Heavenly Patrol Divine General Fengg Jiumo pointed abruptly.

Following the direction pointed by Fengg Jiumo, Ye Zhen’s pupils contracted sharply, he finally understood where this unease in his heart came from!

One of the Three Plagues of North Sea has arrived!