Are You Crazy? He’s only an Intern Lawyer?
Chapter 646 - 638: Pirates boarding? Something’s not right!

Chapter 646: Chapter 638: Pirates boarding? Something’s not right!

Somewhere in the city, Lao Xiangren Bar.

Such a name was enough to suggest there was something fishy about this bar!

But at this moment, business was booming -- the small bar counter was nearly packed with staggering patrons.

"Refill for me!"

"Beer, where’s my beer? Fill it up!"

"Hahaha, *hic*, that’s the spot, I can still drink~"

"After five days on board, I didn’t expect to get a day off today, it’s really great."

These customers were all dressed in sailor uniforms, clearly crew members of some ship.

Right now, they were all drunk, their faces flushed, none able to stand for more than five seconds.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

As time passed, more and more sailors fell, with fewer and fewer able to stand.

"Hahaha, they’re all knocked out like this?"

Seeing this, the few with better alcohol tolerance chuckled.

"Barkeep, I can still drink, pour me another... Hey, where’s the barkeep?"

It was at this time that those few sailors noticed a problem.

Inside the bar, the barkeeper who had been attending to them had disappeared.

They rubbed their eyes and looked around, but aside from their own people sprawled out everywhere, there weren’t any bar staff to be seen.

"What’s going on, the barkeep just now and the waiter?"

These sailors were puzzled, the barkeeper and waiters had been all smiles seeing so many sailors come to drink.

Where are they now?

Don’t you want to make money?

We’ve drunk so much, don’t you want us to pay?

The sailors eyed each other before a look of glee appeared in their eyes.

"With no one watching, could we just freeload without paying?"

Their hands reached for several bottles on the bar, and they prepared to leave.

However, as they made no move to pay and approached the door, they found several burly men suddenly blocking the entrance.

"It’s these guys, right?"

"Yes, judging by their clothes, they’re crew from the Dongfang Star."

"Seems like the info they gave us was correct, these guys all work in the lower decks."

The leading thug scanned the bar and nodded subconsciously.

The intel was accurate, the identities of the newcomers checked out.

"Who are you guys?"

The sober sailors were immediately unsettled.

If you block the door, how can we get out and have fun with the girls?

But the men didn’t give them a chance and simply waved their hands.

"Go for it, just knock them down, and don’t spill any blood; we still need to wear their clothes!"

At the command, they sprang into action.

They stepped up to the sailors and punched the man in front directly in the stomach.

Intoxicated and slow, the sailor hadn’t even registered what happened before he was in pain and toppled over.

"Strip them of their clothes, and then..."

The leader spoke and made a throat-slitting gesture.

They were on his turf, and he and his men could work without worry of interruption.

The bar’s door was locked, and there was no way for people outside to know what was happening inside, giving them complete freedom.

From the back door, in the backstage area of the bar, several dozen fierce-looking men emerged, looking down at the sailors on the ground with cold, mocking smiles.

Several hours later.

A few dozen "sailors" came out of the bar one after another, their faces menacing, their smiles arrogant.

The leader instructed someone beside him who wasn’t wearing a sailor uniform:

"Make sure you clean up the people inside!"

"Don’t worry, boss, the final destination of these people will be to feed the fish, courtesy of the brothers!"

He was very satisfied with his subordinate’s response.

"Let’s go, brothers, let’s get ready and then board the ship together!"

The "crew" burst into wide grins upon hearing this.

For them, boarding the ship signified that another big deal was coming their way.

...

Day five.

Indeed, there aren’t many entertaining places in a port city, aside from the various trade zones.

Zhang Wei found this second city rather dull.

After touring some hot social media spots, under the guidance of their driver, they found a non-trendy but honest business where they could eat.

"Let me tell you, in these tourist cities, dining at the trend-setting spots is a rip-off. The same items, like a bucket of instant noodles that sells here for 30, could cost you 80 there!"

"Moreover, the vendors there are pushy salespeople. Once you glance at an item, you’re compelled to buy it, and if you don’t, they won’t even let you leave!"

"And let’s not talk about the service at those places. It’s often very poor, as if they have an attitude of ’take it or leave it’. We are here to enjoy our vacation, so why should we put up with their nonsense?"

While Zhang Wei grumbled, he sipped his tea and enjoyed his meal.

In front of him, Xiao Baihe and Tan Yingying exchanged uneasy glances, as tears once again welled up in the latter’s eyes.

Clearly, they were still too young and had stumbled into every pitfall during their travels.

"Old Xiao, Xiao Tan, what’s wrong with you two, and why is Xiao Tan crying again?"

"It’s nothing, we’re fine, it’s just that, thinking back to the second day, I... wuuu..."

Tan Yingying tried to stifle her sobs, stuffed a dumpling into her mouth, and chewed and swallowed it down with tears.

Time spent in fun always flies quickly,

By the afternoon, Zhang Wei checked the sky and decided to return early.

Xia Qianyue and the others naturally had no objections since the city wasn’t much fun, they decided to head back to the Dongfang Star early.

So, by late afternoon, Zhang Wei and his group had already resolved to return.

At the port location.

Seeing the immense and majestic luxury cruise ship before him, Bashalo was thrilled.

He turned to his men, who were equally eager to start.

"Remember, our mission is to infiltrate and stick to the plan!"

He spoke, his gaze lingering on a dozen brothers, "If I find anyone misbehaving and ruining the plan, don’t blame me for being ruthless!"

His words silenced the group of subordinates.

Bashalo wasn’t ordinary; he was an infamous pirate in the tropical seas.

His word was law, and any deviation from his orders meant walking the plank.

Walking the plank usually meant it was time to feed the fish.

"Let’s go, we’ll go in first, and when the ship reaches the designated location, the other brothers will naturally come to surround it!"

Bashalo gestured, and throngs of brothers proudly marched onto the deck.

The ship’s captain and first officer had been waiting there, showing no surprise at Bashalo’s arrival.

"You have arrived, Captain Bashalo."

"Hello, captain, it’s been a while, hasn’t it? I didn’t expect you to be captaining such a fine ship now."

"Hahaha, Captain Bashalo, you command dozens of ships and nearly a thousand men; I’m nothing compared to you!"

"Humph, after this job is done, the money from it will be more than enough for you to live comfortably for the rest of your life."

"That’s right, so Captain Bashalo, here’s to a successful collaboration."

"To a successful collaboration!"

The two shook hands, and then the captain signaled the first officer to lead Bashalo and his men straight to the lower deck.

These were pirates, unfamiliar with the ship’s layout, hence they needed someone to guide them.

Moreover, they weren’t to act today. Responsible for working in the lower deck area, they had to do some actual work to ensure the ship could set sail.

The captain watched as Bashalo led his men into the ship, then turned and gave a thumbs up in a certain direction inside the ship.

This gesture meant that preparations were complete.

"Captain, who are you signaling to?"

But at that moment, someone suddenly expressed confusion in front of the captain.

"Hmm, ah, oh..."

The captain clearly hadn’t expected his actions to be observed, and he hurriedly turned around.

"Oh, it’s Lawyer Zhang. You’re back, isn’t it a bit early?"

Obviously, he recognized Zhang Wei.

But that was normal. There were only a few VIP clients, and as the captain, he definitely had to know these people.

"Yes, but there wasn’t much fun in the city today. There are so many ports, and all of them are business ports; not nearly as fun as the previous city, so we came back early."

Seeing the captain’s expression a bit strange, Zhang Wei gave a brief explanation.

"By the way, Captain, those crew members were..."

"They all work at the very bottom of the ship. Today I gave them half a day off to adjust their spirits. Lawyer Zhang, as you know, compared to you VIP clients, their work is a lot more monotonous, so as soon as the ship docked, I let them go and relax."

"Is that so? That’s strange then."

Zhang Wei looked in the direction of the "crew members" leaving, puzzled, "If they’re all crew members, there shouldn’t be any of them who don’t drink alcohol, right? How come they didn’t seem like they’d had any alcohol by their looks?"

"This... it’s because I gave them an order not to drink alcohol, otherwise it could lead to problems at work!"

The captain’s face turned stern, and his tone was very strict.

"Is that so? But if I were a crew member, having been bottled up for so many days, forget your orders, not even the King of Heaven could stop me from drinking!"

"Oh, and by the way, if it were a whole day off instead of just half a day, I might even look for a girl to talk about life with, you know?"

Zhang Wei said, looking at the captain.

Although your order carries some weight, I think crew members absolutely wouldn’t abide by it after disembarking.

Yet they truly didn’t touch a drop, which was quite unreasonable.

"Lawyer Zhang, I will discipline my crew members, so you needn’t concern yourself!"

The captain was finally irritated by Zhang Wei’s continuous questioning, his eyebrows knitting slightly, his tone slightly displeased.

"Oh, I see. Then carry on, Captain. We’re going to go rest now, goodbye."

Zhang Wei said and, leading Xia Qianyue and the others, quickly left the deck and returned to their private room.

"Goodbye, Lawyer Zhang!"

While the captain also waved goodbye to Zhang Wei, his mind was filled with cold sneers.

After tomorrow, you, Lawyer Zhang, will probably...

...

VIP Room.

Xiao Baihe and Tan Yingying went straight back to the dormitory, so it was Zhang Wei and the other four who returned.

"There’s definitely a problem!"

"Those crew members, they’re definitely not the original bunch!"

The moment Zhang Wei came back, he directly voiced his opinion.

"What’s the problem with those crew members?" Zhao Xiaoxiao was the first to raise her hand and speak.

"Of course, there’s a problem."

Zhang Wei said, turning to the second girl and asking, "Do you remember the advertisement for the Dongfang Star?"

Zhao Xiaoxiao immediately opened her laptop and began searching for the advertisement.

"Dongfang Star, a 15-day sea holiday, to completely relax and entertain you... We have experienced navigational technicians, strict marine crews, each and every one of our staff and crew members has a clean and tidy appearance, providing you with comprehensive service..."

"Is there a problem with this ad?"

"Of course, look at this part, ’Each crew member has a clean and tidy demeanor!’"

Zhang Wei pointed to that part of the ad and signaled Zhao Xiaoxiao to pause.

In the video, the crew members that appear before the camera are all dressed in uniform, look spirited and energetic, with a vibrant appearance.

"Now think back to the demeanor and attitude of those crew members. Did you see if they had shaved?"

Zhao Xiaoxiao and the others began to recall.

Just now on the deck, they saw that group of "crew members," each with a stubbled face, some with faces full of aggressive flesh, all looking rough and walking in a slovenly way.

But the crew members in the advertisement had all shaved, stood up straight, with upright postures, and walked as if they had undergone military training, which showed they took great care of their behavior and manners.

"Weren’t they always working in the bottom layer, perhaps those below don’t care much about their image?"

"If it were an ordinary ship, I’d think it’s possible, but this is the Dongfang Star, they could definitely afford to hire crew members with better conduct, so why hire a bunch of slovenly people?"

Zhang Wei pointed at the crew members in the ad, puzzled, "And the captain’s reaction was very strange too. I have never seen a captain be so polite to crew members, even going so far as to shake hands!"

"Zhang Wei, so according to what you’re saying, is there a problem with the crew members?"

Xia Qianyue spoke hastily, her expression grave.

"Indeed, there’s an issue with the crew, but I’m in the dark about what exactly the problem is. Let’s not discuss the whereabouts of the original crew for now, but why have these dozens of crew members infiltrated the Dongfang Star? Could it be for some unspeakable secret?"

No matter how long Zhang Wei pondered, he couldn’t discern their purpose.

But in any case, the Dongfang Star was beginning to experience problems.

"What should we do now?"

"We’ll have to play it by ear. After all, the sudden addition of so many people of unknown origin is definitely not a good sign."

Zhang Wei gave a few words of caution, telling Xia Qianyue and the others to stick together over the next few days.

At the same time, he decided to observe for a day or two.

If nothing unusual happened during these two days, they wouldn’t rule out the possibility of disembarking early once the ship entered the third city on the eighth day.

If there were any abnormalities, they would even consider leaving earlier than planned.

"If we decide to make a move, we have to take Old Xiao and Xiao Tan with us. After all, they’re familiar faces; we can’t just abandon them."

"Right, I wonder if Old Tie and Captain Lin have arrived. I gave them tickets, after all, and they were for a first-class double room. I wonder if they..."

As Zhang Wei was strategizing,

In another VIP room,

Duanmu Heizu (Blackfoot) also received a message.

"Alright, you’ve boarded the ship; that’s great."

"Wait for my instructions tomorrow, then take action."

"After this job, I guarantee you all enough money to retire."

He looked at his only two subordinates, Li Meijia and Hu Yaode.

"It’s set. The operation will take place tomorrow night during the closing phase of the charity event. I want to show Zhang Tianlong during his proudest moment the true power of Duanmu Heizu (Blackfoot)!"

"Mr. Duanmu, isn’t your plan a bit risky? Collaborating with that sort of person could easily lead to..."

"Hmph, if there weren’t any risks involved, that would be the real concern. Our plan inherently carries risks, but what of it? Once it succeeds, I, Duanmu Heizu, will call the shots in Dongfang Capital. Compared to this gain, those risks are worth taking!"

"Besides, who said I don’t have any guarantees? If I wasn’t fully prepared, do you think I would choose to collaborate with them?"

Duanmu Heizu spoke, his face breaking into a maniacal grin.

Finally, he was about to defeat Zhang Tianlong.

Not only that, he intended to completely eradicate the deeply entrenched influence of the Five Great Families in Dongfang Capital. He was set on severing their control over the city and breaking their monopoly.

Only by doing so could he, Duanmu Heizu, and his family, the Duanmu clan, become the true top force in Dongfang Capital.

It must be mentioned that the Duanmu family had also developed for many years in Dongfang Capital; unfortunately, they had always fallen short of the top echelons represented by the Five Great Families.

Upon taking the reins, Duanmu Heizu realized one thing: as long as the Five Great Families stood, their monopoly over Dongfang Capital would not cease.

The Five Great Families had nearly monopolized every industry in Dongfang Capital, refusing to let anyone else have a share of the pie.

Despite the Duanmu family’s years of growth and their status as a top-tier family, they were still merely the first outside the Five Great Families.

Thus, Duanmu Heizu decided to make a bold move!

One must be ruthless, wield the knife with steadiness, to stand firm!

Seeing Duanmu Heizu’s expression at that moment, Hu Yaode and Li Meijia, despite their apprehensions, couldn’t help but smile as well.

However, hidden within those smiles seemed to be other ingredients.

"Remember, after tomorrow, there will no longer be any Zhang Tianlong, any Lin Xiangtian, any..."

"Mr. Duanmu, what about Zhang Wei? I heard he’s also on the ship. He even made quite a splash the day before yesterday!"

Just as Duanmu Heizu was reveling in his thoughts, Li Meijia’s voice suddenly interrupted him.

"Zhang Wei!"

Hearing that name, a vicious light flashed in Duanmu Heizu’s eyes.

"Hmph, of course, I won’t let that kid off either, but the priority is to deal with Zhang Tianlong first. This kid will just be handled along the way!"

Duanmu Heizu waved his hand dismissively; Zhang Wei was just a minor issue.

He could certainly handle it, but it only warranted a perfunctory effort, no need for a major fuss!

In any case, the advantage was his!

"Hehehe, hehehehe..."

With that thought, Duanmu Heizu laughed again, the sound chilling to the bone, striking fear into the heart.

Seeing this, Hu Yaode and Li Meijia had different expressions, but they both forced a laugh as well.