Beginning with the Ubume Bird-Chapter 520 - 16: The Rift in the Riverbed

Below are summaries of two reports from the April edition of "San Francisco News":

Explosion at abandoned factory site in the suburbs

At seven o’clock last evening, a severe explosion occurred at the abandoned rubber factory near the old district, suspected to be caused by a steam pipe leak. The explosion led to a large fire, which spread to the nearby docks. As of the date of this report, firefighters had brought the blaze under control.

Mayor Michael stated that the cause of the accident is being investigated one by one.

Malicious kidnapping in the financial district.

Sea monster attacks city guards!

Stock trader missing, suspected foul play.

At two o’clock last afternoon, a heinous attack took place near Central Park. Carl Wick, an employee of the San Francisco Stock Exchange, encountered the perpetrators and called for help. A patrolling officer, responding to the call, was assaulted by the perpetrator with a special weapon and left severely injured and unconscious; he remains so as of the date of this report.

After receiving the alarm, several steam cars rushed to the scene, but the perpetrators had already escaped, and the victim, Carl Wick, was nowhere to be found.

This attack raises numerous suspicions: the appearance, origin, and weapons of the perpetrators are all unclear. The Police Department says the case still requires further investigation.

News Editor: Charles. D. Young.

Zhen Lian’s fingers carefully stroked over the newspaper, taking apart and thoroughly reading every word several times before solemnly putting away the paper and then picking up the silver platter beside him, turning to walk into the deep corridor.

In the church, Cha Xiaodao held his neck and moved his limbs, while Li Yan sat opposite him, staring blankly at the panoramic map of San Francisco.

"Gentlemen, ice-cold rum."

Zhen Lian stood at the door and knocked before softly speaking.

"Thank you, bring it in."

Li Yan said offhandedly.

Zhen Lian sashayed over to the two men with the silver tray in hand, placing it on the table. As the tray was opened, the chilly frost billowed out, with two amber-colored bottles of rum nestled in crushed ice beside inverted glass cups.

No sooner had Zhen Lian picked up a glass than Li Yan and Cha Xiaodao had each taken a bottle of rum, bitten off the cork, and put the bottle to their mouths.

"Gentlemen, there’s news from Liang Hui. The Odonk Brotherhood has agreed to him that from now on, they’re willing to give half of their business to Hesheng."

"Deep Sea Church."

Cha Xiaodao was concise; the great effort he had put in certainly wasn’t for helping Hesheng grab territory.

"Please be patient, Mr. Cha."

Zhen Lian faced Cha Xiaodao and bowed his head, "All the strongholds of the Deep Sea Church have been destroyed by the police following such serious bloodshed; they couldn’t possibly be indifferent. But before the police arrived, Hesheng’s people had already searched the place and found nothing suspicious or anything related to the Terrifying Mermaid. However, in my investigation of the head of the Odonk Brotherhood, Little Alford, there’s been a new breakthrough."

"Continue."

Li Yan sipped his drink.

"The Alford Family has a peculiar bloodline by nature. When they get injured or angry, their bodies produce scales and tentacles, turning them into beings of immense strength. Members of the Alford clan refer to themselves as ’descendants of Sea Demons with Siren’s blood,’ and anybody who drinks the fresh blood from the Alford clan members can also receive the ’Siren’s blessing.’ But in reality, Odonk Alford, Little Alford’s grandfather, was nothing more than a down-and-out sailor who came to San Francisco to seek a livelihood during the gold rush."

"Odonk Alford stayed here for over a year without finding any gold. Once, when he was caught cheating at a gambling house, they bagged him in a sack and sank him into the Mississippi River; but the next day, he miraculously reappeared and burned down that gambling house. From then on, he claimed himself a descendant of the Sea Demon, and both the Odonk Brotherhood and the Deep Sea Church were driven by his hand."

"Interesting, any further news?"

Cha Xiaodao asked,

"Hmm... since nearly all the Odonk members blessed by the ’Siren’ died by your hand, Mr. Cha, it’s a bit difficult to commence an investigation."

Cha Xiaodao felt somewhat embarrassed – when he set off the Gluttonous Rage at the rubber factory, a small part of the reason was because he was outnumbered and wanted a swift resolution; more so, he wanted to test the power of "Gluttonous Rage."

Who would have thought these so-called descendants of Sea Demons would be so weak against "Gluttonous Rage"; not a single one survived, not even leaving a severely wounded one clinging to life.

"However, I found his ledger and journal at the home of one of Little Alford’s mistresses, which might be of help to the two of you."

Having said that, Zhen Lian finally took out two thick, black-covered books from his pocket.

Li Yan picked up the journal and skimmed through it rapidly. He breezed through those pages filled with grudges, bribes, and gang dealings, pausing only briefly before moving on, until a seemingly nonsensical line in the diary made his eyebrows raise.

"Over the years, I’ve sunk countless bodies into the Mississippi River, and yet no one has discovered that crack. This proves that my grandfather was truly chosen by fortune."

He continued to flip through when Cha Xiaodao, who was looking at the ledger, remarked, "This Little Alford is quite interesting. Over the years, he has been fervently purchasing all sorts of diving equipment and even used the money earned from selling opium to invest in a small company developing steam-powered submarines."

Li Yan had finished flipping through the entire diary, and there were two more sentences that seemed useful.

"Oh great Siren, do you truly prefer to leave your mighty power dormant in a crack at the bottom of a river rather than bestow it upon your devoted servant?"

"Damn it! I give up! I’m never going back down to that godforsaken place in my life!"

The handwriting in this line was somewhat messy, showing Little Alford’s state of mind must have been anything but calm when he wrote these words.

"Have you seen these things before?"

Li Yan asked.

Zhen Lian hesitated for a moment before finally nodding.

"What do you think?"

"Odonk Alford won the favor of the Sea Demon Siren in a crack at the bottom of the Mississippi River, and from then on, he leaped to become a gangster big shot. His descendants continued to explore the riverbed fissure for generations. The problem is, the Mississippi River is too big. Finding a riverbed fissure? Easier said than done."

"No worries, you’ve already helped us out a lot."

Zhen Lian said fearfully, "It’s my honor to be able to share your concerns."

"By the way, where is Liang Hui? You said that the Odonk Brotherhood agreed to give him half the market. Didn’t he come to see me personally?"

Zhen Lian’s attitude remained respectful: "Liang Hui got held up by the people at the city hall and couldn’t get away these past few days. So he sent someone with a message, and also, three boxes of gold. Each box roughly contains about a thousand ounces, said to be a tribute to you."

Li Yan glanced at Zhen Lian and then nodded: "Suit yourself, just make sure not to screw up my business."

Zhen Lian’s eyelids twitched, and his head bowed even lower.

"Sir, if there are no other orders, I will take my leave now."

Zhen Lian bowed and took a few steps back facing Li Yan, then turned around and left only after he’d moved away.

Li Yan withdrew his gaze and casually flipped through Little Alford’s diary without saying anything else.

After leaving the church, Zhen Lian walked through the dark corridors, twisting and turning until he arrived at a parlor.

Liang Hui sat with proper posture, his face full of vigor.

Now, Liang Hui not only nearly monopolized the entire opium trade of San Francisco but also, through "Witch’s Love Potion," had managed to forge a connection with a certain influential senator. His influence in San Francisco had swollen to a certain extent.

Money, power, youth—Liang Hui lying sick in bed a few days ago couldn’t have imagined he would now have all the best things in the world within his grasp.

Of course, he would not forget the reason for all this.

"Fairy Maiden, Fairy Maiden."

Liang Hui had been waiting here for half an hour. Seeing Zhen Lian come in, he quickly stood up and bowed to him.

Zhen Lian yawned lazily and said to Liang Hui: "Mr. Liang, you’re still here?"

"Hehe, what are you talking about? Has His Majesty returned?"

Zhen Lian shook his head: "He’s already retired."

Liang Hui raised an eyebrow: "But you just said His Majesty wasn’t here."

"He returned and then he retired. I told you to come back tomorrow," Zhen Lian said without blinking an eye.

She was now somewhat afraid to let Liang Hui meet with Li Yan again; truth be told, Liang Hui’s status, power, and even his loyalty and wisdom now made Zhen Lian feel ashamed.

She had to admit that for that pragmatic ’Blue Emperor,’ Liang Hui’s value had far surpassed her own.

Before Zhen Lian could think of a way to make amends, she could only try to reduce the chances of Liang Hui showing his face in front of Li Yan.

"..."

Liang Hui remained silent for a while before nodding: "If that’s the case, then I’ll come back tomorrow."

After saying this, he put on his hat, nodded to Zhen Lian in greeting, and only after the two looked away from each other did Liang Hui frown and leave with a somber face, surrounded by a crowd of people.