Doomsday Code

Chapter 1063 Venting

It wasn't until the sun was setting that Chen Cheng arrived at the inner channel.

Although the world seas were blockaded by the sea creatures, it still couldn't stop the development of shipping. On this inland waterway, ships came and went in an endless stream.

Some are passenger ships, while others are cargo ships.

Although most of the travelers are from within the province, the convenience of boats still makes more people choose to travel by boat.

Chen Cheng's Dharma ship was considered a large ship among these vessels, as it was over ten zhang long, which translates to forty or fifty meters.

Only cargo ships that travel in the inner channel are this large.

So when Chen Cheng followed him to the dock, the boatmen of the nearby passenger boats ridiculed him and told him to go to the cargo ship dock.

Fortunately, there were some observant people at the dock who recognized Chen Cheng's ship as an elven magic ship. They pulled the people around them back to keep quiet.

At that moment, the tax collector in charge of the dock pushed through the crowd and came over.

The tax collector is someone who collects taxes at the dock. He takes a cut based on the cargo carried by the ship, and then converts that into money to collect taxes.

Of course, there are many shady dealings involved in such taxes, so when he hears that a cargo ship is not going to the cargo ship terminal but to the passenger ship terminal, it feels like he has been robbed, making him uncomfortable.

The tax collector sized up Chen Cheng, then casually cupped his hands in greeting and said:

"Please forgive me, young master, but this is the territory of Earl Siskek. No matter whose goods are coming here, taxes must be levied."

"And with a ship as big as yours, if you don't pay the full amount today, the ship will be impounded here and you won't be allowed to leave."

This tax collector perfectly illustrates what it means to be a dog relying on its master's power.

Chen Cheng shrugged and said:

"This isn't some cargo ship; it's a proper parade boat, and there's not a single box of cargo on it."

Chen Cheng knew that judging from the guy's greedy appearance, he would never give up so easily.

And coincidentally, he was still seething with anger, so it was a good opportunity to tease him and vent his frustration.

This tax collector, perhaps having spent too long at the docks, was used to abusing his power and glared at them, shouting:

"What are you saying, brat? You think it's a flower boat just because you say so? Men, get on board and search it!"

"Wait a minute, you're just getting on my ship like this? That's incredibly disrespectful. If you don't find anything, even if Siske himself is in front of me, I won't let you off the hook."

Chen Cheng exuded an aura of authority without anger, instantly intimidating those guys who looked like hooligans.

At this point, the other spectators, especially some boatmen who had been harassed by this arrogant tax collector, began to mock him from the crowd.

As the boos from the crowd grew louder, the tax collector felt he had lost face.

He then kicked the thug next to him and said:

"What are you all standing there for? Get him! Don't forget, I'm the brother-in-law of the Earl's steward. Let's see what this pretty boy dares to do to me today."

Chen Cheng was well aware of the status of these noble stewards; indeed, for ordinary people, they were a more fearsome presence than the nobles themselves.

Because in many cases, the stewards were in charge of the various land taxes and other trivial matters within the nobles' fiefdoms, while the nobles themselves only looked at the final year's harvest and surplus.

But the people who truly govern these ordinary people are the stewards in the mansion.

So when these hooligans heard the tax collector's words, they mustered their courage and charged towards Chen Cheng as if they were going to war.

However, Chen Cheng did not stop them, but let these guys board the ship.

When Chen Cheng stepped aside, the hooligans were startled, especially by the ambiguous smile on Chen Cheng's face, which sent chills down their spines.

These rascals didn't dare to act as usual; they only glanced at it briefly before slinking off the boat in disgrace.

"Well, since I have no cargo on my ship, shouldn't you pay a price, you bastard?"

Upon hearing Chen Cheng's words, the tax collector wanted to turn and run away, but Chen Cheng suddenly appeared behind him.

With a sharp crack, Chen Cheng slapped him to the ground, and his molar flew out of his mouth.

At this moment, seeing that Chen Cheng had actually started hitting the tax collector, those hooligans took advantage of Chen Cheng's inattention and all pushed through the crowd to run away.

Upon seeing this, the onlookers scattered like birds and beasts.

Lying on the ground, the tax collector felt the numbness in half of his cheek. Looking at the few molars scattered on the floor, he said in a slurred voice:

"You're dead. The butler will never let you get away with this."

"If he won't let me go, I won't let him go either."

Chen Cheng approached the tax collector and, with two sharp cracks, instantly crippled both of the tax collector's arms.

Hearing the tax collector scream in agony while hurling insults, Chen Cheng slapped him again, numbing his other cheek as well, and then several molars flew out.

Finally, the noise subsided.

Chen Cheng got up and ignored the unconscious tax collector on the ground, instead looking at a group of guards walking towards the dock.

It was obvious that these guards were stationed at the dock by the Earl's mansion to maintain order, or perhaps to embolden the tax collectors to act recklessly.

The captain, seeing the tax collector's cheeks swollen like pig's heads, shuddered with rage and roared:

"Who the hell dares to hit a tax official? Looks like they're planning a rebellion."

Judging from this guy's attitude, there's no need to hesitate; he's definitely another bully who tries to dominate the market.

"it's me."

Seeing that the guards, who looked like villains, were about to plunder the shops along the street, Chen Cheng spoke first.

"Oh ho, you're pretty arrogant, you even dare to admit it."

Then the burly captain gave the order:

"Tie him up. If he makes the slightest move, kill him on the spot."

Chen Cheng looked at the dozens of plump and strong guards. Indeed, the Kingdom of Como, one of the five great kingdoms, was different. Several of these guards were already at the gold level.

With the addition of that Platinum-level guard captain, it's true that even ordinary Platinum-level guards wouldn't stand a chance against such a lineup.

Perfect timing, I haven't vented enough yet, so I'll use these guys as punching bags.

Chen Cheng did not reveal his magician skills, but instead circulated his battle qi and instantly entered a burst state.

With a powerful kick, he created a deep crater in the cobblestone pavement, and his figure flew like a ghost towards the guards surrounding him.

Bang, bang, bang—the sound of fists landing squarely.

Even though she was wearing magical armor, Chen Cheng easily smashed it like a piece of paper, breaking her bones and tendons.