ROT CH 50

Chapter 50: “I’ll take everything back and leave no one unpunished”

Han Junzhou watched Bai Chengyu run out, his smile gradually fading.

The pirate incident from ten years ago, he had just mentioned it so casually. But in reality, his father had almost lost his life in a foreign sea, and after returning, he had been in a coma for months before waking up. At the time, Han Junzhou’s mother had been frantic, almost turning gray overnight. And Han Junzhou, only in his twenties back then, was left panicked and helpless by the sudden fall of the pillar of the family. He feared losing his loved ones and spent sleepless nights worrying, all while taking care of his unconscious father, trying to calm his mother who was on the verge of a breakdown, and constantly following the investigation of the criminals. The overwhelming helplessness he felt back then still left him shivering with fear whenever he thought back on it.

The Gulf of Aden is a critical passage for ships traveling between the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean, as well as an important route for Persian Gulf oil shipments to Europe and North America. Due to frequent merchant ship traffic, it also became a hotspot for piracy. The most notorious pirates in the area were the Somali pirates.

Pirate hijackings^[1] in the Gulf of Aden were not uncommon, but the attack on Yunbang Shipping was peculiar.

In most local pirate hijacking incidents, hostages were rarely harmed, and the situation was usually resolved by paying a ransom. However, what Yunbang encountered wasn’t just a hijacking—it was a robbery with violence.

Not only were goods stolen, but many people were injured. It seemed like the attackers had come prepared, specifically targeting key individuals on board, almost killing Han Junzhou’s father.

Because of this, Yunbang suspected that it wasn’t the local Somali pirates who were behind it, but someone who had hired locals to carry out the attack. On the surface, it looked like a typical pirate robbery, but in reality, it was a warning aimed at hurting Yunbang and forcing them to give up their shipping route.

After the incident, in addition to government investigations, Yunbang also spent a lot of effort trying to track down the assailants, but there were no leads.

The white dragon flag was the only clue. Yunbang once believed it was related to the White Dragon Shipping Company, which led to some disputes with the Hong family of the Wantai Hall. However, the Hong family denied any involvement, and without further evidence, this bloody maritime case was left unresolved for the time being.

Han Junzhou sat still for a moment, deep in thought, before picking up his phone and dialing a number.

“Big Brother, it’s Junzhou. I just received some information that might be related to the pirate incident in the Gulf of Aden from ten years ago.” Han Junzhou tried to keep his voice calm. “I need you to look into Black Horn Shipping.”

Han Junzhou reported what he had just learned to Han Junze^[2], the president of Yunbang Group. On the other end of the phone, Han Junze furrowed his brow.

The white dragon flag had been investigated for a long time with no results. How could it be so coincidental that Bai Lin’s son brought it up?

“What do you think of this?” Han Junze asked in a low voice.

“…Could it be that the pirates attacked Black Horn’s ship and even swapped the ship’s flag? A way to assert power?” Han Junzhou hesitated, offering a theory he didn’t fully believe himself.

“Or maybe it wasn’t Somali pirates at all?” Han Junze directly voiced the suspicion both of them were aware of: “Could it be that Black Horn Shipping staged this themselves?”

Han Junzhou reluctantly spoke, “…I don’t know.” His mind was in turmoil, his intuition telling him something was off, but he didn’t dare to say it out loud.

“I understand. I’ll have someone look into this direction,” Han Junze said. “We always suspected this wasn’t just a simple pirate robbery. The methods used were different from the local pirates, they hurt too many people, it wasn’t just for the sake of stealing goods. After the incident, our shipping and routes have been facing constant problems, and third uncle suspects someone’s been causing trouble. Now the clues are pointing to Black Horn Shipping… Well, the Black Horn family has always been ruthless, and it’s not impossible for them to do this just to seize a shipping route.”

“Big Brother…” Han Junzhou hesitated, then spoke again, “…I heard Bai Lin handed the shipping business over to Bai Jun. Could it be that Bai Jun acted on his own without Bai Lin knowing?”

Han Junze replied, “What? You’re worried this might involve your future father-in-law?”

“Has Second Brother already told you?” Han Junzhou hadn’t officially informed the family about his relationship with Bai Chengyu. Besides his parents, who knew from him that he had a boyfriend, only his second brother, Han Junbo, was aware of his relationship with Bai Chengyu.

“I’m currently in a relationship with Bai Lin’s son. But Big Brother, when the incident happened, Chengyu was only ten years old, he had nothing to do with this.” Han Junzhou’s voice carried a pleading tone, trying to explain. His eldest cousin, who was not only twenty years older than him but also the head of Yunbang Group, was a powerful figure. Han Junzhou was afraid that before the matter was settled, Bai Chengyu would be unjustly blamed.

“Chengyu, Bai Chengyu, do you really like him?” Han Junze paused for a moment. “Is he a worthy person to be with? Do you trust him?”

“He’s definitely someone worth being with,” Han Junzhou quickly replied. “He’s a good person, kind-hearted, and I’ve been with him for many years. His intentions have always been simple. Chengyu wouldn’t hurt anyone, I trust him completely. I… I really like him.”

“If he’s really so good and you trust him so much, then you need to hear me out,” Han Junze’s voice grew serious. “The incident in the Gulf of Aden is not a small matter for Yunbang. Our people were hurt, our reputation was damaged, and we had to withdraw from the route—these are all losses. If we find out someone was behind this, I’ll take everything back and leave no one unpunished^[3].”

Hearing his eldest brother’s stern words, Han Junzhou felt his heart sink.

(To Be Continued…)

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