CH 273

Rock State.

Ningdu County.

This is a county town in the wilderness, located on the edge of the vast Gobi Desert.

The Gobi Desert is a vast uninhabited area, where not a single blade of grass grows. In the past, it was the poverty-stricken Changshan County.

Although Rock State is poor, it still considers itself much better than Changshan County.

Therefore, Ningdu County, near Changshan County, is also considered a neglected and impoverished place.

Due to the chaos in Rock State, Chang Shengkai cut off all the internet connections, closed all newspapers, radio stations, and television stations, and only allowed media controlled by the governor's office to publish news in order to prevent unfavorable public opinion.

Anyone who spreads rumors without permission, as long as there is a hint of words like "chaos," "fear," "suppress," "exterminate," etc., will be fined 500,000, and those who are more serious will suffer imprisonment.

The few modern cities within Rock State have also regressed to primitive times, and the special agents of the Military Statistics Bureau have sealed off the entire Rock State, refusing entry to any news reporters.

Ningdu County is so remote that even the special agents are too lazy to come, which allowed the rebels to take advantage and cause chaos in the entire county with less than a hundred people.

It was only when the special agents of the Military Statistics Bureau were chasing the bandits that they discovered something was wrong.

A group of rebels had come to Ningdu County, not only killing the local gentry, but also obstructing the tax police from collecting taxes.

Wu Zhihui, the president of the vibrant social organization elected by the community, immediately led a large number of troops to surround Ningdu County at night and suppress the rebels.

The battle was extremely tragic. With only about a hundred people, no cannons, only pistols, and some with only knives and sticks, they fought for seven days of street fighting, resulting in more than 900 casualties before they finally took control.

Wu Zhihui was originally very angry, but soon discovered that they had actually come from Changshan County.

This was truly a pleasant surprise. This group of people fought so well, they must have a close relationship with the sheriff of Changshan County.

Wu Zhihui immediately called Changshan County, determined to vent his anger from the previous incident.

But unexpectedly, he actually managed to extort 80 million in one go. This was definitely a big catch, and that kid from Changshan County had deep motives.

Thinking about the gleaming banknotes, Wu Zhihui's heart burned with excitement. He ordered the torture to stop: "Alright! Don't beat them to death!"

Only then did a few people release the barely conscious Ye Ying, simply bandaging her up before throwing her back.

Wu Zhihui ordered, "Ade, keep an eye on those rebels. Don't let them cause trouble. Save the ones who are dying, and prepare the bodies of the deceased."

"Yes, President." Ade obeyed the order and left.

Wu Zhihui then said, "Lao Xu, immediately transfer 1 million from the secret account to my account."

Lao Xu asked in surprise, "Why, President?"

"You fool, how can I explain without 1 million?" Wu Zhihui scolded, "If I let the people go, won't I be considered a traitor? This 1 million is the ransom from Changshan County."

The surrounding subordinates suddenly realized, but one person asked, "But, but, what if that brat tells Governor Chang?"

Wu Zhihui sneered, "Would Governor Chang believe an outsider or his loyal subordinates? Besides, that kid is untrustworthy, deceitful, shameless, and lecherous. How much money and how many female slaves has he cheated us out of? Do you think Governor Chang will believe him?"

With that, the subordinates finally understood, and praised:

"Great!"

"The President is wise!"

"He truly is the leader!"

"We're going to make a fortune, brothers!"

Wu Zhihui smiled proudly, "Don't worry, you'll all get your share."

After the cheers, another person asked, "President, do we really have to return the people to them?"

Wu Zhihui sneered, "It depends on whether they cooperate. If they don't, we don't mind breaking the agreement. If they do, then so be it. But we must remain cautious."

"You, take some men and set up an ambush nearby to surround the area."

"You, take some men and set up an ambush outside the city."

"And you, go out and scout, see how many people are on the other side, and if there are any reinforcements."

As they were making arrangements, a subordinate suddenly rushed over and shouted, "President, President! Someone from Changshan County has arrived! A person wearing a strange mask, carrying a large bag, claiming to have brought the ransom and demanding the release of our people!"

Wu Zhihui stood up at once.

He inquired about the situation carefully, but the subordinate couldn't provide any more information.

Wu Zhihui felt a chill in his heart. It hadn't even been half an hour since he made the call, and someone was already at his door.

What's more, he had brought money with him.

Something that could be easily exposed at a glance shouldn't be a deception.

What did this mean?

It meant that either everything was still under the control of that kid from Changshan County, or his influence beneath the surface was much greater than he had imagined.

What he had revealed was just the tip of the iceberg.

His heart, originally full of pride and arrogance, suddenly felt like it had been doused with cold water, and Wu Zhihui calmed down.

"What should we do?" a subordinate asked, approaching.

Wu Zhihui remained silent for a moment, then suddenly sneered, "Who's afraid of who? Bring all the brothers here and lock up all the rebels! Bring that messenger here. I want to meet him in the square and see how much he weighs."

After a while, Wu Zhihui met the man in the square.

He was indeed as the subordinate had described, tall, wearing a stylish cloak, with a sword at his waist, a white mask on his face with the words "Animal Path," and carrying a large leather box and a backpack taller than himself.

To enhance the sense of terror, Wu Zhihui deliberately didn't use electric lights, but instead set up torches in the square.

The flickering flames cast an eerie light on everyone's faces.

However, the man's mask looked even more sinister in the firelight.

Wu Zhihui sat high in his chair, feeling dissatisfied, but it seemed like he was giving someone else a boost.

He was determined to show his authority. With a wave of his hand, a big man jumped out and shouted, "Rogue! Kneel before President Wu!"

"Kneel!" Hundreds of brothers around all shouted in unison.The man seemed to ignore it, and with a light kick, the suitcase fell to the ground and opened.

Suddenly, a bright light emanated from him, as if he had a incandescent lamp hidden in his clothes.

The bright light illuminated the square, and also clearly revealed the eight thousand largest denomination banknotes in the empire.

The dazzling golden color, as if opening a legendary treasure chest, radiated waves of wealth, attracting everyone's attention.

The man said coldly, "This is eighty million. Where are the people?"

Wu Zhihui was momentarily stunned, but he quickly regained his composure and sneered, "How do I know if it's real or fake? I have to check the money before I release the people."

Although he said so, just by looking at the golden light and the unique texture of the banknotes that seemed to be made of pure gold, he was already certain that they were real.

"Okay."

It was an unreasonable request, but the man agreed. He closed the suitcase and threw it directly at Wu Zhihui's feet.

Wu Zhihui was both surprised and puzzled. The other party was not playing by the rules, leaving him at a loss.

He picked up the suitcase and started to say some nonsense, but the other party didn't pay any attention, just sneering, "You better hurry. It won't look good if things turn ugly."

Wu Zhihui's heart sank. He hesitated for a moment, seeing the other party's confident attitude, feeling a bit uneasy.

He opened the suitcase, rummaged through it, no compartments, no padding, the feel of the paper was excellent, the metallic matte texture was unique.

If it weren't for the high production cost, the empire would definitely use this type of banknote to replace the current mainstream currency.

All real, weighing 50 kilograms, excluding the suitcase, an estimated 8000 notes.

Eighty million, right in his hands.

Wu Zhihui's thoughts changed. He had just been thinking about taking advantage of the situation, but now he was considering a fair trade.

After all, that group of rebels in his hands was of no use to him.

Although most of them were listed on the Empire's monitoring platform, the total bounty was only about a million. After being robbed at the Governor's Mansion, he would be lucky to get a third of it.

And now, eighty million was right in front of him. It was meaningless to take advantage of the situation, and this kid wouldn't yield much profit on his own. He might even cause some unnecessary trouble.

First, get the money in hand.

That was the only thing on Wu Zhihui's mind.

He immediately closed the suitcase, cutting off the uncomfortable golden light.

"Release the people," he said briefly.

Soon, more than twenty people were brought out from a large house. They were covered in blood, only receiving simple bandages, and many of them had to be carried out.

Leading them was the rock state's Liu Henshi. He had many large wounds on his body, bleeding profusely, but he didn't frown, still walking at the forefront, protecting everyone behind him.

After that, a large truck emerged from the shadows.

Wu Zhihui said indifferently, "Brothers, when two armies fight, each has its own master, and life and death are fated. I can only say sorry, and wish you all a safe journey."

With a wave of his hand, the driver jumped down, obviously giving the truck to them as well.

To read the uncut version, go to [pawread.com].

Lin Wen said briefly, "Get on the truck."

Liu Henshi knew right away that it was Sheriff Lin. He remained calm, sending his brothers onto the truck. The truck was not very spacious, and most of the brothers could only sit in the back compartment with the bodies covered in white cloth.

Several people saw familiar faces under the white cloth and couldn't help but cry out in pain.

Liu Henshi quickly sent the people onto the truck, then sat in the front seat with Sheriff Lin.

"You drive," Lin Wen said.

Although Liu Henshi was seriously injured, he didn't delay, immediately moving to the driver's seat and stepping on the gas pedal. The truck started and drove away.

From behind came Wu Zhihui's voice, "Brothers, the deal is done. If you want revenge, find Mao Renfeng, the head of the Statistical Bureau of the Governor's Mansion in Rock State. I, Old Wu, am just following orders."

Liu Henshi knew they were still in danger, so he didn't drive too fast until they were out of the county.

After about ten kilometers, Lin Wen shouted, "Alright, stop."

Liu Henshi whispered, "Sheriff Lin, it's not safe here. We're still in danger."

"Stop," Lin Wen said succinctly. "Someone is in critical condition."

Liu Henshi was slightly surprised and quickly stopped the truck.

Lin Wen jumped down, opened the back compartment, and a mixed smell of blood and the stench of corpses wafted out.

"Get off the truck quickly and bring the severely injured to me. I have medicine," Lin Wen said.

The first person brought to him was Sun Jiuchang, the Medicine King. His hands were twisted behind his back, showing a strange deformity, his chest sunken, his face covered in large wounds, which had already become infected and emitted a putrid smell.

He had his eyes closed, and his breathing was very weak.

Liu Henshi whispered, "Sheriff Lin, he's from Rock State. He was just going back to deliver medicine to his fellow villagers. There are many of his brothers in the Rock State Agricultural Development Association."

Lin Wen looked at him.

He was seriously injured, with a mixture of inflammation and poisoning, and it had been too long. He was barely hanging on.

Mango Pomelo Sago or the Heavenly Water Healing Technique couldn't save him. He needed a higher-level technique, the Ren Water Revival Technique.

The Ren Water Revival Technique.

A gray Qi Condensation stage spell that consumed 30% of the soul, restoring life's injuries and darkness, lasting 12 hours.

Lin Wen gently pressed his hand on Sun Jiuchang's chest, and fed him a bit of mud from his body.

The light of the spell flashed by in an instant, and Sun Jiuchang's breathing recovered, the wounds on his body stopped bleeding, and his bones made a soft cracking sound.

Lin Wen handed the person over to Liu Henshi. "Clean the wounds and mend his bones."

This spell was not as immediate as other healing spells, but its effect was actually much stronger, the main difference being one was an instant recovery, and the other was a slow recovery.

As is well known, instant recovery is more expensive.

Lin Wen successively healed the critically injured Butcher, Ye Ying, and Old Gang, and then gave the remaining people some Mango Pomelo Sago.

In this way, the injuries of more than twenty people were stabilized.

Remaining soul: 123%"Alright." Lin Wen dusted off his hands, the old mud on his body almost completely rubbed away, "You all should hurry back now."

Yan Shi exclaimed in surprise, "Aren't you coming back with us? What about the people waiting outside to meet us? What should we do next?"

Lin Wen replied, "Someone will come to meet us soon. Remember to tell them to encircle the area as soon as they arrive, and don't let a single person escape."

He shouldered his large bundle and stood up to walk outside.

Yan Shi asked anxiously, "Sheriff Lin, where are you going?"

Lin Wen untied the straps of his bundle, revealing an array of firearms strapped to his back.

He casually pulled out an assault rifle and fiddled with it.

"To exorcise demons," he said.

"To slay evil spirits."