15: Beautiful woman saves bear

Wick Village is a small village on the way from Riquan City to Laiseluo City, the capital of the Magic Empire. Due to years of war with the Demon Race, Wick Village has been abandoned for a long time.

In a dilapidated wooden hut in the village, Charlie lay on a pile of straw. His shallow breathing, pale lips, and blood-stained clothes all indicated that his injuries were severe.

Jack laughed coldly from the side, completely indifferent to whether the person before him lived or died. "I didn't expect that after all these years, you'd be in such a pathetic state. Who forced you into this, making you flee in such a panic all by yourself?"

"Sooner or later, I'll tear him into ten thousand pieces. That despicable villain didn't dare to face me in battle; he only knows how to use underhanded schemes and tricks, hmph!" Charlie clutched his wound, his eyes filled with a rage that suggested he wanted to skin Wei He alive.

"That's a conversation for later. Come back to the Demon Race with me now, and you might keep your life. Otherwise, even if you return to Laiselo, you'll just be waiting to die!" Jack said with a smug, cold sneer.

Before Charlie could respond, a rumbling sound came from outside. Both men realized at once that their pursuers had arrived.

Jack walked calmly out of the ruined hut and saw the Red Alert Troops and the surrendered Riquan City garrison pursuing them. There were about a dozen people and four grizzly tanks.

"Hand over the man inside! He is a criminal from Riquan City, and we are here to bring him to justice!" a leader of the Riquan City garrison spoke up first.

"Go back. You cannot take this man away!" Jack's tone was filled with disdain, as if he were speaking to a group of ants.

"Then you can't blame us," the leader of the Riquan City garrison said before quickly hiding behind a Conscript. After all, on this continent, various magics and special abilities were beyond the reach of ordinary people. Jack's black combat suit, black cloak, and especially the Demon King's skull emblem on his chest all showed that he was extraordinary. As an ordinary soldier, he decided to let the heavily armed Conscripts handle it.

"Rat-tat-tat!" Gunfire and cannon blasts suddenly echoed through Wick Village. Strangely, the bullets and shells poured out but stopped right in front of Jack, motionless, as if an invisible wall of air were blocking them.

Jack gave a wave of his hand, and the weapons originally intended for him flew toward the distant buildings. The already dilapidated village was blasted by the shells, causing another cluster of houses to collapse as rubble and debris flew everywhere.

Seeing this, Soldier A, who had a handlebar mustache, felt his legs tremble. Suddenly, a warm stream flowed between his legs—he had wet himself from fear. He had been in the army for many years and knew exactly how cruel those Ability Users could be. Half of the comrades he had enlisted with had died miserable deaths at their hands, often with no intact corpses left. He suddenly regretted coming here.

Beside him, Soldier B stood with his mouth agape in shock, his eyes looking as if they might pop out. In his eyes, the Conscripts and these metal lumps were entities that even an Intermediate Magician like General Charlie would steer clear of, yet they couldn't even touch this man.

"Ouch, it hurts so much!" The most unfortunate was Garrison Soldier C. He had also been in shock, but the impact of an explosion sent a piece of rubble flying through the crowd, accurately striking his foot. Immediately, the dozen or so soldiers gathered around him to help bandage the wound.

The dozen men were trembling with fear as if facing a great enemy. Each one clearly wanted to retreat, but the Conscripts remained as steady as a rock, showing no sign of fear. They could only stay put and observe for now.

Jack didn't care about their reactions at all. Instead, he was quite interested in the weapons the Conscripts used, surprised that such unremarkable iron tubes could exert such power.

"It's just a pity you met me, haha!" Jack said with a look of mock regret. As the Conscripts and tanks prepared for a second round of attacks, Jack's ghostly movement flashed by, and he appeared beside a Conscript. Just as the Conscript was turning his gun, a large black hand was placed on his head. With a sickening crunch, the Conscript's head burst like a watermelon, blood spraying out and staining the ground red.

The dozen soldiers fled toward Riquan City in a pathetic panic. They hadn't expected that even the invincible Conscripts couldn't defeat this black-clad figure. As they ran, they heard the crunching sounds of heads being crushed behind them, making them scream and run even faster. For a moment, screams and gunfire filled the air.

In just a few minutes, the dozens of Conscripts had suffered heavy casualties. The four grizzly tanks kept firing at Jack, even though it was futile since they couldn't hit the demon at all. Finally, Jack flipped the tanks over with his bare hands, dragged out the American Soldiers inside, and slammed them heavily onto the ground.

It was the first time Jack had seen such a scene. In his understanding, he thought these were just strange magical beasts, but he didn't expect people to be inside. Unfortunately, no matter how he questioned them, the American Soldiers only said one thing: "For Commander Wei He!"

Having settled everything, Jack didn't consult Charlie and simply took him away. It wasn't that he feared these strange soldiers, but it would be bad if a High-level Magician detected them, as this wasn't the territory of the Demon Race.

Wei He was radiant after acquiring such a large city. He took Linlin out to play early in the morning and didn't notice the warnings from the red alert system. After all, there had been too much information while taking over the city these past two days.

Linlin had emerald green curly hair and large, blinking eyes that seemed to hold the stars. Her cherry-like lips were slightly pouted, and she still wore her magician's attire, which couldn't hide her unique charm.

Wei He was momentarily dazed by the sight. He only snapped out of it when Linlin called his name, feeling a bit flustered.

"What are you doing? Why are you staring? There's plenty of good food ahead!" Linlin said as she ran off happily.

"Hey, I'm coming!" Wei He realized he had lost his composure and felt embarrassed.

"Wow, this chick is quite something, ahahaha!" a man with an exceptionally handsome face said provocatively. He had a wicked smile and deliberately left his shirt open to reveal his eight-pack abs. He looked like a scumbag who frequently toyed with women. The surrounding vendors and pedestrians quickly avoided him. Combined with the dozen lackeys behind him, it was easy to see he was the city's bully.

Rune spoke as he reached out toward Linlin. His lackeys laughed along, mockingly watching Linlin as if they were used to this happening.

Linlin showed no sign of fear; in fact, she seemed quite cooperative. However, out of a desire to protect women, Wei He resolutely stepped forward.

"Stop! Let go of that girl!" Wei He uttered that cliché line, feeling awkward himself, yet he still blocked the way in front of Linlin.

"Oh, you must be new to the city. You dare meddle in Lord Rune's business? Get lost, or I'll make you crawl out of the city!" Rune stroked his silver-white hair, his handsome face filled with disdain.

"In broad daylight, you're harassing a decent woman in the street! Have you no shame? Is there no law?" Wei He recited lines he had learned from TV, completely oblivious to Linlin's resentful gaze.

"Beat him up! Where did this idiot come from? How do you know she isn't willing? Huh!" Rune ordered his men to attack.

"Ah! Ouch! Gently! Stop hitting me! Ah!" Surrounded by a dozen people, Wei He soon let out cries of pain. His recent life as a Commander had made him forget that without the Red Alert Troops, he was just a weakling. While being kicked around by the thugs, he finally realized he was still too weak.

"Hit him! Hit him! Hahaha!" The group of lackeys was overjoyed. Following a boss like Rune meant they got perks and could bully others everywhere—it was incredibly satisfying.

"Stop hitting him! Stop!" Linlin shouted anxiously. "If you don't stop, I won't be polite!" With that, Linlin pointed a finger, and a magical beam shot out. Two lackeys in her way were hit, immediately coughing up blood and falling to the ground wailing. Hearing the noise, the other lackeys stopped beating Wei He.

"So you're a magician. My apologies, this is all a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding!" Rune smiled obsequiously, afraid of offending the magician. Magicians held a very high status in the Magic Empire, and they weren't people someone from a small place like him could touch.

"What are you doing? Why did you rush out?" Linlin asked Wei He with a complaining tone, yet she still helped him up.

"As for you, you're not bad-looking and quite to my taste," Linlin said with a beaming smile to Rune after helping Wei He up. "Follow me from now on. My name is Linlin, and you'll call me Big Sis!"

"Yes, yes, Big Sis! I'll follow you from now on!" Being able to follow a magician was certainly good, but Rune felt something was off. These were words he usually said to women. Despite his thoughts, he respectfully followed behind Linlin.

Wei He felt like he had been struck by lightning. He had intended to be the hero rescuing the beauty, but not only was he the one rescued, but they also seemed to have a mutual attraction. This made him look even more like a clown. Thinking of this, Wei He shook his head helplessly.