39: Andrew and Anne

In the Lin Residence of Nankang Golden Valley, Lu Yifa arrived before Lin Zhian.

"Lord, during this time, I gathered skilled craftsmen from across the country and finally built two warships!" Lu Yifa said proudly, grinning so wide his teeth showed.

"Only two ships? Are you aware of the recent bribery and corruption cases in Nankang Golden Valley?" Lin Zhian asked, looking at Lu Yifa coldly.

"I... I know!" Lu Yifa replied guiltily, cold sweat breaking out on his forehead.

"Do you know how many people you bribed, or how many projects involved cutting corners? Do you know why you're still standing here instead of catching lice in a dungeon with the others?" Lin Zhian looked straight ahead calmly, his face indifferent and devoid of emotion.

"I know, Lord. I know what to do now, please rest assured!" Lu Yifa said in terror, looking at the frighteningly calm Lin Zhian.

"Why is it so hard to be a businessman these days!" Lu Yifa muttered to himself as he walked out of the Lin Residence, drenched in sweat.

At the Red Alert Base in the Danga Archipelago, Wei He watched as Xie Yanwen's grand drama came to a close. He realized he hadn't been out for a while, and since Linlin was there, it was the perfect time to go out together.

Wei He summoned a night hawk helicopter; this was the advantage of the Allied Forces—being able to travel by aircraft.

"Wow, it's actually flying in the sky! Back where I'm from, only those at the level of High-level Magician or above can fly. Wei He, you're amazing!" Sitting in the night hawk helicopter, Linlin looked at the scenery outside with immense excitement.

"Eh? What's that? Why are they dressed like that?" Linlin asked, looking puzzled.

"What?" Hearing her, Wei He looked out as well and saw Lu Sheng and the others working hard at quarrying stone.

"Oh, those are the guards from Nanshan Town. They bullied the commoners, so I'm punishing them by making them quarry stone here," Wei He said calmly.

"Oh, no wonder they're so filthy. How disgusting!" Linlin said with a look of disdain as she watched them.

"So, where are we going next?" Linlin asked with an expectant look on her face.

"Let's go check out Phoenix Mountain and pick up some daily supplies while we're at it." Wei He looked at the beautiful and moving Linlin, momentarily dazed by her beauty.

In Northwest Town of Phoenix Mountain, Wei He and Linlin stood on the street. It was bustling with handsome men and beautiful women passing by.

"I haven't been out to play in so long. I'm going to spend all the money I brought today!" Linlin said happily, her eyes filled with an irrepressible smile.

"You all go play first, I'll go buy the supplies," Wei He said absentmindedly.

Usually, these tasks were handled by people like Captain Kurt, but since Wei He was out today, he decided to buy some things he liked himself.

"Okay, let's split up!" Linlin laughed and ran off, followed by several Bozi Youning.

This time, Wei He didn't bring many people or advanced units. After all, this was Ravich's jurisdiction. Furthermore, the Allied Forces' buildings were mostly complete, and high-level units like the Chrono Legionnaire and Rocket Trooper were already being produced and could provide timely support.

Wei He strolled leisurely down the street. People were wandering about, every face beaming with a happy smile.

When Wei He reached the middle of the street, he saw a crowd gathered in front of a gate. The gate looked sturdy, with two black-lacquered wooden doors. The paint on the door panels was glossy, clearly wiped down regularly, as the entire gate was spotless.

Two brass door knockers, as large as bowls, were so polished they could reflect a person's image.

Beside the gate stood two stone pillars about the height of an adult. A small stone monkey was carved on top of each pillar; their faces were worn smooth and shiny from being touched, likely used for hitching livestock.

Standing at the entrance, Wei He knew that for a master to own such a residence while many commoners were still starving, they must be incredibly wealthy—at the very least, a local tycoon.

Unfortunately, Wei He was in no mood to pay attention to some rich person. In front of this opulent gate, six burly men in matching outfits—likely the household guards—were beating a young man.

The young man was as thin as a bamboo pole, with spindly limbs and little flesh on his face, making his cheekbones protrude. He was currently beaten black and blue, spitting blood that trickled from the corner of his mouth onto his coarse burlap clothes.

"Stop! Andrew, if you come to harass our Young Mistress again, we'll beat you to death!" a man who looked like a leader shouted, signaling for them to stop.

"I'm here for my wife! You snatched my wife, give her back! Give me back my wife, Annie!" Andrew shouted desperately, ignoring the pain all over his body.

"Get lost! You guys, drag him away. Don't let him keep howling here, or the Master will have something to say!" the small leader said viciously, his face full of disdain and eyes filled with contempt.

"Yes!" Several men hoisted Andrew up and began walking toward the street corner.

Wei He was also very angry seeing this scene, but having learned his lesson from last time, he didn't act rashly. He waited until the guards left before stepping forward to inquire.

"Are you alright? Why were they beating you? Did you get beaten for harassing someone else's wife?" Wei He asked calmly.

"That's not it! She's my wife! They seized her and beat me!" Andrew said emotionally, gritting his teeth.

"Tell me about it, I'll help you!" Wei He said proudly, patting his chest.

"You? Just you? Looking at your outfit, you're not a magician, nor do you look like a martial artist. How can you help me?" Andrew looked at Wei He with pity, taking him for a fool who only knew how to dream.

"This might be your only chance to get your wife back. If you miss it, there might never be anyone else to help you," Wei He said seriously.

"Alright, I'll tell you!" Andrew knew that indeed no one could help him, and whether Wei He could help was no longer important, but he wanted others to know what kind of villain Vaster was.

"My wife and I are from the same village. Our village is a small mountain village not far from Northwest Town. We grew up together and were always inseparable—true childhood sweethearts," Andrew said as he wiped his wounds.

"Later, we got married and started a small family. That day, we brought some mountain goods to the market to sell. As a result, that villain Vaster saw her, threw down two gold ingots, and then let his guards snatch Annie away. When I went to get her back, they beat me up and threw me out!" Andrew wailed in pain.

"Then why didn't you report it to the authorities? This is robbery!" Wei He asked curiously.

"I did! But the Judicial Magistrate here, Buck, is good friends with Vaster. They often eat together, and I heard Vaster gave Buck a lot of money. Buck just kicked me out and told me to go home and stop looking for Annie!" Andrew's eyes were already red from crying, and his hands trembled as he spoke.

"Alright, I'll help you rescue Annie first!" Wei He's eyes were firm, and he spoke with a serious expression.

"Really?" Seeing Wei He's serious demeanor, Andrew couldn't help but feel a glimmer of hope.

"Yes!" Wei He used the red alert system to command Huang Yichen to hurry over. It was better not to involve regular red alert soldiers in this kind of matter to avoid unnecessary attention.

A moment later, Huang Yichen descended from the sky and arrived before Wei He and Andrew.

"Commander, I have arrived!" Huang Yichen said to Wei He.

"Good, you're just in time. I'll explain the rest later. For now, come with me and let's fight our way in to take her back!" Wei He said, an irrepressible smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.