74: Charlie again

"Then why did he capture so many people? Is it just to create more puppets?" Wei He continued to press for answers.

"I'm not entirely sure about that, but it might be because their birth rate is quite low. After all, since so many people are turned into puppets, they need to import large numbers of personnel from other countries!" Huang Yichen offered a bold hypothesis.

"Alright, never mind him. As long as he doesn't interfere with my grand plan for unification, it's fine!" Wei He muttered to himself. He intended to unify the four great powers and discover the secret to returning to Blue Star.

Along the way, through cultivation, Wei He's injuries slowly healed, and his mastery over his abilities became more refined. He could now manifest and retract his golden hands at will, avoiding the awkward situation where his hands wouldn't change back.

After half a month of marching, the Southern Province's army of 200,000 finally arrived at Nankang Golden Valley.

Looking at the strange buildings outside the valley, Neme asked with a face full of confusion, "What are these? They look a bit like that wretched little thief's troops!"

"Which wretched little thief? These are the properties of Lord Wei, Lord Wei He. They are a new type of mine used for mining!" Although Xie Yanwen had some doubts, he still pointed at the Ore Refinery and explained.

"Oh, so it really is that little thief's property. Our Lord is truly a man of great power, to have properties even here!" Neme said irritably.

"He actually has connections with the Lingshu Kingdom. I think he's planning to collude with the enemy and betray the country, hmph!" Carlos said from the side in a sarcastic tone.

"Wow, it's not that serious, is it? I just opened a mine here, and you're pinning such a huge label on me. Don't you have property in the Lingshu Kingdom? Don't you? How many people in the entire Magic Empire have ties to the Lingshu Kingdom? By your logic, half the officials are colluding with the enemy!" Wei He pointed at the Magisters one by one, speaking passionately.

Wei He naturally wouldn't tell anyone that the original Soviet Army Barracks and War Factory outside the valley had been temporarily "sold" by him, and the tanks and soldiers had already been moved away from Nankang Golden Valley.

"Hmph!" After a cold snort, Carlos turned and walked toward Nankang Golden Valley.

The army temporarily stationed in Nankang Golden Valley to rest and reorganize. Wei He hadn't seen Linlin for a long time, and since they had stopped now, he could go see her.

Since Xie Yanwen and Lin Xixue got together, he had moved to the Lin Residence, while the original Xie Residence had been "claimed" by Linlin. She had also rescued Rune from the mines and kept him in the residence as a male favorite.

Wei He arrived at the entrance of the Xie Residence. The gate was tall and majestic, with two striking vermillion doors and a pair of lifelike stone lions standing before them.

Wei He tapped lightly on the door, and to his surprise, it was Rune who opened it. He was dressed in clean white clothes, standing there as straight and upright as a green pine. His features were clear, his nose bridge high, and his lips a pale pink; he looked very pleasing to the eye, a far cry from his rogue image in Riquan City.

"Lord Wei, why are you here? You're here for the Big Boss, right? She went out for drinks and hasn't returned yet! Would you like to come in and wait for a while?" Seeing Wei He, Rune spoke respectfully. He had long heard Linlin tell stories about Wei He and naturally didn't dare to be negligent.

"Oh, no need! Where did she go? I'll go find her directly!" Wei He hadn't expected Rune to turn out like this and couldn't help but marvel at Linlin's expert training methods.

"Oh, she went to the Kuaihuo Lin Restaurant. She often goes there to pick up handsome young men. You'll definitely find her there!" Rune said respectfully.

"Oh, alright, I understand!" After Wei He finished speaking, he turned and left.

"Lord Wei, take care!" Rune said politely behind him.

Wei He walked alone to the Kuaihuo Lin Restaurant. Now that he was an Ability User, ordinary humans were no longer a match for him—he could practically kill them in seconds. Thus, for a small matter like going to a restaurant, he didn't bring Huang Yichen along.

Two large black-lacquered lanterns with gold-painted designs stood at the entrance of the Kuaihuo Lin Restaurant, with the three powerful characters for 'Kuaihuo Lin' written on them, swaying in the wind. Upon entering, there was a main hall about twenty feet wide with ten square tables neatly arranged.

On either side of the hall was a wooden staircase leading directly to the private rooms on the second floor. Linlin was in one of those rooms, surrounded by three handsome men, embracing them and drinking merrily, looking quite happy.

"Come, come, let this lady have a kiss first, hahahaha!" Linlin grabbed a fair-skinned, handsome young man and took a bite out of him; she was truly as happy as an immortal.

While Linlin was enjoying herself, a waiter happened to push open the door to bring in some dishes. As Linlin looked up, she caught a glimpse of a dark figure passing behind the waiter. She was suddenly surprised because that person looked exactly like Charlie.

"Strange, didn't Charlie die a long time ago? How could he appear here? Could it be a vengeful spirit seeking life? No, even if it's a vengeful spirit, he shouldn't come looking for me!" Her head full of questions, Linlin pushed away the handsome men, walked out of the room, and quietly followed the dark figure.

She saw Charlie arrive at the door of a private room at the end of the corridor and push it open to enter. Linlin quietly approached the door and pressed her head against it.

"Nankang Golden Valley is truly lively; it's worthy of being a major border town of the Lingshu Kingdom!" Jack, dressed in black armor, said sullenly as he saw Charlie walk in.

"I heard the original owner here was known as Plucking Feathers from a Passing Goose, named Lin Zhian. When he was here, it wasn't like this. Anyone passing by would be captured as a slave to dig in the gold mines. Later, for some reason, he suddenly and mysteriously disappeared. Now the person who took over is called Xie Yanwen, and only then did it become like this!" Charlie explained with a calm face.

"That Plucking Feathers from a Passing Goose guy, I heard he was a World-Shocking Level Ability User. In a remote little city like this, he'd be considered a top-tier expert. How could he mysteriously disappear?" Jack asked curiously after downing a cup of wine.

"I don't know, and I don't want to know. I only know that I came here this time to seek revenge!" Charlie picked up a cup of wine and, with eyes full of rage, drank it in one gulp.

"Hahahaha, don't be in such a hurry. According to secret reports, the 200,000 elite troops of the Magic Empire will arrive at Nankang Golden Valley today. That Wei He guy will also arrive with them!" Jack said in high spirits as he feasted on the food on the table.

"Wei He, he has made my life so miserable. Not only can I no longer be a general, but he actually became a Lord of the Magic Empire. It's simply unforgivable!" The more Charlie thought about it, the angrier he became. With a slight exert of force, the wine cup in his hand was shattered into dust.

"Sigh, don't take it so hard. If you can't be a general for the Magic Empire, you can be a general for the Demon Race. With your skills, you'll make a name for yourself anywhere!" Jack said slowly.

"However, the commander of those 200,000 elite troops from the Magic Empire is the Great General of the Southern Province, Neme. This woman is very difficult to deal with; despite her young age, she's already a Magister-level magician. Oh, right, she seems to be your childhood friend!" Jack teased.

"Her talent is extremely high; it's only natural for her to have such cultivation. But no matter who it is, no one can stop me from destroying Wei He!" Charlie said fiercely.

Outside the door, Linlin's mouth hung open in shock when she heard that the person really was Charlie. She quietly backed away, intending to hurry back and report to Xie Yanwen that Wei He was in danger.