Doctor, I'm really strong!

"Colluding with the underworld, selling counterfeit goods, engaging in smuggling and human trafficking—you've ruined no fewer than 173 young men and women. Calling you a demon is an insult even to demons!"

Looking at the evidence, Cheng Jiali muttered, "That's it?"

Liu Jiuli frowned and said, "What, don't you think you're scum enough already?"

Unexpectedly, Cheng Jiali suddenly said with a twisted expression, "Liu Jiuli! If you want to kill me, just say so! What's the point of using these crimes that nobody cares about to defend your cheap sense of justice? You don't care about the lives of those troublemakers, do you? You don't really care about the lives of those insect-like bastards, do you?"

"They are just mud, just garbage, just leeks left to grow in the fields. They should be grateful for our kindness if they can live. Do you think they are human? Do you? Do you? Do you? The only real human beings are us. We are high above, we rule this world, we decide their life and death. This is the truth, this is reality!"

"The charges you've leveled against me are laughable. I was just a toy I played with to death in a brothel. Look at the whole continent of Terra, which country would convict someone on such grounds? This is all perfectly legal and justified. There were two sisters in that pile of scrap paper I was holding earlier, weren't there? They served me so well, I remember. Their performance was very naive, but it was incredibly comfortable and I enjoyed it! They did this to raise money for their father's medical treatment. Look, I gave them the money, their father was saved, I'm a great philanthropist, I'm their benefactor! This is the justice and fairness of the entire world. You want to kill me? I accept it. But you've convicted me for this? I refuse to accept it! I, Cheng Jiali, refuse to accept it!"

Liu Jiuli was initially angry, but in the end he calmly said to Cheng Jiali, "Thank you for reminding me. I now completely understand that the best way to teach scum like you is to hang you directly from a street lamp without any pity."

Section 134: It must have been Theresis who did it!

(Please leave a comment, (?ω?))

Ursus Saint-Germain

"Disappeared?"

In the luxurious private study, Gregory, the teacher of the Seventh Prince, had just received news of the disappearance of Cheng Jiali, the general manager of Longmen Taigu Group. His brows furrowed as he fell into deep thought.

His cooperation with the Swire Group was very secretive, and it was impossible for the Swire Group to really fight Future Technology in this regard. In the end, Ursus would be lucky to get a side job, and they would be lucky to get a minor role. Logically and emotionally, they would not be targeted by anyone.

"Could it be that Liu Jiuli made a move?"

After a second of doubt, Gregory decisively dismissed the possibility from his mind.

The possibility is too low. Putting aside the seriousness of the disappearance of the general manager of Taigu Group, no matter how reckless Liu Jiuli is, he cannot be so arrogant in Yan Kingdom. He is an incarnation of the Sui Beast and will inevitably be subject to the constraints and surveillance of the Yan Kingdom government. In that country, being powerful does not mean you can do whatever you want. A centralized empire will not tolerate an "exception" who dares to arbitrarily challenge the internal order.

Moreover, you need evidence to target someone. When dealing with such a big shot, you have to be careful with any action. There is no reason to arrest someone just because you disagree with them. The only action that Swire Group has taken so far is to publish a shocking message on the official homepage of its news department, and then quickly remove the message. Logically and emotionally, Liu Jiuli has no reason to continue to entangle himself on this issue.

They apologized, and they apologized very sincerely. You can't just pin someone to the ground and beat them to death because they accidentally stepped on your foot while you're walking on the street, can you? That just doesn't make sense.

Furthermore, Cheng Jiali's disappearance will not allow Liu Jiuli's Red Guards to gain any tangible benefits from future technology. Cheng Jiali is nothing more than a dog of the Swire family. A dog that has defected from Yan has no choice but to cling to the Swire family's coattails. Since he is a dog, there are naturally many spares. To strike at the Taigu Group, it is meaningless to simply kill this nominally important person.

There are no tangible benefits to be gained, so what's the point of all this? Love and justice?

But Gregory didn't believe it was an accident. An accident at this time must have happened to someone unknown. Who could it be?

Gregory was thinking seriously.

Since we can't find the answer in Lungmen, let's step outside this framework and analyze this matter from a broader perspective.

Then, a flash of inspiration struck Gregory, and he grasped the truth of the matter.

Speaking of which, something extraordinary seems to have happened in Victoria recently. The Sarkaz mercenaries who came from Kazdel seem to have turned the tables and now the one in power there is the Regent Theresis from Kazdel.

This is a change that occurred in Victoria, and behind the Swire Group is the Swire family, who are royalists.

This royalist faction is definitely not protecting Therese, this newcomer, but rather the native Victorian royal family—Aslan.

Coincidentally, part of the Swire family's mercenary business is located in Lontinim. Given the turbulent situation in Lontinim, the Swire family's attitude is clearly not what the Kazdel Regent likes.

Given the regent's style, anyone who disobeys will be eliminated. However, the problem is that directly confronting a traditional Victorian nobleman could cause other Victorian nobles to feel a sense of shared fate and trigger a chain reaction. Therefore, it is still necessary to give appropriate warnings to prevent the other party from making any rash moves.

Look, even your dogs in Longmen aren't safe, shouldn't you yourselves be more careful?

That's insane! What's the point of that kind of threat?!

It works, it really does.

Under normal circumstances, it would be useless, but the problem is that the Swire family, as royalists, now has no "royal" to protect.

The Aslan royal family is nominally without an heir. Although there are legends that the last bloodline has escaped, it is a fact that they have no "emperor" to protect them. Under these circumstances, protecting Victoria's interests is obviously not very profitable. It is not difficult to predict what those shrewd nobles will choose.

Thinking of this, Gregory smiled.

"I never expected this, I never expected this unexpected gain. It's just a bit far away. I wonder if there's still room for maneuver. It's really something to look forward to."

At the same time, John Swire, the Swire family's representative in Lungmen for the Swire Group, reached the same conclusion.

"That Sarkaz barbarian is warning us!"

John Swire's expression was extremely unpleasant. Fortunately, only his old butler was in the room. As a trusted confidant, he was sure that his current appearance, which did not conform to aristocratic etiquette, would not be leaked.

"My lord, do you believe this is a conspiracy by Theresis?"

"Who else could it be but him! We need to inform the head of the family about this."

"Could it be that someone else has kidnapped Cheng Jiali, such as Future Technology? They have the capability to do this."

John shook his head and said, "Having the strength doesn't mean we have to do this. Even if Cheng Jiali made some shady deal with those Ursus barbarians, it's within our acceptable range. He's a man who knows what's important, and judging from his actions, he didn't do anything that could be called evidence. Future Technology has no reason to take action."

The butler didn't say anything more. In fact, he was just stating the possibility. As to how likely it was, the decision was in John Swire's hands. He was just a butler offering advice, and he shouldn't say or do anything inappropriate.

In fact, John did suspect Future Technology when Cheng Jiali disappeared. But the problem is, if he suspected Future Technology was behind it, there had to be a plausible reason. Even if they really intended to break off relations, capturing him would be far more valuable than capturing Cheng Jiali. They wouldn't just secretly capture someone because of one obviously wrong action by Cheng Jiali. The cost and benefit were completely disproportionate. This reason was even more absurd than the Ursus people not liking honey.

Since the problem can't be here, we can only look for the cause from the outside.

Considering the recent conflict between our family and the Kazdel barbarians in Lontinim, it makes perfect sense that the other side would use this remote-controlled killing of dogs as a warning, and that anyone could guess whose method it was if they thought about it carefully.

Taking action against the Swire family's suffocating members would be tantamount to directly breaking off relations, and the other party clearly doesn't intend to do that yet. So, targeting someone who isn't particularly important, showcasing the Sarkaz's power, and provoking the Swire family without completely provokes them is a brilliant tactic. This decisiveness and ruthlessness, used in just the right place, would be truly captivating in a story.

Thinking of this, John sighed.

In the end, the main family will definitely back down. After all, it's just the death of a dog, even if it's a relatively valuable one. The main family won't fight Therese to the death over this dog.

Ultimately, it all came down to the vacant throne of Victoria; the royalists were truly miserable without an emperor.

I've heard that there's still an heir on Draco's side, so the main family must have already discussed this matter.

These are turbulent times, sigh.

Chapter 135: Having seen the light, I no longer wish to sink into darkness.

(There's another chapter coming soon, folks! Can we get a reward? (?ω?))

Kazdel, a name that was once incredibly glorious for the Sarkaz, is now nothing but ruins.

The former glory is buried beneath ruins. Only the mercenaries still fighting each other prevent this land from completely sinking. The splattered blood can at least nourish this wilderness.

For W, this was the place where she was reborn, where she received her name—W.

Or rather, a code name.

Never mind, none of that matters, at least not to mercenaries. Besides, W has gotten used to it over the years.

She came here with only one purpose—to recruit soldiers.

As the most chaotic place on the continent of Terra, Kazdel is not lacking in bloodthirsty warriors. They kill, fight, and plunder; all their actions for survival are permitted, or rather, they have no other choice.

"Hey little girl, wanna have some fun with your brother?"

I know exactly what kind of mercenaries they are. For someone who greets me like this, a single, decisive kick will teach them a lesson about how to communicate with me.

As the unfortunate fellow twitched on the ground like a shrimp, the others who had hoped to take advantage of the situation withdrew their attention.

This is not a newbie you can mess with casually; silence is golden.

The atmosphere in the bar was very lively, but W no longer liked it there.

In the past, such places were a playground for mercenaries. For them, who didn't care about tomorrow, enjoying life to the fullest was their motto. There was no need to keep your valuables. Putting aside whether they were useful, they might even bring disaster upon themselves. The relationships between mercenaries were very pure. It was always a very rare case that they would entrust their backs to their comrades.

You could say they are free, because they have nothing but freedom, and that freedom could be taken away at any time.

W began to miss the bars in Steelgrad.

There was great joy there, but the joyful people were truly joyful. They sang praises of the good life and looked forward to the start of tomorrow. The restrained indulgence was not a constraint, but rather because they knew that there were people at home waiting for them to return, and they could not show their decadent and dissolute side to their families.

If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I would have even suspected that my former subordinate had been possessed.

They used to be just like the mercenaries here, but after settling down and starting families in Steel Grid, each of them put on standard blue work clothes. Before going out, they would tidy themselves up, shave their beards clean, and develop the habit of brushing their teeth. Some would even apply some men's face wash. Then they would hug their wives and children for a while before walking to work with smiles on their faces. Some rode bicycles, some rode electric bikes, some walked, and some took the bus.

Wherever they are, they are always positive and hardworking. I once visited a former subordinate, a veteran with ten years of mercenary experience, who is now an outstanding worker who has received the Labor Model Medal three times.

I once asked him why he had changed so much. He used to be someone who would slack off whenever he could, think about how to retreat when he was on the battlefield, and always pick the best things when it came to dividing things. He was never one of the outstanding workers.

"Captain, do you know that I'm already in stage three Oripathy?"

"Yes, we know. You were even rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment a while ago, and we went to see you."

"Normally, someone in my situation would be considered a mercenary..."

"Don't be ridiculous. In the old days, someone like you would have been buried right away in the second phase."

"Yes, in the past, I would be a corpse by now, or at least a mutilated one. But I'm still alive. Someone like me is still alive..."

The veteran paused for a moment, then continued excitedly, "But I was saved here. The Red Guard doctors did everything they could to snatch me back from the jaws of death. Before I was discharged, I glanced at the unreimbursed receipts, which were medical expenses I could never repay in my lifetime."

"But after reimbursement, I only need to pay one-tenth of the price. But that's not all. Because I was judged to have suffered a work-related injury, the factory covered the last one-tenth. I didn't have to pay a single penny!"

"Even now, I can't believe it, and I can't understand it. What value is there in saving a worthless life like mine? A stage three infected person, even if I were sent back to die, I would have no regrets. But... but..."

His voice choked, and he couldn't speak for a long time. Finally, he grabbed his wine glass and drank it all in one gulp. With red eyes, he said, "I am a dead man, a man who has died. My life was given to me by the leader. Not only me, but my whole family's lives were given to me by the leader. I have stage three carbide disease, my wife has stage two, and our newborn child is very unfortunate, he has stage one."

“In the past, my whole family would have been left to die. No, in the past, I wouldn’t even have had the chance to get married, let alone have a family. Now we take cheap, effective medicine every day, and we can get free treatment when we get sick. My child is in school, and my wife has a stable job. Look at all this stuff on the table. This is something I could only dream of before. I didn’t believe in heaven, but now I do!”

"This is my home, this is everything to me, this is my paradise, my faith, and the enemy of the leader is my enemy!"

My leader's beliefs are my beliefs! If anyone tries to take all of this away, even if it means death, I want to be buried here with my family!

The veterans' roars are still fresh in my memory: if anyone tries to destroy the happiness they have now, they will fight with all their might to destroy the enemy.

Although they were unwilling to admit it, they knew very well that the Sarkaz of Steelgrain no longer cared about their race or origin. They were united only under that red flag, and the person carrying the flag was their goal. Even if the Demon King came, it would be of no use.

They even suspected that if Liu Jiuli ever asked them to kill the Demon King, they would roar and charge forward, tearing the Sarkaz's former faith to shreds, and then offering the Demon King's crown to the new king with both hands.

There's no brainwashing, no tricks. They're given a wonderful life now and a grand vision of the future, and then they'll take up arms and fight to the last breath, until they die.

Yes, that's all you need to do, and everyone can do it.

A smile appeared on his face. Wasn't this the future that Princess Theresa had once longed for? In that case, it was time for him to let more people have such a future.

"Boss, please post a task for me."

As a savvy mercenary, I know that the bar owners in Kazdel often have part-time jobs posting missions. All you need to do is pay them a fee, and the mission will be placed in different locations depending on the amount you pay.

It's like buying trending topics, you get it?

The shop owner at the counter expertly took out paper and pen: "Go ahead and say it."