Chapter 336: Only My Unique Method Chapter 336: One in Ten Drawn, One Killed (5000 Words)

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Protagonist:

Chen Yi

While Chen Yi sat in his office listening to Yu Weichao's report, Sun Ruihe was making final preparations.

He had obtained all the supplies available on the West Continent: rifles, 25mm autocannons, "Milan" guided missiles, and he had even improvised tear gas grenades — using chili powder and pepper powder as the lachrymatory agents; riot police had equipment with the same materials but different effects. Over a hundred gasoline bottles were readied on the spot, which were the Molotov cocktails with the greatest killing power when resisting riot police...

Sun Ruihe was like a Black uncle stalking an antelope on foot, or a creepy uncle buying lollipops, or a Black uncle who had gotten his lollipop — always waiting for the moment his prey was most exhausted...

That night, under Sun Ruihe's watch, the slaves held a grand assembly; the pretty boy and the bearded man both participated, and they seriously discussed the route issue, ultimately deciding to return to Xima Market to see if they could capture more valuable hostages, or even obtain a large sum of funds to exchange for a ferry and drift downstream.

They decided not to split up for the time being, thereby solving the lack of oarsmen — no easy feat, as different city-states had conflicts with each other, and the subordinates of different temples brought endless trouble — Acting Paramount Chief Daba persuaded everyone to head to Raj City-State first, the city-state nearest to Ma La; although it also belonged to the Water Dragon Temple, they would at least have escaped the control of the "Jiangning people." Daba further suggested that upon reaching Raj City-State, they hold another general assembly to decide their future course. With the bearded man's help, they even considered which road to leave Ma La-State by if they failed to secure a ferry.

The fact was, all of it came to nothing.

When the slaves had eaten and drunk their fill, abused the captives, and returned to their messy tropical branch-and-thatch huts, Sun Ruihe threw out tear gas grenades and incendiary bottles, accompanied by small-caliber grenade launcher rounds, all in one go.

The blazing fire and thick smoke jolted the exhausted people awake.

Daba, like a true chief, rolled over, grabbed his shield and long spear, and was the first to roar "Break out!" and charge outward, but to no avail. He cleverly rushed forward behind a sturdy wooden board, yet was still shot dead by automatic rifles in the first instant — though Sun Ruihe regretted not having a sniper rifle, the reality was that those Hunter Villagers could accurately hit a walnut at 400 meters with selected bullets and rifles, rivaling American Civil War-era snipers.

He only poked half his head out before being hit... Daba's death provoked Galu; he dragged the pretty boy along, coughing as they ran, until they were stopped by flames and autocannon fire.

"Big Poison Snake" let out howl after howl, plowing the forest near the clearing with shells as thick as a grown man's forearm, regardless of whether anyone was passing through or fleeing.

Slaves near the hostages tried to use captured native soldiers as human shields, but were shot into sieves by the quick-eyed, quick-handed Dai Adi... He simultaneously killed two native hostages, but Sun Ruihe pretended not to see. Without trained teammates, completing the mission with only two hostages lost out of 150-plus slaves was no small feat. Sun Ruihe was satisfied with the result.

Junior and Level 2 Soldiers holding long spears began advancing in step, demanding all slaves raise their hands and surrender...

The entire rescue operation went extremely smoothly, yet the outcome left everyone dissatisfied.

In the end, only four native soldiers and two native workers survived; the total number of captured hostages should have been 16. Two died under Dai Adi's gun, and the remaining eight died on the road. After enduring continuous and cruel abuse, those eight soldiers couldn't hold on; they weren't intentionally killed, but the torture along the way ultimately led to their deaths from severe injuries. Sun Ruihe witnessed part of it but could not stop it.

Counting from the start of the slave revolt, the 32-man Native Squad consisted of the three sergeants and three soldiers guarding the fence who weren't captured, plus these four surviving native soldiers — 22 dead in total, plus one dead worker.

And the current West River Water Fortress had only a single company of native soldiers and three trainee Inspection Teams in total.

Before Sun Ruihe could silently tally the death toll, the native soldiers were already furious enough. They charged into the camp, hacking and killing anyone they saw; the riverside clearing turned into a sea of blood, shattered corpses burning in gasoline, emitting a nauseating BBQ-like stench. Sun Ruihe had never seen cold-weapon-era warfare; the final madness forced him to fire into the air several times before he could halt a potential massacre.

The bearded man died under the chaotic gunfire of the soldiers to protect Barni — a standard 2.1-meter long spear pierced through his chest cavity and shattered his tailbone; it took him a minute to die. He was a standard Knight, but facing three-man stabbing squads plus intermittent automatic rifle sweeps, he finally gave up resistance.

The pretty boy wept like a woman, nearly driving the native soldiers into a bestial frenzy; in the end, all the slaves were captured and re-enslaved, made to extinguish the fires, move corpses, and rebuild the camp.

By the time everything was done, it was dawn; thick mist dispersed the night's blood scent, but in a blink, intense sunlight dispersed the mist and sublimated the blood. Like angels descending on a vampire castle, dancing a ballet, then being devoured by the vampires.

"Major! Phone." A soldier brought over a walkie-talkie; after relay stations were set up, the military walkie-talkie's range had expanded considerably.

"Who is it?"

"The Lord." The native soldier's expression was grave as he spoke.

Sun Ruihe glanced at the just-concluded battle and suddenly let out a breath of relief. If the escaped slaves hadn't been caught by now, they'd be in a passive position.

Chen Yi's voice came through quickly, indeed asking about the slave revolt.

Sun Ruihe recounted the process in a calm tone; as he spoke, Chen Yi didn't utter a single word, almost making him think no one was on the other end.

"Well done. Is Dai Adi with you?" Chen Yi's voice was deep.

"Yes, should I call him over now?"

"No need." Chen Yi's tone sank further: "Relay to Dai Adi that this must not happen again. If he cannot achieve that, I don't need him anymore."

"Understood. Find a way to put an end to such incidents; if it can't be done, he's no longer needed."

"Go on." Chen Yi ended the call.

The gentlemen of the West Continent did not know that this was tantamount to a Holy Knight's oath.

Sun Ruihe pursed his lips, turned to find Dai Adi, and relayed the message verbatim like an imperial edict.

No explanation needed; both of them knew why Chen Yi made such a demand. The Water Fortress had used 1,350 slaves yet consumed 23 lives — and those were trained natives' lives; that was quite a poor exchange.

Dai Adi understood even better that if the slave system were maintained, his own importance would greatly increase. The West River Water Fortress still had no Police Bureau or Safety Bureau institutions; if he did well, that would be a tempting position. If he couldn't maintain it, his existence would seem unnecessary.

From Chen Yi's refusal to continue the call, one could guess how furious he was right now.

Dai Adi decided to use his own method; he said with near-certain tone: "A batch must be killed." Those were Dai Adi's first words.

Sun Ruihe, a professional soldier through and through, was quite averse to killing prisoners: "If killing is needed, use your own people."

Dai Adi had only a single squad of six men, so he had to request personnel from She Lei and apply to Yu Weichao.

Yu Weichao was also helpless and could only issue a "handle at your own discretion" order. Hearing the problem was resolved, Chen Yi proceeded with the original plan, taking illegal immigrants from Cuba and Brazil to the rubber forest for surveying and tapping experiments; Yu Weichao had no chance to seek instructions and was deeply doubtful about the slaves' disposal.

With the Imperial Sword hanging over his head, Dai Adi felt that if he didn't execute people, he would be executed himself; thus he hardened his heart, sent orders everywhere, and demanded that the remaining 1,100-plus slaves be assembled early the next morning.

Another foggy day; under the deterrence of heavy machine guns and autocannons, the slaves gathered anxiously on the riverbank.

There was a clearing here, with a simple platform erected, upon which stood a row of six gallows.

Based on images captured by Sun Ruihe and the others, Dai Adi selected all three slave squad leaders, six slaves who participated in the massacre, and nine slaves who were the first to respond to the revolt, and made the remaining 90-plus slaves face the gallows directly to witness the ceremony.

Yan Shan Jian, the Black Wolf under Dai Adi, was in charge of the hanging process. He was a second-term Outer Hall trainee, and also poached directly from the Judicial Bureau.

The somewhat cautious poaching should also count as an appurtenance of the Chen Family patriarch's recovery; since Chen Yi had returned to his unimpeded dandy life in Jiangning, he took the opportunity to promote a "commissioned training" policy in the West River Water Fortress — any West Continent supervisor needing manpower could apply for whatever talent they required.

Dai Adi applied for commissioned training of guard and interrogation talents; Chen Yi thus sat in Deputy Bureau Chief Yan's office, reviewed the files, and finally picked a "talent" from the Jiangning Second Detention Center with no relatives or connections — Yan Shan Jian. This forty-something uncle had received two warning penalties in his youth, had no background and thus no promotion prospects, and faced economic difficulties like his wife's divorce and children's schooling; he had zero resistance to the salary Chen Yi offered. Side inquiries revealed he was known on the streets as a fierce black hand on the public security front, versed in all sorts of bizarre punishments, and audacious to a fault. Chen Yi sent him to the Martial Arts Hall to cultivate for a month, then dispatched him to the West Continent.

Yan Shan Jian had naturally never handled hanging duties before, but in a place like the West Continent, who doesn't hold two or three jobs? Dai Adi subsidized him 20,000 yuan, and Yan Shan Jian styled himself Black Wolf, willingly becoming the executioner.

Over a thousand slaves, plus half a company of native soldiers, and three hundred-plus native workers all watched this hanging.

A total of 18 slaves went to the gallows, to be done in three batches.

One can imagine the agony those behind endured while the ones in front went to "be a good man again."

The pretty boy Barni stood in the crowd baring his teeth; to avoid being raped by crazed soldiers — a common occurrence in temple wars — he had to beat his own face and eyes swollen, and tear up his meticulously styled hair.

Fortunately, he was not selected for this list of 18 to be executed. Though the situation ahead wouldn't be good, he remained full of hope for the future.

Other slaves might have abandoned thoughts of escape, but as long as he reached Ma La, he would be saved; when that time came, he would make the West River Water Fortress pay the price.

"Next batch." Dai Adi's voice carried not a shred of emotion.

In Barni's memory, when Ma La prepared to punish slaves, they would always state it clearly and distinctly, wasting much time before carrying it out once, because slaves were the property of nobles, and executing slaves meant losing property...

The Jiangning people were not like that.

"Rule-breaking bastard." Barni cursed secretly, his head lowered as if he wanted to kiss his own tail.

The third batch of 6 slaves died struggling.

Dai Adi twitched his buttocks; he was somewhat afraid, which was why he spoke so little, but compared to the Martial Arts Hall students who grew up in peaceful times, his personality was far more cruel.

"This is punishment for slave resistance." Dai Adi stood before a group of slaves and said: "Now, divide the remaining 92 slaves into 9 groups."

Native soldiers went up, driving them with long spears.

Like a rabbit, Barni hopped to his position, missing the elegant and gentlemanly knight life beyond measure.

"Execute the remaining two." Dai Adi's voice was not loud, yet it made Barni tremble — it wasn't over yet.

Two unlucky slaves ended their lives amid screams; they must have been shouting about fairness or such things, but unfortunately no one gave it to them.

"Group 1 first, Group 2 second, Group 3 third... Group 9 ninth, execute." With each sentence Dai Adi spoke, native soldiers dragged one out.

Barni discovered in horror that he was the 6th of Group 6; this should have been a good position.

"Execute!"

"Execute!"

One out of every 10, drawn and killed!

Sun Ruihe unconsciously licked his lips and said softly: "Where did the Lord find this guy? What difference is there between us and Rome's slave owners?"

Qin Dajiang laughed uglily twice and said: "Heard he's from a poor mountain ditch in Sichuan; tortured cats and dogs back in middle school..."

"He got what he wished for."

The Jiangning people's contempt could not conceal the slaves' fear, especially Barni's. His regret could practically fill the river channel.

Zhang Zhonghe carefully turned off the camera. As a researcher of the Policy Research Office, he had originally only come to observe Dai Adi's processing method, never expecting to witness a massacre.

He wrote the four characters "Is it necessary" in his notebook, then erased them, and wrote instead: Natives' reaction to this is flat.

For Ma La, where hundreds are casually buried as funeral companions, the death of several tens of slaves indeed could not arouse the natives' passion.

Before Dai Adi returned to West River Water Fortress, Zhang Zhonghe hurried back first, wrote it into a report and submitted it to the Rhombus Conference Hall.

Yu Weichao and the others immediately fell into intense debate.

Yet throughout the entire process, Chen Yi spent it almost entirely with eyes closed, resting his spirit. By the end, when several people finished discussing, Chen Yi also expressed no stance, as if this problem was not a problem.

He instead raised a new topic, saying: "After returning today, you all spread word to all Earthlings who hear the news — any willing to go home? I plan to take 5 people back to Earth, count it as leave, about a week's time."

"Back to Earth?"

"Go back, and must come back. Among you four, one can go back. Hmm, Yu Weichao wait a bit more, need to hold down West River Water Fortress." Chen Yi meant Yu Weichao, She Lei, Li Changning, and Li Feng.

Yu Weichao hurriedly said: "Yes."

Chen Yi nodded satisfied, then said: "The remaining 4 people, there are several criteria. This leave is a publicity stunt and also a reward; you must do the vetting work well, and back on Earth must also strictly keep secrets, absolutely cannot discuss any West Continent content or details... wait two more days. You prioritize handling this matter."

Actually no need for him to remind, the gentlemen in the Rhombus Conference Hall also knew the importance of this matter.

First, this has immeasurable effect on appeasing hearts; second, this will also greatly increase the importance of West Continent work, improving Earthlings' enthusiasm.

If also considering Chen Yi's identity... the four people got excited themselves first.

This is likewise Chen Zhongguo's "health dividend" after his illness cured. The magnitude of an official's influence lies in his activity capacity — though it's political activity capacity, it undoubtedly involves his personal health condition.

The old Chen Zhongguo saw at most one or two people a day, so the matters he could personally handle well were just one or two. Now he sees ten or twenty a day, so matters he can handle well are at least ten or twenty, and inevitably have value-added effect.

Just the two deputies of the Violent Organs closely connected to Chen Yi — Yan Deputy Director's promotion to Bureau Chief is imminent, and Zhu Guangliang is practically just waiting out seniority, waiting to sit firm in the Deputy Bureau Chief position before advancing further.

With them determined to help, not to mention taking Earthlings back to Jiangning, even parading aliens on Jiangning streets would work. Even in the worst case, if someone wanted to leak West Continent matters, Chen Yi could be like a Hollywood movie's big villain, nailing everyone dead in their positions. Unless China produces a hybrid of 007 and Rambo, no one can turn the tables.

After Chen Yi thought it through very clearly, he handed the preliminary personnel selection rights to Yu Weichao and the others, concentrating his energy only on the rubber forest project and the platinum mine survey.

West Continent's environment and mineral deposits can be said to be uniquely advantaged; platinum is still in the exploration stage, but just through conch shells, 3 to 5 tons of platinum can be recovered each month — West Continent merchants, attracted by the 1.3x exchange rate, spontaneously began trading platinum with West River Water Fortress, and even pure currency merchants appeared, which is naturally welcomed by them.

Chen Yi kept about half the platinum in reserve for appreciation — that is where precious metals are most valuable.

Compared to the huge profits of precious metals after exploration completes, natural rubber is like a naturally flowing gold river, displaying its style to Chen Yi. 76,000 hectares of natural rubber forest is simply like a gold mine, and sits right west of Ma La, tempting and firming his resolve to ready troops for war.

China's natural rubber averages below 10,000 tons per hectare per year, with price above 12,000 yuan per ton. In other words, 76,000 hectares of natural rubber forest yields gross profit around 1 billion RMB.

And merely by preliminary estimate, West Continent's natural rubber output at least exceeds China's. In other words, Ma La alone has 1 billion income equivalent to half the conch shells.

Moreover this can solve employment problems — to put it more meaningfully, it should be said to concentrate West River Water Fortress's native strength.

... (Unfinished. If you like this work, welcome to Qidian (qidian. com) to cast recommendation tickets, monthly tickets; your support is my greatest motivation.)