The Execution

Seeing Su Jie's grotesque and terrifying form with his own eyes, Lu Wenbo finally understood why the staff officer had reported everything that way.

Because the boss of Jieko Company really was not human!

"Why aren't you saying anything?"

Su Jie leaped down from the back of the Thousand-Hand Centipede and walked toward Lu Wenbo step by step.

"Wh-who exactly are you?"

Lu Wenbo's pupils shrank to pinpoints.

Su Jie's existence shattered his worldview. How could such supernatural power possibly exist in this world?

Could it be that the ghosts, gods, and devils from the legends were all real, and that he had been kept in the dark and deceived all his life?

"I'm just an ordinary businessman."

Su Jie walked up to Lu Wenbo, the smile on his face growing even wider.

Lu Wenbo: "."

"D-don't come over! I said, don't come over!"

Trembling, he drew a gold-plated pistol from his waist. His eyes were filled with terror as he aimed the gun at Su Jie, yet it brought him not the slightest sense of security.

"Tsk, tsk. You were the one who called me over to meet you, and now you're telling me not to come over. Is something wrong with your brain?"

Su Jie grinned. Lu Wenbo's vision blurred, and the golden pistol had already fallen into Su Jie's hands.

"Not bad taste. It'll make a good addition to my collection."

After playing with it for a moment, Su Jie tossed it into his storage pouch.

Lu Wenbo had already lost all his courage. He collapsed limply onto the ground, utterly devoid of the warlord bearing with which he had once turned the world upside down.

"I'm a member of the Wu Household, one of the Three Great Lineages. If you dare kill me, my family absolutely won't let you go."

Facing such an inhuman monster, all he could do now was invoke his backing in hopes of scaring Su Jie away.

In Zen Country, aside from the government forces, warlords stood everywhere. The Wu, Bai, and Liu lineages—the Three Great Lineages—controlled a large portion of Zen Country's economic and political resources. Behind the scenes, they could manipulate certain political elections and wielded enormous influence throughout the country.

Lu Wenbo came from the Wu Household, one of the Three Great Lineages.

Upon hearing this, Su Jie shook his head repeatedly. "Kill you? No, no, no. You can't die yet."

A look of delight appeared on Lu Wenbo's face. He thought his family had intimidated the other man.

"Release me at once, or my family—"

"Killing you now would be a waste. Nothing is more effective at inspiring fear than executing you on the spot. A lot of people want to see you punished with their own eyes."

Lu Wenbo's voice cut off abruptly. How could he fail to understand Su Jie's intentions? Su Jie intended to use his head to slaughter the chicken and scare the monkeys!

Su Jie crouched down and casually picked up a bayonet. He shoved it into Lu Wenbo's mouth and ground his tongue to pieces. After preventing him from spouting nonsense, he ignored his screams of agony and threw him into the jeep.

At the same time, the Thousand-Hand Centipede's pale corpse hands dealt with the last group of fleeing soldiers. Under Su Jie's orders, they dug a mass grave and buried all the corpses inside.

The Security Department could handle the battlefield cleanup afterward, collecting the useful firearms and equipment. The Mande United Army's military camp could conveniently serve as the headquarters of the newly established Jieko Security.

After dealing with everything, Su Jie started the jeep and headed back toward Mande City.

Mande City, Central Square.

A large crowd of citizens had gathered there. Employees of Jieko Company had been spreading word throughout the city that the Mande United Army had been annihilated and Lu Wenbo captured, and that he would be publicly convicted and executed.

The news naturally drew the citizens out to watch.

At three in the afternoon, a team from Jieko Security dragged the limp Lu Wenbo into the square.

The entire square erupted at once.

The Mande Region had suffered under Lu Wenbo for far too long. During his years as a warlord, his various exactions and predatory levies had enraged the heavens and angered the people. Now that they saw him being dragged along like a dead dog, everyone naturally cheered and applauded in delight.

Nearby, Su Jie was smiling as he patted a middle-aged man on the shoulder.

This was An Sangshen, the former deputy mayor of Mande City whom Su Jie had newly appointed mayor. Su Jie said, "Mayor An, it's your turn to go onstage. You know what you're supposed to say, right?"

"Yes, yes, I understand. President Su, rest assured, I'll follow your instructions to the letter."

As mayor, An Sangshen bowed and scraped before Su Jie, seemingly only a step away from cutting out his own heart to prove his loyalty.

That was because An Sangshen knew exactly how he had come to power. He also knew that as long as Su Jie wished, Su Jie could remove him at any time and replace him with another puppet mayor.

"Go."

Su Jie waved a hand. An Sangshen did not dare delay. He jogged up onto the hastily erected platform and, after seeing Lu Wenbo brought over, spoke into the microphone. "I'm An Sangshen, the new mayor of Mande City. Everyone, look closely. This is Lu Wenbo, who has ravaged the Mande Region for years—the so-called General Lu everyone knows. Here, I must especially thank Jieko Company for assisting our city government in capturing him. His so-called Mande United Army has also been completely annihilated. From now on, everyone will no longer have to pay exorbitant levies, nor will you have to fear oppression from the Mande United Army..."

An Sangshen held his prepared speech and spoke eloquently from the platform, drawing thunderous cheers from the crowd below.

Below the platform, Su Jie walked over at an unhurried pace and sat beside Liu Yingying in the front row.

As the nominal president of Jieko Company, Liu Yingying had been seated in the best spot. Beside her was a group of Mande City officials who had been specially invited. These officials had either not colluded with Lu Wenbo or had maintained only shallow ties with him. Those who had colluded closely had long since been taken down and imprisoned by Jieko Company.

Seeing that Su Jie had not said anything, Liu Yingying recalled Su Jie's warning from before and spoke to several officials beside her.

"Everyone, many important positions in Mande City have become vacant. I hope that after you take office, you won't forget what happened today. Don't repeat the same mistakes, and keep your hands clean. Otherwise, you won't want to experience Jieko Company's methods."

Liu Yingying cast them a sidelong glance. Cold sweat immediately broke out on the officials' foreheads, and they hastily assured her, "We wouldn't dare, we wouldn't dare. From now on, Jieko Company only needs to tell us what to do, and we'll do it."

Zen Country was, after all, a nation filled with warlords, and its officials were accustomed to such shifts in power. Although Jieko Company was merely a company in name, it had united hundreds of thousands of ordinary citizens and annihilated the powerful Mande United Army. Without a doubt, it was the new overlord of the Mande Region. The officials knew very well whom they had to serve.

"That's good."

Liu Yingying nodded with feigned coldness, though inwardly she was so nervous she could barely stand it.

In the past, when had she ever had the chance to speak with high-ranking officials who controlled an entire city? Now she could not only speak with them but also reprimand and intimidate them. An inexplicable thrill surged through Liu Yingying's heart.

And all of it had been brought by Su Jie.

Su Jie had once stated plainly that she was to serve as Jieko Company's representative in the Mande Region and oversee all affairs there in his absence.

Liu Yingying lifted her head and looked at Su Jie beside her with a complicated expression.

She had gone to the Mande United Army's camp earlier and seen the traces of battle left behind there.

Without a sound or sign, the Mande United Army, which commanded more than a thousand soldiers, had suddenly been wiped out and vanished. Even Lu Wenbo had been captured alive.

Liu Yingying guessed that Su Jie must have secretly controlled a military force of his own. Otherwise, there was no way he could have accomplished this without anyone noticing.

Shaking her head, Liu Yingying cast the thoughts from her mind, just in time to hear An Sangshen finish announcing Lu Wenbo's and the Mande United Army's various crimes.

"...I hereby announce that Lu Wenbo has been found guilty of a total of twenty-one charges and sentenced to death."

After An Sangshen finished reading the verdict, several members of Jieko Security forced the trembling Lu Wenbo to kneel on the ground. One stood behind him, raised a rifle, aimed at the back of his head, and pulled the trigger.

The Jieko Security guard carrying out the execution was in his early twenties. He was Miao Lun, whom Su Jie had specifically chosen.

Bang!

With the crack of the gunshot, Lu Wenbo toppled over, dying with his eyes wide open. At the same time, earth-shaking cheers erupted across the square, celebrating the removal of the Mande Region's greatest scourge.

An Sangshen held the microphone, glanced at Su Jie seated below the platform, and addressed the crowd again. "To prevent another Lu Wenbo from appearing, our city government has signed a comprehensive cooperation agreement with Jieko Company, supporting Jieko Company in providing commercial cooperation and security services throughout the Mande Region. Next, please welcome the president of Jieko Company to the stage. Let's give her a round of applause."

Liu Yingying drew a deep breath, feeling somewhat nervous.

"You're only reading from a script. You're a top student, so what's there to fear in such a small scene?"

Su Jie gave Liu Yingying a push. Gathering her courage, she walked onto the platform, picked up the microphone, and spoke in a clear voice.

"Everyone, I'm Liu Yingying, president of Jieko Company. Now that the Mande United Army has been annihilated, Jieko Company solemnly promises that we will never allow any outside force to disrupt the peaceful life of the Mande Region. We will protect everyone's lives and property.

"At the same time, Jieko Company will increase its investment in the Mande Region. As long as everyone focuses on raising insects, Jieko Company's breeding farms will purchase them unconditionally, allowing everyone to build wealth through insect farming and live a moderately prosperous life."

"Jieko Company!"

"Jieko Company!"

"Jieko Company!"

The citizens below began shouting one after another. Having eliminated the Mande United Army, Jieko Company now shone with glorious radiance in the eyes of the people.