Thunderclap Operation

The lord's order in Ye Wei'an's hands was, of course, fake.

How could he possibly have flown to Firefall Fortress and back to Firefall Town in just a few days?

Let alone obtained an order from his dying, deadbeat father.

Of course he had forged it.

And the most important part—the seal—had naturally been forged with the [Signet Ring of Perjury] he had just acquired.

From that perspective, Gray Crow had only brought this trouble upon himself.

As the crowd of onlookers grew larger, Ye Wei'an saw that the time was right. He swung down from his horse and stepped onto the stone steps outside the Leather Shop.

He clapped his hands. Renn and Harold immediately hauled over Grumman, the Barbarian bandit bound up like a dumpling, along with Gray Crow himself, and tossed them down in front of the crowd with a thud.

"People of Firefall Town!" Ye Wei'an announced loudly. "You may be wondering why we've sealed the 'Old Oak' Leather Shop. Now I'll tell you: Gray Crow, the 'successful merchant' in your eyes, is actually the Grumman Bandit Group's local fence! This leather shop is the den where those murderous thugs dispose of their stolen goods!"

He abruptly unfurled several yellowed ledgers and bloodstained letters and held them above his head.

"These are Gray Crow's accounts and letters! They record in detail how 'Old Oak' contacted the bandits, robbed merchant caravans across the region, and eliminated competitors—and, even worse, how Gray Crow dared to hire them to openly ambush members of the Summerstar Family—in other words, me!"

The crowd erupted in an uproar.

Ye Wei'an didn't need to tell them. The locals already knew the truth about this. It was an open secret.

The reason the Grumman Bandit Group never robbed the locals was that they had an understanding with the local bigwigs.

But intimidated by Gray Crow's influence, ordinary people could only suffer in silence.

Now that an important figure was standing up for them, many couldn't hold back any longer.

"Good! My caravan lost three wagonloads of leather goods on the Thunder Trade Route last year. Those beasts must've been responsible!" A shabbily dressed fur merchant in the crowd was the first to shout.

Once one person spoke up, another quickly followed.

Years of pent-up resentment burst forth like a flood once the dam broke.

"That bastard Gray Crow threatened my whole family with bandits last year so he could steal my shop!"

"Those bandits ran rampant through town! My lord, please give us justice!"

"Gray Crow extorted people everywhere—and he even took Auntie Krillin's daughter!"

Accusations rang out from every side. The crowd was furious.

Facing the surging public anger, Ye Wei'an stood on the steps and raised a hand to quiet them.

The crowd gradually fell silent. Everyone looked up at the lord's bastard son, the man who had brought them hope.

"I know how much you've suffered. But this viper was able to squat in Firefall Town for so long not only because he had powerful backing, but because he used the bandit group to control the town through violence. Even now, they're still trying to threaten you that way."

Ye Wei'an's words left the townspeople looking at one another, unsure what he meant.

At the same time, he used [Telepathy] to assign a task to his soldiers.

(Behind you on the left, there's a man with a goatee wearing a dark gray linen shirt and carrying a battered leather pouch. Now! Grab him!)

Goat had been watching from the crowd, but when he saw Grumman bound up on the steps, he decided to slip away.

His face suddenly changed. He instinctively tried to burrow deeper into the crowd.

Unfortunately for him, the soldiers were already in position.

When they saw their target trying to escape, two soldiers shoved aside the townspeople blocking their way and closed in from either side. Four hands like iron pincers clamped down on his shoulders.

"Don't move, bastard!" One soldier drove a fist into his gut, doubling him over like a prawn. Then they dragged him onto the steps.

"This is the man!" Ye Wei'an pointed at the goateed man. "Does anyone recognize him?"

"I do!" Someone in the crowd immediately identified him. "He's Goat, one of the bandit group's lieutenants! He broke into my house last winter and stole my donkey!"

"I remember those disgusting eyes, too! In the alley behind the tavern that day, he... he raped Old Pete's daughter!"

The crowd erupted in even angrier shouts.

Several victims' family members rushed up, eyes red, and began kicking and punching Goat, who was crumpled on the ground like a lump of mud.

That was right. This unlucky fellow was Goat, the bandit lieutenant who had been the first to run during the ambush.

After escaping, he hurried back to Firefall Town to report what had happened, but he was still too late.

Gray Crow had already been seized by Ye Wei'an, but no one had found out. The others thought Gray Crow had left of his own accord.

Unable to find Gray Crow, Goat had no choice but to stay in Firefall Town and wait.

He waited and waited. Gray Crow never came, but Ye Wei'an did—returning to Firefall Town.

When he saw Ye Wei'an preparing to seal the Leather Shop, he came over to gather information.

He thought he'd been discreet. Who would've guessed the minimap had spotted him from the start?

Ye Wei'an walked down the steps and looked at Goat, who was being dragged over like a dead dog. He announced coldly, "Now that we have conclusive testimony and evidence, I, Ye Wei'an Xiaxing, acting in the name of my father, Harandir Xiaxing, hereby declare that, starting today, we will completely eradicate the Gray Crow Illegal Chamber of Commerce, the Grumman Bandit Group, and all their accomplices!"

"I'll arrest every last one of them! I will show no mercy!"

That final scene sealed Gray Crow's fate.

If some people had thought that Gray Crow could use his influence to explain away the ledgers, then catching a bandit spy in the act had nailed him to the pillory as a traitor to the lord.

"My lord is wise!"

"Root out these blights! Long live Firefall Territory!"

The townspeople's cheers nearly lifted the roof off the Leather Shop.

"Starting today, Firefall Town will no longer be a haven for bandits!" Ye Wei'an waved a hand. "Cain, take them all away. The rest of you, come with me to seal the Leather Shop!"

With that, Ye Wei'an ignored the excited townspeople and the perspiring mayor, Bartok, and led his guards inside.

"Renn, take some men to the cellar and load all the contraband and leather goods they didn't have time to move onto wagons." As soon as they entered the shop, Ye Wei'an began assigning tasks.

"My lord, there's a lot of merchandise down there. We might not have enough wagons," Renn reminded him.

"Then use the Leather Shop's wagons. Remember, the entire Leather Shop is our property now."

"Yes, my lord!"

"Harold, once the cellar is cleared out, set it up as a temporary prison. You'll be in charge of guarding and interrogating the prisoners we bring in."

"Understood, my lord."

"Remember to ask the mayor to send over a few people to record their statements."

"Finally, Cain, take half the men and come with me."

For the rest of the afternoon, Firefall Town's residents witnessed the bastard young lord's thunderous tactics.

Ye Wei'an patrolled the town with a squad of fully armed soldiers.

Whenever a red dot appeared on the system's minimap, Ye Wei'an would lead his soldiers straight through the door, whether it was a private home, shop, tavern, or somewhere else.

"Open up!" Renn kicked open the door of an ordinary home.

A Gray Crow thug hiding in the vegetable cellar was dragged out by the soldiers like a chicken before he could react.

"That's 'Quickhand' Jack! The nastiest debt collector under Gray Crow!" The watching townspeople laughed and applauded.

"In this tavern. That serving girl wiping tables." Amid the patrons' gasps, the soldiers hauled out a seemingly frail young woman.

Cheers rose from the surrounding townspeople with every arrest. Gray Crow's spies had always lurked like rats in the sewers, watching every business brave enough to resist. Everyone hated them to the bone.

Naturally, some of those arrested tried to argue, especially the informants who had never been exposed.

The Drunkard and the Lady Tavern.

Ye Wei'an walked straight to the bar, pointed at a serving girl wiping a glass, and said coolly, "Take her away."

"My lord! I'm innocent! I'm just a casual worker. I don't know anything!" When two burly soldiers stepped up to her, the serving girl's eyes reddened, and she burst into tears.

Several kindhearted patrons nearby looked reluctant to see her taken away.

Ye Wei'an didn't bother arguing. He simply cast a spell.

[Charm Person].

In her eyes, the frightening Ye Wei'an suddenly seemed incredibly kind and trustworthy, like a close relative she'd lost years ago.

"I know you're afraid Gray Crow will silence you," Ye Wei'an promised gently. "But as long as you tell me what task Gray Crow gave you, I guarantee no one will hurt you. And if you're afraid the townspeople will retaliate, I can arrange for you to live somewhere else."

The serving girl's gaze turned hazy.

She wasn't a professional commercial spy to begin with, and her defenses were as fragile as tissue paper against magic. Before Ye Wei'an even had to press her for details, she blurted everything out.

"I'll tell you! I'll tell you! Lord Gray Crow... no, that bastard told me to keep an eye on the owner's accounts so he could set a trap and get the owner into trouble. Then he could take control of the tavern!"

At her words, the patrons who had been sympathizing with her gasped. The serving girl suddenly snapped out of it, turned deathly pale, and collapsed to the floor.

"Take her away." Ye Wei'an didn't even look at her. He turned and walked out of the tavern.

Whether it was an employee bribed at the bakery or a thug hiding in a haystack, no one escaped if they showed up within range of Ye Wei'an's minimap.

Whenever one of the hidden "parasites" was dragged out, the townspeople nearby who had suffered under them erupted in thunderous cheers.

As Ye Wei'an moved from place to place and questioned people, more crimes came to light.

"So the fire last year that drove the Underwood family to ruin was set by Gray Crow's men!"

"He even threatened every freight company into letting him monopolize the town's salt!"

Everyone knew Gray Crow had an iron grip on the town and had done plenty of terrible things. But since Gray Crow rarely resorted to outright robbery and usually relied on indirect methods, ordinary people hadn't felt the full impact of his crimes.

Only after so many things came to light did they realize just how much Gray Crow had "stolen" from them.

Some local merchants and prominent figures who had worked with Gray Crow tried to avoid being held accountable by placing all the blame on him.

Ye Wei'an chose to turn a blind eye.

This was the Summerstar Family's territory, not his own.

Everything he was doing was meant to establish Gray Crow's guilt. There was no need to offend too many people.

He might need them in the future.

By evening, the Gray Crow network that had once spread through Firefall Town had been completely dismantled.