Chapter 180: Encryption Mechanism
Outer district.
Bullets formed a giant web, reaping the lives of the White Wolf Gang members.
Under the power of the massive firearms, flesh was as fragile as tofu, and the entire alley was filled with chunks of meat and severed limbs.
A gang leader with his thigh blown off used his arms to drag himself forward, howling in pain with every movement due to the blood loss and agony, "Boss, save me! Boss!"
His voice carried a desperate will to survive.
But it was clearly to no avail.
At the rear, 'Garwan' and a few others hid in a side yard, listening to the relentless gunfire.
They didn't even dare to peek outside.
The cries of their wounded comrades outside were completely ignored.
"Fuck! Where did they get that kind of weapon? Damn, this woman is ruthless as hell," Garwan cursed through gritted teeth.
At the same time, he began regretting getting involved in the inner district conflict.
Why did I get myself into this mess?
If I had known it would be like this, I would have destroyed the Spikes Gang earlier and played that woman to death.
Damn it, how did it come to this?
Suddenly, the gunfire stopped.
The alley instantly fell silent, with only the painful wails becoming clearer.
Wen Mansa glanced around curiously and noticed that the gun barrel had turned red-hot; it seemed they would need to pause for a while.
However, the situation no longer required such a weapon.
She coldly ordered, "Charge in, leave no one alive. Whoever kills Garwan's men, bring me the leaders. There's a 500 silver reward."
The Spikes Gang members froze for a moment.
Then they quickly reacted, raised their weapons, and charged in with a shout.
At first, they had been too afraid to attack the White Wolf Gang.
But now, there were barely any of them left, and being from gangs themselves.
They no longer felt much fear.
The bounties on their heads were lucrative, so everyone rushed forward, fearing they would miss out and not get their share of the reward.
Along the way, they killed every White Wolf Gang member still wailing in pain, then stormed into the courtyard.
Upon seeing 'Garwan,' they raised their blades to strike.
Although Garwan was fierce, he struggled against the superior numbers of the Spikes Gang members.
A short sword pierced his chest, and his gaze outside was filled with despair.
"Wen Mansa, don't kill me! I give up! The White Wolf Gang still has some assets, but if you kill me, they won't go to you. Don't kill me!" Garwan shouted desperately.
The member about to finish him hesitated for a moment.
He dragged Garwan out of the courtyard and looked up at Wen Mansa, who was covering her nose and mouth.
Seemingly waiting for her decision.
Wen Mansa glanced up and said, "Someone in the inner district wants you dead. I can't save you. Kill him."
She waved her hand slightly.
The subordinate understood, and with a swift motion, his sword slashed across Garwan's throat, causing blood to gush out.
"Sister-in-law, they're all dead. There's no one left," someone reported.
Wen Mansa nodded, "Find a few guys, search the place. Take anything valuable, and the rest clean up the battlefield."
"Got it, Sister-in-law."
The outer district didn't care about gang battles.
But once they were over, the battlefield had to be cleaned up to prevent corpses from littering the streets and affecting nearby shops or residents.
Everyone began the final cleanup of the battlefield.
Wen Mansa had Garwan's and a few other leaders' corpses pulled out and placed on a cart.
Along with the strange weapon, she headed back to her base.
After tonight.
The Spikes Gang would become famous in the outer district.
......
Inner district.
"The 'Iron Guard Knights' have arrived. They're approaching," Glenda floated in the air and whispered.
Wu Heng stood in the courtyard of 'Gianluan's' mansion.
He glanced back at the gate.
When his place was attacked, these knights saw it and turned tail.
But now they had arrived quickly.
"How many?" Wu Heng asked.
Glenda rose higher and looked into the distance, "About twenty or thirty, but I see more coming from other directions."
"Kill them all and bring back the bodies," Wu Heng ordered.
The skeletons standing by immediately moved, marching out of the gate toward the approaching knights.
Under the terrified eyes of the knights, their formation was broken as countless cleavers came down on them, killing them on the spot.
Wu Heng walked into the building.
Gianluan was a local merchant tycoon and an important member of the Secret Cult.
His standard of living was quite lavish.
The carpet, sofa, potted plants, and paintings in the hall were not items ordinary people could own.
Especially the few pieces of furniture, their intricate carvings and craftsmanship weren't something any common artisan could produce.
It suited the status of a wealthy merchant.
If the living conditions were too simple, it would seem like he had raided the wrong place.
Wu Heng walked to the stairs and found 'Gianluan's' body.
He had been cut in half at the waist, his eyes full of terror at the moment of death.
Wu Heng opened a portal with a key.
"Take the bodies and everything here. Move quickly," Wu Heng ordered.
The remaining skeletons began to move.
They picked up items from the room and carried them through the portal.
They formed a line, moving like an army of ants transporting goods.
Soon, the skeletons that had gone out to intercept the knights returned, dragging dozens of silver-armored corpses.
Wu Heng continued to command them to transport the goods.
The overly large items were left behind.
Everything else that could be carried was taken, leaving nothing behind.
Once everything was done.
Wu Heng pulled out the bronze key and donned his cloak.
With Glenda's guidance, he avoided the knights patrolling nearby.
Disappearing into the night.
......
Returning to his residence.
The house was empty; Minnie and Andviel had been sent to the 'Lecia' Consortium.
As long-time business partners, he trusted her fairly well.
Besides, few dared to offend such a powerful consortium.
The hall was dimly lit.
Wu Heng lifted the curtain and glanced outside.
Seeing nothing suspicious, he headed straight for the third floor.
Knock, knock, knock~!
A white-feathered owl sat on the windowsill, tapping the window with its beak.
Wu Heng opened the window, let the owl in, and removed the note from its leg, unfolding it to read.
The message was simple.
The White Wolf Gang had been wiped out, and there was no danger.
Wu Heng picked up a pen and wrote, "No issues on my side either."
He tied the note back onto the owl's leg and sent it off.
When Glenda returned, confirming that there were no dangers outside.
Wu Heng reopened the portal and returned to the zombie world.
It was still night here, but the courtyard was brightly lit by several solar-powered lamps.
Wu Heng approached the open space.
To inspect the loot from this operation.
On one side were various pieces of furniture, paintings, wine, and dinnerware. On the other side, a pile of corpses.
Among them were 'Gianluan' and his men, as well as the knights.
Wu Heng hadn't wanted things to escalate this far.
But their conflict had reached an irreconcilable point.
They had made their move, and if he didn't fight back, they would only grow more reckless.
Today they dared to kidnap his maid, and tomorrow it would be something worse.
The consequences would be unimaginable.
It was better to act swiftly, as he had now, to wipe them out.
Whatever consequences or investigations arose in Rentam City, he couldn't avoid it.
When the time came, he'd deal with it step by step.
He sat on a wooden stool, staring at the pile of corpses. After a moment of hesitation.
He said to the skeleton beside him, "Bring him out."
Gianluan's corpse was dragged out.
Only the upper half remained, blood dripping everywhere.
Wu Heng cast [Speak with Dead], and in the next second, the half-body corpse opened its eyes.
It couldn't sit up but could turn its neck.
Its empty gaze turned toward Wu Heng, devoid of any emotion, with lifeless eyes.
"Who else was involved in the plan against me?" Wu Heng asked.
The corpse responded, "Arnel, and 'Capro.'"
Wu Heng pressed further, "Just the three of you?"
The corpse said, "For this plan, only the three of us discussed it. No one else was involved."
"The reason for assassinating me was mainly to retrieve the 'Ritual Staff' and the 'Blood Chalice'?"
"Yes."
Damn it.
"Why are those two items so important to you?" Wu Heng continued to ask.
The corpse's body began to tremble violently.
Just as Wu Heng thought something was about to go wrong, the corpse stopped trembling and answered, "These two items are very important tools with special functions. If lost, we would be punished."
It didn't elaborate, but Wu Heng understood—the punishment mentioned.
It was the punishment from the Secret Cult.
These two items were crucial artifacts for the Secret Cult, and if they weren't retrieved, they would all be held accountable.
One last question.
Wu Heng thought for a moment, then continued, "Tell me the members and identities of the Secret Cult that you know."
The corpse remained in place, unresponsive.
Wu Heng frowned and repeated, "Tell me the members and identities of the Secret Cult in this city."
The corpse still didn't respond.
The next second, its head began to shake violently, and with a pop, the necromantic energy dissipated, and the corpse fell to the ground with a thud.
Wu Heng's eyes widened slightly.
He looked at the scene in front of him in surprise.
He hadn't expected this to happen.
It seemed that mentioning the Secret Cult's members triggered some kind of encryption mechanism.
Once they were probed or questioned in this way.
They would self-destruct.
Like a built-in self-destruction program.
It seemed that joining the Secret Cult required encryption too.
Good thing I didn't rush into joining them.
The corpse could no longer be reanimated.
Wu Heng then said, "Strip him clean."
Barson bent down and stripped the corpse in front of him completely.
Besides the blood-stained suit.
There were still quite a few valuable items.
[Protective Pendant]
(Description: A pendant inscribed with the 'Sword and Shield Protection' rune, which can form a magical barrier at a critical moment, blocking a portion of incoming damage.)
[Spatial Ring]
(Description: A tool inscribed with space magic, containing 5 cubic meters of internal storage.)
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