Munitions Empire

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On the following day, the weather was splendid.

There wasn't a cloud in the sky, and it had not changed because of the assassination of the governing official here.

Outside the Government Hall, various models of luxurious cars filled the space, some produced by Gobur, some by the Ice Cold Kingdom, and others from Brunas.

Next to the cars, fierce-looking guards were stationed, some gathered in groups idly chatting, some observing the surrounding guards who were somewhat different from before, creating an obviously desolate atmosphere.

The police were no longer on duty; in their place, fully armed troops from the National Defense Army were standing guard, holding Thompson Submachine Guns and not allowing anyone near to strike up a conversation.

Inside the Government Hall, a group of nobles wearing expensive clothes, along with their butlers and servants, crowded the hall, seemingly unaffected and in good spirits.

Underneath their feet lay two men, akin to beggars in appearance, so badly beaten they were beyond recognition.

Sitting across from them was a young man with a large-brimmed hat, his legs crossed, smiling just the same. With his hands tucked, resting on his knees, his booted feet swung back and forth, watching the people in front of him performing their nonstop act.

"Assassinating the governing officer is such a despicable act! People like that should be beaten to death alive!" a former Zheng Country noble chuckled with pride, kicking the man lying at his feet who was beaten beyond human recognition, and declared, "As distinguished families with local fame, we naturally detest such things."

"Therefore, we dispatched someone last night to find out who the real perpetrator was, and we even caught the criminal for you gentlemen!" Having said that, he gestured and a menacing subordinate stepped forward, grabbing the severely beaten man by the collar.

They had actually calculated it all already. At present, Tang Country was engaged in relentless battles with the Sheng Country at the frontlines. The battle for Beiyuan City, which should have ended quickly, had dragged on without a clear victor.

What does this indicate? It indicates that the military of the Great Tang Kingdom no longer possesses significant combat strength! To stabilize the situation and ensure domestic tranquility, the higher-ups in Tang wouldn't want to blow things out of proportion.

As long as they hand over a scapegoat, this side will naturally seize the opportunity to graciously back down, and the matter will eventually be buried.

"Gentlemen, is it him?" the nobleman surveyed the eight police officers who had come to act as witnesses, having been on duty at the main gate the day before, and asked, pretending to be serious.

"Yes, yes, it's him, it's him!" Several police officers hurriedly nodded, all chorusing their agreement. As if the murderer they had seen the day before was indeed this man.

"Lord Hao, you've seen it too, haven't you?" the nobleman turned to an elderly man standing aside, a former official of Zheng Country, and continued to elongate his question.

At this moment, the young military officer who seemed to have been afk in his leading seat, suddenly tilted his head, as if his soul had returned to his body, and looked at the old man.

After seeing the face of the noble, whose expression had started to turn gloomy and threatening, and then looking at the young military officer sitting there, the old man remained silent for a long while, struggled for a long time before he clenched his teeth and finally shook his head, "It doesn't match the physique."

"Ha!" The former Zheng noble scoffed, looking again at the young military officer seated there, and brazenly retorted, "Lord Hao is getting on in years, his memory not what it used to be, his vision poor, and it's natural not to see clearly."

After finishing, he walked up to the unrecognizable, beaten man, and asked coldly, "Speak! Was it you who assassinated the Governing Official?"

"It was, it was us..." the man weakly admitted to the crimes foisted upon him. He had no choice; the lives of his entire family were in their hands; he had to take the blame.

"And for what reason did you attempt to assassinate the Governing Official, huh?" The nobleman glanced smugly at the young military officer, continuing to interrogate.

"He, he deserved to die. He, he levied taxes forcefully, gave me, gave me no way out, so I harbored resentment, and just, just bought a Left-Wheel Handgun."

"This is the evidence." A local judge placed a Left-Wheel Handgun and a bloody dagger on the table, indicating to everyone to take a look.

The young military officer sitting with his legs crossed didn't even spare a glance at those items, merely looked at the noble in front of him with a natural smile.

"Sir, the evidence is conclusive..." The judge, nearly seventy years old this year, was known as a paragon of honesty in the area, praised by all nobles and wealthy landlords for his speedy case handling and seasoned experience, with an excellent reputation across the board.

The young military officer stretched out his hand, cutting off the old judge. He stood up and walked over to the standing deputy governing official, placed a hand on his shoulder, "Sun Ze told me you were a decent person, I thank you on his behalf, thankful that you spoke the truth just now."

"What? Sir, you do not believe the words of so many of us? We..." The leading former Zheng noble prepared to follow his routine, uniting most of the noble landlords present to pressure the young man.

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The young officer rubbed his hands together, drew his M1911 pistol from his waist, and with a click, a bullet was chambered.

All present shuddered at once, then the entire hall fell silent, leaving only the young man laughing as he spoke, "I didn't quite like your testimony just now. Care to repeat it?"

"Sir, the evidence..." The old judge, summoning courage, stepped forward to soothe, "The chain of evidence is intact, and the accused has confessed. Please calm down, calm down..."

"Bang!" Under the watchful eyes of all, the young officer raised his hand, and with one shot from his pistol, he shattered the old judge's head.

Blood splattered everywhere, and everyone shuddered again at the sound of gunfire. The young man still had a smile on his face, but with specks of fresh blood on his cheek, his grin appeared somewhat fierce.

He held the pistol, slightly turned his head, and looked coldly at everyone present, "Am I here to reason with you? The only person who was speaking sensibly here has already been beaten to death by you! Dead! Since you're not reasonable, then I can be at ease."

"Sir, standing here are people of renown; you cannot execute us without evidence..." The leading noble bit back in annoyance, glaring at the young officer.

"I'll give you 20 seconds to confess on your own and find the murderer for me," the young man said, ignoring him and continuing, "Only 15 seconds left."

A well-known local landlord, clutching vast tracts of land, yelled out, "We are all good people! How could we ever be involved in assassinating an official..."

"9... 8..." The young officer continued to count down, not even sparing a glance at where the man was, "Looks like you're quite united. Hope you can hold out."

"You cannot execute us without any evidence!" The leading noble was becoming hysterical, "We are all innocent!"

"Bang!" Raising the pistol, the young officer shot the previously chattering former Zheng Country noble in the head, and blood once again sprayed out.

"You wouldn't stop talking just now, do you know how annoying you are?" The young officer glanced at his watch, "Ah, sorry, two seconds early. Nobody would mind, right? After all, it was a little short on time, easy to make a mistake."

"What if I apologize to him, would that be alright?" The officer walked over to the corpse of the noble, and looking down at his smashed face, said, "Sorry about that, I fired too quickly. If you mind, go ahead and scold me. If you forgive me, then don't make a sound."

After he finished speaking, he lifted his head and looked once more at the silent local notables, "See, he has forgiven me."

"It's him! He sent the assassin! It was him!" A noble, pale with fright, pointed at the body on the ground and cried out.

"Him?" The officer looked at the body lying on the ground, his expression one of disbelief.

"Yes! Yes! It was him!" The noble, thinking he had found a way out, continued excitedly, "We are all innocent! Completely innocent!"

"Bang!" The young officer lifted his hand, and with one shot, he hit the so-called quick-witted noble in the chest, causing the surrounding people to quickly scatter, moving away from the new corpse.

The young officer walked over and fired two more shots at the noble that had fallen and was still gasping for breath, "Damn it! You dare try to trick me! You dare to play games with me! What were you thinking? You think you're clever, huh? Ah?"

He was already seething with anger. Sun Ze, the man who had been assassinated, was an acquaintance of his, a schoolmate and fellow graduate. After graduation, one chose the military, the other civil governance.

They had a good relationship and both served in the same city, one governing, the other leading local troops. They often met, and even their wives were best friends.

Not long ago, both their wives became pregnant, and they agreed that if both children were boys, they would be as brothers; if girls, as sisters; and if one of each, they would arrange a betrothal.

But before the pregnancies became evident, Sun Ze was assassinated; upon hearing the news, Sun Ze's wife cried herself into unconsciousness, nearly affecting the fetus.

In a state of uncontrollable fury, the young officer emptied his pistol, then finally stopped. It proved that trying to be clever at such times doesn't always pay off. Continue your journey on My Virtual Library Empire

"Sir! Please, have mercy on me! I wasn't involved in the assassination! I don't know who was!" A female noble, no longer haughty as before, suddenly knelt down and started wailing, "Spare me, please. Whatever you want, I'll give it, I'll give everything!"

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These two updates are for yesterday, and today's is being written.