Chapter 551, Wants Me to Kill.
Wu Heng looked doubtfully at the elven girl beside him.
Sheila Grey explained, "This is the enforcement badge of the Vampire Holy Ash Church. It is said to be composed of specially trained clerics and individuals with unique abilities, responsible for handling religious matters and internal security within the vampire community."
After explaining, she also looked at Wu Heng in confusion. "Why would they give you this badge?"
Wu Heng shook his head. "I have no idea. I just found out that vampires even have a church."
Wu Heng was making an effort to understand this world, but his knowledge was still limited.
Just like the names of people in this world—complex names that were hard to remember even after hearing them two or three times.
Yet, the locals could remember names after just one introduction.
"Let's see what the letter says." Sheila Grey sat down beside him.
Wu Heng placed the badge on the coffee table in front of him and continued emptying the envelope, letting a letter fall out.
「Island Master Wu Heng,
The Emerald Sea region is unique, filled with pirates and chaotic religious factions. Years ago, during an internal upheaval, four vampires were exiled.
I am granting you the status of an enforcer, giving you the authority to investigate and handle inappropriate vampire elements outside, upholding the honor of the vampire race.
You may investigate and report, or execute directly.
Enclosed with this letter is a map marking the exile locations within the Emerald Sea. Investigate their sealed status. If there are any signs of a breach, you are authorized as an enforcer to execute punishment.
May my trust and support reach you through these words.」
Wu Heng frowned as he finished reading.
He handed the letter to Sheila Grey. "Take a look."
"It's addressed to you. Should I really be reading it?" Sheila Grey hesitated.
"It's not a love letter. There's no secret in it."
Hearing this, Sheila Grey became curious about the letter's contents.
She accepted it and read through it.
Meanwhile, Wu Heng picked up the accompanying map, which had four marked locations.
According to the letter, these were the sites of exile.
One of them had already been dealt with by him. The remaining three—Lilith wanted him to check on them.
After finishing, Sheila Grey handed the letter back and looked at him. "Did you know Lilith before?"
"Not at all!" Wu Heng explained, "Back when we first became deputy stewards, I cracked a case involving a blood banquet on a cargo ship, remember? I was worried the Secret Cult would retaliate, so I wrote to Lilith about it."
Wu Heng had already been in contact with Lilith when he was in Rentam City.
That was because he had found the vampire relic, the Blood Chalice, and had it delivered through 'Slater.'
Once he arrived at Gold-Silver Island, the distance to Slater was too far, so he wrote directly to report the blood banquet incident.
His goal was also to direct Lilith's attention toward the Secret Cult.
Sheila Grey didn't ask further, but after thinking for a moment, she said, "She granted you enforcer status, meaning she wants you to inspect the remaining exiled criminals."
"Yeah." Wu Heng nodded.
"Are you planning to check them out?"
Wu Heng thought for a moment. "Since we're in the Emerald Sea, we should at least take a look. If those exiled vampires do escape, it'll be a bigger problem for us."
Sheila Grey nodded in agreement.
Confirming their status now was much better while they were still in their coffins.
If they were truly released or managed to escape due to some reason, it wouldn't be as easy to handle.
"I'll arrange a trip to sea for us to check them out," Sheila Grey said.
"Alright." Wu Heng put away the letter and map, then said, "Prepare paper and a pen for me. I'll write a letter to send back."
Shiyali brought over paper and a pen, and Wu Heng penned a formal letter thanking Lilith for her trust.
At the end, he also inquired about [Hundred Arms Set] and its other components.
As the leader of the Secret Tongue and a senior figure at the guild headquarters, Lilith would certainly know.
Consider it an early interest payment.
A badge and a title couldn't possibly cover everything.
"Why don't you practice your handwriting?" Sheila Grey frowned.
"Everyone has their own style."
"Your style doesn't look like a mage's at all."
Wu Heng sealed the letter.
Shiyali took it upon herself to deliver it to the front desk.
Wu Heng then turned to Sheila Grey. "Next time, you teach me how to write. Elves have beautiful handwriting."
Sheila Grey looked at him suspiciously. "Maybe when I have time."
The conversation ended.
Wu Heng didn't stay long at the guild, leaving the hall and returning to his residence.
...
When he arrived back at the Island Lord's Manor, it was nearly noon.
The maids were preparing lunch.
Wu Heng sat in the living room, pondering the enforcer status and the investigation of the three exiled vampires.
Judging by Sheila Grey's surprise, it seemed rare for a human to be granted vampire enforcer status.
On second thought, the reasoning made sense.
Enforcers had the right to capture and kill vampire criminals.
Such authority was no small matter in any race.
Even though Wu Heng had done some things beneficial to the vampires, it didn't seem enough to justify appointing him.
Then there was the matter of investigating the Emerald Sea exile locations.
Why not send the vampire enforcers instead? Why not at least notify Wu Heng's side in advance and accompany him?
Wu Heng's thoughts raced, and his eyes narrowed slightly.
"She wants me to kill them."
The realization struck Wu Heng instantly.
His past actions had always followed a pattern—kill first, report later.
Whether it was the weak-blooded vampires of the blood banquet or—
...
...
Looking at Wu Heng's usual way of doing things, he always eliminated the targets before reporting to Lilith.
Wu Heng's eyes narrowed.
"She doesn't want me to just check if the exiles are still there—she wants me to kill them and remove any potential threats for her."
That explained why no vampire enforcers were dispatched to check.
Instead, she appointed an outsider like him to investigate these so-called exiled criminals.
"Well played. She wants me to clean up her mess."
Wu Heng immediately understood the situation.
"Master, time to eat!" Robe waved at him.
Wu Heng snapped out of his thoughts, got up, and walked into the dining room.
After lunch.
Wu Heng donned the [Conductor's Hat] in the courtyard and headed for Lopez City.
...
Snake Emblem Consortium, VIP room.
Wu Heng sat in the room for a while until a beautiful elven woman in a deep green silk dress, 'Letili,' walked in.
She smiled and gave a slight bow.
Wu Heng nodded and got straight to the point. "Is my order ready?"
Letili smiled confidently. "It arrived yesterday. I wasn't sure of your location, or I would have had it delivered."
Wu Heng glanced at her in mild surprise.
He had ordered four different sizes of Flame Furnaces.
The delivery time was about the same as when he had ordered just one last time.
Noting his skeptical look, Letili explained, "I arranged for several sites to work on them simultaneously, so the completion times were close."
Wu Heng nodded, finding her rather competent.
His dealings with her had been smooth—except for the transformation artifact, which hadn't turned up yet. Everything else had been handled efficiently.
A stark contrast to the consortium on Gold-Silver Island.
One was unreliable in everything, while the other always delivered promptly.
"Where are the goods?" Wu Heng asked.
"Come with me to the warehouse in the back," Letili said as she stood up, leading him out of the VIP room and down the hallway.
They arrived at the warehouse, where she opened the iron doors, revealing four unassembled Flame Furnace structures.
Wu Heng inspected them, found no issues at a glance.
Then stored them all in his spatial pouch.
After storing everything away, the two returned to the VIP room.
Letili sat back on the single-seater sofa, crossing her long legs, her fair calves visible beneath the hem of her dress. "Would the guest like to place any additional orders?"
Wu Heng said, "Continue placing the commission for collecting corpses, same requirements as before."
"Alright!" Letili bent down and personally filled out the commission form.
Wu Heng glanced at her and asked, "Any quotas for this year?"
Letili met his gaze and said, "Commission completion rate, performance targets, and gold exchange quotas."
"How much gold is still needed?"
Letili's eyes flickered. "Over 200 kilograms. It's a bit high since it's still early in the new year."
Wu Heng nodded and spoke lightly, "Have them prepare gold coins. I'll take care of the remaining gold for you."
Letili's eyes widened instantly, then turned fervent. "Really?"
"I like competent and efficient business partners and am willing to help solve some of your problems," Wu Heng said calmly.
"Great, I'll have my people prepare immediately."
Letili left right away to make the necessary arrangements.
Watching her excitement, Wu Heng found it somewhat amusing.
The gold had just been transported by the central station in the past few days.
Possibly to save space, all the jewelry had been compressed into a lump.
It couldn't be sold as finished pieces.
Meanwhile, Wu Heng needed to develop the island and purchase large amounts of supplies from trade caravans.
Even without Letili's performance metrics, he would have converted the gold into easy-to-count coins. Helping her achieve her targets also strengthened their business relationship.
It would ensure she put in extra effort for his future orders.
After issuing instructions to her staff, Letili returned to the VIP room and continued chatting with him.
Through their conversation, she became increasingly intrigued by his identity as a VIP client.
Her eyes occasionally scrutinized him with curiosity.
Before long, bags of gold coins were brought into the room.
They were counted in Wu Heng's presence.
"Guest, accounting for the privileges of your emblem, your total comes to 6,700 gold coins."
"That works." Wu Heng took out the gold and handed it over.
Both sides verified the gold and coins, satisfied with the transaction.
Letili had met her annual quota at the very start of the year. Everything from this point forward would be extra profit.
She could now take things at a more relaxed pace.
Wu Heng, on the other hand, secured a supply of easily countable gold coins while also showcasing his wealth in front of the beautiful elf.
Once everything was settled.
Wu Heng stood up and said, "I won't take up any more of your time. I'll leave the commissions in your hands, Miss Letili."
"Guest, you're too polite. I'll do my best to complete your commissions."
Wu Heng nodded. "If you come across cavalry units like last time, keep an eye out for me. Either privately or through an official order."
Letili smiled. "As long as it's within the rules, I'll keep an eye out for you."
The two continued their conversation as they exited the consortium's building.
Letili bowed once more, and Wu Heng headed directly toward the outskirts of the city.
In the desolate wilderness, once the Specter confirmed that no one was following, Wu Heng boarded the train.
...
Upon returning to Gold-Silver Island, dusk had already fallen.
Wu Heng went back to the Island Lord's Manor, gathering the electrician-related skeletons, the Machinists, and Big-Head Skeletons, who had been on standby for several days, and headed to the newly built power plant.
The site had been prepared in advance.
Three-meter-high courtyard walls enclosed the compound, with warehouses already constructed inside.
Wu Heng took out all the necessary components and machinery, and the Machinists, following blueprints, issued continuous commands through the Big-Head Skeletons.
A large number of skeletons mobilized, assembling various machines and parts.
Wu Heng stood by, observing. The scene was lively, but there wasn't much he could contribute.
He brought in additional skeleton guards from outside, mounting machine guns along the perimeter walls to fully secure the site.
"You all keep working here," Wu Heng told Big-Head Skeleton.
He received no response.
So Wu Heng temporarily returned to his residence.
...
The next morning.
Wu Heng slowly opened his eyes and lifted the thin blanket covering his waist.
The white, droopy-eared Annette knelt beside him, carefully attending to him. "Good morning, Master."
Wu Heng gently stroked her cheek. "You're up early."
"Back in Rentam City, I heard from other slave girls that many people like to be woken up this way. So I got up early today to try it. Are you pleased?" Annette pressed her face into his palm, rubbing against it softly.
"I'm pleased. You're very obedient, Annette."
"Thank you, Master."
Last night, when Wu Heng was bathing, Annette had come in, wrapped in a towel, to assist him.
She had then spent the night resting in his room.
By agreeing to follow Wu Heng, she had already accepted her fate.
It was only a matter of when she would embrace it fully.
After they finished.
Wu Heng pinched her soft ears. "Alright, time to get up."
"Master, let me help you."
After dressing, the two headed downstairs together.
After breakfast, Wu Heng checked on the power plant.
It wasn't fully completed yet, so he returned home, went upstairs, and used the realm gate to travel to the zombie world.
...
Zombie World, Conference Room.
Wu Heng sat at the head of the table, with Qi Hancai and the newly joined Tiansheng Group representative, Gao Rong, seated on either side.
After checking in on Gao Rong's living conditions.
The discussion shifted to base development.
Qi Hancai spoke first. "We've already begun preparations for spring farming. We have enough tools and personnel."
Even though Wu Heng was continuously purchasing food, farming was still necessary.
In case unexpected events prevented food imports from the otherworld, the zombie world wouldn't have to face another famine.
There was ample land and an abundance of agricultural machinery.
With plenty of skeleton laborers, large-scale farming was entirely feasible.
Wu Heng also remembered the wood elves' potions, which could accelerate plant growth. Those could be used when the time came.
After Qi Hancai finished, the suited Gao Rong took his turn.
Gao Rong said, "We recommend prioritizing military industrial production, including expanding the bullet production line, manufacturing firearms, and restoring light industry. Clothing and bedding supplies might seem sufficient now, but in three to five years, they'll be completely depleted. We need to establish independent production before that happens."
Wu Heng nodded. This aligned with his own plans.
"Alright, proceed as you suggested."
"Aside from military production, we have some industrial blueprints and digital case studies—designs we originally created for clients. We can modify them for our own use," Gao Rong said confidently.
"That works. Additionally, I need a newspaper printing press—not a standard copier, but an industrial-grade press used by newspapers."
Upon hearing this request.
Gao Rong frowned. In his view, newspapers were unnecessary.
After all, the survivors were modern people. That kind of medium had long been obsolete.
"Leader, is a newspaper really necessary?"
Qi Hancai said, "Just follow the leader's instructions. Design it first—it won't interfere with anything else."
Gao Rong glanced at the two of them, then nodded. "Understood, I'll handle it immediately."
After Gao Rong left.
Wu Heng took out the Flame Furnaces.
He instructed Qi Hancai to organize a convoy and travel with Wang Haibing to various cities in Xinfushi to restore electricity.
In the afternoon, Wu Heng traveled to the city.
After clearing out a horde of zombies, he returned to Gold-Silver Island.
...
As night fell.
Swish, swish, swish~!
One by one, the streetlights flickered on, illuminating the central district.
Their steady, gentle glow brightened the once-dark streets, as if daylight had arrived.
Residents on both sides cautiously checked outside before stepping out, their faces filled with disbelief and wonder as they gazed at the glowing lights above.