Chapter 595, Russia's Call for Help
A few days later, at Gold-Silver Island.
The Ghost Train appeared out of thin air, and Wu Heng stepped off with his skeletons.
He walked into the city and took a carriage to his residence.
Pushing the door open, he entered the manor, where three maids quickly ran out.
They threw themselves into his arms, softly whining, "Master, we missed you so much!"
Wu Heng hugged them, "I missed you too."
The three girls beamed with joy as they walked with him inside, asking, "How is Sister Wen Mansa? Has the baby been born yet?"
"Another month to go, but her belly looks quite big already," Wu Heng replied.
Minnie asked, "Why didn't you bring Sister Wen Mansa here? It's so much better here than in Rentam City."
"I'll check with her in a few days. If she wants to come, I'll bring her over," Wu Heng said, ruffling Minnie's hair.
Then, Robe went to slice some fruit, and Annette went upstairs to prepare bathwater.
Minnie sat on the sofa, reporting on Gold-Silver Island's affairs during his absence.
"In the past few days, we've released two newspaper issues, and the next one is due the day after tomorrow. Sister Veil said the newspapers are doing quite well—several merchant caravans have signed subscription agreements at the town hall."
"Sister Shanaila visited twice. When she learned you weren't here, she stayed to chat with us, played shuttlecock with us, and we had a great time. Yesterday, Philipa said the newly purchased warships are fully armed, and they set sail for patrol this morning, taking Sister Shanaila along."
Minnie thought for a moment, "Other than that, nothing special has happened. The island has been peaceful, with no unusual incidents."
Wu Heng nodded, feeling reassured.
The setup and development of Gold-Silver Island were solid, ensuring smooth operations even in his absence.
Of course, his absence couldn't be made public.
Enemies were still lurking, but without understanding the island's situation, they couldn't cause trouble.
Wu Heng chatted with Minnie for a while.
Upstairs, Annette's voice called out, saying the bath was ready.
Wu Heng asked Minnie to contact Wen Mansa to check in, while he went upstairs to take a bath and relieve the fatigue from travel.
By dusk, Andviel had returned from the town hall.
They had dinner together, and Andviel gave Wu Heng a situation report, which matched what Minnie had said.
Overall, nothing significant had happened.
After dinner, the maids went for their training.
Wu Heng went upstairs, returning to his study.
…...…
In the study.
Three ghostly figures emerged. Xiaoxiao went to watch cartoons, while Glenda floated to the desk, instinctively opening the detective novel collection to continue her rewrites.
The newly added Beni curiously scanned the room.
Wu Heng said, "We're in the Island Lord's Mansion on Gold-Silver Island. At night, you can go out while invisible and explore a bit, but don't go too far in case there's any danger."
Beni poked her head through the wall to glance outside. "Are we going to live here from now on?"
"I'm the Island Lord—it's like being a city lord. Most of the time, I'll be staying here," Wu Heng explained.
"You're really amazing. Back when we first met, you even had to study the menu for a long time before ordering a drink," Beni said with a smile.
"I just didn't know what they tasted like and wanted to pick something safe," Wu Heng clarified. He then added, "From now on, we're family. Just treat this place as your home."
Beni smiled and nodded. "Thank you."
After settling Beni in, Wu Heng went downstairs.
He watched the maids' training on the first floor.
Then he called out, "Veil, Minnie, go rest in your rooms."
The two maids put down their weapons and ran over, each grabbing one of his arms.
They headed towards the bedroom.
…...…
The next day, at the Guild.
Wu Heng stood outside the Steward's office, knocking on the door. After hearing a response, he opened it and walked in.
Sheila Grey looked up at him. "Haven't seen you in a few days."
"Did you miss me?" Wu Heng teased with a smile.
Sheila Grey's eyes flicked to the side, adjusting some documents, but the smirk on her lips was evident as she stole a glance at Shiyali. "Stop talking nonsense."
Wu Heng sat down and said, "I was out for a few days and ran into the leader of the Divine Fate Cult. I killed him."
Sheila Grey became serious. "Why did you go alone? That was dangerous."
"It started as a different matter, but I ended up running into the Divine Fate Cult," Wu Heng explained and then gave a rough account of his experience.
One of his informants had been killed by them.
He went to investigate and uncovered the cult's operations.
Sheila Grey listened attentively. Even though Wu Heng spoke lightly and with humor,
Any situation involving an 18th-level Professional was certainly not as easy as he made it sound.
It must have been much more intense and dangerous than he let on.
"Next time something like this happens, tell me in advance. Stop running into danger alone," Sheila Grey said sternly.
"Alright!" Wu Heng continued, "While dealing with the Divine Fate Cult, I also met one of our spies, Babuchi—the captain of the Flying Fish Pirate Crew."
"He actually found the Divine Fate Cult? Impressive," Sheila Grey said, a bit surprised.
"Impressive? He didn't send out a single piece of intel, got fat from eating well, and lived comfortably…." Wu Heng grumbled.
The contrast was irritating.
Beni had been killed for trying to pass on information, yet this guy, serving as a spy, was living the good life.
Give it a little more time, and he might even become a Grand Knight.
Sheila Grey found it amusing. After all, this guy was someone Philipa had insisted on keeping alive, and he was only given a chance because of Wu Heng.
"Did he come back with you?"
"No! There are still two Divine Fate Cult branches outside. I told him to keep investigating," Wu Heng said.
"That works. If he finds something useful, great. If not, with the cult leader dead, the group won't last long anyway," Sheila Grey nodded.
"That's what I thought too."
Sheila Grey took a sip from her cup and then said, "Tell me your future plans so I can keep up. Otherwise, you keep acting on your own."
Wu Heng leaned back. "Nothing major. Oh, right—I'm forming a fleet. Help me pick some vice-captains who are strong swimmers and have clean backgrounds."
"Only vice-captains?"
"The captains will be skeletons. With so many pirate leaders I've turned into skeletons, they'll make fine captains!" Wu Heng said with a grin.
Sheila Grey said, "Alright, I'll arrange it in the next couple of days."
After spending some time at the Guild, Wu Heng left.
…...…
He took a carriage to Lighthouse Street.
At a bookstore, he picked up two books on bardic skills.
One was [Echoing Words], which refined one's voice to make it sound more melodious.
The second was [Versatile Performance], a skill that enhanced acting abilities—not just stage performances,
but also disguise, deception, and intimidation.
The higher the proficiency, the better the results.
These were for Xiaoxiao's mother, hoping to unlock Xiaoxiao's [Unfinished Business] sooner.
After purchasing the books,
he changed his appearance and had lunch at a tavern.
He listened to a bard tell the story of Wu Heng, the great detective.
At first, he had felt guilty for using borrowed stories, but the reputation boost changed that.
Now, he was even considering collecting more books for Glenda to rewrite.
After lunch,
Wu Heng took a carriage back to the Island Lord's Mansion.
…...…
After resting downstairs for a while,
he returned to the study and opened the dimensional gate to the zombie world.
Stepping through,
he immediately heard the sound of rain.
He looked out the window—gray skies, fine rain forming a curtain.
It had started raining here as well.
Picking up the radio, Wu Heng called Qi Hancai.
Before long, there was a knock on the door. Qi Hancai entered, wearing a fitted wool coat, with a small owl perched on her shoulder.
"How's everything going lately?" Wu Heng gestured for her to sit.
Qi Hancai replied, "Everything is running smoothly. Two skeleton squads have moved into the next city, and supplies, along with rescued personnel, are being continuously transported back."
Wu Heng nodded. "Good."
"Oh, right," Qi Hancai suddenly recalled, "Yanhong's skeleton squad has entered Linghe City. I heard that some Russian researchers contacted them via radio, requesting rescue."
"Russians?"
"Yes. Fortunately, we had previously recruited some linguists, so we could understand what they were saying. Basically, they're asking for help and have given up on waiting for their own local rescue teams." Qi Hancai explained.
Had their operations reached international awareness?
"What kind of research are these people working on?" Wu Heng asked.
Qi Hancai replied, "They mentioned a new project called the railgun. I don't know if you've heard of it."
Railgun?
Russia is developing this too? There hadn't been any news reports about it.