Chapter 27: Anything for the Sake of Tomatoes!

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Gu Xi understood the principle that to capture the bandits, one must first capture their leader.

So, if she wanted to rescue Wang Yiyi safely, she had no choice but to start with the City Lord.

If she could eliminate him and then use her own supplies, she might even be able to win the people over.

The City Lord staggered drunkenly into the bathing chamber, dragging along a wine bottle.

He glanced at the steaming bathtub.

Following behind him were about eight maidservants dressed in garments as thin as cicada wings.

The maids were all breathtakingly beautiful. They supported the City Lord with tender, alluring smiles.

Then, with a sudden burst of strength, the City Lord shoved them all outside and slammed the door shut.

“Get out! All of you!”

Fueled by alcohol, he sent the maids tumbling to the floor.

The shrieks of the women outside the door made Gu Xi’s eyes roll so far upward they nearly vanished.

The City Lord stepped into the bathtub.

He looked utterly comfortable as he scooped up the hot water and poured it over himself.

Every now and then, he let out an “Ahh,” and the fur covering his body seemed to grow thicker by the moment.

Hearing that nauseating sound made Gu Xi physically ill.

After washing for a while, he felt that something was still missing.

Perhaps he had drunk too much today.

Or perhaps it was because he had not bathed in an entire month.

With a wave of his hand, he activated the button on his arm.

A holographic projection appeared before him.

A call was connected.

“What is it? Couldn’t you wait until I finished bathing?” the City Lord asked irritably.

“You think I wanted to contact you? A message came down from above. I was ordered to assign you a task.” The voice gave no indication whether its owner was male or female.

There was no avatar, either.

“A task? In this blessed land of mine? Do I look like I need one? I’m entirely self-sufficient.” The City Lord sounded disdainful.

“Your output has been far too low lately. You can barely meet the quota. You handed in so little this afternoon that you couldn’t even satisfy the monthly tribute. Isn’t it time you reduced the number of people under your control?”

“Stop keeping your eyes on my few people. Look at me—I’m bathing today. They have holy water to drink. Isn’t that enough? If you’re capable, come and collect it yourself. But you may not be able to defeat my guards.” The City Lord laughed loudly.

“Enough. I’m not going to bicker with you. A report came in from Taolin Town. We have another competitor.”

What?

Someone was competing with them?

“What kind of person is this? All these years, I’ve lived peacefully with the others. It’s been fine. I’ve never gone around stealing their oil, have I? You know that. I’m self-sufficient here. The people under me only take a little fruit and vegetables from your side each month. I’m already being very frugal.”

“We don’t know yet. If Third Master knew, he would certainly have told me. I asked him about it today, but even he had no idea. He said we shouldn’t panic—but you should understand that we don’t have enough supplies to distribute anymore.”

The voice seemed intent on stirring up anxiety.

“Then let’s kill them!” the City Lord said furiously.

He then revealed a mouthful of sharp fangs.

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Gu Xi drew in a sharp breath when she saw this.

Fangs. Fur covering his entire body.

Was this thing even human?

He really seemed like a wolf.

They were actually letting a werewolf govern the residents?

How terrifying.

“Kill them? You make it sound easy. We don’t even know who they are yet,” the voice on the other end replied.

“Enough. I’m done talking. I’ve finished bathing, and my residents are waiting to drink my holy bathwater. Ha ha ha! After you wake up tomorrow, plan things properly. If you need troops, I’ll send you some. These soldiers may not be like me, but every one of them is an elite warrior trained from childhood!”

The City Lord no longer wanted to waste words on the caller.

Drink tonight, and be drunk tonight.

Gu Xi saw that his guard had dropped.

The alcohol was taking hold again.

She immediately raised her gun, aimed at the City Lord’s head, and pulled the trigger.

Bang!

The first shot struck him in the shoulder.

The City Lord turned around and saw the assassin.

“Guards! Someone get the guards!”

Bang!

The second shot struck him in the heart.

The City Lord cried out in pain and collapsed.

Bang!

The third shot hit him in the temple.

Blood sprayed across the entire bathtub.

“Who... are you?”

Those were the City Lord’s final words before he breathed his last.

The guard squad rushed over at the sound.

Then they discovered that the assassin was Gu Xi, dressed as one of the guards.

They had just prepared to seize her when Gu Xi raised her Winchester and fired two shots into the ceiling.

At that moment, the people throughout the town heard the gunfire as well.

Fang Daqiang had just been preparing to make an improper move against Wang Yiyi when the shots frightened him.

The entrance erupted into chaos, and every resident ran toward the City Lord’s residence.

He followed them out.

“What’s going on?”

“I heard someone tried to assassinate the City Lord. Come on, let’s go protect him!”

“An assassination? Who could be so bold?”

“Hurry and protect the City Lord! We might earn some credit if we do a good job!”

“Such a great opportunity? Then let’s charge!”

...

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The crowd came pouring in.

Before long, they had surrounded the outer perimeter of the guard squad.

“So it’s him. I saw him this morning.”

“He must have a death wish! How dare he assassinate the City Lord!”

“Exactly! Arrest him! What a piece of trash!”

...

Gu Xi had never imagined that the residents would rush to the scene so quickly simply for the sake of watching the spectacle.

She gave a contemptuous smile.

While she remained locked in a standoff with the guards, she hurriedly took ten cabbages from her system.

Then she tossed them high into the air.

The crowd stared as the guard-like figure before them conjured cabbages out of thin air.

“Fake! They’re models! Arrest her!”

“Exactly! Hurry up and arrest her!”

...

Gu Xi was speechless.

Why did these people seem as though they had all been brainwashed?

She then produced a watermelon from the system storage and began gnawing straight through the rind.

Before long, the bright red flesh was exposed.

The fragrance of watermelon drifted into the noses of everyone present.

“Are you still going to shout? Hmm?” Gu Xi snapped angrily.

She pulled three tomatoes from the system.

“I have all the food you want! The first person to submit to me will be rewarded with an entire crate of tomatoes!”

For the people of this town, a crate of tomatoes was food they could never obtain in a lifetime.

She believed that generous rewards would always inspire the brave.

The guards, however, were not buying it.

“Don’t believe her! Would you trust the word of some gatekeeper?”

They advanced toward Gu Xi with their knives drawn.

Some people in the crowd began to waver.

The residents murmured and debated among themselves.

Fang Daqiang was not about to pass up this opportunity.

Since the day he was born, he had never eaten a vegetable.

To him, the taste of vegetables was the taste of luxury.

He and his elder brother had tried countless ways to trade for suitable supplies, but had never succeeded.

Now, the opportunity was right in front of him.

He had to seize it.

Today, he absolutely had to taste them!

He lifted his foot from behind the guards and kicked one of them hard.

“To hell with you! I’ve disliked you for a long time! Brothers, for the tomatoes—charge!”