Chapter 88: Section 89: Sir, I am willing to work for you


    “Still alive?” Lord Zhenjin asked indifferently.


    Mu Ban nodded his head.


    “Lend it to me for a moment,” Lord Zhenjin said, looking at the crossbow in Mu Ban’s hands.


    Mu Ban’s mind went blank, but his body moved subconsciously, his hands presenting the crossbow.


    Lord Zhenjin grabbed the wooden handle of the crossbow with one hand, while still holding his sword in the other.


    Mu Ban was about to say that this posture was wrong, that one should hold the bottom of the crossbow to stabilize it, and use the other hand to operate the trigger.


    ...


    At that moment, another bat monkey attacked.


    Lord Zhenjin’s hand gave a light shake, and the body of the crossbow trembled as a short arrow shot out.


    Thud.


    The attacking bat monkey was dead.


    Lord Zhenjin’s wrist shook, and with a light click, the crossbow was cocked again.


    The bat monkeys screamed again, with one particularly cunning, launching an attack from behind Lord Zhenjin.


    Without looking back, Lord Zhenjin simply turned the crossbow around, his arm shaking, and the arrow flew.


    The arrow pierced through the bat monkey’s wide mouth, the head penetrating its spine, and protruding from the other side of the monkey.


    The bat monkey fell to its knees, sliding on the ground from its momentum, ending up near Lord Zhenjin’s heels.


    Then, as its head fell forward due to the halted body, it drooped to its chest. The pose made it look like it was begging for forgiveness from Lord Zhenjin with its life.


    To transgress against one’s superiors, to offend a noble knight, was an unforgivable sin!


    “Who is this man?”


    “What kind of archery skills are these!”


    “I’m not dreaming, am I?”


    The people around were saved, their mouths agape as they stared at Lord Zhenjin.


    All the bat monkeys’ attentions were on Lord Zhenjin, but each of their assaults ended with them falling along their path of charge.


    Lord Zhenjin simply stood in his spot, yet the number of bat monkey corpses around him kept increasing.


    His control of the crossbow was utterly non-standard, almost haphazardly casual. Yet every single arrow, as if it had eyes, unerringly found the lethal weak spots on the monkeys.


    If a monkey got close to Lord Zhenjin, his thin sword would certainly flash with a silver-white sword bloom, ruthlessly and coldly reaping the fiery lives of the bat monkeys one by one.


    Seeing their heavy losses, the Black Iron Bat Monkey in the air couldn’t stand it any longer.


    It let out sharp cries, short and urgent.


    Following its command, the bat monkeys scattered in an uproar.


    “Trying to flee?” Lord Zhenjin’s eyebrows lifted slightly.


    With a flick of his wrist, an arrow sought the Black Iron Bat Monkey.


    The Black Iron Bat Monkey dodged the flying arrow with a fierce flap of its wings.


    Then, it took a deep breath, its chest puffing up in an exaggerated curve.


    The next moment, it let out a piercing scream, sharp to the extreme, stirring visible semi-transparent sound waves in the air.


    The waves grew larger, enveloping the entire cabin. Everyone revealed expressions of agony, bending over, desperately blocking their ears, trying to isolate the sound wave, but it was in vain.


    Lord Zhenjin’s eyebrows furrowed tightly; possessing extraordinary physical fitness, yet under the assault of this sound wave, he immediately felt severe nausea, wanting to vomit.


    A few breaths later, he started to feel dizzy.


    At this rate, his eardrums were sure to be severely damaged.


    The crossbow fired repeatedly, but the short arrows were either dodged by the Black Iron Bat Monkey or simply taken on its tough body.


    The Black Iron Bat Monkey was superior in both agility and bodily toughness compared to the Bronze Level bat monkeys.


    But at that moment, Lord Zhenjin suddenly threw a dart.


    The dart followed immediately behind an arrow, striking the Black Iron Bat Monkey in its left eye.


    Sustaining grave injuries, the Black Iron Bat Monkey’s screams stopped abruptly. With the dart stuck in its eye, blood streaming down, it didn’t choose retaliation but instantly turned to flee.


    The rest of the bat monkeys, seeing their leader retreat, dared not stay any longer, fleeing frantically into the forest.


    The ravaged camp soon returned to calm.


    Half an hour later.


    Some warriors were scattered around the camp, maintaining reconnaissance.


    Some began repairing the camp’s fences, the Arrow Tower, while others propped up pillars to temporarily reinforce the cabins.


    Their gazes occasionally drifted towards the clearing in the camp, those who were close murmuring to each other, with words like “big shot,” “powerful warrior,” “knight,” “nobles” frequently cropping up in the conversation.


    Several severely wounded lay side by side on the ground, some looking at the sky, some having already lost consciousness.


    Zi Di examined these people’s injuries, contemplating how to prepare healing potions.


    “Pharmacist, I don’t want to die, please save me,” a wounded man pleaded weakly.


    Zi Di smiled, “I’m not a physician, I’m a pharmacist. Don’t worry, your injuries are not fatal. Although you’re quite injured, the bleeding was stopped in time, and the wound was treated properly, you will be fine.”


    While she spoke words of comfort, Zi Di knew in her heart: healing would require rest, and the length of that rest was uncertain. This was no safe place. As they recuperated, these severely wounded would only be cared for, contributing nothing and consuming significant resources. They would all be a heavy burden to the team.


    “Chairman, is it—is it—you? Is it really, really you?” A voice came, interrupting Zi Di’s thoughts.


    Zi Di turned her attention and saw an excited fat man close to tears.


    “Fat Tongue, are you awake?” Zi Di greeted him with a smile.


    Hearing the call, the fat man suddenly knelt on the ground, his fat right hand covering his face, tears streaming as he looked up crying, “Wuuu… it’s so, so, so good, Chairman, you’re not dead. You’re still alive.”


    Tears streamed down his plump cheeks, carving two broad streaks.


    “There, there, stand up now,” Zi Di could only step forward and pat the fatty’s shoulder, “Come with me to meet Lord Zhenjin.”


    “Lo-Lord Zhenjin, the un- unmarried fiancé?” The fatty named Fat Elder removed his hands, looking puzzled.


    Zi Di then explained, “I must ask you to not blame me, Fat Elder, for I have kept some matters hidden from you. This trip to White Sand City was not just about setting up an advance post for the Hundred Needle Family. The true intent was to conceal our tracks and escort Lord Zhenjin to White Sand City ahead of schedule. The troops provided by the Hundred Needle Family to Lord Zhenjin unfortunately encountered a mishap on the way. I consulted with Lord Zhenjin and believe that this was the malicious obstruction of a competitor.”


    “City Lord elections have a set time limit. Not arriving at the designated city within the allotted time would badly reflect on Lord Zhenjin. In order to foil our competitor’s scheme, I served as a decoy, while Lord Zhenjin, under an assumed name, followed by my side and boarded the Pig Kiss.”


    “Ah—so that’s how it is,” Fat Elder said, suddenly enlightened.


    In the camp’s central clearing, Zhenjin sat on a wooden stool with Lan Zao standing behind him holding a knife.


    Zhenjin examined the crossbow in his hand.


    This was the repeating crossbow he had used in battle earlier.


    Unlike a normal crossbow, the repeating one had a rectangular magazine attached. On the magazine was a pitch-black number eight, and it could hold many short arrows.


    The trigger of the repeating crossbow was a wooden handle extending from the back of the crossbow’s main body. By continuously lifting and pressing the handle, one could complete the drawing and shooting actions.


    “Did you design this?” Zhenjin shifted his gaze from the repeating crossbow to the man kneeling before him.


    The man—a middle-aged male with a sallow complexion and a bandaged chest wound—was Mu Ban. Sёar?h the n?vel_Fire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    Mu Ban immediately replied, “Your Excellency Lord Zhenjin, this is indeed the repeating crossbow I designed.”


    “What does this number eight mean?” Zhenjin pointed at the magazine, “Your eighth creation?”


    Mu Ban shook his head, “No. The wood used to make the repeating crossbow was gathered from this campsite, of superior quality. The number eight was originally there.”


    Pausing a moment, Mu Ban took the initiative to say, “Not only can I make this kind of repeating crossbow, I can also make other regular crossbows. It’s just that we lack metal for the crossbow mechanism, so they can’t be mass-produced.”


    Zhenjin nodded.


    The most intricate part of a crossbow was the mechanism, which usually was made of metal.


    The inner mechanism of the repeating crossbow in Zhenjin’s hands, despite its unusual trigger, was still constructed of metal.


    Zhenjin had just used this type of repeating crossbow.


    Compared to a regular crossbow, the repeating model had a shorter range and the arrows had less power. Against the Black Iron Bat Monkeys, Zhenjin’s wooden darts had been effective, but the repeating crossbow’s arrows were either dodged or blocked by the creatures.


    The slow firing speed of the regular crossbow had always been a point of criticism.


    The repeating crossbow addressed this drawback, with firing speed turning out to be its greatest advantage.


    Clearly, the man before him, Mu Ban, was a talent for being able to design such a special weapon.


    “So, you’re a Crossbow Master?” Zhenjin inquired.


    “Yes, Your Excellency. I, Mu Ban, wanted to go to the Wilderness Continent precisely to make the most of my skills. Your Excellency is my savior, and I am especially eager to work for you!” Mu Ban immediately responded, his attitude very fervent.


    Zhenjin’s identity had already spread throughout the camp.


    The sole heir of the Hundred Needle Family, a member of the Holy Temple Knights, a candidate for the City Lord of White Sand City!


    Any of these identities would suffice for Mu Ban to proactively seek out Zhenjin.


    This was a dignitary he would not normally have the opportunity to interact with!


    “Very well, then work diligently; I’m looking forward to your performance,” Zhenjin encouraged Mu Ban while calculating internally.


    Having a Crossbow Master meant he could mass-produce crossbows.


    Previously, he had had such an intention.


    But due to his circumstances at the time, and the inability to make metal mechanisms, it had not been feasible.


    Now, things were different.


    He had skilled craftsmen, and metal mechanisms could be mass-produced. Zhou Di, while in the oasis, had managed to collect a large amount of Lizard Acid Liquid. With these materials and the right potions, if molds were created, they could be used to mass-produce metal mechanisms.


    “A crossbow’s power is much greater than that of a short bow; its range is farther too. Even better, crossbows are more suitable for beginners to grasp, whereas bows require training.”


    “The training required to use a crossbow is less than that needed for short or longbows.”


    “The drawback of the crossbow is its low firing speed, but by creating some repeating crossbows, we can compensate.”


    “The only concern is a reminder from Zi Di. If everyone wields a crossbow, it poses a hidden threat to other team members.”


    “However…”


    Zhenjin thought of himself and his experiences on this island in recent days.


    “I can now mutate, my strength greatly enhanced, able to handle stronger threats. Lan Zao, Bai Ya, and the others are my most loyal subordinates. Even Mu Ban and Hei Juan, who have benefited from my help, are under my firm control. My grip on this team runs much deeper than before.”


    “The most critical point is that this island is too perilous. It’s not easy to leave here alive! I do not want to face another beast attack where people die due to lack of proper weapons. If that happens, even if there’s a ship, we can’t depart with too few people.”


    Thinking up to this point, Zhenjin had made up his mind.


    Despite the risks and dangers of equipping crossbows on a large scale, in order to counter external crises and maximise the hope of survival, it was a risk worth taking on proactively.


    “Your Excellency. This is Fat Tongue, one of the senior members of the Purple Vine Chamber of Commerce. He is my deputy on this trip to White Sand City,” Zi Di approached with the fatty in tow.


    “Fa-Fat Tongue pays respects to your Excellency,” Fat Elder hurriedly greeted Zhenjin with a smile plastered on his face.


    He naturally held a favorable impression towards Zhenjin.


    Because the alliance between the Hundred Needle Family and the Purple Vine Chamber of Commerce was well known.


    Although Fat Elder had never seen Zhenjin in person, as a high-ranking member of the Purple Vine Chamber of Commerce, he had long been privy to the relevant intelligence and seen Zhenjin’s portraits.


    Zhenjin gave a slight nod, “Tell me how you ended up here. I just heard you were forced to leave? Was there a rebellion?”


    Fat Elder nodded, his expression turning somber, “Ye-Yes, Your Excelle—”


    “Stop.” Zhenjin raised his hand to interrupt in time.


    He had initially thought Fat Tongue was nervous, but after the second sentence, he understood that Fat Tongue had a stutter.


    Zhenjin then looked at Mu Ban, “You tell me.”