Upon learning of the Kaiyuan County Marquis's invitation, County Magistrate Wu Chengji and County Assistant Zhao Qian immediately scurried over to attend the banquet.
In front of Kaiyuan County's dock, a pleasure boat was moored before Wu Chengji and Zhao Qian.
"My Lord, please board the boat."
"Everyone says the Kaiyuan County Marquis is immensely wealthy, and now that I see it, it's truly so. This pleasure boat alone must cost several thousand taels of silver," Wu Chengji exclaimed in admiration as he looked at the boat.
Wu Chengji and Zhao Qian boarded the pleasure boat and were astonished to find that the boat's windows were all made of glass, considering it a marvel.
Just then, an elder walked down from the upper deck.
Wu Chengji and Zhao Qian, seeing the elder's rich and luxurious attire, dared not be presumptuous.
"May I ask what this esteemed elder's name is?"
"This old man is Rosen."
"So it's Grandpa Ro—"
Suddenly, Wu Chengji and Zhao Qian choked on their words.
Rosen!? Isn't that the deceased Grandpa Rosen?
Speaking of Rosen's reputation, it could be said that no one in Kaiyuan County was unaware of him.
He had raised a Zhuangyuan, who also married a princess.
His own daughter even became the Kaiyuan County Marquis, a true noble of a ducal household.
Even his wife was a First-Rank Lady, and his descendants were blessed.
In just a few decades, he elevated a commoner family to the aristocratic class.
Which family didn't envy him, and which family didn't respect him?
They had heard earlier that Grandpa Rosen had passed away, so how could he suddenly be alive again?
"Please be seated," Rosen said, seating himself at the round table.
Wu Chengji and Zhao Qian cautiously sat down, feeling as if they had stumbled upon something extraordinary.
"As you can see, I faked my death," Rosen said. "During Emperor Jianwen's reign, Zhu Di was trapped in Yingtian Prefecture and was later rescued by me. Afterward, I funded his uprising for the Jingnan Campaign. Zhu Di, wary of my capabilities, kept me under his watchful eye. Two years ago, I sensed he intended to kill me, so I faked my death to escape."
"Hiss..." Wu Chengji and Zhao Qian both simultaneously gasped.
They knew this was it; they had heard things they shouldn't have.
Why would Rosen tell them?
Either he wanted to recruit them, or he intended to kill them to silence them.
"Just as you're thinking, now it's either join us or feed the fish in the lake."
"I... I am naturally willing to serve Grandpa Rosen as a loyal subordinate."
"Mm-hmm," Rosen said with a smile.
Wu Chengji and Zhao Qian both made up their minds that as soon as they returned to shore, they would immediately report this matter to the prefecture office.
They didn't dare say they held immense power now, but at least they had some authority and wealth in hand. Why would they risk everything with Rosen and engage in an act that could lead to the extermination of their entire clans?
Before long, the pleasure boat docked at a small island.
Wu Chengji and Zhao Qian's hearts sank when they saw the island.
However, they dared not show it on their faces.
Responsible for greeting them at the island's port were several burly youths.
Their movements were quite agile, and they said little.
The two followed Rosen onto the island. There was a shooting range in the island's forest. Rosen led the two to the edge of the range, where a hundred youths were practicing target shooting.
Wu Chengji and Zhao Qian noticed that the firearms in the youths' hands were not common matchlock guns; they were entirely black and had extremely strange designs.
And what shocked the two most was that these youths' muskets were capable of continuous firing.
Furthermore, their targets were three hundred paces away.
And it appeared that the targets three hundred paces away were being hit with a very high probability.
The two were utterly horrified. Current matchlock guns had a maximum range of only a hundred paces, but Rosen's muskets were not only rapid-fire but also had such high shooting accuracy.
"Would you like to try?" Rosen asked.
"Ah, this... I've never used a musket."
"It's fine, this thing is much simpler than a musket." Rosen beckoned a youth over: "Bring two assault rifles."
A moment later, Rosen received the assault rifles and magazines.
"These are loaded with bullets; just load them like this, then chamber a round." Rosen aimed the muzzle at a nearby tree and pulled the trigger.
Dada dada—
The trunk of the large tree was immediately riddled with holes.
"You two try it too." Wu Chengji and Zhao Qian were so shocked by this scene that their mouths hung open.
If it were twenty people, they probably wouldn't be able to withstand a single burst of bullets, would they?
Could the Ming army withstand such weapons?
Whoosh whoosh whoosh—
Just then, a roaring sound came from the sky.
Wu Chengji and Zhao Qian looked up and saw a strangely shaped large bird appear in the sky.
That was an armed helicopter, brought back by Rosen from Resident Evil, the only one of its kind.
The armed helicopter slowly descended onto the open ground in front.
Wu Chengji and Zhao Qian were already dumbfounded, their faces filled with astonishment.
"What... what is that?"
"Let's go over," Rosen said.
As the two approached the armed helicopter, the wind generated by the rotating rotor almost made them lose their balance.
Rosen led the two onto the helicopter: "Put these on."
The noise of the rotor would be unbearable for most people, so headsets were necessary.
As the rotor's speed increased, it soon lifted into the air.
Zhao Qian and Wu Chengji were already utterly shocked beyond words by this sight.
This was a Divine Ability to fly and burrow!
"Fire a Stinger at that large tree on the summit of the mountain ahead," Rosen ordered the pilot.
Wu Chengji and Zhao Qian didn't yet understand what a Stinger was, but they soon did.
A Stinger missile, trailing a fiery exhaust, flew over ten kilometers, precisely hitting the large tree on the summit of the mountain ahead. A massive blaze erupted into the sky, and over ten seconds later, the sound of the explosion finally reached them.
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