The storm raged throughout the night.

Fang Zheng woke early and prepared his luggage.

Luo Ningxin was about to get up to help him dress and attend to him, but when she rose and took a couple of wobbly steps, Fang Zheng put his arm around her slim waist and laid her back on the bed.

“Sleep a little longer. You don’t need to see me off.”

Hearing his concern for her, Luo Ningxin nodded shyly.

Fang Zheng looked at her, smiled slightly, and left with his bags.

But once outside, his mood became inexplicably heavy. After all, he now carried another responsibility… in his previous life, he hadn’t even had a girlfriend, but in this life, things were going almost too smoothly…

By the time he reached the outskirts of the city, Ao Chen’s men were already assembled.

Over a hundred people were fully equipped and ready to depart, including specialists with unique skills like the accomplished thief Bai Rui and the bandit Lian Gui.

Several people from the county office had also come to see them off.

When Fang Zheng appeared, everyone stood straight and greeted him.

Xiao Tao approached Fang Zheng with a bag. “Here, food to eat on the road.”

After speaking, she reached out to straighten his collar, muttering. “You dressed yourself? A grown man who can’t even dress properly.”

“Why didn’t Ningxin help you…”

“What would she help me with?” Fang Zheng asked nervously.

“Stop pretending. Any louder and the whole county would have heard!” Xiao Tao said expressionlessly. “You’re such a jerk!”

Fang Zheng chuckled, feeling very awkward.

Only Xiao Tao dared to talk to him like this.

He had been too impulsive, forgetting that Xiao Tao lived not far from him.

But was it really that loud?! He hadn’t noticed at the time.

After adjusting his collar and patting him twice, Xiao Tao admonished. “Be careful on the road. Come back soon.”

“Ah, I know. Take good care of the house! I’ll bring you back some local specialties!”

After chatting a bit more, Mo Xiaohu from the Firearms Institute pushed through the crowd of well-wishers.

He was holding a large wooden box, and walked up to Fang Zheng eagerly. “Master, hearing you’re leaving, our Firearms Institute rushed to make several guns overnight. Take them for protection!”

With that, he opened the box, revealing four short pistols inside, along with wearable holsters.

They were exactly the same type of three-shot pistol that Xie Xian had carried!

Fang Zheng picked one up and aimed it into the distance.

Bang!

One shot fired, with impressive power!

He nodded with satisfaction and accepted the box. “Well made! I’ll note your contribution!”

Mo Xiaohu grinned and scratched the back of his head. “Master… about that funding… do you think you could approve some?”

Fang Zheng snorted. “You still want money? When you all learn not to use public funds for eating, drinking, whoring, and gambling, then you’ll have a chance!”

“But… but the Steam Institute people also waste money! They’re just a bunch of water-boilers! We can boil water too!” Mo Xiaohu complained indignantly.

Fang Zheng was about to reply when another person pushed through the crowd, carrying a large box and shouting angrily. “Mo Xiaohu! What nonsense are you telling Master?”

He then approached Fang Zheng and lamented. “Master, don’t listen to his bullshit! We’re all doing proper research!”

“It’s not just guns? Our Steam Institute has them too. Take ours with you this time, they’re definitely better than theirs!”

Saying this, he opened the box to reveal a strange-looking contraption.

It was a gun connected by tubes to a huge metal backpack.

“Master, this is a steam gun! No gunpowder, no smell, much better than that garbage from the Firearms Institute!”

Mo Xiaohu crossed his arms and sneered. “Han Qi, who are you trying to kill with that piece of junk?”

Han Qi gave him a contemptuous look, then put on the backpack and said to Fang Zheng. “Master, watch this!”

By now, Fang Zheng was curious and observed with interest, stroking his chin.

A steam gun? Is there such a thing? I’d never heard of it in my previous life!

But in principle, it seems feasible…

After Han Qi finished putting it on, he took a fire stick and held it to the tail end of the backpack, where there seemed to be a place specifically for oil. The smell was quite unpleasant.

The moment it touched the spark, a compartment inside caught fire, and thin black smoke continuously rose through the metal grid.

Mo Xiaohu mocked. “Did you lot boil so much water your brains got cooked? Aren’t you afraid of burning your ass!”

Han Qi refused to be outdone and retorted. “What do you know? Shut up!”

Fang Zheng, however, looked serious. There was nothing to mock here!

One small step for the Steam Institute, one giant leap for mankind!

To think they had a magical device like a steam gun, wouldn’t that save a lot of money on gunpowder in the future?

The crowd gradually gathered around Han Qi. Surrounded by over a hundred people, Han Qi became somewhat nervous.

“Fire it!” Fang Zheng urged.

Everyone’s eyes gleamed with anticipation.

“Wait… the water isn’t boiling yet…” Han Qi said with a red face, stammering.

The crowd dispersed with a snort of derision.

You bring out such a piece of junk to show off? In a real fight, by the time your water boils, the corpses would already be cold!

Mo Xiaohu burst into laughter, pointing at Han Qi and starting to mock him mercilessly.

The smile on Fang Zheng’s face vanished instantly, and he turned to leave.

As he walked, he ordered. “Ao Chen! Starting today, half the Steam Institute’s funding goes to the Firearms Institute!”

“Everyone! Prepare to depart!”

King Wu’s Mansion

Manager Chen walked briskly into the study carrying several letters.

Opening the door, he found King Wu bent over his desk writing something.

Manager Chen lowered his head, placed the letters on the table, and then stood by to attend.

When King Wu put down his brush, Manager Chen reported. “My lord, letters from Haiyuan City.”

King Wu nodded. “The palace has already investigated the Ministry of Revenue. The heat should have died down. In a few days, you’ll personally go to Haiyuan City and tell them below to resume normal operations.”

As he spoke, King Wu opened one of the letters. “This time, alerting Imperial Brother will surely not end well. He won’t let the matter rest, so in the future, we should be more low-key…”

His words stopped abruptly halfway through. King Wu’s expression changed slightly!

On the letter appeared a name both familiar and strange… Xie Xian.

“Xie Xian… Xie Xian… where has this king heard this name before?” King Wu turned to ask.

Manager Chen was stunned for a moment, then bowed slightly and said. “My lord, you’ve forgotten. Xie Xian is from the Banshan Newspaper Office, also one of Fang Zheng’s subordinates.”

“This man also appeared in the capital after returning from Jianjiang. There was no news of him before that.”

At these words, King Wu’s expression finally changed. His whole body tensed as he suddenly stood up!

He said angrily. “How many days has Fang Zheng been gone?”

“Seven days!” Manager Chen seemed confused and asked tentatively. “My lord… what has happened?”

Xie Xian appearing in Haiyuan City, Fang Zheng mysteriously leaving the capital, was it just a coincidence? Not very likely!

King Wu couldn’t help but breathe more heavily, and began pacing back and forth in the room.

“It’s bad… Fang Zheng’s people have already infiltrated Haiyuan City. He must have been secretly sent by Imperial Brother!”

“I never expected… never expected, it’s him again! Him again ruining this king’s plans!”

Veins visibly throbbed on King Wu’s forehead, his usual calm completely gone.

However, this loss of composure came quickly and departed just as fast.

He sat back down, took a couple of deep breaths, and fell into thought…