In the magistrate’s office, a soldier ran as fast as he could and burst into the hall. His eyes were filled with the fear of death, and he was on the verge of collapsing. At that time, Magistrate Lǐ Wěi, Dr. Kaelen, Jiǔ Tù, Captain Zhào, and Scribe Wén were all present.

  Scribe Wén said, “Young man, calm yourself. Catch your breath. Then tell us why you are in such a hurry.”

  The soldier took a moment to steady himself, then began to speak. “M-My Lord… in the village… the Crimson General was there.”

  Hearing that name, everyone’s face filled with sharp curiosity.

  He continued, “Dǔ Guǐ went to fight him… along with fifteen soldiers. B-But that guy… he isn’t human. He has a devil’s aura. He uses some kind of magic… He appears and disappears in the blink of an eye. His armor glows… he wears a black cloak. He broke a shield and sent a soldier flying. He shattered swords with some kind of glowing metal on his fists. He trained a woman to fight. I don’t know what kind of style it was, but her punches were clean. She dropped a man—we heard his bones crack.”

  “He made the people on the street punch Dǔ Guǐ. Dǔ Guǐ was begging for mercy. His mouth was flowing with blood. He could barely see… but that ruthless devil didn’t stop.”

  “In the end… He punched Dǔ Guǐ’s head… and broke his skull. Dǔ Guǐ’s brain came out.”

  “I ran as soon as he noticed me. He isn’t from this world. He really is the Devil from the mountain.”

  Hearing the scene he witnessed, two different ideas sprouted among those present. Captain Zhào and Scribe Wén began planning to meet him and make him an ally.

  On the other hand, Magistrate Lǐ Wěi, Dr. Kaelen, and Jiǔ Tù were planning how to remove him.

  Jiǔ Tù said, “My Lord, he might be a potential threat. We have to weed him out as soon as possible.”

  Kaelen laughed coldly. “He must be exaggerating. No such man can exist. What is this nonsense about glowing metal? Is this some kind of magical world? Stop with the fairy tales. My soldiers from Veridia can eradicate that weed in minutes.”

  Magistrate Lǐ Wěi replied, “Dr. Kaelen, Jiǔ Tù—quiet. Hold yourselves together. We don’t know enough about this man to act recklessly. We wait. We observe his movements for one week. After that, we will receive the new batch of ‘goods’ from various parts of the district. Let’s see what this so-called general and protector of the weak can do then. We will strike when he moves to save those women. [Hahahaha].”

  He turned to Captain Zhào. “Follow and observe that man for a week. Report back to me.”

  Captain Zhào nodded and left to shadow the Crimson General.

  On his way to the street where Jian Zhi stayed, Captain Zhào muttered to himself, “Finally… a chance to see who this new variable is—the one causing havoc in this district. Soon I’ll know… ally or enemy?”

  People on the street greeted him warmly. Even though he worked for evil, he was still known as a kind-hearted soldier who protected the weak. “Hello, Captain Zhào! How’s it going?” someone said with a smile.

  After walking a few more minutes, he reached the street where the Crimson General was staying. He didn’t enter. Instead, he covered himself with a cloak and watched as Jian Zhi led the women toward the mountain.

  Captain Zhào followed them stealthily.

  After four kilometers, they reached the mountain. Jian Zhi said to the women, “Ladies, you have already witnessed the power of the Devil’s Way during the last fight. By my observation, women in this village have adapted to be stronger than usual due to the low male birth rate. You have the potential to become soldiers.”

  Hearing this, the women began talking among themselves. “Really? Can we become soldiers? But will they allow us? They say we are only born to be used by men.”

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  Jian Zhi replied, “Not anymore. Everyone is born with their own purpose. From today onward, you will become protectors of your villages. You will train in archery with bows that I made. First, everyone will learn to make their own bow. Then you will use it to practice. Understood?”

  “YES, GENERAL!” they replied, some laughing with pure joy.

  After his speech, Jian Zhi led them into the bamboo forest. They gathered materials, and he showed them how to bend the bamboo using heat, attach wheel-like structures at the top and bottom, and shave arrows until they were thin yet sturdy.

  They followed his instructions exactly. One woman, Fen, widened her eyes and said, “Look, General—I made the bow! But the string feels different. It’s harder to pull.”

  Jian Zhi smiled. “Good work, Fen. The strings aren’t normal—they’re made from steel spider silk, taken from hidden caves. They are elastic and strong as steel.”

  “How do you know all this?” someone asked.

  “I wasn’t on a picnic here for seven years,” he said simply.

  For a week, he trained them. All the while, Captain Zhào watched.

  When the week ended, Captain Zhào returned to the magistrate with false intelligence: “My Lord, he is not what the soldier described. He is just a lunatic from the provincial capital, I think. He spent the whole week sleeping with women and slacking off.”

  The magistrate laughed. “From the provincial capital, huh? No wonder he’s so greedy—keeping the women for himself. Kaelen—proceed with the plan. We behead him and send his head to… someone special.” He smiled evilly, as though he had already won.

  The Veridian soldiers brought by Kaelen began moving into the villages, ready to attack and capture women to satisfy their lust.

  But as they arrived, they froze at what they saw: a black, demonic wolf, four feet tall, with glowing red eyes, staring right at them.

  “What the fuck is that? Where did it come from? Why is it so damn big?!”

  Before they could react, the whole wolf pack surrounded them. Arrows shot out of nowhere, piercing their hands and weapons.

  “[Pwwww] AHHHH! DAMN IT! WHO’S ATTACKING FROM THE SHADOWS?!” one screamed. “They said the soldiers were on the magistrate’s side! There must be a traitor! AHHH!”

  Their eyes filled with fear as demonic wolves prowled closer and arrows continued to fly. The wolves began hunting their horses.

  Then Jian Zhi arrived.

  He captured a soldier lurking in the shadows—a spy trying to send word back to the magistrate.

  “Good job, ladies,” Jian Zhi said, offering a smile and a thumbs-up. “Clean work.”

  The women—Mei Lin, Lian, Xia, Fen, and Ying—emerged from hiding, smiling faintly. “Hehe… thanks to your training, General. But what should we do with them?”

  “Mei Lin,” Jian Zhi asked, “do you know them?”

  “They are from Veridia,” she said coldly. “A land far across the ocean. They buy women from here and take them as ‘comfort women.’”

  Jian Zhi turned to the captain of the Veridian group. “What are ‘comfort women’?”

  The captain snarled, “How dare you, you low-life creature, speak with such arrogance to us Veridians? We are white—superior to you. You should lick our feet.”

  Jian Zhi laughed darkly. In one motion, he drew The Punisher and took the head of one of the captain’s men. Blood splattered across the ground.

  Jian Zhi turned his cold, devilish stare back to the captain. “Answer my question. Then I will decide what to do about your words.”

  The captain gulped, fear finally overtaking his arrogance. “C-Comfort women are sex slaves… We use them whenever we want—whether they’re eating or sleeping… It doesn’t matter. We take what we want.”

  A deadly silence fell.

  Jian Zhi’s voice was low and terrifying. “Mei Lin. Bring the other women. We have a kicking lesson today.”

  The Veridian soldiers were forced onto the ground, legs tied apart. One by one, the women stepped forward—each delivering a brutal shin kick between the soldiers’ legs.

  The men screamed and begged for mercy as their bodies were broken, one kick at a time.

  Jian Zhi lifted the captain’s chin with his boot. “Hey, Mister White Bigshot… Mister Superior… look here. What makes you superior? Your blood isn’t a different color.” He gestured toward the spy and the captain. “Let’s open you up and see.”

  He made the women look away as he carved the two men open, while they were still alive. Their eyes bulged as they watched their own flesh being peeled back. Their screams echoed to the end of the village.

  “Look,” Jian Zhi said, his voice hellish and calm. “You have the same organs. So why the fuck are you superior?”

  With a final, brutal motion, he plucked out the captain’s heart, then let the wolves drag the bodies away.

  From the shadows, Captain Zhào finally stepped forward.

  The two men stood facing each other—one cloaked in secrecy, the other drenched in blood with the enemy's heart in his hand.

  Their eyes met, each wondering silently: Is he an ally… or an enemy?