If you traveled back to ancient times, while others ate Guanyin clay, you would actually have giant

"Twenty thousand?"

Zhou Wu slowly extended two fingers.

"Twenty thousand? What twenty thousand?"

Niu Er was clearly still in shock, but he probably didn't dare to even think about it.

"Does Your Excellency mean that the navy will be expanded by 20,000 men this time?"

Lin Niangzi was also a little incredulous, and everyone finally looked at Zhou Wu.

"Yes, His Majesty has directly approved the expansion of the South China Sea Navy to 20,000 personnel this time."

"What!"

"really!"

The people present reacted in different ways, but all of them were extremely surprised and delighted.

The navy, which had a strength of 3,000, has now been expanded to 20,000, an unprecedented increase in strength.

Although Zhou Wu was the official commander of the navy, everyone looked on with envy at Lin Niangzi. Everyone knew that Zhou Wu usually didn't manage things much, so the navy was practically ruled by Lin Niangzi.

"Hehe, big brother, when do you think we should ask His Majesty to expand the Qingyang Army as well?"

Niu Er's eyes turned red with envy. The navy already had 20,000 men, while his Qingyang army still only had 3,000. He immediately began to beg Zhou Wu.

"Haha, I may not have the ability to persuade His Majesty to expand the Qingyang Army. Why don't you personally submit a memorial to His Majesty?"

"I wouldn't dare to do that."

"Haha."

Niu Er immediately put on a pitiful expression, which drew laughter from everyone.

"Our main task next is to recruit soldiers, and this will be handled by Madam Lin."

"Yes, sir. By the way, sir, can our Azure Dragon-class warships be commissioned into the navy?"

"Cooperation training with the Azure Dragon is definitely necessary, but we should not reveal the Azure Dragon-class for the time being."

"Okay, my lord."

The Azure Dragon-class has been completed for several years, and everyone who has seen it is amazed by its perfection.

However, Zhou Wu also had his own considerations. The Bull Demon King was still at the world's leading level, so the Azure Dragon level was still a technological reserve and there was no need to make it public.

"Alright, now that we've finished talking about business, it's rare to have everyone here today. It's been a long time since we've all gotten together, so don't go."

"Great, great, it's been so long since I've had a proper drink."

Niu Er was naturally the happiest when he heard that Zhou Wu had arranged a dinner party.

. . . . . . .

A table full of fine wine and food was quickly set out.

"Ladies and gentlemen, let me say a few words first."

Everyone fell silent upon hearing Zhou Wu speak.

"From the very beginning when there was nothing in the South China Sea to the South China Sea City that has risen from the ground today, it is all thanks to your contributions. I would like to raise a toast to you all."

Zhou Wu first drank a toast as a sign of respect, and the rest of them also drank their cups to the brim.

After a few rounds of drinks, everyone started boasting and bragging again.

"If you ask me, the reason why our South China Sea region has developed so rapidly is thanks to our big brother. Don't you agree?"

Niu Er was in a good mood and drank a few more cups, and now he was a little tipsy.

"Yes, Niu Er's statement is absolutely correct."

Everyone echoed and agreed with Niu Er's words.

"Niu Er, drinking too much is bad for your health, you should drink less."

Only Zhou Wu could tell from Niu Er's appearance that the fellow was about to give up.

"I'm not drunk, brother, don't worry, I'm just upset."

"You careless man, do you still have worries?"

Not only Zhou Wu, but everyone else was curious. Niu Er was known for being simple-minded, yet he had worries.

"Well, it's a strange thing. A few days ago, people kept coming to the city to complain that they had lost things. The things that were lost weren't expensive, just a piece of clothing from one neighbor and some food from another."

"That's strange, they're all ordinary things."

"Yes, at first I also thought it was just an ordinary thief, but later I found out that things might not be that simple."

"Wow, Niu Er has even learned to analyze cases. That's good, you've made progress."

Zhou Wu couldn't help but praise Niu Er a couple of times, after all, Niu Er used to only know how to act recklessly, but now he has learned to use his brain.

"hey-hey."

Niu Er chuckled foolishly.

"You rascal, get to the point, what are you grinning about?"

The others became anxious when they saw that Niu Er stopped talking halfway through his sentence.

"Oh, oh, after my investigation, I found out that the thief was extremely skilled, a trained martial artist. It's just a pity he lost an arm, otherwise I definitely wouldn't have been a match for him."

Niu Er wasn't entirely telling the truth. When he accidentally bumped into that person, even though the other person only had one hand, Niu Er still couldn't beat him.

"A man with a missing arm? If he has such skill, why would he commit theft?"

The numerous doubts made Zhou Wu ponder deeply. This mysterious person was an unstable factor. The appearance of such a person in Nanhai City was a ticking time bomb for Nanhai.

"Yes, I also felt something was wrong, which is why I suspected this wasn't a simple theft."

"Sir, it's extremely dangerous for such a person to appear in the South China Sea. We should apprehend him as soon as possible."

"Yes, Madam Lin is right. The newly built South Sea City cannot withstand even the slightest storm."

As the Chief Executive of the South China Sea, Benboer will not easily let go of any factors that could cause instability in the South China Sea.

“Niu Er, you need to strengthen the patrols in Nanhai City. The mysterious man is missing an arm, so it shouldn’t be difficult to find him. You must catch this mysterious man as soon as possible.”

"Yes."

"Lady Lin."

"exist."

"From now on, all personnel entering and leaving the South China Sea will need to be screened, especially outsiders."

"Yes."

Zhou Wu was only focused on increasing the population of the South China Sea as quickly as possible, and never thought about strictly screening these mixed-race people to come in. Now he can only try to make up for it as soon as possible.

. . . . . .

What was supposed to be a lively dinner party quickly lost its charm due to the mysterious topic of the one-armed man.

Zhou Wu fell into deep thought.

"What is the purpose of this mysterious one-armed man coming to the South China Sea?"

Zhou Wu was alone in his study, pondering repeatedly. If the other party was just passing through the South China Sea, then Zhou Wu was definitely wrong. The South China Sea is such a remote island; unless they were going to the United States, what kind of nonsense would they be passing through?

"Oh, that's annoying."

After thinking for a long time without finding a solution, Zhou Wu gave up and could only instruct his family members to take extra guards with them when they went out recently, including himself.

After experiencing Hou Zhenghao's kidnapping incident, Zhou Wu is now more cautious than ever, probably because that incident left him with psychological trauma.

However, Zhou Wu couldn't hold back any longer after staying at home for two days.

"Damn it, I scared myself. Someone, I need to go out."

"Yes."

There are many things to deal with in the South China Sea every day. Zhou Wu can't stay home forever. Moreover, he doesn't even know what the other party's purpose is. He's already intimidated by himself.

Zhou Wu decided he couldn't keep scaring himself like this. He still had to go out, and he could just arrange for more guards to protect him.

"Phew~~ Ah~~~ It's been so long since I've breathed in the fresh air outside."

. . . . . . . .