Imperial warlords: Cannons are the only truth

The First Prison in the Philippines.

"How is it going? Is everything settled in?"

"Warden, don't worry, everything will be perfectly fine."

“All traces along the way have been completely erased, and no one will be able to spot any flaws.”

"That's good! Luckily, we acted quickly enough."

Lu Wenyao, the warden of the First Prison in the Philippines, casually took a premium cigar from a cigar box in his drawer and tossed it to his subordinate Liu Sanhe, who had come to report: "Thanks to your excellent handling of the aftermath this time."

"Otherwise, it would be troublesome if the convoy was found to have traveled this way."

"The warden's arrangements were spot on!" Liu Sanhe immediately flattered, "The Daqian Zhenguo Army is conducting a city-wide search."

"The outside world is in complete chaos right now, with fully armed troops everywhere."

"Tanks and armored vehicles came one after another!"

"The Protectorate General, the military, and the General Patrol Bureau have all issued reward notices."

"However, they never dreamed that both people and gold were in our No. 1 Prison!"

"Even if they turn the entire city of Philippine upside down, it will be to no avail..."

"This is all thanks to the dungeon fortifications left behind by the Western Romans during their colonization," Lu Wenyao said with a smug smile. "They're perfect for storing valuables."

"Let them do whatever they want." Lü Wenyao then gave Liu Sanhe a look, signaling him to turn on the television in the office: "Let them do whatever they want. What happens outside has nothing to do with our First Prison!"

After turning on the TV and watching the live report of the citywide search, Lü Wenyao's smug expression deepened: "Alright! That'll keep them busy enough."

"But—all that work was for nothing!"

"It seems a bunch of unlucky guys are definitely going to lose their jobs because of this..."

"Such a big case can't be solved—the people can't be caught, and the gold can't be found."

"The Protector-General might have to resign because of this."

"As for Chen Yuanxiu, the chief inspector, needless to say, if he can't catch the people or find the goods, he'll definitely be the first one to be dismissed."

"However, that has absolutely nothing to do with us."

Lu Wenyao said gloatingly, "It's so much more carefree here!"

"No matter how many people try to shift the blame, they won't be able to find us."

"Although I'm not a high-ranking warden, I wouldn't even bother exchanging the Protector-General for me!"

"Who can disagree! When it comes to foresight, you, Warden, are the one!"

"Otherwise, how could Chen Yuanxiu have gotten the position of Director of the General Patrol Bureau?"

Liu Sanhe seized the opportunity to shower Liu with compliments once again.

"Chen Yuanxiu is probably the one who is suffering the most right now."

Lu Wenyao scoffed, "You know what—this guy who rose to power through women is pretty good at timing."

"He actually stumbled upon such a once-in-a-century opportunity."

"Under the current circumstances, the smuggling business can no longer be described as extremely profitable."

"It's a pity that this business has been monopolized by that guy surnamed Wang and Chen Yuanxiu."

"The gold we stole is only their monthly harvest."

"We smuggled sixteen truckloads of gold in one month, and the price of it smuggled from Xiluo to our area is still soaring."

"There will definitely be more than just sixteen truckloads next month..."

"Just wait, the price is going to rise even more. We knocked out sixteen cartloads of gold in one go, they'll definitely have to make up for it from those Western Roman smugglers."

"This business is truly enviable right now..."

As Liu Sanhe watched the scene on TV, he exclaimed, "This is far more profitable than smuggling opium and weapons!"

"However, Chen Yuanxiu and that guy surnamed Wang must have wasted their time last month."

"It's like working for the warden for a month!"

“What a pity…” Lu Wenyao’s face was full of regret: “We can only do this job once.”

"Even without those sixteen cartloads of gold, Chen Yuanxiu won't lose out!"

"He's already made enough money."

"Given the current situation regarding illegal immigration, as the fighting on the Western Roman side intensifies, the number of Western Romans wanting to illegally cross the border will only increase."

"The gold we obtained this time is just a drop in the ocean for Chen Yuanxiu and his men."

At this point, Lü Wenyao said with a hint of jealousy, "To be honest—Chen Yuanxiu, the chief inspector, really arrived at the right time!"

"Warden, we definitely can't do this gold caravan anymore."

"After all, this matter has already alarmed the military."

"but...................."

Liu Sanhe said in a low voice, "We can't hijack the convoy, but kidnapping someone is a piece of cake for us."

"Although Chen Yuanxiu is the chief inspector, he still has a very good sense of security."

"But if we're determined—this really won't be a problem for us brothers!"

"You mean—wait until things calm down, then find an opportunity to kidnap Chen Yuanxiu and collect the ransom?"

Upon hearing this, Lü Wenyao's eyes lit up.

Liu Sanhe's words seemed to open a new door for him: "That's right!"

"How could I not have thought of that!"

"The convoy can't move, but we can move people!"

Lu Wenyao was overjoyed: "Sanhe, you're really quick-witted!"

"Although we can't get involved in the smuggling business, we can outmaneuver Chen Yuanxiu from behind!"

"Oh, right! And that Wang Dali too."

"That Wang Dali is also a 'fat fish'."

"At that time, Wang Dali and Chen Yuanxiu will be tied up together!"

"If we're going to do it, let's do it thoroughly."

"Alright! This was your idea. You can get an extra portion on top of the original amount."

"Thank you, Warden!"

Ring! Ring! Ring...

Just as Liu Sanhe was about to add a few more flattering words, the phone on his desk rang urgently.

"Hey, what's going on?"

"what?"

"The military is coming to search our prison?"

"Stop them from here! I'm coming right now!"

"Warden, what's going on?" Liu Sanhe looked at Lü Wenyao, whose face had instantly darkened, and sensed something was wrong.

"The guards said the military wants to search our prison, and they're already at the gate!"

"I'll go see what's going on. You go to the prison ward and make arrangements..."

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"Please wait a moment, officers. Our warden will be here shortly!"

The prison guards on duty then explained to the military officers and secret intelligence personnel who had come to carry out the search: "Please forgive us, officers."

"We have many serious criminals in our No. 1 prison."

"Without the warden's orders, if we let you all in directly..."

"what happened?"

Before the guard could finish speaking, Lü Wenyao, who had received the news, rushed over.

"Sir, this is our Warden Lü."

"Warden Lü, this is a search warrant personally issued by the Protector-General."

Gu Yuankai, the plainclothes special agent from the Secret Intelligence Bureau who was leading the team, took the initiative to show the search warrant personally signed by Protector-General Zheng Tianyi to Lü Wenyao, who had just arrived.

"This is my identification." Gu Yuankai proactively showed his identification and introduced himself: "Gu Yuankai, Senior Special Agent of the Secret Intelligence Bureau."

"This is Major Yu Lixin of the Daqian Zhenguo Army stationed in the Philippines."

"This is now a joint operation between the Secret Intelligence Service and the military to handle the gold robbery."

"According to the instructions from above, all areas in the city of Philharmonie must be thoroughly investigated."

"Warden Lü, please don't misunderstand. Not only your First Prison, but the entire Protectorate government office has been turned upside down."

"I understand! I understand..." After confirming that the documents and search warrant were in order, Lu Wenyao really couldn't find any excuse to stop the military from conducting the search.

They had no choice but to bite the bullet and return the search warrant and credentials: "Since it is the Protector-General's order, our First Prison will cooperate unconditionally!"

"What are you all standing there for?" Lu Wenyao immediately ordered the gatekeeper, "Quickly push open the iron gate and let the military brothers on official business in!"

"Please come in, officers..."

As he spoke, Lü Wenyao stepped aside and made a "please" gesture: "Please give me your instructions on how you want to search, officers."

"We will definitely provide full cooperation!"

"Alright, then I'll trouble Warden Lü to gather all the prisoners in the open space on the playground first."

"Let's take a headcount first and empty the cells to make the inspection easier."

"Alright! You there—quickly notify everyone to gather the prisoners!" Lu Wenyao then pointed at one of his men and told him to carry out the order immediately.

At this moment, Lu Wenyao, who was trying to remain calm, was already sweating profusely.

Watching the military trucks, each packed with soldiers, file in, Lü Wenyao felt his heart pounding in his chest...

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"Warden Lü, are you hot?"

Seeing that Lü Wenyao, who was accompanying him, was covered in sweat, Gu Yuankai casually asked.

"I was in such a rush to get here that I ran a bit fast, and I'm all sweaty..."

"By the way, before we came, we specifically checked the design and structural drawings of your Philip City First Prison at the General Patrol Bureau so that we could better investigate."

"I see—you have a fairly large dungeon in your First Prison, right?"

“Yes! Yes! Yes!” Lu Wenyao’s heart skipped a beat, but he dared not show any sign of it on the surface: “There is such a dungeon fortification.”

"This dungeon fortification was built by the Cyro people when they colonized the Philippines."

As they walked, Lü Wenyao explained to Gu Yuankai, "It used to be a place specifically for imprisoning death row inmates by the Xiluo people."

"Many people died in the dungeon before..."

"It's said that this dungeon is filled with resentment and is not very clean, and many bad things have happened there before."

"Anyway, the rumors are pretty bizarre."

"After this place was converted into the first prison in the Philippines, a number of strange things have happened."

"Finally, we even specially invited someone to perform a ritual."

"This dungeon has been sealed off now, and it's usually used as an abandoned warehouse to store miscellaneous items..."

"Oh? You mean—this dungeon is haunted?"

"War Chief Lü personally experienced it?"

"I've experienced it! For a period of time, every night, we'd hear crying coming from the dungeon, the kind that's really creepy..."

"However, after I personally led a team to thoroughly inspect the inside and outside, we found nothing."

"But the sounds continued to come from the dungeon the following night..."

"Some guards also said they've seen ghostly figures in the dungeon area..."

"By the way, this incident also scared three of our staff members on duty to the point of madness."

"In the end, I had no other choice but to have someone perform a ritual."

"However, after the ritual was performed, no one wanted to go near that place anymore."

Even after the ritual was performed, it still gives off a creepy feeling when you go inside...

"Everyone says there are either evil spirits or malevolent beings inside."

"So, it was eventually abandoned and used as a storage place for miscellaneous items..........................."

"Oh? That's so strange? They even performed a ritual?"

"I'll have to take a good look at it later."

Gu Yuankai smiled and said, "I want to see what kind of evil spirits are causing trouble inside!"

"Okay! I'll personally accompany you there later."

"Sirs, it's almost lunchtime."

"I wonder if either of you has any dietary restrictions? I'll ask the cafeteria to prepare something in advance."

Lu Wenyao immediately changed the subject, his mind racing as he devised a plan.

“There’s no need for Warden Lü to trouble himself with the meal.” Gu Yuankai shook his head: “We’re under pressure from above. After we finish checking here, we have to go to the next place immediately.”

"Moreover, the military has a rule—if you can avoid causing trouble for the local area, you should absolutely not cause trouble for the local area."

"Once this mission is completed, we can go back to the camp for a meal."

"What trouble is this!"

"It's no trouble at all!" Lu Wenyao waved his hands repeatedly and said, "The two officers have brought so many brothers here, we can't just leave them without a meal, can we?"

"Although this is a prison, the standards of hospitality are by no means inferior!"

"It's almost noon, we can't let the brothers work on an empty stomach, can we?"

"I'll arrange it..."