Operation Thunder

The lord's warrant in Ye Wei'an's hand was obviously fake.

How could he possibly fly to Firefall Fortress and then back to Firefall Town in just a few days?

Not to mention getting orders from a terminally ill father.

This order was obviously forged by him.

The most crucial seal—of course—was forged using the newly acquired [forgery seal ring].

From this perspective, the gray crow has also shot itself in the foot.

As the crowd grew larger, Ye Weian saw that the time was ripe, dismounted, and stood on the stone steps at the entrance of the leather shop.

He clapped his hands, and Raine and Harold immediately grabbed the barbarian bandit Grumman, who was bound like a dumpling, and Gray Raven himself, and threw him in front of the crowd with a "bang".

"Citizens of Firefall!" Ye Wei'an announced loudly, "You might wonder why we're shutting down the 'Old Oak' leather shop. Now, I'm telling you, the 'successful businessman' Gray Raven in your eyes is actually the local thief who shares the spoils with the Grumman bandits! This leather shop is just a den of thieves used by those murderous and robbed thugs to sell their stolen goods!"

He suddenly unfurled several yellowed account books and bloodstained letters, holding them above his head.

"These are the accounts and letters of the Gray Raven! They detail how 'Old Oak' contacted bandits, robbed caravans everywhere, and eliminated competitors—and even more appalling, the Gray Raven dared to hire them to openly intercept and kill members of the Xia Xing family—that is, me!"

The crowd suddenly erupted in uproar.

There's no need for Ye Weian to say anything; the locals all know the truth about this—it's an open secret.

The reason why the Grumman bandits never robbed locals was because they had an agreement with the local "big shots".

However, due to the power of the Grey Crows, ordinary people could only dare to be angry but not speak out.

Now that powerful figures are standing up for them, many people can no longer tolerate it.

"Good for them! My caravan lost three cartloads of leather on the Thunder Trade Route last year, it must have been these bastards!" A poorly dressed leather merchant was the first to shout out from the crowd.

Once there's a first one, there's bound to be a second.

Once the pent-up resentment of many years was unleashed, it poured out like a flood.

"That bastard Gray Crow hired bandits to threaten my whole family last year in order to take over my shop!"

"Those bandits are running rampant in town! Sir, you must stand up for us!"

"The Grey Crow not only extorts money everywhere, but it's also taken Aunt Klin's daughter as its own!"

Accusations rose and fell, and public sentiment was indignant.

Faced with the surging public anger, Ye Wei'an stood on the steps and pressed his hand down.

The noise gradually subsided, and everyone looked up at the lord's illegitimate son who had brought them hope.

"I know how much you've suffered, but the reason this venomous snake has been able to linger in Firefall Town for so long is not only because he has powerful backers, but also because he controls violence through his bandit gang—and even now, they intend to use this method to threaten you."

Ye Wei'an's words left the townspeople looking at each other in bewilderment, not understanding what he was trying to say.

At the same time, he mentally issued the mission to the soldiers via telepathy.

(The man with the goatee, wearing a dark gray linen blouse and a tattered leather pouch at his waist, is behind you to your left. Now, grab him!)

Goatee had been mingling in the crowd to observe the situation, but when he saw Grumman tied up on the stage, he decided to slip away.

Suddenly, his expression changed drastically, and he instinctively tried to squeeze deeper into the crowd.

Unfortunately, by the time they could do whatever they wanted, the soldiers were already in position.

Seeing his target trying to run, two soldiers pushed aside the townspeople blocking his way, attacking from both sides, and four iron-like hands pressed down on his shoulders.

"Don't move, you bastard!" A soldier slammed into the man's stomach, causing him to collapse like a shrimp, and he was dragged onto the stage.

"That's the man!" Ye Wei'an pointed to the man with the goatee. "Does anyone recognize him?"

"I recognize him!" someone in the crowd immediately pointed out. "He's 'Goat,' the gang's underling. He broke into my house last winter and stole my donkey!"

"I remember those disgusting eyes too! That day in the alley behind the pub, he... he raped old Pete's daughter!"

An even more furious roar erupted from the crowd.

Several relatives of the victims, their eyes red with anger, rushed forward and began punching and kicking the goat, which was as mushy as mud.

That's right, this unfortunate fellow is "Goat," the first leader to escape during the attack.

After slipping away, he rushed back to Firefall Town to report the news, but it was too late.

Gray Raven was kidnapped by Ye Weian first, and this was not discovered until now. Everyone else thought that Gray Raven had left on his own.

Unable to find the gray crows, the goat had no choice but to stay in Firefall and wait.

He waited and waited, but instead of seeing Gray Raven, he saw Ye Weian return to Firefall Town.

Just as Ye Weian was about to shut down the leather shop, this guy came over to gather intelligence.

He thought he had done a good job of hiding, but little did he know that the minimap had discovered him from the very beginning.

Ye Wei'an stepped down the stairs, looking at the goat being dragged over like a dead dog, and coldly announced: "Now that the evidence is irrefutable, I, Ye Wei'an Xia Xing, in the name of my father, Harandil Xia Xing, declare that from this day forward, the Gray Raven Illegal Merchant Guild, the Grumman Bandit Gang, and all their henchmen will be completely eradicated!"

"I will arrest them all and bring them to justice! There will be no leniency!"

This final scene definitively confirmed Gray Raven's death sentence.

If some people thought they could use their power to whitewash the previous accounts, then catching the bandits and spies on the spot nailed Gray Raven to the pillar of shame for traitors.

"Your Excellency is wise!"

"Eliminate these cancerous growths! Long live Firefall!"

The cheers of the townspeople nearly lifted the roof off the leather shop.

"From this day forward, Firefall is no longer a haven for bandits!" Ye Weian waved his hand. "Kane, take them all away. The rest of you, follow me to seal off the leather shop!"

After saying this, Ye Wei'an ignored the excited townspeople and the sweating mayor Bartók behind him, and led his guards into the room.

"Raine, take some men to the cellar and load all the smuggled goods and the leathers that haven't been transported yet onto the trucks." Upon entering the trading company, Ye Weian immediately began assigning tasks.

"Sir, there are many goods there, and our wagons may not be enough," Renn reminded him.

"Then we'll use the leather shop's carriage. Remember, the entire leather shop is now our property."

"Yes, sir!"

"Harold, after you clear out the cellar, set it up as a temporary prison. You and your men will be in charge of guarding and interrogating the prisoners we bring in."

"Understood, sir."

"Remember to ask the town mayor for a few people to take your statements."

"Finally, Kane, you bring half of your men with you."

The following afternoon, the residents of Firefall Town witnessed the ruthless methods of this illegitimate young master.

Ye Weian led a team of fully armed soldiers on patrol in the town.

Once a red dot appears on the system's minimap, Ye Wei'an will lead his soldiers to break down doors, whether it's a civilian house, a shop, a tavern, or anywhere else.

"Open the door!" Ryan kicked open the door of an ordinary house.

The gray crow henchmen hiding in the vegetable cellar were dragged out by soldiers like chicks before they could even react.

"That's 'Quickhand' Jack! The most ruthless debt collector under the Gray Raven's command!" The townspeople watching burst into laughter and applause.

"This tavern, the waitress who's wiping the tables." Amid the patrons' exclamations, the soldiers dragged out a seemingly frail-looking girl.

Each arrest was met with cheers from the townspeople. The Gray Ravens' informants were like rats in the gutter, watching every merchant who dared to resist; everyone hated them to the core.

Of course, there were bound to be some excuses during the arrest, especially from those informants who had never been exposed before.

"Drunkard and Lady" tavern.

Ye Wei'an walked straight to the bar, pointed to a waitress wiping glasses, and said casually, "Take him away."

"My lord! I'm innocent! I'm just a day laborer, I don't know anything!" Seeing two burly soldiers approach, the maid's eyes reddened, and tears streamed down her face.

Many kind-hearted diners around the scene showed signs of distress.

Ye Wei'an didn't waste any words and immediately used his magic.

[The Art of Making Friends].

In her eyes, Ye Wei'an, who was originally terrifying, suddenly became incredibly kind and trustworthy, as if he were her long-lost relative.

"I know you're afraid of being silenced by the Gray Ravens," Ye Wei'an promised gently, "but as long as you tell me the task the Gray Ravens gave you, I guarantee no one will hurt you. If you're afraid of retaliation from the people in town, I can arrange for you to live somewhere else."

The waitress's eyes instantly became glazed over.

She wasn't a professional corporate spy to begin with, and her psychological defenses were as fragile as a sheet of paper in the face of magic. Before Ye Wei'an could even ask her any questions, she spilled everything:

"I'll talk! I'll talk! Lord Gray Raven... no, that bastard made me keep an eye on the boss's ledgers so he could set a trap for the boss and get him into trouble, then he could take control of the tavern!"

Upon hearing this, the diners who had initially sympathized with her gasped in surprise, and the waitress also suddenly came to her senses, collapsing to the ground with a deathly pale face.

"Take her away." Ye Wei'an didn't even glance at her before turning and walking out of the tavern.

Whether it's a hired hand in the bakery or a thug hiding in the haystack, no one who appears within Ye Wei'an's minimap is spared.

Whenever a hidden "parasite" is exposed, the townspeople who have been bullied nearby erupt in thunderous cheers.

As he traveled and interrogated, more crimes were uncovered.

"So the fire last year that bankrupted the Underwood family was caused by the Grey Ravens!"

"He even went so far as to threaten all the shipping companies and forcibly monopolize the town's salt supply!"

Although everyone knows that the "Grey Crows" are all-powerful and that they have done many bad things, ordinary people don't feel the harm they cause because the "Grey Crows" rarely rob openly and mostly use various indirect methods.

But as many things came to light, they realized that the Gray Ravens had "stolen" so many of their benefits.

Some local business tycoons who partnered with Grey Crows shifted all the blame onto Grey Crows to avoid being purged.

Ye Wei'an chose to turn a blind eye to this.

This area belongs to the Xia Xing family, but it's not his territory.

Everything he did was to substantiate the "Grey Raven" charge; there was no need to offend too many people.

He might need these people in the future.

By evening, the gray network that originally belonged to the Gray Ravens in Firefall Town had completely collapsed.