12: Goodbye Roy (Part 2)

Late at night, the candlelight flickered on the bronze stand, stretching Roy's shadow long and thin. She reclined on a velvet couch, her fingertips unconsciously tracing the carved armrest, her crimson-painted nails glinting eerily in the firelight. Her silk nightgown accentuated her breathtaking curves, her bare shoulders shimmering like pearls, yet her seductive peach blossom eyes were filled with irritation—if not for Aaron's pitiful savings, she wouldn't have even bothered to look at that nouveau riche upstart reeking of money.

With a 'creak,' the carved wooden door was pushed open, and the cold air of the night dew rushed in. Roy looked up and saw 'Aaron' dressed in a brocade robe with dark patterns, a pigeon-blood jade pendant hanging from his waist. Despite his appearance of overwhelming wealth, in her eyes, he was still the same impoverished wretch who had sweated profusely in the blacksmith shop. She furrowed her brows in disgust, not even bothering to expend the energy to stand up: 'What, haven't you had enough of the death row cell? You still dare to come here and be an eyesore?'

Spy Wei He's electronic eye precisely captured the mockery at the corner of her mouth, his throat simulating a swallowing motion—in front of the screen, Wei He was clenching his fists, his knuckles turning white. Linlin watched in shock from the side, unable to help muttering: 'This woman changes her face faster than flipping a book; she didn't have this attitude when she was tricking him into marriage.' The holographic projection in the control room magnified Roy's expression threefold, making even the slight twitching of her nostrils clearly visible.

'I am not here for you,' Spy Wei He's voice was steady and emotionless, but it made Roy react like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, as she suddenly sat bolt upright. The collar of her nightgown slipped down, revealing her delicate collarbones, but she was completely oblivious, only slapping the armrest and screaming: 'Not for me? Then what for? To see how I laugh at a useless waste like you? Let me tell you, if it wasn't for your bit of money, you wouldn't have even been qualified to touch a single finger of mine!'

Her voice was shrill and piercing. The soldiers hidden behind the curtains couldn't help but peek out, only to be frozen back by General Charlie's gaze. This Intermediate Magician was stroking his gemstone-encrusted wand, a cold smile playing on his lips—he had long ago discovered the truth behind Wei He's imprisonment; he was merely using Roy's hand to get rid of this thorn in his side.

'Since it was only for money, why did you falsely accuse me of rape?' Spy Wei He took a step forward, the hem of his brocade robe brushing against a wolf-hair brush on the floor. 'In the death row cell, the jailers didn't treat me like a human being.'

Roy laughed as if she had heard the world's biggest joke, her body trembling with mirth, her chest heaving in a way that made the hidden soldiers' breath catch. 'Money? That was supposed to be mine anyway!' She suddenly stopped laughing, her eyes as fierce as a venomous scorpion. 'You refused to give me the money, so you deserved to die! What's the difference between a man like you, who wants a wife but has no money, and a rat in a gutter? I wanted you to die in that cell, never to rise again!'

'So the rape was fake?' Spy Wei He pressed closer, his shadow enveloping Roy.

'Is it now!' Roy blurted out, only realizing her slip of the tongue after the words were out. She stole a glance in Charlie's direction, and seeing he had no reaction, she simply threw caution to the wind. 'A spineless coward like you, who wouldn't even spend money on a brothel girl, deserves to be trampled underfoot!'

In front of the screen, Wei He suddenly pressed the pause button, startling Linlin: 'What's wrong?' He pointed at Roy's distorted face on the projection, his voice deep: 'Do you see? This is the outcome of almost losing one's life for her.' His fingertips slid across the control panel, pulling up thermal imaging of dozens of m60 machine guns. 'Let her see who the real waste is.'

At that moment, Roy suddenly screamed: 'General Charlie! It's him! Quickly, seize this madman!'

The hidden soldiers swarmed out like a tide, the clashing of their iron armor making the candlelight flicker. Charlie leaned on his wand and walked out slowly, his gold-embroidered magician's robe shimmering darkly in the light: 'Aaron, I trust you have been well?' Before he could finish, the sound of synchronized machinery suddenly came from behind Spy Wei He as dozens of American Soldiers appeared holding m60 machine guns, their dark muzzles pointed at the crowd.

'Rat-tat-tat—'

The gunfire tore through the silence of the night, bullets pouring out like a torrential rain. Before the heavy-armored soldiers could even raise their shields, they were shredded into pieces. The sturdy iron armor was like paper before the machine gun bullets, fragments of armor mixed with blood splashing across the magnificent Persian carpet. Roy was so terrified that she curled up under the couch, watching as piles of corpses rose to her ankles, her face pale with fright.

'Interesting.' Charlie raised his hand to manifest a light blue magic shield, bullets sparking into fine grains of light as they hit it. 'Unfortunately, these little tricks won't work against a magician.' Two people slowly walked out from behind him; one was as fat as a mountain of meat, the other as thin as a hemp stalk, yet both held wands encrusted with obsidian—it was George and Grant, two Intermediate Ice Magicians.

'Yuri, do it!' Wei He ordered in a deep voice from the control room. Ten Yuris raised their hands simultaneously, the Mental Wave Devices on their foreheads emitting a ghostly blue light. However, golden Magic Arrays suddenly lit up around Charlie and the other two, reflecting the mental waves back.

'Commander, their magic shields can block mental control!' Yuri's voice carried a rare gravity.

Before Wei He could adjust his tactics, George had already begun chanting: 'O spirits of ice, hear my call—Freezing Spell!' A Magic Array three meters in diameter appeared before him, its ice-crystal patterns flowing in the firelight as a pale pillar of energy roared forth. Everywhere it passed, the air condensed into frost; the soldiers were instantly encased in thick layers of ice, and even the barrels of the m60 machine guns were frozen into curves. Spy Wei He was not spared either; ice crystals spread from his feet to the top of his head, turning him into a lifelike ice sculpture.

'Bring him here.' Charlie waved his hand, and the soldiers carefully picked up the ice sculpture. George flicked his wand, and the ice layer instantly shattered, revealing Spy Wei He's stiff face. Charlie pinched his chin, smiling sinisterly: 'Thought you could turn the tables by bringing some strange iron toys? Too naive.'

In front of the screen, Wei He slammed his fist onto the console, and a coffee cup shattered on the floor. Linlin quickly supported him: 'Don't be impulsive! We still have a chance!'

Spy Wei He suddenly smiled, the curve of his lips making Charlie feel inexplicably flustered. 'You think you've won just because you caught me?' His voice carried a hint of mockery.

'Stubbornness is useless. You have only one choice now, and that is to surrender. Hand over all your armies, otherwise, you will end up just like them!' Charlie finished and gave George a meaningful look.

George then emitted a white light toward the soldiers. The white light flashed across the frozen American Soldiers and Yuris. The American Soldiers and Yuris, who had been like intact ice sculptures, all shattered. This time, it wasn't just the ice that broke; even the bodies of the American Soldiers and Yuris shattered along with it.

Roy screamed and lunged for the door, only to be pinned to the wall by Grant's ice spike. George was about to chant a spell when he noticed the floor tiles beneath his feet were becoming scorching hot—those were the C4 Bombs that Wei He had planted long ago.

'Boom—'

The explosion sent half the manor into the sky, flames carrying debris into the night. Charlie and the other two were blown away by the airwave, their magic shields flickering violently. Spy Wei He stood tall amidst the flames, the raging fire reflected in his eyes: 'This is only the beginning.'

In the control room, Wei He watched the flames on the screen and picked up a new cup of coffee: 'Tell the Hidden Agents to occupy the Armory according to the original plan.' Linlin recorded the data by his side and suddenly smiled: 'Roy is buried in the ruins. That ice spike earlier seems to have pierced her heart.'

Wei He took a sip of coffee, his eyes as cold as ice: 'Trash belongs in the garbage heap.' Outside the window, the silhouette of the Harsh Forest gradually appeared in the dawn; a new war was about to begin.