The tyrannical father was so intimidated when his own daughter was found during the raid.

The night wind blew across the open space of Black Wind Village, carrying with it a pungent smell of sulfur.

The air fell into a deathly silence.

The torch held in the assassin leader's hand was now like a hot potato, trembling violently in mid-air.

The assassins, who were originally ready to die, all stared wide-eyed at the little girl in the center of the open space as if she were a monster.

Every word that girl just said was like an invisible blade.

It pierced their already numb hearts.

Seeing that the time was right, Su Yaoyao curled her lips into a cold smile of certainty.

Seizing the opportunity, she strode confidently over to the overturned powder keg.

Then, she raised her foot and, with great domineering force, stepped on the edge of the powder keg that could explode at any moment.

"Don't be silly, brave warriors."

Su Yaoyao crossed her arms and looked at the group of bewildered assassins before unleashing her deadly move for the night.

"Let me give you a heads-up, General Lin Zhenxiong is about to go bankrupt!"

"He just mortgaged his three most valuable shops in the capital to me today; he's practically an empty shell now!"

"What future do you have following a penniless wretch who's almost squandered his family's fortune?!"

The assassins all gasped in shock.

Is our lord going bankrupt?

Not only are they out of money, but they've also mortgaged their prime location shop?

How is this possible?!

But seeing the Crown Princess's confident expression, and considering that their lord had recently started cutting back on even coarse grains, they believed her to some extent.

Su Yaoyao didn't give them time to think or catch their breath, and kept talking non-stop about making grand promises.

Wake up, everyone! A wise bird chooses a good tree to perch on!

"Follow me!"

"Starting today, your base salary will be tripled!"

"Every year-end, we give you double pay! That is, an extra month's salary as a New Year's bonus!"

"When you're on a mission, food and lodging are provided! You'll have plenty of steamed buns and braised pork every meal; we'll never let you eat cold rations!"

"If you get injured, not only will your medical expenses be fully covered, but I'll also give you paid sick leave!"

Double pay?

Free meals and accommodation, plus braised pork?

Paid sick leave?

How could there possibly be such a free lunch in this world?!

But that wasn't all. Su Yaoyao took a deep breath.

"Most importantly!"

"Any core employee who has worked with me for ten years and has demonstrated outstanding performance..."

"This Crown Princess is gifting you a three-courtyard, three-exit school district apartment near the Imperial Academy, located within the Second Ring Road of the capital!"

"May your descendants all be able to attend the best schools, pass the imperial examinations, and completely escape this dark and degraded status!"

"boom!"

They might not understand the term "school district housing".

However, the goals of "entering the best schools," "passing the imperial examinations," and "escaping the status of a lowly person" were like a heavy blow.

Crushing the assassins' last psychological defenses!

Killers are human too.

Many of them became emotionless assassins because they were sold into slavery as children or had no other choice.

Who doesn't want to live an upright life?

Who wouldn't want their child to live an upright life, without having to live a life of constant danger like they did?

Countless tragic and desperate images flashed through the assassin leader's mind.

He recalled how, every winter, his brothers would huddle together in a dilapidated temple that let in drafts from all sides, shivering from the cold, trying to keep each other warm.

Thinking back to the last mission, my best brother had his arm cut off, but the general only rewarded him with two taels of silver.

Then, like throwing away trash, they drove their crippled brothers out of the camp and left them to fend for themselves.

He thought of his son, who was not even a month old, who died in his wife's arms because they couldn't afford good medicine.

What was the general doing at that time?

The general stood on the high command platform, his face cold as he brainwashed them.

"You are all emotionless shadows! Shadows need no warmth!"

"Sacrificing for the greater good is your destiny, and also your glory!"

Glory my ass!

To hell with the big picture!

The assassin leader's hand, holding the torch, was bulging with veins and his knuckles were deathly white.

What did Her Highness the Crown Princess give you?

It's triple pay, free medical care, and a house that will allow your descendants to change their social standing!

Let's see what the general gave us.

A few empty words, light and meaningless!

Add to that the constant hunger and simple meals, and a life forever shrouded in darkness!

In comparison, they are utterly cheap and worthless bastards!

The assassins around them all had tears in their eyes.

They looked at each other, glancing at each other's thin, blood-stained, patched clothes.

He glanced again at the other person's face, which was malnourished for many years, pale, and covered with scars.

Earning only a pitiful few taels of silver a month, he couldn't even afford to marry a wife, and when he died, he wouldn't even have a simple coffin.

Who are they working for anyway?!

Standing to the side, Su Jin, with a black burlap sack over his head and his whole body glowing pink, was completely numb.

His hand, gripping the poisoned blade, froze in mid-air, his mind buzzing.

He thought tonight would be a fierce and bloody battle, and he was mentally prepared to be seriously injured and on the verge of death.

So, this brat managed to fool Lin Zhenxiong's most elite trump card with just a few nonsensical words?!

What kind of sorcery?

What terrifying method of bewitching people?!

"Clang!"

A crisp metallic thud broke the oppressive silence.

The youngest assassin lost his grip on the steel knife and dropped it to the ground.

The sound was like the first domino falling, triggering an irreversible chain reaction.

The assassin leader took a deep breath, and his eyes, which had never flinched in the midst of flashing blades, turned bloodshot.

He stared at the black powder that exuded an aura of death.

With a determined clench of his teeth, he drew a resolute arc in mid-air.

"Sizzle."

That torch was only inches away from the gunpowder and could have triggered a massive explosion at any moment.

He used all his strength to throw it into a huge water tank used for daily fire prevention.

Water splashed everywhere, and the leaping flames were swallowed by the cold well water, emitting a pungent white smoke.

The crisis that threatened to destroy half a mountain was thus averted.

Then, the notorious, ruthless assassin leader's knees buckled.

A loud "thump"!

The leader knelt upright in front of Su Yaoyao, his knees slamming heavily onto the ground with a dull thud.

With a gliding motion, he led the way, kneeling down in front of Su Yaoyao's shoes.

"To hell with our lord! To hell with sacrificing for the greater good!"

The leader ripped off the hideous Asura mask from his face, revealing a weathered and worn-out face.

He looked up, his voice choked with emotion, filled with a fervent devotion as if he had broken free of his shackles and been reborn.

"Starting today!"

"You're our only boss!"

"Wherever the boss points, that's where our knives will strike!"

"Even if the boss told us to chop up the Emperor himself, we wouldn't even flinch!"

"Thump! Thump! Thump!"

As the leader slid to his knees, the remaining dozens of top-tier assassins were harvested like wheat.

They all threw away the poisoned steel knives in their hands.

A huge, dark mass of people knelt down in front of Su Yaoyao, prostrating themselves on the ground.

Everyone was so excited that tears welled up in their eyes and their bodies trembled.

In the dark and cold Black Wind Village, they saw the brightest ray of light in their lives.

This beam of light not only brought meat buns, but also future school district housing!

"Hello, boss!!!"

Dozens of rigorously trained voices simultaneously unleashed deafening shouts.

The sound soared into the sky, echoing throughout the Black Wind Stronghold.

Su Yaoyao stood on the gunpowder.

"Very good. Everyone is very conscientious. They are indeed talents that I, the Crown Princess, have taken a liking to."

"Return to the palace tomorrow morning, and everyone should go to my maid to complete the onboarding procedures and collect the first batch of resettlement allowances!"

"As for tonight..."

A greedy glint flashed in Su Yaoyao's eyes as she waved her small hand, pointing to the core warehouse behind her.

"Everyone's working overtime tonight!"

"Take all the fine iron, gunpowder, and heavy ballistae here, even the General's hair!"

Overtime pay will be calculated at three times the normal rate!

The assassins' eyes lit up like hungry wolves when they heard about triple overtime pay.

One by one, they roared and scrambled to their feet, bursting with boundless energy, and charged toward the warehouse gate.

"The General's hidden stash of fine iron is in the cellar on the left! Brothers, grab your weapons and break in!"

The leader has now betrayed his former employer more thoroughly than anyone else, leading the way to raid his old master's assets.

"This is high-purity gunpowder on the right. Handle it carefully; the boss will need it very much later!"

The dozens of assassins worked like porters with incredible speed and efficiency, even trying to pry off the copper nails from the warehouse door frame to take with them.

What was originally a precarious and potentially fatal situation has turned into a bustling and frenzied relocation scene.

Looking at the group of enthusiastic new employees, Su Yaoyao patted the dust off her hands with satisfaction and snapped her fingers triumphantly.

Now, she has not only obtained all the iron and gunpowder for gun making without bloodshed, but also gained a special forces unit for free.

Next, we'll empty Black Wind Stronghold and go back to wreak havoc!