The Reversal of Heaven Begins with The Smiling, Proud Wanderer

Amidst the whispers of the crowd, Lin Mu, accompanied by Yue Qiluo, entered the banquet hall.

Today he was dressed in a crisp German military uniform, his riding boots gleaming, his belt accentuating his lean waist, and his sharp, eagle-like gaze exuding an imposing and authoritative aura as he surveyed the entire scene.

What's even more eye-catching is Yue Qiluo beside him.

She wore a dark green cheongsam embroidered with gold thread, a sable fur coat, and a jade hairpin in her dark hair, making her look elegant and noble, yet with a hint of inexplicable wickedness.

"Everyone, please take a seat."

Lin Mu sat down in the main seat, with Yue Qiluo sitting beside him.

After several rounds of drinks and several dishes, the atmosphere in the room gradually became lively.

Several wealthy and influential figures rose to offer a toast, their words filled with flattery, but also subtly testing the waters.

Li Baiwan raised his glass first: "Commander Lin is young and promising. Wenxian County will surely prosper under your rule. I toast to you!"

Lin Mu raised his glass and drank it all in one gulp, but did not reply.

Wang Shouye then stood up, his fat face beaming with smiles: "If there's anything the Commander needs, just let me know. We businessmen all hope for peace and tranquility, because that's when business is easier, isn't it?"

Lin Mu smiled faintly: "Mr. Wang is right, peace is indeed very important."

After several rounds of drinks, Lin Mu suddenly put down his wine glass, and his chopsticks made a crisp sound as they tapped on the blue and white porcelain plate.

The entire room fell silent. Everyone knew that the main event was about to begin.

Lin Mu slowly said, "As we all know, Wen County has suffered from war for years, and the people's livelihood is in ruins."

"As the commander-in-chief of Wen County, I am obligated to protect the territory and its people and revitalize the local area."

His voice was not loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly: "However, even a skilled cook cannot cook without rice. The army is short of food and pay, and many projects that benefit the people cannot be carried out."

He paused, his gaze sweeping across the room: "Therefore, I would like to borrow 100,000 shi of grain and 500,000 silver dollars from you all to relieve this urgent crisis."

As soon as these words came out, the whole place was in an uproar.

One hundred thousand shi of grain, five hundred thousand silver dollars!

This is outrageous! Who begs on their knees for so much money?

An elderly man with white hair rose shakily; it was Li Baiwan: "General, it's not that I'm unwilling to help, but business has been difficult these past few years, and I have very little grain left at home, let alone money..."

Before he could finish speaking, Lin Mu interrupted him: "Master Li, there's no need to be so modest."

"As far as I know, you have three large granaries in the west of the city, with a total grain storage of at least 50,000 shi (a unit of dry measure).

"In addition, you also made a big deal with a foreign firm in the provincial capital last year, earning a profit of no less than 100,000 silver dollars."

Li Baiwan's face turned deathly pale, and he stammered, unable to speak.

Another obese businessman stood up; it was Wang Shouye: "General, this amount is far too large; we also need to make ends meet!"

"Boss Wang, how much did you make from arms dealing last year? And your casino and opium den, their monthly income must be no less than this amount, right?" Lin Mu held up five fingers.

Wang Shouye broke out in a cold sweat and dared not say another word.

Lin Mu said, "I know your difficulties, but these are extraordinary times, and we have no choice but to do extraordinary things."

"I can offer you two choices: one is to donate voluntarily, which I, Lin Mu, will remember and will repay in the future; the other is..."

His tone turned cold: "I'll send people to check everyone's accounts to see if there's any tax evasion, illegal activities, or other violations."

"If anything is found out, it won't be a donation, it will be confiscated."

The threat in those words couldn't be clearer.

The wealthy gentlemen looked at each other, their faces grim.

Just then, a hot-blooded young master suddenly slammed his fist on the table and stood up: "General Lin, this is blatant robbery!"

"My uncle is the provincial capital's garrison commander. Isn't what you're doing inappropriate?"

This is Liu Mingyuan, the only son of the Liu family. He usually acts like a tyrant in Wen County, and no one dares to mess with him.

Lin Mu narrowed his eyes slightly: "Oh? The provincial capital's garrison commander? What an imposing official presence."

He casually picked up a chicken leg bone and tossed it around.

The chicken bone shot out like a sharp arrow, piercing Liu Mingyuan's throat with pinpoint accuracy.

Liu Mingyuan clutched his neck, blood gushing from between his fingers. He stared wide-eyed in disbelief, making a gurgling sound in his throat. After struggling a few times, he finally collapsed to the ground, dying with his eyes wide open.

"If you refuse a toast, you'll be forced to drink a penalty shot; that's just being a jerk."

Lin Mu picked up a napkin and slowly wiped his hands, then smiled at the other gentlemen: "Let's eat."

These wealthy gentlemen had never seen such a scene before.

They were all terrified, their faces pale. Some of them trembled as they picked up their bowls and chopsticks and mechanically shoveled rice into their mouths.

"You actually eat it?"

Lin Mu suddenly smiled and pulled out a rare golden Desert Eagle that Norman Osborn had given him back in the Spider-Man world.

"Bang Bang Bang!!!"

Several gunshots rang out in succession, and the wealthy gentlemen who were eating from their bowls fell to the ground.

Gunshots echoed through the banquet hall, shaking the crystal chandelier.

Gu Xuanwu felt a chill run down his spine.

While it's certainly satisfying to see these tycoons dead, how to handle the aftermath is a major problem.

The pressure in the provincial capital, the unrest in the local area... he couldn't even imagine it.

Lin Mu looked at Yue Qiluo calmly and said, "Madam, please perform a talent show."

"You're so naughty, but I love it!"

Yue Qiluo smiled charmingly, but a strange light flashed in her eyes.

She took out a stack of paper figures from her sleeve, and with a light flick of her fingers, the paper figures fluttered like butterflies.

As she chanted incantations, faint white light emanated from the bodies of the deceased gentry, who were then absorbed into the paper figures.

After the paper figures landed, they transformed into the likenesses of those wealthy gentlemen in life, with even the details of their clothes being exactly the same, except that their eyes were empty and their movements were slightly stiff.

Gu Xuanwu stared in disbelief, his back drenched in cold sweat.

He had known for a long time that Yue Qiluo was no ordinary person, but he never imagined she would be this wicked.

[What a vicious couple! They're like living devils; one kills the living, and the other doesn't even spare ghosts. I'd better serve them well, or I'll suffer a fate worse than death!]

"Gu Xuanwu".

Lin Mu's voice snapped Gu Xuanwu out of his shock: "Take your men and follow them back to their residence, confiscate their property, arrest all their direct relatives, and kill any who resist."

·· ···Requesting flowers· ·······

"Yes!"

Gu Xuanwu hurriedly accepted the order and led the puppet gentry away.

My neighbor stores food and I store guns. My neighbor is my granary.

There's no need to be polite to these rich and heartless tycoons; Lin Mu is determined to make his money with dignity.

Lin Mu will take their lives just the same way.

As for offending the people behind them, would Lin Mu, a planetary-level being, be afraid of those scoundrels?

The next morning.

Lin Mu then summoned the people and held a public trial in the square in front of the county government office.

The square was packed with people; almost the entire city had come to see what tricks the new commander-in-chief was going to pull.

Those wealthy and unscrupulous gentry were brought to the front of the stage, and Lin Mu personally read out their crimes: bullying men and women, forcing people to buy and sell, exploiting the people, hoarding goods for profit, forcing women into prostitution... one crime after another, each one shocking.

At first, the people listened in silence, but as more and more crimes were mentioned, a disturbance began to break out in the crowd.

Some people sobbed softly, some gritted their teeth, but most remained silent.

They have been oppressed for too long and have long lost the courage to resist.

It wasn't until Lin Mu ordered the public execution of these wealthy gentry that this continued.

The moment the gunshots rang out and blood stained the execution ground, the people finally believed that this was not a charade.

"Master Qingtian!"

"Master Zhang is finally dead, my daughter, you can rest in peace now!"

"Great! With Commander Lin here, Wen County will be at peace! With Commander Lin here, justice will prevail!"

..... ... ....

The people knelt down before Lin Mu, and cries and cheers filled the air.

"boom!"

Lin Mu fired a shot into the air and shouted, "Get up! No kneeling!"

The crowd, stunned by the gunshot, fell silent and slowly rose to their feet.

"The emperor is gone, no one is worthy of your kneeling!"

Lin Mu's voice echoed throughout the venue: "I'm not worth your kneeling."

"I've come to Wen County to do only three things."

He paused, then said, word by word, "Fair! Fair! It's still fucking fair!"

The people were stunned; they had never heard such remarks before.

In this chaotic world, guns are law, and which warlord doesn't act arrogantly and domineeringly?

This Commander Lin seems to be truly different.

"Furthermore, starting immediately, open the granaries and distribute grain!"

Lin Mu continued, "Within Wen County, all people without land or food can come and register. Those who meet the requirements will be able to receive land and food!"

"If you have any grievances, you may go to the county government office to beat the drum and appeal for justice. I will definitely give you all justice."

These words struck like a thunderclap from a clear sky, exploding among the crowd.

Open the granaries and release grain?

Distribute land?

This is something I never dared to dream of!

Gu Xuanwu grew anxious and leaned close to Lin Mu, whispering, "General, please reconsider! We don't have much food left. If we release it all, what will the brothers eat?"

"If other towns attack, we won't be able to hold out for more than a few days without food!"

Lin Mu glanced at him indifferently: "I have my own arrangements for the food."

"Seize the land and grain of those wealthy landowners; that will be enough for the people of Wen County to get through their current difficulties. Just do as they say."

His tone left no room for argument, so Gu Xuanwu had no choice but to swallow his questions and shout loudly to the crowd below, "Did you all hear what the commander-in-chief said? Go and do it immediately!"

The soldiers sprang into action, opening the granaries and setting up soup kitchens.

When the aroma of the first pot of rice porridge wafted through the air, the people finally believed it wasn't a lie.

The line for food supplies stretched as far as the eye could see, and everyone's face was filled with hope.

Lin Mu personally supervised the distribution process. His golden eyes could see through everyone's background, and the landlord's servants who tried to blend in were all exposed.

At best, they would be subjected to labor reform; at worst, their homes would be ransacked and their entire families exterminated.

By the end of the day, tens of thousands of grains had been distributed, saving countless lives.

Just as the sun was setting, Lin Mu suddenly felt a warm current flow into his body, which turned out to be a rare power of merit.

"I never imagined that merit could exist in this world."

Lin Mu pondered to himself, "It seems that this world is more complicated than I imagined. Fortunately, it is the Dharma-ending Age, so even if there are gods and Buddhas, their strength is greatly reduced."

He recalled the Taotie of Pig Head Mountain, one of the four ancient ferocious beasts, which was also subject to the five signs of decay and was tormented by Yue Qiluo's soul.

Even the gods and demons of this world seem unable to escape the shackles of the Dharma-ending Age.