Baye Feng brought almost all of the Armed Department with him this time, leaving only a small squad to guard the base.

Everyone was equipped with bows and Tang Blades. Apart from sword skills, horse riding, and archery, they also practiced modern combat techniques.

All the martial skills in the world are interconnected. The military boxing and combat techniques from the modern world that Lin Wanwan taught Baye Feng were easily understood by him through illustrated books. He taught the techniques he found useful to his soldiers.

Now, Lin Wanwan’s Armed Department, after being enhanced with the Civilian Military Training Manual and Baye Feng, coupled with various material support, has undergone a complete transformation. They still need improvement in naval battles, but their horse riding skills have advanced to the point where they’ve worn out the training grounds near the base.

Dealing with the thugs of a small casino now is as easy as using a bull blade to kill a chicken.

In no time, the outer guards were all taken down.

The group bypassed the casino in the front yard and quietly headed for the rear yard.

A group of people surrounded the small building in the backyard. Baye Feng glanced at one of his soldiers, who immediately understood the signal and stepped forward to knock on the door.

"Open up, I’m here to have some fun!" the soldier shouted roughly, as if speaking casually, but his whole demeanor showed he was ready for action.

"Creak!"

The wooden door had barely opened halfway when a soldier lying in ambush kicked it open, sending the doorman flying inside.

"Are the women inside all the ones Xu Kai has abducted?"

Lin Wanwan stood beneath a giant banyan tree in front of the small building, observing. Behind her stood members of Xingluo, swords drawn and ready.

Under the sunset, the small building glowed a dim yellow, with many doorposts already peeling and weathered, giving it a desolate appearance.

"Yes," Liu Rushi replied, frowning at Lin Wanwan.

As a martial artist, she had keen senses; sword in hand, ears listening to the decadent sounds. Watching the Armed Department storm in and pin down those greasy, fleeing, naked men, her sword trembled slightly.

If it weren’t for her duty to protect Lin Wanwan, she would have loved to join the fray and stab a bloody hole in each of these scumbags; only blood could cleanse this filth and restore justice to the innocent women.

The women inside had been brought here by Xu Kai after being forced, with no hope of freedom. This was why Lin Wanwan decided to investigate upon reading the testimonies.

These busts were always chaotic throughout history—people who were interrupted in their misdeeds couldn’t hear anything else and would grab their clothes and run.

If the johns had daggers, it was even more dangerous as they would blindly lash out.

Fortunately, the Armed Department Lin Wanwan brought included nearly a hundred men, few of whom directly apprehended the men, mostly driving them out to fall right into the ambush circle set outside the small building.

One by one, the naked men, like white-skinned pigs, were herded into a circle and gagged with strips of cloth picked up from the floor.

If anyone fiercely resisted, they were simply stabbed several times, with blood gushing out until there was no sound left.

The smell of blood brought the frenzied, naked crowd back to their senses. They looked on in terror, not daring to beg for mercy, for the last person who attempted to speak was immediately silenced with a slit throat by the leading youth.

This was to ensure absolute silence!

There were a dozen or so johns in the backyard, three killed in resisting, while the others cowered together, too concerned for their lives to worry about being naked.

They didn’t know who this group that stormed in was and dared not look up to see.

Given the cruelty of their actions, it was clear they weren’t official authorities!

If the government were here to catch prostitutes or gamblers, they wouldn’t resort to killing. After all, this was the sixth year of the Zhenguan era, not the chaotic end of the Sui dynasty!

Under Li Shimin’s rule, the government didn’t recklessly kill; even a death-sentenced felon required a report to the higher-ups for approval before an execution date was set.

It would have been better if the government were busting them; according to Tang law, they would only receive a hundred strokes and fines, but their lives would be spared.

Though a hundred strokes seemed harsh, it’s not life-threatening, and a few copper coins could offset the punishment. Ultimately, they’d lose money but not their lives.

This decisive and deadly squad clearly wasn’t from the government. Perhaps they belonged to another force seizing the casino or bandits from other factions seizing the opportunity to loot.

The gang of human traffickers closely tied to the Xu family had been uprooted by the County Government, Shunfeng Escort Agency’s assets were confiscated, and their women couldn’t escape, still laboring in the County Prison.

Though the Xu father and son had escaped, the casino continued operating. The world doesn’t come to a halt without them; with the profits still there, the team didn’t disband.

"It’s all cleared inside," Baye Feng reported sternly, standing before Lin Wanwan.

He hadn’t gone inside, choosing instead to send those whose martial arts he deemed superior to sweep the interior, while he stayed outside to catch and drive out the "white-skinned pigs."

He considered the chaos inside filthy and didn’t want to personally get involved, as it might corrupt his sense of morality.

Lin Wanwan nodded, glanced at Liu Rushi, and stepped inside.

Liu Rushi and others, swords in hand, moved in front of her, shielding her as she walked.

At this moment, Lin Wanwan was surrounded by Xingluo members, all in prime positions, ensuring that not even a fly could pass through, let alone any potential ambush.

Lin Wanwan entered the small building and saw the women hastily dressing.

The confusion in their eyes revealed how frightened they were by the recent confrontation.

Lin Wanwan wore a veil that covered most of her body, and the Xingluo members were also masked with white cloth, further terrifying these pitiable women, who continued to huddle in the corner, seemingly unable to escape their predicament.

"Are you all good citizens? Any licensed prostitutes among you?"

The women were startled, then collectively shook their heads. One, bolder than the rest, replied, "We were all abducted; originally, we came from respectable families, not lowly ones."

"You can leave now. Follow us down the mountain, and then you can return home if you wish."

The women’s expressions varied, but ultimately, they all lowered their heads and began to weep. "We can’t go back; it’s come to this, and we have no homes to return to."

Lin Wanwan had anticipated this outcome but still said, "Think carefully. If you go back now, you can still go back. Find your families, forget what happened here, and you remain good citizens. If not, you’ll be without identity, mere vagrants."

Yet none expressed a desire to return home.

"In that case, you can follow me from now on."