Sean Hayes looked at Mrs. Penny Zhao with disdain, not bothering to acknowledge her at all.
The members of the House of Zhao were terrified at the sudden sight of their own kin's severed heads. Their legs felt as heavy as lead, unable to run even if they wanted to!
"Who—who are you people!?" Someone finally mustered up the courage to speak, staring at Sean in terror.
"I am Sean Hayes, General of the Firestorm Battalion under Prince Alexander Hayes. This is the greeting our king sends to the House of Zhao." Sean kicked the two chests over, spilling the contents—two severed heads and Mrs. Penny Zhao—onto the floor.
The heads rolled across the floor, sending the Zhao family screaming and scrambling onto tables and chairs, their faces drained of all color.
"The House of Zhao has gone too far. The patriarch, Charles Zhao, and Magistrate Justin Zhao conspired to rebel, gathering troops to attack Prince Alexander Hayes. These two masterminds have already been executed by our king, and the rebel army has been wiped out. These heads are a gift from His Highness to the House of Zhao. Today, I am here to see if anyone else in the Zhao family has colluded with these traitors! If I find any accomplices, they will all be executed!" Sean declared sternly.
Sean's words left everyone at the table pale and trembling with fear.
Just moments ago, the Zhao patriarch and Justin Zhao led tens of thousands of Zhao Clan Guards to attack the Magistrate's Mansion. Now, their heads had been delivered to the Zhao family by Prince Alexander Hayes.
From what General Sean Hayes said, it sounded like all those Zhao Clan Guards had been utterly annihilated!
Good heavens, in the time it takes to eat a meal, tens of thousands of people had been wiped out?
Was Alexander Hayes leading an army, or was he commanding heavenly soldiers and generals?
Some recalled the legendary reputation of Alexander 'The War God' Hayes. Their hearts sank—House of Zhao had underestimated him, never imagining that his mere thousands could decimate their tens of thousands of Zhao Clan Guards. This was truly beyond anyone’s expectations!
Seeing the Zhao family so terrified by two severed heads, Sean Hayes let out a disdainful snort. "His Highness commands: All members of the House of Zhao are to follow me to the Magistrate's Mansion and help bury the rebel dead. You have three days to surrender the remaining traitors. Anyone who hides or refuses will be treated as a conspirator and executed without mercy!"
Sean's words made the Zhao family exchange fearful glances, panic written all over their faces.
Three days to hand over the remaining traitors... But everyone present had taken part in the attack on the Magistrate's Mansion—they were all rebels!
Yet Alexander Hayes didn’t wipe them all out at once. Instead, he gave them three days to turn in the traitors themselves—a move that was both puzzling and thought-provoking.
After issuing the order, Sean Hayes instructed the Zhao family and their retainers to follow him to the Magistrate's Mansion to collect the corpses.
On the way, the Zhao family was filled with unease, anxiously wondering about the intentions of their new feudal lord, Prince Alexander Hayes. He was a formidable figure—House of Zhao had struck first, relying on their numbers, but had gained nothing. The days ahead would be difficult indeed.
With heavy hearts, the Zhao family followed Sean Hayes to the square in front of the Magistrate's Mansion. But as they reached the plaza, they were utterly stunned!
Corpses lay everywhere, piled high and scattered across the square. The sight was endless—a hellscape, more like a purgatory than the mortal world.
The pampered Zhao family had never witnessed such carnage. Their legs went weak, and many began to vomit uncontrollably.
Sean Hayes stood with his hands behind his back, sneering. "Just one look and you can’t handle it? When His Highness was fighting across the land, the battlefields were far more brutal than this. Look at you—scared stiff by a little carnage. Hmph, House of Zhao, a family of cowards, daring to provoke the mighty. You must have a death wish."