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The whistle pierced the night sky like the shrill cry of some strange creature.
Compared to the vague whistle used by the Hyena Gang for communication, this whistle was much clearer, carrying an air of foreboding, almost like a signal heralding the approach of war.
“This… this is the guard!”
Schurz let out a terrified scream, the side effects of the drug amplifying his fear, turning the usually unblinking old man pale.
The wild dogs lurking on the outskirts had already sensed something amiss and quickly retreated. As his words fell, suddenly, footsteps and the sound of hooves echoed from the ends of the roads.
Guards in black uniforms poured into this nearly abandoned area on the city’s edge like a rising tide.
They raised large shields at every intersection, and crossbows taller than half a man were rolled out. The sharp tips of the arrows shimmered ominously, clearly visible even in the pitch-black night.
Swish!
Suddenly, blinding lights turned on.
A magician from the guard conjured beams of light, clearly illuminating the elites, thugs, and rats in the middle, as well as a dazed face hidden beneath a black hood, altered by disguise.
Who am I?
Where am I?
What is happening?
Wasn’t this supposed to be a perfect black on black operation? Why is there a guard?
“Listen up inside! You are surrounded!”
A portly guard, dressed in a uniform that was clearly a level above the others, revealed half of his chubby face from behind the large shield. His magically amplified voice instantly echoed throughout the entire block.
“Someone reported that you are engaged in illegal transactions, theft, robbery, and even soliciting prostitution. Quickly put down your stolen goods, raise your hands behind your heads, and squat against the wall!”
“You have one minute to consider. If you do not cooperate, we will take coercive measures. I repeat, we will take coercive measures!”
Creak—
The disturbing sound of bowstrings being drawn back echoed, as the crossbows were readied, their massive arrows poised to strike.
This was not the small-time gadgetry the rats had; these crossbows were usually only found at watchtowers or on city walls, powerful enough to pierce the hearts of magical beasts and walls several meters thick!
But now, these terrifying weapons were being aimed at small fry like them, who only dared to be active in the lower city!
As a result, everyone experienced a bizarre sensation, like bugs under the gaze of a giant looking down at them.
“Wha… what’s going on?”
Lorenzo, who prided himself on having seen countless grand scenes, spoke with a slight tremor. Angrily, he turned to his confidant and shouted:
“What the hell is going on? Weren’t we told the guard had everything sorted out? Why are they here? Why haven’t we received any news, and what are those damn charges? Illegal trading, theft, and robbery, fine, but soliciting prostitution? Are we really going to drag that out? Is it because we mistakenly solicited the daughter of some noble?”
“I… I don’t know…”
His confidant wiped cold sweat from his pale face. “I did what I was supposed to do! The vice governor of the guard even patted his chest and promised me!”
“Are you sure? Look at the guy who just shouted; does he look anything like the vice governor you mentioned?”
“What?”
The confidant cautiously peeked out from behind the wall and saw that indeed the vice governor, who had just shared drinks with him not long ago, discussing which was better, mature women or young girls, was crouched behind the large shield, obsequiously saying something to a bald middle-aged man.
“Bastard! I’ll expose you as a pedophile when I get back!” His confidant was furious about feeling deceived.
“Damn it!”
Lorenzo couldn’t help but curse again.
Then, there was another round of heavy silence.
The three gang leaders exchanged glances again, each with an extremely grim expression.
The atmosphere became awkward once more.
Having been in the underworld for so long, they had never encountered such a bizarre situation!
“We need to go!”
Rat King Sam’s small eyes darted around. He was most familiar with and sensitive to the noble lords, so he was quick to sense the unusual aura in the air.
He cast a reluctant glance at the metal container in Ariel’s hands and said with a gloomy face:
“Let’s hurry, those guards probably aren’t targeting us at all, but instead focusing on some big shot with an interest in Dragon’s Blood. The crimes are just a cover; otherwise, the Knight Order would be here, not the guards! Those cumbersome crossbows seem more like a show for someone!”
Sam no longer hesitated, leading his men to swiftly retreat, engaging with the waiting guards in the darkness, and the sound of fighting gradually faded.
Meanwhile, the countdown continued unabated, counting down from sixty to twenty-five point five, and the crossbows had yet to be fired. The minute felt exceptionally long.
“We should go too!”
Watching the Rat Clan members leave, Lorenzo gritted his teeth, a look of reluctance in his eyes.
“But, the Dragon’s Blood…” his confidant hesitated.
“There’s no ‘buts’! Our lives are more important. This is the Lord’s mission; we can discuss it later!”
Although Lorenzo’s heart was bleeding, he still firmly gripped his long knife, turning to lead the remaining half of his elites quickly into the darkness, breaking through from the side where the blockade was noticeably weaker.
The Hyena Gang… the thugs had scattered at the very beginning, and Schurz’s exquisite top hat was left in a disheveled state on the ground.
Only Ariel remained, trembling under the overwhelming, almost blinding light that made it hard for her to even open her eyes.
“Why… why is this happening?”
Ariel blinked her bewildered eyes, filled with confusion:
“What went wrong? Why did the guards suddenly appear? I specifically chose such a remote place! Have those parasite-like taxpayers ever been this reliable?”
“Sigh…”
A sigh came from her master at her side:
“Give up, Ariel; you can only say that your fate with the Dragon’s Blood has not yet arrived.”
“I refuse!”
Ariel screamed angrily, her hands almost squeezing the metal container to the brink of exploding, her silver teeth clenched, muttering to herself:
“This is already in my hands; there’s no way I’m giving it up! Master, do you want me to break my perfect record of black on black success?”
“But this is no longer a simple black on black. The guards are clearly here for this item. If you don’t give up, escaping will be difficult.”
“Not a simple black on black…”
As if struck by lightning, Ariel jolted.
She recalled the past and that contemptible fellow she had looked down on.
【I have other ways】
【Dragon’s Blood will definitely belong to me】
These two phrases she had scoffed at echoed in her ears again.
Ariel suddenly understood, everything became clear.
This was the so-called method of that noble young master!
This was not some black on black; this was the guard’s diligent effort to crack a major illegal trading case overnight, a great justice, a significant blow to the underground forces of the lower city of Bairland!
Ariel seemed to see that bastard, under the applause of everyone, draped in a banner, eloquently talking about how he used courage, intelligence, and decisiveness to lead the guards to shatter the dark forces’ nefarious plot, ultimately returning the Dragon’s Blood to its rightful owner!
Returning to the rightful owner? It ultimately fell into your hands, didn’t it?
And not spending a single penny!
Seeing others make money was even more unbearable than losing her own!
“No—”
As soon as she thought of this, Ariel couldn’t help but be overwhelmed by sorrow, kneeling and painfully pounding the ground with her fists.
It was clearly deep autumn, yet in this pure night, it felt as if heavy snow was falling, and some ethereal BGM began to play.
“Why? Why? Why has everything been going wrong for me lately? I missed all the opportunities; even black on black didn’t work out… Damn Mu’en Campbell!”
“Why mention him?” her master asked in confusion. “This has nothing to do with him.”
“I don’t know…”
Ariel’s eyes were filled with tears as she looked up at the sky, shouting in anguish:
“Even if it has nothing to do with him, I just inexplicably want to curse him.
—Damn Mu’en Campbell!”
