Chapter 675: Blade Bitch, Part One

Inside the Blood Bottle Gang's meeting warehouse, "Phantom Blade" Catherine stepped through the crowd and sat in the seat Fogg had occupied earlier, casual and loose.

Everyone had moments of casualness, but in places where most people did not dare be casual, casualness became a privilege of those above. It could display majesty, specialness, and power. This point, she had seen from two generations of the Duke of Iris.

Of course, as for the armor beneath her clothes, the straps for her weapons, the mechanisms on her sleeve claws, the daggers on her leggings, the hidden blades in her boots, and the followers she had chosen for this trip to Jade City, these things that truly concerned life and death, Catherine had never been casual about them, nor did she dare be.

"Everyone present, especially those standing opposite, listen, and listen well."

The Blood Bottle Gang members in the warehouse tensed.

Catherine leaned back into the chair, enjoying the pleasure of becoming everyone's focus, bearing the countless gazes cast toward her inside the warehouse: shocked, afraid, fawning, calculating, vigilant, disappointed, hesitant, ashamed, cowardly. Whether from before her or behind her.

"Many of you have been in Jade City for a long time, and among you are even old subordinates who followed me before. You should know better than anyone what we rely on to take root in this city, survive, profit, and even enjoy that tiny bit of respect and wealth."

Everyone looked at one another, especially the Jade City gang members standing behind Red Viper. Their gazes were hesitant, and their breathing quickened.

"Not fists, not blades and swords, and certainly not recklessness." Catherine tapped the table. "But rules."

Many people, because of the name "Catherine," had once held expectations toward Phantom Blade's appearance. But most of them were probably disappointed.

Catherine had not been a beauty since childhood, and the years afterward had not granted her the luck of a dramatic transformation. In truth, her looks were ordinary and unremarkable. When she smiled, her lips were even slightly crooked. At the same time, more than twenty years of underworld life had left her with thick, rough arms and legs, as well as a backside and chest that, in the eyes of many men, were nearly dry and flat, giving them "not much desire."

But precisely because of this, in her early years among the Blood Bottle Gang groups on Jade City's streets, she had truly been treated as usable manpower and a subordinate. The bosses back then valued her ability, skill, temperament, and mind, not her face, figure, or the idea that "there ought to be a woman in the room." Precisely because of this, when the gang brothers went mad from drinking too much, the way they looked at her could be more normal.

Hmm, relatively normal.

After all, in groups like that, being beautiful was a misfortune. In Catherine's memories, the female companions of hers who were even somewhat pretty, especially after they grew older and their looks faded, did not end well.

But that was not Catherine.

Not her.

Impossible to be her.

Now, as the most powerful and prestigious big sister in the Blood Bottle Gang after the Night War with the Brotherhood, she, Phantom Blade herself, calmly sat here. Every lift of her hand, every breath she took, could make others change expression.

And she was quite satisfied with this.

There were only always exceptions.

"Rules?"

Nekra spat fiercely.

"You mean that ceasefire agreement that lets the Black Silks come and go as they please while we can only obediently follow it?"

His interruption made the restless gang members start yelling again. Of course, many of them were people Nekra had brought himself.

"This is not fair!"

"Fuck the rules!"

"We are not Security Officers!"

"Revenge!"

Amid the clamor, Catherine coldly carved Red Viper with her gaze.

This venomous snake was becoming more and more annoying.

When Catherine received the report saying that Nekra was secretly heading to Jade City with all his people, she was not surprised at all. She even felt a sort of satisfaction that said, he finally came.

Unfortunately, for now, she still needed him.

Just as the opposing Brotherhood had people like Roda and Fesol, the Blood Bottle Gang had Nekra, so those sons of bitches in the gang who were hard to convince, hard to manage, difficult to control, and certain to cause trouble would have somewhere to go.

Convenient to push out as shields.

After more than twenty years, she had finally reached this position, rising from a habitual street thief to one of the few bosses in the Blood Bottle Gang. She had to calculate carefully and use every person's every bit of value.

Bang!

"Rules." Amid the chaos, Wanderer Fogg heavily slammed the table. "The rules are, whoever the fuck dares interrupt while we are speaking will be responsible for feeding my fish."

When his words fell, the warehouse instantly quieted.

Only then did Fogg snort coldly. He came to Catherine's side and naturally pulled out a chair to sit.

Catherine looked at Fogg's sitting movement and frowned imperceptibly.

Several seconds later, Phantom Blade turned her head and continued in a low voice:

"Fine. Then go. Those who are unconvinced, go follow Red Viper and fight the Brotherhood to the death..."

Nekra looked at her darkly.

"I do not know whether you can win, but I do know one thing for certain." Catherine said coldly, "When you kill each other into a mess, when Jade City's streets are covered in blood, order is chaotic, rules no longer exist, and every citizen who thought Jade City was safe is frightened into a turtle hiding its head..."

Catherine looked one by one at the people behind Red Viper.

"Correct. Perhaps you are not afraid. But when merchants and travelers no longer stay, goods no longer pass through, the market begins to decline, shops and workshops go bankrupt one after another, and the money pouches in people's pockets become flat and shriveled, where will you still collect protection fees and hardship fees? Who will you find to take a share in? Where will you run your smuggling and counterfeit goods? Sangare, your dog fights and cockfights. Gutierrez, your boxing matches and intimidation business. Gamandia's gambling houses. And Roger, your fragrant little business. Without these, where will you get money to feed the hungry brats under you so they can keep calling you boss? Rob Emerald Palace or the Emerald Barracks? Or can you tie on a red headscarf, shout 'long live the Blood Bottle Gang,' and use that as food?"

The different faces beside Red Viper, especially the bosses with some face and reputation, Dung Egg Roger, Gutierrez of underground boxing, Gamandia of the gambling houses, Taremi of street business, and Sangare whose main business was livestock, looked at one another after hearing this.

"At that time, forget the great figures in Emerald Palace. The Jade Legion and Security Hall would not even need to act." Catherine flicked her sleeve claws, and the sound was crisp. "You would be so fucking poor, hungry, and miserable that you would slaughter one another."

"Starving piranhas," Fogg sneered.

"I have spent these years in the capital, holding up the rotten mess left after the Night War. To be honest, the brothers there are far more miserable than you, nowhere near as comfortable as lying here counting money."

Catherine sat in the chair, looked around, and sneered at the corner of her mouth.

"So who wants to turn this place into that too? If there is anyone, why not grab a weapon and follow me to Eternal Star City? Do not be afraid. There, the whole country is watching. If you want to become famous, it is very fast. Perhaps you will become the next one of the Eight Great Cadres."

Many local gang members were shaken. They subconsciously looked left and right, their throats moving.

The people Red Viper had brought frowned together and became increasingly wary.

"Of course," Catherine leaned back, crossed her legs, and added with a cold smile, "losing your life there is also quite fast. A matter of one night."

"But, Big Sister..."

Dung Egg Roger hesitated and spoke, calling out a title only those who had once followed Catherine could use. But Catherine raised a hand and stopped him from continuing.

"You think I am insisting on some rotten chivalric spirit, caring about the 'rules' in that ceasefire agreement? Haha, no."

Catherine leaned forward and rhythmically tapped the table, her tone growing harsher.

"Eat your fill and guard your food. That is the greatest fucking rule."

The warehouse was silent.

"As for you, Little Red, you are not standing up for them, nor are you taking revenge on the Black Silks. You are teaching them to dig up their own roots." Phantom Blade spat. "Shitting in your own plate."

Nekra glared hard at Catherine, unable to believe it.

This damned bitch.

Every time. Every time...

Swish!

With a crisp metallic impact, Catherine flicked out the sleeve claws on her hand.

"Now." Catherine's sleeve claws drew scratches across the table. She looked at every person who had participated in the mutiny. "Clearly, some people need to be properly taught the rules."

As soon as these words came out, many gang members felt a chill in their hearts. Quite a few subconsciously searched for the exits.

Red Viper could endure no longer. He stepped forward.

"Enough. What fucking rules? If you want to kill or carve, say one..."

Bang!

Catherine slammed the table and interrupted him.

"But, for the sake of the past..."

Catherine narrowed her eyes.

"Or rather, for the sake of having once worn the same red headscarf, no matter who among those present today had crooked thoughts on their own and contacted Red Viper, who was bewitched by him and lost his head before entering the snake pit, or who became clever at the end and wanted to fish in muddy water..."

With a swish, Phantom Blade unexpectedly withdrew her sleeve claws, and a smile rose in her sharp eyes.

"From the beginning to now, as long as you are willing to put down your weapons and stand back behind me, no matter who you are, I will make an exception. I will not pursue the past," Catherine said calmly, while the trusted subordinates behind her had fierce expressions. "We will still be good brothers in the gang."

As soon as she said this, whispers sounded throughout the warehouse.

"Good sisters," Fogg, seated beside her, faintly added.

Catherine tilted her head and did not comment.

"How about it?"

In that instant, Red Viper understood something.

No.

Nekra turned back in disbelief. On his left and right, more and more people avoided his gaze, secretly sizing up the fierce men Catherine had brought and silently calculating.

Amid whispers, even those whose hearts were like dead ashes, who felt the other side could not possibly let traitors go and therefore intended to walk the dark road to the end, now had a trace of hope ignited in their hearts. They could not help hesitating, exchanging glances, and testing attitudes.

No!

"Wake up early, everyone," Stage Manager Franco said with a cheerful expression. "Can you not see the situation clearly?"

"These people do not know contentment." Bad Cobbler Jaga rubbed his gloves and said with disgust.

"Hurry," Fogg snorted coldly. "My fish are hungry."

The tense atmosphere in the warehouse turned into full pressure, all of it pressing down on Red Viper's side.

Finally, one gang member let out a long sigh. He put away his weapon, raised both hands, went around the round table, and came to Catherine and Fogg's side.

"Big Sister, I... I did not mean..."

But Catherine only smiled faintly, letting him no longer need to continue.

Very quickly, the second, third, fourth, fifth... more and more people, especially Jade City locals, put down their weapons and hostility, either nervous and dejected or fawning and uneasy, and circled around the round table to Catherine's back.

Red Viper could only watch this scene in fury, his eyes almost splitting.

"Can I, can I stand in the middle?"

Barber Balta and his people carefully walked to the edge of the round table. He looked at Red Viper, then Catherine, raised both hands, and smiled helplessly.

"You see, I am only... a barber."

As soon as he said this, the gang members on both sides gave disdainful boos.

Catherine frowned slightly, while Red Viper spat fiercely.

The next moment, beside Red Viper, Roger took a deep breath, also put away his weapon, and led his men out of the line.

"Big Sister, I... I am not dissatisfied with you. But my subordinates were..."

"I understand, Roger." Catherine smiled, completely unconcerned. "I understand everything."

As soon as she said this, Roger felt much more at ease for some reason.

Catherine gestured to the seat beside her.

"Sit."

Roger took a deep breath. After one final look at Red Viper, he turned forward without hesitation and joined Catherine's camp. Of course, under Fogg's meaningful gaze, he did not dare sit.

Taremi, who managed street business, coughed.

"Uh, Boss Nekra, this is only a disagreement within the gang, right? I believe we can handle it properly..."

Red Viper abruptly turned his head, his gaze cold.

"If you want to roll away, do it quickly."

Taremi's expression changed, and he hurriedly walked to Catherine's side.

"Taremi." Unlike Red Viper, Phantom Blade smiled as she exchanged greetings. "I heard you changed wives again?"

"Yes, Big Sister." Taremi's face stiffened. "Oh, oh, I properly settled the previous one. I asked a priest to write the divorce documents, filed them at the Notary Hall, and even gave her quite a bit of property..."

Catherine lifted her chin.

"Sit."

Just like that, more and more people left Red Viper's side and rejoined Catherine and Fogg.

As one side rose and the other fell, the situation in the warehouse instantly reversed. Before long, Red Viper's side had only the direct subordinates he had brought from the capital, as well as a few local bosses who had taken the lead at the beginning: Gamandia, Sangare, and Gutierrez. But their expressions were also ugly, their gazes hesitant.

Damn it.

Red Viper Nekra, with only a lonely few left, clenched his teeth, his eyes full of unwillingness and anger.

This should have been an expected seizure of power.

But why? Why?

Catherine returned to him a magnanimous smile, a winner's smile toward a loser, tolerant and generous.

And casual.

"I have heard of Phantom Blade Catherine's reputation. Seeing her today, the reputation is deserved." In the corner, Glover narrowed his eyes at the confrontation in the field and said quietly.

Whether it was how she foresaw things and turned guest into host, or how she grasped the weakness of these rebels and shattered their arrogance and illusions with one sentence.

"Of course. That is one of the gang's elders, a powerful and tenacious warrior who stood against Black Sword in the capital for many years and still did not fall..." Qimikas' eyes were full of admiration as he calculated how to go up and talk to her later. "Boss Catherine!"

"Did you not say the same thing about Red Viper earlier?"

"Impossible. How could I take a liking to a petty man like Red Viper who sows discord? You must have remembered wrong!"

On the other side, Ralf stared blankly at Catherine in the field.

Of course.

Of course she deserved her reputation.

That was Big Sister.

No matter how many years had passed, she was still that powerful, that charming. She was still everyone's unquestioned leader.

Only, only he himself...

Ralf subconsciously reached out to grasp his lower leg, feeling the coldness of metal.

Nekra stared hard at Catherine, anger burning in his eyes.

"Catherine, you blade bitch with no cunt."

Phantom Blade froze, then smiled.

Blade bitch.

What a familiar old nickname, one she had not heard in more than ten years.

"I said, as long as you are willing to stand over here, I will not pursue the past," Catherine said carelessly. "Of course, that includes you, Nekra. We are still good brothers, correct?"

Red Viper's face twitched.

Inside him, reason told him that this trip, caught off guard and with such a difference in strength, was his loss.

Perhaps he should lower his head and wait for next time?

But instinct told him he could not. What happened today was bound to spread throughout the Blood Bottle Gang.

Under everyone's eyes, as long as he took that step and walked behind Catherine, then next time, if he wanted to walk back out, it would not be so easy.

Red Viper continued struggling.

But Catherine no longer looked at him. Instead, she turned toward the people behind Nekra and spoke with deep meaning:

"Or the other brothers who followed you over a thousand miles, from the capital or other places, to come here?"

When her words fell, one trusted subordinate beside Red Viper sighed. He raised both hands and walked toward Catherine.

"Fine. I surrender too."

The corner of Catherine's mouth curved slightly.

"If you can survive."

This gang subordinate spoke flatly.

Catherine's expression changed.

The next second, the gang member who had walked forward suddenly spread both arms.

With a soft swish, two rare weapons shaped like wheels, with blades around their rims, flew out from beneath his hands, spinning straight toward Catherine.

"Big Sister!"

"Careful!"

"No!"

Amid cries of alarm, Catherine's pupils shrank. She swiftly stood, and the sleeve claws extended from her right arm.

Clang! Clang!

Her arm moved back and forth, claw blades flying. Catherine rapidly yet calmly knocked away the two wheel-blades.

But just as everyone else thought the danger had passed, Catherine's expression changed again.

In the next moment, one of the wheel-blades that had been knocked away paused midair and strangely folded back.

Catherine gritted her teeth and struck again with her sleeve claws, only to discover that this strange weapon trembled in the air.

Very quickly, the six blades around the rim lengthened by a section and folded in different directions, as if extending different limbs. As though it had life, it swung one of its blades, parried Catherine's sleeve claws, and used the force to "leap" toward Catherine.

Catherine shouted angrily. Her left hand drew a sharp knife. Her arms and shoulders made cracking sounds, and she swung blade and claw in strange postures and angles, astonishingly fast, even leaving afterimages and illusions.

Ding! Clang!

After several crisp sounds, under the many-sided attack, the strange weapon before her finally shattered and fell apart, dropping to the ground.

But warning rose in Catherine's heart, and her gaze turned.

The second wheel-blade bounced on the table, likewise swiftly transforming, extending six bladed "limbs" and shooting toward her like lightning.