Chapter 758: Important Guests

The entire office was quiet for several seconds.

"You? Heir to the business? You?"

Nekra paused, then burst out laughing with a pfft, lowering his head in disdain to look at Rick's urine-soaked pants.

The surrounding burly men laughed together.

Rick's face reddened. He instinctively bent his legs, wanting to hide the stain, but immediately tremblingly lowered them again and revealed a guilty smile.

"Exactly! If I were not timid, cautious, and treasured my life like gold, if I could not... bend and stretch as needed," he said with difficulty, "how would I be qualified to be the Head Wolf's successor?"

The Red Viper snorted coldly and pointed around them, especially at the corpses on the floor.

"If you were his successor, could this place be so damned empty? Not even a few decent bodyguards, letting people break in so easily?"

Because we are law-abiding subjects of Jade City.

Rick took a deep breath to relieve the awkwardness.

We do not do all that fighting and killing.

At least not openly.

"You are precisely right."

Rick's expression turned solemn.

"If I were not the successor, Mister Nekra, how would you know this place could become this empty, and that you could break in so easily?"

As soon as those words came out, Nekra's brows jumped.

"What... do you mean?"

He asked suspiciously.

Rick looked at the other man's reaction, and his heart sank.

"Whatever it means, famous Red Viper, you have no need to become someone else's knife. That would be meaningless."

He lowered his voice.

"Especially when I can repay you."

The Red Viper paused.

His expression slowly grew serious.

And Rick's mood sank along with it.

Several seconds later, Nekra spoke again, but his tone had changed from mockery to doubt.

"The successor? Truly? You?"

Rick closed his eyes to stop the other man from seeing his guilt and flaws.

"Yes. Me. That is why they hate me so much."

"They?"

Rick took a deep breath and nodded.

"That is why they wanted to borrow your hand to kill me, or cripple me, in order to escape Boss Fisso's accountability."

The Red Viper frowned and did not answer.

Rick felt his mood grow heavy.

Damn it.

He had tacitly admitted it.

That meant...

"No. Perhaps they do not hate me either."

Rick sighed and, deliberately adding weight, said emotionally:

"What they hate is that they are not strong enough. They hate that someone is always pressing them down by a head."

The Red Viper frowned deeply.

This time, Nekra pondered for more than ten seconds.

Only after his subordinates carefully reminded him did he wave a hand at them.

"Pull him up. Let him sit."

Though the men around him were surprised, they still obeyed the order and grabbed Rick's arm, dragging him up from the floor and forcing him into another chair.

Good.

Good!

Rick pressed down on his wound, using the pain to suppress his excitement.

"Let me state this first. I still do not believe you are the successor Fisso chose."

The Red Viper's face was dark as he spoke coldly.

"Very normal."

Rick squeezed out a bitter smile.

"I did not believe it before either."

No. He did not believe it even now.

But someone had to believe it.

And sooner or later, someone would have to believe it.

"But after experiencing today, I finally understand why, among so many subordinates, Boss Fisso would choose only me."

Rick sighed.

"Oh?" Nekra narrowed his eyes.

Rick was silent for a while.

"All of Black Silk are brothers."

Rick looked toward the door and said firmly:

"No matter who leaked information to you... someone as shrewd as Boss Fisso would absolutely never choose a traitor who sells out brothers to inherit the business."

When these words fell, it was the Red Viper's turn to fall silent.

For the first time, he carefully sized up the crippled accountant before him, his gaze resting on the latter's eyepatch for a long while.

Several seconds later, Nekra finally spoke coldly:

"What did you say your name was?"

Rick immediately smiled.

"Rick! Narl Rick. Of course, if you prefer, you may call me Narl. It sounds more intimate."

"Very well, Rick."

Unexpectedly, the Red Viper did not call him by his given name, but by his surname. This comforted Rick a little.

"Then if I let you go..."

Rick held his breath.

Nekra sat in the chair, leaned forward, pressed one hand on his knee, and shook the knife in his other hand.

"What can you give me?"

Looking at the other man's reaction, Rick sighed deeply in his heart.

Yes. He had guessed correctly.

Correctly!

The Red Viper and his men had chosen the emptiest moment to invade, moving unobstructed the whole way.

And the moment they entered, they already controlled quite a bit of inside information.

They knew his identity and could more or less distinguish truth from falsehood in his words.

An inside traitor.

Someone had sold out this place, sold out him.

So, who?

A flash of ruthlessness appeared in Rick's eye.

Who leaked this place?

Which scum inside Jade City, inside the Brotherhood, under Boss Razzanchi's command, which fellow Black Silk, which dear "brother or sister"?

Which bastard who deserved to go to hell, which dog whelp, which shameless villain?

Which one wanted his life?

Which one wanted most to see him die?

Was it Xifeng, that vicious bitch who firmly controlled the supply channel and deserved a thousand cuts?

Or Katana Tsugu? The leader of all the "donkeys" in the city, that prairie barbarian whose name was hard to pronounce?

Or Viskovo, the taciturn former mercenary in charge of security and transport?

Was it that mud-legged fellow Alonso, always all smiles, who handled market sales?

Or that trade mission staff officer with glasses, Nedlikovich, who had come from across the sea and handled miscellaneous affairs?

Was it long-tongued Luojiava, that Red Earth slave woman who only knew how to flatter Fisso?

Or that bastard little Palacio, who specialized in upper-level routes and had quite a few connections among the rich?

Or all of the above?

It could not possibly be...

For one instant, Rick, furious, sour, and exhausted in heart, actually missed his days in the capital a little.

Back then, his superiors and colleagues, from Morris to Belicia, to the mad and dangerous Quide, even Layork, the Quiet Killer who had always looked down on him, including Qina's murderous pile of thugs and the mysterious "Sleepless" group under Lancer in the next room, and even those adorable and naughty beggars who had treated him as family...

Even Roda and his arms-dealing thugs...

Fine. At least they would not stab him in the back.

Generally.

Damn it, what kind of atmosphere was this in Jade City?

The honor of Black Silk, the rules of Black Street, had all been ruined by these shameless traitors and two-faced people.

If the Black Street Brotherhood continued sinking like this, what would become of it?

Precisely because of that, Narl Rick, you absolutely cannot die here.

The rational voice in Rick's heart reminded him:

Even if only for the organization.

That's right. The Brotherhood's countless brothers were still waiting for aspiring men like him to return, punish traitors, eliminate evil, and sweep away all accumulated illness.

Rick took a deep breath and returned to the present.

After all, aside from purging traitors and taking revenge, he still had the important task of saving his own little life.

"First, Lausanne the Second," Rick said in a low voice.

The Red Viper frowned when he heard it.

"You said earlier that your Brotherhood, even Fisso, could not shelter him and could not find him?"

"Yes."

Rick deliberately paused.

"But what I can tell you is: stop looking for him."

"What do you mean?"

Rick smiled.

Sitting in his position did have some benefits.

Ever since that prince regent failed at the last moment at North Gate Bridge, yet still became more and more legendary as the story spread, whether in terms of romance or kingdom security, all the signs afterward had shown one thing. The government offices continuing as usual, even working harder. The Jade Legion strengthening patrols. The port growing busier by the day. Prices gradually stabilizing. Business becoming lively again. Merchant travelers slowly returning...

Jade City was recovering.

At least compared to the panic and depression after the Election Conference coup.

That prince's superb methods could be seen clearly.

But Rick could not answer that way.

That answer was too simple and ordinary. Anyone could see it. Any greasy middle-aged man who had drunk a few cups of fake wine and felt excellent about himself could speak nonsense about point one, two, three, and four in front of hostess girls wearing fake smiles.

Rick needed a deeper answer, one that would make the other man's eyes brighten, in order to prove his ability and value.

Of course, it could not go too far. He could not make the other man feel threatened. What the Red Viper needed was a helper, an ally, not an opponent.

"Today, my people just sent word. They said Prince Thales and the two Lord Covendiers had lunch together in Emerald Palace. What is that phrase again? Talking and laughing like old friends?"

The Red Viper frowned.

"So?"

Rick sneered.

"Obviously, His Highness did it deliberately. He wants terrified Jade City to see this scene and spread the news: a three-way compromise has already been reached. No matter what arbitration result the prince appoints, it will not damage the interests of any person or any force."

In other words...

Rick swallowed the remaining words in his throat.

In Jade City, no matter who you were, no matter what moves you made in this political storm that implicated so many and from which no one could remain uninvolved, no matter what role you played, no matter which of the three sides you supported, and which side you harmed...

After this matter, you would not need to worry about being settled with afterward.

"That is why we can see everything before us."

Rick took a deep breath and pressed the place where his arm was severed.

"Once the news spreads, many people will breathe a sigh of relief, extinguish the idea of flipping the table and causing trouble, and turn their minds back to Emerald Palace's daily games, petty matters, and trivial disputes. People's confidence will become stronger, and Jade City will recover faster."

Rick looked seriously at the Red Viper.

"That is why you no longer need to look for him, Boss Nekra."

"No longer need to look?" Nekra asked doubtfully.

Damn it.

Do red bandannas not read books, or not read newspapers?

Even watching some dark-night stage plays would help.

"Tell your subordinates there is no need to look for Lausanne the Second anymore," Rick patiently explained. "You, no, probably everyone in this world will never be able to find him."

Never.

"Since the important people in Emerald Palace have already reached a compromise, then to suit everyone's interests, this terrifying killer who lifted Covendier's fig leaf has completed his mission. It is time for him to disappear and never see daylight again."

Rick's expression was grave.

The Red Viper seemed to understand, yet asked again:

"What do you mean?"

How unfortunate.

This red bandanna's enemy was not very bright.

And fortunate.

Fortunately, this Blood Bottle Gang boss was not very bright.

"They did not come looking for us."

Rick said coldly:

"As you said, outside North Gate Bridge is Brotherhood territory. Every rustle of wind and grass that happens there cannot escape our sight, and everything has something to do with us. In other words, if Lausanne the Second disappeared under everyone's eyes at North Gate Bridge, then we, the Black Street Brotherhood, are the greatest suspects. At the very least accomplices, or informants with clues."

Rick suddenly turned his head.

"But that is exactly where the problem lies."

The accountant's tone made the Red Viper tense up too.

"After the incident, they never came looking for us."

"They?" Nekra seemed to understand something and found it hard to believe.

"Yes. That night, after the encirclement was withdrawn, whether the bluecoats or the green hats, the Star Lake Guard beside the prince, or officials at every level of Jade City, even though we created such a huge mess at North Gate Bridge, allowed a trap to leak, let a Supreme Class killer escape, and made His Highness the Prince suffer such a public slap... such a huge loss..."

Rick spoke softly and carefully.

"They did not come looking for us even once."

Not once.

Nekra suddenly felt his scalp go numb.

Rick sneered.

"They, those important people who used Catherine's hand to make us cooperate in capturing Lausanne the Second, never even thought of coming to punish us, accuse the Brotherhood, torture every blade of grass and tree at North Gate Bridge, force confessions through torture, arrest people for interrogation, and search everything..."

"Either, in their eyes, mud-legged people like us are nothing at all, or..."

Rick did not continue. He only raised his hand as the answer.

The Red Viper did not speak immediately.

He merely stared fixedly at his own knife.

Only after quite a while did Nekra swallow.

"Then Lausanne the Second. Where did he go?"

Where else could he go?

"Boss Nekra, you were right about one thing just now."

Rick leaned back against the chair and shook his head with a bitter smile of release.

"A killer disappearing without trace in front of so many important people who wanted to surround and hunt him, and still not being caught even now. For such a major matter..."

He opened his eye, his gaze sharp.

"It could only have been done by insiders."

Whoosh.

The Red Viper suddenly stood.

"Pass the order. Stop looking."

"Boss?"

Nekra turned his head and ordered his subordinates, his expression rather flustered and exasperated.

"Stop looking for that vampire!"

The Blood Bottle Gang subordinates were shocked and suspicious, but Rick alone smiled.

"That's right. Lausanne the Second is the key. The people he killed, the things he uncovered, were the starting point of this Emerald Palace coup, the crucial evidence that decided which important people lived and died."

Rick continued:

"And yet now, the three sides in Emerald Palace have reconciled. Everyone is delighted."

He observed the other man's expression.

"Then no matter which side it is, it would be inconvenient for this disaster star to run out again and spoil the mood, commit major crimes, and tear apart the peace agreement."

Even if he did come out, he would have to come out wearing official shackles.

"But at this time, when every force in Jade City, including the prince, is turning a blind eye or even pressing the matter down with one hand, while everyone plays deaf and dumb and cannot find him..."

Rick's words changed direction, unsettling.

"Only you, Mister Nekra, the Blood Bottle Gang's Red Viper, only you in all Jade City are still searching with great fanfare, as if you will not stop until you search every corner. You are even using open, kill-one-to-warn-a-hundred methods to look for him. Looking for that vampire killer who would make everyone unable to step down."

Rick chuckled. The Red Viper trembled slightly.

"If you look and look and cannot find him, then fine. But if you really do find him, and then bring him out with great fanfare..."

Nekra discovered that he was trembling.

"I believe His Highness the Prince, the Covendier family, Emerald Palace, Jade City, and every large and small force..."

Rick said softly:

"No one will be happy."

Clack.

Rick was startled.

Before anyone realized it, Nekra's short knife had fallen to the floor.

The Red Viper was startled as well. He came back to himself, his face pale, bent down, and picked up the short knife.

Aside from the short knife, he also picked up the prosthetic limb.

"About your hand, Brother Rick."

The Red Viper symbolically dusted off the congealed blood on it and stiffly handed it back to Rick.

"Today, I am sorry."

Good. Be sorry.

You damned old bastard.

Rick's smile remained.

Although it looked cheap, he had specifically had someone make it old and rough. This was dwarven craft, and it was not cheap...

"Don't worry. I will compensate you," Nekra said through gritted teeth.

Rick paused.

Well, you really are not a bad person!

He held back from looking at the corpse lying at the front of the office, though he had quite disliked that scribe, who always repeated his orders.

"No need. At least this broken hand witnessed the process of our acquaintance."

With the situation stronger than him, Rick ignored the pain from the severed arm, resisted the urge to gnash his teeth, and pretended to be magnanimous as he took back his prosthesis.

"Consider it a meeting gift."

Compensate my ass.

Just hurry up and leave.

The farther the better.

Motherfucker.

I will find someone to kill you later.

"Right, Rick. Those people who betrayed you, do you know who they are?" Nekra suddenly asked.

Rick's gaze shook.

Good.

Profit.

A huge profit.

What was a prosthetic hand worth? A few shipments and it would come back.

It seemed he had misunderstood him earlier. Red Viper, this swift and decisive hero who did not fuss over small matters, really was not a bad person.

No wonder he was a boss who had survived Black Sword.

"Then, how much do you want to know?"

Nekra raised his head and spoke darkly.

Very much.

Extremely much.

Rick swallowed, his smile even stronger than before.

But the Red Viper merely stared at him and did not speak.

As if waiting for something.

Rick stared back at him for several seconds before suddenly understanding.

Fuck your mother!

He immediately flared with rage.

Crude bumpkin!

Red bandanna who deserves a thousand cuts!

Rick suppressed the urge to explode.

A piece of trash like you wants to be a local boss?

Go sell your ass instead!

"Fine. I will say a little more."

Rick took a deep breath.

"Earlier, Boss Nekra, you and Boss Fogg had Bartha take a gift list to Emerald Palace and send it to the prince, but it was returned, correct?"

Nekra's eyes moved.

"Because we were the same. Whether Blood Bottle Gang or Brotherhood..."

Rick nodded and answered his doubt.

"Like many lofty and idealistic important people, our new regent of Emerald Palace is not very willing to deal with dirty mud-legs."

Not everyone was like that old barber Bartha of the Blood Bottle Gang, able to please both left and right, above and below.

And Fisso had once told him:

That barber is like a living rope, soft and light, bending or straightening at will.

But only a living rope can strangle people.

"Boss Nekra, to be honest, I know why you want to find Lausanne the Second. The Brotherhood also received quite a bit of word afterward. The Blood Bottle Gang's internal strife was probably something he pulled you and Fogg into doing together, for the sake of avenging Catherine from back then..."

"He came to me first! To us!"

Nekra suddenly erupted in an angry roar, startling Rick.

"Of course," Rick could only say.

The Red Viper gasped and put away his short knife.

"I... I was also very surprised at first."

He gnashed his teeth.

"But he, Lausanne the Second, that waste whose courage was broken by Black Sword, told me nothing. Not one damned thing about old Covendier matters, or the Emerald Palace coup. Nothing at all."

Fucking hell.

The Red Viper was furious.

"I thought he only wanted... wanted revenge against that blade bitch, wanted the Blood Bottle Gang to repay its debt, or simply wanted to kill people to vent his anger. At most it would involve one or two high officials..."

Plus Fogg's guarantee, so he had barely, yes, barely agreed to cooperate.

At least he had not been that eager and willing.

"I did not even know that fellow had become a vampire. I did not know where he went after nightfall!" Nekra said resentfully.

But after so many years, that fellow had changed. His skills were frighteningly strong, his temper frighteningly bad, and his habits frighteningly strange. Nekra had not found it convenient to ask directly...

"Until he... until he went to the Election Conference... Fuck!"

The Red Viper slapped his thigh angrily.

"I understand."

Seeing this, Rick could only comfort him.

"A madly powerful, hard-to-communicate-with, unreasonable, disobedient and uncontrollable terrible companion who happens to be above you in level, and attacking him may bring unpredictable consequences..."

Rick thought of something and sighed.

"I understand that feeling far too damned well."

Rick paused, saw that the other man's mind seemed stable enough, and continued:

"But now, Lausanne the Second is connected to such a major matter. He has already been confirmed as a traitor, rebel, and serious criminal. He and the things he did are even the greatest... stain on the prince's regency."

As well as the cause of Emerald Palace's shocking change, Covendier's utter loss of face, and the depression of every trade in Jade City.

"And you, Boss Nekra, absolutely cannot be seen as being in league with him. Not even the slightest connection can be allowed."

Rick nodded.

"You need the important people to let you go, forget your actions, and seek forgiveness from Emerald Palace, perhaps even an opportunity to submit. That is why you wanted to find Lausanne the Second and use his whereabouts, or even his head, to exchange."

Rick continued:

"I think, Boss Nekra, what you need most is not Lausanne the Second. What you need is evidence to prove yourself, even bargaining chips to protect yourself."

And a little luck.

The Red Viper listened expressionlessly. He let out a long sigh and closed his eyes.

"Fuck. Sunset truly is blind... What will happen next?"

"I don't know."

Nekra suddenly opened his eyes.

"I am damned well asking you!"

With his strength like an ox, he grabbed Rick and shook him hard, roaring:

"What will happen next?"

Rick trembled, but he knew he could not retreat at this moment and could only force himself to push back.

"I said I don't know!"

Damn it!

This fellow. The Red Viper really was like the rumors, mentally unstable and flawed in character.

People like this should be locked in the Prison of Bones.

Locked until they died of old age!

Yet he had been at large for so long... What did the kingdom's law eat for food? Where were the bluecoats, the security officer uncles?

The Red Viper stared fixedly at Rick, as if wanting to dig something out of his eye.

Since their boss had acted, the surrounding Blood Bottle Gang members also looked at Rick with unfriendly expressions.

No matter how afraid and angry the latter was, at this moment he had to soften his tone and advise painstakingly.

"I mean, the matter did not happen at North Gate Bridge or the New Suburbs, so I am completely blind. And I myself am not sitting in that position. I have no intelligence, and I know none of those contacts. How could I possibly know?"

Nekra still stared fixedly at him and refused to let go.

"But if you ask me, Red Viper..."

Rick trembled as he gave his suggestion:

"Leave."

"Leave?" Nekra repeated.

"Yes. You cannot stay in the Kingdom of Stars anymore."

Rick nodded anxiously.

"You know, no matter how young the prince is, sooner or later he will be crowned and become king."

The Red Viper's wrist trembled, and he released him.

"I... no, everything was done by Lausanne the Second. I only... I do not know him at all. I never offended the prince..."

"Perhaps you did not. Perhaps even the prince and the two Covendiers do not know your name."

The Red Viper's eyes lit up.

"Then since..."

"But what about other people? After hearing the rumors, after hearing that you colluded with the vampire killer and tried to seize power in the Blood Bottle Gang, will people think that you offended the prince? Will your enemies use that against you?"

Rick said coldly.

Nekra's heart chilled.

Catherine, that blade bitch...

"The most terrifying part is... the forces behind this coup must be extremely complicated and involve many sides. I would guess that after this chain of changes, just in Jade City alone, there are more than a few people who think they have offended the prince."

Rick sneered.

"And these people, when they fall into the same predicament as you, will they think the same way as you? Will they want to take a gift, such as someone's head, to show goodwill and submit before the future king? To prove their innocence and seek understanding?"

The Red Viper's face paled.

Damn it, Fogg...

"Capturing Lausanne the Second? They should not even think about it."

Rick spoke with ill intent.

"But capturing the culprit's accomplice to claim merit and confess guilt..."

Or at least framing the captured person as the culprit's accomplice...

Crash.

The Red Viper suddenly stood. Rick was caught off guard.

"Pack up," Nekra ordered through gritted teeth. "We leave now."

His subordinate froze.

"Where?"

The Red Viper turned and roared angrily:

"Anywhere!"

He looked at his startled subordinates, then took a deep breath to calm himself.

"We leave Jade City. Now."

Not only that.

Leave the South Bank.

Leave Stars.

Leave the Western Continent.

Leave...

While the Red Viper was frantic, Rick cheered wildly in his heart.

Thank Sunset!

Looking at the other man's reaction, Rick was even happier than the moment he had seen his unborn son learn to walk.

He finally understood!

"Then what about here, Boss?" a burly man asked carefully.

Nekra turned back.

The burly man pointed at Rick.

"What about him?"

The way everyone looked at him made Rick panic and go numb.

Nekra sized him up thoughtfully.

"I can help you clean up the aftermath."

Rick cleared his throat, appearing weak and sincere.

"As for the casualties in the warehouse, I will say they stole while on guard duty and died fighting each other. I can help cover for you... at least cover it for a while."

Everyone's gazes grew increasingly wrong.

Rick was terrified and subconsciously leaned toward the table.

"But if I am silenced here, if I disappear..."

Rick held the desk and nervously pressed the secret compartment under the drawer to embolden himself.

Although he knew that with his little hand-crossbow, he had no chance at all against these hard targets.

"...the matter definitely cannot be covered."

Nekra frowned.

"Especially at a time like this. The prince has only just stabilized Jade City and is precisely at the moment when the people are praising him."

Rick explained with warm care:

"Presumably, what he hates most is a vicious murder case that affects public order and damages the image and achievements of his regency."

The Red Viper's expression worsened.

"And on the surface, this place is a fireworks workshop with foreign shares, specializing in making Hanbol bitumen-crystal fireworks under a borrowed brand. Leaving aside international impact, leaving aside that protecting trade is Jade City's tradition, just the bluecoats wanting to perform well during an extraordinary period and claim merit and reward means they will definitely investigate at any cost."

The Red Viper's expression grew even worse.

The way everyone looked at Rick did not soften in the slightest.

"I hope you did not leave any traces when you came," Rick said, holding down his shaking legs. "And when you deal with the corpses later, do not leave clues either."

The Red Viper thought urgently.

He could not flee inland, so he could only...

"Oh, from the docks here to Gonghai City's sea port, they are packed with Sea Wolf's ships. I heard Lord Tanganga and his fleet are sparing no effort to flatter their new master."

Rick seemed to foresee his thoughts and blocked them off.

"Of course, compared to bluecoats, the Sea Wolves still have one advantage..."

Rick said in panic:

"They... do not need to fabricate evidence."

In that instant, the Red Viper suddenly reached out and grabbed Rick's shoulder.

Fuck!

Rick shook hard.

Nekra stared coldly at him, his eyes filled with bloodshot ferocity that made one's heart tremble.

Rick was so frightened his legs went soft, and he slid from the chair to the floor.

Several seconds later, the Red Viper hooked the corner of his mouth and revealed a chilling smile.

"I am beginning to know why Fisso promoted you after meeting you only twice."

"Four years."

Rick was terrified out of his wits, but instinctively refuted:

"It was four years."

He had risen through strength, ability, and results.

Not luck!

The Red Viper smiled and shook his head at his subordinates.

"We will not kill him."

Rick let out a breath.

Thank heavens, thank earth, thank Sunset.

No one said joining a gang meant he had to be responsible for remedial teaching too.

And the kind where, if the teaching failed, the student would take a knife to the platform and kill the teacher.

"We will take him with us."

Rick looked up in horror.

"What?"

No one told him there was off-campus practice too?

"No, no, no, no. I said once I disappear..."

"Since your head works so well, then come with me and be responsible for giving me ideas."

Nekra's tone was flat and without waves.

"This way, the Brotherhood's inside traitor cannot harm you."

What?

Rick froze.

How had the script become this?

Those Years I Fled the World with a Gang Boss?

"But you just..."

Rick found it hard to believe.

"No time to pack. Forget that fake hand. When things are comfortable later, I will find someone to make you a gold one. Ha, bitumen-crystal alloy would work too."

Who the hell wants a gold one...

Rick was about to refute him, but the Red Viper allowed no resistance and yanked him up from the ground, patted his chest, and smiled darkly.

"Relax. If anything goes wrong on the way..."

"I will send you home."

Rick froze from fright.

What was that?

Shouldn't it be "once we are safe, I will send you home," or worse, "if anything goes wrong, I will take your little life"?

If anything goes wrong, I will send you home?

What the hell was that?

Were red bandannas illiterate, or were they good at saying one thing and meaning another?

"No, no, no, Boss Nekra, wait..."

Rick still wanted to argue, but the Red Viper had already turned around.

The Blood Bottle Gang burly men on both sides lifted him without a word and without allowing protest, carrying him toward the door.

No!

No, no, no!

Rick struggled with all his strength, shocked and furious.

He still had ideals, still had goals.

His career in Jade City had only just stepped onto the right path.

At that moment, the office door creaked open.

Everyone was suddenly startled.

Tap. Tap.

Light footsteps came.

The Red Viper instinctively drew his short knife, and the supernatural hormone in his body began circulating rapidly.

Damn it!

Had they changed shifts early?

Rick cried out in pain and was roughly thrown to the floor. The Blood Bottle Gang members' expressions turned serious, and they all prepared for battle.

"Came early, huh... why's there no one outside..."

Under everyone's tense gazes, an old master worker with dark skin, a short figure, and ordinary powder-loading worker clothes, carrying luggage on his shoulder, shakily pushed open the door with sleepy eyes.

"Mister Rick, the fireworks my family ordered... have they arrived?"

Everyone froze.

"Master Suleiman! Run!"

Rick was the first to react. He rolled and crawled, reaching out.

"Go outside North Gate Bridge, to the Tenth House Candy Shop, find someone named Karak, tell him mmph, mmph..."

Before he could finish, someone beside him firmly covered his mouth.

Master Suleiman, standing by the door, turned his head. Seeing the corpses of the scribe and warehouse keeper in the office, he could not help frowning.

Terrible.

The leading Blood Bottle Gang burly man looked left and right, gritted his teeth, drew his sharp blade, and was about to step forward.

"Hey, old man. Come here."

Rick struggled madly, doing everything he could to signal the old man, but the people behind him firmly controlled him.

Just as the old master worker was about to shed blood on the spot, the Red Viper abruptly stretched out his hand and firmly pulled his subordinate back.

The burly man looked back in confusion.

Nekra stood where he was, staring blankly at the doorway, at that short and thin Master Suleiman.

Staring at the other man's dark, rough skin, clearly tanned by working all day.

"You..."

The Red Viper said in disbelief.

"Mm?"

Master Suleiman looked back at him in confusion too.

The more the Red Viper looked, the more shocked he became.

"You are... you are... impossible... impossible to have changed this much..."

The old master worker chuckled.

"Ah, it's been more than ten years. How could the change not be big? Isn't that right?"

The old man squeezed out an aged smile and called him by an unfamiliar address:

"Little Red?"

In that instant, the Red Viper shook hard and was frightened back a step.

"Boss?"

The surrounding subordinates looked at Nekra in shock and doubt.

But the latter reached out to stop them. Nekra merely widened his eyes and looked at the old man at the door.

Two subordinates who had followed the Red Viper for a long time and seen much exchanged looks.

In this world, not everyone knew, and could directly call out, "Little Red." That was the street nickname from the Blood Bottle Gang of long, long ago, so long ago that Nekra had only been a follower behind Old Gang Leader Turnbull.

"You. No, you are, you really are..."

The Red Viper felt his teeth start to chatter.

He struggled to identify the face before him, as if trying to confirm it, yet also wanting to deny it.

"Old friend, Fi... Fisso?"

As soon as these words came out, everyone froze.

Including the hostage Rick.

He stared blankly at that extremely familiar Master Suleiman, who had become extremely unfamiliar.

What?

What did he say?

Fisso?

But he...

Wasn't that the fireworks stall owner who came every month to purchase stock, Old Suleiman?

Terrible!

The Red Viper suddenly woke up. He instinctively raised the short knife, first looking left and right to ensure there was no ambush in the office, then staring at the direction behind Fisso.

His guard was extreme.

His subordinates were not much better, and even Rick was released.

"No, no, no. You... when did you arrive?"

Nekra stared fixedly at Fisso, who looked like a poor old farmer. Bean-sized drops of sweat slid down his face.

The knife in his hand never lowered.

"I come every month. Have to restock, you know."

The old man at the door was not surprised at all, merely chuckling.

"If you don't believe me, ask him. Mister Rick?"

The Red Viper turned back in shock and doubt.

But Rick was on the ground, also staring in shock at the old man, both familiar and unfamiliar.

In that case, this was...

The greatest drug lord in the Kingdom of Stars...

The dark hand entrenched in Jade City...

One of the six giants of the Black Street Brotherhood...

The old man at the door ignored the corpses on the floor and the desperadoes before him. He walked lightly into the office and set down the luggage on his shoulder on his own.

The Blood Bottle Gang members in the office instinctively retreated with his steps, drawing back behind the office desk.

Then this was, supposedly second only to Black Sword and Qina in power and influence, mysterious and terrifying, perhaps even surpassing them in that regard...

The Head Wolf.

Razzanchi Fisso?

The Red Viper looked in disbelief at the old farmer before him, at the old acquaintance he had almost failed to recognize.

"Rest... restock?"

"Speaking of which, it was quite a coincidence."

Fisso patted the dust from his body. He looked no different from an old countryman who spent all day chasing markets and rushing around to make a living.

"Near North Gate Bridge, my fireworks cart, you see, was bought out entirely by a group of indescribably noble important guests... pushed under the bridge, and all lit up..."

Fisso smiled and set down a small sign carved with "Suleiman's Old-Brand Fireworks" and "Five Shots Sixty, Ten Shots One Hundred."

"So I had no choice but to come restock."

Fire... fireworks?

The Red Viper looked at that sign warily and in astonishment.

"Come to think of it, I didn't lose out either."

Razzanchi Fisso laughed loudly. Without treating himself as an outsider, even a little crudely, he crossed his legs and sat on a stool.

"Those people looked like they were from outside Jade City, you know. Rich and overbearing..."

"They did not even bargain much."

The unremarkable Head Wolf before them leisurely looked at the tense and pressure-filled Blood Bottle Gang members before him, his eyes narrowing in a smile.

"Tsk, tsk. They really were a group of... important guests."

Important guests.

Rick shuddered.

But the Red Viper was tense all over. He stared at Fisso's every movement with total focus and had no attention to spare for what the other man was saying.

"Fisso, old friend, listen to me. What happened today was me being impulsive. I apologize! My fault!"

He lowered the short knife and carefully, slowly raised his palm to show he meant no harm.

"But do not worry. I have more or less figured it out. The Blood Bottle Gang's business in Jade City is over too. From now on, you and I will have nothing..."

"Over?"

Fisso opened the narrow slits of his nearly closed eyes.

"Who said it is over?"

In that instant, the Red Viper's heartbeat skipped.

"Then what do you want, old friend? Draw a path."

Nekra gritted his teeth. At the same time, he moved his other hand behind his back, signaling his subordinates to prepare to break out.

Fisso chuckled, not caring at all.

"Over... Mm. Jade City originally was just a simple balance. One side outside, one side inside. If either side became lighter or heavier and fell down, the matter should have ended."

He did not answer the Red Viper's question directly.

"But now, someone just had to be clever and turn the balance into a three-legged stool. The outside, the inside, and one side all its own."

Fisso crudely scratched his back, then reached a hand into his pocket.

"But this three-legged stool is different from a balance after all..."

Seeing him reach out, the Red Viper was so tense he stepped back.

However, Fisso, sitting on the stool, only pulled a smoking pipe from his trouser pocket with great effort, even somewhat comically.

"Three legs. If any one leg is unstable..."

"Then this matter... cannot end."

The Red Viper swallowed. He had not taken in a single word.

"What... what do you mean?"

Rick lay on the floor, staring fixedly at Fisso, his thoughts a complete mess.

"Right, since you are here, that..."

The old man before them smilingly took out a smoking pipe and flint, kindly offering them to the sweaty Red Viper.

"Little Red, want a puff?"