Boss Jino stared at the girl in front of him.
Dragon horns, dragon tail, a little girl—and the city was called Lungmen.
The buffs were fully stacked.
And yet, that idiot lackey of his was still walking forward with a dagger.
Boss Jino felt like his life was reaching its final seconds.
In Lungmen, in Yan, there was only one race with such characteristics: the rulers of Great Yan, the True Dragon Race.
He was certain the little girl before him wasn't a Vouivre. The shape of those horns and that tail... they were a world apart from a Vouivre. A Vouivre's tail didn't have fur.
It wasn't a Vouivre, and added to that were those archaic but high-quality clothes...
"Wait!" He instinctively called out to stop his subordinate.
"Boss Jino?" The thugs turned back, looking at him in confusion. "Are you planning to handle her yourself?"
Handle her?
Then I really must want to die.
Looking at his excited underlings, Jino squeezed out a smile that looked more painful than crying.
He shouldn't have gone for these outsiders just to save trouble. These dozen or so thugs were mostly refugees from Ursus. He had heard something big happened over there, and many people felt the country was starting to destabilize, so they fled.
These lawless Ursusians... they really didn't know what the Chief Executive of Lungmen looked like.
Boss Jino wanted to burst into tears.
As a resident of Lungmen, he knew this point all too well. Although his race was also Ursine, his parents' generation had settled in Lungmen, so he was a local. Any person from Yan would know better than to provoke that little girl... and yet these guys were Ursusians...
He didn't know how a noble Draconic Girl had appeared in a Slums alleyway, but he knew that today, he wouldn't be able to escape unscathed.
"She... is worth a lot," eventually, Boss Jino couldn't drop his pride and spoke up. "Look at the fabric of those clothes; they aren't cheap."
"Oh, we can kidnap her for ransom, right?" the lackey said excitedly. "I've seen it in movies: first cut off one of her fingers and send it to her family..."
"Idiot!" Boss Jino barked. "How can we do that?"
"Uh, Boss?" The thugs looked at him with complete bewilderment.
Jino suddenly felt a chill. He didn't see a hint of discomfort in the eyes of these young punks, as if they were already accustomed to such operations.
Yes, that's right—these people had crossed the barrens from Ursus. Though young, they definitely didn't lack ruthlessness.
Doing things like this... perhaps it was a daily occurrence for them?
A realization struck his brain. No wonder his recruitment had gone so smoothly; the things he bragged about... perhaps they truly believed that being in a gang meant doing exactly this.
But it wasn't! If Jino had really caused a bloodbath in the LGD, how could he have survived until now after being arrested?
Did they think the LGD didn't play dirty?
These thugs... lawless and used to being wild outside, no wonder nobody wanted them. There were plenty of gangs in the Slums, and there was a reason no one was willing to take them in.
Lungmen certainly had gangs, but even gangs had to follow the rules...
How could these outsiders be as easy to use as local people he knew through and through?
Their ultimate fate would be to either fight and carve out a new gang, or die in a trash heap one day because they didn't know the rules—or have their tempers worn down and find a menial job to barely scrape by...
Jino finally realized what that look from his former boss meant when he had visited him a few days ago and told him he had recruited these people.
"You've just arrived in Lungmen; you don't know the rules," after thinking for a moment, he touched the thin stack of bills in his pocket. Ultimately, he couldn't bear to let go of the wealth he had already spent. This kind of sunk cost was already unacceptable to him.
But he didn't dare to actually lay a hand on the Draconic Girl before him.
"Hand her to me," Boss Jino thought of a compromise that wasn't really a solution. "I'll find a place to dispose of her. Our transaction is more important."
The so-called "finding a place to dispose of her" meant delivering her straight to the LGD to get rid of this hot potato as quickly as possible.
"But Boss, this little brat really seems to be worth a lot," the thugs began to hesitate. "Are we really going to just dispose of her? Not go for a ransom?"
"Just the clothes on her back could sell for a lot of money, right?"
"Don't complicate things," Jino put on a stern face and narrowed his eyes. "We have big things to do next. We can't leave any clues."
"That's easy," the thug Sasha said with a ruthless expression. "We just want the money. Once we get it, we kill the hostage!"
"Boss is right to be worried. She's seen our faces; we can't leave her alive!"
Boss Jino was completely stunned.
Good grief, are these Ursusians this wild? Straight to killing the hostage?
His heart sank. It seemed today... he wouldn't be able to settle this peacefully. The eyes of these lackeys were turning green as they looked at the Draconic Girl.
If he dared to voice his concerns... these thugs wouldn't respect him anymore. They would start to doubt him. After all, in the stories he made up, he was a figure who had slaughtered his way through Lungmen seven times over. How could he be afraid of a mere Chief Executive, a man he'd supposedly defeated?
Right—defeating the Chief Executive was also something he'd made up.
If he lost his authority... between quick cash and slowly selling low-quality suppressors... how would these lawless Ursusians choose?
Jino didn't know what to do anymore.
Fortunately, he didn't have to think about it.
"Excuse me, are you the clients?" A voice rang out from behind them. "Your delivery is here."
"Also, I can't just ignore those words I just heard."
With a whoosh, bright headlights illuminated the entire alley. Everyone turned around to see a van had parked at the entrance of the alley at some unknown point.
Three people stood in front of the headlights. The piercing light stretched their shadows long, covering the faces of the crowd.
"Extortion, kidnapping," the Sankta with the fluorescent light tube above her head raised the gun in her hand. "And killing the hostage."
"Tsk, Croissant, looks like another order is going to fall through."
"What a shame," the Forte girl holding a shield sighed. "My commission..."
"So, why did we have to turn the lights on?" the Catus(?) on the other side asked weakly while holding a microphone.
"Hey, who are you people?" Seeing this, the thugs naturally weren't going to be polite. "You mentioned the goods... you're here to deliver something?"
Sasha stepped forward. "Then hurry up and hand over the goods. Also, don't look at what you shouldn't see. Mind your own business, got it?"
"See my boss?" he said fiercely. "That's the famous 'Blood-Handed Butcher' of Lungmen, the hero who terrified the LGD back in the day!"
"If we find out you've said something you shouldn't, you know what the consequences will be!"
Blood-Handed Butcher? Hearing this, Exusiai turned to Croissant, signaling with her eyes, Lungmen has a big shot like that? Someone who terrified the LGD?
I don't know? Croissant looked completely blank. Never heard of him...
Sounds very scary... Sora trembled imperceptibly.
"Hey, we're talking to you!" Sasha frowned. "Are you deaf?"
"Sigh, Sora," Exusiai narrowed her eyes. After judging the level of the big guy in front of her, she said with a smile, "Didn't you ask why we turned the lights on?"
"Yeah, why..." Sora's eyes shifted.
"First, for style!" Exusiai said proudly. "Don't you think this entrance is incredibly cool? Just like a movie from Laterano!"
"Second, for the rescue, of course! Good job, Texas!"
She looked behind the crowd.
The thugs all turned back as well, only to find a Lupo girl holding a sword had already appeared between them and the little girl.
The reason they had wasted time talking was to wait for Texas to get into position; otherwise, it would be bad if the thugs used the girl as a hostage.
Xia Yu watched the farce before her with great interest.
The cool Lupo girl didn't pay attention to Exusiai. Instead, she silently crunched the chocolate bar in her mouth, her hand already pressing on the sword at her waist.
"Trash," she succinctly summarized her assessment of the thugs before her.
She wasn't even willing to say more than two words to them.
"You guys..."
Seeing this, Sasha was about to charge up with his dagger, but Boss Jino stopped him.
"You're Penguin Logistics, right?" he said, narrowing his eyes. "That logistics company that's been making a name for itself lately. Is my cargo here?"
"Cargo?" Exusiai shrugged. "Didn't I just say? This order is void."
"Heh, looking down on me, are you..." He said, a cruel grin appearing on his face. "Move aside, let me test their mettle!"
Hearing this, the thugs all moved aside in unison, their eyes filled with nothing but worship.
"Here I come!" Boss Jino stepped forward with great momentum, swinging his fists as he charged toward Exusiai and the others.
The lackeys began to shout in support. Seeing this display, Exusiai simply raised her hand and let out a burst of fire!
Mainly because the title "Blood-Handed Butcher" still held some deterrent power, so she just held the trigger down.
Then, everyone watched as the 'bullets' hit Boss Jino. The latter, despite his indomitable momentum, face-planted right on the spot, blood splattering everywhere.
"These bullets..." Boss Jino clutched his abdomen tightly. "I... cough cough..."
Then he buried his head into his chest, pretending he was finished. As for that blood... it was a blood bag, something he'd learned from a senpai in prison.
No matter what, he couldn't take the blame for kidnapping a Draconic Girl!
So he was waiting for the right moment!
"Boss!" The group of thugs was stunned. Their supposedly invincible boss had been taken down by a single burst?
"What?!" Exusiai was even more panicked. "Did I load live ammo? Oh no, oh no!"
She began to check her magazine in a frenzy.
Croissant and Sora beside her also began to panic. After all, using live rounds in Lungmen was no small matter!
But Texas, standing opposite them, sighed.
They were still too inexperienced... How was that the reaction of being hit by a gun? Exusiai... even though she touched guns every day, she still panicked when things happened. Then again, she had only recently left Laterano; one couldn't expect a girl who just graduated to be battle-hardened immediately.
Now's the time!
Boss Jino suddenly sprang up and lunged toward the alley entrance!
He aimed for the gap between Sora and Croissant, dashing out of the alley before they could react.
This is my escape route!
Once he escaped, he'd take his things and bolt. He couldn't stay in Lungmen anymore!
As for those lackeys? Who cared if they died!
"Huh?" The three stood dumbfounded, watching Boss Jino—who looked like he was dying just a second ago—bursting with life. They finally realized they'd been played.
Who could have guessed that someone so arrogant a moment ago would pull a stunt like faking death to escape?
Actually, Exusiai should have been able to see through it in theory, but currently, she was still the green little angel who had just left Laterano; she panicked when things went south.
"Sigh," Texas sighed, then drew her dual swords, preparing to deal with the dozen dumbfounded thugs before her first, then go out to chase that cunning fellow.
But at that moment, the little girl behind her stepped out, her hands forming a mudra.
Boom!
A bolt of lightning fell from the clear sky, sending the sprinting figure into a fit of convulsions on the ground.
Whoa, it actually worked.
The mudra was just for style; she had simply mobilized her own power.
Mmm, how should she put it? After having two consecutive "broken" cards, using the body of the future High Elder of the Xianzhou felt so weak...
She was almost unaccustomed to it.
However, her mindset was good. What was wrong with Bailu? Even if her strength was a bit weaker, so what? She didn't lack strength now.
When in doubt, switch to Firefly. If Firefly can't handle it, switch to Acheron and blow them up!
Xia Yu, holding two "broken" cards, had temporarily lost all power anxiety.
Just now, she had been watching those people perform in front of her. That boss, being propped up by his underlings, was truly a hilarious sight.
Sigh, Penguin Logistics came too early. She had wanted to see if that boss would actually make a move, but she couldn't blame them; they meant well.
"That's..." Texas's pupils shrank as she looked at the purple lightning. "Lightning Arts?!"
Although she wasn't a local, since she planned to stay here long-term, she had naturally learned some essential knowledge about Yan. Things like Lightning Arts... were not common goods.
Only now did she carefully lower her head to look at the little girl before her.
Wait, these horns... this tail...
Texas took a sharp breath.
This was... a Lung, wasn't it?
And a Lung this young?!
Appearing in Lungmen at a time like this?
Texas knew that today's situation had become completely massive.
How could a simple delivery run turn into something this absurd? A tiny Draconic Girl wandering the Slums alone, targeted by thugs for kidnapping and ransom.
They even planned to kill the hostage!
She turned to look at the thugs before her.
These people were so brave—did they not bother to check what the name of this city was?