novelraw Chapter 22
Chapter 22
Chapter 22. Heavy Rain
The setting sun was like blood. The last trace of dark red glow was swallowed by the rolling black clouds, while the salty sea wind carried the stench of rotting fish from the dock district, swirling through the narrow alleys of the western part of the city.
Kuli sat inside the gang’s secret chamber, making final preparations with the leaders of the Blood Hand Brotherhood and the Noose Gang.
Seeing the large number of poison gas bombs prepared by Kuli, the scar-faced brute from the Blood Hand Brotherhood could not help but twitch at the corner of his mouth. Even the iron ball he was idly tossing in his hand became a little unsteady.
“You’re making such a huge move! Aren’t you afraid of bringing the Adventurers’ Guild’s retaliation?”
For gangs like theirs that were attached to major forces, as long as the trouble didn’t grow too big, killing a few petty merchants, vendors, or slum dwellers was hardly worth mentioning.
But Kuli was preparing to attack an enemy adventurer team. Although that team was practically only a name now, it was still technically a member of the Adventurers’ Guild.
Robbery was one thing—the severity could vary. But judging from this setup, it looked more like he was planning to wipe them out completely.
“Heh, are you scared?” Kuli looked at the scar-faced brute with disdain.
“Scared my ass. Even if there’s retaliation, they’ll come after you, ‘Poison Scorpion Kuli.’ The two of us are only here to hold off the security squad and those nosy adventurers,” said the lanky man from the Noose Gang as he leisurely sipped his tea.
“Then stop spouting nonsense! I’ve already greased the right palms. The Sea Ghost Gang will handle Zack’s group at sea, and the Adventurers’ Guild will turn a blind eye. How much meat you can eat depends on yourselves!”
“Fine. Then we’ll make our move at midnight,” the scar-faced brute said in a muffled voice.
***
Meanwhile, aboard the Wavecrest, which was sailing toward Coral Reef Island, a group of people were enthusiastically playing dice in the cabin.
“Three sixes! Leopard! Pay up, pay up!” Vivian slapped the table excitedly, her face flushed red after winning three rounds in a row.
“What the hell!” Grek lifted the dice close to his eyes and examined them carefully. “These dice aren’t filled with lead, are they?”
“Fuck you!” Old Owen cursed as he reluctantly took out a silver coin. “Brat’s got ridiculous luck! I’ve been sailing forty years and never seen someone roll three leopards in a row!”
…
O’Brien leaned against the ship’s railing, pondering the so-called surprise from that vampire whose name he still did not know.
He rarely raised his sword against humans, yet now he had no choice but to reexamine the blade in his hand.
To carve out a better path for this world, he had to press forward without hesitation. He agreed strongly with the saying “the future holds all possibilities,” though he only hoped he would not fall into corruption along the road ahead.
“My lord, would you like some mead?” Zack approached carrying an oak barrel, the sea wind whipping his clothes loudly. “With the current wind speed, we should reach Coral Reef Island by tomorrow night.”
O’Brien did not even turn his head.
“No.”
Zack awkwardly scratched his nose. “Um… my lord, we prepared quite a few snacks and games. Would you like to join us?”
“No.”
“Uh… one of my teammates is a very good bard. Her singing is wonderful. You—”
“No.”
Cold sweat began forming on Zack’s forehead. “Then… is there anything we can prepare for you—”
“No.”
Seeing O’Brien still staring silently at the dark sea, Zack opened his mouth, but swallowed the words back down.
Sensibly, he bowed slightly and withdrew, returning the quiet night to this somewhat aloof powerhouse.
Zack desperately wished to establish some sort of connection with a powerful figure like O’Brien. Whether he could avenge his fallen teammates depended on it.
Yet reality left him helpless. This lord was taciturn and disliked being disturbed. As for the young man who was clearly his disciple, he was being exhausted by harsh training and had no chance to talk either.
“Sigh…”
Zack stared at the figure by the railing and took a fierce gulp from the oak barrel.
Having the chance to undertake a mission alongside such a top-tier powerhouse yet failing to build a connection—if he missed this opportunity, he would regret it for the rest of his life.
When he entered the cabin and saw the others playing merrily, Zack only felt exhausted… not a single reliable one among them.
“Boss, hit another wall?” Hailey lifted her attention from the dice and looked at her captain’s dejected expression.
Seeing Zack only drinking silently, Hailey teased:
“Boss, if you keep drinking like that, you might miss Coral Reef Island tomorrow!”
“Instead of obsessing over building a relationship, why not think about how to get that lord to teach you a couple of moves? From what I can see, that lord doesn’t like socializing, but if it’s about combat or professional skills, he probably wouldn’t be stingy with guidance.”
Zack slammed the barrel down, his eyes wide. “Right! How did I not think of that!”
“A professional question! I need to think carefully!”
Everyone watched their captain dash into the resting room in a hurry. Hailey shrugged.
“I bet five copper coins the captain will run out in three minutes asking us what counts as a ‘professional question.’”
“I bet ten copper coins,” Old Owen narrowed his eyes, “that ten minutes later he’ll realize he doesn’t even know what a ‘professional question’ is.”
Simo silently placed a silver coin on the table. “He’ll come out and start striking all kinds of strange combat poses, asking whether those count as professional questions.”
The cabin fell silent for a moment—then erupted into even louder laughter.
***
Dark clouds completely covered the sky. Drizzling rain began to fall, driving the last pedestrians away from the streets.
But in just moments, the rain suddenly intensified. Bean-sized drops smashed onto the stone pavement, splashing half-finger-high sprays. In the blink of an eye, it formed a vast white curtain of rain, wrapping the entire street in chaotic mist.
“Crack!”
A pale bolt of lightning tore through the night sky, illuminating the figures standing before the hall entrance.
“Hahaha… what perfect weather!” The scar-faced brute stretched out his hand to catch the pouring rain, letting the icy water run through his fingers and into his sleeves. “With this torrential rain as cover, unless we tear the house down, even the security squad probably won’t notice.”
Although Kuli nodded in agreement on the surface, he was not satisfied inside. Without the security squad being delayed, his plan would have far more uncertainties. It seemed he would have to abandon part of the profits.
“I’ll take my men to block the western alley entrance. You’d better be quick on your end.” The scar-faced brute put on his blood-gold gauntlets, metallic scraping sounds echoing as he flexed his knuckles. With a wave of his hand, he led his lackeys into the rain.
The lanky man from the Noose Gang said nothing more. He crooked a finger at his subordinates and walked off in the opposite direction.
Once their figures disappeared completely, Kuli turned and entered a secret chamber.
Looking at the man inside the chamber—someone identical to him in appearance and build—Kuli could not help but sigh.
“I’ll leave the rest to you.”
“My life has long belonged to the lord. If not to repay him, I wouldn’t have lived until today. After taking my revenge, every day I lived was simply waiting to die. I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time.”
Kuli patted the man’s shoulder. The fake Kuli hurriedly left.
The shapeshifting potion had a time limit. He had to complete the mission and die before its effects ended. That way, even after the potion expired, without a soul and will to anchor it, his body would not revert to its original appearance.
“Sigh…”
After tonight, he would once again be all alone in the world.
The fake Kuli led his subordinates to attack the Rock Adventurer Team’s headquarters according to the plan.
Meanwhile, the real Kuli headed straight toward the Blood Hand Brotherhood’s base.
Yes—his real targets were the Blood Hand Brotherhood and the Noose Gang, not the Rock Adventurer Team that had already been reduced to near poverty.
Now, because of the heavy rain, he had no choice but to give up the more distant Noose Gang.
He planned to raid the Blood Hand Brotherhood’s secret treasury and flee immediately, avoiding any complications from dragging things out too long.