Chapter 74

"Is it you!" Yu Yingnan, upon seeing Qianye, was instantly both surprised and delighted.

"What are you planning to do?" Qianye looked at her attire and asked.

Yu Yingnan gritted her teeth and said, "I’m going to fight those damn snakes of the Sky Serpent Gang!"

Qianye smiled helplessly and said, "You’re going to your death."

"I’m not afraid of death," Yu Yingnan said coldly.

"But we all hope you live well."

Hearing this, for some reason, Yu Yingnan suddenly felt a pang of unease in her heart and dared not look at Qianye, her gaze involuntarily turning to the side.

Qianye took the shotgun from her hands, looked at it, and said, "It looks powerful, a good piece. If you don’t mind, I’ll borrow it for a few days."

"What are you going to do?"

Before Yu Yingnan could finish her sentence, Qianye sealed her lips with a finger.

"This is my war, and I have no ties, so I can do as I please. But you can’t! The families of your former comrades are still waiting for you to protect and take care of them. What will happen to them if you die? What about your brother?" After saying this, Qianye forcefully took the leather bag containing the shotgun shells from her, slung it over his shoulder, and turned to walk out.

"Wait!" Yu Yingnan called out to Qianye, pulled out a cartridge box, and stuffed it into Qianye’s hand. "There are three original energy rounds in here. That’s all I have now, but I’ll find friends to back you up."

"I prefer to act alone. Besides, you’ll be more effective if you do nothing. As for this, thanks!" Qianye waved the cartridge box at her and then turned to walk into the night.

Yu Yingnan watched Qianye’s back, feeling at a loss for the first time.

She didn’t know whether she should rush out to help him or listen to him and stay here, doing nothing. She also knew that even if she did nothing, the Sky Serpent Gang would still have to allocate a large number of people to monitor her. Perhaps this was what Qianye meant by his words.

In the night, Qianye started jogging, running through the streets, alleys, and low-rise residential areas. Finally, by suddenly changing direction and accelerating, he shook off the Sky Serpent Gang’s informants and returned to his residence, where he slept soundly.

Perhaps the Sky Serpent Gang never thought Qianye would dare to return home, so they didn’t send anyone to check his place, allowing Qianye to sleep through the entire night.

When the alarm clock pointed to six, a noisy ring woke Qianye. He looked at the time and was surprised that he could sleep undisturbed. Now, he was like a well-rested lone wolf, ready to hunt for days and nights.

He quickly tidied up the things in the room, even taking the time to stick some fake beard on his face, and then slipped out through the window between the kitchen and the wall.

As Qianye was about to leave through the window, the front door was kicked open, and a sharp voice shouted, "Go in and check, don’t let that little bastard escape!"

Hearing this belated cry, Qianye shook his head, leaped over the wall, and disappeared into the early morning of Dark Blood City, where the sky was still dark.

Dark Blood City was a massive entity, with districts sprawling around four perpetual motion towers. Overhead pipelines crisscrossed the sky, and the streets on the ground were as complex as a maze. The western and northern districts were where the expeditionary forces and nobles resided, relatively clean and orderly. The eastern and southern districts, sandwiched in between, were filled with slums, where various gangs and a mix of people thrived.

Even with over ten thousand members, the Sky Serpent Gang, which controlled a third of the southern district, could not act as they pleased in such an environment. After withdrawing from the Hunter’s Home last night, they spread their people across the city gates and key streets, setting up a dense network of informants. The Sky Serpent Gang didn’t care about Qianye’s resistance, but hunters were skilled in stealth. If he managed to escape the city unnoticed, it would take several times more effort to chase him down.

A short while later, in a dim and dilapidated small tavern, Qianye sat in a corner, his face completely hidden in the shadows.

Such small taverns were the favorite haunts of the lower class. Though small, they had everything—alcohol, women—nothing was missing, and most importantly, they were cheap.

For just a few dozen copper coins, one could sit with a large cup of homemade rice wine for the whole day. Idle men without work that day loved to gather here to chat and pass the time, hoping to find work the next day. Therefore, this place was also a hub for gossip, where many messages spread rapidly.

The air was filled with the strange smells of cheap tobacco, perfume, and freshly cooked food, and the ears were assaulted by a cacophony. Qianye closed his eyes, slowly running the War Resolution, and patiently waited.

As dusk fell again, Qianye’s ears caught the message he needed.

"Hey! Brother, do you know? Something big happened! The Sky Serpent Gang has issued a death warrant for a one-star hunter named Qianye! If you can bring his head, you get a hundred gold coins! Even just providing his whereabouts earns you ten gold coins!"

"Good heavens, a hundred gold coins!"

This number made the entire tavern boil. It had already exceeded the imagination of most people here. Almost no one knew what to do with such a sum if they really had it, so people around them started giving advice. But those giving advice were also clueless about how to spend the money, and soon the discussion turned into an argument, and they ended up fighting over the gold they hadn’t even obtained.

Amidst the chaos, Qianye slipped out of the tavern unnoticed. He looked up at the starry sky without a moon, a faint smile playing on his lips.

A death warrant? This was exactly what Qianye was waiting for.

Clearly, the Sky Serpent Gang was a bit anxious after losing track of him all day, but they were also confident that Qianye hadn’t left the city. Such a high bounty was meant to make him unable to stay in the city.

But for Qianye, the death warrant had another meaning. Now he had a good reason to act freely and decisively.

The Sky Serpent Gang itself wasn’t worth such caution, but to grow to the third-largest gang in Dark Blood City, it couldn’t be supported by just one Sky Serpent. There must be a powerful backer behind him. Second Master could make the Sky Serpent withdraw from the Hunter’s Home, but he might not be able to stop the big boss behind the scenes.

However, the war now belonged only to Qianye and the Sky Serpent Gang.

Qianye strolled through the maze-like streets without any particular destination.

As he passed a small street, a few Sky Serpent Gang members walked by from the side. Qianye immediately stopped and waited for them in the middle of the street. The few men were taken aback, and when they saw Qianye’s face, they almost couldn’t believe their eyes!

"Is this... that kid?" one of them asked tentatively.

The one who looked like a small leader shouted, "Of course it’s him! What are you waiting for? Attack him together, cut him down!"

The few men drew their machetes and daggers and rushed at Qianye, shouting as they swung their weapons!

Two gunshots rang out, and two thugs were sent flying, their bodies covered in blood and flesh. At close range, the shotgun’s power was almost unstoppable.

Qianye’s figure flashed, dodging the machetes and daggers. Two shotgun shells jumped into his hands and were smoothly reloaded into the magazine, moving like two birds. As soon as the bullets were reloaded, the gun barrel spewed a long flame, and the hot lead pellets sent two more men flying.

Qianye calmly opened the breech, ejected the spent shells, reloaded, and aimed at the last two Sky Serpent Gang members.

Under the threat of the gun, the two Sky Serpent Gang members trembled all over, suddenly kneeling before Qianye and crying for mercy.

Qianye said coolly, "Earning gold isn’t that easy, is it?"

The two Sky Serpent Gang members looked at each other, unsure how to respond. They had a bit of wit and knew that a wrong answer could bring immediate death.

Qianye slowly put the shotgun back into its holster and said, "Take this message back. From now on, any Sky Serpent Gang member who dares to patrol the streets will be killed on sight! Get lost!"

The two Sky Serpent Gang members immediately fled.

Under the night sky, Dark Blood City was still vibrant. The underground industries only came to life at this time. No matter when, in this city with its gates always open, one could always find various places to spend money.

Qianye strolled along, encountering Sky Serpent Gang members several times. His face, with just a few patches of fake beard, hadn’t changed much, so he was almost always recognized.

That night, the Sky Serpent Gang members showed Qianye how疯狂 they could become for the hundred gold coin bounty. And Qianye also made them deeply understand the gap between a Red Scorpion warrior and an ordinary person.

Gunshots echoed frequently on the dark streets, most of the chaotic sounds coming from the Sky Serpent Gang members. Qianye’s gunshots were steady and low, the unique sound of the shotgun like heavy drumbeats, pounding in people’s hearts. Each beat took a life.

Unconsciously, Qianye found himself back on Bronze Street.

Not far away, the luminous powder on A Yi’s gun shop sign was emitting a greenish glow.

Qianye pushed the door open, and the old man A Yi behind the counter was still cleaning gun parts, not even looking up.

Qianye leaned on the counter, lit a cigarette, and said, "I’m back."

The old man looked up, and upon seeing Qianye, his expression changed immediately, the serene and detached demeanor of a sage instantly shattered.

"Let me tell you, I absolutely will not accept returns on sold items!" the old man said fiercely.

Qianye handed him a cigarette and said, "Should I call you... Master Yi?"

Master Yi sniffed the smoke Qianye exhaled, slightly surprised, and said, "Mixed with military-grade stimulants? Let me see... indeed, top-notch stuff from an elite corps! You actually managed to get this!"

Master Yi immediately lit the cigarette, took a deep drag, held his breath, and after a long while, a flush spread across his face. He sighed, "What a great taste! It’s been a long time since I’ve had this."

Qianye said nothing, just placed the entire cigarette pack on the counter and pushed it to Master Yi.

Master Yi hesitated for a moment, then finally took the pack and said, "No matter what, I will not accept returns on sold items!"

"I find this assault rifle very handy and have no intention of returning it."