Chapter 85: Old Acquaintances

[Volume 2 - Bloom of the Other Shore Flower]

The Sky Snake Gang had been operating in Darkblood City for many years, so they had naturally taken care of any possible threats that lurked around their headquarters. All high vantage points nearby that snipers could use were under their control.

However, the sniping range they had in mind was based on the Dawn Handheld Cannon produced by the Empire's Blackstone Heavy Industries. This weapon was essentially the most powerful personal weapon any force in Darkblood City could possess. The Sky Snake Gang was only guarded against gang wars. Regardless of how powerful any adventurers, mercenaries, or hunters were, they weren't a concern. Darkblood City had its own rules, and any trouble that grew too big would attract military intervention.

But now Sky Snake had been sniped from an impossible location. It was twice the distance that they had prepared for.

Just what kind of weapon enabled its wielder to shoot Sky Snake from such a distance and severely wound him? Unlike the bullet fired from a normal sniper rifle, the power and accuracy of an origin bullet greatly decreased as the distance of the shot increased.

Most of the people present had started out as a gangster. They were born in the slums and grew up in the streets. For all the ups and downs in their life and the rank they managed to cultivate to this day, the weapons most familiar to them were choppers and daggers. Sniper rifles were a luxury they'd never had a chance to touch.

In fact, most of them only carried guns because it made them look impressive. There were countless crooks and honest folk inside Darkblood City, and Black Copper Street definitely wasn't the only place that forbid shooting. Although no one would say that having a military-style firearm didn't make them look cool, powerful homemade guns weren't bad either. As for guns with a range of a thousand meters, these Sky Snake Gang underlings had never heard of them before, much less seen one with their own eyes.

There was also another question: Just what kind of person could fire a shot like this?

The answer to this question was actually pretty simple. It was an answer that most people had already figured out.

Only special marksmen that the Empire had spent staggering amounts of resources to nurture would be able to shoot and hit their targets from such a distance!

A marksman like this had to be a junior-ranking officer at the very least!

While it certainly was possible for someone at the lowest rung of society to cultivate on their own and achieve unbelievable results in the domain of origin power, combat, or assassination through hard work and talent, one thing they most likely could never be was a super long-range sniper.

Sky Snake finally understood why everyone wore such strange looks on their faces. He also understood why Hornet had chosen to leave Sky Snake Gang at this time.

Qianye, the hairless kid that didn't even look like an adult, that little hunter who was robbed of the Flowing Gold Rose, the one that Sky Snake had issued a kill order for, might actually be an expert sniper of the imperial corps! There was no way that a person like this would pop out of nowhere in a dominion as strict as the Empire. He had to have a huge military presence backing him.

Bitterness filled Sky Snake's mouth, and an even more unfathomable emotion filled his heart. It felt like a unique kind of hatred.

This hatred was directed toward Qianye and a certain VIP who implied that they wanted to see Yu Yingnan in the death arena. Sky Snake wouldn't have encountered Qianye if he hadn't needed to force Yu Yingnan into the arena. He wouldn't have robbed Qianye if the boy had revealed even a hint of his military background.

All of a sudden, Sky Snake recalled something he had almost forgotten. He had heard bits and pieces about the background of the Yu Family, which was why he thought that he wouldn't have to worry very much about the Home of Hunters as long as he played by the rules. However, why had Qianye, someone who possibly had a military background, suddenly shown up now?

Even with his rather simple brain, Sky Snake felt a chill rise up his spine as he thought about this. Regardless of whether or not someone was using him like a tool, he was doubtlessly in danger right now.

The Empire had fought the dark races head on for over a thousand years. One could say that a huge amount of talents were produced in the Empire every day, and that any one of them could annihilate a group like the Sky Snake Gang. An expert sniper like Qianye was even scarier. He only needed a sniper rifle in his hands to be able to create a thousand-meter radius kill zone around him!

Sky Snake could already imagine his future from this point forward. He would have to be alert at all times, unable to go outside and reveal his himself, or even appear in front of a window. He wouldn't even be able to sleep in a room with windows! If he had to live like this, then what about everyone else? Even if Qianye could only fire a single shot everyday, who could possibly guess who his next target might be?

Cold sweat poured down Flying Bird's head. He silently took two steps to the side and removed himself from his spot in front of the window without batting an eyelid. He clearly remembered how Qianye told him that he would never let him get away with what he did.

Upon the fearful expressions of his subordinates, Sky Snake suddenly felt disheartened and grimly said, "There's no point holding your thoughts back at a time like this. Speak!"

Everyone exchanged looks before pushing Elder Yuan out into the open to speak for them again, like he had back at headquarters.

"Chief, there is no way our Sky Snake Gang can fight against the imperial corps," he said. "N-not unless that VIP supporting you is willing to speak for us."

Everyone knew that Elder Yuan's last line was a complete waste of breath.

Sky Snake smiled bitterly and slowly said, "Cancel the kill order and tell everyone to lay low for now. Once morning arrives, I will personally head out and meet Old 2. That's all for now. Dismissed!"

The upper level of the Sky Snake Gang left in silence, leaving only Sky Snake and Elder Yuan behind. Elder Yuan's strength was average and he was only a rank two fighter. However, he was one of the brothers who started out with Sky Snake and built their current gang. This was why he wasn't too afraid to speak before Sky Snake.

Sky Snake looked at him and sighed. "We've gotten old."

Elder Yuan was startled by this sudden statement. He immediately said, "No, we're not! Once we've passed this obstacle, the Sky Snake Gang will continue to grow and prosper!"

Upon hearing this, Sky Snake's face gradually became cheerful. He grinned and said, "That's right! This is just a small obstacle! If we were able to build such a large base back then with just the few of us, we will definitely be able to rise again!"

The two brothers left the room one after the other. but when Sky Snake stared at Elder Yuan's back, a faint killing intent appeared in his eyes. It was true that a VIP's words were quite useful, but they weren't free. If Sky Snake didn't want to be tossed away and used as a scapegoat, then he needed to do something to prove his worth.

Qianye followed the path he planned beforehand and approached the headquarters of the Sky Snake Gang. All of a sudden, he saw a figure in the distance and realized that it was Hornet. Qianye had yet to find out that Hornet had left the Sky Snake Gang. Even if he had, it wouldn't have stopped Qianye from killing him.

Qianye turned around and entered an alleyway without batting an eye. He observed Hornet . Hornet looked as if something were troubling him and was moving fast. He quickly left the Southern Bank District and entered a wide road. However, the crowd around both he and Qianye was growing thinner.

This was the slums, one of the three lawless areas that served as a junction between the Southern Bank District and the Eastern Lake District. It was also a prosperous underground black market. In the past, this place produced at least a dozen or so corpses every night, but because a storm had begun to envelop the wasteland of Boulderstone Region, expeditionary forces had tightened security within the city. This was the reason why this place looked a little deserted today.

Through the gap between two buildings, Qianye watched Hornet walk toward a street that led to the Eastern Lake District. He walked forward and was about to turn onto an intersection ahead of him to reach on the same path as Hornet in less than fifty meters.

However, after taking only two steps forward, Qianye came to an abrupt stop. He smoothly straightened his posture so he reached his full height and placed a hand on the wall to his left. He nimbly leaped into the air and landed on the roof of a house, laying flat against it and instantly becoming one with the night..

Several young men outfitted like mercenaries suddenly emerged from a bar not far away. They were so drunk that they couldn't even walk straight.

These youths were singing out of tune and roaring bold, ambitious words that would make people laugh. They raised the bottle in their hands every so often, chugging large gulps of alcohol.

Qianye saw a person in this group that was familiar. Although he was bigger and sturdier than he used to be, and his face was completely different, Qianye still recognized him at first glance. The mercenary that was contributing to the commotion the most was none other than Wei Potian.

Back at Xiangyang, Wei Potian was the genius who was given the highest recognition and selected by the Broken Winged Angels. His talent and potential was as extraordinary as he seemed, and it didn't take long for him to reach rank three. In fact, he looked like he had already ignited his fourth node.

Seeing Wei Potian staggering and running into a companion and then seizing the opportunity to grab that companion's shoulders and wrestle with him, Qianye couldn't help but recall that military competition that he had been fated to win. He also recalled the three promises that Wei Potian made after losing to him in a match, as well as Wei Potian's personally-made silver bullet that Qianye had stomped into the ground.

Normal silver could no longer harm Qianye. All these memories felt as if they were from another lifetime, but Qianye could no longer show himself. He reckoned that he had probably been listed as a killed-in-action in the Empire's profiles long ago.

Ever since Qianye had rescued that Red Scorpion rookies, he noticed that the Evernight Continent was one of the places that elite corps were sent to carry out missions. There were many times in which he had wondered whether or not he would eventually meet his former comrades, but he never imagined that he would encounter Wei Potian in Darkblood City.

Wei Potian was a member of an aristocratic family, so the up-and-coming youth of an elite corps naturally wouldn't appear here for no reason. In fact, the steps of Wei Potian and the other youths seemed unusually steady even though they looked heavily intoxicated. All of them possessed robust origin power, and not a single one of them was a weakling. On average, they were rank four Fighters, not to mention the fact that Broken Winged Angel soldiers were utterly dominant in a fight against an adventurer or mercenary of equal rank.

Qianye didn't move and simply watched the group of youths pretending to be drunks fooling around in the street. Broked Winged Angels obviously wouldn't appear in Darkblood City out of nowhere and even put on disguises just to go on a vacation.

They hadn't taken more than a few steps when a faint white mist suddenly appeared in front of this group of youths, completely cutting off the path forward. Wei Potian and the companion continued to yell loudly and pretend to be drunk, but the rest of them had already noticed the changes in their environment. They straightened their postures and took defensive stances.

A tall, thin man slowly emerged from the mist. He wore a metal mask on his face and wielded a shocking two-meter-long sword. The blade of the sword was covered in a black aura so dense that it might as well have been solid!

The moment he appeared, a nigh invincible aura enveloped the area! Black flames rose around the man's body and climbed several meters into the air!

By then, even the thickheaded Wei Potian noticed that something was amiss. He stared wide-eyed at the mysterious man.

The man stood in front of the group of youths and let out low, hoarse laughter.

"Oh, you little Broken Winged Angels," he said. "You're bold... but your luck is quite bad."

Wei Potian's face was ugly. The aura that pressed down on him from above caused the color to drain from his face and made his bones to crack loudly. The rest of the young soldiers fared even worse than him, one of which had already started bleeding from his nose.

The mist didn't interfere with Qianye's night vision. He stared at the scene from afar and felt extremely shocked.