Chapter 558: Distress Call
Outside the cabin door, a man named Dioro stood by the slightly ajar door, eavesdropping on the secret conversation inside the cabin. The words accidentally leaked out were heard by Dioro, causing him to break out in cold sweat.
‘Slaughter… human livestock… pigs… His Excellency the Messenger… What on earth is His Excellency talking about?’
Listening to the conversation inside the cabin, Dioro couldn’t help but think with great alarm that comparing pigs to humans and carelessly mentioning slaughter made him have extremely bad associations, but he was too afraid to confirm them at the moment. Now, he decided to continue standing outside the door to listen to their next conversation.
“Forget it, forget it. It’s just one loss; we can still barely accept it. We’re about to dock now. Next, we should consider the handover issue. All the preparations for delivery have been completed, right?”
“They’re all ready. They’re already in position over there. As soon as we go ashore, we’ll take all the bl**d livestock over, deliver the goods and money on the same day. No need for any complications.”
“Is the delivery location safe? Will the guards in Montecarlo find us?”
“Don’t worry about that. The Hook Shark Gang is the local mafia in Montecarlo. They naturally know everything about the guard’s movements. They’ve chosen the most suitable location. It’s said that the guards near the trading point have been bribed by them. They turn a blind eye no matter what they do. The only thing we need to worry about now is not the guards in Montecarlo, but the bunch of deities from the church?”
“The church? Given the church’s influence in Montecarlo, how could they harm us?”
“That was before. Now, things are a bit different. There’s a famous nun from the church who recently came to Montecarlo for some holy relic pilgrimage. Coincidentally, she just arrived today. Because of her visit, the security in Montecarlo has been upgraded throughout the day. She’s supposed to tour the city after arriving. I’m worried that if she wanders around the city, it might bring some variables to our plan…”
“Nun? You mean that Prit Nun called Vanina, who’s quite famous recently? But I think she’s just visiting Montecarlo briefly. Her influence shouldn’t be that big, right? Is it really necessary to be so cautious?”
“It’s hard to say. Anyway, once we get ashore, everyone should be more careful. Alright, it’s time. Let’s notify those bl**d livestock to gather and prepare for disembarking.”
“Mmm…”
The voices inside the cabin gradually faded out, followed by increasingly loud footsteps. Hearing these footsteps, Dioro realized that the people inside were about to come out, causing his panic to intensify. He immediately turned around and started running away.
However, it seemed that due to the large movement of his actions, the people inside the cabin heard the commotion and immediately shouted sternly:
“Who’s out there!”
Hearing this shout, Dioro’s heart leaped to his throat. He immediately quickened his pace and ran away from the cabin. However, before he took two steps, a large hand reached out from behind him and clapped onto his shoulder. Dioro felt his shoulder sink heavily, causing him to lose balance and fall to the ground. After rolling on the ground, he looked up and saw the angry face of a middle-aged man from the Intestine Cult.
“Ahhh… Mr. Anders, I didn’t hear anything just now…”
Just as Dioro was about to say something, a young man whom Dioro did not recognize stepped out from beside the Intestine Cult member named Anders, reached down, and covered Dioro’s mouth. Dioro could not speak and lay on the ground, struggling fiercely. However, his struggles were tightly restrained by the young man, leaving him completely immobile.
Facing the two people in front of him, Dioro was terrified but had no choice. After successfully restraining Dioro, the young man looked seriously at the man called Anders.
“What do we do? This bl**d livestock seems to have heard everything we just said…”
Looking at Anders, the young man said directly, while Anders responded with a serious expression.
“Since he heard everything, we can’t let him go back. If this alerts the other bl**d livestock, things will get complicated. Before the meat pigs are sent to market, they can’t know that they’re going to be slaughtered… Knock him out, and tie him up directly.”
Anders stated the method of dealing with Dioro. After hearing Anders’ words, the young man immediately acted. Dioro felt a pain in the back of his neck, then everything went dark and he lost consciousness, lying motionless on the ground.
Seeing Dioro completely unconscious, the young man and Anders exchanged glances, both smiling slightly. Then, the young man searched his body for a while and pulled out a feather pen. After pulling down Dioro’s clothing, the young man began writing on Dioro’s back with the pen.
…
Time passed quickly. Under the guidance of the leading ship, the huge cruise ship navigated through countless reefs and islands, passing through the cannon towers, and finally reached the main island of Montecarlo.
Amidst cheers, the tourists on the cruise ship’s forward deck finally saw their destination, Montecarlo City. Looking ahead, the city’s skyscrapers towered, the docks were bustling and orderly, and giant letters made of steel frames were erected on a row of buildings facing the sea, spelling out the word “Iwig” in Ivigian, showing a hint of flamboyance.
Under professional guidance, the cruise ship entered the bustling docks and stopped at a berth. Passengers began to orderly disembark after organizing their luggage, although not all passengers disembarked according to normal procedures.
“Young man, you have been formally arrested for m*rder. To cause trouble on a cruise ship coming to Montecarlo, you must really be tired of living.”
On the aft deck of the cruise ship, several police officers in uniform with iron helmets were here. The lead officer handcuffed a young man’s wrist and sternly said, while the young man glared back at him.
“Hmph… originally a group of pirates now acting like they’re enforcing the law properly? I just killed a drunkard who was being rude after drinking. Such behavior wouldn’t have been a problem years ago, and now you want to put me in jail? It’s ironic that wild bandits are trying to dress up like gentlemen… Ugh…”
The young man disdainfully spoke to the police officer in front of him, but he was met with a heavy punch to his abdomen. Due to the force of the blow, he bent over in pain and fell to the ground, hunched over.
“Quite arrogant, aren’t you? Young man… to talk to me like that, I guess I’ll have to teach you a lesson when we get back. Take him away,” the police chief said viciously, looking at the young man doubled over in pain. The other officers nearby also followed his orders, lifting the young man and dragging him away. After watching the young man leave, the small team leader turned to look at the two figures next to him, Captain William and Detective Ed.
“I never expected that such a case would happen on a regular cruise ship, and you managed to find the culprit yourself. Quite impressive. Regardless, this saves us a lot of trouble. If other ships had your abilities, it would be better.”
“It’s mainly thanks to Detective Ed that we were able to solve the case so quickly,” Captain William replied directly, turning to look at Ed beside him. Ed modestly answered with a smile.
“It’s nothing. Just solving a few routine cases. I was just doing my job.”
“Detective Ed is too humble. In this case, you found the culprit just by listening to a few statements and checking a few records. Truly eye-opening,” Captain William continued in admiration. Ed then replied.
“Heh, with systematic analysis of various information, many hidden clues can be uncovered. This analytical ability is fundamental for a detective.”
Listening to Ed’s words, the small team leader became interested. He looked at Ed with interest and said.
“Oh… So you solved this case? Being able to solve it so quickly, your abilities must be quite good. So, are you thinking about staying in Montecarlo to work? There are countless cases waiting to be solved here. If you do well, you might even gain the favor of important people. Wealth and honor are not a problem.”
“Haha, thank you, Captain. I am a Prit, here for a vacation. Currently, I have no plans to settle abroad. I’ll consider it when I have a need for it in the future.”
Ed continued to respond to the small team leader, who clearly didn’t take his casual invitation seriously. He waved his hand and said.
“Well, we’ll see when you have the idea. Alright, I have official business to attend to now. Excuse me. Today, the idle star nun from the church came, and our affairs have become much busier. Why don’t they stay in the church and pray? Why do they have to come to Montecarlo for nothing…”
The small team leader complained, and after hearing this, Captain William asked curiously.
“Nun? Could it be the envoy from the church, Vanina Nun? Has she arrived?”
“Yes… she has arrived. Over there. That little princess of a nun wanted to do a parade tour before heading to the hotel. It’s quite troublesome.”
The small team leader complained as he pointed toward the distance. At that moment, a ship flying the church’s flag was docked there. On the shore opposite the ship, an honor guard formation and military band were playing music. Countless spectators blocked the area, creating a lively scene.
Watching this scene, Ed sighed.
“Nun Vanina, the rising star of the church, holding sacred relics in this city of desires, how many sins does she wish to cleanse?
…
In the afternoon, in Montecarlo.
In a secluded bar in a side alley far from the main road, several burly men were guarding the entrance. On their exposed skin, shark tattoos pierced by iron hooks were visible.
Passersby who walked past the bar instinctively kept their distance upon seeing the tattoos on these fierce-looking men. They knew that such tattoos belonged only to a certain type of person in Montecarlo—they were members of one of the toughest gangs, the Hook Shark Gang.
Not far from the bar’s entrance, a large black carriage was parked. Several men were guarding the carriage. Inside the bar, which was tightly guarded, an evil transaction was taking place. In the dimly lit bar hall, several bound male and female figures were lying on the ground, their mouths sealed, struggling and screaming in fear. However, each of them was tightly held down by two or three members of the Hook Shark Gang, rendering their struggles useless.
Inside the bar, the Hook Shark Gang members were drawing bl**d from the bound individuals using syringes. After the bl**d was drawn, it was tested on the spot. The gang’s pharmacist, after a flurry of activity, obtained the test results and immediately ran to the counter to report to a robust man with a scar on his face, wearing leather clothes and a hat.
“Mr. Glass, these goods are all fine. They are indeed top-quality bl**d livestock…”
The pharmacist reported to the man named Glass. After hearing the pharmacist’s words, Glass nodded and took a deep drag on his cigarette. After exhaling a cloud of smoke, he looked at the Intestine Cult member sitting in front of him, Anders, and said.
“The goods are fine, but why are there only five here? Where are the others?”
“The others are on the carriage outside. These are just for your inspection. Once the payment is settled, I’ll bring the rest in.”
Looking at Glass, who was smoking, Anders calmly replied. Glass then asked.
“How many are left in the carriage?”
“There are seven.”
“Seven? Adding these makes twelve in total. Where is the thirteenth one?”
“One of the bl**d livestock had an accident during transportation and died. The bl**d couldn’t be processed quickly, so it spoiled and was thrown into the sea. You know, Hook Shark’s second-in-command, it’s normal to have losses during long-distance transport.”
Anders said normally, and Glass raised his eyebrows after hearing this.
“Losses are normal, of course. And it’s also normal to deduct some money for the losses. Sorry, but I can’t give you the full 68,200 Lirs. How about 42,000 Lirs?”
Glass gave his offer. Here, Lir was the currency of Ivig, with an exchange rate of about 21:1 against Pound Prut. 68,200 Lirs was equivalent to 3,250 Pound Pruts, while 42,000 Lirs was only 2,000 Pound Pruts. Each bl**d livestock was worth 250 Pound Pruts.
“Sixty thousand… This is too much, Second-in-Command Douglass. For just one less bl**d livestock, you’re cutting off twenty thousand Lirs. Isn’t that a bit excessive…”
Hearing Douglass’s words, Anders responded seriously. Douglass then replied dismissively.
“Excessive? Hmph… I’m being generous. You should know that Montecarlo will be much busier than usual in the coming days. I’ve already taken on many orders. With one less bl**d livestock from your side, it will affect our supply and the number of orders we can fulfill. The loss of reputation is immeasurable. Considering our long-term cooperation, accepting this compensation fee is already generous.”
“The number of orders you’ve taken is your own business. I don’t care! I know that you get what you pay for. I need to be paid for all twelve bl**d livestock. Not a single one less!”
Hearing Glass’s words, Anders firmly refused. Glass’s expression darkened, and he crushed his cigarette b*tt. Then, he spoke in a more aggressive tone, arguing with Anders.
While the negotiations inside the bar were intense, on the carriage outside, seven figures were bound inside the large carriage. Under the influence of some drug, they were weak and collapsed. These were the bl**d livestock specially left outside by Anders, including Dioro.
Dioro was left in the carriage with the other bl**d livestock, scanning the situation outside while constantly trying to free himself from the ropes binding him. Since he had regained consciousness, he had been continuously trying to escape.
Through his earlier eavesdropping, Dioro had learned what the revered messenger truly was and what they intended to do in Montecarlo. Driven by the desire to survive, Dioro was desperately struggling to break free from his bindings. Curiously, among the bound bl**d livestock in the carriage, only he seemed to have the strength to do so. The others lay limp, unable to do anything but turn their eyes helplessly.
‘Untie… Untie!’
With a shout in his heart, Dioro struggled harder and eventually, with one final effort, the rope binding him to the vehicle actually snapped. This sudden success filled Dioro with a surge of joy.
After breaking free, Dioro quickly regained his composure. He observed the surroundings through the window, confirming the guard’s deployment. After repeated checks, he discovered that only the alleyway in front of the carriage was unguarded. His chance of escape lay there.
Having confirmed his position, Dioro took a deep breath and suddenly opened the carriage door, rushing out at high speed towards the only escape route. Suddenly, a shout echoed behind him.
“Stop! Don’t run!”
With his newfound freedom, Dioro naturally didn’t stop. He used all his strength to sprint forward, clearly hearing the footsteps chasing him from behind—the pursuers.
Dioro ran without stopping, and soon, a fork in the road appeared ahead. As Dioro hesitated which path to take, he saw a man dressed similarly to the pursuers running towards him from the right fork, shouting for him to stop. Seeing this, Dioro decisively chose the left fork.
Thus, pursued by the pursuers, Dioro ran through the complex alleys of Montecarlo. Whenever he faced a fork in the road, some forks were blocked by accidents or suddenly appeared pursuers. He had no choice but to continue down the only available path. Finally, when Dioro was utterly exhausted, he miraculously burst out of the alleyway into a bustling street teeming with people.
Upon reaching the street, a figure immediately caught Dioro’s attention—a white-clad figure surrounded by a crowd on the sidewalk. Upon closer inspection, it was a beautiful young woman in white nun’s robes, protected by numerous guards, chatting and admiring the streets as she walked.
Seeing the nun, the words Dioro had overheard before losing consciousness flashed through his mind. Without hesitation, Dioro ran towards the nun’s entourage, waving his hands and shouting loudly.
“Help! Help!”
