181 The Colorful Duo of Vice and Metallurgy
Avoiding the topic of the boss—uh, I mean the wife—Leon pulled a crumpled ball of paper from his pocket.
“By the way, Rebecca, do you happen to know what’s going on here?”
He unfolded the paper, revealing a red-level wanted poster.
Rebecca took a glance and shrugged, “Yeah, I was just about to tell you, Old Man Taige has been wanted by the Empire for about a year now.”
Leon’s mind flickered, “A year ago…”
Rebecca nodded, “Right around the time the newspapers were buzzing about him being a deranged killer and a madman.”
“I wonder… who exactly did my Master k*ll?”
“Hold on, let me grab the newspapers.”
Rebecca sprang up and rummaged around before plopping back onto the couch with a pile of papers.
“Red Mill’s owner, the casino boss, and the pharmacy manager.”
Rebecca spread out the papers one by one,
“The Red Mill is a playground for the rich—lots of beautiful women. Different prices, different services. You get it. But most of those girls were abducted. The pretty ones serve the powerful; the average ones are usually killed off after two years to sell their organs.”
“The casino looks like the biggest gambling den in the Empire, but behind the scenes, it’s all about money laundering, black market, and loan sharking—they mostly deal with bl**d money here.”
“The pharmacy sells various herbs, but in reality, it’s a massive drug den that has ruined countless families.”
Leon scratched his head, summarizing his Master’s antics perfectly, “So… vice and drugs!”
Rebecca replied, “Besides that, these three all share a common background—they are connected to the royal family of the Empire.”
Leon nodded, “Yeah, I guess anyone without connections wouldn’t dare to venture into this gray market.”
Rebecca paused, as if recalling something, “Oh right, a year ago, Old Man Taige killed two royal guards and hung their bodies on the palace walls.”
Hearing this, Leon lowered his brows, “Sounds nothing like my Master’s style…”
“Yeah, I thought so too.”
Leon began to ponder.
If his Master was wanted starting a year ago, that would have been right after he met with Roswiser, wouldn’t it?
So, after establishing a one-year pact with Roswiser, his Master indeed returned to the Empire.
And the reason his Master returned should be to help Leon clear his name as a traitor.
But did the Empire ultimately refuse him?
So, was his Master pressuring the Empire with this ‘spiritual justice’ tactic over the past year?
This line of reasoning made sense, but he would have to confirm it once he found his Master.
Now the question was, where does Leon go to find that old man?
Staking out at the farm?
That would be a waste of time and could attract unnecessary trouble.
While he was mulling over these thoughts, Leon was at a loss.
Seeming to see her captain’s confusion, the young girl blinked her sparkling eyes and said, “Old Man Taige might make a move soon.”
Leon perked up, “What do you mean?”
“The casino boss was taken out by him two months ago. The week before that, he publicly challenged Old Man Taige in the newspaper, calling him a madman and a stupid wanted criminal. But now, if he turns himself in, maybe he can wash away that stupidity.”
Rebecca explained, “Then, he was taken down by Taige. The security team had set a trap near the casino boss’s house, waiting for Old Man Taige to bite. But they underestimated him, and not only did they lose the casino boss, but Old Man Taige also slipped away.”
Leon caught on to what Rebecca meant, “You’re saying someone challenged my Master again recently?”
“Mhm, a priest from a church.”
Rebecca continued, “This priest claimed Old Man Taige is a puppet of Satan, an irredeemable demon who, after d*ath, wouldn’t even make it to hell but would roam the earth as a lost soul.”
Leon wasn’t too interested in this priest’s pre-match trash talk; he was more curious, “What kind of vice does this priest dabble in?”
“I… can’t say outright, but I can hint at it, Captain.”
“Huh?”
“What’s the term for the craft similar to ‘metallurgy’?”
Leon paused, thought for a sec, and then realization dawned.
No wonder Rebecca was hesitant to speak. This priest was indeed a creep.
d*mn.
“But this provocation is even more obvious than the casino boss’s case; it’s practically a trap, and it’s undoubtedly better guarded than last time, just waiting for Old Man Taige to walk right into it,” Rebecca said. “So, I’m not sure if he’ll really go for it.”
“He’s definitely going.” Leon stated firmly.
“Why’s that?”
“My Master once told me that an obvious trap isn’t a trap at all; it’s a ‘contest.’ With his personality, he’d do anything to pressure the Empire.”
In the past, his Master had shared a lot of nonsensical wisdom that sounded like bragging at the time;
But now that he knew his Master was actually a hidden expert, those bragging rights transformed into life mottos.
Leon stood up, “Thank you, Rebecca, for sharing so much and believing in me. Next, take care of yourself, and after I wrap this up, I’ll come find you for a chat.”
Having gathered enough information from Rebecca, Leon needed to start his next plan.
He pulled out some sunglasses, thanked her, and headed for the door.
“Hey, Captain, where are you going?” Rebecca hurriedly followed him.
“Going to the church to wait for my Master.”
“The Empire’s definitely going to send enough people; it’s dangerous, Captain. Even if you find Old Man Taige, the two of you alone will struggle to break through the encirclement.”
That didn’t sound quite right…
When Leon turned to look back, Rebecca was already strapping two heavy-duty rifles to her back.
Hiss—
Do artillery masters all have a fourth-dimensional pocket or something? Just like that, she whipped out her guns.
“Are… you really coming with me?” Although his former teammates had left the Dragon Slayer Army, at least they could lead peaceful lives now. He didn’t want to drag Rebecca into any more danger.
“Of course I am.”
Rebecca secured her ammo pouch with a determined smile plastered across her young face.
“Three years ago, I left you behind and slinked back to the Empire; but three years later, I won’t abandon you again, Captain.”
…
In the deep of night, Leon and Rebecca were on the rooftop across from the church, surveying the area.
The surroundings were heavily fortified with security and patrol teams. At this rate, not even a mosquito could sneak in to s*ck ‘metallurgy’ priest’s bl**d.
“Wow, they’re not even hiding it anymore?” Rebecca exclaimed.
“I told you, this isn’t a trap; it’s a contest. These guys are probably well aware of my Master’s personality, which is why they’re so bold.”
Leon replied, “But this small a force shouldn’t be able to contain my Master, right?”
“You have that much faith in Old Man Taige? I used to think he was just an ordinary old man, but over this past year, he’s reshaped my understanding of old men.” Rebecca said.
To be honest, Leon wasn’t entirely sure about his Master’s strength either.
But if a dragon like Roswiser looks up to him, he couldn’t possibly be weak.
“Let’s just wait and see.” Leon said.
“They’ve been on high alert for about a week now; I wonder if we’ll actually see Old Man Taige tonight.”
The two continued to wait.
At midnight, Rebecca had already dozed off, cradling her weapon.
But the next moment, a deafening thunderclap startled her awake.
“Ah! Bomb! Bomb!”
Leon quickly pressed her head down, “Shhh—he’s coming!”
Rebecca crouched down and followed Leon’s gaze to the church.
Suddenly, the massive cross on the church’s rooftop was obliterated by a lightning strike, stirring up an intense cloud of dust.
From within the smoke, a figure wrapped in arcs of electricity burst forth.
In his right hand, he wielded a long katana that shimmered coldly, with traces of bl**d glistening on it.
“Not good! The priest was killed! Catch him! Hurry!”
The patrol teams immediately sprang into action, encircling the figure.
“Taige Lawrence, you damned wanted criminal and killer, surrender!” one officer shouted.
Taige, holding the katana, coldly inspected the officer, then calmly replied, “There are six children still locked up in that priest’s basement.”
“W-What?”
With a dismissive grunt, Taige retorted, “A bunch of useless fools.”
He stopped talking and readied his katana, glancing for a moment before charging toward the surrounding circle, attempting to break through.
The officers who had witnessed Taige’s skills were too intimidated to clash, “Quick… release the monsters!”
With that command, several giant cages were slowly pushed from the dark alley.
Inside were gigantic dangerous species.
However, unlike typical dangerous species, these monsters were all wearing specially designed collars.
“Domesticated dangerous species… Looks like those guys in the Empire really did manage to tame monsters.”
Rebecca gasped. “Old Man Taige might be in serious trouble. Captain, should we go down—Captain? Hey, why are you jumping down already!”
Outside the church, four A-rank dangerous species cornered Taige.
They growled, their crimson eyes filled with a wild killing intent.
Taige gripped the hilt of his sword, facing off against these monsters.
In the next moment, one of the dangerous species lunged at him.
Taige seized the opportunity, pushing off the ground with his right foot, shooting out like a b*llet.
In a flash, the katana sliced through the dangerous species’s flesh, causing the monster to howl in pain.
However, before Taige could pull back, the other three dangerous species pounced at him simultaneously.
This time, Taige chose not to meet them head-on, opting instead to dodge.
Even he couldn’t withstand the combined assault of three dangerous species.
After creating some distance, Taige glanced back only to see the street filled with dark-suited patrol officers and officials, all armed with firearms, inching closer to him.
“Ha, Taige Lawrence, no matter how capable you are, you’ll fall here tonight!”
“Roar!!”
Trapped in front by monsters, and blocked behind by armed men;
There was no room for escape, no way out.
Taige gripped his sword tightly, “This is a hassle…”
But just at that critical moment, a blue light erupted from the other end of the street, and arcs of electricity surged through the crowd, forcibly clearing a path.
Taige gazed at the dazzling lightning, momentarily stunned, then hoisted the katana onto his shoulder, a relieved smile creeping across his face as he murmured,
“Kid, it’s good to see you’re safe.”
