"Yara! Black pine wine! One more—one more dozen!"
In the noisy and dark Sunset Bar, Quaid was breathing heavily, lying on the bar, putting one drink after another into his mouth.
“Hey, big guy, if you don’t have money to tip, you don’t have any black pine!”
Yara, who was standing behind the bar, brought up two large glasses of black pine wine with an unhappy look on her face and slapped them on the bar unceremoniously, "For your father's sake, these are the last two glasses! I'll give you thirty
Drink it in seconds, and then get out of here! Every additional hour you sit here, the profits of our bar, no, the entire underground mall will drop by 10%!"
Quaid was already a little drunk, but even in the crowded bar, Yara's shrill voice still spread far away. Feeling the eyes of the drinkers around him and the possible laughter in their hearts, Quaid felt like
There was a burst of fire.
I was the "Blood Axe" Quaid Roda who made the entire XC area fearful. If not, if not for that incident - how could it be possible now that even a girl at the bar dares to bully me?
Even the bald Spencer, who debuted two years later than him, dared to laugh at himself in front of Beggar and laugh at his following words——
Grass!
"You little girl with no eyes!" Quaid gritted his teeth, shook his heavy head, stood up, reached out and grabbed Yara's hand, dragged her to him across the bar, and yelled viciously: "I
Said! A dozen black pine wine!"
The whole bar fell silent.
District XC is a famous chaotic place in Yongxing City, and the underground street is a famous chaotic place in District XC - especially after the Black Street Brotherhood took over ten years ago, and the Sunset Bar is the operating center of this chaotic place.
, the people in the Sunset Bar are basically either people who belong to the Black Street Brotherhood, or people who come to see the Black Street Brotherhood.
So when Quaid grabbed Yara's hand and roared, everyone in the bar looked like they were watching the show, and they didn't say anything or stop him.
Quaid's head became more and more dizzy, but he still felt that the wrist he held was so smooth and soft, and the faint fragrance of Yara's body came faintly, under the dim light of the bar candlestick,
At a close distance, Yara's short brown hair looked clean and neat, and her smooth face and delicate contours appeared clearer than usual, so Quaid was thinking a lot for a while.
Yara seemed to be frightened by him as well, looking at this former gold-medal thug who was now a down-and-out alcoholic in surprise.
When the noise of the drinkers disappeared, the dazed Quaid felt vaguely satisfied. He felt that his actions had received the attention they deserved.
But soon, when he turned his attention to Yara, his wine gradually sobered up.
So the desperate joy that was just now gradually turned into fear and trembling.
Yara Sarriton, Quaid is one of the few people who knows her full name. This beautiful woman - Quaid recalled in his mind his father's words telling him to "stay away from her" and several times he
What I saw and heard at the Sunset Bar.
And this shrewd and seductive "bar girl" was staring at him with a playful look.
Quaid's chin began to tremble unconsciously:
"Yara, that, I'm not..."
But before Quaid could react——
"despair!"
His hand that was holding Yara was slapped hard by the latter!
The next second, the middle finger and index finger of Quaid's hand were bent in reverse!
Then came a heartbreaking pain.
"Ah!"
Quaid screamed in pain, his face deformed.
But it wasn't over yet. Yara grabbed his outstretched hand with a fierce expression and pulled hard in the opposite direction of the elbow joint!
"Crack!"
"Ahhh! No! Yara! Sister Yara! I-I was wrong-I shouldn't-ah!"
The sound of the elbow joint being dislocated was heard at the same time as Quaid's scream.
Before Quaid could finish his plea for mercy, the neat woman used her strength to step onto the bar with her slender left leg in ultra-short leather pants and hit Quaid hard on the neck!
"Well done, little Yara! You didn't embarrass the boss!"
"With this skill, you can apply for Terminator Swordsman training!"
"I'm actually wearing safety pants!"
"I swear I saw that! I bet she was wearing black!"
The surrounding drinkers instantly resumed the liveliness of drinking and drinking, and one after another they cheered for Yara.
"Listen, you gorilla!"
Yara stared hard at Quaid, who was out of breath. She stood with one foot behind the bar, her left leg pressed on the bar, and her right hand clasped behind Quaid's outstretched arm. Her graceful and slender figure was clearly visible.
.
She slowly pulled out a strange-shaped knife from the leather sheath on her left boot - the blade and handle were not in a straight line, and looked like a wolf's leg from a distance.
Then, without changing his expression, he stabbed Quaid's palm vertically!
The tip of the knife was nailed into the bar.
The cheers of the drinkers became louder.
"Woo!" Quaid was so painful that he squeezed out tears, but with his neck being pressed, he could only make a sound similar to a pig's growl.
Yara slowly lowered her upper body, using her perfect flexibility, and came close to Quaid's tearful face, whistled and smiled.
Then his face turned fierce and fierce, and he spoke out with a rhythmic (yet chilling) and charming voice:
"Quaid Rodda——"
"I don't care whose son you are, or what kind of beggar leader you are, or some kind of thug who collects black debts——"
"But you fucking listen to me -"
"From now until the end of the world -"
"If you dare again, show up in my bar—"
"I'll give you the next word--"
"One piece at a time——"
"Chop into pieces—"
"Mixed into wine——"
"One bite at a time——"
"Drink it up for you——"
"Do you understand? Trash!"
When Quaid cried and escaped from the Sunset Bar while protecting his pierced right palm under the roar of laughter from the drinkers and the contemptuous eyes of Yara, Yara clapped his palms and wiped them clean with disgust.
The blood stains on the wolf's leg knife seemed to be stained not with blood, but with the mucus of hell demons.
Yara turned her head unhappily and saw the drinkers still staring at the bar, many of whom had ulterior motives and eyes full of desire.
"What are you looking at! Whoever dares to look at it again will pay twice as much for the drink!"
After saying a harsh word and diverting the drinker's attention away from her and back to the wine, Yara dropped the rag viciously and walked into the kitchen.
"Is that enough? I followed what you said and specifically said his 'those words'."
Yara grabbed a bottle of white wine, and a multi-purpose knife suddenly appeared in her left hand, and she opened the cork neatly.
"Of course, of course, Miss Yara." In the kitchen, Quaid's deputy and the actual manager of the beggar business, Narric gently lifted the black top hat on his head and nodded with a smile: "I hope he will
If you can restrain yourself a little, from unbridled drinking to unlimited abuse and beating of beggars, the Brotherhood can't keep wiping his butt."
"What you want to say is that you can't keep wiping his butt." Yara quickly drank a sip of wine, and Rick suddenly felt that this rude action seemed more appropriate, fresh and attractive on Yara's body.
"That's right, because the interests of the Brotherhood are my interests." Rick smiled and unconsciously touched the back of his neck.
"Are you sure this really works? Why do I think that a person like him will cause more trouble when he returns? For example, take it out on your beggar?"
You really know him, Rick thought.
"Actually, I don't know if it will work, because I don't know him well, but," Rick shook his head helplessly - this is already his signature move to show innocence and sincerity - and said: "He has become more serious recently.
A few days ago, for a ridiculous reason, I beat up one of my favorite seedlings. If that kid hadn't been smarter, one more seedling would have died in Quaid's hands."
I didn't know you were so kind and righteous, Yara rolled her eyes in her heart.
At this point, Rick's eyes suddenly became firm.
"So I decided that I can't go on like this. He must be warned - otherwise, sooner or later, he will cause disaster to the business I have worked so hard to run."
"Okay, you don't have to explain to me so many reasons why I had no choice but to kill my boss."
Yara yawned and waved her hand for Rick to leave.
"I didn't say I wanted to kill him—"
"Speaking of which, pay the promised reward as soon as possible. I only accept cash," Yara interrupted Rick. She drank the white wine lazily, stuck out her tongue and licked the last drop from the mouth of the bottle.
Mouth - this action made Rick's heart tremble - "Also, you still have to pay for the drink money he owes today."
Especially——Yara narrowed her eyes slightly and looked at Rick who was walking away after taking off his hat and saluting.
——Don’t think I don’t know, you mixed Quaid’s wine today.
Others couldn't recognize it, but I, Yara from the Sunset Bar, knew clearly that what Quaid drank was high-concentration Chaka liquor.
Unlike those drinks that make people drunk, Chaka wine is often given to death row prisoners on the Western Front battlefield who are shackled and preparing to charge. Drunk people can move without any hindrance, but their minds are not clear.
So, Narric - are you sure you just have too much money to spend and don't really want to kill him?
——————————————————
When Quaid returned to the big stone door in front of the abandoned house full of shame, pain, and drunkenness - he did not live in the underworld headquarters, Quaid felt that anyone inside who knew the inside story would be staring at him when they saw him.
While touching his lower body, two hurried thugs happened to pass behind the wall, and their chatter could be heard in the distance.
"Have you heard? The beggars are spreading a rumor that Boss Quaid is no longer a man——"
"What do you mean? Can he still turn into a woman?"
"Idiot, it means that Quaid was castrated! I heard that it was in a haunted house when collecting accounts on the streets of Karima several years ago - the one left behind after the Earl of Norfolk and his family were hanged.
Something strange happened in that room. Everyone said it was a female ghost in red who cut off his lower body and made it clean."
For a moment, Quaid felt that all the blood in his body was rushing to his head.
The next moment, he lost control and roared, threw himself out from behind the wall, and tightly strangled one of the thugs by the neck!
"Who! Who said that! What bastard!"
"What a bastard!"
"I'm going to kill him!"
The other thug took a few steps back in panic.
Quaid pushed the person in his hand to the ground fiercely, and his grip became tighter and tighter, but the pierced right palm was unable to bear the strength.
After all, he was a famous thug in the Brotherhood back then, and he was also a top player at the mortal level. Even though years of decadence had reduced his physical fitness and skills, he could still do it as long as he wasn't up against the female snitch from the Surriton family just now.
Having completely defeated ordinary thugs, especially now, Quaid felt that the anger all over his body had turned into inexhaustible strength.
"Boss Quaid - it was all rumors, we didn't believe it - ah!" Quaid raised his head like a wild beast!
The defending thug was severely frightened and took a step back.
But he immediately saw that the other companion was pale and had more air coming out and less air coming in.
The thug who couldn't help but retreat faced Quaid's fierce glare, his face full of fear: "Ah, yes, these are the rumors spread by those beggars. Boss, it's really not our fault. You, you go ask those
The beggar will know!"
"Crack!" This was the sound of a broken neck bone.
The thug who was choked by Quaid was already out of breath.
And Quaid slowly stood up from the ground, his eyes full of a fierce light that chose others to eat. The drunkenness tonight was so strong that he was gradually losing even the last bit of his sanity.
The remaining thugs were trembling all over. Seeing that the situation was not good, they screamed and rolled away.
Quaid wanted to chase him, but he was too drunk and unsteady to run.
He took two deep breaths, looked at the corpse at his feet, and felt uneasy. He kicked him a few more times, then shook his head and walked towards the twenty or so abandoned houses.
Quaid didn't think about why the thugs patrolling tonight (which was very necessary to keep a close eye on the beggars) didn't show up at all. He just had a strong desire in his mind to find those who laughed at him.
Then, torture them to death one by one.
Quaid, who had just killed someone, felt as if a long-lost shackles had been opened in his mind, and he was back to the days when he made a living with a knife.
These damn little thieves, he thought viciously, since you dare to spread rumors, you will have to pay the price.
Damn little thief.
The escaped thug climbed out of the big stone door of the abandoned house tremblingly, and met Rick under the tree outside the door.
"Mr. Rick!" When the thug saw Rick, he seemed to have seen a savior, "Boss Quaid - Quaid is crazy! Didn't you say that we would definitely be able to escape? As a result, we haven't even spoken.
After saying that, Quaid said——" The thug was so frightened that he was out of breath and couldn't speak clearly.
"Pearson failed to escape? He, he was given to Quaid?" Rick seemed surprised.
After receiving the thug's cry-like confirmation, Rick shook his head sadly: "It's my fault. I thought Quaid would hide in shame when he heard the news - there's nothing you can do, go and close the big stone door.
, lock Quaid in the abandoned house area, then prepare the carriage, and we will set off immediately."
"Okay - Mr. Rick, where are we going?" The frightened thug heard that he was about to leave, and nodded repeatedly, without even thinking about what to do with the beggars who were also inside.
"Go to headquarters and find Boss Morris."
Seeing the thugs rushing to the big stone door, reaching out to close the double doors and inserting the stone locks, Rick's expression suddenly became solemn.
Now, Quaid will definitely look for all the beggars, and among them there must be the person that the "ghost" wants.
He had moved up his schedule for today. It was not very late yet, so Quaid had most of the night to take care of the beggars.
Whether it's beating or killing, this is what the ghost, the assassin, has to worry about. Since he is interested in the beggars, what will he do when these beggars encounter disaster?
First of all, there is definitely no time to look for yourself.
If he came to find a beggar, Quaid would be killed by him, so that the Black Street Brotherhood would take over the place tomorrow and he would be out of trouble.
If he is here to kill a beggar, he may watch Quaid (this is very possible, never underestimate the turmoil in a noble family) and continue to kill the beggar until the target is eliminated, then his own trouble will be solved.
.
In short, that trouble, that big shot's problem, and the coldness on the back of my neck will all be solved tonight.
Otherwise, one day, the ghost who can't find his target will come to him head-on. Rick doesn't think that these lackeys of the big family will have a good temper, nor does he think that after facing each other, he will still
You can completely see the sun the next day.
It's not like Rick hasn't thought about pretending to be sick for a month, or simply asking to be transferred to another place, to escape as far away from that terrible ghost as possible until it finds what it wants.
However, Rick, who had been going well the day before, suddenly became ill or moved away. Wouldn't it be better to tell the ghost "I know your existence" and then bet his life on the ghost's "innocent" kindness?
There must be another safe, unsuspecting scapegoat to expose the ghost's attempts and put an end to this terrible misfortune.
Boss Quaid - I'm going to trouble you again this time! Rick thought lightly.
It's a pity for these beggars, that Thales, and that Karak. And afterwards, there is a chance that I will die due to poor supervision, but compared with my own life and future——
At this time, the thug who managed to escape drove the carriage from a distance.
Rick nodded at him, gave an encouraging and comforting smile, and walked to the carriage.
Then, he took out the mini telescopic crossbow from his arms and accurately shot the crossbow arrow dipped in the poison of bluegrass into the open mouth of the surprised thug.
————————————————————
On the night when Rick made that decision - which would never be known to the world, but still profoundly affected the fate of the kingdom - the beggars in the sixth house were led by Thales because they had gone to bed early.
Next, I sat next to the fire that was finally lit and took stock of today's harvest.
"The woman in black gave me eight copper coins - I heard that her youngest son had just passed away from typhoid fever not long ago, so no wonder she was so generous."
"Mirala, who had droopy ears, gave us all the coins she had left from shopping for groceries - oh, only two."
With a smile on her face, Xinti counted out the coins one by one and piled them to the left. Thales nodded, grabbed a sharp stone, and drew two "正" characters on the ground.
"The skinny guy in the Highland boots wouldn't pay, so Ryan and I gave him a lesson."
Kellett took out a card and looked at the words on it distressedly: "But this is the only card in his arms, and I don't know what it is for."
"That's the pass for the National Research Association and the Bright Star Library. It's in District SC, five blocks away from us." Thales looked at the card and said, "That thin man must be from
A scholar from an out-of-town college—I don’t know if he’s a philosopher or a scientist, but looking at his dejected look, he might be a literary scholar.”
"Wow! Thales, you actually know the words on it!" Coria and Ned both looked at Thales with admiration.
"How is that possible!" Thales shrugged, looking at the vague hope in the eyes of the two children, "No one has ever taught us to read and count - I only found out when I saw the emblem of the book on the back of the card.
."
However, Thales thought to himself that he was already learning words on his own, such as the words on the signs such as "Sunset Bar", "Grove Pharmacy", and "National Research Association", and his memories of the past made him more familiar with knowledge.
It generates inexplicable respect and admiration, and I never miss any opportunity to learn and accumulate.
Being able to freely sit at the desk and absorb the wisdom of his predecessors - Thales raised his dusty hands, looked at the calluses on them prematurely worn out by hard work all day long, touched his belly that was not full at all, and sighed.
One breath - it's really a kind of happiness.
Thales no longer remembers the time when he traveled back in time. To be precise, those memories before time travel were retrieved bit by bit as the child Thales grew up and his brain gradually took shape.
His memories from when he was two to three years old were messy and sparse, just like a real two-year-old child. He only remembered a sticky blood red (he didn't know why the color could be described as "sticky"), a room
The black stone house was filled with the sound of babies crying, and there was a skinny woman - it was not until later that he knew that it was Beth, the "Black-hearted Widow", the female leader who was responsible for raising the new children in the brotherhood.
Thales was sent to an abandoned house when he was three years old. From that time on, his memories of his previous life gradually became clearer. The scene that flashed back the most in his brain was of him sitting at a desk, looking between books and computers.
Walking back and forth, or sitting in a classroom, discussing something with a dozen young people (or a middle-aged or older professor) dressed in different styles.
But that is already an illusion.
For four years, in the lives of the beggars in District XC, which were filled with beatings, bullying, darkness, sin and death, Thales managed to maintain the survival of the beggars in the sixth house.
Compared to the graduate student in his previous life who had a more developed brain than his body, four years as a beggar gave Thales many new skills, such as acting skills to win sympathy, pickpocketing without anyone noticing, and eavesdropping skillfully and quietly.
Inquiry, framing competitors through street cooperation, etc.
During this period, Thales also made a lot of preparations that went beyond the scope of a beggar, such as establishing good relationships with people from different classes (different classes in the
Secrets, arranged several secret locations, secretly hid some inventory (Quaid was really not wrong about this) and so on.
That's right, Thales is not ready to accept the fate that the world has given him. He will not be a beggar who lives his own life, nor will he become a thug or thief of the Brotherhood, nor is he interested in staging any "gangster crisis" in Yongxing City.
.
He wants to escape.
Then, live your own life and be a free person.
At least it's freer than now.
Just step by step, following the plan he made - Thales looked at the corner of the room, where there was an inconspicuous stone slab.
I can—
"No! Kara!"
At this moment, screams mixed with fear and panic suddenly came from the seventeenth room next door.
Soon, Thales will learn the most important lesson since his time travel, which is: accidents always come suddenly.