"You're a passerby?
What a joke! "Squint-Eyed Kamadi pointed at Gerrard and the other three." You must be their bodyguard in secret, right?
Shark sure is shameless. You don't dare to openly go against us, so you only know how to play these dirty tricks.
Do you think we won't know who you are just because you're masked?
If you have the guts, tear off the cloth on your face and let me see which boss of Shark you are! "
"I told you the truth, but you didn't believe me. I'm really just a passerby. I just want you to make way for me and have no intention of getting involved in your mess.
As for these three, there's nothing I can do about it. I've always returned the favor of those who make a move against me. They're really too useless. It's hard to imagine that they would come out here with such skills. Do they have nothing better to do? "
Claude shook his head helplessly. "Stop being so paranoid. It's obvious that they don't recognize me. Otherwise, they would've pounced on us long ago.
Tell me, are you going to make way or not? If you don't, I'll make you scum end up like these three on the ground. "
Squint-Eyed Kamadi's triangular eyes rolled around as he looked at Claude suspiciously, then at Gerrard and the other three. He was finally sure that Claude wasn't in cahoots with Shark.
Because the expressions on the faces of Gerrard and the others were also shocked and uncertain. They put on a defensive posture on the side, instead of trying to rush forward as if the reinforcements had arrived.
But the appearance of this mysterious man who claimed to be a passerby was a little too strange. If he was really a passerby, he would only make way when he saw Shark and Blacksnake in a standoff. Why would he come to cause trouble?
He even dared to say that he wanted them to make way for him. There had to be something going on here.
If a person overthought things, they'd automatically fill in the gaps in the story that didn't make sense. The only explanation Squinted Kamadi could come up with was that the masked man was sent by the bigwigs of Whitestag to monitor Blacksnake. Their goal was to ensure the safety of Shark's boss, Ironaxe Hanbas, and the gang's elites while they were out at sea, as well as to ensure that Blacksnake carried out the peace treaty they promised.
This was the only reason why the mysterious masked man would come to their rescue when they surrounded Gerrard's group of four and kill the members of the Blacksnake Gang.
One had to know that the big shots in the town hall were obviously biased towards Shark and didn't think much of Blacksnake. There were many times when they were shouting for their lives during town hall meetings.
Fortunately, the mayor, Baron Robert, put in a good word for them, saying that the most important thing for Whitestag right now was to develop its economy and not to create chaos by fighting the criminal syndicates.
Squinted Kamadi was extremely dissatisfied with the forced peace agreement between Blacksnake and Shark. He felt that Shark's boss, Iron Axe Hanbas, had brought the most elite forces in the gang to act as the armed guards of a merchant fleet. That was simply a case of being kicked in the head by a donkey.
He didn't know if there was any secret behind it, but it was a fact that Shark's strength had been greatly reduced. That was a good opportunity for Blacksnake.
Almost all the bigwigs of Blacksnake believed that they could use this chance to swallow up Shark's territory.
The public docks and the seven taverns at the docks were like a fat piece of meat to the Blacksnake gang, but they couldn't defeat the Sharks. How could the ruffians be a match for the hot-blooded sailors and dockworkers?
In the previous bloody conflicts and gang fights, Blacksnake always had the advantage in numbers. However, they were always pressed to the ground by the Shark Gang, who had fewer people. That bitter feeling was already enough.
But this time, almost all of Shark's main force was out to sea and only a few of them were left behind to guard the place. That was like a pie falling from the sky for Blacksnake.
Once Shark's main force was out to sea, Blacksnake would immediately take action and take over the public docks and taverns to expand their armed forces.
What could they do when Shark's boss, Hanbas, returned with his elite men in a few months' time?
Without a territory and the relatives of his armed forces under Blacksnake's control, Hambas could only face the fate of being deserted by his own people. Shark would be annihilated from then on.
But no matter how good Blacksnake's plan was, it was useless. The bigwigs of the town hall summoned the leaders of Blacksnake with an official document.
They gave Blacksnake an ultimatum. They had two choices: stay in the old street obediently until the merchant fleet returned, or all the members of Blacksnake would serve three years of labor in the labor camp.
Of course, the leaders of the Blacksnake Gang would brag about how they would never submit to force and how they wouldn't succumb to riches and honor. They wouldn't yield to the threats and temptations from the town hall's bigwigs.
However, Blacksnake decided to play the favor card and said that they were from the same town, so there was no need for them to be so distant. So, the leaders of Blacksnake gave them face and agreed to maintain order in town, contributing to the economic development and social stability of the town.
So, everyone should just go to bed and forget about Shark. Peace and harmony should be the most important thing for now. Finding a few more rich lambs to slaughter is the most important thing.
As for when we'll take over the public docks and the seven taverns, we'll have to wait for further notice.
The situation is a little tense at the moment, so be careful not to provoke Shark lest they notice our intentions and alert them.
Even though Blacksnake's boss was rambling on and on in front of his subordinates, Squinted Kamadi knew very well that he had no choice but to lower his head.
This time, the warning from the big shots in the town hall wasn't a joke. The boss brought them to the mayor, but Baron Robert expressed that he was powerless. Although he was the mayor, he couldn't fall out with his subordinates, especially when it came to standing up for the Blacksnake Gang. If he insisted on doing things his own way, he wouldn't be able to keep his position. Therefore, it was best for everyone to know their place during this period of time.
That was also the main reason why Squinted Kamadi didn't dare to make the first move despite leading his men to stop Gerrard and Catherine. He knew the weight of the warning from the bigwigs.
They could usually turn a blind eye to Blacksnake's misdeeds as long as they didn't infringe on their interests.
But if they touched their cheese, Blacksnake would really be nothing in front of them.
He didn't expect to run into Catherine and her lover, Gerrard, with only two guards.
How could he let go of such a great opportunity?
Squinted Kamadi relied on his numbers to humiliate them. He didn't dare to make a move, but he could scold and provoke them.
It would be great if they were the first to make a move out of humiliation. Squinted Kamadi would then be able to take revenge on Catherine for stabbing him when he tried to touch their buttocks.
It was just that Gerrard and his men were clear-headed and didn't fall for it. But this mysterious masked man came out of nowhere and pretended to be a passerby. He even knocked out three of his men.
Do you really think I don't know that you were sent by the bigwigs to monitor us?
Squinted Kamadi was furious. Very well, we'll tolerate it if we don't get into conflict with Shark. But who said we can't teach you a lesson?
Since you want to pretend to be a passerby, we'll let you be one.
Since we don't know your true identity, we'll teach you a lesson first.
Even if the bigwigs from the town hall come to question us, we can just say that we don't know anything and that we only hurt a passerby who had a conflict with us.
Squinted Kamadi's triangular eyes flashed with a sinister smile. "Alright, let's just say you're a passerby. Just do it properly.
But since you've hurt my three brothers to this extent, you'll have to give us an explanation before you leave. Heh. "
Claude didn't care. "Explanation?
What kind of explanation do you want? "
Squinted Kamadi waved his hand. His four men gave up on Gerrard and his men and surrounded Claude.
The alley was rather narrow and the five of them were spread out in a fan shape.
"It's simple. Leave behind an arm and a leg and you'll be able to explain yourself," Squinted Kamadi said with a menacing smile.
"You think you can do that?" Claude said disdainfully.
The other three would be knocked to the ground in two or three hits, while the five of them would only need to sweat a little. Perhaps they would also need to take a few hits.
It was a battle royale after all and they had the advantage in numbers. Taking a few hits was inevitable. Claude was already mentally prepared for that.
What he didn't expect was for Squinted Kamadi to pull out his weapons. The five of them took out their triangular blades, short harpoons, square iron rulers, chain-axes and adamantine daggers. With their sharp weapons in hand, they all wore bloodthirsty expressions on their faces as they approached Claude step by step.
Claude hurriedly retreated. He didn't turn around and run, as that would be the stupidest thing to do.
If he exposed his back to the enemy, as long as one of the pursuers ran faster, they could easily stab the weapon in their hand into the back of the fleeing person.
On the other hand, if he hurriedly retreated while facing the enemy, although his speed might be a little slower, he could effectively dodge and counterattack the enemy who was chasing after him.
However, Claude retreated a little too quickly. Squinted Kamadi and the others were taken aback. The alleyway was uneven and dark, making it difficult to tell the heights from the ground.
They had to be careful when they walked to avoid tripping and spraining their ankles. How could he retreat so quickly?
While it was strange, Squinted Kamadi reacted quickly and roared, "Chase him! Don't let him get away! Catch him and I'll chop off his legs!"
If he was empty-handed, Claude wouldn't have refused to fight the five trash from Blacksnake. He was confident in his victory.
But now that they had taken out their weapons, he wasn't an idiot. He wouldn't rush forward to snatch their weapons.
That kind of plot was only seen in wuxia movies. In real life, it wasn't as if news of a man who had trained in martial arts for thirty years being cut down by a few punks who had just entered society wasn't unheard of.
No matter how skilled a person was, they would still be afraid of a cleaver.
That wasn't wrong at all. Claude wasn't facing five cleavers, but five legitimate weapons. He was bare-handed and there wasn't even a brick to be found in the alleyway.
However, he managed to put some distance between them. The two at the front were already five meters away from him. Claude hurriedly waved his hand and released four Magic Missiles in one go.
"Ouch!" "Aaah!"
The two men who were wielding the short-handled harpoons and the chain axes screamed and fell to the ground. One of them was hit by two Magic Missiles, one in the thigh and the other in the arm. The chain axes in his hands were also thrown to the side, and he could only cry out in pain.
The other one was hit in the stomach by a Magic Missile. The harpoon he was holding was stabbed into the mud wall beside him. He clutched his stomach with both hands as he twitched on the ground. He couldn't even cry for help.
Claude had tested it before and found that the power of Magic Missiles within ten meters was comparable to his gun. The two Blacksnake thugs were basically hit by three shots. They were going to suffer.
However, Claude was still disappointed. He only managed to hit three of the four Magic Missiles he released. The reason was simple: Magic Missiles needed to be guided in order to hit their target.
For the first two shots, he saw the first man's arms and thighs successfully hit the target.
However, the second man pounced too quickly and was less than three meters away from him. He panicked and looked to the side, only to see the third Magic Missile hit the mud wall.
Fortunately, the second man was also shocked and dodged to the side, giving Claude enough time to release his fourth Magic Missile.
Claude didn't care if he would die in one shot or not. He aimed it at the man's stomach, which was a bigger target.
Claude continued retreating. There were still three more after the two fallen, so it would be better for him to put some distance between them.
However, when the two men in front fell to the ground, the two at the back hesitated. They slowed down their footsteps and came to the side of the two men on the ground. They lowered their heads to see what had happened while maintaining their vigilance.