The Improper Knights of Black Gate City (Seven Thousand Words)

"Ah?"

Before Old Man An could say anything, Ruan Ruan, who was standing with one foot on the table, angrily Ruan Ruan two metal wrenches in her hand, was stunned for a moment after hearing Xiao Xiao's words.

Originally, she was yelling at the other party in a posture of being bullied, schemed against, coerced, and unable to bear it any longer.

But Xiao Xiao's words made her realize that the situation seemed to be different from what she had thought.

I had a vague feeling that I had done something wrong. Why did I act so angry, yelling at people? Why did I put on such a victim-like act...?

Xiao Xiao glanced at her indifferently, then gently pressed his hand down, gesturing for her to sit back down in her chair.

"Be polite!"

"..."

"Oh..."

Ruan Ruan already had some suspicions in her heart, and seeing Xiao Xiao's reaction, she obediently sat down, hid the metal wrench, and put her legs together, looking very well-behaved.

"Yes..."

"I was definitely too hasty just now..."

"I warned myself so many times before coming, but I still couldn't help being impatient..."

"I should have expected this. With such a big pervert around, I don't need to worry about being bullied. The only thing I need to worry about is how to get rid of the guilt after bullying others..."

"..."

Across the round table, Old Chairman An's expression also turned cold upon hearing Xiao Xiao's words.

He didn't rush to say anything. His dark fingernails tapped lightly on the table, and his eyes seemed to flash with a sharp light as he rapidly calculated something. It seemed that in a very short time, he had sorted out all his plans and the balance of power between the two sides, and then...

... He was somewhat taken aback.

He couldn't understand why Xiao Xiao and Ruan Ruan were so calm at this moment, and why Xiao Xiao had asked him that question.

Because of these complicated thoughts, he remained silent for a long time before slowly raising his head and looking coldly at Xiao Xiao's face. "President Xiao, what do you mean by that?"

Xiao Xiao's smile was calm as he turned to Old Man An and said, "Shouldn't I be asking you? What do you mean?"

"I just wanted to use this method to tell you..."

Old Man An spoke slowly, as if each word carried a heavy weight.

But Xiao Xiao interrupted him before he could finish, saying, "What I mean is..."

"... We've been sitting here for so long, but not a single dish has been served. Old Man An, what exactly do you mean by this?"

"... Even a small place like Black Gate City understands the importance of hospitality, but you people from City of Rest seem to have no manners at all!"

"..."

"..."

His voice wasn't loud, and his expression was calm, but his words suddenly silenced the room, and the air seemed to freeze.

Even Ruan Ruan couldn't help but glance at him sideways, thinking to herself, "When I was chatting with Mr. Lin Bo online before, it seemed that Doctor Anti came to Black Gate City and was chased away without even seeing a single dish..."

"How dare Xiao-gege bring up the hospitality practices of Black Gate City?"

"..."

"Hehe..."

Meeting Xiao Xiao's frank gaze, Old Man An remained silent for a long time. Their eyes met in the air, but no sparks flew, as if they were both unfathomable to each other.

Then, he suddenly sneered and said indifferently, "That's right."

It's hard to describe his feelings at this moment. As the president of City of Rest, the largest city, and a veteran who has been in the position for nearly forty years, he should be Xiao Xiao's senior no matter what. He acknowledges Xiao Xiao's strength, but he always feels that he should be able to see through such a young man at a glance. He should be the one in control and patient when the two of them sit together. But just now, a single sentence from this young man made him panic for a moment.

He realized he shouldn't have done that, so he quickly adjusted himself.

Since Chairman Xiao isn't in a hurry, there's even less reason for me to be. The pressure is what City of Rest puts on Black Gate City, not the other way around.

Therefore, as the anxiety on his face faded, the little knight beside him understood what he meant, raised his hands again, and clapped them gently a few times.

The next moment, the side door opened, and a group of waiters filed in, each carrying dishes that seemed to have been prepared in advance and placed them on the table one by one.

There was also a gentle and graceful woman who held a bottle of red wine in her hands. She showed it to Xiao Xiao, then opened it lightly. The crimson liquid, as red as blood, flowed gently into the decanter, making a splashing sound like blood flowing.

Ruan Ruan, Ruanruan glanced at the dishes, wanting to speak.

"Just eat as much as you want."

Xiao Xiao, holding a wine glass, smiled and said, "City of Rest wouldn't stoop so low as to poison guests..."

Ruan Ruan looked around and then picked up her chopsticks without any hesitation. But seeing Xiao Xiao sitting with his legs crossed and only holding a wine glass, she couldn't help but ask, "Aren't you going to eat?"

"I'm already full."

Xiao Xiao smiled and said, "You made the promise too big just now."

These words made the atmosphere even more unfriendly. Ruan Ruan glanced around and then simply started eating.

Anyway, I'm a Soul Master, and as everyone knows, Soul Masters don't need to use their brains. After I've eaten my fill, I'll just beat up whoever Xiao-gege tells me to...

"Tsk..."

Xiao Xiao felt a little envious as he watched Ruan Ruan eat so heartily.

I was actually hungry too, and I had to admit that although City of Rest had ulterior motives, they really spared no expense when it came to entertaining people...

... But I can't eat it now!

... Once you start eating, your image is ruined.

So he could only endure it, while wearing a smile on his face, as if he didn't need anything from the world!

Across from him, Old Man An also didn't touch his chopsticks. He just sat there indifferently, as if he was testing his patience with Xiao Xiao to see who would lose patience first.

Meanwhile, on the trays held by the four women in cheongsams beside her, images of heads were still projected onto the wall, while elsewhere, the bloodshed continued unabated.

Under the streetlights, Red Eyes Ling Ping, noticed a group of figures appearing behind him and surrounding him, but he didn't turn around. Instead, he stared straight at the person whose figure was hidden in the shadows.

He said calmly, "Mr. Taylor, after knowing you for so many years, this is the first time I've discovered that you are this kind of person."

Hearing this seemingly complaining remark, the shadow under the streetlight couldn't help but laugh, "Please don't say that, Mr. Ling Ping."

"We've only met once before, we're not really friends, so this doesn't count as betrayal..."

"..."

"No..."

Red Eyes Ling Ping, gently interrupted him, saying, "What I mean is, I didn't realize you were so stupid!"

"Stupid?"

The shadow under the streetlamp paused for a moment, its eyes flashing with a fierce intensity as it coldly said, "You were the one who first mistook me for a fool..."

"The Nightmare Anchor was indeed enhanced unintentionally by me, but it is still an S-class special item after all."

"Each S-grade special item can sell for hundreds of thousands of points, but you only asked for 100,000 points before you came to talk to me about this deal..."

"And they even talked about Noah's Ticket, haha..."

"As for getting rid of you, that's a different story. I can keep the Nightmare Anchor, and I can still earn the points. I can also use this opportunity to make connections with City of Rest..."

"..."

"Stupid to the point of not realizing it..."

Red Eyes Ling Ping, interrupted him, a hint of disgust on his face. He shook his head and said, "The more profitable the deal, the greater the risk. Don't you understand this principle?"

"Risk?"

The shadow under the streetlamp sneered upon hearing this, "You think you can intimidate me with your president?"

"Hehe, but you probably don't know this, but not long after you arrived, he went to City of Rest... just like that, so naively, without any suspicion, he went to City of Rest."

"I'm afraid he won't have a chance to come out alive, and you..."

"..."

"That's why I said you're stupid..."

Red Eyes Ling Ping, interrupted him calmly, saying, "He's already arrived in City of Rest. Do you think City of Rest can still exist in this world?"

"?"

The content of his words was exaggerated, but Red Eyes Ling Ping's expression was too calm, causing even the shadow under the streetlight to pause in surprise and ask, "He went to City of Rest, but you're worried about whether City of Rest even exists..."

"You have that much confidence in your association president?"

"..."

"Absolutely nothing else."

Red Eyes Ling Ping lowered slightly and his expression was indifferent. He said, "He's only good-looking. His fashion sense is terrible, his temper is awful, and his hobbies are weird. He has no taste at all running a bar and has attracted a bunch of monsters..."

"?"

In City of Rest, Xiao Xiao, who was holding a wine glass with a calm and elegant demeanor, suddenly heard these words and his expression became somewhat strange.

Ruan Ruan, who was eating Ruan Ruan next to him, almost choked on her food and hurriedly turned to Xiao Xiao to comfort him, "Xiao-gege, don't be angry, he didn't know you could see this..."

"All right..."

Xiao Xiao a slight sigh of relief, but then felt something was off. "You can't say that about me just because you didn't know I was watching, can you?"

"But..."

Red Eyes Ling Ping, launched into a tirade as if venting his frustrations, then suddenly changed the subject, his voice tinged with a chill. "When it comes to murder, or creating some kind of cruel scene, I have more than enough faith in him..."

For some reason, the temperature in the room seemed to drop a few degrees after he said those words.

Perhaps it was because his words were so sincere and earnest that they sent chills down one's spine. He paused only slightly before continuing to look at the shadow under the streetlamp, and said calmly, "So, you are free to choose City of Rest now, to choose to be an enemy of Black Gate City. But I also hope you are prepared. If you don't die here today, our guild leader will definitely come looking for you. And when he comes looking for you, you will have no friends left in this world to rely on..."

"I don't know how he'll execute you, but I'm sure your death will be quite creative..."

"..."

For some inexplicable reason, these words suddenly made the shadow under the streetlight a little flustered, and you could even vaguely see him shiver.

He seemed to want to say something, but couldn't quite put his finger on it.

"Nonsense..."

Just then, the person behind Ling Ping spoke up in a chilling tone, "Black Gate City kills people, so why can't City of Rest?"

"We in City of Rest made ample preparations to entertain him, so he had no chance to come out..."

"..."

These words seemed intended to comfort the shadow under the streetlight, but before he could finish speaking, Ling Ping suddenly burst into laughter, a laugh filled with sarcasm:

"Prepare?"

What's the use of making more preparations?

"How can you people who kill for profit be on the same level as him who kills because of his hobby?"

"..."

"..."

In City of Rest, Xiao Xiao's expression was already quite grim.

At the same time, the group that had surrounded the Red Eyes Ling Ping confirmed that the encirclement had been formed and that Ling Ping had indeed entered the trap alone, without any companions lying in ambush around him. They finally couldn't hold back any longer.

Of course, another reason was that they really didn't dare let Ling Ping continue speaking; it was too damn scary.

Boom!

In that instant, the five black figures behind Ling Ping suddenly erupted, wielding various daggers, bullets, and special items, and charged towards Ling Ping simultaneously.

At the same time, four or five pairs of eyes were vaguely visible in the surrounding buildings, watching Ling Ping's every move, ready to unleash a fatal blow at any moment.

Each one possesses strength approaching that of a lord.

The profound foundation of City of Rest is evident from this. Among their thirty-six junior knights, each one is close to or has reached the lord level with more than 10,000 points, comparable to the guild leaders of some small cities.

This almost frenzied flow of energy seemed poised to tear Ling Ping apart in an instant.

They said they wanted to kill Ling Ping, but they didn't necessarily have to. If Ling Ping was willing to betray them or surrender, they could still talk.

However, what Ling Ping had just said was so frightening that they were almost afraid to listen to it, so they immediately launched a killing move.

Ling Ping, though in the eye of the raging storm, remained perfectly still. He gently tapped his cane on the ground, and an invisible spiritual energy field spread outwards, forming a massive barrier.

The barrier was far more powerful than anyone else had imagined, but it was quickly torn apart by the combined efforts of the five people.

The barrier lasted for less than two seconds before countless aftershocks struck Ling Ping, tearing large pieces of his suit and causing a trickle of crimson blood to gush from the corner of his mouth.

Ling Ping withstood the attacks, then seized the opportunity to slip to the corner of the wall, took off his backpack, patted the head of the cat inside, and said cautiously, "You hide first, I'll take care of this."

"Meow..."

The fat cat in the backpack meowed in dissatisfaction, as if to say, "Hurry up!"

Ling Ping smiled and nodded, then turned to face the group again. A deck of cards had appeared in his hand, which he twirled in his left hand.

Those who had just made their move now looked somewhat astonished.

Even in Black Gate City, the Red Eyes Ling Ping was only a knight. Even if the plan was overestimated, he was probably only at the lord level, which had reached the threshold of 10,000 points.

But of the five people who just made a move, three of them had also crossed the lord level. As a result, the five of them working together failed to hurt him and even gave him time to release the cat.

Feeling somewhat suppressed, the five immediately prepared to make their move again, and even those hiding in the shadows were starting to lose their composure.

Ten knights.

As an established city, City of Rest never underestimates its opponents. In order to deal with a knight like Ling Ping, they dispatched ten strong warriors of the same level to ensure that there would be no mishap.

"Etc..."

But just as these people made their move, the shadow under the streetlight suddenly called out.

His heart was filled with worry and hesitation, and he subconsciously wanted to persuade everyone to talk again.

Unfortunately, no one paid him any attention. The Grand Knight of City of Rest had already launched their full-scale attack in an instant, and the playing cards in Ling Ping's hand suddenly seemed to come alive as they fluttered in mid-air.

In the brief moment of their exchange, Red Eyes Ling Ping, turned and glanced at him, his blood-red eyes filled with icy coldness.

"Do you really think you can kill me so easily?"

His voice, amidst this turbulent mental current, sounded unusually clear, as if it could drown out any other sound, while the deck of cards in his hand spun eerily, emanating all sorts of strange auras:

"Don't they even consider what kind of monsters we Black Gate City people live among..."

"If you didn't have some skills, who could have lived comfortably until now?"

"..."

These words immediately made the people around them feel uneasy.

Mr. Taylor, who had chosen City of Rest, felt a strange sense of dread and suddenly regretted his decision to betray Black Gate City.

He didn't know why, even though he Mingming had the upper hand, he still regretted it.

I'm even a little scared...

"This..."

Meanwhile, in City of Rest, Xiao Xiao was somewhat stunned. Hearing Ling Ping's shout, something just didn't feel right. "Wasn't that a bit of slander?"

Why do I usually put so much pressure on them?

Ruan Ruan was standing nearby, could only try to comfort him, saying, "Xiao-gege, don't be angry. This is probably just to undermine the other person's confidence..."

Xiao Xiao could only think this way, but the more he thought about it, the more he felt that Ling Ping's words sounded like heartfelt words that he had been holding back for a long time.

Across from him, at the round table, Old Man An's expression was rather somber.

There's a vague sense of unease; the people of Black Gate City seem to be a little too loyal to this young guild leader...

... Is their strength a little too great?

On the other side, in the damp drizzle, Old Zhou Under the Bridge. The other party's words about having someone come to redeem him had no effect on his state of mind whatsoever.

He merely frowned slightly and replied indifferently, "Redeem me?"

"Don't even think about it, I'm worthless, and our guild leader would never use points to redeem me..."

"..."

As he spoke, he couldn't help but chuckle self-deprecatingly, "In fact, he's always disliked me and wanted to get rid of me."

Outside the alley, the group of people hiding in the shadows, who had vaguely blocked Old Zhou Under the Bridge, couldn't help but fall silent for a moment.

Why is things not quite as I imagined?

Their original plan was to put some pressure on Old Zhou first, and then seize the opportunity to make their move. They didn't expect Old Zhou to be so sincere when he spoke...

"Hehehe..."

Someone paused for a moment before gathering their thoughts, then let out a chilling laugh, "Is it that bad? Then you..."

Before he could finish speaking, Old Zhou Under the Bridge suddenly changed the subject and said calmly, "But even though he hates me so much and has always wanted to kill me, I'm still alive and one of the most senior knights in Black Gate City."

"The reason is that I know how to survive."

"..."

The other person's emotions were interrupted once again. After a pause, someone said coldly, "If you really knew how to survive, you shouldn't have come here..."

Hearing his words, Old Zhou Under the Bridge slowly put down the snakeskin bag in his hand and smiled faintly, "My mission is to find the Eternal Helmsman, and what I do best is intelligence gathering."

"If I hadn't come here, why would you have willingly led me to the Eternal Helmsman?"

"..."

As he spoke, he gently pressed down the brim of his hat, and a faint smile appeared on his hard chin, illuminated by the dim light.

Even Ruan Ruan, who was enjoying her meal, noticed this scene in City of Rest. She slowed down her movements a few steps as she stuffed foie gras into her mouth.

Xiao Xiao asked curiously, "What's wrong?"

"Uncle Zhou is going to kill someone..."

Ruan Ruan whispered, "The moment he pulled down the brim of his hat, it was a sign that he wanted to kill someone..."

Meeting Xiao Xiao's seemingly surprised gaze, Ruan Ruan seemed to remember something and whispered a reminder: "Uncle Zhou is keeping a low profile now, but when the old Old Chairman was alive, he was the most skilled killer in Black Gate City..."

"Of course, I can't compare to you right now..."

"..."

"..."

Similarly, not only Red Eyes Ling Ping and Old Zhou Under the Bridge, but also the Serpent Sisters were trembling with fear as they faced the crowd that had surrounded them.

Although the younger sister felt that the other side had too many people, she knew that neither of them were pushovers, and if it really came down to a fight, it was hard to say who would give in first. However, the older sister considered that this was not the time to play around. Their guild leader was a ruthless and deranged killer, and if they failed to complete the task he assigned, the two sisters might face some kind of torture when they returned. So, seeing the situation was not good, she immediately took a step back, and before anyone could react, she summoned her family's greatest weapon...

An unusual spiritual power was instantly activated, and pairs of gleaming eyes lit up in the dark alleyways around them.

"Um?"

The knights of City of Rest, who had surrounded the Serpent Sisters, were also taken aback when they noticed the presence of numerous fantastical creatures around them.

However, after a moment of alertness, they were dumbfounded. "What's going on?"

They initially thought the two knights of Black Gate City had sensed something was wrong and would immediately summon something powerful to save their lives, but they were caught off guard and discovered...

... These summoned creatures are all dogs!

All sorts of dogs, and quite a few of them even have manicured nails and painted eyelashes!

Most importantly, these are all just ordinary dogs!

Even if you have one, you'll only get ten or twenty points at most, right?

Have these two sisters gone mad?

Faced with the siege of the Knights of City of Rest, they actually summoned this bunch of things to fight back?

"Doesn't it seem strange?"

The Serpent Sisters noticed the group's surprise, their eyes narrowed with laughter, and every inch of their skin trembled with excitement.

"If fewer of you come, we can try communicating in a different way..."

"Unfortunately, there are too many of you, and your attitude is so rude. Well, there's nothing I can do but show you the most powerful group in Black Gate City..."

"..."

As they spoke, they were surrounded by all sorts of dogs. These little creatures, worth only a dozen or twenty points, were barking fiercely at the group of City of Rest knights.

"They're insane! Kill them!"

At first, the Knights of City of Rest were somewhat cautious, wary of any danger lurking among the dogs.

But after staring at them for a while, they realized that they were just a bunch of ordinary dogs. They became furious and looked coldly at the two women, giving a deep order.

"Bang!"

Some people raised their hands and fired a gun without even moving; they simply stood still and fired the shot.

Although it was just an ordinary shot, it suddenly triggered a series of mental energy fluctuations, like a bloody net that instantly enveloped the Serpent Sisters.

To catch the Serpent Sisters, they first had to get past the pack of dogs that had surrounded them.

Beneath the terrifying blood-red net, it seemed as if a single bullet could shred them and the surrounding dogs into pieces.

The Serpent Sisters faced the bullet head-on without dodging or flinching, their faces showing anticipation. The astonishing result was that they remained unharmed after the bullet struck them. The bullet, Mingming about to reach them, suddenly vanished. Only those with the best eyesight noticed the truth: the bullet, midway through its flight, was inexplicably enveloped by a dark red flame, silently melting away the surrounding spiritual energy field.

"Waaaaah..."

A low growl suddenly came from the shadows not far away.

At this moment, the knights of City of Rest finally sensed the danger, and a chilling feeling made them suddenly put some distance between them.

Then, from within the shadows, a gigantic three-headed monster slowly emerged, leaving trails of burning, dark flames in its wake.

Cerberus, the three-headed dog.

"I knew it, I could summon the three-headed dog through them..."

The Serpent Sisters were so excited they almost hugged each other. "We can't force them to come like the guild leader does, but if all three of them agree, they can still appear beside us..."

"What... what is all this?"

Meanwhile, in City of Rest, Xiao Xiao, who had been calmly watching the show with a glass of red wine, couldn't keep his composure any longer. "These are my men?"

"One is slandering me in every way, another is constantly on guard against being killed by me, and the third actually used such a despicable method to steal away the Cerberus I painstakingly enhanced?"

"..."

He really does have a bit of a toothache...

However, she could only force herself to be polite and didn't forget to raise her glass to Old Man An across from her, saying, "The show is about to begin, please, sir..."

Even though the knight is so unruly, I, as the guild leader, still need to be polite.