The Rangers

"You're the boss of this bar?"

The next morning, three uninvited guests knocked on the door of [JoeStar]'s bar.

Xue Ming had just prepared honey milk to give to her friends as a hangover cure when she bumped into a cold and serious young man as she walked out from the bar counter.

--The young man was accompanied by two grinning lads, dressed in the carrying gear of Guangling Zhixi soldiers and MOLLEs, fully armed, with an AR15 as their primary weapon and a Sig Sauer 1911 as their secondary weapon, standard American soldier equipment.

Teacher Victor had told Xue Ming about this incident. While the bricklayers were busy building and decorating, these three guys were planning to come and collect protection money.

Bailu and Tang Ning didn't mention this matter, and Xue Ming didn't take it to heart either. This was the Nine Realms, the starting point of the entire Abyssal Railway, which should be the most law-abiding area.

Xue Ming didn't understand.

--He returned from Niflheim, and any well-informed underground press should have been lying in wait outside the bar, waiting for the relevant task force members to appear so they could gather some news.

He had hoped that some like-minded people interested in [JoeStar] might appear outside the door, and that, as he had initially envisioned, this place would become another general affairs counter for the Nine Realms Station, providing a place for people returning to the station for the second time to drink, chat, and engage in gunfights and sword fights.

But at this moment, there were no reporters, no passengers, and no manager to act as a peacemaker.

Three soldiers from Guangling Zhixi stood outside the door, completely disregarding the [nameless] gang leader. They were preparing to demand a [protection fee]—which might have a more palatable name, such as [compensation] or [insurance money].

These things made Xue Ming think long and hard. After holding a birthday party for Bu Liuxing, he had to throw himself back into endless work.

There were many things waiting for Xue Ming to deal with. In order to repay Teacher A Ling for her protection in the Niflheim battle, he had previously promised this eccentric VIP that he would help her repair props. Now, these scrap metal piled up in the warehouse looked like an ugly, rusty monster, constantly agitating Xue Ming's anxious nerves.

Besides, the club's renovation costs have already emptied Xiao Qi's pockets. Today, Xue Ming is preparing to go to the BOSS to report on his work and settle the accounts from the last three times.

Why is it said to be three times?

The Battle of Red Star Hill in Niflheim is one example.

The arrest of Sixty-Three counts as one instance.

The harvest season rituals and labor can be counted as one instance.

Xue Ming is no charity ambassador. These dangerous jobs can usually earn a lot of money, and that's exactly what the club needs right now.

However, after Ming De returned to his post, there were simply too many things piled up before. The most precious resource in the underworld is [people] themselves. The Hunter King can handle some of them, but matters concerning people's birth, aging, illness, and death, especially personnel matters related to VIPs, are decided by the BOSS.

These things piled up, making it as messy and chaotic as Officer Jessica's room, which Xue Ming had to tidy up little by little.

At this very moment, three adorable children suddenly showed up at Xueming's door demanding protection money, leaving Xue Ming baffled.

He was speculating in his mind--

--Who authorized this?

Is the BOSS simply feeling a bit resentful that the land in front of the observatory is too expensive and has been handed over to the [Anonymous]? Is Black Cat planning to collect some money from another source as a token gesture?

The young man leading the group looked very young, with a mature and composed air about him, like a leader in a combat group, not some thug. His immediate question, "Who is the leader of the Nameless Ones?", suggested he might be a tool sent by the Senate from another school to test the Nameless Ones' strength.

Or am I overthinking it?

Jiang Xueming remained expressionless, holding a large plate, and carefully observed the expressions and appearances of the three young men.

Did they just decide on a whim to come to my shop for some fun?

No, no, no, it can't be that simple; they came with guns.

When entering and leaving the Nine Realms Hung Hom, one must disarm oneself when passing through checkpoints and gates; this is definitely not something that can be solved with money.

It took Jiang Xueming about ten seconds to figure all this out.

Unlike the naive meteor, he understood the rules governing human society long ago.

Whether above ground or underground, when a new store is about to open, there will always be unfamiliar hostility from other merchants. After all, customers only have so much money in their pockets, and the number of passengers at the station is only so many; these are resources that need to be fought over.

The leader asked, "Are you the head of the Nameless Gang?"

Jiang Xueming answered calmly, "No."

The young man then asked in English, "So who is it? I've been working on this for over three months—for your club, stationed at the Council of Five Kings, to get the [insurance money] settled."

Jiang Xueming switched to English: "She's not here right now."

The young man immediately became alert. "The boss is a woman?"

Jiang Xueming remembered Teacher Victor's instructions to remain anonymous.

"Right."

The young man finally started to get impatient. "I don't care who she is, you look like the manager of this bar. I'd like to ask you a few questions."

Xue Ming didn't reply immediately, but opened the door completely.

He handed out honey milk to two young men beside him while leading the people into the house. Only at the end did he offer drinks to the leader.

He was extremely cautious and finally became certain of the young man's position in the group.

The two lackeys took the drinks with smiles but didn't eat them right away. Instead, they deliberately glared fiercely at Xue Ming, then started commenting on the gray brick walls and the construction elevator on the second floor of the shop.

Once the leader received the milk, the henchman on the left took his first sip. His nostrils twitched as he tried to smell the aroma from the cup, and his tongue swirled around in his mouth, trying to savor every flavor of the honey and milk. Finally, as if relieved, he raised an eyebrow at the leader one last time before the leader began to drink.

After the leading soldier finished his milk, the little follower who had been sitting with his legs apart at the bar on his right finally slowly raised his cup, drank the beverage in one gulp, and placed it in front of Xue Ming, indicating that he would like another cup.

Jiang Xueming calmly refilled the glasses for the three of them one by one, and finally greeted them with the first "hello".

"Hello, I'm [JoeStar]'s gunsmith."

Before he could finish speaking, Protector A-Zuo immediately shouted, "I read a web novel! Is it that... that [Gunsmith]? You know, the one written by that guy who plays games all day and marries his female fan?"

Jiang Xueming explained, "No, no, no, that's not it. There are many weapons companies in the world, and most of the firearms they manufacture are mass-produced products from metal processing plants, including stamping, casting, cutting, and milling. They also have professional weapons designers. Gunsmiths are different. There are many workshops specifically set up for rapid-fire competitions, customizing these things for competitors or gun enthusiasts. For example, they might lighten the firearm, collect your shooting data, and design the firearm according to your shooting habits—that's called bespoke. If you read a chivalric romance novel, it's like a weaponsmith tailoring armor for a knight."

The Right Protector exclaimed in surprise, "Hasben, is he the blacksmith of [the Nameless One]? The weapon designer of [the Nameless One]?"

Jiang Xueming smiled and shook his head, "I'm not as good as you say. I just know a little bit. I wouldn't call myself a designer; 'gunsmith' is the most appropriate term for me."

Immediately afterwards, Xue Ming extended his hand to greet the leader warmly.

"He called you Hasben? Now you know my nickname, so I'll tell you my real name too. I'm Jiang Xueming, the gunsmith of [Anonymous]. May I ask your name?"

The leader immediately said, "Hasben Madison —I am the squad leader of the 3rd squad of the Rangers, the Eleventh District 'Guangling Zhixi Rapid Reaction Force."

Jiang Xueming was still waiting, waiting for the other party to shake hands.

"Mr. Hasben, what are you waiting for? Are you waiting for me to introduce our leader? At least shake my hand first, and then we can talk about her and the insurance money, right? You're from the rapid reaction force, you've saved people from dire situations, you don't seem like an unapproachable guy."

Hasben still didn't raise his hand, but just looked at Jiang Xueming's gloves with disgust.

"I don't shake hands with people who wear gloves—in our jurisdiction, handshakes are about honesty, exchanging pheromones, and figuring out whether the person in front of us is trustworthy and worth befriending."

Xiao Zuo immediately shouted, "Gunsmith! If you don't take off your gloves, you're disrespecting our captain!"

Xiao You finished his milk in one gulp, then immediately slammed the glass down in a rage, unleashing all the fierce energy within him. "Take off your gloves! Don't you understand? Is it that hard to understand? Hasben has already agreed to your request for a handshake, so you have to take off your gloves, as nimbly and cleverly as a stripper taking off her stockings to ask for a tip!"

Jiang Xueming: "Are you sure?"

Hasben: "Is there something wrong with it? Is taking off your gloves some kind of disgrace to you? Is it like your underwear? Hiding something dirty and shameful?"

Then they saw the soldier leader take off his helmet, toss his fiery red hair, revealing his full forehead and rugged face. He was a true man, no longer hiding his face and expression, and reached out his hand to Jiang Xueming, waiting for Xue Ming to take off his gloves.

Jiang Xueming: "I'm making this clear beforehand, I possess Soul Power, and I activate my abilities through my palms."

Hasben: "Are you Morpho butterfly?"

Jiang Xueming: "Yes."

Hasben: "I've never seen such a young Morpho butterfly. You look to be only in your early twenties."

Xiao Zuo: "You're kidding, right? Haha."

Xiao You: "We have one or two life-or-death experiences every month, and it's only with great difficulty that we've transformed into the cocoon stage. Hey! Nameless Gunsmith, are you just bragging without thinking?"

Jiang Xueming took out the crew card, but hadn't had time to update the information before handing it to Hasben.

"I don't mean to brag, I am just a Flash Butterfly, and I haven't even started the VIP trial mission yet."

Hasben took the card and looked at it with suspicion. Combining the information with the crew log, he became more and more shocked—this unremarkable-looking guy (Hasben thought he was unremarkable) had actually killed so many people and so many monsters.

The crew logs cannot be falsified. Even self-proclaimed achievements will be verified one by one to confirm their authenticity with the cooperation of station employees and Victor.

Although the card information only records up to the cocooning period, if we really judge according to the content described in the log, the gunsmith just returned from Niflheim and seems to have participated in the harvest season celebration ceremony, a ceremony that only VIPs and some important personnel are qualified to enter the main venue on the terrace.

As instructed by Victor, Xue Ming had erased all information about the [Nameless] leader from the log. In fact, there was very little information about him. He had never cared about the empty name. He had also covered up and kept secret the information about the holder of Mingde's remains and the club's plans.

The VIP information cards and many passengers' logs had similar black-out censorship, which was nothing unusual to the soldiers of Guangling Zhixi.

Even knowing that Jiang Xueming possessed Soul Might, Hasben still maintained a defiant attitude despite losing the battle.

He gestured with his lip and handed the soldier's identification to Xue Ming, as if he were conducting a jousting contest. He then had two of his henchmen present the identification to Xue Ming as well.

"Thank you." Jiang Xueming checked the information one by one and finally felt relieved.

These three young men came from the same place; they seemed like greenhorns from a small town.

Hasben recently got a promotion and went to report to the Sunflower headquarters in Eleventh District. He brought two childhood friends from his hometown to the big city to make a living. Coming to [JoeStar] to collect protection money is probably just an excuse. His superior or some middleman wants to know about this club and what Ming De is up to, which is why they sent these young people to block the door.

Hasben, however, seemed not to understand this.

He only knew that if he failed to complete this mission and collect the insurance money from [JoeStar], he would likely find it difficult to maintain his position in the Rangers. Serving the Sunflower Senate was an honor for him, and he had to seize this opportunity to rise to prominence. If he didn't make a big fuss, the nameless leader wouldn't even show up. It would be best to get a photo or two to get to know this mysterious guy.

Hasben then pressed on, "You still don't want to take off your gloves?"

"You're only eighteen, with a bright future ahead of you. There's no need to argue with me over such formalities," Jiang Xueming kindly advised.

Hasben chuckled sheepishly, "It's not that I look down on you, guys."

Xiao Zuo: "I just want to see for myself!"

Xiao You: "Right, right, right! Let's see! We've never shaken hands with the Morpho Butterfly before! This is a rare opportunity! Big shots!"

The moment Jiang Xueming took off his gloves, the three kids instinctively pressed their hands against the quick-draw holsters on their waists.

--Because they could clearly sense that the man in front of them had entered combat mode.

He seemed somewhat angry, and the smell emanating from the sweat accumulating on his hands was extremely dangerous.

Hasben broke out in a cold sweat. This was a ruthless monster he had never encountered in his entire career of performing security duties.

He was very young, only eighteen years old. Although he hadn't encountered any extremely terrifying enemies, the monsters that the rapid reaction force had to deal with were also things that were sudden and highly destructive.

But this guy gives off a bad vibe; his pheromones are quite different from those of the other monsters.

Disaster beasts possess abundant vitality; if they have eaten humans, they exude a foul-smelling spiritual pressure.

The moment the gunsmith removes his gloves, a sweet, rusty scent wafts over, carrying with it an indescribable fragrance hidden in the steaming sweat from his arms. It's easy to become intoxicated by it, causing your body to relax unconsciously, exposing your weaknesses, and ultimately leading you to your Gate of Death.

Sweating profusely, Xiao Zuo said to Hasben, "Boss, how about we..."

Xiao You immediately interrupted, "Be careful, Hasben."

Hasben mustered his courage, pouting, widening his eyes, and furrowing his brows in anger, almost shouting to amplify the aura of his spirit. He saw the gunsmith clean his hands with the non-woven fabric on the doorknob, still looking like an iron statue, waiting for the guest's handshake.

Right now, at this very moment--

--Hasben about to take a bold step forward.

A dark figure suddenly shoved him aside.

Immediately afterwards, Mr. Wen Bucai, carrying a birthday present and a large bag of snacks from Mimir Hot Spring, rudely shoved the reckless boy aside.

"Here you go, gunsmith!"

Xue Ming: "Thank you, is this for Meteor?"

Mr. Wen Bucai said with a smile, "Ah, right!"

Hasben was knocked back two or three steps by this uninvited VIP, his spirits shattered, and he could no longer concentrate, so he immediately complained.

"Sir! I was here first! Me."

Wen Bucai demonstrated his sense of humor to the young people on the spot.

He stood shoulder to shoulder with Xue Ming and spoke to Hasben first.

"I'm protecting you."

Hasben: "Protect me?"

Wen Bucai greeted Xue Ming, saying, "Could you do me a favor? As a return gift, I'd like to visit my wife and children."

Before Xue Ming could do anything, Wen Bucai immediately grabbed Xue Ming's hand, and then, as if drunk, collapsed to the ground.

It happened so fast that Amin didn't even have time to help.

The scene was quite awkward, causing the two Rangers to nervously draw their guns.

Hasben stared in astonishment at the slumped figure on the ground until Wen Bucai let out a deafening snort.

Jiang Xueming shouted towards the direction from the observatory leading to the Council of Five Kings. The medical staff had treated Robert Tang Ning before, so when they saw Wen Bucai this time, they were quick and experienced. One person supported his shoulder and the other lifted his leg, and they sent him away just like that—after all, they were all Blackstone people, so it didn't matter much.

Hasben: "He... he... your hand."

Jiang Xueming put the gloves back on—he had specially changed into a new pair.

"Hello, Hasben Madison, let's shake hands. Don't worry about that VIP who just fainted—I know you're interested in the leader of the nameless group. Let's talk about her. I'll do my best to cooperate, including with the insurance money; I'll pay you if necessary."

Finally, Hasben put aside all his arrogance and shook hands with him.

"Okay. Good."