The First Mission

The army's training was slowly taking shape. The hundred men were beginning to look like a proper army, and the Heaven's Punishment Squad had gradually adapted to the training, starting simulated drills.

Jiang Chuan arrived at Novia's tavern. A few days prior, Jiang Chuan had received a message from Novia: someone had posted a mission for the Dark Sea Throne...

Jiang Chuan excitedly asked, "What kind of mission is it?"

Novia placed the target's information on the table and said, "The target is a minor noble. The difficulty isn't high, but the family behind him is a bit of a hassle."

Jiang Chuan looked at it and frowned, "Norton.Kott, from a branch of the Norton family?"

Novia nodded. "However, the reward he's offering is truly tempting. Five thousand Gold Coins is a sum one can't afford to refuse."

Jiang Chuan took the target information and smiled, "Same old rules, fifty-fifty split after the job is done. I'll go make arrangements for the follow-up matters. What if the Norton family finds out about you?"

Novia played with her hair and smiled, "Can one Norton family really oppose the Black Rose?"

Jiang Chuan laughed heartily. "I'm overthinking it. Then I'll be going. If there's anything, Jenny can bring me a message, or you can come directly to my island to find me."

Novia waved her hand and continued with her work. Jiang Chuan didn't want to be a bother, so he put away the documents and left the tavern.

Back on the island, Jiang Chuan called Kendi over and said, "The first mission has arrived. You'll lead a small team to take care of it."

Kendi asked, "Guild Master, who is the target?"

Jiang Chuan placed the documents on the table. "Norton.Kott, a minor noble from a branch of the Norton family. He usually likes to drink and carouse, with six bodyguards. Although Kott is a useless waste who can't do anything, you can't underestimate his bodyguards. Kill him in the simplest and quickest way possible, and don't let it be exposed that it was us from the Dark Sea Throne."

Kendi accepted the documents and said, "No problem, Guild Master. In three days, you'll hear news of Norton.Kott's untimely death."

Jiang Chuan smiled. "Then you may go."

Kendi walked out of the office and into the camp. After reviewing the documents in detail, he said to the person beside him, "Call Malzi and Bruno here."

A moment later, the two arrived at Kendi's office. They saluted and said, "Officer, Malzi and Bruno reporting for duty!"

Kendi waved his hand. "Sit down."

After they sat, Kendi spread the documents on the table. "Our first mission has arrived: deal with Norton.Kott. Take a look at the information and tell me your plan."

Malzi smiled. "Captain, a single bullet can take care of this kind of trash."

Kendi shook his head. "The money to kill him isn't enough to buy the bullets."

Bruno pondered. "Captain, although this Norton.Kott is frail, his bodyguards are not easy to deal with. The Guild Master's mission is to kill him without a trace. In that case, we could poison him while he's indulging, or kill him while he's sleeping."

Kendi nodded. "You're right. The Guild Master wants us to do it cleanly and efficiently. But poisoning isn't as good as a bullet. Norton.Kott returns home to rest every day and never stays out overnight, so killing him while he sleeps won't work."

Bruno flipped through the documents and smiled. "Every Friday, Norton.Kott plays at the Shadow Elf Bar until midnight. That's the day after tomorrow. He only brings one bodyguard that night. This is our great opportunity!"

Malzi scratched his head, confused. "Isn't the Shadow Elf Bar Norton family property? It might not be good for us to make a move right under their noses."

Bruno chuckled, "That makes things much easier. A couple of days ago, when I was helping Old Jack move his clinic, he had a can of white powder he didn't want. The Guild Master called it arsenic, a type of poison. I left it at the clinic. Putting arsenic in his wine glass won't be difficult."

Kendi nodded and said, "That's one plan. This is our first operation, and we must use our own strength. Anyone can poison someone."

Malzi waved his hand impatiently, "Isn't this simple? One of you gets him drunk, and I'll wait for him in the restroom. Does he need bodyguards when he goes to the restroom? I'll finish him off with a knife then. Is that simple enough?"

Kendi laughed, "Alright, let's do that. Getting fancy with things is beneath us."

Bruno chuckled, "We were overthinking it. Let's do as Malzi said. So, who will get Norton Colt drunk?"

Kendi smiled, "I do have someone in mind. Laurie used to be a crewmate on the same ship as Norton Colt. Norton Colt was the first mate, and he was a sailor. I'll go talk to Laurie, and we'll make a detailed operation plan tonight. You two get ready."

Malzi and Bruno stood up and saluted, "Yes, Officer!"

Kendi nodded, "Go ahead."

Kendi went to Laurie's office. On the island now, only Jiang Chuan, Kendi, Laurie, and Edmund had offices. Laurie managed the island's affairs, Kendi was in charge of the army, and Edmund was responsible for the children's education, along with Old Jack teaching them. Except for Jiang Chuan's office, which was elsewhere, the rest of them had a row of houses.

Kendi pushed open the door. Laurie was calculating the island's expenses and income. Kendi poured himself a glass of water and asked, "Do you remember Norton Colt?"

Kendi took a sip of water and looked at the row of wine bottles on the shelf behind Laurie, his mouth watering. Jiang Chuan had strict regulations: anyone who joined the army on the island was forbidden from drinking during normal hours, except during rest periods. This was tough for Kendi and the others. There were few entertainment facilities on the island, and drinking was one of the few recreational activities. However, ever since Jiang Chuan brought a card game called Dou Dizhu to the camp, everyone had fallen in love with this game that could be played anytime, anywhere.

Laurie stretched his neck and said, "Remember him? What about it?"

Kendi placed the water glass on the table and said, "Our first mission is him. We need your help."

Laurie asked, "How can I help? My relationship with him isn't very good. He used to bully people a lot on the ship. Although he didn't bully me, I really disliked his arrogant demeanor."

Kendi smiled, "He'll be drinking at the Shadow Elf Bar the day after tomorrow. We need you to 'coincidentally' meet him and have a drink."

Laurie looked worried, "We'll definitely be exposed if we do that. No way."

Kendi looked surprised, "The person killing him is from the Dark Sea Throne. What does it have to do with our Bloodfang Island? We're just asking an old friend to find us a job."

Laurie chuckled, "I always knew you bastard were born to be a bad guy."

Kendi shrugged indifferently, "I want to be a good person too, but this is Bilgewater."

Laurie asked, "And after he dies?"

Kendi smiled, "We'll keep drinking. After Malzi and Bruno complete the mission and return to the island, we'll pretend we don't know and keep drinking. The Guild Master prohibits the First Army from drinking. This mission is a rare chance to drink, and I can't miss it."