Fifth Chapter, Twisted Fate

Jiang Chuan returned to Old Jack's Clinic and took out twenty Gold Coins for Old Jack. Old Jack was startled.

Staring at the coins on the table, Old Jack said in surprise, "Lady Beard above! Roland, where did you get all these Gold Coins?"

Jiang Chuan smiled. "I was lucky today..."

Old Jack furrowed his brow. "Did you go to the casino?"

Jiang Chuan only smiled and didn't answer. It was better not to tell Old Jack about the Bloodfang Gang. A centipede could still writhe after being cut in half, and if someone followed the clues back to Old Jack, he didn't have any special abilities like Jiang Chuan. He was just an ordinary old man, and an ordinary old man couldn't stand up to those thugs.

Old Jack patted Jiang Chuan on the shoulder. "Roland, it's best not to go to the casino too often. There are greedy demons there. Don't go back. If you really need to, you can help out at the clinic."

Jiang Chuan waved a hand with a smile. "Don't worry. It's just an old licker. No big deal."

Old Jack asked in confusion, "An old licker? What's that?"

Jiang Chuan realized he'd let something slip and hurried to explain. "Uh... a kind of fish. An ugly fish... It's late. You should go get some rest."

Seeing Jiang Chuan didn't want to say more, Old Jack didn't press him. He went upstairs to bed.

Jiang Chuan went to the abandoned sewer, retrieved the Hextech Rifle, and brought it to his room to examine it carefully. The unknown was often the most frightening enemy. There were surely plenty of people in Bilgewater with Hextech firearms, and he'd need a plan in case he ran into them.

Jiang Chuan lit the oil lamp and studied the firearm closely in its light. Caitlyn's rifle could be disassembled in the game, and this one was no different. Jiang Chuan removed the barrel and scope, exposing the rifle's core: the stone at the back of the chamber that supplied its energy.

Jiang Chuan frowned at the stone. "Is this a magic stone? Or something made using technology?"

Since Jiang Chuan knew nothing about magic stones, he simply reassembled the rifle and set it aside.

He pushed open the window. The damp sea breeze washed away some of Jiang Chuan's fatigue. Gazing at the lights in the distance, he considered his next move.

"The Bloodfang Gang is leaderless right now. This is the best chance to take them over, but who can guarantee they won't betray me? People are often afraid of what frightens them. Bilgewater is full of thugs, so what could they possibly fear? They're only afraid of being poor."

Jiang Chuan thought for a long time, but couldn't come up with an answer. In the end, he pulled the covers over his head and went to sleep.

Early the next morning, Jiang Chuan got up and made breakfast. After he and Old Jack had eaten, they got busy at the little clinic again. It wasn't large, but Old Jack was skilled at his work and fairly well known in the Upper City.

Jiang Chuan went to The Tavern. Every time he visited this place, he felt like laughing. That was right—its name was The Tavern. Its mysterious Proprietress knew everything that went on in Bilgewater, and many people came to buy information from her.

Jiang Chuan stepped into The Tavern and looked around. No matter how he looked at it, the place seemed odd, though he couldn't quite say why. If he had to name something strange, he'd never seen another tavern open so early in the daytime.

The Proprietress walked over. Seeing Jiang Chuan's peculiar expression, she giggled. "Roland, I only serve food during the day~"

Jiang Chuan looked helpless. "A restaurant?"

The Proprietress rested her chin on her hand. "Restaurant? That's a good name. Now, what do you want this time? Don't tell me you're planning to dine and dash."

Jiang Chuan rolled his eyes. "What if I said I missed you? Would you believe me...?"

Only then did Jiang Chuan notice someone eating in the corner. The moment he saw the broad-brimmed hat that looked a little like a cowboy hat, he knew who it was.

Card Master—Twisted Fate.

Jiang Chuan looked away and turned to the Proprietress. "All right, business first. I want all the information you have on the Bloodfang Gang. Do you have it?"

The Proprietress put on a disappointed expression. "I thought you'd really come because you missed me. The Bloodfang Gang's information isn't complicated. I'll give it to you for free. Wait a moment."

Jiang Chuan sat nearby, curiously watching Twisted Fate eat. In the game, Card Master was a powerful champion, and Jiang Chuan had always loved playing him as an attack-focused build.

Twisted Fate didn't like being stared at. No one liked having someone watch them while they ate. He set down his cutlery and smiled at Jiang Chuan. "Friend, staring at someone while they're eating isn't polite."

Jiang Chuan smiled. "Twisted Fate, if you could never lose, would it even be gambling?"

Twisted Fate's smile froze for a moment, then quickly returned. "Friend, nobody in this world can never lose."

Jiang Chuan shook his head. "I'd rather call you Card Master than Twisted Fate..."

Twisted Fate took off his broad-brimmed hat. "Thanks for the compliment, friend."

The Proprietress came over with a brown paper bag and set it in front of Jiang Chuan with a smile. "Here's what you asked for."

Jiang Chuan stood up with a smile. "Sorry, I have to go. Goodbye, Twisted Fate. We'll meet again before long."

As she watched Jiang Chuan walk away, the Proprietress fell into thought. Twisted Fate asked her, "That guy was strange. Do you know him well?"

The Proprietress frowned. "He has a secret I'm the only person in all of Bilgewater who doesn't know."

That piqued Twisted Fate's interest. Excitedly, he said, "A secret that the only person in all of Bilgewater doesn't know? That's far more interesting than gambling. Speaking of gambling, he said something to me just now: 'If you could never lose, would it even be gambling?' I don't get it."

Clearly, Twisted Fate didn't feel the way he claimed to. Everyone knew he was a lucky gambler, but nobody knew he was a gambler who never lost. Though Twisted Fate had lost before, those losses had all been intentional. The storm inside him was even greater than the Proprietress's.

Twisted Fate took out a Gold Coin. "Can you tell me about him?"

The Proprietress shook her head and didn't take the money. "His name is Roland. He came here three days ago and bought information about the Bloodfang Gang's deals. Half an hour later, he showed up in front of me and told me to help move some cargo. I imagine you know how strong the Bloodfang Gang is. The strangest thing is that he had Pyke's harpoon on him. In any case, he's a mysterious man. That's everything I know."

Twisted Fate narrowed his eyes. "A mysterious man, huh? Damn, it's getting late. I have to go. See you next time."

The Proprietress smiled. "Next time, I hope you're not a corpse, Twisted Fate."

Jiang Chuan returned to Old Jack's home and studied the Bloodfang Gang's information closely.

The Bloodfang Gang's headquarters stood on a small island not far from Bilgewater. It was easy to defend and difficult to attack. Many of the gang's enemies had fallen outside the island; not one had ever made it into the heart of the Bloodfang Gang...

At this, Jiang Chuan smiled. Having its headquarters on a small island might be a troublesome problem for other people, but against Jiang Chuan... no, against the Abyssal Nautilus—Nautilus—it was utterly defenseless.

Jiang Chuan put away the information. Although Titan could help him break through their defenses, winning people over was up to him. The information said that the Bloodfang Gang had always kept vagrants and orphans penned up, training them to become assassins or selling them!

In this life, Jiang Chuan didn't hate murderers or rapists, but when it came to people who sold children, he wanted to slaughter every last one of them, all the way back through their ancestors.

"If I wipe out the Bloodfang Gang, everyone involved in this will go join Pyke in the deep sea. I just wonder if Titan still has any human consciousness..."