Prince Murray had already gone some distance. Afraid of arousing suspicion, Lucci hurried after him.
But after only a few steps, he heard a scream behind him. Lucci spun around and saw the child's father collapse, clutching his knee. A closer look showed blood running down the man's right leg, as though he had been struck by a hidden weapon.
"Ow! Ow! It hurts! Who did that? Which bastard was it?"
The fallen Celestial Dragon rolled about in pain, cursing up a storm.
Lucci glanced at Ye Chen again. Seeing him standing there as though nothing had happened, Lucci smiled faintly and continued after the group.
Smoker was nearby and should have gone over to investigate. But he had wanted to teach that hateful Celestial Dragon a lesson himself, so he could not be bothered.
Still, Smoker kept looking around. He was puzzled too, unable to tell who had struck.
"Hey, you lot! Stop right there! You, the Senior Chief Petty Officer—come here!"
Smoker had no wish to get involved, but the Celestial Dragon would not let him leave. Smoker turned back. "Are you calling me?"
"Of course I am! Get over here and have your men search the area! I want the culprit caught!"
Smoker had no choice. He could not ignore an order from a Celestial Dragon, so he led his men on a perfunctory sweep of the area.
A little while later, they had found nothing, and Smoker was about to leave when a dark figure suddenly sprang from a distant rooftop. The man looked panicked. The instant he landed, he took off at a run, moving so fast that he vanished after only a few leaps.
"Catch him!"
The injured Celestial Dragon hurriedly gave the order, and Smoker rushed after the man. He did not care