Holding hands, the two women walked slowly toward a secluded alley, one leading the other. Once they passed through it and rounded a corner, the Dolphin Opera House would be in sight.
The shops along this street were old establishments selling secondhand goods and clocks, and nearly all of them had closed for the night. Even the few storefronts still lit showed no sign of anyone inside.
Connie had always worked at night before, so she was used to this and felt no fear.
She even reassured Miss Froy beside her, telling her not to worry.
"That kid Kent did a good job."
But just then, Connie suddenly heard a man's low voice ahead of her.
She looked up, and her hair stood on end.
More than a dozen men had surrounded them.
"Grab them! Make it quick!"
At their leader's command, the others charged forward with vicious grins.
Connie's heart raced as fear surged through her.
"Miss Froy, run!"
She tugged at Froy's hand, trying to turn and flee.
But before they had taken two steps, the vicious-looking men in leather jackets blocked their retreat and reached out to seize them.
"Got you, bitch!"
A man's hand clamped tightly around Connie's arm-
Smack!
Kent pushed the door shut, only to hear a strange noise.
On closer inspection, he realized something seemed to be wedged in the doorway.
His gaze slowly rose along the gap.
A pitch-black gun muzzle came into view.
"!!"
Kent's heart lurched, and he felt as though his soul were about to fly out of his body.
Glancing farther up, he saw the black-haired young man who should have already gone downstairs staring at him without expression.
"I'll ask you one more time. Did you really not see them?"
The Flintlock pressed against Kent's forehead, its cold touch making him shudder.
"N-no... I didn't."
Cold sweat ran down his face, but Kent dared not raise a hand to wipe it away.
A trace of disappointment appeared on the black-haired young man's face.
"Then you're no use to me. Die!"
His index finger settled on the trigger, ready to pull.
Thud!
Kent dropped to his knees.
"Don't! Don't kill me!! I know! I know everything!!"
He broke down instantly, wailing and sobbing.
Kent was truly terrified. He feared the man would shoot him dead in the very next second.
The man before him was like a lunatic, his moods utterly unpredictable.
This fear was far more intense than anything the Iron Fist Gang's threats had inspired.
Chen Lun pushed the door open and entered, then slowly closed it behind him.
Keeping his gun trained on Kent, he casually sat down on a chair.
"Tell me everything you know."
The Seashell Necklace on Chen Lun's chest gave off a faint blue glow. Kent's eyes immediately went vacant, and he began recounting everything unprompted.
"It was Gary, the boss of the Iron Fist Gang, who told me to..."
Ten minutes later.
After hearing Kent's account, Chen Lun understood the whole story, including the vile scheme Kent and the Iron Fist Gang had concocted.
He had noticed something off about Kent as early as their encounter in the stairwell.
After their brief exchange, it had become even clearer that the man radiated guilt.
His heartbeat, breathing, facial expressions, perspiration, and even blood flow all indicated that Kent was hiding something.
An ordinary person could not deceive a supernatural being like Chen Lun.
"Y-you... what did you do to me!?"
Kent came to his senses with no idea what had happened and was instantly overcome with terror.
He had no time to think it over. Now, it seemed the only thing awaiting him was death.
"Please don't kill me! The Iron Fist Gang forced me to do it!
They swindled me out of all my money, then forced me to repay them. They said they'd kill me if I didn't!
I had no choice but to work for them!
I'm sorry! I repent! Please spare me..."
Kent pleaded.
But when he saw that Chen Lun remained unmoved, something else seemed to occur to him. He shakily got to his feet and began frantically rummaging through the room.
Chen Lun raised an eyebrow but did not stop him.
What was he trying to do?
Chen Lun was somewhat curious.
Soon, Kent approached Chen Lun with a delighted expression, holding a battered old book.
He offered it with both hands, as though presenting a treasure.
"This is a treasured heirloom of our family. My grandfather gave it to me when I left. He said it was precious, so it must be worth a lot!"
Chen Lun did not even glance at it. He merely sneered.
"If it's so precious and valuable, why didn't you sell it to pay off your debt? Or just give it to the Iron Fist Gang?"
Kent's smile froze.
He felt the last flicker of hope in his heart die out.
He had not lied. This book really was a treasured family heirloom.
His grandfather had repeatedly urged him to read it often, saying it would help him immensely and might even allow him to lead the family to prosperity someday.
But he had never managed to make anything of its contents, treating it as nothing more than a shabby book with sentimental value.
Chen Lun casually took the book and glanced at it.
"Record-Keeper Kemberney's Memoirs"
His eyes narrowed slightly as a possibility flashed through his mind.
Kent suddenly noticed that the black-haired young man had lowered the Flintlock aimed at him.
He could not help letting out a silent sigh of relief.
Whoosh!
A cool breeze swept through the silent street.
It carried the pungent stench of blood.
Connie stood frozen, staring in disbelief at the scene before her.
The man who had been gripping her arm now lay in a pool of blood, a hole in his chest slowly leaking more.
She turned to look and saw that a Flintlock had appeared in Froy's hand at some point, smoke still rising from its muzzle.
"Shit! That bitch has a gun!"
"Don't be scared! She already fired it to kill Lenny. She's out of bullets!"
After their initial shock, the other men had recovered their senses.
They exchanged a few quick words, then lunged at them again.
Bang! Bang!!
Two more shots rang out.
The two men at the front fell to Froy's Flintlock.
"What!?"
The Iron Fist Gang members stopped in their tracks.
They had never imagined that the two girls they thought would be easy prey would prove so difficult to handle.
Especially that beautiful blind girl, who had actually pulled out a Flintlock capable of firing repeatedly.
What the hell! How could a Flintlock that fired repeatedly even exist!?
"Everyone, put on your Mad Hands!"
One of the men shouted.
Amid a series of faint metallic scrapes, the remaining Iron Fist Gang members each took out a pair of Iron Gauntlets and put them on.
"Bitch, don't think you're the only one with a gun..."
Then each of them drew a strangely shaped firearm, its body short and its muzzle flaring like a trumpet.
They aimed their guns at the two women.
Before you continue