"Miss Froy, what... what should we do?"
With so many guns pointed at her, Connie's heart was in her throat.
Her mind was completely blank. She had not even wondered how Miss Froy could shoot so accurately while blind, killing three men in succession.
Froy's brows drew together slightly.
She was not afraid of dying, but she worried that Connie would die alongside her.
"All right... don't hurt Connie. I'll go with you."
Chapter 37: Hunger Blooms
Under the cover of night.
No. 7 Denton Street.
Kent burst out of the pitch-black stairwell like a madman.
In the alley across the street, the two Iron Fist Gang members waiting for him frowned when they saw him.
"What's this brat playing at? He kept us waiting all this time for nothing!"
"Hey, something looks wrong... he seems terrified."
Kent plunged into the alley. The sight of the two young men in leather jackets was like the sight of salvation.
Joy lit up his face.
"Let's go! Get me out of here!"
Then he threw himself into one of their arms.
The two Iron Fist Gang members exchanged glances, each seeing confusion in the other's eyes.
"??"
"Damn it, get off me! Hey!"
The man Kent had crashed into was annoyed. He was a grown man-how could he let another man cling to him like this?
He did not want the other gang members getting the wrong idea and drawing an endless stream of men eager to cross swords with him.
"Leave... get me out of here..."
A dying whisper came from his arms.
The last scene before his escape through the doorway flashed through Kent's mind.
The black-haired young man's cold eyes, his regretful expression, and his flat words:
"You shouldn't have touched my people, Mr. Kent..."
The man had extended two fingers and brushed them lightly across Kent's neck.
The icy touch had sent a shiver through his entire body.
A momentary sting followed, leaving Kent bewildered. But terror surged through him, driving him to run outside...
Now the two Iron Fist Gang members hurriedly turned Kent over.
The sight of him startled them both.
Kent's face was flushed with blood, his veins bulging. His wide eyes were bloodshot, his expression terrified.
One man crouched down, pressed a hand against his chest, and lowered his head to listen for breathing. There was nothing.
"Hell! He's dead!"
The man cursed.
Kent had just run over bursting with life. He could have entered a sprinting competition like that.
But in the blink of an eye...
"Look at his neck! What's that?!"
At his companion's warning, the man in the leather jacket looked over and saw two stark black holes in Kent's neck.
They looked like wounds, yet there was no blood.
The urban legends he had heard flashed through his mind, and he immediately thought of certain monsters.
"Could it be a vampire...?!"
"Bullshit! That's clearly a snakebite! He died of poison!"
"..."
After exchanging a few hushed words, the two fell silent, unable to believe what had happened.
Kent had only gone home to pack. How had he suddenly been bitten by a venomous snake?
Then they heard slow but distinct footsteps.
They looked up to see a man approaching, silhouetted against the light.
"Hey! Get lost! Did you hear me?!"
The two Iron Fist Gang members put Kent's body down and stood, shouting at the stranger to stop.
Suddenly, their vision blurred, and the man vanished.
"!!"
They froze.
Then both felt someone's fingers brush lightly across their necks.
An icy touch was followed by a faint sting.
When they turned to look, the stranger was already walking away down the street. Only his back remained in view.
"Damn it, you...!"
"Urgh-!!"
Two thuds sounded.
The two Iron Fist Gang members collapsed, their eyes wide. Their deaths were not merely similar to Kent's-they were identical.
The same Snake Kiss marks appeared on their necks.
[Killed an ordinary Iron Fist Gang member. Gained 20 EXP.] ×2 [Triggered C-rank quest: King of Sewage Flats] [Quest description: The Iron Fist Gang, an underworld faction in Amber City's outer district, has bared its claws at you. Will you answer with fangs? Kill them all! Destroy them! Or enslave them! Show them who the King of Sewage Flats really is!] [Quest rewards: 1,000 EXP, 1 Gold Pound, and [Mad Hands Prototype Blueprint-Fireworks in the Palm] ×1]
Accept.
Chen Lun walked onward, his expression cold, heading toward the Dolphin Opera House.
[Animal Mimicry LV MAX] [Snake Kiss] [Skill description: You have learned to mimic a venomous snake's bite and inject venom. This trait is not limited to your teeth.]
He had chosen not to fire recklessly. Gunshots were too loud and could attract unnecessary trouble.
He had found little use for this animal trait before, but now it was perfect.
Chen Lun's icy murmur drifted softly through the street:
"The Iron Fist Gang..."
"Welcome to Sewage Flats, you two pretty little things!"
At the entrance to Sewage Flats, late at night.
A group of Iron Fist Gang members surrounded Connie and Froy, preparing to take them to the Bird-and-Flower Tavern.
A filthy, rusted iron sign stood beside the steps, marked with the words "Sewage Flats."
The broad staircase led down into Sewage Flats. But even the Lamplighters refused to come here to light the streetlamps, leaving everything pitch-black.
"Move faster! Boss Gary must still be waiting for our good news!"
One of the men urged them on as he examined the Flintlock taken from Froy.
"This gun's fantastic! Way better than our 'Fierce Flame'!
We've got to show the boss, then make those craftsmen learn a thing or two!"
Just then, Connie suddenly shouted angrily:
"Get lost! Don't touch me!"
She stubbornly shook off the groping hand reaching toward her. The men in leather jackets snickered, utterly unconcerned by her anger.
One of them turned his attention to Froy beside her, looking her up and down and licking his lips.
"Hey, this foreign girl really is a beauty. Think Boss Gary will let us have a turn?"
"Ha! Keep dreaming! She's a gift the boss plans to give some big shot in the inner district!
If you so much as touch her, the boss will twist your head off! And not just the one above your neck!"
The others burst into laughter.
"Ha ha-Aah!!"
The laughter cut off abruptly, replaced by a scream.
Everyone jolted.
A scarlet crossbow bolt was embedded in one Iron Fist Gang member's chest!
The bolt slowly dissipated like smoke, but the man's screams grew even more agonized. His wound widened visibly, as though an unseen maw were tearing into him, devouring him!
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