Sudden Incident

After stripping a Tier 2 Professional, Suren felt that his combat skills had improved significantly.

When he looked back, he discovered another keyword in Aberk's memories: "Moon Hotel."

What did that guy hide in that hotel?

Suren's curiosity was piqued.

"Shadow Scorpion" Aberk had originally been an Assassin Class Professional. As a notorious Grade A Fugitive, his favorite things to do were steal treasures and kill people.

Over the years, he had committed countless major crimes and amassed no small amount of stolen treasures and money.

From the limited fragments of memory, Suren also learned that Aberk had previously been caught by the Umbrella Organization and had revealed several of his treasure caches. However, he seemed to have hidden away one very important Sealed Item.

And what exactly is a Sealed Item?

Suren felt that anything this Tier 2 Professional considered capable of saving his life could not be simple.

Still, he did not dwell on it too much.

Aberk had only been captured recently. Perhaps the movements he believed he had kept hidden were already under close watch by certain people. For example, the Umbrella Organization in the Inner City, a special law enforcement department made up of Professionals.

Just like in his previous life, when the police searched for clues, they would trace a criminal's past movements all the way back.

If he went looking for stolen goods now, there was a high chance that someone following the trail would notice him.

The more valuable the item, the more likely it was to draw attention.

Suren figured that once the matter had cooled down, he could look into where the Moon Hotel was.

Tonight's gladiatorial matches had all ended. Once the uproar died down, the gamblers began to leave one after another.

Ordinary gamblers had no idea that, because of tonight's final main event, many important figures had come to the Scarlet Bunker gambling hall.

In a private room on the second floor, smoke curled through the air, carrying the rich, faintly sweet scent of tobacco.

These were top-grade cigars produced by the Bagum Tobacco Company. One box cost as much as an ordinary worker's monthly wages.

Several men and women with Mechanical Prosthetics sat in the private room. Though they wore gentlemanly black suits, they could not conceal the fierce, vicious aura around them.

They were gang members.

If any outsider had been present, they would certainly have recognized the sinister, bearded man smoking a cigar as the famous president of the Steam Brotherhood in the Outer City—"The Butcher" Banner!

One of the most powerful figures in the Outer City.

Banner had watched the entire fight. Though he had lost a little money, he seemed to be in a rather good mood. "Tsk, tsk. That ability is interesting. Send someone to contact 'Red Demon' Golon. If he's willing to join our gang, give him the status of a cadre."

A Tier 2 Professional driven out by the Batalov Family would not be hired by any other Inner City family.

The man could only remain in the Outer City and scrape out a living.

To gangs like theirs, people like him made the best "new blood."

Hearing that, the man standing by the door replied, "Yes, Boss."

At that moment, the seductive woman nestled in Banner's arms spoke as well, cooing sweetly, "Old man, what should we do about Green Street? Those gambling halls and nightclubs are a juicy piece of meat. The Cross Society sent some brat over to watch the place, so it's hard for us to make a move."

With the large hand that had not yet been replaced by a Mechanical Prosthetic, Banner brazenly roamed over the woman's chest as he said, "Heh heh, he's just a rookie who was recently promoted to Professional. Since they won't let their cadres step in, we shouldn't lower ourselves either. In a couple of days, send some men to take out that group. We can also test the attitude of the Cross Society's higher-ups."

The seductive woman seemed to know some inside information. Upon hearing that, she guessed something and asked curiously, "Old man, did something really happen to the Cross Society's boss?"

"Well..."

Banner neither confirmed nor denied it. After thinking for a moment, he finally said, "That fellow Chuck really hasn't shown up at the Cross Society for two or three months. There's word that he went outside the city to deal with a Cursed Space last time and seemed to have run into trouble."

After a pause, suspicion flashed in his eyes, and he changed his tone. "But knowing that old bastard, even if something really happened to him, he would have arranged some backup plans. Right now, who knows if that guy is plotting some major move to screw someone over? That's why we need to test them. Otherwise, the Steam Society would have swallowed up these few streets long ago."

As Banner spoke, his hand became increasingly brazen.

The seductive woman was already wearing a long dress, and with that teasing lift, a large expanse of pale skin was exposed.

Yet the others in the room seemed blind to the erotic scene. No one dared look directly at it.

The seductive woman panted softly and said coyly, "Old man, are you coming to my place tonight?"

But Banner shook his head. "Not tonight."

Hearing that, the woman pursed her lips. "Hm?"

That seemingly casual little pout gave her an enchanting, girlish charm, as though she possessed some inexplicable magic that made people want to dote on her.

Seeing the jealousy in her eyes, Banner smiled and unconsciously explained, "I received word that there'll be something interesting to watch tonight, so I still need to head out."

"Something interesting?"

Curiosity appeared in the woman's sparkling eyes.

Banner considered it and did not hide much. "Apparently, the Cross Society brought back a mysterious antique from the Ancient Relic discovered last time. By coincidence, many important figures in the Inner City are interested in it. So, a group of people will probably make a move tonight and raid the Cross Society's treasury."

His words were vague and concealed plenty of key information, but the woman could still tell that this was explosive news.

A little excited, she asked, "Are we going to war with the Cross Society?"

Banner shook his head and corrected her. "Not us. It'll probably be the Crow Gang and the important figures backing them in the Inner City. It doesn't count as war, just a surprise attack. We're only going to watch the show. Of course, if there's an opportunity, we might as well pick up a few leftovers."

There were no more corpses in the Gladiatorial Arena today for Suren to strip of their souls, so he did not stay any longer.

As for the other gambling games upstairs, he had no interest in joining them either.

On his first day in the city, Suren planned to familiarize himself with the surroundings first, at least get a clear grasp of the three blocks of Green Street. After all, the Cross Society was the local power. It would make no sense for a gang member not to know his own turf.

The more chaotic the order, the more developed the entertainment industry became.

After leaving the gambling hall, Suren found Green Street ablaze with neon lights and decadence.

The streets were packed with pedestrians.

People carrying weapons could be seen everywhere—firearms, swords, Steam Mechanical Arms, leather armor, cowboy hats, Mark boots. This was standard equipment for Wilderness Hunters.

Ordinary people in the Outer City earned only two or three thousand Liso a month, while simply sitting down at a tavern on Green Street could cost several hundred. Therefore, the vast majority of people who spent money here were Wilderness Hunters. They risked their lives hunting in the wilderness outside the city, then indulged in drunken pleasures in the city after striking it rich.

Suren stepped onto the street and weaved through the crowd.

The street walls were covered in painted graffiti, all with a heavy dark aesthetic—abstract art, satire, and erotic advertisements.

From the dark alleys came an endless hissing sound. It was the sound of steam leaking from ruptured pipes along the walls.

Tall chimneys billowing white smoke could be seen throughout the city. They were the exhaust stacks for the steam boilers operating underground. These massive steam engines also supplied energy and hot water to the city's factories.

In the damp, gloomy alleys near taverns, one could always see one or two Drunkards lying beside trash bins, vomiting or sleeping unconscious. The scavenging rats seemed accustomed to the sight. Sometimes they even sniffed the drunks, perhaps checking whether they could be food.

Suren thought of the half-corpse in the alley behind the Elephant Tavern. His gaze fell into the depths of the dark sewer, where water gurgled along. In that pitch-black hole, pairs of crimson eyes seemed to be hiding.

After walking for a while, his stomach felt empty, so Suren found a restaurant that looked fairly clean.

The staple meal was creamy mushroom soup with black bread.

Rye and mushrooms were specialties of the underground city.

Meat, meanwhile, was an expensive luxury dish.

Of course, even the restaurant owner did not know what kind of animal today's meat had come from.

Suren did not care. As long as it was not poisonous, it was all quality protein in his eyes.

The taste was a little strange, but it was far better than constantly chewing dry black bread rations.

Gang work only took half an hour each day.

Suren had thought that such leisure would last for at least a while.

Yet on his very first day, he encountered an unexpected incident.

While he was eating at the restaurant, the communicator hanging from his waist suddenly rang with an urgent call. "Everyone, get to the alley behind the Emperor's Bathhouse immediately!"

Kai did not explain what had happened through the communicator, but judging from his tone, it was urgent.

The gathering point was not far away, so Suren did not delay and hurried over.

By the time he arrived, dozens of Cross Society members had already gathered in the dark back alley. Steam motorcycles roared, while bikes and armored personnel carriers were already in position.

Gangs had always been efficient at rallying their people. An emergency assembly meant a gang fight was about to break out.

Most of the gang members still did not know what had happened, and they all wore carefree, mischievous grins.

Seeing the piles of weapons and ammunition being handed out, Suren frowned slightly and realized that the situation seemed serious.

Kai was brief and solemn. "The gang headquarters warehouse has been attacked. We need to head over immediately! We don't know who the enemy is yet, but everyone, prepare for war!"

Thanks to '20201211052125506' for 500, 'Quan Shui Haomiao' for 502, and 'Spinach Kid'. Thank you to all three for your support and donations. Thank you, thank you, thank you~