Chapter 634: Chapter 1: The Cloaked Figure
“Quack, quack—”
The gloomy sky draped in drizzle, and the desolate small town was filled with the cries of unidentified mutant creatures, sounding utterly desolate.
Shops along the street were closely shuttered, the small rain gathered into puddles on the old cobblestone road, reflecting the scene of the small town.
From its architectural style, the small town was full of 19th-century European-style elegance during a ti of economic prosperity, with carefully selected basalt bricks on the outside and light-colored stone decorations, endowing the whole town with a sense of historical significance.
But upon closer inspection, one could find signs of decay; the black iron fences were peeling with paint and covered in mottled rust, and the golden doorknobs at the entrance of the shops were also decorated with cobwebs. The broken webs dangled in the drizzle, bearing glistening droplets.
Thud!
The calm puddles suddenly rippled, shattering the reflected image into a blur.
Dilapidated leather boots splashed through the puddle, sprinkling droplets on their surface, as the person clad in a ragged cloak glanced down without care and continued walking through the deserted streets, pausing montarily in front of a Gothic-style cathedral.
In front of the cathedral on the steps below, there was a fountain with a stone sculpture over ten ters tall at its center. The sculpture depicted a graceful woman draped in a sheer garnt, her head adorned with a silver leaf crown, her hands clasped in front of her chest as if in prayer, exuding an aura of elegance and nobility.
However, the fountain below the statue had long been dry, the sky’s light rain gathering into puddles at the bottom, creating a scene of extre desolation.
The figure in the ragged cloak looked up at the statue, and after a brief pause, lowered his head again and walked out of the square.
At the street corner near the cathedral square, the person stopped and tapped on the wall.
Click!
A complete wall suddenly parted to reveal a window, the stench of cheap alcohol mixed with the heavy sll of smoke hit him, causing him to instinctively step back.
“Identity proof.”
A voice echoed from the small window, laden with a thick northeast Daxia accent.
After waiting a while with no response from the outside, the greasy face of a middle-aged man peeked out from the dim window. He sized up the cloaked figure outside and asked warily, “Who are you?”
At the sa ti, his hand was ready, poised to sound the alarm at a mont’s notice should anything unexpected occur.
At that mont, the ragged cloak stirred, and a hand erged from within, slender and pale. The hand was holding a card: “Is this what you’re talking about?”
The greasy middle-aged man scanned the card with a device, his face becoming respectful all of a sudden, “Your… Excellency… I had no idea you would co…”
The cloaked figure withdrew the card, speaking calmly, “Open the door, no more talking.”
“Yes, yes, please co in,” the middle-aged man said obsequiously, smiling fawningly as he fumbled to press the open button.
A pathway just large enough for a person cracked open in the nearby wall, from which faint music could be heard. The cloaked person did not hesitate and headed straight into the passage.
From the depths of the passage, thumping heavy tal music echoed, filling every corner with the mingled slls of smoke and alcohol. The mont he pushed the door open, the music grew substantially louder, threatening to deafen the ears.
Under the dim lights enveloped by wisps of smoke and to the beat of dynamic music, several scantily-clad blondes danced wildly, shaking their waists and hips, while a few gaudily dressed won giggled and frolicked among the n, and upon closer inspection, the faces of these n were all Daxian.
When soone noticed the newcor, curious glances were cast, but upon seeing the figure entirely enshrouded in a cloak, they quickly lost interest. So even showed contempt on their faces, turning back and burying themselves in the embrace of the blondes with lecherous expressions.
The cloaked figure surveyed the room and finally sat down on a high stool at the bar. The bartender, dressed in a black-and-white uniform and bow tie, leaned in to ask, “Sir, what could I get for you? The Pioneer Station can provide for all your needs.”
“Could you turn the music down a bit?”
“Ah, that…” The server’s face showed difficulty.
“It can be done! It can be done!”
At that mont, a voice suddenly ca from a distance, and a middle-aged man weighing at least two hundred kilos rushed over with a speed that belied his size. He stood beside the server, wiped his sweat with a handkerchief, nodding and bowing towards Shao Zifeng, “This… sir, all your needs will be satisfied.”
With that, he straightened up and spoke in an indisputable tone, “Xiao Wang, do as this gentleman requests imdiately.”
“But…” The server glanced at a group of young people on the other side of the dance floor, then whispered a few words into the middle-aged man’s ear.
The man hesitated for a mont, gritted his teeth, and said, “Go change to so light music, I’ll handle the rest… rember, the volu must be low.”
Once the server left, the middle-aged man sighed in relief, wiped the sweat from his forehead with his handkerchief, and only then realized the cloaked figure was watching him.
“Do you know ?”
The middle-aged man nodded, then quickly shook his head to explain, “Only A-level and above information is confidential. I only know you are an A-level or above fighter, nothing more.”
Having been in the business for several years, he knew that so A-level and above fighters were very particular about others knowing their identity; judging by the attire of the one in front of him, he seed to be one of those people.
While they were talking, the heavy tal music that filled the room with energy was replaced with soothing light music. The blondes who had been proudly flaunting their youthful bodies on the dance floor slowly ca to a halt, exchanging looks before turning their gaze toward the group of young n on the sofa.
Bang!
The glass of whiskey slamd onto the table, the golden liquid inside violently sloshing around. The blond-haired young man stood up abruptly, glaring in the direction of the bar: “Chubby Zhu, what’s the aning of this? Don’t you know today is the day of our big brother’s urgent B100?”
Seeing the commotion, the middle-aged man quickly put on a placating smile, “Ha, how could I not be aware of Dragon Bro’s grand day of B100 promotion? Like this, all expenses including drinks are on today. If you gentlen still aren’t satisfied, I’ll host another celebration for Dragon Bro so other day.”
Enticed by the words, the blond-haired youth glanced at his boss; seeing him not making any statent, he continued to rant, “Looking down on us? Our Dragon Bro doesn’t need your drink money, you—”
“Cough, cough…” A cough, neither light nor heavy, sounded. The man sitting in the center of the sofa, with two foreign won in his arms, glared at the blond-haired youth, “We’ve played for so long, we are also tired. It’s good to take a break, as for the drink money…”
Before Dragon Bro could finish, the middle-aged man interrupted, “Dragon Bro, look at you. Today is your great day of being promoted to B100, the money must co from .”
Dragon Bro nodded in satisfaction, “Since you’re so sincere, Zhu, I will not be courteous.”
After speaking, the n began groping the won in their arms, breaking into licentious laughter that was gratingly loud.
The middle-aged man breathed a sigh of relief and was about to say sothing when he saw the cloaked figure next to him stand up, casually grabbing a bottle of wine from the bar and marching straight towards the group.
“Sir…”
The middle-aged man was about to intervene when he saw the cloaked figure approach the smirking blond youth and strike.
Bang!
The bottle exploded on the dumbfounded blond youth’s head, shards of glass mixed with blood and alcohol splattering everywhere, glistening under the lights.
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