Chapter 40: The Clash

“Of course, there are few things in this city that I do not know, especially when they pertain to hunters.”

Erye fiddled with the scope, and continued, “The value of these items far exceeds their function. It would be a pity to modify them. How about this? You can exchange them for a set of tactical attachments specifically designed for an assault rifle from the Hunters’ Guild warehouse. Would that suffice?”

Qianye naturally agreed. The artistic value meant nothing to him; he only needed weapons that could take lives.

Erye put away the attachments, then led Qianye to the warehouse, took a briefcase from a shelf, and handed it to him.

Upon opening it, Qianye was quite satisfied. Inside was a set of tactical attachments specifically used by the Imperial main army’s rifles. Although they were rated as second-class, the integrated design made them no less effective than scattered third-class attachments. These standard tactical attachments were Qianye’s favorite; he didn’t need to familiarize himself with them, he could use them right away.

Erye also handed over a cartridge box containing ten blank origin force rounds, saying, “This set isn’t as valuable as your other attachments, so I’ll throw in some more trinkets.”

This was exactly what Qianye needed. The werewolf mission had depleted all his stock.

Erye suddenly asked, “How do you plan to handle Tian She?”

Qianye’s face immediately darkened, but quickly returned to normal, and he said nonchalantly, “For now, it is as it is. Once I advance to the next level, I’ll deal with it then.”

From Qianye’s calm tone, Erye detected a hint of killing intent. He tapped the shelf, saying, “Tian She is not an ordinary fifth-level warrior; he is not easy to handle. As the person in charge of the Hunters’ Haven in Dark Blood City, I cannot directly intervene in disputes between hunters and the Tian She gang.”

Qianye, who was skillfully assembling the tactical attachments into a folding grip, said without looking up, “I understand that.”

“If you have any other needs in the future, you can come to me. For example, borrowing some money or equipment, but it will be under my personal name, and the amount will be limited. Unless, of course, you can prove that you’re worthy of me placing a heavy bet on you. You should know, the Hunters’ Haven is not run solely by me.”

Qianye paused for a moment, then disassembled the newly assembled grip with a dazzling speed, finally looking up at Erye and saying, “I’ve heard that you generally don’t get involved in such matters…”

Erye’s weathered face showed no sign of anything, and he said, “This time, Tian She went too far. If Ying Nan really goes to the death arena, the face of our Hunters’ Haven will be utterly disgraced.”

“But she still owes Tian She a substantial amount of money. This issue will cause more trouble,” Qianye frowned.

Erye shook his head, “There, I cannot help her. She is too proud, unwilling to submit to anyone. She is a good hunter, but not a good leader. You’ve been on a mission with her before, and you should be well aware of that. Helping her further would only lead her further down the wrong path.”

Qianye simply nodded, offering no further comment.

Although the mission was successfully completed, it relied on many factors that couldn’t be replicated. From the start, Qianye noticed that Ying Nan’s intelligence gathering and tactical preparations were insufficient. If she hadn’t pulled Qianye in at the last minute, the mission would have likely ended in a catastrophic failure.

Even now, Ying Nan probably did not realize that Qianye’s familiarity with werewolves surpassed that of the so-called werewolf expert Yang Tian, and his strength far exceeded that of a one-star hunter, even surpassing everyone in the team, including Ying Nan. No one else could have dealt a severe blow to the four elders of the werewolf clan and seized the totem.

In reality, Ying Nan was unsuited for large-scale missions that required teamwork; she would be better off as a lone hunter.

Qianye stowed away the equipment, and Erye added, “Be careful. Tian She is likely to come after you. He doesn’t like letting threats to him live in peace.”

“I will be careful. But I think he should be more cautious.” Qianye gave a cold smile.

Erye didn’t say more, left the warehouse, and sat back behind the counter, engrossed in his reading.

Qianye left the Hunters’ Haven and found a shop selling various herbs. With the remaining gold coins, he bought several types of herbs and a purification kit. These herbs would be used to concoct a special potion. In a diluted state, it served as a pleasant synthetic fragrance, but in its concentrated form, it was a potent military stimulant.

Carrying his purchases, Qianye left the pharmacy, turned a corner, and was met by a group of boisterous young men. The narrow street was immediately filled with their presence.

The central figure was exuberant, recounting his experience hunting a formal blood race warrior, while the others flattered him, making him laugh even more.

Several of them had snake tattoos on their exposed skin, and Qianye immediately recognized them as members of the Tian She gang. He frowned, sidestepped, and let them pass.

As the group passed by, the central young man glanced at Qianye and suddenly brightened, saying, “Wait, I recognize you! You’re the little hunter who brought out the Flowing Gold Rose! Though you look a bit different, you can’t fool me with such tricks!”

Qianye’s gaze fell on the young man’s waist, where a finely crafted holster housed a gun. Judging by its shape and the exposed grip, it was indeed the Flowing Gold Rose.

It seemed this young man was not ordinary, bringing the Flowing Gold Rose out as a sidearm. Even in the upper continental regions, such a weapon would not disgrace a scion of a minor noble family.

The young man pushed through the crowd, walked up to Qianye, and extended his hand, demanding, “Hand it over!”

Qianye frowned, asking, “Hand over what?”

The young man sneered, “Trying to play dumb in front of me? Fine, I’ll assume you really are dumb! Hand over the Flowing Gold Rose’s attachments. This gun must have a full set of tactical accessories, don’t tell me otherwise!”

Qianye’s eyebrows furrowed even more, asking, “Who are you?”

The young man turned around, laughed exaggeratedly, and said to his followers, “Me? He’s asking who I am? Haha!” which immediately drew laughter and jeers.

After a few derisive laughs, he approached Qianye, jabbed his chest, and spat out, “I’ll tell you who I am! Tian She is my father! Do you know who I am now?!”

“Yes, but I don’t have the Flowing Gold Rose’s attachments,” Qianye said calmly.

“No?” The young man was taken aback, his face turning red, and he shouted, “You think I’m a fool? The Flowing Gold Rose always comes with a complete set. When have you ever seen it without attachments? I tell you, give me the stuff, and today I’ll just break your two dog legs! If not…”

His face turned cold, and he said, “I see you’re not bad-looking. Many of my brothers here fancy men. We’ll just rape you and then feed you to the dogs!”

Hearing this threat, Qianye suddenly smiled, his handsome and delicate features appearing even younger, his obsidian eyes curving into an innocent arc. It was the same smile he had when, upon arriving in Lighthouse Town, he was harassed by a few ruffians.

At that moment, a wiry man whispered something in the young man’s ear. His eyes lit up, and he looked Qianye up and down, saying, “I heard you just completed a high-level mission and got quite a few gold coins! Since you don’t have the attachments, how about showing some respect and treating us to a meal and drinks?”

The young man’s exaggerated, lascivious laughter grew, and he reached out to touch Qianye’s chin. But this time, he didn’t succeed. His hand was caught mid-air by Qianye, and he couldn’t move an inch!

He struggled, but Qianye held firm. The smile froze on his face, and he shouted, “What are you doing? Let go!”

He signaled to his followers, and suddenly yelled, “Disable him!” Two Tian She gang members rushed at Qianye, stabbing their daggers towards his waist and ribs.

Qianye’s face turned cold. His left hand suddenly tightened, and a sickening crack came from the young man’s wrist. Then he released his grip and stepped back, narrowly avoiding the daggers aimed at him.

With both hands, Qianye deftly grabbed the wrists of the two attackers, twisted and pushed, and the daggers changed direction, plunging into their own holders’ abdomens, hilt-deep!

The young man, stunned, momentarily forgot the pain in his wrist and exclaimed, “You dare to kill members of the Tian She gang?!”

He backed away, shouting, “Get him, chop him down!”

Several Tian She gang members drew machetes and knives, charging forward, while others pulled out guns, aiming at Qianye, waiting for the chance to fire.

Qianye stood his ground, taking only a few steps when drawing his gun, allowing all bullets and blades to miss their mark.

Next, Qianye’s gun fired, eight rounds pouring out in quick succession. With a series of thunderous shots, eight Tian She gang members fell, each hit in the forehead or heart, instantly killed.

Qianye used his old-fashioned Colle, a gunpowder weapon with commendable close-range power, perfect for dealing with these low-level warriors.

Seeing half of his subordinates fall, the young man gasped in horror! Before he could react, Qianye kicked a fallen gang member’s gun into his hand, and another series of shots rang out, leaving no one standing by the young man.

Qianye walked towards him, raised his gun, and said coolly, “One bullet left.”

“If you kill me, my father will never forgive you! We can negotiate…” The young man, clearly terrified, began to retreat step by step.

But he suddenly screamed, leaped, and viciously kicked at Qianye’s lower abdomen, a faint origin force explosion accompanying the kick, showcasing its power.