Chapter 7 : Chapter 7
Chapter 7: The Black Syndicate
The faint scent of low-grade tobacco and blood wafted from the Black Skull Tavern at the corner of the alleyway.
Elaine kept her eyes tightly shut, her hands forming a triangle before her face.
This was the skill of a Stargazer—Echo.
It allowed her to determine the terrain, building structure, and the number and strength of enemies within a certain range through perception.
"There are seventeen ordinary people inside. On the east side of the second floor, there is a Sequence 9 Transcendent. That is likely their leader."
Lin Qi leaned against the dilapidated brick wall of the tavern. The hem of his crimson trench coat was stained with dirty water splashed during their journey.
He was methodically loading rounds into his patterned silver revolver.
"Let us deal with the ordinary ones first. By the way, have you ever killed anyone?" Lin Qi tucked Judgement into his waistband and drew the longsword held under his arm.
"No... but I have made up my mind." Elaine took a nervous, deep breath.
"Operation begins."
As soon as the words left his mouth, Lin Qi kicked the tavern door open with a heavy thud. He shouted at the dazed crowd inside, "You can run now. I will give you five seconds."
The people in the tavern stared at the strangely dressed pair. After a few seconds of stunned silence, they erupted into laughter.
"Hahaha! What is this? Cosplay?"
"Look at that little one. She looks like Widow Muse’s dim-witted boy stealing his mother’s clothes."
"Where did these two idiots come from, daring to cause trouble at the Black Skull?"
"Kid, our boss is a Transcendent. If you do not want to die, run while you still can."
Lin Qi ignored their mockery.
"Sigh—" He let out a soft breath. "May I assume you are all prepared to face death?"
"You brat, go back to your mother’s breast and stop talking!"
SWISH—
A flash of sword light flickered. The brute who had been charging toward Lin Qi collapsed at his feet.
Gushing blood sprayed across the tables lining the path. The man’s severed head rolled away, his face still frozen in an expression of terror.
Before he lost consciousness, he had seen only a single ray of light—a light that carried the scent of death to his throat.
THUD.
The head hit the floor.
"Time is up. Die, you fools."
"Damn it, kill them!"
As the gang members regained their senses, the three closest to Lin Qi pulled revolvers from their coats.
However, they failed to notice that invisible threads had already coiled around the muzzles of their guns.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Three shots rang out. Lin Qi, standing perfectly still, was unharmed. Instead, the three shooters each had a new hole in their foreheads.
"They are... Transcendents... Run!"
"Go notify the boss, quickly!"
Elaine was not idling either. She extended her left hand, and five points of starlight shot from her fingertips like cold sparks.
Star Mark!
The movement trajectories of the marked targets left silver afterimages in Elaine's vision.
"Secret Sword of the Dawn Star-Rail, First Form—Web Weaver!" Following Elaine’s sharp cry, dense silver sword-lights manifested in mid-air.
SPLAT. SPLAT. SPLAT.
The sword-light flashed, and blood sprayed. Elaine followed behind the light like a female leopard, swiftly rushing toward the next enemy.
"So she uses a fast-sword style?" Lin Qi remarked as he fought off a few thugs.
Lin Qi did not use any techniques from the Roland Secret Sword.
The reason was simple.
He did not know how, so he did not use them.
It was no joke; how was he supposed to use the Roland Secret Sword at Level 1?
Lin Qi simply relied on speed and strength superior to that of an ordinary human to cut through the crowd.
"That is enough... Emotional Disturbance!" Seeing that the situation was under control, Lin Qi activated his skill on the surviving thugs.
Having killed an ambusher the moment he entered and subsequently demonstrated Transcendent abilities, the effect was immediate when amplified by the fear triggered by his skill.
"Don't... don't kill me!"
"I... I was wrong."
"I have an eighty-year-old son and an eight-year-old mother... Have mercy, hero!"
The remaining thugs lost all will to fight. They threw down their weapons and scattered in all directions.
"Are we not pursuing them?" Elaine asked, using her finger to push up the sunglasses that had slipped during the fight.
"Of course not. What is the point of chasing them? They are just ordinary people. I am not some bloodthirsty psychopath," Lin Qi replied, exasperated.
At that moment, the sound of footsteps descending the stairs echoed through the empty tavern.
"Do you have some business here?"
The newcomer was nothing like the stereotypical leader of a criminal syndicate.
The man appeared to be around thirty years old, wearing a well-tailored white suit and rimless glasses. A star-shaped stud glittered in his earlobe.
"You are the leader of the Black Syndicate?" Lin Qi asked, eyeing the man.
"My name is Kaff. I am the second-in-command of the Black Syndicate. May I ask what your purpose is in causing such a disturbance here?"
Second-in-command? Did the Black Syndicate have two Transcendents?
"I am here to get some information from your boss. Tell him to come down," Lin Qi said in a haughty tone, sensing that something was off.
"Young Master Isaris, if you wish to ask about the assassination, I am afraid I have nothing to say. After all, the Black Syndicate relies on its reputation to do business," Kaff said unhurriedly.
So you admit it was your doing?
They were indeed the syndicate's assassins. Before, it was only a suspicion, but now it was confirmed.
"You do not look like you are in the mood for a fight. Shall we talk?" Lin Qi could not read the man's intentions.
Indecision!
I will listen to what you have to say first.
I have not used Judgement yet, and it still has six bullets. If things go south, I will just drop my family name. Who would dare refuse the Roland family face?
"Please return, Young Master Isaris. The employer has already rescinded the assassination order against you. You may rest easy," Kaff said as he found a relatively intact chair and sat down.
What? He is acting this cool?
Lin Qi also found a nearby chair and sat down. Not only did he sit, but he also arrogantly crossed his legs to maintain his posturing.
"Do you smoke?" Kaff asked, pulling a pack of cigarettes from the inner pocket of his suit.
Damn it, he has the upper hand!
In his past life, Lin Qi had smoked, though not heavily. In this life, he had not touched a single cigarette.
"I do not smoke such low-grade tobacco," Lin Qi said, feigning composure.
Before he could finish his sentence, he noticed Kaff looking at him with a strange expression.
"But... this is Violet, the rose-scented cigarette produced by the Roland family?"
Damn it, Uncle, what are you doing? Smoking is bad for your health!
"Ahem... let us not talk about that. If you cannot speak of my assassination, then you should at least tell me who sent you to hunt Elaine," Lin Qi said, coughing twice to hide his embarrassment.
"It was not a hunt; it was an eviction. The Moer family gave us a sum of money and told us to drive that girl named Elaine out of Kissmark Town if we saw her," Kaff said, exhaling a cloud of smoke.
...I understand. The massacre of the Morning Star family made the Moer family lose their nerve before the fight even began. They were afraid that being seen helping Elaine would bring trouble, so they wanted to drive this harbinger of misfortune away.
"I thought your business relied on reputation? You sold out the Moer family just like that?" Lin Qi asked, staring into Kaff’s eyes.
"Because offending the Roland family over the Moer family is clearly not a wise decision. If there is nothing else, please return, Young Master Isaris."
Walking back, Lin Qi fell into deep thought.
Because I am a member of the Roland family, the Black Syndicate told me about the Moer family's involvement to avoid offending me. But what about my own assassination?
Is the person who wants me dead someone even more powerful than the Roland family?
"Hey! Hey! Hey—"
Snapping back to reality, Lin Qi saw Elaine staring at him, her face puffed out in anger.
"Sorry, I spaced out," Lin Qi said, scratching his head with a smile.
"You are always like this, spacing out for no reason. What do you plan to do next?" Elaine asked.
"What do you mean?"
"About your assassination attempt. Since you helped me, this young lady will naturally help you in return," Elaine said, blinking her eyes.
"What are your plans?" Lin Qi asked, ignoring her question.
"Me? I suppose I will continue traveling through the kingdom. After all, I am a jinx now. Staying near anyone will only bring them disaster." Elaine lowered her head, her spirits dampened.
It seemed that the Moer family's act of hiring a gang to drive her away had been a significant blow to her.
"I really do not understand what they were thinking. If they had simply refused me, I would have left on my own. Why go through the trouble of hiring people to chase me out? Are they that afraid? Are the Dino family and the Baiqi family really that terrifying?" Elaine muttered in a tiny voice.
"Are they just ordinary nobles?" Lin Qi asked, noticing that Elaine’s attention had been completely diverted.
"Yes. They do not even have a family heritage or secret arts."
"Then how did they defeat your family?"
"They hired three very powerful Transcendents. Even the weakest among them was a Sequence 5."
Something is wrong. This is incredibly suspicious.
Two ordinary families could never command Sequence 5 powerhouses, even if they spent their entire fortunes.
There must be an even more terrifying existence behind this.
This silly girl probably has not realized it yet.
The development of events was straying further and further from Lin Qi's expectations. Who exactly was the mastermind behind his assassination?
What was the ultimate cause of the Morning Star family's massacre?
And what was the conspiracy involving the other nobles in Kissmark Town against the Roland family from the first version of Elaine’s background story?
Furthermore, that man, Kaff... he actually harbored no ill will toward me?
Because of his Emotional Disturbance skill, Lin Qi could sense the faint emotions of those around him.
Elaine’s emotions were friendliness and dependence.
Uncle Alden’s were doting and protective.
But he actually sensed a protective urge coming from Kaff?
Wait, is that right?
Your Black Syndicate literally sent assassins to kill me!
After transmigrating into the game, Lin Qi realized that even a two-hundred-word background story could represent a vast reality.
With no leads, Lin Qi decided to give up for now.
If the heavens flip me the bird, I’ll just sit right down on it.
No matter what you ask me, I only have one answer: "So what?"
If I cannot figure it out, I simply will not think about it.
I am just a weak Sequence 9 anyway. If you can kill me, then kill me. At worst, I’ll just go out with a bang!
I am just kidding. I still need to find Uncle Alden to see if I can squeeze any information out of him.