Author: 冬瓜茶仙人 / Winter Melon Tea Immortal

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 160

Jason cautiously stopped in his tracks when he saw several black carriages blocking the street and numerous people standing along the road—it made his heart sink.

This street was sealed off.

Shop owners and customers who didn’t know what was happening were stuck inside, but hardly anyone complained. Perhaps it was because the men conducting the search looked stern and unapproachable.

This area was already quite peripheral. The most popular shops and wealthiest patrons wouldn’t choose this place. The streets were mostly empty of passersby. Occasionally, an unlucky person would wander by and be roughly stopped and questioned by the men dressed in black uniforms that matched the carriages. Some well-dressed men with gleaming swords at their sides also gathered in groups of twos and threes, looking arrogant and threatening anyone they deemed suspicious.

They must be looking for Peter and his group.

Jason understood immediately. He had only hesitated for a moment at the other end of the long street, and someone had already noticed him. Trying to act casual, he turned around and started walking away, hoping the distance would—

“Hey! You!” a man shouted at him. “Stop!”

Jason bolted.

Peter had been right to ask him to keep watch. The people in the storm cellar couldn’t have imagined that within one night, a thorough search would bring the pursuers so close. Under these circumstances, hiding underground wouldn’t help. Even hiding in a fireplace would be futile.

But Jason wasn’t very familiar with the terrain here. He tried to avoid Peter’s hiding place, but as he ran, he found himself back at their hideout. The distinctive pigeon weathervane on the roof was spinning in the wind.

Worse, someone was chasing him. They knew the area better than he did and quickly took a shortcut to cut him off.

“Stop! You thief!” a blond man in an embroidered waistcoat shouted. “If you don’t want to die, surrender now!”

Jason stood still, glancing at the decorative sword at the man’s waist—it looked more like an ornament—

But he really couldn’t run anymore. If his suspicious behavior provoked them further, no matter how strong he was, it would be hard to escape six men.

Jason raised his hands, putting on a frightened expression.

“Sir, have mercy. I didn’t do anything wrong,” he said, trembling.

“Then why did you run?” The men, panting and angry, looked furious. “Don’t try to lie!”

Jason paused, about to concoct a story about sneaking into the inner city from Paradise Island and stealing a drunk’s clothes to sell, but before he could speak, he felt a heavy blow to the back of his head. He stumbled forward, pain radiating from his head to his limbs, his heart pounding.

“Pendrel, we haven’t even asked—” The blond man was also surprised.

Pendrel, who had just clubbed Jason on the head, nonchalantly shook his wrist. “He looked shifty. I gave him a little lesson.”

Pendrel adjusted his sleeve, ready to raise his club for a second strike, but Jason suddenly turned around, grabbed Pendrel by the waist, and threw him to the ground like a sandbag.

This act of defiance enraged the other men. With Pendrel’s cries of pain as a backdrop, they surrounded Jason like a pack of hyenas, drawing their weapons.

……

Alexander emerged from a tobacco shop, having been delayed inside by an unexpected situation. The shop owner, over forty, used the shop as a secret rendezvous for his affair. When Alexander and his men barged in, the man had been entangled with his mistress. Terrified, he thought they were from the Monkey Family checking for contraband. Trembling, he revealed his entire stash of pleasure-enhancing drugs (monopolized by the Monkey).

There was no third person in the shop. Alexander glanced at the man coming out of the next door, who shook his head and moved on to the next shop.

…He was a secretary. Why did he have to do this kind of grunt work? Alexander sighed, about to take a step, when he sensed something amiss.

“Where are they?” he asked the two men in black uniforms beside him.

The men understood who Alexander meant and immediately answered, “They saw someone suspicious and went after them.”

Suspicious person. Alexander raised an eyebrow. “Who don’t they find suspicious?”

“They” referred to people sent by Adan’s mother’s side. Searching for suspects was supposed to be Louis’s job, but the lady insisted on being involved. The late cousin Bravi was from that side, and his death had stirred up a lot of anger in Adan’s family. With Adan also out of commission, things were in chaos. Louis, too busy to deal with them, had allowed them to tag along.

But those slick characters were too conspicuous, shouting and making a fuss, trying to boss around Louis’s men. The same happened when they chased a passerby earlier. They demanded Louis’s subordinates join them, and when refused, gathered a few of their own and ran off.

Alexander hadn’t wanted to bother with them, but the family was too noisy and reckless. After some thought, he decided to send two men to keep an eye on them—they could make fools of themselves, but he didn’t want them causing trouble under Louis’s name.

Before he could finish checking another shop, a subordinate brought back shocking news.

“What? They killed someone?” Alexander asked sharply.

“A pickpocket from Paradise Island. He’s not dead but badly injured.” The black-clad subordinate also disapproved of their actions, sounding scornful. “Six against one, and they got hurt too. Now they’re demanding reinforcements.”

Paradise Island. Hearing that term made Alexander’s heart skip a beat. The recent incidents were all connected to Paradise Island. Perhaps he was too sensitive, but…

“Find a doctor immediately. Don’t let that man die,” Alexander said decisively.

The subordinate hesitated.

“They took him away. They said it wasn’t our business.” That was a polite way of putting it. In reality, the injured men had been furious, saying many harsh things to those who followed them, like “unless Louis orders, they wouldn’t take orders from lowly people.”

Alexander’s origin from Paradise Island wasn’t a secret, nor was the disdain the Wolf Family had for him. It wasn’t the first time he was looked down upon. Alexander didn’t mind, and Louis had once said that staying in their circle too long made them blindly arrogant, thinking of themselves as superior, not realizing the Black Gold Families were just as insignificant in the face of true nobility.

With Louis absent, they had no reason to listen to Alexander. Forcing them would only escalate tensions. Louis already had a tenuous relationship with Khalif and was excluded from managing the auction. Alexander feared being too aggressive would cause unnecessary trouble for his boss.

“…I’ll report back to the Lord when I return,” Alexander said. “Keep searching.”

He could only hope those idiots wouldn’t be too reckless. Though White Bridge was bustling as usual, with Adan’s incident covered up and operations running smoothly, those at the center knew something was off with the recent string of events. Alexander sensed someone stirring up trouble behind the scenes. Louis seemed to know more, but regardless, this precarious situation couldn’t withstand much more turmoil.

But as the saying goes, “the white lamb jumps into the dirty puddle”, bad premonitions tend to come true.

While Alexander sincerely prayed for them to keep a low profile, Pendrel and his group were scheming how to vent their anger.

They hadn’t expected the man they casually stopped to be such a fierce fighter. If he hadn’t been unarmed while they had weapons, they might have suffered more significant losses. Even so, Pendrel felt his neck was definitely dislocated, and Ricky, sitting beside him, had a bloody face. Two others had broken limbs. None of them were unscathed.

“I called for help, but those guys rolled their eyes and didn’t move.” Ricky, his mouth full of blood, spat on the carriage floor as he kept cursing. “It must be Alexander’s doing. Who the hell is he? If it weren’t for Louis, I’d beat him to death today and pull his guts out through his mouth to see if he can still pretend to be reasonable.”

Pendrel’s group echoed their disdain. They had always disliked Louis’s faction, who always wore a disdainful, cold expression, making any attempt to curry favor or build relationships futile.

But someone still had some sense, saying, “Enough. We’re in no position to go after Louis now. Remember—” He lowered his voice.

They recalled that their greatest support, Adan, was still in a coma. Their family’s business and status were being eyed by other Elders. They had no one to contend with the unshakable Louis, and their resentment towards Alexander gradually subsided.

“So we’re just going to take this beating?” Pendrel grumbled, forgetting they had instigated the fight.

“Here’s the plan. Ricky and Quill—you two look the most injured. Report this to the Lady,” the oldest man said. “Even if she’s too busy now, she’ll at least hold it against Louis. When Mr. Adan recovers, there will be an explanation.”

“And him?” Pendrel kicked Jason, who lay on the carriage floor. They had brought him along just to defy Alexander. Otherwise, they might have dumped him by the roadside.

It was just a poor wretch. Taking him back would only dirty their garden.

Ricky leaned over, checking Jason’s breath. “He seems dead.”

“Then toss the body out,” Pendrel said in disgust.

“No,” the older man said with a malicious grin. “He said he was from Paradise Island, didn’t he? We’re not far from there. Let’s send him home.”

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