Chapter 4: Partners? Section 7

Someone once said that in this world, true geniuses are often madmen. Though this statement is somewhat extreme, it holds true in certain situations.
Xue Tong is a genius. At just 24 years old, he possesses ruthless skills and extensive experience that far exceed his appearance. In the field of assassins, he is undoubtedly among the best. Under his blood-red gaze, few people still believe they have a life left.
So he’s a madman. He actually accepted a task from Hei Fa—only given one Kari—asking him to protect a girl for a year.
Su Lei is also a genius. With an appearance as pure as a princess, this 17-year-old girl speaks seven foreign languages and has exceptional social skills. Her abilities in accounting are particularly astonishing. Every black-market merchant knows how formidable she is, especially with her terrifying bargaining tactics that can leave them bankrupt.
So she’s also a madman. Even after Hei Fa revealed his monstrous, beast-like face, she was merely surprised before joining his team without hesitation, her expression returning to that timid, vulnerable look—as if the tragic corpse in the bar was just an illusion.
As for Hei Fa, I’m sorry, but we really can’t consider him a genius. Judging from his behavior after the bar incident, he’s more of a madman than a genius.
“What!! Your savings are only 34,000 Kari? And you still dare to take on Su Lei’s 500,000 debt?” Xue Tong shouted, looking at Hei Fa as if he were an idiot.
“That’s right. And part of this money will have to go toward replacing mech parts and buying regular ammunition. If you don’t mind, I also plan to add some long-range heavy firepower. I think a Starfire Sniper Gun with a 3,200-meter range would suit my needs,” Hei Fa replied with a smile.
“Heavens, are you sure your mind is still intact? Buying all that will likely leave you in the red. Do you plan to make us eat desert sand or those black, metallic parts?” Xue Tong could no longer maintain his calm. Slapping his forehead in frustration, he looked utterly remorseful.
“How could I agree to hire you? I was completely blind!”

“Because we’re all the same kind of people,” Blackhair replied calmly upon hearing Bloodpupil’s complaint. “This world is too unchanging; maybe some exciting news will get everyone going. For you, isn’t it also for this reason that you agreed to my request?”
“So what if it is? I thought you’d bring me some surprises. Instead, it’s just an empty wallet. Well, I still have twenty thousand cards saved up from before. Considering we still have a year left on our contract, I’ll lend them to you. But you’ll have to pay interest.” Helpless, Bloodpupil finally accepted the reality before him.
“Maybe…” Just as he was about to take out the crystal card, a voice suddenly came through. It was Sulei.
“What?”
“Maybe our situation isn’t that bad. Since Mr. Blackhair has explained the situation, he must surely have a solution as well.” The girl’s clear gaze fell on Blackhair’s calm face, seemingly expecting something.
It was undeniable that as a talent urgently needed by Blackgold, Sulei indeed had her unique strengths. Especially in terms of sensitivity, she far surpassed Bloodpupil.
Blackhair did indeed have his own plans.
They were actually quite simple. In his mind, since he had already become a fugitive, there was no point in maintaining that pitiful sense of justice. Using violent means to earn illicit income—wasn’t that exactly what a thug should do?
So over the following week, they almost explored every arms market in Berin. Not only did they stock up on a large amount of ammunition, but they also purchased an abandoned antique mecha. With Sulei’s eloquent skills, they managed to acquire more supplies. Then, in the desert outside Berin City, they began extensive repairs. Not only was the little guy’s damaged body fully repaired, but new equipment was also added to Bloodpupil’s “Demon.”
Speaking of “Demon,” it was a very old magic mecha—a product from the early days of the magic civilization. Its equipment and capabilities were outdated compared to the technology of this era. The only thing standing out was its astonishing precision.

Yes, this is a standard combat mech. Its color is blood red, with a height of around eight meters and a weight of 87 tons. It’s equipped with a magic engine capable of 1,000 yards of range, which is quite good for a magic mech. It has a typical humanoid appearance. Its legs have been made lighter to reduce weight, making them appear somewhat slender, yet it can still reach speeds over 50% that of a minor demon. The mech has only one weapon: a magic heavy machine gun with an effective range of 1,200 meters. Under the control of its highly precise arms, it can easily draw any pattern on a rock wall from 500 meters away without distortion.

Of course, such a mech is undoubtedly outdated. Yet, Bloodpupil has relied on it to achieve an undefeated record, especially in missions like sniping caravans and assassinating important figures—never failing once. Even Blackhair was somewhat surprised.

“Perhaps the ones you’ve encountered before were just mediocre. But I hope that in future operations, you’ll allow me to change that opinion,” Blackhair commented.

Once everything was prepared, one evening at a campsite 50 kilometers outside Berlin City, Blackhair’s plan came to light.

“…Are you sure you want to do this?” Bloodpupil asked, pale as she stared at the plan in her hands.

“Blackhair… sir… are… are you alright…?” Sulei also seemed on the verge of collapse.

“Of course. Since we’re using force, there’s no need for hesitation. We need to acquire 500,000 kari in wealth in the shortest time possible. I don’t see any problems with my plan,” Blackhair said with a smile, raising his glass.

“Y-yes… it’s fine if you want to become a sand bandit… but why target Blackgold?” Sulei’s pale face was wrinkled, almost stunned by the plan.

What kind of joke is this? Robbing Berlin’s largest arms dealer’s convoy and having her sell the stolen goods to repay Blackgold itself. Is there any more absurd plan in this world? Not to mention, Blackgold’s massive mercenary army alone would deter any sand bandit who dared to attack them.

If we’re going to do this, we first need to assess our strength compared to theirs…

“Why not? Dear Miss Sulei. Don’t you think this plan is perfect? As for their military forces, I don’t think you need to worry. Could the great Mr. Bloodpupil you speak of really be afraid of these recruits who can’t even hold a gun? If so, I’d really like to see that…” The dark-haired man wore a sinister smile as he drained the red wine in his cup.
Bloodpupil, standing beside him, was shocked by what the dark-haired man said. After coughing for a long time, he could only glare fiercely at him with hatred…
Then he nodded vigorously.