Chapter 8: Angels and Demons, Section 6

What reward will the Association give me if I kill you? A rank upgrade for a warrior?
In the darkness, the mechanical eyes controlled by Cheri emitted a strange blue glow. The barrel of the gun rose unconsciously, with the distinctive light appearing as the safety was removed.
Capture him alive, or execute him on the spot? Cheri weighed his options. Information about this dark-haired young man flashed through his mind like a movie. Unknown age, unknown background, unknown origins. Unknown skills. Unknown individual combat ability, and his mechanical operation skill was only a vague ?? level. He used only mechanical mechs, with a cruel, violent, bloodthirsty, and murderous personality. His combat tactics were extremely reckless, showing no concern for his own safety. He liked to use methods that left both sides severely damaged. Danger level: A+.
Cheri took a slight breath of shock. He cursed inwardly at the Association’s intelligence department. How could he act based on such incomplete, data-free information? As a warrior himself, he knew well the horrors of warriors. If the information wasn’t enough to assess a warrior’s true strength, he couldn’t imagine how such a battle could proceed. After all, the strength of warriors of different ranks was far from simply 1+1=2.
If he really was an A-level warrior… Cheri could almost envision the arena filled with blood and corpses at his feet.
Damn it, this is deadly. Cheri cursed angrily. His eyes narrowed slightly as he adopted a questioning tone.
“Mr. Dark Hair. How did you end up here?”
A wave of murmurs arose in the hall. The suppressed noble lords never expected that this bandit leader would be so talkative. Shouldn’t he have killed the opponent immediately upon provocation? Or should his reaction be fury?
What puzzled them even more was that the young man, addressed as “Mr.” by the bandit leader, showed no special reaction to his courtesy. Instead, he wore a mocking smile.
“Click, click…”
The crisp sound of heels on the stairs was very clear in the silent hall. The dark-haired man led the way down, with Blood Eyes and Sulei following closely behind him.
“It seems you know me?”

“Of course. Mr. Blackhair, within our association, your name is heard by everyone every day. Antique mechanical mechs come to life with tremendous vigor in your hands. Needless to say, everyone understands just how important this is,” said Cheri with a smile. Unnoticed, the muzzle of the machine gun gradually lowered, though it still kept Blackhair within its range of attack.

A chorus of gasps filled the hall.

You see, recently there has been a craze for learning and using mechanical mechs in the star system near Silver Star. Many mercenaries and warriors who were not successful with magic-powered mechs turned to studying these instead. As a result, the prices of all components and equipment related to mechanical mechs soared, allowing merchants to make huge profits. It is said that this trend originated from a brief but impactful combat clip in the mental network. Yet no one could have imagined that the person behind it was the cold-faced young man before them.

Suddenly, among the countless gazes directed at Blackhair, some unclear intentions appeared.

Blackhair secretly smiled bitterly. He never expected Cheri to say such things. Just a few simple words had put him at the center of everyone’s attention. It was now impossible to stay low-key.

What a cunning guy. A glint of cold light flashed in Blackhair’s eyes.

Fortunately, Bloodpupil stepped in in time. He lazily glanced around.

“Vice Lord Cheri. If I’m not mistaken, you should be a Bronze Warrior. No wonder you can command so many subordinates. It seems life in the Warriors Association is quite glorious. I even start to regret my decision.”

“Bloodpupil…” Cheri gritted his teeth slightly, a bead of sweat appearing on his forehead.

He was certainly familiar with this famous assassin from Berlin City. It was the association that sent him to negotiate with Bloodpupil about joining. He thought it would be easy, but Bloodpupil turned out to be someone who wouldn’t budge, no matter what tactics were used—whether threats or bribes. As a result, he became the subject of ridicule within the association for quite some time after returning.

One thing was certain: Bloodpupil’s abilities definitely met the standards of a warrior. Although he hadn’t undergone a professional assessment nor been registered with the Warriors Association, Cheri knew he was at least at the Bronze level—just like himself.

“Hehe.” Cheri forced a laugh twice. “If you join me now, I’ll still welcome you. Mr. Bloodpupil, you’ve always been a highlight in the association. Even the president has expressed regret many times for not being able to have you join.”
“Never mind.” Bloodpupil shrugged. “Look at how you’re living now—like a dog. It’s meaningless. I don’t need to join an association like this.”
“You!!” Veins bulged on Cheri’s forehead; he was furious at Bloodpupil’s words, his tone even changing.
The sound of guns being drawn filled the air. All the bandits immediately raised their guns, red dots scanning Blackhair, Bloodpupil, and the others. The atmosphere became oppressively heavy, like lead.
“What… do you actually want?” After a long while, Viscount Cheri finally managed to utter a few words through gritted teeth. By now, he no longer had any illusions. Even facing two warriors of unknown rank, he refused to let his dignity waver. Otherwise, he would never be able to hold his head high in the association again.
But to his surprise, Blackhair seemed utterly uninterested in fighting. He simply raised his head, gave him a casual glance, and nonchalantly exhaled a ring of smoke.
“Just passing by. Go on with your business. I’ll go my way.”
Boom—Viscount Cheri’s head spun. He never expected Blackhair to say such things at a moment of such tension. He must be crazy…
Yes, crazy. He suddenly remembered the evaluations of Blackhair within the association and his various abnormal behaviors at the Black Gold headquarters. Then he quickly made what he thought was the clearest decision.
“Very well, Mr. Blackhair. Then please leave through the back door. The Silver Star’s security forces will surround this place soon. I won’t keep you.” Suppressing his anger, Cheri spoke slowly, word by word.
“Okay.” Blackhair didn’t hesitate and turned to leave. His carefree attitude made it seem as though the hundreds of armed men present were mere decorations. His arrogant demeanor left a deep impression on everyone.
“Captain, are we really letting them go?” A subordinate asked through Cheri’s channel, staring at Blackhair’s retreating figure.
“Idiot. Our target isn’t them. Don’t do anything pointless.” Cheri scolded his subordinates harshly, finally feeling a hint of authority. His red eyes turned to the noble lords cowering on the ground, and he suddenly showed a cruel smile.

“Issue a proclamation to the Silver Star government: in ten minutes, I want the Cemxi minerals from the association and all captured personnel downstairs. If there’s even a one-minute delay, execute one of those fat pigs. Tell them I’m not joking.”
“Yes, captain.”

Meanwhile, in the shadows below the Paradise Nightclub, a group of people were emerging one after another.
“Boss, are you just going to let them go?” With his usual lazy tone, Blood Pup played with his cigarette and smiled.
“It’s not me who’s letting them go; it’s them who’re letting me go,” Black Hair replied coldly, without any trace of arrogance in his voice.

Although he appeared calm and confident on the surface, only he knew how dangerous the situation had been just now. The aftereffects of overusing his abilities still hadn’t faded. Without sufficient biological energy, he wouldn’t be able to use his left arm at all. In such a situation, if things turned hostile, he might still be able to escape thanks to his agility. But people like Sulei and Koko, who had no combat skills, were doomed to become sacrifices.

It could be said that everything that had happened was like walking on a tightrope. Fortunately, the enemy’s attention was focused on those Cemxi minerals, not here. Black Hair felt relieved—he had made the right gamble.

Distant sirens wailed urgently. In an instant, the area around the Paradise Nightclub seemed to boil with activity. A large number of mechs and combat vehicles rushed in from all directions, quickly surrounding Silver Star’s largest hotel. The noisy sounds, the fully armed soldiers, and the cold reflections on the mechs turned the place into a battlefield.

The Silver Star government had finally reacted—and with such intensity.

In the shadows in the distance, Black Hair curled his lips and glanced at the still-anxious bald minister beside him.
“Minister, it seems it’s your turn to step in now. We’ll escort you here. And as for the agreement?”
“No problem, no problem. I’ll do as you say,” the bald minister nodded repeatedly, beads of sweat forming on his face. His small eyes couldn’t help but stare at the colorful police lights in the distance.

“Good. Then I’ll leave it to you,” Black Hair nodded and stepped aside.

The bald minister ran out like a frightened rabbit. Watching his hurried figure, the smile on Black Hair’s face gradually faded.
“Boss, what do you mean?” Blood Pup also grew serious.
“Return to the base and tell Baroka to prepare the mechs. It seems we’ll be active tonight,” Black Hair replied coldly.

“I’m also a bit interested in those so-called Centex ores.”