Bang!
A bullet streaked out, grazing the head of the armed gangster and giving him a fright, but it failed to hit its mark!
The massive recoil jerked Levi’s wrist upward, but relying on the powerful physique granted by the potion, he forcibly suppressed it and fired a second shot.
Bang!
This shot strayed even further!
However, by some stroke of luck, it struck another gangster in the chest, sending him flying backward to land stiffly on the ground.
However, in the time it took to fire those two shots, the armed gangster reacted swiftly, raising his revolver and firing back at Levi.
Bang!
Bang!
Bang!
Several bullets pierced through the water vat toward Levi.
Although he wasn’t hit directly, he was scratched by flying shards of the shattered vat, leaving his back and calves bloodied in several places.
“This really isn’t a good place to hide.”
Levi muttered to himself, learning from the experience as he slipped sideways into the shadows.
Seeing Levi’s figure vanish, the armed gangster froze for a moment before quickly firing several more shots at the spot where he had disappeared.
After he finished firing, a thoughtful expression appeared on his face, and he whispered to himself with a hint of lingering fear:
“Could it be a Beyonder?”
He quickly stopped his two subordinates who were about to rush forward, saying:
“We’ll hide first and wait for Master Luo’s backup!”
With that, he took the lead and ducked behind a crate, while the other two gangsters followed suit, each finding their own cover.
For a moment, everyone in the basement—Levi, the gangsters, and the laborers—was hiding behind cover, not daring to lift their heads.
Aside from the textile worker who had been thrown down as bait and was still screaming with a raspy throat, there wasn’t a single other sound.
After dozens of seconds had passed, a gunshot suddenly erupted from the shadows where Levi was hiding.
Bang!
All three gangsters shifted their gaze, watching the spot with tense focus.
A few seconds later, bang!
Another gunshot rang out.
The armed gangster held his breath, slowly raising his gun to aim.
Just then, he felt a cold wind whip up from the shadows behind him.
With a whoosh, a cold flash of light swept across his neck.
His mind went dizzy, and his body fell backward limply.
As he fell, he saw Levi standing behind him with a knife.
“When did…”
Filled with intense resentment and confusion, he closed his eyes.
At that moment, Levi felt that sensation of a loosening valve within his body once again.
The other two gangsters were startled by the commotion and looked together at Levi, who was holding the knife.
Gripping their weapons tightly, their bodies involuntarily began to retreat.
Levi didn’t give chase; instead, he quickly picked up the armed gangster’s pistol.
Grip, aim, fire.
At such close range, even with Levi’s marksmanship, he hit his targets accurately.
Bang!
Bang!
Two shots, and the two gangsters collapsed.
Levi quickly scavenged a small box of bullets and a few coins from the armed gangster’s corpse, then ran toward the shadows where he had been lurking earlier.
A revolver was wedged into a crack in a damaged iron crate there, its trigger connected to a piece of undyed thread.
This thread had been taken from the corpse of the elderly woman who had fallen earlier.
After quietly sneaking near the gangsters through the shadows, he had pulled the thread to pull the trigger, drawing their attention before completing the assassination.
Levi forcefully yanked the wooden-handled revolver from the crack.
Because it had been wedged so tightly, several scratches appeared on the wooden grip.
He put the two guns away and glanced once more at the elderly woman’s body.
Her son crouched nearby, trembling.
His eyes were filled with numbness and fear, along with a trace of sorrow and anger hidden in the deepest depths of his humanity.
Levi sighed, abandoning the idea of fleeing immediately, and searched the bodies of the first two gangsters he had killed to find a ring of keys.
He threw the keys forcefully toward the crowd and shouted:
“Unlock your chains and run!
Go seek your freedom!”
Helping the laborers cost him over ten seconds of escape time, but Levi didn’t regret it.
He hurried to set up the ladder and climbed out.
On the first floor, the textile workers had already fled, leaving only the weaving machines to clatter incessantly.
He quickly slipped into the shadows, following the walls to move away from the Black Scorpion Gang’s territory.
After running past several intersections, hurried footsteps echoed from an alley on the other side.
Levi stopped and hid completely in the shadows.
A group of gangster thugs rushed past, surrounding an out-of-place, short, middle-aged man.
The short man wore an ill-fitting, oversized robe, and his hair was half-gray, giving him a weathered appearance.
The group didn’t notice Levi’s presence and rushed toward the textile workshop.
Just as they were about to turn the corner, the short, middle-aged man suddenly stopped and looked up toward the spot where Levi was hiding.
In an instant, Levi’s heart tightened.
He pressed his body desperately against the wall, wishing he could merge with the hard stone.
Fortunately, the middle-aged man only took a glance before turning into the alley, and the group soon disappeared from sight.
Levi breathed a sigh of relief and continued to travel through the shadows for several hundred meters until he was clear of the Black Scorpion Gang’s territory.
Although he had successfully escaped, he still felt some lingering fear.
This operation had been far more dangerous than expected.
He had only intended to kill Luca, but he had ended up killing seven gangsters!
And the reason for all of this was the “Master Luo” those gangsters had mentioned—likely that short, middle-aged man.
He had divined that someone would come here to cause trouble, so the gangsters had rushed over.
“That Master Luo is definitely a Beyonder.
What Pathway?
Seer?
Not necessarily; it seems some other Pathways also possess certain divination abilities, but I’m not sure…”
“When I completed those two assassinations, I clearly felt something like a valve loosening within me.
This should stem from some kind of mystical connection, but what exactly is the reason…”
Levi felt his lack of knowledge and strength more than ever.
He desperately wanted to attend the Mutual Aid Society’s gatherings to acquire useful knowledge and items to improve his strength.
He should also be able to get some useful supplies from the Hyena Gang, at least enough to restock some bullets…
While lost in thought, Levi discarded his factory uniform and returned to the Kingfisher Bar.
His original clothes were also torn in several places around the waist and legs, exposing blood-stained wounds and patches of skin.
Levi was initially worried that this would reveal his male characteristics, but upon looking, he discovered that the exposed skin was actually fair, soft, and supple—truly like a woman’s!
“butterfly of vanity…”
Levi looked at the bowknot around his neck, finding this item increasingly terrifying.
“I wonder what Beyonder characteristic she was made from…
Hmm, if only I could get another Mystical Item for combat, then dealing with a bunch of gangsters wouldn’t be so taxing.”
While lost in these pleasant daydreams, Levi pushed open the Door to the Kingfisher Bar.
In his tattered clothes, he once again drew many eyes, including those of Lorrain, who was sitting near the bar counter drinking.
With a wave of his hand, Levi tossed the lock of green hair into the air, where it shimmered in the sunlight.
“I’ve killed the traitor.”