Chapter 20: Chapter Twenty: Deception and Blood Money

“Boom, boom, boom…”

A continuous chain of explosions echoed from outside the city.

The Clive Pirates had set fire to the Waste End Station, and the deadline for his main quest was now only a few hours away.

After three days of meticulous preparation, the moment of harvest had finally arrived.

Su Xiao moved through the descending night, heading toward the city gate.

Outside the city, the Waste End Station.

Here, explosions had merged into one roaring inferno, flames shooting skyward as vast piles of burning trash were blasted high into the air.

The homeless who had been resting inside the Waste End Station were jolted awake by the sudden blasts; fire began spreading across the mountains of garbage.

By the time those homeless realized what was happening and tried to flee their shelters, the fire had already engulfed everything.

Piercing screams mingled with the explosions, painting a scene of hell.

If hell truly existed, then the Waste End Station was it right now.

The Clive Pirates watched as the fire spread across the Waste End Station and began moving swiftly toward the city gate.

Earlier, they had agreed with Su Xiao: once the Waste End Station was ignited, they would immediately head for the city gate, where Su Xiao would send someone to open it.

Clive, of course, would never agree to such a move—entrusting their lives to another’s word.

So after their meeting, Su Xiao dispatched his trusted man, ‘Hank,’ to accompany the Clive Pirates.

At this moment, Hank had disguised himself as a pirate and followed closely behind Clive.

“Hurry, the fire’s about to spread—once it does, we’re dead.”

Clive roared, and his men instantly quickened their pace.

Three minutes later, the Clive Pirates reached the city gate.

Arriving before the gate, the pirates’ faces broke into smiles—they had completed their task, and now they only needed to enter the city and embrace their glorious new lives.

Especially Clive himself, who was already imagining his life as a noble.

Luxurious mansions, exquisite food, and swarms of young, tender women.

In that moment, Clive even considered abandoning his pirate identity entirely.

“Bang, bang, bang~.” Clive pounded on the city gate.

“Open up! We’re the Clive Pirates—the Waste End Station has been set ablaze!”

After Clive pounded the gate, silence fell—absolute, deathly silence. The only sound was the wind rustling through the flames; the city inside remained utterly still.

“Hey, open the gate! The fire’s coming this way!”

Still no response. Clive’s heart began to race.

Behind them: a fire that consumed all. Before them: an unyielding city gate. They were trapped.

In moments, they would be burned alive.

“What’s going on? Why isn’t the gate opening?”

Clive’s eyes filled with bloodshot veins, like a furious beast, he spun and glared at Hank.

Hank’s lips turned pale—he had been sent outside by Su Xiao. Hank was merely an ordinary guard, unaware that the king had no intention of honoring his promise.

“No, no, wait, let me try—I’ll try again!”

Hank’s words stumbled out; he had a creeping suspicion of the truth.

“Bang, bang, bang~! Open up! I’m Hank of the Guard Corps! Bai Ye, come out! Come out!”

Hank screamed, having dropped the formal title of “my lord.”

“Bai Ye, I’ll kill you!”

Clive understood—he had been deceived by Su Xiao. They were nothing but pawns, expendable.

His bloodshot eyes turned to Hank.

“Burn him. Kill him.”

As Clive spoke each word slowly, his men immediately bound Hank and dragged him to the nearby inferno, hurling him into the flames.

“Ahh~! It’s not my fault! Bai Ye, you’ll die a cursed death!”

Flames began to “kiss” Hank’s skin; his piercing screams lasted barely ten seconds before falling silent.

Just as the Clive Pirates neared despair, a low male voice rang out from the city wall.

“Hey, down there—you want to live?”

Every man before the gate shuddered.

“Who are you? Show yourself!”

Clive, half-mad with rage, peered upward through the firelight—a thin, middle-aged man stood on the wall.

Before Clive could speak, barrel after barrel of explosives tumbled down from the wall.

Seeing the barrels land, Clive’s blood ran cold—behind them lay a sea of fire. They were being blown to pieces.

“Blow open the gate, and you might still have a chance.”

With that, the man on the wall withdrew into darkness.

In less than two seconds of hesitation, Jin was the first to sprint toward the barrels, dragging them to the gate’s entrance.

Inside the gate, urgent voices rose—someone had noticed the chaos outside.

Clive tore off his black cloak, revealing a golden armor suit. He raised his arm and fired a bullet into one of the barrels.

“Boom!”

The explosion’s shockwave hurled the Clive Pirates backward; several unlucky pirates were pierced by flying debris and collapsed, dead.

Of the hundred-strong pirate crew, at least a dozen perished in the blast.

But it was worth it—the gate was blown open.

Behind the shattered gate lay several broken corpses—members of the gate guard.

The Clive Pirates stepped over the ruined gate and entered the royal capital.

This was a band of furious pirates—they would burn, kill, and plunder within the royal city.

“Hey, you! Stop right there!”

Clive stared into a dark corner, leveling his shoulder-mounted gun at the shadow.

“Don’t shoot! I’m the one who saved you!”

The middle-aged man from the wall stepped out of the darkness, fear in his eyes.

“Why save me? I don’t recognize you.”

Clive did not lower his weapon.

“I have a grudge against Bai Ye. An enemy of my enemy is my friend.”

A cruel smile curled on Clive’s lips.

“Where is Bai Ye?”

“At the royal palace—he’s receiving the king’s reward. They say he’s been granted noble status.”

The words “reward,” “noble status”—they stoked Clive’s rage. Those were meant to be his.

“Bang.” A gunshot rang out—a fist-sized hole tore through the man’s chest. Clive had just killed his own savior.

“You bastard—you threw explosives at me? Trying to kill me?”

With that, Clive led his men charging toward the palace—he would kill Bai Ye, kill the king, and loot the palace to make up for today’s losses.

The middle-aged man lay on the ground, blood trickling from his lips, his body convulsing.

Watching the Clive Pirates vanish into the distance, his eyes dimmed.

At that moment, a young man with a cigarette dangling from his lips stepped out of the shadows.

“G-give the money to my wife and daughter—I’ve done as you asked.”

Su Xiao crouched before the dying man, exhaling a plume of blue smoke.

“Good job. The money’s already been delivered.”

“That’s… that’s wonderful. Thank you, thank you~.”

With those words, the man’s eyes went completely dark—he died from Clive’s bullet.

This man was a death-row convict Su Xiao had rescued from prison. What had just happened was merely a transaction.

Su Xiao paid with gold; the man paid with his life—a fair, yet unfair, bargain.

Watching the Clive Pirates disappear into the night, Su Xiao dropped his cigarette and crushed it underfoot.

“Clive Pirates… don’t disappoint me.”

Su Xiao vanished into the night, racing toward the palace.