Chapter 228: Justice Strikes Back?

In the new industrial zone of Lei Ming City, a place where all sorts of people mingle, the Grizzly Gang is notorious.

Most of them are refugees from the Twilight Province who barely survived in Princess Ailin's refugee camp before moving here with Edward's new policies once spring arrived.

Every member of the gang is ruthless and unreasonable, running rampant in the new industrial zone for a long time, with no one daring to provoke them. At first, they only engaged in petty crimes, collecting protection fees from vulnerable vendors, but as their business grew, they began to eye the lucrative pie of construction contracting.

After all, they couldn't compete with local gangs for big business, and they looked down on the small stuff.

The only things that pay well and require no technical skill are building houses for others.

As soon as word of the Horace Textile Factory dormitory project got out, the Grizzly Gang, like sharks smelling blood, quickly locked onto this "fat piece of meat," drooling. They spread threats throughout the new industrial zone, declaring that any construction team attempting to take over this project would never know a day of peace on this land.

In their minds, this project was already in their pockets, a done deal, and no one else dared to touch it.

Those with the strength looked down on that bit of money, and those without the strength didn't dare offend the gang members, which is another reason why Horace could never find a suitable construction team.

However, plans cannot keep up with changes.

A team calling themselves adventurers was like a sudden pebble, shattering the Grizzly Gang's wishful thinking.

In the alley near the textile factory, Hans, who was responsible for keeping watch, saw the group of so-called adventurers from afar, his face full of suspicion and disdain.

Their clothes were tattered, covered in patches of all sizes, and they shivered in the cold wind. Their eyes revealed cowardice, and they were always timid when facing the unfamiliar and slightly chaotic environment around them. Where was there any sign of an adventurer?

Compared to adventurers, they looked more like a group of stray dogs chased out of their territory by nearby lords, fleeing everywhere.

Hans knew well that the project the boss had coveted for so long had been intercepted halfway, which was no small matter, so he didn't dare delay for a moment, his feet moving like the wind as he sprinted toward the Grizzly Gang's stronghold.

"Boss! Something terrible has happened!" Ignoring the foul stench in the room, Hans pushed open the door, panting heavily, and shouted anxiously, "A group of greenhorns came to the Horace Textile Factory, and they... they intercepted the project you were eyeing!"

Balk, the leader of the Grizzly Gang, who was drinking and playing cards, was slightly stunned. His face, already covered in thick flesh, instantly turned bright red, and blue veins bulged on his forehead like angry little snakes.

He slammed the table, and the oak cup filled with wine was shaken over, spilling wine everywhere.

"These bastards who don't know death, how dare they steal my business!"

The roaring voice echoed in the room, making people's ears buzz. The two guys playing cards with him fled, scrambling, not even daring to take the money and cards on the table.

Looking at the furious boss, Hans didn't dare breathe, just standing tremblingly at the door.

The muscular man in front of him wasn't just a brute with brute strength, but a ruthless person who had awakened extraordinary power!

As for why the respected Lord Shengxi would let this rotten person awaken extraordinary power instead of bestowing the blessing upon his pious self, Hans did not know.

Balk breathed slightly, finally managing to suppress the raging fire in his heart, and ordered in a deep voice: "Call Moris to me!"

Moris is the second-in-command of the Grizzly Gang and his capable assistant and dog-headed strategist. The two had known each other since they were children, grew up together in a village in the Twilight Forest, and later came to Lei Ming City with the refugee team, where they formed the Grizzly Gang.

Before long, Moris walked into the room with a gloomy face, looked at Balk, and whispered: "Boss, what happened?"

He could see that Balk was in a bad mood, but he didn't know exactly what had happened.

Balk explained the ins and outs of the matter in a few words, then stared tightly at Moris.

"Moris, I want to know your opinion!"

Moris reached out and stroked his chin. After a moment of contemplation, a hint of ruthlessness flashed in his eyes.

"Boss, these greenhorns are clearly newcomers and don't know the rules here at all. In my opinion, we should give them a taste of our power, and by the way, clean up that ignorant dog Horace, letting him know who is in charge of this territory. Don't think that just because he has some stinking money, he can shit on our heads!"

"We'll go straight to his textile factory tomorrow morning, drive away those bumpkins, and give those restless guys a warning!"

This sentence hit the mark for Balk. He nodded heavily, a ferocious sneer appearing on his face, and gritted his teeth: "Good, just as you said! Let's bring more brothers tomorrow and have all the gear ready."

"I want to see which stray dog who doesn't want to live dares to set their sights on us!"

Just as Balk was making his threats, the players of the Invincible Supreme Adventurer Team were still unaware of this, busy finding places for those difficult NPCs to live.

Their hearts were still too soft; they couldn't just leave these guys alone.

Besides, once they were done with their activities, they might have to come back and pick up their adventurer status.

The next day, just as dawn broke and the sunlight spilled onto the construction site, 【Rich Man Who Eats Dirt】 and the others began their non-stop busy work again.

To find that famous architect, they inquired everywhere, asked construction workers on the street, and asked regulars in the tavern, finally finding the architect Karl in an inconspicuous studio.

Karl's hair was white, and his face was lined with wrinkles; one look and you could tell he was someone who had experienced a lot. However, although he was old, his eyes were bright, revealing a sense of professional confidence... this was all practiced from dealing with various architectural problems for many years.

The old gentleman came to the construction site unhurriedly, his steps steady.

He first walked around the planned land, as if measuring the ground with his shoe soles. Not only that, his eyes were fixed on the ground, not letting go of a single detail.

Then, he looked up and examined the surrounding environment carefully, from the high chimneys in the distance to the messy road surface with ruts nearby.

As he watched, his brows gradually furrowed, like a twisted knot.

Karl turned around and said to 【Rich Man Who Eats Dirt】 beside him with a serious face.

"The budget of 100 gold coins is too tight! According to the standard of 300 people, if there is only this much budget, we might have to squeeze your workers into a room the size of a palm like sardines in a can. They have no place to put their luggage, and even putting ten broken beds in that place would be a stretch... If so, maybe 100 gold coins won't even be spent, but you have to think clearly, living in this kind of ghost place is no different from living in hell."

【Jade-Faced Hand-Tired King】 shrugged, thinking to himself that hell wouldn't take the blame, at least Beifeng City didn't have such a place.

【Rich Man Who Eats Dirt】 also felt that doing so was too much, so he looked at him and asked.

"Then what about the other plan?"

"The other one will be much gentler."

After speaking, Karl paused and carefully took out the second plan from the cloth bag he carried.

He slowly unfolded the drawing, the lines on it clear and accurate, with all kinds of marks and notes densely packed.

The four players leaned over, and although they couldn't understand it, they still pretended to understand, touching their chins and nodding.

Knowing these guys were pretending to understand, Karl pointed to the design drawing and explained patiently.

"If we follow this plan, the design will be more complex, and the budget will have to be raised to 400 gold coins. We will plan three floors, a total of 75 rooms, each room size is appropriate, can fit a comfortable bed, four people living together although the space is tight, but at least it won't be too crowded. At the end of the corridor on each floor, there is a public hygiene area, with separate urinals and washbasins inside. In this way, it is practical and comfortable to live in, and it can also save the workers' time for washing."

Horace listened from the side, his small eyes instantly widening into copper bells.

Especially when he heard the budget part, his head shook like a rattle, interrupting Karl's words, and he shouted at the top of his lungs.

"I don't want such trouble! Just follow the first plan! You hurry up and give me a detailed design drawing, the faster the better, don't talk nonsense with me here! I don't have time to waste, my workers are waiting for the house to be built so they can move in as soon as possible!"

【Rich Man Who Eats Dirt】 and the others also knew in their hearts that this job was not easy to do, but after tossing and turning for so long, everyone was a bit broken, thinking that as long as they could take the job and settle these burdens, it would be fine.

Tom and the others were even more so; they were honest farmers, and they were satisfied to have a stable job. They hoped every day to start work early and earn money early, not caring at all about how they lived.

Anyway, it wasn't them living in this ghost place.

However, everyone was too lazy to care, but Karl was unhappy, staring at Horace with wide eyes, as if looking at a monster in a labyrinth.

"Are you crazy? Even Princess Ailin Campbell's refugee camp doesn't have such a house! You might as well let your workers sleep on the ground, that might be more breathable!"

Horace sneered.

He would have liked to do that, but unfortunately, the tax collector wouldn't listen to his nonsense, and the officials managing the land wouldn't let him.

Facing Karl's accusation, he raised the corner of his mouth, his face full of mockery: "If you can't draw, get out, don't waste my time here. If you don't draw, there are plenty of people who can, do I lack you?"

After speaking, he also looked at his partner 【Rich Man Who Eats Dirt】 and complained angrily.

"Where did you find this old madman? Is this his professional spirit? I refuse to pay for this idiot's drawing!"

Hearing Horace's words, Karl was so angry that his face turned red, his lips trembled, and he pointed his index finger at his nose and cursed.

"You guy who sold your soul to the devil, go find someone else! I will never draw such an inhumane drawing! I've been in this business for most of my life, and I've never seen a guy like you!"

He had been an architect all his life and was about to retire, but he didn't want to sell his soul to the devil for such a miserable reward and ruin his reputation.

Even though he also knew that honor in this ancient city had almost been swept into the trash heap.

Even the respected Princess herself needed to auction her treasures to shoulder the royal obligations, and her brother had simply sold his soul to the devils in human skin.

People would only laugh at him for being stubborn and not making money.

Then let them laugh!

He would take his pride to the grave.

Karl angrily stuffed the drawing into his bag and prepared to leave.

【Rich Man Who Eats Dirt】 was stunned, not having recovered from what happened, when he saw the "client" and the engineer he had worked so hard to find start arguing with each other.

He understood Horace's desire to save money, but this guy was already the cheapest architect!

Of course, he also understood why this guy with such old qualifications would be so cheap...

"A talent..." 【Iron-Blooded Fat Otaku】 muttered in a low voice, "How about getting him to Beifeng City?"

【Canglang Lame Leg】 glanced at him sideways.

"How to get him there? Trafficking? Kidnapping? Why is your thinking so simple."

Iron-Blooded Fat Otaku: "..."

Indeed.

People who can accept living with the undead and demons are the minority of the minority, the rare of the rare.

Unless they are completely desperate for Lord Shengxi and the entire human world, almost no one actively joins Beifeng City.

Moreover, they have no reason to change other people's life trajectories.

The two sides were deadlocked, the atmosphere was extremely tense, and just at this moment, a noisy sound suddenly came from afar.

Everyone turned their heads to look, only to see a group of guys who looked fierce, walking toward them aggressively.

These people were all big and thick, with faces full of flesh, cursing, and all kinds of ugly words coming out.

"I'll let you know who is in charge of this territory today!" "Damn it, dare to grab work on my boss's territory, don't you want to live!"

【Rich Man Who Eats Dirt】's heart sank, probably already guessing what had happened.

And the tenant farmers around them were terrified, obviously unwilling to provoke these fierce gods.

The leading muscular man was exceptionally tall, like a small mountain, and shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Stop for me! We have already signed a construction contract with Horace for this work. If you are sensible, get out! If you are not sensible, hehe, I will break your legs!"

Horace turned pale with fright upon hearing this, his legs went soft, and he almost collapsed to the ground.

"Who are you? I don't know you! What contract? Where is it? Take it out!"

"You don't know me, but I know you, buddy," Balk smiled, clenching his fists and saying, "As for the contract, I didn't bring it, but I brought my fists. Do you want to come over and take a look?"

Horace widened his eyes, his lips trembling, unable to say a word.

People in the factory were looking out, but no one came up to help.

Not to mention that these textile workers were mostly women, even with Horace's usual stingy personality, they would never meddle in other people's business.

Looking at these fierce guys, the expressions on the faces of several players couldn't help but become a bit solemn.

There were more than twenty people on the opposite side, and their side was all a group of timid guys.

Not to mention, they themselves had just entered the game not long ago and had just become familiar with the gameplay.

"Damn it, why be a coward in the game, fight them!" 【Iron-Blooded Fat Otaku】 suddenly spat, swung his fists, and beat them up.

Seeing that these people were not afraid but dared to take the initiative to swing their fists, Balk raised his eyebrows and waved his hand with a ferocious smile.

"Give it to me! Beat him!"

Hearing the boss's order, a group of villains swarmed up and pounced on the players.

【Rich Man Who Eats Dirt】 didn't want to cause trouble, after all, they didn't bring equipment, and they were "black households" wearing mimetic masks, and they were only Black Iron level... no matter how you look at it, they were at a disadvantage.

But seeing that his brother had already gone up, he was too lazy to care about infiltration or not, sighed, and his eyes instantly became sharp.

"Start the group!"

After saying that, he picked up a shovel and rushed up, fighting with three brothers and more than twenty gang members.

Both sides fought back and forth on the open space, dust flying.

Originally, the four players thought that the burly leader was at least an elite monster, so they fought very carefully, but when they really fought, they found that these guys were not beatable at all.

That seemingly difficult boss actually only had Black Iron level strength, probably awakened extraordinary ability by chance while wandering, had not undergone formal training, and had not been to any labyrinth since arriving.

As for the other members of the gang, they were ordinary refugees, without even basic fighting skills, only having the ability to be fierce.

Looking at the players, they were at least the "God's Chosen" of the Demon King, all four had Black Iron level strength, and previous adventures had accumulated countless combat experiences.

【Rich Man Who Eats Dirt】 rushed up in one step, punched the leader in the stomach, and gathered Qi at one point.

Balk's eyes were about to bulge, feeling as if he had been hit by a hard hammer in the stomach, as if his intestines were about to be stirred up.

【Jade-Faced Hand-Tired King】 shuttled flexibly in the crowd, kicking enemies down one by one, while 【Iron-Blooded Fat Otaku】 waved his thick arms, every slap making the enemy scream. 【Canglang Lame Leg】's leg was not lame at all, and he specialized in hitting vital parts, and after a while, there was no one around.

They cooperated very tacitly, their movements were fast, and after a few times, they beat these people to pieces, lying on the ground humming.

"Boss, spare my life! I won't dare again." Balk, spitting blood, shouted for mercy, lying on the ground like a meat worm.

Looking at his begging appearance, 【Iron-Blooded Fat Otaku】 felt a burst of hearty pleasure.

Although he didn't dare to be arrogant in reality, it didn't prevent him from beating up black evil forces in the game.

"Get out!" He shouted sharply, scaring the person lying on the ground, fearing that his fist would come again.

Seeing that the other side let him go, Balk didn't dare to say a word more, and after climbing up from the ground, he ran away limping.

Seeing the boss running away, a group of minions also scattered like birds and beasts, fleeing the scene scrambling.

Karl looked blankly at the direction Balk fled, whispering to himself.

"'Savage Bear' Balk, the leader of the Grizzly Gang, the overlord of Road 11 in the new factory area... you actually beat this plague god, and it was in front of so many people."

At the factory gate, a group of workers looked over here, whispering and pointing.

There were also several young girls who even looked at them with admiration, as if looking at heroes.

It can be seen that the reputation of these people is even worse than the "miser" Horace, to the point of being angry with both humans and gods, needing the "God's Chosen" of the Demon King to clean them up.

【Iron-Blooded Fat Otaku】 dug out non-existent earwax with his little finger and said pretentiously.

"Are they very good at fighting?"

Being good at fighting is useless!

Come and compare with the Demon King's army?

Karl swallowed, nodded, but after a while, shook his head silently.

"In any case, you did a good thing, they will probably restrain themselves for a while... of course, I'm not sure if this is a good thing for Mr. Horace."

His voice seemed to be pointing at something.

【Rich Man Who Eats Dirt】's heart moved, immediately understanding the old gentleman's implication, his eyes flashed with cunning, and he looked at Horace, who was constantly wiping sweat, and said with a smile.

"Sorry, Mr. Horace, we can't take this job. After all... you and Mr. Balk have already signed a contract."

Horace's heart skipped a beat, and he waved his hands desperately, screaming and denying it.

"I didn't sign with them, I really didn't! How could I sign a contract with this group of villains? Isn't this asking for trouble?"

He knew better than anyone that if this group of ruthless people gave up the job, once the Grizzly Gang recovered, they would definitely come to his textile factory for crazy revenge.

The expansion of Lei Ming City's police force can never keep up with the expansion speed of the urban area, and those guards selected from refugees might be related to these villains, and at that time, they might turn a blind eye.

Princess Ailin Campbell would not notice such a small matter, but for him, it would be a disaster. Those villains don't even need to do anything, just throw a stone every few days, or steal a machine to sell as scrap iron, even sitting at the factory gate to harass the female workers going to and from work... these are enough for him to drink a pot!

【Rich Man Who Eats Dirt】 cleared his throat, straightened his back, and a pleasant smile appeared on his face.

And that smile also made Horace, who was holding onto luck, fall into the abyss from his throat.

"... Since this is the case, this job is not impossible to do, but our contract probably needs to be renegotiated."

As he spoke, he raised a finger and continued to say with a smile.

"1000 gold coins, pay half first, and pay the rest after the project is finished. As for the materials, we will purchase them ourselves, and the design drawings must be decided by our side. And during the construction period, you cannot point fingers at our work."

His tone was firm and unquestionable, as if declaring his sovereignty over this land.

He indeed had this power, after all, this was the territory he "fought" down.

This kind of order on the ground is much more convincing than the distant royal power.

Horace felt dark before his eyes when he heard this price, and he almost fainted from heartache.

His hands tightly covered his chest, as if his heart had been severely pinched.

"You... devil."

"Likewise."

Looking at Horace, who squeezed out a sentence from his trembling lips, 【Rich Man Who Eats Dirt】 nodded slightly, looking polite.

Looking at the firm eyes of these guys, and thinking about the terrible revenge of the Grizzly Gang, Horace weighed it again and again, and finally gritted his teeth and nodded in agreement with heartache.

1000 gold coins are not too exaggerated.

The land use right granted to him by the royal family is worth at least ten times more than these 1000 gold coins, and these 1000 gold coins are spent on his own factory after all.

Just treat it as protection money.

He comforted himself like this, then limped away from the scene, just like a defeated rooster, exactly the same as Balk who fled in a mess.

"Justice, won a game."

【Rich Man Who Eats Dirt】 looked at Karl, who was glowing, with a smile, and extended his right hand to him, "I represent the Horace Textile Factory construction team to invite you to participate in our project again... of course, we will adopt your second plan, let that miser go to the corner and draw circles!"

Without a hint of hesitation, Karl excitedly shook his hand, his tone sincere and kind.

"It is my honor to serve you! Lord Shengxi is above, fortunately, Lei Ming City still has good people like you!"

Hearing this sentence, the smiles on the faces of the four players became ambiguous.

Lord Shengxi is above?

That's hard to say... ===== CHAPTER 229 =====